The Underworld : Rivers of Hades (Parts IV - VI)

It seemed to take an age to complete even the most basic of motor functions. Slowly, steadily, his eyes eased open, seperating lids encrusted with excreted fluids that hardened into a manmade glue.
His bare feet balanced precariously on a short rusted rusted pole that jutted out from the stone wall; his neck bound in chains that held his head against the cold green rock. Fatigues were shredded and torn, splattered with the blood of fallen comrades and just a little of his own.
They wanted him alive.
He opened his mouth to call out, but his throat was too dry to utter more than a few strangled moans. Turning his head as he propped himself oward with his manacled hands, he squinted into the darkness in an attempt to make out his surroundings.
A wooden torch, invisible in the darkened room, burst alight someways to his left, bathing the walls with a ghastly blue luminescence.
Even dehydrated, he managed to scream.
Private Andrew Riley's posture, hanging precariously from the wall, was so similar to his own. His physical condition, however, was not. A series of gaping gashes led from his upper chest down to his groin, four in all. A sickinging mix of internal organs and squirming maggots bulged from the wounds in the festering corpse, a particularly long coil of intestine drooping towards the ground. Fatigues had been completely torn from his paled body, lying in a bloodied heap below his swaying feet.
Private Peter Watson closed his eyes and allowed the tears of sorrow and hopelessness to flow...

Corporal Hendry found himself staring around the open courtyard. Four sets of stairs led up to wooden doors from the central rocky platform on which he and his companions stood, each one identical to the other. Beside him, Private Kalliope continued to stare skywards in wonder.
"It is like blood", she commented for perhaps the third time in the last ten minutes, he thickly accented voice echoing around the cobbled stone walls. "This is nothing like i imagined."
Colonel McMillan eased his massive frame down onto one of the lowermost steps, absently clicking his combat shotgun open and closed. Allowing his gaze to fall on the darkened areas inbetween the ominous steps, he snapped his shotgun shut one last time and nodded towards them.
"We're not going to get much further like this. We've been on our feet for hours." He slung his shotgun over his shoulder and started towards the dimly lit cave he'd noticed. "We'll take it in shifts. One sleeping, two guarding. You'll need to keep eachother awake." He grinned over his shoulder. "I'm down first."
Hendry and Kalliope exchanged glances; if they had any protests, they were keeping their mouths shut about it.
The cave was only a few metres deep, lit sporadically by blue torchlight. McMillan leaned against the wall and allowed himself to drop down into a sitting position, his eyes fluttering closed almost immediatly. Kalliope looked again at Hendry, who just shrugged and lay his minigun beside him.
"Is he asleep?" She whispered.
"He's bloody knackered" he replied. "but still, there's some questions that need answering."
"Such as?" she asked, gazing out of the cave and up at the swirling red clouds once more.
"Where we're going? How we're gonna get out of here? Wherever the hell 'here' is." He wiped persperation from his brow with a gloved hand. "He said so himself, he's been here before - yet he got back out."
Kalliope shook her head vigorously. "No. This is the Underworld. Hades would not allow any to escape from this place."
"Maybe he's fucking Hercules." He chuckled.
Kalliope laughed along in spite of herself, but cut off as soon as she had started; Hendry was deadly serious again.
"Seriously, he knows where we are, Hell, the Underworld, whatever, and he knows how to get us out." He spat on the floor. "We're up against some freaky shit. I don't wanna wind up gut-fucked like that guy back... " he caught himself when he saw the expression on her face. "...I don't want to wind up dead."
Kalliope nodded in agreement. "So what do we do?"
Hendry motioned for the weapon slung over her shoulder.
"We're gonna get some fucking answers, that's what."

"Wakey Wakey Colonel Sir McMillan Sir"
McMillan stirred, suddenly and acutely aware of two facts - one, that his lower back was screaming in protest, and two, that he wasn't as young as he used to be.
Easing his eyes open, he stared into the last thing he'd hoped to see.
Staring into the barrel of Hendry's SPAS, he glanced fractionally upwards to meet his companions steely-blue eyes.
"You've been drinking too much coffee.", The Colonel commented as he rubbed at his eyes. Kalliope hovered over the duo like a thundercloud with an attitude.
"No," Hendry replied, "I've just been way too fucking trusting."
"Explain."
"How did you get back to Earth. You were stranded in Hell, or wherever the fuck we are, all alone with nothing but weapons and dumb luck. You didn't just pop back home 'cause you felt like it." He looked up and recieved a look of agreement from Kalliope. "I want to know how we're getting home."
McMillan let out a heavy sigh. "I didn't understand a lot of it until recently. I did some more learning, picked up books of various faiths, and put things together..."
"I don't give a shit about that", Hendry cut him off. "How did you get home?"
"The only thing i can match it up with is... Baphomet", The Colonel stated.
"What?"
"It's the reason they don't need gateways. No, it's like it makes the gateways, whatever." He sighed again. "A mother demon, a spawner, i don't know how you define it. It's the ruler of Hell. It could be psychic, or telekenetic, i just don't know."
"What's this Baphomet look like".
McMillan levelled his gaze and met Hendry with an icy stare. "It's evil. Pure and simple. Think of a fifty-foot horned fucking skull wired into place on a wall. Think of giant hooks exposing the things brain. It can create a legion of demons. I'm pretty sure it could have killed me with a thought if it wanted to..." Hendry seemed to chew on that for a moment. "I guess it was toying with me."
"So how did you kill it?".
McMillan grinned. "A few well-placed rockets in his brain. It would have been easy enough if i hadn't had to cut a swathe through an army of demons at the same time."
"Ok," The Corporal cut him off, "...ok. So you kill the big horny-skull thing. You're happy, we're all happy, good for you. How does that get you back home?"
"Don't you see?" McMillan was fast losing patience. "That thing was holding open the gateway. It's as if, once the gate's closed, the realities get seperated again. Anything that doesn't belong here gets sent back where it came from."
Hendry stared at him for a few seconds. "You sure?", he asked finally.
"Yes i'm sure. Now point that fucking thing someplace else.... it's your turn for sleep."
The Corporal meekly eased himself down, praying he wouldn't wake up looking down the sights of a CS.

I know one Corporal and one Private that will find themselves in the pen for mutiny when they get their asses home ;-)
Nice work - this one's really great.

I can't wait for a part V :-)
Good work!

Mum. Dad. Anthony. Dead. Skinned. Butchered. Screams....

Hendry jerked awake, cracking his head against the cave wall as he fought back the violent nausea and disorientation that went hand-in-hand with the dreams. Slowly, steadily, his vision cleared. The blood red sky. The stench of death. The grime and dried blood that covered his ungloved hands like a second skin.
Glancing to his left, he noticed McMillan and Kalliope sat down a few meters away, engaging in the idle chit-chat that was providing the only anchor to sanity in the otherwise horiffic scenario. Weapons were laid across their laps, waiting to be scooped up and armed in the blink of an eye. Luckily, Hell seemed to be leaving them alone - however watchful it's denizens might be - for long enough to rest.
It's like they want us alive, He thought. Like it wouldn't be fair to gut us when we're at our most vulnerable. He took a little pleasure in that thought; he had no intentions of playing by their rules.
"Finally awake are we?" said McMillan, easing himself back to his feet and shouldering his combat shotgun.
Hendry squeezed his eyes shut hard, rubbing his temples. "Something like that", he replied.
"Well, we're in luck." the Colonel continued. "Kalliope was woken up when the shit hit the fan, so she's still fully charged. We can make some more distance whenever you're ready."
"Aren't we the lucky fucks" muttered the Corporal.
"Luck has nothing to do with this", interjected Private Kalliope. "This was meant to be."
Hendry mulled that one over, then let it slide with a shake of his head. "So, what've you two been gabbing about while i was kippin'?"
"Gabbing?" Kalliope queried.
"Talking. Chatting. What've you been plotting?"
Kalliope did a double take, then followed Hendry's suit as his face broke into a grin.
"Nothing so sinister" she replied, watching as the Colonel stepped back out to stand beneath the crimson heavens. "Discussing a difference in religious opinion."
"Greek mythology versus Christian teachings", Hendry nodded.
"Exactly", She agreed. "There are many discrepencies - and i do not fully believe that this is the same place the Colonel visited before and during the Invasion."
"What did he say to that?"
Kalliope's grin returned. "He is a stubborn man."
"Yeah... " he allowed his gaze to follow the Colonel as he drew his shotgun and inspected the steps outside. "Well, from what he said, i was expecting all that 'fire and brimstone' shit. Walls made of flesh, suffering left, right and centre... this place seems more like a barren valley."
Kalliope nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly."
"Well... nothing more to do but carry on where we left off."
"Which was?"
The Corporal heaved a heavy sigh. "We gotta go find McMillan's super-demon, haven't we?" Pulling himself to his feet, he heaved his mini-gun back to his shoulder and headed outside to meet the Colonel.

McMillan paused in front of one of the immense wooden double-doors, finding a rusted chain, complete with a lock, spread across its surface and concealing the wrought-iron handles. Hendry and Kalliope flanked him on either side.
"Private, would you do the honours?"
Blasting the lock away, Kalliope moved forward and pulled the chains free. McMillan gave his companions a cursory nod before leaning forward to grip the handles. Beside him, the Private and the Corporal stood ready, their weapons trained on the door. With a heavy creak, McMillan heaved the doors open before quickly grabbing his combat shotgun.
The blackness in the corridor beyond was virtually impenetrable, the sporadic spacing of short, blue torches giving little illumination. Hendry stepped forward, finding a narrow t-junction that stretched into the darkness on either side. Glancing back towards the relative brilliance of the doorway, he motioned to McMillan and Kalliope to follow.
The corridor was barely wide enough to administer two people side-by-side, although the lighting was a little better than the doorway. Torches were equally spaced, but nevertheless giving the impression of the corridor stretching off to infinity. At the rear of the three-person line, Hendry spoke up.
"You hear that?"
The Colonel stopped and glanced back down the corridor. "I didn't hear anything."
"Seriously, i heard something. Growling. I swear."
"Ok, ok. You heard something." Checking the guages on his shotgun, he leaned into the wall. "But i still can't see anything."
"I'm not fucking kidding, i'm not hearing things..."
"Colonel, Sir..." Kalliope cut him off, staring on ahead. "...what is that?"
The other two pairs of eyes glanced ahead once more. Illuminated, however distantly, in the blue torchlight, a hulking frame was charging towards them.
McMillan was turning back to Hendry when he saw more shapes moving in from the other end of the corridor, their pink, leathery skin taking on a purple tint in the torchlight.
"I guess you were right", The Colonel commented. "Hendry, you got ammo?"
Hendry gave a cursory glance down at the ammo guage. "Yep. Ready to play."
"Shred 'em."
Bracing himself, Hendry pressed the firing stud.
The subsequent blasts from the three shotgun barrels were drowed out by the howl of Hendry's minigun. Nightmare shapes were illuminated in the darkness with each round fired. Snarling faces. Snapping jaws. Bursting veins. The cacophony rose as the demons clambered over their brethren corpses and grew ever-closer to their mortal assailants.
The final demons were felled mere feet away, slipping upon the spilled guts of their fellow creatures and twitching as the blood left their bodies. McMillan wiped his brow.
"I should have seen that coming."
"Well you'd better see it next time, cuz this thing's dry", retorted Hendry. The mini-gun's belt-clip clattered to the ground amid spent rounds.
Picking their way across the corpses, they marched on for what seemed like an eternity.
"It's like going round in circles" Hendry sighed. "Can you go round in circles when you're walking in a straight line?"
"Wait!" McMillan spoke up. About twenty meters up ahead, the corridor curved inwards to meet another wooden door.
"Finally," Hendry exclaimed. "What are you waiting for? Let's head on through."
McMillan tore the door open, swinging his shotgun back up and staring down another seemingly infinite corridor.
"You've gotta be kidding." He muttered.
Kalliope found herself staring in fascination.
"Lethe..."

I would be damn happy to see this in a trailer somewhere!

One thing just occurred to me: Hendry has bright hair and I believe Callilope has dark hair right - now who could this be a parallel to? *wink, wink* ;-)

MRB_Doom said:

I would be damn happy to see this in a trailer somewhere!

What, like a film trailer? Woah!

dsm said:

One thing just occurred to me: Hendry has bright hair and I believe Callilope has dark hair right - now who could this be a parallel to? *wink, wink* ;-)

Ok, you've got us there; when i was originally going to introduce Hendry in the 'Portal of Hades' chapter, Jay suggested that he have a little of me in him. Likewise, when i introduced Kalliope, i did the same with Jay.
The main reason for Kalliope's presence, however, is to justify the fact that they're in the Underworld of Hades - her extensive knowlege of Greek mythology (paralleling Jay's knowlege) helps explain their surroundings.

Spike said:

Ok, you've got us there; when i was originally going to introduce Hendry in the 'Portal of Hades' chapter, Jay suggested that he have a little of me in him. Likewise, when i introduced Kalliope, i did the same with Jay.
The main reason for Kalliope's presence, however, is to justify the fact that they're in the Underworld of Hades - her extensive knowlege of Greek mythology (paralleling Jay's knowlege) helps explain their surroundings.

Well, I've been rather slow to put together 2 and 2 on this - then again, it's a long time since you last worked on this story and I've only recently come to learn enough about you and Jay to make this conclusion ;-)

Spike said:

What, like a film trailer? Woah!

Exactly.

Insanity, Hendry thought. Absolute, FUBAR insanity. That glimmer of hope he'd felt when they'd found the door was ruthlessly stamped out as soon as he had seen beyond it. His legs began to give way from underneath him, dropping him to his knees and bringing his blood-encrusted hands to his head.
At his side, McMillan glanced down at the Corporal and shook his head.
"Get up. This is the last thing we need."
"I don't give a fuck about what we need. We may as well go out there and wave a white flag." His lip was beginning to tremble. Christ, the last thing we need is a hysterical sidekick, the Colonel thought.
The moss-encrusted walls seemed to press in all around them, tricks of the light triggering latent claustraphobia in all three of them.
"Any ideas, Private?" McMillan asked, ignoring the gnawing feeling in his gut; it had been hours since any of them had eaten.
Kalliope had shouldered her shotgun. Absently, she clutched at a necklace of beads just beneath the collar of her fatigues.
"I suggest we head back out", she said after a moment of thought. "The further we go, the more likely it will be that we become lost."
"Sounds good", McMillan agreed. He gave another glance down at the Corporal. "Get up, Hendry. You can cry like a little girl later." He leaned down, grabbed a handful of Hendry's jacked and dragged him to his feet. He didn't even protest.
Time became irrelevant in this world. Hendry barely had the will to continue, shuffling onwards behind his companions. After perhaps an hour of walking, a disturbing thought occured to him...
"McMillan. How long've we been walking?"
The Colonel shrugged. "About forty minutes. No way to be sure."
Hendry could feel his pulse quickening. "So we should have had to climb over those corpses by now, right?"
Suddenly, the air felt a few degrees colder.
"They're... gone?"
McMillan grabbed for his shotgun. "If they were even here in the first place. We couldn't have taken a wrong turn, could we?"
Hendry grinned. "There wasn't a turn to make. It's a straight fucking line, all the way."
"So how the fuck did..."
The scream came so suddenly that Kalliope nearly dropped her shotgun. It echoed through the dank confines of the halls, curdling their blood, and freezing them in their tracks - it could only have been a few meters away.
Hendry suddenly seemed fueled. Snatching McMillan's shotgun, he broke into a sprint, leaving the protesting Colonel and Private alone in the dark.
"Where the fuck's he going?" Muttered the Colonel.

Wilson. Private Peter Wilson. Even in that tortured scream, Hendry recognised him. It was different when contemplating your own death; when everyone else had been taken away from you, nothing mattered much - except for friends. And he wasn't about to let a friend die.
The torches flashed past him as he belted onwards, looking for a turn-off, a door, anything. What he found several hundred feet onwards, however, was a pulsing teleport pad. His step didn't even falter, he simply charged onward and jumped straight on, forcing his eyes shut from the blinding green light.
When he opened them again, his surroundings were only marginally different; the walls were the same, irregularly-hewn blocks of stone covered with moss, blue torches spaced regularly as illumination, but rather than a narrow hall it was an expansive room. He stepped from the teleporter, nearly slipping on a floor slick with congealing blood. A ropy coil of intestine trailed away to a corridor near the corner of the room. He stormed onwards, turning the corner and facing an even more gruesome sight.
A series of bodies in various states of decay hung from the wall, their backs held taut by iron shackles round their neck. Their feet dangled around short metal poles that jutted from the stone. Hendry was examining the first corpse in the row - it's abdomen torn open by animal claws - when he heard a low snuffling sound. He turned round...
The imps came charging towards him from the direction of the teleporter, hissing and snarling as they unsheathed their talons. The Corporal didn't even flinch; the initial double-barelled blast from his shotgun tore a gaping hole in the first creature's chest and sent the one behind toppling backwards. He broke the weapon open, loaded two more rounds, snapped it shut - then swung the stock into the nearest beast's face before unloading the weapon into its chest.
Catching sight of a few more flashes of green light on the stone walls, Hendry hastily reloaded the shotgun and took aim at the low hallway, barely managing to stop himself from yanking on the trigger as McMillan and Kalliope rounded the corner.
"Couldn't have made it here a bit sooner, could you?" He muttered, shouldering his weapon.
"You didn't exactly tell us where you were going", Kalliope protested, chambering a round into her own weapon. "What's wrong?"
Hendry ignored her, turning back onto the row of corpses. The room was silent but for a soft wheezing sound. Breathing. He rushed from corpse to corpse, checking the dogtags of each body in turn. He followed the line of death around the far corner of the room, then to the opposite wall... and stopped. He glanced at the dogtags again, wiping them of blood and dirt so as to be absolutely sure - and then he looked up.
"Peter. Peter, is that you?"
The gaunt, pale face stirred, dark ringed eyes fluttering open as the sound of his own name called on a menagerie of memories. Dark brown eyes focused on Hendry's own.
"Billy?" His voice was a low croak, a tell-tale sign of dehydration, but still recognisable. "Billy Hendry, is that you?"

For the first time since Hell had returned to Earth, William Hendry had a reason to keep fighting.

Yeehaw, another great story from the spiky bleachblonde vampire :-)
Nice turn of events here, keep 'em comin'. Btw, how many chapters are you aiming at releasing?

dsm said:

Yeehaw, another great story from the spiky bleachblonde vampire :-)
Nice turn of events here, keep 'em comin'. Btw, how many chapters are you aiming at releasing?

Not sure at the moment. I was originally gonna do a chapter for each map from the megawad, but decided to compress all five 'River' maps (Phlegethon, Lethe, Cocytus, Acheron and Styx) into one long chapter, as some will only be briefly seen (Phlegethon, for instance) - i'm currently on Lethe.

After that there will be chapters for 'Haunted Shores', 'Cerebus Gates' and 'Palace of Hades'. I'll decide if i'm gonna take it into episode 2, 'Erebus Unbound', once they're finished. :)

That's gonna be a looong story. Long but good.

dsm said:

That's gonna be a looong story. Long but good.

Yeah, but the workload is easing a little; I just need to finish the leg and arm of the Mancubus and Raven's hair - leaving me with the Demonic Clown to complete. Then, hopefully, i can get stuck back into both the wads and story.

ok hun, just read it through, must say....good work. you know when i like what i read cuz I tend to start of reading really slow then I pick up the pace as the excitment grows. I am looking forward to the next bit.....:)

Great story. :) I still like it.
Does Vampirajay have an accent? Do you and her treat eachother like buttheads? :)

KoolKat said:

Great story. :) I still like it.
Does Vampirajay have an accent? Do you and her treat eachother like buttheads? :)

a)Cheers Dude. I'll do my best to keep it up.
b)Jay has the *slightest* hint of an irish accent.
c)We have 'play' fights - ie, we beat the shit out of eachother for fun - on a regular basis. No more of that now there's a baby on the way.