The Underworld - Portal of Hades (parts 6-10)

[Spike]

PART VI

[[The immense marble chamber was a hive of activity. Untold numbers of creatures scuttled among the shadows, carrying equipment and fleshy objects as they laboured tirelessly about their task. Clawed hands lifted wires and cables into place while thick fingers connected huge sections of arteries to the looming visage that hung over the throne room like a dark omen warning of an approaching apocalypse. The creatures began to increase their pace, feeling the need to complete their goal burgeoning within them until it reached a silent crescendo.
The last pipe was set in place. The support struts groaned one last time before falling silent under the pressure of the monstrous skull. The creatures, satisfied with their work, scuttled away into the dank recesses of the palace. With a ground-shaking shudder, the blood began to flow through the pipes. Through the veins. Through the brain.
Slowly, steadily, the giant eyelids of the immense beast fluttered open, its brain beginning to pulse with renewed life. And as if to celebrate, every creature in the palace emitted a monstrous roar, a furious sound that reverberated across untold miles of the underworld.
The Baphomet lived once more.]]

Colonel McMillan took point, moving stealthily down the darkened corridors of the Athens Base' troop quarters. A few meters behind, Corporal Hendry was bringing up the rear, covering the halls with his shotgun. The bulky AD-75 mini-gun was slung awkwardly over his shoulder, the rear-heavy momentum threatening to topple him if he leaned back too far. Just ahead, the emergency lights illuminated McMillan as he rounded the next corner, bringing the combat shotgun smoothly to bear as he checked the intersection. He motioned Hendry onwards, confident that the path was clear.
Hendry cursed under his breath. They'd been doing this for the past ten minutes. Didn't the stupid bastard know where his own quarters were?
"Hey, Colonel, what's taking so long?" Hendry whispered as he turned the corner. McMillan stood staring down another corridor intersection, his posture that of a statue. Annoyed, Hendry moved up along side and peered along the Colonel's line of sight. The corridor in question came to an abrupt end a few meters down the hall, flanked by wooded torches that flickered softly in the slight winds that were moving through the ruined installation. The far wall, however, was a symmetrical lump of flesh, looking for the entire world like some kind of hellish eye socket. Hendry regarded the sight with disgust.
"What the fuck is that?" He asked, nodding towards it.
McMillan moved towards it slowly, his eyes scanning the floor for any evidence of a trap.
"It's a switch. The kind that the demons use".
Hendry rolled his eyes at the word 'demons', looking back round the corner of the corridor.
"What you gonna do, flip it?" He inquired, suddenly noticing the spilled blood that seemed to trail off down the hall. Kneeling down, Hendry tested the liquid with his fingers.
It was still warm.
The air suddenly seemed colder, and he found himself gripping the shotgun ever tighter.
"Something like that," The Colonel replied. "it might be..." His voice trailed off as he saw some familiar shapes strewn across the ground. Journals. Pictures. Medals. All from his office.
And the blessed shape of a red security card.
"Hendry, we're in business" He called back down the hall. "I've found the card". He bent down to pick it up, slipping it safely into his fatigues. As he rose, he found himself staring once more at the eye-socket switch. A compulsion began to creep into his mind, his muscles reacting before he could think about what he was doing. Slowly and deliberately, he pushed his hand into the socket, finding and gripping a bulbous shape buried several inches in the flesh.
"McMillan, I don't know if this area's secure..." Came Hendry's voice as he rounded the corridor once more to greet the Colonel.
McMillan pulled the switch, realising all too late just what he'd done.
The whole base seemed to shudder as if it had just been resurrected. From down the halls, Hendry began to hear familiar sounds. Snuffling. Growling. Even laughing. Low, malicious, demonic laughing. "Colonel, with all due respect I think we should get the fuck out of here!..." Hendry was tapping his foot anxiously, his gaze snapping back and forth down the corridor intersection.
McMillan turned back towards Hendry, breaking into a run when he too heard the sounds emanating from the ground levels.
"There's a service lift that links the troop quarters to the containment area," the Colonel stated. "It'll be quicker than heading up there, and probably safer too." He rushed past Hendry, heading towards the far end of the hallway. Mumbling silently to himself, Hendry followed.
It took a mere ten minutes of cautious sweeping across the containment area to get back to the communication centre. The Colonel strode confidently towards the door, feeding the security card into the door panel. With a smooth, silent movement, the transformed door rushed upwards to meet the ceiling, and Hendry walked straight past McMillan to start work on the consoles that would wipe out those alien bastards once and for all.
He froze in the doorway. The communication centre, like so many other parts of the base, was simply gone. What remained was something that most closely resembled a temple. Carvings of the Baphomet hung from the marble ceiling over sacrificial pools of blood, illuminated in places by more red torches. On either side of the chamber, staircases wound their way around and upward to meet on a high balcony that overlooked everything below like a royal throne. The sight that held the attention of both marines, however, was the blood pool that lay in the centre of the room. A total of eight imps stood guard around it, each of them kneeling in worship alongside a flickering torch. Lying soaked in the blood was the shape of an anti-personnel rocket launcher.
Hendry and McMillan exchanged glances. The imps hadn't even flinched at their approach, the attention of the creatures was still fixed on the ground where they prayed.
McMillan leaned towards Hendry.
"You shred those brown bastards, I'll go for the launcher"
The Corporal shot him an irritated glare, but proceeded to shoulder his shotgun, bringing the mini-gun back up for more fun and games.
"Hendry", he called in a barely audible whisper "now!"...

PART VII

The mini-gun spoke, it's explosive-tipped voice echoing thunderously around the temple walls. The praying imps reacted quickly to the onslaught, only to be just as quickly torn to shreds by the fire that ripped through their bodies, their jerking convulsions resembling some obscene, blood-soaked dance. Just as the last imp slumped to the ground amid the guts of its brethren, the mini-gun clicked empty.
McMillan was on the game once more, treading carefully through the shallow pool of blood that lay beneath one of the monstrous Baphomet carvings. In a swift movement, the Colonel grabbed the bloodied rocket launcher, grinning admirably at the sleek weapon as he stepped out of the liquid to examine it. One rocket still remained out of the 8-shell belt that fed the launcher.
"Things are looking up, Corporal" McMillan stated through a broad smile. "You ever used one of these babies?"
Hendry let the mini-gun drop to the floor, the barrels still smoking from the assault. "I was a close-combat trooper, Colonel" he reminded the other. "I haven't touched one of those things since weapons training." He took a moment to stare around the cavernous room. "Besides, how the fuck can things be looking up? What happened to the communication equipment? This place got sealed off tight as soon as the sirens went..."
McMillan glanced curiously at his companion as his words trailed off, caught in his throat like an awaiting explosion. He finally managed to strangle off a few words.
"What the fuck?"
McMillan's eyes widened as he span round, searching for and suddenly finding the cause of Hendry's shock. The salivating visage of a cacodemon loomed over him like a severed head. McMillan broke out into a straight run, heading for the door that framed Hendry like an angelic aura
"Use the launcher!" The Corporal screamed. "Blow the fucker to kingdom come!"
McMillan ignored him, tossing the launcher to one side and grabbing the combat shotgun from his shoulder.
"Start nailing it!" The Colonel yelled.
The answering fire came in a heartbeat as Hendry began the attack, smoothly pumping the SPAS within a split-second of each shot, hammering the floating beast backwards. All around them, electrical charges spread from wall to wall, looking like the veins of some immense yet intangible creature. With that, the cacodemon returned fire.
The vicious blue-white volley of ball lightning scorched its way across the room, causing the hairs all over McMillan's body to stand upright. With barely a second to spare, he threw himself to the floor, flattening himself against the marble ground mere inches below the projectile. Rolling onto his back, the Colonel took aim with the combat shotgun and fired, the recoil throwing his head backward to crack on the ground. The cacodemon took the blast in its side, already bleeding from the repeated volleys of shells from Hendry's weapon. The creature's body split open like bad fruit, spilling gas pouches and steaming organs to the ground. The horned carcass landed with a dull thud shortly after.
Hendry shouldered his shotgun, staring down at McMillan. The Colonel lay there with his weapon trained on the cacodemon's corpse.
"Snap out of it, Colonel" spat the younger man. "You got anymore bright ideas?"
McMillan slowly, cautiously lowered his weapon, pushing himself back up on his elbows. Something else had caught his eye.
"Follow me" was all he said as he got back on his feet and headed for the stairwell. Hendry stared daggers at the Colonel, wondering whether the older marine was stupid or just plain crazy.
Maybe both, he thought with a grin.
The stairwells on both sides of the temple convened on an elaborate balcony overlooking the entire room. Lying in the centre of the room, however, was another pile of personal effects. Diary entries, photos and more littered the ground. Hendry's expression became quizzical.
"What're they doing with this stuff? Hoarding it? I mean, these things are dumber than the guys on latrine duty. It doesn't make any bloody sense."
McMillan wasn't listening. From the pile of effects he produced a pair of slim, palm-sized cards. The first was marked 'Cryogenic Storage' in yellow, the other 'Base Expansion Project' in blue.
"Could be our ticket out of here," the Colonel remarked. "Even if we can't call for help, the base isn't more than a few miles from Athens itself. The invasion seems to be limited to the base so far, so clearing this place of demons before heading out would be a good idea. We can't risk anything else getting as far as a populated city... not again."
Hendry shuddered, memories of the original invasion fresh in his mind. Of returning home to find his parents skinned bodies hanging from the living room ceiling. His younger brother lay in pieces scattered from the front door to the attic. The Marine Corps and the Western Coalition were the only things he had left.
A gentle thudding caught his attention.
The Colonel had noticed it too. Noticed that the thudding was growing louder each time. Easing back up, McMillan peered over the balcony. The thudding became a shaking, as if the entire room was vibrating like a tuning fork, building up to a crescendo that neither marine was looking forward to being around for.
Hendry shielded his eyes as a bright green flash engulfed the room, his eyes adjusting in time to see the swirling emerald beams of light underneath each of the three elaborate marble carvings. The light died away as soon as it had begun, leaving only dull footsteps in their wake. Footsteps, and growling.
McMillan stared down in horror and disbelief as the first of the three creatures began searching the temple, examining each and every wall. It locked its eyes onto his. Brown haired, goat-like legs supported the bulging physiques of the pink-skinned creatures, their monstrous horned heads all turning in unison to regard the marines.
The lead creature opened its gaping maw, letting out a deafening roar that shook the very fibres of Hendry's being.
The Barons of Hell began their attack.

[dsm]

Well-written and well-describing....as always. Good job :-)

[Spike]

Do i get a medal?

[dsm]

Uhh, I don't have a medal to give you so I guess not.
Sorry.

[Spike]

Crap. i was in it for the fame, the pride, the glory!
failing that, cash will do :)

[dsm]

I think you're the wrong place buddy. The only thing one gets here is criticism - good or bad criticism.

[Spike]

Dsm - i'm kidding!

[dsm]

Spike said:

Dsm - i'm kidding!

Fine, 'cause I'm just prolonging the joke ;-)

[Spike]

Thank hell for that, i was getting bloody worried.
Any more artwork in progress, btw?

[dsm]

I am working on at least two new "character" drawings (a la the ones you've seen), plus I have improved slightly on my Doom Marine drawing - I'm going to add more of a background to it than what is there now (the current background is just some pencil lines and some quickly thrown in fire).

But it wont be out soon - I've got many other things to worry about now: Exams.

[Spike]

Sounds good ; let me know if you finish any.
I've got a new 'Demon' design in the works, a drawing of the Grim Reaper to finish, and a few doom creature designs to work on...

[Spike]

PART VIII

Hendry somehow found his voice.
"You bastards!" he screamed. "I'll fuckin' kill you all!"
Before McMillan could stop him, the Corporal was charging down the stairs, pumping his shotgun as blind rage took over. McMillan knew that a single marine armed with a shotgun had no hope of taking down a trio of Barons.
"Hendry! Get out of there, get back to the containment area!"
But Hendry wasn't listening. Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, he took aim at the nearest of the creatures, grinning like a maniac as he pulled the trigger. The shotgun blast echoed around the room, reverberating like a crack of thunder over distant hills. The pellets impacted on the demon's chest, splattering green fluid over the ground and causing the creature to pause in its advance. His gaze narrowed as he took in the extent of the damage he'd caused.
Virtually none.
Only the slightest of puckering craters remained on the Baron's chest, the flow of its green blood slowing as the wound healed. Drawing itself up to its full eight-foot height, the Baron roared in defiance, it's left claw beginning to glow a ghastly green. Hendry stared on, mortified.
It has to be hurt, he thought desperately. It has to be!
With that, the creature struck, launching a mass of the emerald energy at the Corporal. Hendry threw himself to the ground. He was a split second too late. The blast caught him square in the shoulder, burning through heavy armour and searing the skin beneath. He clutched desperately at the wound, dropping to the marble ground as agony washed over his being. The air stank of burning flesh, adding to the already-foetid smell that hung over the installation like flies over a corpse.
McMillan had stealthily made his way down the opposite staircase, his eyes intent on both the Barons and the piece of equipment he desperately hoped would get them out of there. Reaching the temple floors, he padded carefully over to the rocket launcher.
Merely a few metres away from the squirming, fallen marine, the Barons suddenly turned to regard his companion. The Colonel eased the launcher to his shoulder, wiping congealed blood from the readouts. The nearest creature let out a frustrated snarl, advancing cautiously towards him.
"Come on you bastards," McMillan muttered. "Just a little bit closer..."
Grinning, he pressed the firing stud.
The anti-personnel rocket screamed towards the Barons like a bat out of hell. The impact tore the first creature off its feet, and sent the other two tumbling backward into the sacrificial blood pools that lay under the Baphomet carvings. The Colonel knew only too well that this was a temporary diversion. Once they had regained their bearings, they'd be out for blood. He shouldered the launcher, rushing over to the fallen Corporal. The weight of both weapons plus that of Hendry was a strain, but he had no choice.
One of the Barons began to stir. Slowly, as if awaking from a long slumber, it began to pull itself to its feet. Feeling the tension rising, McMillan dragged the Corporal for all he was worth, reaching the doorway just as he heard the creature release a sound of utter, animalistic rage. Hendry's eyes seemed to snap open.
"What's happening?" He demanded, his eyes wide as he searched the suddenly unfamiliar surroundings.
"We're getting out of here. Can you walk?"
The Corporal struggled to his feet, wincing once more as pain lanced through his torso. He cursed through clenched teeth, clutching his shoulder ever tighter. McMillan hammered the 'CLOSE' button on the panel, breathing a sigh of relief as the door slid smoothly shut behind him.
"Come on, there's some medkits round here somewhere", the Colonel reassured him. I'll have to patch you up for now, until we can get you back to Athens."
Hendry's eyes fluttered back open.
"See them bastards back there?" He said, nodding back towards the door they'd just exited. "They killed 'em. Mum, dad, Anthony. They killed 'em all."
McMillan simply nodded in understanding, hauling Hendry over to one of the smashed crates. The white shape of a medikit lay undisturbed at its base. In the near distance, the sound of pounding fists rang around the containment area as the Barons tried desperately to smash down the door.
The treatment was hardly first class, but it would do. Anti-toxicants had been applied to the wound, followed by a synth-skin seal and some extra bandages to protect it as it bonded with his own flesh. A few nerve-booster drugs coaxed him back to full consciousness. McMillan had just finished attaching the bandage when a thunderous crash shocked him away from his task.
The Barons had broken through.
"Hendry, get up. We're outta here."
The Corporal nodded, grabbing his shotgun and following the Colonel wearily back towards the door to the training yard. Smashing crates and scraping claws heralded their exit from the containment area as the Barons continued their pursuit.

[dsm]

Nice work...as always.
However, I am a bit disappointed that Col. McMillan (aka the Doomguy), turns tail on three barons. With a rocket launcher and with his previous experience (TWO trips to Hell) you'd think he would be able to make short work of three puny barons o' Hell.
Now, if this guy wasn't the doomguy, it wouldn't bother me at all.

[Spike]

It might not follow the game precisely, but in the story, i've mentioned that the rocket launcher only has a single round loaded. As for the other weaponry - my bad, i forgot to mention that they we're running low on ammo.
I'll edit the story to mention this, and that they pick up more ammo back on the training grounds, too.
Cheers for pointing that out, though :)

[dsm]

Spike said:

, but in the story, i've mentioned that the rocket launcher only has a single round loaded.

Ooops sorry, I somehow managed to overlook that.

[pritch]

I like this story, it has a heaviness that many of the fanfic stories often lack and doesn't risk over-complicated or pompous language. Nice work Spike, we have absolutely nothing in common except Doom and a love of writing perhaps, but hell that's enough for me.

You are a newbie no longer.

[Spike]

Wow - cheers dude, means mucho! More as i get round to writing it...

[Spike]

PART IX

The cool blast of air washed over Hendry’s face as the door to the training ground rushed open, a welcome relief from the stifling heat of the Baron’s temple. The sun was beginning to rise over the distant hills, accompanied by the soft calls of birds in nearby trees.
How then, he mused, could a scene of such serenity be host to the events of the past few hours?
Colonel McMillan brushed silently past him, hurriedly tearing lids and seals from the crates that littered the ground.
“Corporal, you ok? Give me a hand over here.” He ordered, business-like as usual. “I want to check out the newer levels.”
Hendry did a double take, his stunned expression passing the Colonel by. “Are you crazy? That’s where this whole pile of shit started.”
McMillan produced several rocket clips and a few bandoleers of SPAS shells, slinging them over his shoulders to be loaded into the respective weapons.
“Exactly. That’s where it started… maybe that’s where it can be stopped.” He paused for a moment to regard the Corporal. “Do you really want these things to get back to the populace? You know what they can do.”
Hendry’s temper flared – the bastard was using him! Hellish visions of his butchered family hovered before his eyes, threatening to drag him down in a tsunami of sorrow and pain. Instead, his glare became deadly.
“You fucker!” he screamed. “You can fight your own war. I’ll kill myself before I go back down there.” Ignoring his injury, he whipped his shotgun down and aimed straight at McMillan’s chest.
The sounds of hoofed feet on metal caught his attention, as did the expression on the Colonel’s face – and it had nothing to do with Hendry’s threat.
The Barons were upon them.
Wasting no time, the Colonel took a few steps backwards, snatching a belt of rockets from his shoulder and hastily loading them up. Hendry dived frantically behind the nearest crates, pure terror fuelling his movements as he backed awkwardly towards the door that led back down to the troop quarters.
McMillan bought the fully-loaded rocket launcher back up to his shoulder, locking on to the overpowering heat source of the hellish creatures.
With a grim smile, he fired once more.
The first round screamed into the first Baron, knocking the wind from the creature and sending it slamming into the far wall. Never moving his finger from the firing stud, the Colonel unleashed a torrent of explosive warheads that would have decimated an entire regiment of troops. Hendry found himself peering over the crates with morbid fascination, watching as the fifth rocket slammed into the lead Baron – and smiling as the creature’s torso shattered outwards in a torrent of fire and guts. The other two creatures found themselves pinned to the walls by the splash damage, their leathery skin sizzling and splitting from the intense heat. With wailing cries, they came crashing to the ground, surrounded by a growing river of green blood.
McMillan calmly slung the launcher over his shoulder, admiring the damage through eyes that had seen far too much in his years. It was Hendry who caught his eye as he treaded cautiously towards the trio of corpses. He stared down, his mouth opening and closing with words he couldn’t produce. They could be killed, he thought to himself. They could be killed!
Pumping his shotgun, he rested his armoured boot on the Baron’s chest, peering down it’s long barrel until his sights came to rest on its pig-like visage. With a squeeze of the trigger, he blew it’s jaw clean off.
“I thought I was the one you were gunning for, Corporal.” Came McMillan’s icy calm voice.
Hendry’s gaze snapped up to meet that of his superior. “Down there, where it started. That’s where we can finish it?”
McMillan allowed a faint smile to crease his face. “That’s right. We can finish this. They use portals to get here, and those portals can be closed.” He hawked and spat on the smouldering corpses. “We’ll make them pay.”
Hendry nodded, feeling the old pain ebb slightly. He couldn’t bring his folks back but… at least he could make them pay. He would make them all pay. Demons or aliens, he would make them bleed, and he’d make them die. And if it killed him, so what? At least he’d be complete, a cleansed soul – ready for heaven! If there’s a hell, then why not a heaven?
He caught himself just as he began to laugh at his own absurdity. Some atheist, he admonished himself.
“Right then,” he stated, confidence beginning to flow back into his being. “We’ll finish this. Let’s go.”

[Spike]

The next part will be the last of 'Portal of Hades' - i get to start on 'Blood Keep' next... at last!

[dsm]

Looking forward to both the next chapter AND to 'Blood Keep' - your stories are top notch, and I practically ignored your newbie status while you were a newbie, because your posts were good, so thumbs up mate :-)

[Spike]

Cheers dude :) i actually wrote my first Doom story when i was 13 in my english class. Suffice to say, the teachers weren't that impressed that i was writing about demons chomping on live humans... heheh, boring bastards!
Anyway, i'm still working on 'Summit of Acheron', map06 of the Underworld wads in between writing the story. Jay (my wife) is working on 'Cerebus' Gates' (map09), and we'll soon have the first 10-level episode finished! Have you tried the wads? I was kinda hoping they paralleled the story well enough.

[dsm]

No, I'm afraid I haven't tried the wads, but I'd like to (when I've got time to properly look into a game again) - could you link me to somewhere where I can download that wad?

And about stories and school, where you allowed to write freely? We weren't, we always had some sort of assignment (we were allowed to choose between five or so different assignments), so I can't say that I was experienced in writing Doom stories before I started posting stories on this forum :-)
But I remember that I spent a lot of spare time thinking up potential Doom 3 stories (they started out being lame, but I kept coming up with better ideas).

[Spike]

Our english class assignments were fairly varied - but every so often we got a creative writing assignment, ie:
I started my GCSE year (15) and for one of the first tasks i was given several titles - we had to pick one and write a creative piece. I took the title 'Assassins' and turned it into a story based on the Alien films - that work got me an A+ :)
As for the levels, you can download them from reznor.demon.co.uk (click on the doom logo on the main page). They require the later version of Jdoom (lots of dynamic lighting - people who don't use Jdoom complain it's too dark).

[Spike]

PART X

The service elevator descended back down into the guts of Athens Base, shuddering to a halt as it returned to the surface access corridor. Colonel Alexander McMillan took a cautious step from the lift compartment, surveying the damage he'd inflicted only hours before. Corporal William Hendry followed swiftly after, examining the blood-splattered walls before turning his gaze on the corpses of the demons.
"You've been busy." He commented, his gaze flicking between the fallen beasts and the Colonel. "What are they?"
McMillan grinned as he headed down the corridor, treading carefully over the remains. "Demons, Corporal. They're demons."
Hendry stared with fascination at the beast's visage. Its impossibly huge mouth gaped open, rigor mortis creating a stinking, rigid cave lined with yellow fangs. One of its curving horns had been broken at the root, the remains lying several feet away. Extending a gloved hand, he ran his fingers over the torso. The pink skin felt leathery, yet impossibly warm even in death. Glancing down the corridor, his attention was wrenched away by the glowing red light framing McMillan in the near distance. He moved quickly to the Colonel's side.
"I know what this is," he commented. "UAC's little toy from Mars?"
McMillan nodded. "Gateways, teleporters, whatever. This was their little military project that went bad." He tore his eyes away from the pulsing teleport pad to regard Hendry. "Unfortunately, it's our only way back out."
Hendry's gaze widened in understanding. "You don't mean..." his voice trailed off.
McMillan grinned. "See you on the other side, Corporal". Taking a long step forward, the Colonel moved onto the red pad... and seemingly vanished in a flash of green light.
Hendry took a step backwards, not believing what he was seeing. Did the bastard things work? Did UAC succeed? Was this what turned people into those animals he'd slain? He shook his head, remembering what McMillan had been through. He trusted the teleporters, and he wasn't stupid enough to get himself killed like this.
Taking a deep breath, he followed the Colonel through.

Hendry landed unceremoniously on the hewn rock that passed as the floor. Blinking white spots from his eyes, he rolled onto his back, feeling a sudden urge to vomit. The air was stifling, superheated to the point that every breath he took scorched his lungs.
"Well done, Corporal," came a familiar voice. "I was throwing up for half an hour after my first gate."
Hendry leaned up on his elbows, squinting through blurred vision at the shape of McMillan standing over him. His mouth felt dry as he tried to speak. "Where are we?"
"Access corridor leading up to the rations and ammo depots. About two levels below the sensor station." He started towards the red-stone halls. "Pick yourself up, Corporal. We've still got a job to do."
The only sound in the corridor was the crackling of the wooden torches that lined the streams of blood. Spiny imp corpses littered the floor, their bodies torn open from shotgun blasts. Hendry picked his way over the fallen creatures, catching up with the Colonel as he reached another looming wooden door. The instrument panel read ‘BASE EXPANSION PROJECT’, underlined by a security slot. Reaching into his fatigues, McMillan produced the key-card he’d found in the temple. Hendry bought his SPAS up to bear on the door, the Colonel doing likewise with his combat shotgun. Feeding the card into the panel, he slapped the ‘OPEN’ control, hastily stepping back from the potential threat beyond the barrier.
The door slid open with the slightest sound of grinding metal, the cavern beyond lying empty and undisturbed. Moving silently, the marines padded into the cave, the brown rock of the cavern walls lit by flickering candles. The smell of sewage hung heavily in the air, reminding Hendry of latrine duty.
“The military were gonna use this area for heat exchangers and waste recyclers,” McMillan whispered. “The sewage has been pumped down here for the time being.”
Hendry nodded, listening intently for any sounds other than their footsteps.
Soft whispering caught his attention.
The Corporal span around to cover the door with his shotgun. Nothing. The barely audible voice began to laugh, as if mocking him. Hendry stood still, staring back into the corridor in confusion as the whispering and laughing continued unabated. McMillan’s voice spoke up over the din.
“Corporal, get with it. What’s wrong with you?”
“Can’t you hear that?” He asked. “That voice. It’s laughing at me…”
McMillan cocked his head to one side, looking around the dank cave. “I can’t hear anything, Corporal. Are you sure you’re…”
Without warning, Hendry screamed out in pain, raking at his armour as if there were a scorpion under his fatigues. His movements became desperate, his fingers finding and releasing the shoulder catches, the armour vest clattering to the ground, stained with blood. McMillan rushed to his side, his eyes widening with shock as Hendry ripped open his jacket. Thick rivulets of blood were flowing from his chest as if he’d been torn open by explosive-tipped shells. Wiping at the Corporal’s chest with his sleeve, he peered closely at the wound.
There was no wound. The skin beneath the bloodstains was clear and unmarked. The Colonel checked his pulse, weak, but steady. Was this stigmata? There was nothing Christ-like about the Corporal, and he severely doubted that the Son of God had fallen prey to a mini-gun. It didn’t make much sense but… if he had to drag his sorry ass all the way back to Athens, he’d do just that. He didn’t intend on leaving anyone behind.
McMillan moved sluggishly through the caverns, holding Hendry by his waist as he powered onwards. The Corporal had shown no more signs of ghostly bloodshed, though his soft mutterings didn’t exactly do much to raise the Colonel’s spirits. Babblings about a golden beast, talk of the blood of life? McMillan blew a drop of sweat from his nose, cursing the increasing heat as he persevered with what felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders. As he rounded another dimly lit corner, the cavern opened up noticeably… and the Colonel didn’t like what he saw.
The hewn stone of the floor stopped abruptly, dropping down several feet to meet a ground of coiled intestines, roping their way around the wide cavern to meet walls of branded flesh framed by rusting metal. The putrefying stench of rotting flesh rose to meet his nostrils, leaving him gagging on the very air he breathed. At the far end of the room, tall red torches flanked yet another marble carving of the monstrous Baphomet. What caught his eye, however, was the gaping wound in the floor, glowing hellishly in the dim torchlight. McMillan recognised it almost immediately, shuddering as memories came flowing back.
It was a gateway. Not a simple teleport gate, but a gateway to hell.
Hendry stirred beside him, finding the strength to lift his face. His eyes fluttered open, growing wider still as he recoiled in disgust from the sight of the room.
“Fuck me,” he called aloud. “Where the hell are we?”
McMillan scanned the room again, this time noticing the figure kneeling before the marble carving. He backed up a step as the figure rose, its spindly legs supporting a tall, lean frame of impossibly long limbs and protruding bones. McMillan’s snapped up his combat shotgun, aiming for the creature’s chest.
“Hell… yes… Hell,” came its soft whisper. As it turned to face the marines, Hendry’s brain kicked in –, as did his most primal instincts.
“No!” He screamed, adrenaline suddenly coursing through his body. “Kill it! Fucking kill it!”
The creature raised its massive hands to the ceiling, tendrils of flame beginning to course down its arms. Hendry snatched his shotgun from McMillan, pumping it and firing. The shell glanced uselessly off the creature’s hide, leaving barely a mark on it’s glowing skin.
McMillan knew what was coming… and knew that there was only one way out. Grabbing Hendry’s arm, he pushed the terrified marine forward.
“What the hell are you doing you crazy bastard?” Cried the protesting Corporal.
“It’s the only way, Corporal” he replied. With a final shove, he sent him toppling through the gateway, watching as the glowing portal swallowed up his form.
The creatures gaze snapped up, locking white-in-white eyes upon the Colonel. The glowing hands lowered to its chest, and McMillan could feel the heat rising around him. Without warning, flames burst from his fatigue sleeves, lapping at his upper arms.
“It’s the only way”, he muttered once more.
McMillan dived into the portal as the light exploded in a crescendo of heat and pain…

TO BE CONTINUED…

[dsm]

I thought you said this was going to be the last chapter.

Ah well, nice chapter as always, but I'm confused as to what "hit" Hendry.

[Spike]

Yeah, but 'Blood Keep' is a sequel, being map02 in the wads and all.

As for Hendry - in the story i mentioned a scene in which Hendry remembered dying, and the last thing he saw was the Arch-Vile's hands glowing red - i was trying to subtly say that Hendry was resurrected by an Arch-Vile (that's why he freaks when he sees barons and viles - one kind killed his family, the other resurrected him).
As for the wounds, i'll explain later on that the Arch Vile activated a kind of stigmata... i previously described in part4 that his chest was 'riddled with bullet wounds'. As he neared the archvile's lair at the portal, his chest bled as if he'd recently recieved the wounds.

So much of it is theory in my own head - perhaps the Arch-Vile retains an influence on the minds of the creatures he resurrects?

Sorry for the confusion though, let me know what you think of the idea.

[dsm]

Quite a good idea, but I'm wondering WHY the Archvile would resurrect a human.

[Spike]

I was hoping to get to that later on in the story - but here we go :)

During the initial assault, Hendry was killed while gunning down creatures. The Arch-Vile, believing that there were survivors, resurrected the Corporal in the hope that he could be useful in flushing them out.
One of the later chapters was going to detail how Hendry inadvertantly brings the demons down on the marines (there will be a few more characters introduced later on) via his psychic link with the ArchViles.