Tim Marquitz - Armageddon Bound

“Why would I want to be the Anti-Christ, when I could be God?” A triumphant grin lit up his face. “I will raze the whole of creation and remake it in my image. It’s too bad you won’t be around to witness the glory of my new genesis.”

“You still need to contend with us,” Rahim told him, stepping forward. “We know your powers have been exhausted by the rituals, and since your accomplice, Gabriel, isn’t here to defend you, you might want to put away your delusions of grandeur.”

Asmoday reared his head back and laughed. A chill ran down my spine at hearing it.

“It’s no wonder Baalth holds your organization in such high regard, you have proven to be worthy adversaries. He gives you too much respect, though.”

Asmoday signaled to someone out of sight behind him. Through a door, hidden in the shadows at the rear of the barn, a Dread Fiend ambled out. A long, thick chain, clutched in its claw, ran behind it into the darkness. With an impatient hiss, the creature yanked the leash hard and a figure stumbled into the light. My heart rate spiked.

It was Scarlett.

Bound by the same type of manacles, which held McConnell’s power in check, the fiend tugged her along easily. In addition to the magical cuffs, her arms were pinned to her body with thick chains that ensured no movement of her upper body. To add insult to injury, the scabbard at her hip was empty. To top it all off, she was gagged. Her eyes burned like fiery stars above the gag, locking onto mine as she was led toward us. Under normal circumstances, seeing Scarlett tied up like that would have produced an erection so hard I would have passed out due to the lack of blood to my brain. Today, it just made me angry. If anyone was Page 229 gonna introduce my cousin to bondage, it was gonna be me, damn it. I growled and started forward.

“Let her go.”

Asmoday’s bully squad moved to intercept me, forming a wall between us as Scarlett was delivered to his side. The fiend handed her over, then withdrew a narrow, rune-covered blade, passing it along as well. Asmoday wrapped an arm around Scarlett’s chest, pulling her into him. He slid the blade under her chin, pressing it hard against her throat.

“I’d say her death would provide me with more than enough power to defend myself, don’t you agree, wizard?”

Rahim glowered, his fists clenched into tight balls of fury. But despite his anger, I saw him back down, his shoulders slumping, his hands trembling but opening. I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t happy about it, but he must have felt it best, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it.

More than anything, Rahim was a man of conviction. He had vowed to save the world and he intended to keep his promise. It didn’t matter to him whether Scarlett lived or died, or any of us really, all that mattered was the cause. He would kill Scarlett himself if it advanced DRAC’s agenda. That was the depth of his conviction. His tentativeness meant he understood her death would tip the balance against us. He wasn’t willing to risk that when he thought there was still some chance, however slim, we could pull off the win.

“While her death might provide you with enough energy to fend us off, it would also weaken you at the worst possible moment,” Rahim countered. He might not have wanted to start a fight, but he wasn’t cowed. Asmoday’s eyes narrowed, the blade staying put. He said nothing, but his eyes implored Rahim to go on.

“Do you truly believe your lackeys can hold us off long enough to complete the transfer? Ten seconds is an eternity to place your life in the hands of renegade angels and thick-skulled Dread Fiends.” Rahim exuded confidence, taking a half step forward, seizing on Asmoday’s hesitation. “Are you willing to wager your life just to find out how resourceful we truly are?”

Asmoday raised his upper lip into a snarl. Rahim had gotten into his head, but the demon hadn’t come this far to fail. “What do you propose?”

“A trade.” Rahim pointed at McConnell. “The wizard for the angel and you walk away.” I wasn’t sure what angle Rahim was playing, but I figured he knew what he was doing so I kept my mouth shut. McConnell, however, didn’t seem to care what Rahim was doing, he just knew it wasn’t gonna end well for him. His eyes sprung wide as he spewed muffled complaints into the gag, thrashing against the restraints. Asmoday looked him over with cold eyes, as if weighing his value.

Rahim continued his pitch. “Though it’s true Scarlett’s strength is considerable and her death would provide you with the means to fight us off for a short while, that course of action comes at great risk. Fail and you and all your grand plans end here in an inauspicious grave.” He gestured to the ramshackle barn. “What I offer is a way for you to avoid that risk as well as provide you with the opportunity to address the failure of your would-be assassin.”

While Asmoday didn’t appear to understand Rahim’s motivations any more than the rest of us did, he had to know the wizard had some kind of trick up his sleeve. He didn’t seem to care though. He must have had one hell of a hand himself.

“I believe I’ll accept your offer, wizard. We exchange the angel for my incompetent servant, followed by my departure and nothing more.” He didn’t bother to wait for Rahim’s acknowledgment. He motioned to his minions. He passed Scarlett over to one of them and it led her past the line. The creature stopped a few feet from us, still holding the leash. Another of Asmoday’s fiends stepped forward and grabbed a hold of McConnell, watching us the whole time. The Gray’s eyes screamed to us as he was dragged back to his master. He found no sympathy. Once he’d crossed the line of Asmoday’s minions, the fiend which held Scarlett released the chain and backed away, its arms raised to show it posed no threat. I jumped and pulled her behind us, fumbling at her binds. It was all too easy.

Asmoday latched onto McConnell, smiling all the while. “Thank you. I needed the wizard far more than I did your angel, at this point.” His grin grew even wider. “Now, as per our arrangement, I shall depart. But let me leave you with this…”

I knew it. Never trust a demon.

“The end is but a dawn away. I go now to prepare Glorius for his final moment.” He backed away slowly, pulling the reluctant McConnell along. “His sacrifice shall usher in a new age where the followers of light shall be scoured from existence, the firmament lashed to scarlet shreds. From my sanctum of peace, I will watch as humanity breathes its last and the heavens are burned to blackened ash.” He pointed at us as he reached the shadows. “Do what you must to prepare for you have precious few moments left. Farewell.”

Darkness welled up beneath them, blurring the forms of Asmoday and McConnell. They were washed away by an obsidian wave, a column of blackness that streaked upward to disappear from sight. The angels and fiends left behind, smiled in malevolent unison and advanced. I redoubled my effort to free Scarlett as they spread out to encircle us. Katon and Rahim moved to defend while I fidgeted with the chains.

Though I’d thought of Scarlett tied up more times than I should probably admit, I never pictured a scene quite like this. I cast a quick glance at the approaching minions as my adrenaline-charged hands shook and fumbled with her binds, working way too slow. I sighed and tried to focus.

In even the most wild of my fantasies, I’d never imagined a gang-bang this perverse.

A Tragic Hour

Like fireworks on the fourth of July, sparks of magical energy flashed all around me while I struggled to free Scarlett. I flinched as an explosion erupted right behind me, blocked by Rahim who’d thrown up a hastily crafted shield at the very last possible moment. The heat of the blast filtered through and raised goose bumps along my skin, singeing the hairs on my neck. Determined, now more than ever, to get Scarlett loose and join the fray, I blocked out everything else and focused on the manacles. I traced the silver symbols on the cuffs, hoping my memory worked and I could keep my hands steady enough to get the right order. I got lucky.