Tim Marquitz - Armageddon Bound

“Given we don’t have a wide range of options, I say we keep it simple. We go after Glorius,” Katon answered without hesitation.

I thought about it for a second. While no doubt simple on the surface, the plan held a few twists I don’t think he realized-or if he did, he was keeping it to himself. You see, were Katon the one to kill Glorius, everything would be good. However, were Scarlett or I the one to reach the angel, there would be another issue to consider. The soul transfer. Due to our nature, the killing blow would transfer all of Glorius’s power to whichever of us did the deed. While I certainly wouldn’t argue the sudden Page 259 status increase if it were to work out that way, I wasn’t sure either of us could handle so much raw power all at once. We could be committing suicide and wouldn’t even know it until it was too late. I sighed, unable to think of a way around it, nodding at Katon to let him know I agreed.

Nothing like a good game of Russian Roulette to take your mind off your troubles.

“In theory, it resolves your issue with Gabriel and gives us the best shot at having some small measure of success. If Glorius is gone, Armageddon is off the table, for a little while at least.” He turned to face Scarlett.

“Are you going to have a problem with this?”

She met his gaze, but I could see her eyes were moist. “I’ll do what needs to be done.” She was a trooper.

“I guess that’s it.” He looked to me. “Gather what you need and meet me at the receiving room in twenty minutes.” Without another word, he left to prepare. My eyes met Scarlett’s. “You ready for this?”

She shrugged. “As ready as I can be.” I shared her sentiment.

I waved her to the door and let her go first. I figured if we were on our way to die, I was gonna get one last good look at her leather-clad ass before I went. It’d be the closest thing to Heaven I would see before Hell came to call.

Into the Mouth of Hell

We arrived in Hell, just inside the cavern of Lucifer’s private chambers. Alone in the room, we let loose a collective sigh of relief as our entrance went unnoticed.

Little room for error, I surveyed the scene. With a mixture of trepidation and relief, I noticed the carved archway behind us, which led out into the common area of the Ninth Plane, was open. The massive slabs of stone, which had been used to seal the chambers, were missing, flickering light filtering in from the outside, illuminating the chamber in soft yellows. I gave the thumbs up sign, letting Katon and Scarlett know we were in the right place. Asmoday had to be here. My guns drawn, I led the way.

I felt the tug of emotion as I crept through my uncle’s quarters. Every piece of furniture, every book, even every painting reminded me of the times I’d spent here, listening to Lucifer tell me the way of the world. In my head, I could still hear his deep voice echoing through the rooms as he explained the intricacies of Hell. In his best Pinhead impersonation-he loved the Hellraiser movies-he would tell me of his days in Heaven and of the Fall. He was my own private rock star. I loved spending time with him here.

Now with him gone, the place felt hollow, like a grave that’d been dug up and left open, the corpse long gone. I felt like a thief, sneaking through my uncle’s chambers. For the first time in my life, I felt unwanted there. That was hard to cope with.

But with no time to think about the past, its maddening touch both depressive and bleak, I sped my pace and hurried toward the sanctum. As we traveled the long, circuitous route, I glanced back now and again to ensure Scarlett and Katon were still behind me, that they hadn’t lost their nerve and dropped off. Resolute, they were always there. Strengthened by their commitment, my own wavering with every step, I continued on.

At last we came to the sanctum God had gifted my uncle. The cavernous entryway was like the mouth of a mythical dragon gaping wide, waiting to swallow us whole. Its upper lip disappeared into the shadows that hovered near the roof. Jagged rocks ran the length of it, each a sharpened tooth, circling down to a point that sunk into the floor. Only a narrow corridor running down the center was clear of the teeth, the flooring stained a deep crimson giving the impression of a lolling tongue. The almost imperceptible scuffling of my companion’s feet, which had shadowed me the entire way, ceased suddenly as they looked up in awe at the doorway. I laughed inside. I’d done the exact same thing the first time I saw it.

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Taking advantage of the pause, I focused my attention beyond the entryway. From within, a rhythmic thump could be heard, a deep droning beat that was focused by the door and reverberated out toward us. Guttural moans drifted along on the undercurrent of the sound. I could hear the misery and torment in their raw cries, their groans a dirge. I had an idea as to who one of the voices belonged to-Glorius-but I was hard pressed to imagine who the other might be. I figured I’d find out when we got inside.

Seeing no point in delaying the inevitable any further, giving my doubts time to fester and sound the retreat, I crept forward, waving Scarlett and Katon along. At the back end of the tongue, I was glad to see Asmoday had set no guards. I thanked my uncle for having the foresight to keep his lieutenants in the dark as I inched closer.

I reached the edge of the door and peered inside, only a tiny piece of the room visible from where I stood. I was shocked by what I saw.

Embedded halfway into the stone wall was The Gray, Henry McConnell. Upright, spread-eagle, and naked at approximately ten feet from the floor, the entire back half of his body was missing as though he had melted into the rock. His face was contorted in agony, mouth and eyes frozen wide with horror. His bruised face, beard, and body were caked in dried blood, which broke off and fluttered down in dark flakes as he squirmed. Wisps of light drifted up from his eyes, nose, and mouth, to fade away within the obsidian cloud that rumbled just above his head, vibrating the walls. His was the other voice I’d heard as we approached. I took a closer look, immediately regretting my morbid curiosity. Sickened, I turned away, trying to expunge the image from my mind. The drifting lights came not only from his face, but from every visible orifice of his body. Tendrils of illumination also leaked from his ears, his nose, and even oozed from the tip of his dick as though he were orgasming a sunbeam in slow motion. Even worse, it was obvious the light had substance, his flesh shifting and stretching painfully to accommodate its passage.

As much as it would upset me to see anyone suffer such horrific torture, I couldn’t find in it in me to feel sorry for McConnell. He’d known this was coming and if he’d had his way, it would be Rahim buried in the wall, in his place. Sad as it was to admit, that thought made it just a little easier to stomach what I’d seen. I still didn’t like it, but it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Scarlett, anxious to get on with it, went to look around me. I stepped in her way.

“You don’t want to see it. Trust me,” I whispered. The look in my eyes must have been convincing. She stared at me for a second, backing down without argument. Katon didn’t even bother to try.

After I steeled myself, I moved even closer to the edge of the door so I could see further into the room. I purposely avoided looking at McConnell, my eyes half closed as they swung past, ignoring the nearby shelves with my uncle’s belongings piled atop them. Once all that had moved to my peripheral vision, McConnell out of sight, I peeked once more.

What I saw was even worse.

Stretched out inside a silvered pentagram etched onto the floor was a man who I could only presume to be Glorius. Like McConnell, he was also naked. His muscular arms and legs were bound to the rock floor with the magic-nullifying manacles, the cuffs glowing bright white like they’d just been removed from a blacksmith’s forge. I could see tiny drops of something leaking out from inside the cuffs, dripping slowly to the floor. A small puddle of the waxy substance coalesced on the rock beneath him. I remembered the other sites and a shudder ran down my spine as I realized it was his flesh that was being melted away from his wrists. Unable to bear the sight, I examined the rest of his body. I immediately wished I hadn’t. One of these days I’ll learn to keep my curiosity in check.