Great Vine

By Dylan Parker

Part Two: Learning

Chapter Thirteen – Hell Spidres

After digging the grave, the pair placed Kael’s corpse into it. Kael was buried six feet, or so, below the ground along with a cross as a tombstone. Along the horizontal bar it read, “Kael Johnson” and along the vertical bar it read, “His Story”, leading down to the spear that held Kael’s lineage’s story. A few tears dripped from Michelle and Robert’s eyes.

While looking at the spear, Robert suddenly realized where he remembered the name Father Frederick. “I know who Father Frederick was!”

“What?” Michelle inquired.

“He was the one who raised Kael; he was a father at the church, in Rockport.” ‘Maybe he had something to do with the creation of Eternity’s End’ Michelle thought nothing of it and went on to watch over Leah. Robert looked around and made a makeshift wall around the group. While Michelle tried to treat Leah, Robert went over their ammo and weaponry supply.

‘One berretta, one .357, one empty magnum. One magazine on .357 back-up, two on berretta. I really wish we had more.’ Robert quickly told Michelle about their supplies but she seemed uncaring.

“What’s wrong?” Robert asked. Michelle looked away abruptly. Robert put a hand on her arm and said, “I’m sorry.” Michelle looked at him with anger in her eyes. They were utterly filled with it.

“You killed a man and didn’t tell me! What do you think me of?” the anger and resentment burned like a wildfire within her eyes. “Michelle, you know what I think of you. I didn’t tell you because I thought you would just leave me or kill me.”

“You may be right. But, tell me what you think of me. I want to hear it from your own mouth!” Robert thought about it before answering. It felt as if he was pledging fealty to her if he answered a certain way.

“I…I love you…” Michelle smiled and fell forward, hugging him across the neck. Robert hugged her back. They held the position for the longest time until Michelle broke away to check on Leah. After a few hours of waiting, Leah woke up. She looked at Michelle and spotted Robert a moment later.

“What happened?” Was her first question. Robert and Michelle began to retell the story, working together to remember everything. They left out the parts about the two of them. Leah stood up, but then doubled over in pain. Robert could tell it was her ribs. They had to find a way to fix it.

Michelle ran to her and held her. “We need to leave.” Robert stated flatly. Robert moved slowly forward and drew the berretta. He kept Eternity’s End in its scabbard because he felt odd using it. The group moved slowly towards the high school auditorium, they were very far away. After about an hour of walking, the women needed to rest. While they sat and talked, Robert used one clip of ammo from the berretta to practice his shooting with his left hand.

His aim was off at first but he was able to center it more when he twisted his arm a bit and held the gun differently. The girls rested for twenty minutes or so when they moved on. They reached the Auditorium and once again moved into a nearby house and rested for the night.

In the morning, the team got ready for anything that could pose a threat. Robert kept Eternity’s End and the berretta while Leah had the .357 and Michelle had a 22mm rifle that they had found in the house, along with a small box of rounds.

Robert left the house first, very slowly. He held the berretta out before him, ready to grab Eternity’s End at the slightest hint of danger. Leah came out after Robert and Michelle followed her. After killing the horseman Robert had felt stronger, but now that his arm was broken he felt weak.

Robert fought off the urge to give up and held strong, for Michelle. A sole thought went through his mind over and over again. ‘We must find Flem ‘for before his eyes will the final gate to hell be opened’ I need more information!’ Robert tried to think and rubbed his forehead. When his hand touched the scar he was burned again. ‘Gotta stop doing that.’

When they reached the entrance to the auditorium, two thick iron doors slammed shut suddenly. Robert backpedaled instinctively and stood by Michelle and Leah. “You do not-t need t-to be in this hallowed place” came a voice from above the group. Robert looked up but saw no one.

“You won’t-t find me!” this voice was booming, somewhat female. Robert looked up and saw a flash of movement. He pointed up their and Michelle looked up with her scope. She saw something and quietly handed Robert her gun. He looked up with a bit of difficulty with his arm and saw what she had seen, something he had almost wished to not see.

‘Flem’

Suspended from a bungee cord Robert saw his best friend Flem hanging above a pit of hungry Bristlers. A mechanism held the rope that lowered him very slowly down towards the pit, less than a foot a minute. Flem was suspended about fifteen feet above the Bristlers and it seemed they could jump six feet into the air. Robert quickly calculated it. ‘Nine or ten minutes to get him out of their.’

“What do you want with my friend!?” Robert yelled in no real given direction.

“We want him to open the gates to hell for us.” Robert listened closely for any clues in their words, but nothing presented itself. “How do you expect him to open the very gates of Lucifer for you?”

“Ha! Lucifer is long dead! After thousands of Millennia, did you expect him to st-till be alive? For a while his sons and his son’s sons ruled but it-t seemed that-t one person could not-t rule all of hell, except for one man but he is gone now, so the horseman were created. Wait-t, why am I t-telling you the history of hell!?

“I will t-tell you this much, It-t t-takes someone much more evil than an ex-arch angel t-to rule hell. Somet-times it takes someone in between man and beast-t t-to rule something as vast and powerful as hell.”

Robert couldn’t comprehend that. It seemed that Michelle and Leah were equally shocked. How could a place of pure evil and hate have such politics? Also, what happens when someone or something is in hell and dies? Where do you go from there?

“I assume you know what-t we are.” Suddenly a man in a blue suit came out onto a balcony far above the group, his pincers out. ‘Hell Spidre’ The beast laughed and leaped in front of Robert. It shot a clawed hand in Robert’s direction and he tore out Eternity's End. When the beast saw the blade it halted its attack. Robert took the chance to slash off its hand. Instead of the monster dying, its hand simply fell off.

The Spidre screeched in pain and ran back. Robert prepared himself for anything. Michelle and Leah already had their weapons trained on the man. Suddenly the monster screeched again and a thin, long, spider-like leg tore out of its back. Then another…then a third…and a fourth. The monster laughed and began to climb along a nearby wall. Robert shot forward and attempted to stab the beast but it was far too quick.

Michelle followed it along the wall and waited for the perfect shot to hit it in the leg and knock it to the ground. Leah began to gun it down when a huge monster revealed itself. It was a seven foot tall man with metal covering most of his face. He came from a plain wood door that led into a nearby house. The man’s hands and feet were also covered in metal, along with circular blades that seemed to be connected to his shoulders. It lurched forward very slowly towards Robert. Robert put Eternity's End away and took out his berretta.

When it got within about one hundred feet, it whipped out a huge battle axe. Robert aimed and fired. Instead of hurting the beast, it was just deflected when the monster lifted up its hand. Without warning, the creature charged forward. When it reached range, the beast leapt into the air and swung its axe down against the ground hard.

The ground shuddered against the blades weight and Robert fell backwards onto the ground. Robert shot at the creature’s chest, but the beast was only slowed in its attempt to wrench the axe out the ground. Robert turned to look at his beleaguered friends. They seemed to be able to keep the Hell Spidre away from them, but just couldn’t make any progress in killing the damn thing. They needed his blade, Eternity's End.

Just before the axe-beast was able to tear its blade out of the ground, Robert looked up at Flem. He was getting dangerously close to the pit of Bristlers. This thing would have to go. Robert got up and backpedaled about ten feet away from the thing. He took a pot shot at its head and pulled the trigger. The first round ricocheted off the metal into a wall. The second got it in the throat. In Robert’s experience, a round to the throat was the most deadly place to get shot, second only to a headshot.

The beast wasn’t slowed one bit. When the monster reached Robert it swung horizontally and he was nearly disemboweled. Luckily, Robert dove back and only got a small cut on his shoulder. He hit the ground and slid six feet back. In a vain attempt to weaken the beast by shooting it in the arm, Robert fired. His aim was off and hit the monster in the hand. Robert saw a finger fall onto the ground and the beast dropped its axe.

A guttural roar sounded from deep within the throat of the monster and it drove forward with the force of a locomotive. It aimed its shoulder blade at Robert and pushed towards him with all the strength it could muster. It screamed again and Robert saw its long, spiked tongue. The tongue darted in and out of its mouth like a vicious, hungry snake. Seizing the opportunity, Robert dashed forward and drew Eternity's End. Just at the right moment, he stabbed it forward.

After a blinding flash of white light, nothing was left except metal and bones. Robert ran to Michelle and handed her his gun and took hers, “Hold off the Hell Spidre, I’ll get Flem!” She nodded. Robert ran towards the building. He picked up the beasts finger in the hopes that it might held him. After a few seconds of finding a handhold, he began to climb up the wall. It seemed like hours before he reached the top. When he finally did, all his muscle ached as if he had just finished a set of bench presses.

‘I hope I can make it.’ Robert forced himself to stand and then walked towards the tangled cluster of rope and machinery. A hot needle of pain went through his shoulder and he bandaged it with a length of his shirt. He ran to Flem and, ready to catch him, sliced the rope. He barely caught his friend and gently placed him on the ground. The hungry Bristlers looked disappointed so he tossed in the severed finger he had been carrying.

Robert started to lift Flem onto his shoulders when he saw a small group of Blade Fingers moving towards Michelle and Leah. Robert took out the 22mm and aimed at the beasts. Looking through the sight, he was able to pick off five of them with a few tries but ran out of ammo when he fired at the last one. In a last attempt to kill the final Blade finger, Robert threw Eternity's End towards it.

He hit his mark. The sword penetrated through the beast and into the ground behind it. The Blade Finger died instantly, but the blade did more than that. When it hit the ground, part of the ground broke and fell down below, into a cave system, deep below the city of Great Vine.

The Hell Spidre moved for the opportunity and jumped blindly into the hole, after Robert’s blade. Above Robert, the largest Hemithean dragon he had ever seen flew towards the hole; its rider was a beast. Mary, the second horseman, rode atop the dragon and bellowed as she dove into the hole with the Hell Spidres. Robert called to Michelle and the two got ready to catch Flem.

Robert lightly dropped him and they caught him just fine. Robert did the same for himself and they caught him as well. The group of people, Michelle reloading her gun, Leah looking at Flem, and Robert carrying his best friend, walked over to the entrance to the caves. “Should we do it?” Michelle asked. Robert nodded.

“But what do you think is down there?” Robert shrugged. The three looked at each other sadly; they all knew what they had to do. Leah was the first to jump. No sound came back from her, she could be alive or dead. ‘It’s worth it.’ Robert and Michelle held hands and they took the deep dive.