Angelus: Chapter VII

“So, that’s how it went. Nine covered me while we pretty much went bat shit insane on those fucks… I’ll admit, though, it came pretty close… Nine’s amazing as a fighter, though… Didn’t let me get scratched once. And this one Windigo, he was huge. I mean, almost like Kan-“

Kade’s voice stopped. Spin propped herself up on her elbow. Kade had fallen silent, a sad look on his face. Kannabis was still a sore topic for him. Asshole he was, he had still lived with them, jammed with them, fought alongside them. He was the black sheep, but he was still part of the herd. And his loss hurt in many ways.

“There’s not much we could have done with Kannabis, love… Don’t think about him as a Windigo. Remember him when he was his old self, always rolling a joint and laughing. That’s the way I’m sure he’d want us to remember him.”

“You’re right, but still… Anyways, there was this huge one. The bastard knocked my off my feet with one frigging fist. It was fucking crazy. One minute, I’m cutting down a white body, next I know, I’m flying through the air, wondering what hit me. Nine picked him up before he could get at me, but there were a few others lying in wait… I don’t like it, it’s almost like they had it planned. Freaks me out… What if they’re not brainless like we think they are? What if they’re developing? The only way to stop this would be to nuke the city, Resident Evil style… I don’t want that to happen, but it seems the only way to go…”

“Shhh, don’t worry about it. We just need to get out of here. After that, what happens will happen. If these bastards get out… We’ll be there to push them back, just like we’ve been doing.”

“Damn right. This is my fucking town.”

“Our fucking town.”

“Right.” Kade grinned sheepishly, glancing around the room. A typical hotel room, rather run down since the city had been abandoned. The only thing that struck him as odd was the red spots of paint on the wall. They looked a lot like a fist…

“Spin, lemme see your hands.”

Spin showed him her hands, palms facing him. “Why, what’s up?” He grabbed them and turned them over, exposing her raw knuckles. He stared for a moment.

“… I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone like that. I had no idea you’d be this worried…”

Spin pulled her hands back, wrapping then around Kade’s neck and pulling herself up to kiss him. “Shut it. Of course I’d be worried… But that’s all in the past. As soon as we’re rested up, we’ll get moving. We need to get out of here.”

“Yeah… I’m pretty sure they’ll be coming here soon.”

Kade was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Kade, it’s Rage. Nine wants to know if you’re in a travel-worthy condition.”

“As good as it gets, why?”

“’Cause he wants us to get moving soon. It’s going to be dawn.”

“Holy fuck, that fast?”

“Apparently. Anyways, get your shit together, we’ll be meeting up in the meeting hall on the ground floor.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Pretty much, there are no Windigo, and it’s on the ground floor so we can get out quick.”

“Roger that.”

Kade got up from the bed, pulling Spin with him and stretching, her arms draped around his chest. “Well, as the dialogue goes, ‘Hey bigun, play time’s over!’”

Spin shook her head. “Too corny.”

They made their way down the stairs, trying to keep quiet in case any Windigo were out on their own, until they got to the meeting room. The meeting room had been used for large functions, but now it almost felt like a haunted hall, big and dark. Nine was already waiting, as was Rage. Amy and Noire dropped in right behind Kade and Spin.

“Ah, the prodigal ones return.” Nine murmured, sounding like a pastor on Sunday Morning.

“Can it, kitty.” Kade said, grinning. “Tell us the plan and you get a saucer of cream.”

“Me-ow” Nine drawled sarcastically. “Alright, since it’s going to be dawn soon, and we are all, I hope, decently rested, I think we should get a move on. The longer we stay in one spot, the more of a target we become. Not to mention that Kade and I noticed something freaky about our Alabaster neighbours.”

“And what’s that?” Rage asked.

“They seem to be getting coordinated. The fight yesterday and the day before was pretty brutal, and they seemed like had a few bits planned out. That’s bad news. So, before we stick around long enough to find out the truth, I figured we should get the hell out while we can. Of course, that’s if you guys can do it. I know Kade probably wants to sit on his ass for another day.” Nine grinned.

“As long as my ass isn’t being hunted. I’m good to go now, if it keeps us safe.”

“Another reason for leaving this early is that it gives us more time to work with, so that we can walk more and run less. I don’t think Kade and I can fight them off again if he falls behind.”

“Point. Well, like I said, I’m good to go now. What about you guys?” Kade turned around, asking the rest of the group.

“Ready to roll out.” Rage said as Kade cringed.

“We’re ready.” Amy and Noire said.

“I’m good.” Said Spin, one arm around Kade’s waist.

“Then we have an accord. Alright, let’s snatch what we can carry and get the hell out of here.”

“Two steps ahead of you, kitten.” Kade said. “Rage and I went on a little shopping spree. We rustled up some food and divided it.”

“And without my knowing… Sneaky bastards.” Nine grinned. “Well, barring that saucer of cream you owe me, we’re good to go.”

Kade chuckled and turned to head back upstairs.

“You’re bag’s here, Marble.” Rage said, chucking it at Kade’s head.

“Hey hey, easy with throwing things at me. I still haven’t forgotten the damn newspaper.” Rage doubled over with laughter. Kade glowered, then started laughing on his own. “Oh fuck, that was a moment in history.”

Everyone just looked from Kade to Rage, then Rage to Kade.

“Ummmm, what the hell?” Spin asked. Kade chuckled and wrapped his arm around Spin’s waist. “Well, this one time, Rage dropped by my place…” As he started narrating, the small group left the hall.

* * *

Around noon, they stopped to rest. Lunch was simple, and oddly medieval. Kade chewed his food silently, thinking and wondering.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Spin asked, dropping down onto the rough concrete next to him.

“Just wondering… Why the hell is this honey bun so tasteless?”

“Probably because most of the glaze is still in the wrapper.”

“Well damn, you’re right… Ah, fuck it, I don’t mind.”

“Really Kade, what’s up?”

Kade sighed, chucking the wrapper of the Honey Bun to the side. “This whole situation, that’s what’s up. I’m getting tired of it. It seems like God has it in for me, thwarting all my plans to get us to safety.”

“Kade, you can’t assume that everyone is your responsibility. True, we’re family, but that doesn’t mean you have to be the Dad. Let’s make this a team thing. Come on, you can’t hold all the weight, it’ll crush you.”

“I can’t help it… You know, sometimes I wonder… If you hadn’t met me, would you be safe no-“

Before he could finish, Spin reached a hand back and slapped Kade across the face, not with all her power but enough to make it sting.

“Ummm… I guess this means I’m the bitch, and you’re the butch?”

“Shut up. Don’t ever think that you ruined my life, you hear me? You’re the best thing that’s happened in my life. Don’t ever think otherwise, understand me? Or I’ll show you how much of a butch I can be.”

“Oooh, kinky… I’m sorry, I guess I’m just in a funk. I just want you to be safe… I can’t stand the thought of losing you to those things.”

“You won’t. I’ll be by your side forever.”

“Alright… Say, you know, you slap pretty soft for a girl.”

Spin raised her hand again, and Kade grinned, turning the other cheek. “If it pleases you, then I don’t mind.” Spin giggled, dropping her hand and kissing Kade instead.

“Alright, alright, I heard Kade get slapped, and now you’re kissing… If something’s going down, I own all rights to the underground porno of it.” Rage quipped, looking over.

“You wouldn’t make a dime, Scarface. No one wants to see my fat ass on their TV.”

“Point taken.”

“Hey, I’d pay good money for it.” Spin interjected.

“Baby, you got the horse. Why would you want a video of the race?” Spin just grinned. “The same reason football teams watch videos of past games. To learn and improve.”

Kade just stared at her. “You know, I’m not sure who’s supposed to blush here, me or you.”

“You’re both doing it anyways,” Amy called out, “So it doesn’t matter.”

“Remind me to bug you’re room when we get to Bel. I’m sure THOSE tapes would make a fortune.” Kade grinned as Amy’s face turned five shades of red. “Ha, got her.”

“Alright kiddies, lunch time’s over. We have to get moving. According to what I remember, there’s a way out of here that Hunters use, probably a few hours from here. If we can get there without an issue, then we’re home free.”

Kade frowned. “And what if there is an issue?” Nine grinned. “Then we’re going to have one hell of a workout.”

The group packed up and started walking again. The sun slowly settled in the west, sinking lower and lower until the whole city was awash in orange-red light. Kade sighed, looking over at Spin. She looked back at him, and smiled. He grinned and looked ahead. Yep, he thought to himself, I’d die for her.

“And so would I.” Spin whispered. Kade whipped his head around, grimacing as his neck creaks. “Whaddya say?”

“I bet you were thinking, ‘Yeah, I’d die for her if I had to.’ And I said I would do the same for you.”

“Can you read minds or something?”

“Nope, I just know you. Now come on, Nine seems to be getting perky, which means we’re either near the exit or near a group of Windigo.”

Kade looked ahead and noticed Nine, bounding around more than usual, as if looking for something. He could see Nine’s hood flatten on his head, his ears flattening out. Not a good sign, from what Kade knew of cats and Nine.

“Sylvester, what’s the problem?” Kade called.

“Not now, Kade. Something’s wrong… The exit was near here, but I can’t see the Hunter’s markers that lead to it.”

“Maybe the Hunters just changed them, to make sure the Windigo don’t recognize them.”

“No, it’s not that… Something is messed up. Stay here, I’m going to take a look.” Nine bounded off as Kade plopped onto the ground, everyone else soon doing the same. Kade leaned back on his hands, the cracked concrete digging into his palms. “I wonder what’s got Nine in such a tizzy. Even if the Hunter’s marks are gone, the exit should still be there. If he knows where it is, he can take us to it directly.”

“Not really, Kade.” Rage said. “Think about it. Even though he may know where it is, don’t you think that the Hunters would at least have the marks up if they use the place? Missing marks mean that maybe they blocked the entrance, in which case we’re walking around the city till we find another one.”

“Well, fuck, I never thought of that…”

Nine showed up at that point, his hood fallen back onto his shoulders. His ears were flat against his head, and Kade could hear a slight hiss from Nine’s jaws.

“What’s up?”

“You need to see this.”

Amy was the first one to get up, Noire right after her. Kade followed, Rage and Spin behind him. On the way, Kade stopped at Nine’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“Bad news.” As soon as he said it, Amy’s moan of “Oh, no…” echoed out. Kade rushed around Nine, stopping short. They had found the exit. In a way.

Blood was all over the ground, blackened from age. The stench was foul, flies were buzzing thick over the remains of three Hunters. The bodies had been dismembered, and even worse, it seems like they had been partially eaten. Entrails were strewn all over the area. The skin was pale, the arms and legs in strict rigor mortis, pointing in all odd angles. Bones had been wedged into the passage of the exit, forcing the door shut. Kade turned away, nauseated. Behind him, he could hear Amy vomiting. Spin stopped and turned away before she could see the whole scene like Kade had. Rage was the only one who seemed unaffected. Well, he was affected, but not with sickness. His eyes had hardened. He was living up to his name now.

“Oh good lord… Who would have done this?” Spin asked, dry heaving. Kade grabbed his throat, trying not to puke himself. Nine walked over, slowly, taking Amy’s hand and leading her away from the scene, Noire trailing behind her. Kade dropped into a squat, his back to the mess.

“Nine…” he moaned, then louder when the feral person didn’t appear. “Nine!”

“What is it?” Nine asked, his voice flat, his words clipped.

“This… they knew, didn’t they? They fucking knew… How?!? How could they be this coordinated??? There’s no way those things we’ve fought till now were this smart… How?!?!?!?” Kade stood up, spinning and kicking one of the body pieces so hard is smacking into the wall with a slight thwock. “HOW!??! Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!! Why?!?!”

Spin wrapped her arms around Kade’s waist. Kade’s ire seems to fade immediately, and instead he turned, hugging Spin to him as if holding on for dear life, his body wracked with sobs he was holding back. “Now what? Now where do we go?”

“We go through.” Rage said.

“What?” the question rang out from every mouth at the same time.

“Those bones are wedging the tunnel shut. We get them out, the tunnel is open. Then we block it from the other end, so they can’t get out. And we get the hell out of here.”

“Dude, do you know how long it’s going to take to get all the cleared? Besides… I’m pretty sure we’d make enough noise to pull a group here, and these bodies… Some of the blood is still wet. They’ll smell it and come.”

Rage walked up to the bone-wedged door, and with a swing of his pole-arm, snapped the bones out of the doorjamb, digging in to get the pieces he didn’t get. “Let them come. If we work fast enough, the won’t get us. Come on Kade…” Rage extended his hand to Kade. “We’ve known each other for how long now? You know that strategy is my forte. We can get this done, but we need to work together. Don’t let me down now.”

Kade stared at Rage for a moment, then grinned. “Son of a bitch… Don’t tell me you’re coming out of the closet now.” He grabbed Rage’s hand and slid his sword out of it’s sheath, aiming and chopping away at the bones. Rage shoved him playfully and got back to work. Spin stepped up right behind Kade, wedging herself right in front of him, so that he could work and she would follow up. They continued digging at the bones.

“Why the fuck did it have to be a freaking tunnel? Couldn’t they just have a normal door?” Kade muttered as he worked.

“Well, the wall is like, what, a mile thick… Also, security. A tunnel helps create a bottleneck, so that in case they make it in, they can get caught at the narrow point and picked off in concentration. Besides, tunnels are easier to booby-trap then open land.” Rage answered.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side.” Kade retorted, returning to his digging. Amy and Noire stood by, watching as the three slowly and surely worked the bones out of the doorjamb. Until the ragged howls broke out.

“Fuck!” Amy muttered, turning around. They were far off, but she could see the white skin tinged red with the last light of the sun. Nine stepped towards them, only a few paces, his knives appearing in his hands. Amy could clearly hear the hiss from his throat. Amy readied her own weapons, Noire right beside her. Kade, Rage and Spin tried to pick up the pace as they hacked away at the bones.

“This is way too fucking cliché…” Kade muttered as he worked away, sweat pouring down his brow. “I feel like I’m in a fricking RPG…”

“Then let’s make sure we don’t ruin the cliché.” Rage muttered.

“Right… We get the door open and everyone is, locking it just as the Windigo reach it?”

“Well, we could try to speed up the schedule, but that’s the gist.” Rage dug the end of his pole-arm into the crack between the door of the tunnel and the frame, bracing his leg against the wall and pushing with all his strength.

“Dude, we only got one side clear!” Kade pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s the side where the hinges are. Those are the main blockers. Everything else can most likely be dealt with as the door opens.” Rage replied, grunting as he pushed.

“Still…” Kade started, then stopped as he heard bone crack and saw the door shift an inch. Rage grinned. “Quit slacking, pork bun! Either help or help!” Kade shook his head and moved over to help Rage, placing not his hands on the pole-arm but wedging it between his neck and shoulder, then bending at the waist, like he was going to tackle it.

“Oh, this is going to make me sore in the morning…” Kade muttered, then grit his teeth and shoved with his legs, using his mass to his advantage and forcing the pole-arm forward another inch.

“Tom Brady would have been proud, Kade.” Rage commented.

“Too bad he quit the game after that mess of a season… Double injuries…” Kade replied, then grunted and shoved again with his shoulder, the pole-arm digging into his neck. Spin watched in awe for a moment, then got back to picking out what bones she could.

“Kade!” Nine called out.

“What?!?!” Kade screamed back.

“Hurry the FUCK UP!!!” Nine called back before turning towards the approaching Windigo, anxiously shifting his weight from foot to foot. The horde had grown along the way, and now numbered around fifty-odd alabaster bodies, some big, some small. Nine glanced back at Kade, watching him shove the pole-arm over and over, the door hardly moving.

“Come on, man! No pressure, just a bunch of hungry Windigo on the way… You know, take your time!” Nine yelled in Kade’s direction.

“Well, serve them tea!” Kade called back, then took three steps back from the pole-arm and knuckled down. “Rage, if this breaks, I’ll make you a new one.”

“Don’t break it, it’s all we got to use.”

“Then pray to whatever deity you believe in that it’s strong enough.” Saying so, Kade pushed off, his legs rocketing him forward, the pole-arm slamming right into the crook of his neck and bending, almost touching the wall. The door moved open by a good four inches. However, Spin was the only one who heard the cracking sound. She rushed to Kade’s side.

“Shhhh.” Kade said, grimacing in pain. “Nothing broken. The crack was one of those bones. But the thing dug into my muscles pretty well.”

“I don’t believe you.” She muttered back.

“Oh, well. Not like we got a choice.” Kade backed up again, taking a moment to psyche himself up before checking the pole-arm again, this time the end touching the wall at the door slid open, now a foot wide.

“LET’S GO, KIDS!!!” Kade yelled, ushering Spin through the open gap. Spin slipped through easily, followed by Amy and Noire. Rage slid through the gap, then started pushing from the inside, trying to open it up for Kade’s girth. Kade groaned and sucked in his gut as much as he could, and tried to push through the gap. He made it after a few extra seconds, and sat, catching his breath.

“We made it… I can’t believe it, we made it…” Kade gasped.

“Not just yet. We need to shut this door.” Rage said, then popped his head out. “NINE!!”

Nine sidled up to the door, but didn’t go through.

“Come on, man! It’s now or never!” Kade urged.

“No can do… I’m staying behind. I’ve got to take care of the old lady. Besides, you need someone to push from this side as well, right?”

“Dude, those things will-“

“They’ll try to catch me and fail. I’ve been prowling the streets for years. Don’t worry about me. You guys get going.”

Kade stood up, then reached his hand through the door, finding Nine’s and gripping it. “We’ll come get you and Mrs. Mills. We’ll get you guys out as well.”

“Mighty big promise there, tubbo. You gonna make good on it?”

“I got back to Spin, didn’t I? Trust me… Till then, keep your ass alive!”

“Roger that.” Nine turned away, then turned back half-way. “Oh, by the way…”

“What?” Kade asked.

“When you come back, you owe me a saucer of cream.”

Kade grinned, even though he could feel tears slide down his cheeks. “I’ll get you a ball of string if you behave…”

Nine grinned, then shook his head and began pushing the door shut. Kade and Rage started pulling on the inner handle, and the door slid shut. Just before the last light disappeared, Kade heard Nine whisper.

“Thanks, and keep them safe.”

* * *

Kade sank down against the shut door, his head hanging between his knees, arms crossed across them. He wasn’t the only one sad to lose another good friend. Spin wrapped her arms around him, sobbing quietly.

“Why again… Why do we have to lose another friend again?” Kade whispered to no one. Spin said nothing. No one said anything. Finally, after a moment, Rage wiped his eyes. “Kade, come on… We’re not out of the woods yet.” Kade scrubbed at his eyes and stood up, Spin’s arms sliding down to wrap around his arm.

“Yeah, Rage, I know… Sorry about that. Alright, you’re the strategist, man… How do we block this thing up? Don’t want them coming after us through here.”

“Well, I can’t say for sure, but if I was a Hunter, I’d make sure that this place had mines or bombs hidden… I mean, in case of emergency, they could just blow the whole thing shut. Pitfalls and spikes would also help slow them down. So, I guess we need to see if they’re as smart as they should be.” Rage started checking the walls, tapping them gently and brushing away dust. Kade worked down the other wall, while Noire, Amy and Spin took the floor, all of them looking for the classic tricks like pressure panels and the like. After only a minute, however, Rage called out to the rest of the group, grinning.

“Found something!”

They gathered where Rage was standing. It seems that the Hunters had indeed been prepared for something like this. Rage was staring at a panel in the wall. A small LCD screen with a number panel below it, almost like an ATM. A small slot for a card was on the side of the screen.

“And here I thought I’d never need my debit card again.” Muttered Kade.

“Well,” Rage sighed, “Unless one of us happens to be a Hunter, I guess we’re out of luck with this one.”

“Ummmm…” All eyes turned to Amy as she spoke up. “Nine gave me this. I’m sure it’ll work.” In her hand was a bloodied card. Rage took it from her and wiped to blood off on his jeans, cringing. Indeed, it was a Hunter’s card. “Score!” Rage said, sliding the card into the machine. “Angel, you saved the day.” Amy blushed, and muttered “Not really…”

The screen lit up as the card booted the machine up, flashing the Hunter’s logo before the words EMERGENCY DETONATION SEQUENCE lit up the screen. A clock appeared, bearing the numbers 05:00, and started ticking down.

“I thought we needed to put in a code or something!” Kade exclaimed.

“I doubt the Hunters would be that relaxed. Anyways, clock’s ticking, folks, so let’s move our asses!” Rage called, starting to run down the tunnel. The others followed right behind him, Kade bringing up the rear. As they ran, Rage constantly scanned the tunnel, making sure they didn’t set off any other surprises other than the big one behind them. So far, so good, he thought to himself. His only worry was if they could get out of the tunnel before the timer counted down to zero. He was so busy thinking, racing down the tunnel, that he nearly fell straight into the pitfall ahead of him.

“WHOAH!!!” HE cried out, skidding to a stop right at the edge. Right behind him, Spin, Noire and Amy slowed down, with Kade huffing and puffing at the end.

“What the fuck, man, I thought you said we had to move.”

“Well, we do. However, it would be a bit of a bummer if we fell into this here pit. Alright, girls, time to jump.”

Noire jumped across the pit easily, followed by Spin. Amy needed a bit of encouragement, and nearly slipped when she landed, but she made it fine.

“Come on, Kade, ladies first.”

“Then go already, fuckhead.” Kade muttered, catching his breath. He took a few steps back, then charged at the pit, flinging himself off the edge at the last possible moment. He looked like he would make it, then his mass brought him down, down, down. He landed half-way on the other side, his waist slamming against the ground.

“OW!! Now I know I’m never having kids…” Kade moaned, pulling himself up over the edge and clenching his legs together. Spin giggled as Kade moaned. His eyes turned to her, glaring in false anger. “You laugh now, woman, but when we get to Bel, don’t blame me when things don’t work…”

Rage laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll pinch-hit.” He jumped over easily. Kade shifted his glare to him. “I hate you, Rage.” Rage blew him a fake kiss and patted him on the back. “Come on, tubby, we have to go.”

They set off down the tunnel again, Spin dropping back to hold up the rear end of the line with Kade. Amy and Noire were in the middle, and Rage ran out in front, again looking for traps.

Luckily, they were few and far between. About halfway down the tunnel, the traps stopped altogether when they hit the bottleneck of the tunnel. It was narrow enough that Kade barely got through.

“There we go. It should be clear from now, but let’s keep up the pace, so that we don’t get fucked if they decided to rig the whole tunnel to blow instead of the entrance.”

“Would they do that? I mean, don’t they use this way to get in and out as well?” Amy asked.

“Well, yeah, but think about it. If they needed to blast the tunnel, it meant that the Windigo knew how to get in. Therefore, blowing the whole thing up would be better, so that anyone they didn’t kill already would get caught and crushed. Also, if the Windigo manage to force the door at the other end, then blowing only the entrance would mean that once they got past that, the rest of the tunnel would be open to them. Not the best situation to be in, when you think about it.” Rage replied, still running.

“Good point.”

They raced against the ticking bomb, until they finally spied the door at the end of the hall. Rage ran up to it, and pulled the handle.

“Ummm… bad news, peeps.” He said.

“Rage, bro… If you tell me it’s not opening, I’m using your spine as my back-scrubber…” Kade moaned, hands on his knees. Rage pulled on the door, and it creaked open.

“False alarm.” He said. And then the bomb went off.