19. Level Three-Silent Hill on Steroids
CHAPTER 19
Level Three-Silent Hill on Steroids
Rez
W himpering wakes me, and I crack an eye open to see Reaper giving me puppy dog eyes and wagging his long tail.
“Finally, you’re awake,” Moni says, hovering behind Reaper in her preferred size but giving him plenty of space.
“What time is it?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.
“We have about thirty minutes before we probably get shaken out of this place,” Ryker says, walking into the room with a smile.
Well dang. I guess I need to get up and get dressed.
“Ahh!” Moni yells, shielding her eyes as she flies backward from me.
“It’s okay, Moni.” Levi chuckles. “I’ve already cleaned and dressed her.”
Lifting the blanket, I peer beneath, and sure enough, Levi has put me back in my now clean outfit. He’s like a magical Mr. Clean but with hair and a fancy wardrobe. Climbing off the altar, I realize everyone is ready and here except Knots. A knife slices through me at the thought that I’ve lost him, but I will myself to build my wall up and add an extra layer because if he doesn’t want me, then I shouldn’t be pining over him anyway.
“Here, you should eat. There’s no telling when we’ll be able to next,” Knox says, handing me a sandwich and a bottle of water.
I give him my thanks and dig in.
“Yeah, the next level is Rage, which Azazel controls,” Levi reminds us, coming into view. Seeing him, I almost spit out my water but end up choking on it instead. Rough coughs explode out of me, and Knox rubs my back as I try to catch my breath.
Damn. Is Levi trying to kill me?
Levi smirks at my reaction to his new outfit and slowly spins so I can take in the full effect. Once I can breathe, I slowly lick my lips and eye fuck my mage.
“You told me I should try wearing one. I think it suits me, don’t you?”
He’s wearing black leather pants, which I’m used to seeing, but the black corset wrapped firmly around his body and his sultry tone are doing something to me that I definitely approve of. Groans echo around the sanctuary before I hear Ryker’s voice call across the room.
“Damnit, Goddess, this is not the time. Any other time, I’m all for the boost, but I don’t know how well I’ll be able to fight with a hard-on.”
His words are like a bucket of cold water, dousing my raging hormones, and I shake my head as I come back to myself.
“Well, yes. I did say you should try wearing a corset, but I didn’t realize how good you would look in one,” I say, taking in the black-on-black corset he’s wearing. The idea that we’re going into a level called Rage worries me though. “Will you have enough protection with that?” I ask, chewing on my bottom lip. I mean, he looks good, but I don’t want him to walk around for my pleasure while being a target.
“Not a problem. It’s flexible, and it’s spelled,” Levi insists.
“Okay.” I take his word for it and nod. “Did anyone take care of my baby?” I ask, looking for Reaper. I spot his tail as he runs down one of the aisles.
“Yep,” Chester calls out. “He’s pissed a hole in one of the walls, ate a few steaks, and now he’s full of demon energy.”
Yep, sounds like my boy!
“Here, I brought your bag,” Zeke says, giving me a kiss on the cheek as I finish my sandwich. I give him a quick hug and a real smooch before reaching inside for a flank jacket for Reaper.
“Do you mind putting this on him while I use the restroom real quick?” I ask, handing over the item to Zeke. He smiles and agrees before taking off after my hellhound.
Glancing around, I realize I have no idea where to go.
“There’s a bathroom at the front of the church,” Moni supplies. “Come on!” She pops up to her taller height, grabs my hand, and pulls me along the aisle toward the front doors. “We haven’t had any girl time since we’ve been here,” she comments, and I laugh, swinging my pack over my shoulder.
“It’s been kind of hard being in Hell, but you’re right. I’ve missed you,” I say, pulling her into a side hug as we walk into the bathroom.
It’s unisex, with a few stalls and a mirror over a couple of sinks. I make a beeline for the stall and do my business, thanking the fates that it’s clean and there’s toilet paper. Walking out, I find Moni huddled in the corner, talking sweetly.
“It’s okay. You can do it!”
“Do I even want to know?” I ask, washing my hands.
“Rez, look! I think I found a new power.” She waves me over, and I peer over her shoulder.
There’s a small pot with dead flowers in it, and I purse my lips, wondering what I’m supposed to be looking at.
“See?” she urges, watching up at me expectantly, hope shining bright in her eyes.
“I…ugh…I’m sorry, Moni, but what am I supposed to see?” I shrug.
“Oh,” she perks up and turns back around, bringing her hands around the flower to start coaxing the dead shrub. “Come on. Come back to life. I know you want to.”
Small vibrations pulse out of her hands and into the plant, shaking it gently. As I stare at the stem, I see it; a light green begins to bloom and fill in, carrying color up to the petals and turning it a pretty yellow and pink.
I’m speechless but excited, as the color is there but faint. I have so many questions and wonder how we can help develop her new talents, but I’m momentarily frozen as I continue to watch. Moni quickly adds water to the pot and sets it back down, facing me with a big smile and tears glistening in her eyes.
“Why the tears?” I ask, grabbing her hands as she jumps up and down.
“Oh my god, Rez! I can’t believe I did something like that.” Moni’s eyes bug out of her skull, and I worry she’s going to faint. “I’ve always been a mess, you know. The PIMP that no one wanted, I was never good enough. But holy bumble bee’s knees! Even with my sonic boom, I thought it was just for evil and, well, booming things. You know, ‘BOOM!’” she says, mimicking an explosion with her hands and shrinking down to her preferred height. “But now! I can create and nurture! I am awesome. Call me Dementor, the green goddess of nature,” she yells and pumps her tiny fist into the air.
I stifle a snicker and shake my head. “Moni, I believe you mean Demeter. A Dementor is a creature that drains peace, hope, and happiness out of the life around them?—”
“Oh! Like Emer!”
I snort, and Moni giggles as she zips around the room before stopping in front of me and fainting. Being attuned to her ways now makes it easy to catch her, but as soon as I make contact, the room starts shaking violently.
I tuck Moni against me as I move out of the aggressively rocking building as fast as I can. My unruly curls sweep into my face as I scramble and bump into walls on my way out of the church. Once we’re outside, it’s the same as before. The ground holds steady, and only the building shakes.
A large winged shadow glides away from the bell tower and settles next to me. Knots’ wings flutter slightly before folding behind him, and I sag in relief as I notice everyone has made it out unscathed. Zeke is finishing off a smoothie as JP checks over Reaper's jacket. Knox and Ryker are in a hushed conversation as they look on to the next level, and Levi is finishing up his wardrobe by reattaching the cufflinks I made him in Hell. It looks like they have everything, so that’s good news .
“You good, Rezzi?” Lynx asks, catching my eye as he stretches as if being rushed out of the building isn’t a big deal.
“Yeah.” I nod and try to raise Moni in my arms to show him that everything is good, but I almost drop her and quickly stop.
“Here, I’ll take her,” Chester says as he gently takes Moni from me, and I take a moment to assess the area. I no longer feel the effects of Lust, and I feel pretty relaxed and ready for the next level despite being rushed out of the church.
The church doors close, and a cross with a piece of parchment nailed in the center appears over them.
Yeah, that’s not foreboding.
Knots, being the closest, reaches for the document and begins reading aloud.
“Hopefully you had a peaceful rest because that was the last you will find here. There is no defense against rage; accept it and become one or die and forever be a part of this world. Either way, you will be mine if you do not make it to the end within three hours.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Zeke asks, looking over Knots’ shoulder before taking the paper into his own hands and looking at the words.
My stomach becomes queasy as the prospect of the meaning hits me as Knox speaks up.
“War. We’re going to war.”
Fuck me.
“Okay then,” Levi says, straightening his shoulders, “let’s devise a plan.”
Turning to face him, I find myself staring at nothing, complete darkness. The space before me is empty. “Levi?” Turning in a circle, I call out, “Hey guys? This isn’t funny. Where is everyone?” I take a step forward, my arms outstretched, and an eroded, rusted wall appears out of nowhere, stopping my advancement. How come I can see this but nothing else?
A faint yellow light shines down to my left upon the metal floor, where a dark liquid slowly forms a puddle in the middle of it while casting moving shadows from above. Wondering what’s causing the shadows and where the light is coming from, I look up and stifle the scream threatening to escape my throat. Hanging seven feet above me in different states of decay are corpses—some with only torsos and intestines intact, dripping blood onto the floor.
Where are the stairs? Where’s everyone else?
Taking a deep breath, I pull my magic close to the surface, gasping slightly at the energy it taks to do so, and at the very end, there’s a dull stab of pain in my side. What the hell? I can’t leave myself vulnerable, so I have to bear it so I’m ready for anything while thinking about what I must do next. First, find out where I am and if there’s a way out. Something tore those creatures apart and hung them up there, so first thing…protection. I gather my shield and pull it tight across my body, making sure to layer it and check for any holes. I’m not about to take any fucking chances here. I only wish I had a chance to protect the others the same way.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I take a few steps to the side until another wall appears. Okay, Rez, it’s like unboxing a puzzle; we’re just finding the edges, I tell myself as I do the same again and step behind me, but it only leaves one way to go: toward Rage. Yep, I was afraid of that. With the three walls up, I have a better sense of the size I’m working in. The hallway is too wide for me to reach out and touch both sides, so it is at least eight feet wide. I’m trying here with these measurements just for you. Hope you’re happy .
So, I have a decent room side to side. The biggest problem is that I can’t see very far in front of me. The lights above are only on by the section of the wall that I’m currently occupying. This is definitely a setback in a level called Rage. I take a few tentative steps before a light flashes, and I freeze as my mind tries to catch up with what it just saw. I swear, I’m not in hell, but the movie Silent Hill—on steroids. Finally, a soft glow appears and dimly highlights the hallway before me.
I take it back. I’d rather not see what’s in front of me.
Unlike the walls around me, there’s a herd of demons just standing across from me. Is that the correct term for them? Herd? Choir? Longhorns? Legion? Hell if I know, but whatever it is, here they are all blind and deadly. Instead of killer nurses standing with lethal machetes, I have prickly, horny demons.
Long, grizzly horns protrude from the skull of the demon standing before me, a dark liquid dripping from the offending item. The demon is in rags, but from its shape, my guess is that it’s female, and she’s holding an intimidating sword in one hand and missing her other arm. She looks blind, but the sneer on her face gives me a good idea that she knows I’m here…somewhere. The two demons behind her are no better off in appearance. Blood drips down their bare legs, and parts of their skin are missing, along with a few limbs. I don’t know what kinds of weapons they are wielding, and I don’t want to stay here long enough to find out.
Quickly checking my barrier once again, I send up a shout-out to the fates that this works before pulling my glaives free. Let’s see if this is really like Silent Hill. Testing a theory, I push my foot along the ground, allowing it to make noise, and the demons react. They advance in jerky motions, arms swinging back, legs bending in awkward ways, and I swear there are a few broken necks.
Okay, so it looks like slow and quiet is going to win the race here. As I approach, I try to slow my breathing and pick up my feet as I face off with the first demon. I move to her side and crotch down, slipping between her and the thing behind her, easily passing through. Turning, I almost scream as I come face to face with a demon at eye level with black liquid slowly pouring out of its eye sockets. The stench is enough to make me gag, but I quickly try to cover my mouth to hide my reaction. I’ve never seen this type of demon, but I would guess it’s a crossbreed between a hellhound and an Arte demon that went terribly wrong.
I slowly stand back up, but my leather boot squeaks, setting off a chain reaction. The demon in front of me lunges, and I roll to the left, barely missing his jaws. His head swings back around, but I’m ready. My glaives come up, cutting into his neck, signaling to the other demons behind him. The two I passed both swing around, their weapons arching wide, decapitating each other. Unaffected, I quickly get up, dodging, parrying, and using my shield to push my way through the barrage of demons around me. I add to my body count as I make it through the other side as the demons slash and tear through each other until there are only scraps left of them.
Replacing my glaives, I take stock of my injuries, and besides being full of adrenaline, I’m covered in blood and see a few small cuts into my leather that must have gotten through my barrier. Fuck, is that an issue, or did I let my guard down while fighting? I’m hoping it’s just a ‘thing’ here in Rage and not my magic failing. All in all, I take it as a win as I move down the hall and toward a glow that dances at the end of the hall, highlighting a turn in the hallway.
A familiar growl rings out from the turn in the hallway, and my heart races as the light along the rusted wall flairs brighter. Reaper! I put on a burst of speed and run around the corner, only to pause at the chaos before me. Reaper stands in the middle of his own mob of monsters. His flames flair brighter, burning the demons that get too close, and he swipes a paw at the hellhound at his left flank, but he doesn’t see the one creeping up behind him. It takes a swipe at Reaper, causing him to yelp in pain, and I see red. Pulling my glaives, I rush into the fray.
I guess it’s time to embrace the rage. Nobody hurts my baby and gets away with it.