Chapter 17: Luring the Monster
Just as the two people appeared,
a monster, its entire body bluish-green like a rotting corpse, with exposed bones at its knees, collarbones, and feet, and sharp bone claws on its hands,
slid down from the ceiling vent behind them and landed on the ground.
Elena screamed, startled by the monster.
The monster silently pounced on the woman, biting off her neck in one swift motion; her head fell to the ground.
Then it lunged at the man.
Taking advantage of this moment, Marcus used his leg muscles to propel himself forward, closing the distance in two steps. He swung the briefcase with all his might, from back to front, and slammed it hard into the monster's skull.
CRACK!
The monster's head exploded. Its teeth, which were embedded in the man's neck, were hammered in like nails; the impact also severed the man's neck, and his head fell to the ground, rolling beside the woman's.
The man and the monster lay on the ground simultaneously, their red and black blood mixing to form a brown pool.
"Jesus, are you some kind of demon hunter? That was incredible,"
Elena exclaimed, already developing a dependent attachment from the experience.
"Jesus probably doesn't like me much,"
Marcus replied.
He walked to the monster's side, a stench like rotting garbage assaulting his nostrils.
The smell was incredibly strong, like a dumpster behind a butcher shop in August.
Marcus carefully examined the monster; it resembled a lesser demon from Abaddon's Hell, a level below Leviathan's domain described in the Hellraiser extended lore.
These demons were said to emit the smell of ether and decay.
They could mimic voices, and their claws could easily tear apart their prey, but they were vulnerable to ordinary physical attacks.
The strong smell of rot confirmed Marcus's suspicion that this was indeed a lesser demon.
It seemed that the barking dogs, meowing cats, and squeaking rats in the subway, as well as Elena's cries for help, were all imitations by these lesser demons—though rather stupidly, mimicking whatever sound they could find.
Marcus thought for a moment, enduring the nauseating smell, and reached out to grab the little demon's body, trying to activate his 'Absorb' ability.
A faint energy flowed from the little demon's body, down Marcus's arm, and into his own body.
Marcus could feel his physical attributes being strengthened again, but the energy of a little demon was very weak, only about one percent enhancement.
Marcus looked at the fragile little demon before him, listening to the roars and imitations of the other little demons coming from deeper in the subway.
He suddenly didn't want to leave anymore. Anyway, he could return at any time; these lowest-level little demons were like walking power-ups.
Of course, this was only relative to Marcus. To ordinary people, they were crazed killers.
Sharp bone claws, extremely fast speed, and only by crushing their heads could they be killed; even guns were mostly useless.
"The exit is just ahead. You go straight out. I'll go check on your friends."
"I hope to God they're okay."
Marcus pointed to the right and turned to walk back toward his original position.
"I'll call 911 to help you,"
Elena whispered from behind.
Marcus followed the trail of blood to the back of the subway car.
A blonde woman was still slowly struggling to crawl back in the direction Marcus had come from, leaving a long trail of blood.
Only her upper body remained.
"Help,"
the woman managed to utter before falling silent.
Marcus ignored the woman on the ground and looked around. He heard a slight noise coming from the ceiling of the subway car.
The instant he looked up, two little demons pounced on Marcus from the roof of the car.
Marcus took a step back, swung his reinforced briefcase, and knocked down the one in front of him. He then kicked the other little demon in the stomach, and as it flew away, its bony claws tore at Marcus's calf.
It was as easy as tearing through paper, exposing his leg bone.
Ignoring his injuries, Marcus rushed forward and, using the reinforced handle on the briefcase, began to smash the two still-struggling little demons repeatedly.
Until black, foul-smelling blood flowed all over the ground, they were no longer moving.
Marcus reached out, and the black liquid quickly dried, leaving black stains on the ground. The two little demons also became withered, like skeletons wrapped in shrink-wrap.
He stood up; his leg injury had completely healed, and his body had been strengthened by another two percent.
'Just need new pants.'
Marcus looked down at his jeans, which had been torn by the little demons.
Then he looked back, somewhat puzzled.
"Wait for me."
Elena had actually cautiously followed him again.
"Why are you back again? Do you have a death wish?"
Marcus wondered what the woman was thinking.
"The subway doors are locked, and the security guard is dead. I can't get out, and I'm too scared to stay there alone."
Elena frantically lit another cigarette.
"Can you scream?" Marcus asked.
"What?"
Marcus pulled Elena into the last car, closed the rear door, and left the side door ajar.
"Scream. Attract the monsters."
"Oh, ahhh!" Elena understood. Trusting Marcus's looks and abilities, she screamed.
As the scream rang out, chaotic running sounds began to come from all around, growing louder as they approached.
Marcus gripped his briefcase tightly, standing quietly to the side of the door.
The little demons surged toward the door like a swarm of zombies.
Bone claws kept piercing through the carriage walls from the outside. Elena, terrified, grabbed the handrail in the middle of the car, no longer daring to stand against the wall.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
The continuous pounding sounds echoed through the deep tunnel of the subway, each sound a chorus of impacts, like a drum line at full volume.
Marcus, like playing whack-a-mole, pounded away for ten minutes until his clothes were tattered. In the cold tunnel, his sweat steamed.
No more demons entered the dilapidated car door; nearly twenty demon corpses lay on the ground.
Marcus absorbed their dark energy one by one, though the stench was overwhelming, like a backed-up sewer.
All the demons on the ground had turned into dried specimens. Marcus assessed his body; it had strengthened by about twenty percent, and he was satisfied.
CLANG!
A last demon tore open the ventilation cover at the top of the car, sticking half its body in backwards, trying to grab Elena.
Marcus turned, and with lightning speed, reached out his left hand, grabbed its neck, and pulled downward with all his might.
With a single-handed slam, the little demon's head crashed into the ground. Before it could even scream, it was reduced to a dried-up husk once more.
"Not bad. Twenty exactly."
Marcus surveyed the carnage with grim satisfaction. The subway car looked like a slaughterhouse, but at least the threat was neutralized.
"Is it... is it over?" Elena asked, her voice shaking.
"For now," Marcus replied, wiping black ichor from his hands. "Let's get you out of here."
(End of Chapter)
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/DarkFoxx (25+ advanced chapters)