Hell's Army

Chapter Twenty-six- Hero

"So, this is homely," Katie said as Follows pushed her into a grubby basement, bars snaking across the windows and an old fashioned curtain hanging in ruins across the entire width of the room.

"Mother will speak to you now," Follows said slowly, the others staring at her from behind him, wide eyed, unmoving, like cats stalking their prey.

He took a step forward and tore down the curtain, revealing a squishy, greying mass sinking into the wall. White veins whispered across its skin and latched onto the wall, spreading up the face. Its flabby skin squelched as it rose and fell, and white puss oozed out of its pores.

"What the hell is that?" Katie whispered.

Almost as if answering her, the thing gave a sound like the gurgling of a drainpipe, and Follows said, "Mother admires your resilience."

Mother gave a few more sickly gurgles.

"She says you will be the perfect vessel for her," he continued.

"Sorry, what?" Katei demanded, staring at him. "There is no way in Hell you are sticking that thing inside me."

But Follows wasn't listening. He grabbed her pushed her down, closer and closer to the pulsing, oozing Mother. She struggled and yelled and called him ever name she could, but it made no difference. He was too strong. Her arms screamed as Mother's leathery skin was nearly an inch from her face, and Follows said calmly, "Mother says not to be afraid. Soon you won't even remember what fear is."

"Lady," Katie whispered as Mother's veins slithered off the wall and crept their way over to her, "no offence, but you are seriously fugly." Then she wrenched the salt shaker out of her pocket, dumped the whole lot over Mother's grey flesh.

Mother shrieked like a power saw as Katie fell back, her skin melting away as the salt fizzled into it.

Follows clutched his head and screamed, and soon the others were following suit, their voices tearing through the air around her, almost blasting her back. Then withered, skeletal slugs slipped limply out of their mouths and splattered onto the ground. One by one, life started to blink back into their eyes.

Katie sank to her knees, every bone in her body shaking. She cast an eye over to Mother's withered corpse, smoke still spilling from her remains. It was over.

"What the hell is going on?" Mr Suite demanded, looking around.

****

Katie sat on the hood of Follows' car, watching the guests say their final goodbyes. You would have thought everyone would just want to get out of here by now, but people stayed behind to hug each other and to say goodbye and to cry. There were just some things that warranted hugging and crying, and being stalked and taken over by demon slugs was definitely up on that list.

Follows strolled back towards them, Mr Suite watching him go with the sort of look in his eyes one has when they honestly don't know what to do with their life anymore.

"What did you tell him?" Katie asked.

"The truth."

She made a face. "How's he taking it?"

"Not very well."

"And the virkin?" she asked. "They're gone now, right?"

"This family is." He sighed, then smiled softly. "Thank you. We'd all be dead if it weren't for you."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, you can pay me back by giving me a ride home."

She had no idea what she was going to tell her mother. She probably had the police out looking for her as they spoke. She was going to be lucky if she was ever let out of the house again after this.

Follows grinned. "Deal."

Harriet called him over, probably for more hugging and crying, and he hurried off. Zadrian didn't say anything to Katie, just handed her a small leather bound book.

"What's this?" she asked.

"I thought you might like to try again."

She turned it over, and the words 'The Holy Bible' gleamed up at her. She grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I will."

A smile ghosted over his lips. "You saved the world today, Katie Fields."

"Do you think they'll let me put that on my CV?" she asked. She held up the Bible. "Thanks, by the way. For this."

This time he actually did smile.

"Can I see your wings now?" she asked.

"No."

"Katie!" someone said behind them, and she looked around.

"Just wanted to say goodbye," Daniel said, jamming his hands in his pockets.

Katie punched him in the arm.

"What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing it.

"Running off like that. You could have died, you moron."

"It's what you would have done." He grinned. "So, I know I'm not nearly cool enough to hang out with you-"

She nodded in agreement. "True, that."

"-But I did kind of sacrifice my life for you, and I really think that entitles me to a number."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you do, do you?"

"Please?" he tried.

She grinned, took out a pen in surrender. He did a little fist pump in the air that made her seriously question her choice. She handed it to him. "See you round, Daniel."

He grinned, waved, and scampered off to his dad's car.

Follows dodged him and stopped in front of them.

"So," Katie asked, looking out at the guests, at all the people she'd seen turn into monsters, all the people she'd saved, "what now?"