The War Without Fate

Chapter 21- Hanging on Every Word

"Watch your step," Holly said sharply as I strode out of the darkness. He swung his arm out in front of me and I looked down at my foot that was about to step into a giant pile of muck. 

My eyes followed up to examine the rest of the landscape. It was a giant marsh land. With little pools of mud seperated by small grassy pathways. In each pool there was a bunch of bodies mulling around. They had no eyes and were extremely bloated looking. Their mouths hung open aimlessly and more of the slush that they sat in poured out. 

My nose flared in disgust and I stepped back and thanking Holly. He lead us on the paths for a long way. Peering into the mass of bodies that each pool held until he seemed to spot something. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

"Ciacco!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. 

The bodys began to part. They were making way for something. A bloated soul came between them as he made his way to shore. He smiled at us. He did not have the same slush leaking from his mouth and he had bright eyes. He gripped the grass and with a grea heave rolled his fat body onto the little path way between the pools. 

"Holly," he cried as he brought himself up. He was wearing a loin cloth that didnt cover as much as one would like it to. You could still see the majority of his body and he reminded me of a fat woman wearing a bikini. 

"Its good to see you!" he clapped Holly on the shoulder and Holly grimaced. 

"Yes, Ciacco. Its good to see you as well." He smiled "This is Ciacco, a soul that through helping Dante, gained some recognition. He was alowed his eyes back and allowed a lesser sentence." 

Ciacco bowed and grinned at us. A thought ran across my head, but Max beat me.

"Doesnt ciacco mean pig in italian?" Max asked cocking her head

I glanced back at Ciacco with shock. His eyes had gotten bigger and angrier he stepped forward and got in Max's face. He grit his teeth angriliy.

"That pig Dante named me that," He growled "Giving no regard to my real name. Even after I helped him past Cerberus. He called me pig."

"So whats your real name?" I asked as I put a hand on his shoulder

He glanced back at my hand and that wild eyed look left his face. His face turned apologetic and he stepped back in shame. Looking at his bare flintstone like feet. 

"I apologize miss." He said "I have forgotten my real name. Due to Dante's trickery."

"Its a touchy subject," Holly clapped his hands. "We wondered Ciacco... if you would like to take a trip up to the surface with us. "

His face lit up and he grinned and nodded. Holly smiled and clapped his shoulder and turned to go when a growl echoed through the air. Jacqueline drew her gun and pointed around wide eyed. I became aware of the fog setting in. 

"You said something about Cerberus?" I asked Ciacco looking back at him. 

"Yes," He gave a short nod and grabbed two hand fulls of slush out of the pond he had crawled out of.

I glanced back at him as I held my palm out toward where the growl had come from. 

"Get him to open his mouth." Ciacco said to us. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Which mouth?" Max asked nervously 

"All of them," He answered quitely.

I heard a giant foot fall and I spun around to see Cerburus the giant black 3 headed dog staring us down with his pairs of yellow eyes. His mouth went into a sneer showing us his large pointed teeth. I shot a repulsor ray and it shot forward and hit him in one of his necks. The head attached startled and opened its mouth. Ciacco gave a grunt and a handful of the mud flew forward and lodged itself in the dogs mouth. It stuck his gums together and the mouth on one head shut completely. The head seemed to struggle to open it back up, but the jaw wouldnt budge. 

Jacqueline seemed to catch on. She ran toward the dog and jumped onto its kneck. It bucked quite a bit but she flung herself on top of it and pryed its mouth open with her hands. Ciacco flung another glop of mud into the dogs mouth. The jaw clamped shut and Jacqueline swung off the neck onto the ground as the last head lunged for her. It lunged for her with its mouth open and she put her feet on either side of the jaw. Holding it open with her legs. She let a little grunt out as Ciacco threw mud into the last pie hole and she drew her feet back suddenly.

The dog sat down in defeat and Jacqueline kicked herself back from it. Her eyes wide with fear. Claude helped her up and she grabbed his shoulder for support. He patted her comfortingly and she took a breath trying to steady herself. 

Ciacco clapped for her and pointed over Cerberus's head. "That is the way out."

"Thank you Ciacco." Holly smiled and set off to climb over the three headed dog in our way.

"I will recruit Cerberus when he recovers." Ciacco promised. "Im afraid the others wont be of much help."

"Of course." Holly said as he offered a hand down to Max to help her climb atop of Cerberus. 

"It might take a day to get through," Ciacco said "You will have to sleep when you reach a mile past this point. When you wake you will be transfered to the next circle. There is no need for a watch, these souls will not hurt you. They are sightless to others around them. A sick metaphor for the effect food had on them."

"Thank you." I said to him 

He nodded and went to sit between two of Cerberus's heads. I hovered over the dog and clunked down in front as the others scrambled over his body. We all began walking and I had Jarvis measure out the distance of a mile. I looked over at Jacqueline and noticed she had her hands crossed over her chest and resting on her shoulders. She watched the ground pass beneath her with wide fearful eyes. I put a hand on her shoulder and she startled up at me.

"Do you wanna call Clint?" I asked 

"We can do that?" Her voice shook slightly. 

"I actually have really great reception down here." I said shaking my head and stepping out of my suit to hand her a phone. 

She took it and looked at me with thanks. I stepped back into the suit and continued walking. She called him up and they talked for a long time. Her replys were hushed but she giggled and smiled and I felt a pang of jealousy run through me. I missed that. I missed Evangeline. I found it harder to breath somehow knowing she wasnt around me or within my reach. And watching Jacqueline talk to her own person made me sad. I wanted to be doing that. To be talking to Evangeline. To watch as she hung on my every word and I hung off of all of hers. Funny how significant talking to someone can be. I suppose you never know how much something is worth to you until you dont have it. Yet I had gone several years without her and it had not been as painful as this. Perhaps I had always held the illusion that she was just around the corner. And now I had lost that. I walked forward and out of ear shot of her. I was having enough issues I didnt need to increase them.