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Chapters 1 – 39 Archive

Doug rushed through the hallway until all the gunfire panicked him enough to duck into a random room for cover. He had no idea who was shooting at whom and thus who he should be shooting at (thought he suspected the answer was everyone). Still, the chaotic situation seemed as good a time as any to try and rescue everyone. Also, he was concerned Darius was after him so he better keep moving.

Doug jumped back into the hallway, firing wildly at anyone he saw as he tried to trace his way back to the prison cells. No one seemed to be very focused on him, though, and he soon was beyond the thick of the fighting. He moved more cautiously, taking time to look behind him, which almost caused him to run into someone quite familiar.

Colette backhanded Doug, knocking the gun from his hand and sending him slamming into a wall. He was starting to wonder if he should just get used to always having a concussion. Colette smiled. “This is convenient.”

Doug looked a moment at her, not sure what to make of her appearance. “You got your hand back.”

“That I did.” She drew a katana. “I wonder how you would fair if I cut your hand off?”

Doug thought about that for a moment. “I guess I’d get a cool robot hand.”

Lulu and Bryce ran up behind Colette. “Doug!”

Doug stood up. “You guys came for me!”

“Before you think that’s so special, realize that apparently a lot of people came for you.” Bryce looked to Colette.

“You’re not going to kill Doug, are you?” Lulu asked her. “Killing a member of Hellbender means automatic expulsion from the Hellbender fan club.”

“We’re getting out of here,” Colette said. “And we better do it soon before the air above this place is filled with Asmod’s and Loch’s forces.”

“We first need to free the other people imprisoned here.” Doug looked around them. “And where is Charlene.”

“I’m finding out.” Bryce set down the metal case he was carrying and put his finger to his ear. “Charlene, we’re ready to get going… What? …I can’t…” Bryce paused a moment to listen. “Okay, we’ll be there.” Bryce looked worried. “I think she’s injured. We’re going to need to–”

“You have fun with that.” Colette walked towards Doug. “I’m leaving and you’re coming with me.”

Doug quickly scrambled to pick back up his rifle and point it at Colette. “I’m not leaving unless everyone is leaving. We’re going to help Charlene. You want me to come with you, you help get the other people they imprisoned here get out.”

Colette looked annoyed. “You shoot me with that, you’re only going to make me angry.”

“I think none of us have time for this,” Bryce said, a little panic seeping into this voice, “so let’s–”

“There you are!” Darius walked down the hallway, holding a broadsword and stained with blood. His eyes quickly went past Doug to Colette. “And what are you doing here?”

Colette lowered her sword. “Elza’s people want this human in the middle of this conflict for some reason, so it was Dammon’s thought it best we not let that happen.”

“Asmod was of the same thinking,” Darius said. “So will you help me achieve that end?”

“Wait!” Bryce yelled angrily. “So what is going on here?”

Colette swatted him to the ground. “You’re of no more use to me.” She looked to Doug. “Now, come with us or I will rip off one of your friends’ heads, knock you unconscious with it, and carry you out.”

Doug backed away, alternating between pointing his gun at Colette and Darius. He so wanted to not give in to these people, but he had no idea how to stop them.

“Everybody down!” Lulu called out. She dropped to the ground and covered her face. Bryce looked unsure, but quickly complied. Since his two friends were doing it, Doug decided he should do it to.

Colette stared at them and then looked around her. “What?”

Then she exploded.

Darius was knocked down by the force of the explosion. When the dust settled, there wasn’t even a single trace of Colette left.

Bryce stood back up. “That was interesting.”

“I put explosives on people I don’t trust.” Lulu dusted off her clothes. “It’s the new quirky thing I do.”

Darius was back on his feet as well, holding his sword and looking quite pissed. “You insolent Children. It is time to end you.”

Doug saw Colette’s katana lying near him, and he decided to trade his rifle for it. He grabbed it and rolled to his feet to face Darius. He thought he should say something threatening and intimidating to Darius, but all he came up with was, “I’m going to cut your head off!” as that was the entirety of his strategy.

Darius attacked first, swinging his sword full force at Doug. Doug dodged out of the way, feeling the tip of the sword rip his shirt before it destroyed the wall behind him. Doug parried, cutting straight through Darius’s torso before backing off to safe distance and keeping his sword tip pointed at his enemy, just as Charlene had taught him.

Darius seemed unfazed by the attack. “Well, you’ve lasted more than five seconds against me. I guess you can consider this a moral victory,.”

A shot rang out from Bryce’s gun and Darius jerked his head to the side. Doug then charged at Darius, cutting down at him. Darius got his sword up to block too slowly, and cut went through his hand and into the hilt of his sword, knocking it away. His opponent disarmed, Doug turned his katana upside down and stabbed into Darius’s chest. The sword went straight through, but Darius struck Doug with his other hand, knocking Doug to the ground. Darius now stood above Doug, not looking the least bit concerned about the katana stuck through his chest. “You really thinking you’re accomplishing something, Child?”

Doug shot to his feet, grabbing the hilt of the katana and pushing the sword up with all his might. It cut straight up through Darius, exiting at the top of Darius’s head.

And then it was just the three of them standing there.

“I think prison has changed you, Doug.” Bryce picked his metal case back off the ground.

“If everyone were nicer to us, stuff like this wouldn’t happen.” Lulu touched her glasses. “I think Charlene is two floors down.”

There was a loud sound from outside and the building shook. A siren then started to blare. “Enemy forces have breached the wasteland,” a voice announced over the speakers. “Prepare defenses.”

“Crap,” Bryce uttered. “We better get moving before whether we save Charlene or not become a moot point.”

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