Something I quickly typed up to fill in a few holes, and maybe open up some... Enjoy, and ponder.


Two days later, after the war...
The storm was blowing really bloody hard. The car that I grabbed was having a rough time handling the wind, snow, and the fact that the road kept vanishing beneath gusts of frost. I hit a bump, and the Revenge and a box of shotgun shells in the back seat bounced up, clattering to the floorboards. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to be used again.
I attempted to tune in the radio. I finally got a news station, and I listened while I tried to figure out where the hell I was. The announcer was speaking English but had a heavy Russian accent.
‘...Welcome to MLN, channel 101.9. We’re still covering the series of events that’s put Demons on our streets and the fearful in our homes. Moscow has been cleared of Demons, but the bodies still adorn the streets like confetti after a festival. If you must go out, do not take the weak of heart with you.
‘In the other news, why did the attacks stop? What happened to the Hero; the American Captain Trevor? He called for pickup after he escaped, but he was no where to be seen. But he did end the invasion in Alaska. Mother Russia should be safe.’
I found that why I was getting a station for Moscow was the fact that I was only ten miles away from the outskirts on an abandoned highway. A bent sign marked Route 178. I started up the battered car and continued down the road. The corner of a hood poked out from a pile of snow on the side of the road, along with a frozen, blue hand. Reminded me of New Venice...
I shuddered. I had to try to leave that in my past.
'Well, ADF has suffered heavy casualties.’ The radio continued. 'They have lost several thousand men, and one of their cruisers, The Pride of Louisiana, was lost in search of the planet that the creatures were coming from. Its last message said it found it, but it ended in static. All lives aboard the ship were lost.
'Also, one of the Human City Ships was destroyed on, apparently, the same planet that the Pride crashed on. Due to the interventions of Captain Trevor, several thousand people escaped, along with the ADF soldier Private Jake. He was one of the few to survive the horror, and the rest of his squad is either dead or stuck on the planet, which is now officially nicknamed “Hell”. But we should be safe.’
I could see some flickering lights through the blizzard. For a second, my car lost control and I almost lost them as well.
'Damn this storm...’ I muttered. There was some whispering on the radio.
'What? Are you sure?’ The announcer said away from the microphone. 'I’ve just received a report of more Demons in the streets! These things are spreading like a plague... Everyone, arm yourselves! Return to your homes, and stay with your loved ones!’ There was the sound of shattering glass from the radio, and then a scream. 'Holy shit, they’ve broken in!’ Gunfire. The screeches of Demons, Hexed ones, and a few I didn’t recognize. Static.
Crack!
My car almost flipped as it smashed straight into a frozen Goliath that was missing most of its shield. The car crashing into it killed it.
I grabbed the Revenge, loaded in two shells, and tossed the rest in one of the cavernous pockets of my thick coat. Two days of rest, and they’re back...
A Demon charged towards me from the fog, from the direction of the city. I blasted it, and the Demon flopped down to the ground. There was another one just behind it, which I wedged my ax head into its side. I pulled out the blade, and the handle part of the ax shattered! The head of the ax landed in the snow with a soft crunch. Well, it killed hundreds of creatures, when it was made for chopping through maybe two dozen burning timbers in one lifespan. Can’t expect that much, but it lived well.
I butted the injured Demon in the head, stunning it. I reloaded, and then blasted a chunk of its chest out the other end. It fell forwards, turning the snow scarlet. I started walking towards the city. I shouldn’t be doing this- but I have to. I have a mission, and that’s to stop these things from destroying everything. Protect the innocent.
The Demon I killed was ex-ADF personnel, and it carried an assault rifle on its back. I picked it up, loaded in a new cartridge, and slid the other two in my pocket. Will this war never end...?
I started walking back into the fray.

Meanwhile, in “Hell”...
The red sand dunes stood silently, adorned with mementos of Trevor’s escape. Metallic wreckage from The Pride of Louisiana was scattered about, sometimes catching the sun. There was a massive, still smoldering trench in the rocks above, and hundreds more lay dead beyond it. The carcass of the Gatekeeper was already starting to decompose; massive rotting hunks of flesh falling off with loud booms. Surviving Demons flocked to the gigantic corpse, tearing its meat off in chunks miniscule compared to its whole. Even in life, the Gatekeeper may not have noticed Demons eating it.
A different corpse lay dead, blasted into pieces by the Hero’s weapon. It had two firearms with it, and demonic ones at that. They were destined to lay there, rusting away... But...
A clawed hand clasped the damaged handle of the massive shotgun, dragging it alongside. The shadowy figure also grabbed the rifle, put it on its back, and continued his walk through the sand. It then stopped, picked up the arm of a dead Demon, and slammed it down into the sand again. A portal opened up, and on the other side snow could be seen. It walked through, emitting a sound similar to laughing...