Beneath my feet, the Earth heaved. Though none of the others felt it, I knew something had broken.
“Get away from the gateway!” I shouted as I leapt out of the back of the truck.
The humans and demons there all exchanged startled glances and staggered away from the gateway. I raced over to the entrance to Hell and skidded to a halt at the edge. Gazing into the abyss, I sneered as hatred for the place where I’d been born burned through me. I’d come to enjoy the warmth of the sun, the many numerous scents and sights of this planet, and I found human women were often more eager to please in bed than demon women. Demon women wanted to get off and go; humans wanted to impress. I wanted to be part of the fight, would give anything to help tear Lucifer and his brethren apart, but I despised Hell.
Those foul depths were not my home, not anymore.
“Shax!” Erin shouted from behind me. “What is it?”
The skelleins flanked my sides. “What do you feel?” one of them inquired.
“Hell is broken,” I murmured.
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, but it is. We have to move back. Aim your guns at the hole!” I shouted to everyone holding the weapons. “Listen to my commands! If it’s not one of ours,shredit!”
The words had no sooner left my mouth then the flap of wings sounded and manticores burst out of the gateway. They soared high into the sky.
“Fire!” I shouted, and gunshots pierced the air.
Two of the manticores released an ear-splitting, trumpeting screech. The humans stumbled back as the hideous monsters swooped toward them. Their scorpion tails sank into the victims closest to them. Bracing my feet apart, I readied myself for an attack, but the rest of the manticores flew over the trees and out of view. The two manticores fled with their victims. Three of them remained on the ground, their bodies too riddled with bullets for them to fly again. Demons closed in to dispatch of them.
“What were those things?” Wren demanded.
“Shax!”The intensity of Morax’s voice blazing into my mind nearly caused me to go to my knees.“The seals are falling and the angels are fleeing. They may be coming your way.”
I worked on replying to him.“I thought the falling of the seals had been stopped.”
“Not anymore.”
“What happened?”
“Later. But know that they areallcoming down and we can’t stop it.”
My heart sank as I realized the vibrations I’d felt through the Earth were the result of whatever force had been strong enough to bring down the remaining seals. With the gateway open, the entire world was doomed.
“Are Kobal and River alive?”I asked.
“Yes.”
“Are all of you going to make it out?”
A protracted silence stretched out before he replied.“I’m not sure.”
For Morax to admit that, shit had to be real bad.“The manticores just fled. No angels.”
“Yet.”
“Yet,”I agreed.“But that means they’re still with you.”
Morax’s voice retreated as swiftly from my mind as it burst into it. He often ended his conversations that abruptly, but after what he’d revealed, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been killed. My gaze ran over the humans and demons gathered around me.
They’d all been prepared for a battle and warned they may not survive it. They would fight to the death, but none of us had been prepared for all the seals to fall and for the worst of Hell to be unleashed at once.
“The seals are falling,allof them!” I shouted to them.
“How is that possible?” a skellein demanded.
