City Infernal (25 page)
Authors: Edward Lee
It was the voice of all the whores of Gomorrah.
(III)“Why are we going here?” Cassie asked quizzically when Via led them into a corroded brownstone off of Lady of Kadesh Avenue. The tacky flashing sign out front blinked THE ASTORETH INN. LOW RATES!
“This looks like a—”
“It’s a flop-house,” Via said. “We have to lay low.”
Renting a room from the old woman behind the counter cost another of Cassie’s fingernails; when the old woman said “Thank you,” blood bubbled from a deep slash across her throat.
In the dank stairwell, a tri-breasted She-Imp in a nightie paid them no mind as she rifled through a wallet she’d taken from a corpse’s pants.
A flop-house?
Cassie thought when they entered the squalid room.
More like a slaughterhouse....
The room itself stank of the most foul odors. Bloody hand-prints walked up the yellowed walls; more blood drenched the lice-ridden sheets on the bed. Perhaps the Reckoning Elixir was wearing off; the room made Cassie feel nauseous again.
Cassie thought when they entered the squalid room.
More like a slaughterhouse....
The room itself stank of the most foul odors. Bloody hand-prints walked up the yellowed walls; more blood drenched the lice-ridden sheets on the bed. Perhaps the Reckoning Elixir was wearing off; the room made Cassie feel nauseous again.
When she looked in the bathroom, she saw that the toilet was full to the top with demon feces.
Cassie did her best to block it all out. “What did you mean? If that thing back there wasn’t the real Lissa, then where is the real Lissa?”
Hush sat down on the edge of the bed, turned on the TV. Via slouched in a chair by the window.
“The Constabulary’s got her somewhere,” Via responded. “They’re the only ones who can order a Hex-Clone.”
“Then what did you mean when you said that the clone was a lure?”
“They were using it to trap you, but it got run over by a steamcar by accide. it. If that hadn’t happened, it would’ve led you right into the middle of a squad of Constabs. Is any of this starting to sink in yet?”
“No,” Cassie shot back. “It doesn’t make sense that I’d be wanted by the Constabulary.”
“Cassie, that’s the only thing that does make sense. The simple fact that they manufactured a Hex-Clone of
your
sister proves beyond a doubt that they know about
you.”
your
sister proves beyond a doubt that they know about
you.”
Cassie pondered the assertion—then it dawned on her that Via had to be right.
There’d be no other reason for them to make the clone....
There’d be no other reason for them to make the clone....
“It means they know about you, Cassie. They know that you’re in the Mephistopolis, and they know that you’re an Etheress.
That’s
why they want you. An Etheress in the hands of Lucifer’s Bio-Wizards could wreak havoc in the Living World. You’re
alive,
Cassie, in a domain of the dead. They want you for your Etheric energy. It’s a power they’ve never had before.”
That’s
why they want you. An Etheress in the hands of Lucifer’s Bio-Wizards could wreak havoc in the Living World. You’re
alive,
Cassie, in a domain of the dead. They want you for your Etheric energy. It’s a power they’ve never had before.”
“You never told me that!” Cassie shouted.
“There wasn’t any need to because there’s no way the Constabs could find out.”
“Well, they did find out! How?”
A queer silence yawned over them. Suddenly Via and Hush were exchanging solemn glances.
“What is it?” Cassie hotly demanded. “Why are you looking at each other like that?”
“Someone told them about you, Cassie,” Via said despondently. “And the only people who could’ve done that are me, Hush, and Xeke. Hush and I have been with you the whole time. Which means ...”
Cassie blinked. “Xeke? You’re saying that he ... ratted me to the Constabs? That’s impossible!”
Via’s head was bowed. “There’s no other explanation. Xeke’s a traitor. For someone to turn over an Etheress to the authorities? The rewards would be untold. It was Xeke. There’s no one else it
could
be.”
could
be.”
Cassie felt dazed. “But we just saw Xeke fighting the Mutilation Squad. We saw the wanted poster, we—”
“Xeke killing those Ushers and demons was just part of the act. He was putting on a show—for us. And the wanted poster? They put it up to make us think that Xeke’s on our side. But I’m not buying that shit for a second. If it hadn’t been for that Hex-Clone, we’d be none the wiser.”
Cassie couldn’t believe it, but then ... what other explanation could there be? Who else
but
Xeke could’ve told the Devil’s police that an Etheress was in town?
but
Xeke could’ve told the Devil’s police that an Etheress was in town?
But the weight of that revelation—hard as she tried to remain strong and objective—was clearly crushing Via.
She’s just realized that the man she loves has sold her out,
Cassie realized. She couldn’t imagine how that felt.
She’s just realized that the man she loves has sold her out,
Cassie realized. She couldn’t imagine how that felt.
“So what do we do now?”
Via flipped idly through the
Gideon’s Luciferic Bible
on the nightstand. “Lay low here for a little while, till the heat’s down. Then we get you back to your own world, where you won’t be in danger anymore.”
Gideon’s Luciferic Bible
on the nightstand. “Lay low here for a little while, till the heat’s down. Then we get you back to your own world, where you won’t be in danger anymore.”
“But I don’t want to go back,” Cassie insisted, “not yet. I need to find my sister!”
Hush looked at her forlornly, then so did Via. “That’s out of the question now. We’ve got to get you out, and you can never come back.”
“I’m not leaving this screwed up city until I see my sister!” Cassie was quite adamant. “I didn’t come all this way, through all this—” she glanced fiercely about the malodorous
room—“crap
just to go back without seeing her.”
room—“crap
just to go back without seeing her.”
“We’ll argue about that later,” Via said. “But now let me ask
you
something. What the
hell
happened to the Troll back at the club? When Hush and I ran out of there, he was dead. It looked like someone redecorated the place with his brains.”
you
something. What the
hell
happened to the Troll back at the club? When Hush and I ran out of there, he was dead. It looked like someone redecorated the place with his brains.”
That’s right. The Troll, and that vendor.
All this commotion had pushed it to the back of her mind. “I did it,” she confessed. “At least
I think
I did. But I’m not sure what actually happened.”
I think
I did. But I’m not sure what actually happened.”
“Were you mad?”
“Well, yes. He was trying to kill me.”
“Did the room fill with weird light?”
“Yes.”
Via and Hush were nodding, smiling. “It’s just more of the Etheress Myth that’s turning out to be true,” Via went on. “An outburst of emotions will amplify your aura. You can project violence with your thoughts, and that’s good because we’re gonna need it, considering what’s happened.”
Cassie didn’t want to project violence; she just wanted to find her sister. But she also considered this:
With every Constab in the district looking for me, I’m probably going to have to project A LOT of violence....
With every Constab in the district looking for me, I’m probably going to have to project A LOT of violence....
“You have a tremendous amount of power, Cassie, and once you learn how to use it, that’ll greatly increase your chances of getting out of here in one piece. But there’s a bad side. Your aura itself.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When you walk in Hell as a living human being, your whole lifeforce glows off of you. That’s why we told you to bring an onyx stone; it’ll keep your aura hidden most of the time, except when you get really mad or frightened—like with that Troll. But there’s an exchange of energy. Show me your onyx.”
Cassie dug the stone out of her pocket, examined it between her forefinger and thumb. “It’s tiny!” she exclaimed. “It’s only half the size it’s supposed to be.”
“That’s because your aura’s using it up. It won’t be long before it’s all burned off, then you’ll be walking around here lit up like a Christmas tree. Shit.”
“Then we need to get another onyx,” Cassie deduced.
“Yeah. Too bad there aren’t any in Hell. We have our own stones for certain kinds of protection—Blood—phire, Totenstone, Nektaphyte—but they don’t work on someone who’s alive.”
“Then we’ll go back to my house—the Deadpass. I’ll get more onyx there, and more bones and anything else we need.” Then Cassie decided to stand her ground. “And you can’t tell me I can’t come back. I know where the trail is, I know how to get here. You can’t stop me—I can do anything I want. I’m an Etheress.”
“Great,” Via said to Hush. “Now she’s getting a big head. But you’re right; we can’t stop you. You can come back here and search every block in the Mephistopolis for your sister if that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want,” Cassie asserted.
“We have to rest for a little while,” Via said, droopyeyed. Hush was nodding off too, in front of the bizarre TV. “To us, we’ve been on the move all night, but to you, only one second of your life has gone by.”
Cassie didn’t fully understand, but that was a given by now. Via and Hush both curled up atop the atrocious bed and were sleeping within seconds.
Cassie felt the opposite: energized, raring to go. She dawdled about the room, ignoring the bloodstains and other signs of remnant horror.
What else could I expect in a whorehouse in Hell?
She looked out the window. Below, prostitutes of many species pranced up and down the street, looking for clients. The black moon crept along, inching between the monolithic skyscrapers in the endless distance. A Gargoyle sat hunched on an opposing building ledge. Thousands of years of devolution had apparently left their wings useless; they spent their lives crawling about on buildings. The Gargoyle snarled at her, baring fangs, but when Cassie focused her thoughts, the feeble mental projection went nowhere.
What else could I expect in a whorehouse in Hell?
She looked out the window. Below, prostitutes of many species pranced up and down the street, looking for clients. The black moon crept along, inching between the monolithic skyscrapers in the endless distance. A Gargoyle sat hunched on an opposing building ledge. Thousands of years of devolution had apparently left their wings useless; they spent their lives crawling about on buildings. The Gargoyle snarled at her, baring fangs, but when Cassie focused her thoughts, the feeble mental projection went nowhere.
The Gargoyle cackled.
I did it before. How come I can’t do it now?
Then a furor rose from below: high-pitched subhuman shrieks bursting into the night. Cassie looked down and saw a devilish pimp stomping on a young prostitute that seemed part-Troll and part-Imp. “Stop that!” she shouted down, but the pimp just looked up, extended a taloned middle finger, and kept stomping.
Cassie shouted again, her aura flashed and the pimp’s homed head exploded with a grisly
pop!
pop!
Still works,
she thought, satisfied.
she thought, satisfied.
The prostitute waved up to her. “Thanks!”
Cassie just smiled and nodded.
She tried to occupy herself with television but it was
difficult.
A Ghoul in a white apron hosted what appeared to be a cooking show. “Render the fat at precisely 375 degrees,” the hideous woman instructed. “We’ll want to fry the baby Nether-Swine brains in quadrants, to ensure even cooking, but before dredging them in the flour, we’ll need to marinate them briefly in milk. Milk from freshly pressed Cacodemon moles is preferable, but if you don’t have that—be resourceful!”
difficult.
A Ghoul in a white apron hosted what appeared to be a cooking show. “Render the fat at precisely 375 degrees,” the hideous woman instructed. “We’ll want to fry the baby Nether-Swine brains in quadrants, to ensure even cooking, but before dredging them in the flour, we’ll need to marinate them briefly in milk. Milk from freshly pressed Cacodemon moles is preferable, but if you don’t have that—be resourceful!”
Now the woman was deftly kneading one of her own leathery breasts, letting the dark milk drip into the bowl of greenish brains.
Emeril would dump in his pants if he could see this!
Cassie thought and switched channels.
Emeril would dump in his pants if he could see this!
Cassie thought and switched channels.
Next came a show called SELL YOURSELF FOR ZAP! White-cloaked Neptomancers stood perfectly still as lowly Zap addicts severed parts of themselves for divination. One man sawed his foot off and placed it into a censer full of hot coals, while the cloaked diviners took notes, reading the smoke. Applause rose from the studio audience. The contestant was rewarded with a single syringe full of the drug, which he immediately inserted up his nostril and injected. Next, a woman was rewarded with six syringes after she willingly lay naked upon a red-hot iron grate. Her flesh sizzled, producing a large billow of smoke. More applause. Then the woman got off the grate to take her reward, the entire back of her body charred black.
Cassie was about to turn the set off, but a sudden beeping sound ensued and letters began to roll across the screen. ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!
Then: DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR TELEVISION! STAY TUNED FOR AN URGENT BULLETIN FROM THE LUCIFERIC EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM....
An anchorwoman whose face looked segmented like a turtle shell sat stolid behind a news desk. Pointed ears protruded from the sides of her neatly flipped brunet hair. “The most shocking news to ever be reported has rocked the Mephistopolis tonight. The Agency of the Constabulary has just told us that a genuine Etheress has entered Hell—”
Cassie leaned closer, eyes wide.
“—and is now hiding out somewhere in the vicinity of Boniface Square. All citizens of the Mephistopolis are ordered to keep a look-out for this woman....”
Now the screen flashed something akin to a police composite—of Cassie’s face.
“Oh, Christ!” she exclaimed. Then she turned and was harshly jostling her friends on the bed. “Via! Hush! Look!”
When they awoke, they groggily stared at the TV, but they didn’t remain groggy for long.
“Holy shit,” Via muttered. “Word sure got out fast. Now we’re
really
screwed.”
really
screwed.”
“The offender’s name is Cassie Heydon,” the saurian anchorwoman continued, “and she is in Hell as I report this. Spokesdemons from the Constabulary recently learned of Ms. Heydon’s infiltration of the Mephistopolis after the fluke capture of this lowly XR—”
Next, the screen flashed the wanted poster they’d seen earlier, sporting Xeke’s face.
“I knew it!” Via hissed. “I
knew
that back-stabbing son of a bitch ratted us out!”
knew
that back-stabbing son of a bitch ratted us out!”
“This dire information was extracted out of him after routine interrogation at the Commission of Judicial Torture....”
Now the screen showed the dismal torture chamber where Xeke lay strapped to a rack of iron spikes. Two uniformed Golems were placing heavy, flat stones on his chest. Xeke was bellowing in pain as the points of the spikes surfaced through his chest. The camera zoomed to Xeke’s agony-twisted face; he looked frantic-eyed to the lens and hacked out: “Cassie! I’m sorry! I tried not to squeal but I just couldn’t stand the pain! Please forgive me!”
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