Heaven (Book 2 of Hell)

"You're such a good girl," I grinned.

Cerb chuffed at me again and I figured she just thought it was part of her job. She knew my family and she put her own out to protect them. We padded along at the comfortable pace the mules set. It really was only just faster than a walk and it gave me time to think. Which... Well that had its positives and its negatives. The usual people I spotted out and about seemed to watch on. Some seemed concerned, others excited. The few on the road who seemed to be heading into Heaven quickly got out of the way. Someone on one of the Mules shouted a few basic instructions at them as we moved on. I hoped we weren't setting a bad impression.

Off in the distance, I could see smoke go up from the watchtowers. They'd obviously seen us and I knew they'd have preparations ready. We were moving a little quicker than last time. Despite the armour, towing waggons really slowed us down. This time it was mid morning as we passed the spot of the attack. I could see the wall around the town as a bell started to ring.

"BUZZARDS! CLEAR THE WATCHTOWERS!"

As a chorus of cries rang out, I watched the flock descend in a swarm. Whatever traps they had laid for us were useless against a winged threat. I heard screams from the tower and someone physically threw themselves out a window near the top. The buzzards that were biting at him flew off as the man fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

Continuing on, we saw similar things happen at each watchtower. But when my armour deflected an arrow, I changed my order to search every building instead. That flushed out a few more. And I had to say, one buzzard on its own wasn't much of a threat. But when someone came running out of a first floor doorway with a dozen of them biting his face and hands... Well the shrieker that put him down was a mercy... only...

"Edith, aren't these people respawning?"

"Not this time Mr. Ryan. The point of the game has changed. Those who die are ejected from the game. For the case of people who live in this facility, they are not being awoken, merely placed in storage like the others."

I sighed in relief, "Great. I just thought about having to personally execute each of them to make it work."

"That was the major reason I authorised the change," Edith replied.

"Are the others beginning to wake?"

"The European facility is making preparations, Mr. Ryan. Though they aren't as far as you are. Other continents however are still too fractured to risk allowing them to exit the simulation."

I nodded slowly and put the thought aside as we approached the walls. I could see dozens of men with bows and a few teams with ballistae pointed at us. Raising my hand, I brought my force to a stop and I waited a few moments for the silence to settle in.

"YOU FUCKING CUNT!" One of the men yelled as his voice echoed through the mostly silent street.

"Fletcher?"

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK?!"

I smirked, "You seem a little tense!"

"AFTER I KILL YOU, I'LL TAKE THAT PRETTY SLUT BESIDE YOU. AND HOW HER HOW TENSE I CAN BE!"

I glanced over at Claire, who grimaced. "No thanks!"

"I WASN'T ASKING, SLUT!"

"Is this really the guy who started a settlement out here?" Felice asked.

"You don't need to be bright to appeal to someone's lesser interests. Throw a few punches, offer a bone, or in this case a sex slave or two and you've got yourself a tidy little dictatorship."

"WHAT ARE YOU DISCUSSING OVER THERE?!"

I blinked and chuckled softly. "I'm thinking we send the buzzards on the walls, Terry can take the ballistae and while they're distracted, we use the mules to push the gate over."

"That works, what about once we're inside?"

"Mules push in while the hunters and shriekers act as shock troops. We secure the yard which is where I think the slave tents are."

"That's where I'll stay," Claire nodded.

"I'll stay with her," Felice patted Claire on the leg, as it was the only part she could reach as Claire sat on Norman.

"I'll come with you," Maiya told me.

"Same!" Corrine grinned.

"Ummm..."

"Go with Ryan," Claire smiled at Henrietta as she shifted under her armour. She may struggle in the halls, but on an open floor she'd be hard to pin down.

"BUZZARDS! WALLS! TERRY, GET THE BALLISTAE!"

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Fletcher screamed.

What he said next was drowned out as the buzzards descended. Their cries came constantly as they fell on the men. I spotted metal glints as arrows were fired and while it was impossible to aim at a single target in the flying mass. There were a few unfortunate hits. Terry on the other hand didn't seem bothered at all. Descending to the wall, he used his armoured talons to grab the first ballista and break it free as he hauled it into the air. Another ballista turned and fired at the terradon, but missed and only succeeded in hitting another human. The bolts were indeed powerful as the javelin speared right through them, lodging itself in another. The two men then tumbled from the wall as the first hit went limp, dragging the second.

"Mules! Break down the gate!"

I kept an eye on the wall, not seeing Fletcher. The men still atop were swinging what they could at the swarm. Considering the number of men I saw the last time I was here, I was surprised at how little defence there was on the walls. Moving the shriekers to the sides, the mules lumbered past. They were actually moving at a run, which was about the speed of a jog for a person. They lined themselves up with the gate and after crossing the distance, impacted heavily. The gate buckled under the impact, but held for the time being. I could see Claire giving orders to Polly, Davin and both Sams. The mules broke and stepped back before making a second charge. Whatever held the gate closed the first time seemed to be failing the the gate swung in part way.

I watched as the mules braced on the gate and started pushing as a unit. The gate buckled and let out horrible noises right before it failed completely and burst open.

"CHARGE!" I yelled, drawing my glaive from the saddle.

And as we burst into motion, a hail of javelins slammed into the mules. The first strike took the male Sam and I watched in horror as Polly was knocked off Clarabelle.

"Polly!" I yelled, leaning Sarge into a run.

The mules, unaffected by the javelins thanks to their thick armour pushed in. As I closed, I watched as Claire threw herself to one side. I was about to start yelling when she hauled up and I spotted Claire climbing into the saddle with her. With a snarl I had Sarge leap onto the backs of the mules as we rushed through the gate. The rest of the shriekers followed behind as the hunters darted between the lumbering mules. Fletcher's forces were arranged behind cover inside the gate. The man in question was nowhere to be seen. High above in the tower, I could see that all the ballistae had been moved to aim at the front gate.

"Fucker was smarter than I thought!"

"We'll get him!" Henrietta charged past. Barb swung around and half the shriekers seemed to follow, while the rest came with me. The mules pressed forwards being peppered with arrows from the men trying to hold a defensive line. I could see armoured men standing behind with spears and other weapons. They were Barb's target as the nimble shriekers circled around to attack from the side.

"Claire, get behind the mules and use them for cover!" I yelled.

She seemed to get the hint and I watched her grab Polly and drag the woman who'd only just gotten up, back off the side again. And not a moment too soon as the next hail of javelins started. Unlike the initial shot where they all came at once, this was more random. They came in ones and twos peppering the battlefield. One narrowly missed my head in the process.

"Spread out! They're picking targets, don't make it easy!"

We broke in all directions. Barb flanked the defenders while Claire and Polly drove on the mules to crush the main line. I raced around the opposite direction to get a better understanding of the area. The tower was built on top of an old skyscraper. But not just any skyscraper. It was the one with the people I'd waved at that first night. I looked up and could see the room with the torn out walls we'd showered in when Claire had brought in the rest who would declare their interests.

As the mules trampled the defensive line, I got back to working out where we were going. The wall surrounded the tower, but the tower itself was the only permanent structure. All that was outside the tower was a series of tents. So that's where I went. Racing towards them, I frowned as I realised that if the girls were inside, they were left unguarded. I felt a pit of dread open up inside as Sarge skidded to a halt out the front. Dismounting, I made for the entrance of the tent when someone grabbed my arm.

Turning, I spotted Henrietta as she pushed in front and used her sword to push the flap open. I spotted her shoulders slump, even in the armour and I knew it wasn't bad. She went in and I turned, giving Maiya and Corrine a wait gesture before following. The inside of the tent was... Bad. Simple cots, blankets and thin pillows lay about like the place had been searched. But the presence of blood told me it was more a scramble to harm whoever was inside and they struggled.

"Where are they?" Henrietta asked.

I was about to comment about their corpses being looted when I realised the blood vanished as well when they happened. Looking around, I spotted a handprint on a flap at the rear. It had several smears on it to go along with the handprint. Stepping over the broken and tossed items inside I pushed out the back and froze. The fires were still burning, but the skeletal corpses I could see even from here.

"Oh god, that's not..."

"Go back Henrietta," I said gently.

She shuddered softly and went back through the tent. The fires had been set at the rear of the enclosed area. I glanced up at the tower and with nobody watching me, I made my way over. From the tent I could only smell blood and sweat. But as I crossed the settlement I could pick up the scent of something else. I'd never smelled burned human before and I felt sickened as I knew that memory would never leave me. Coming closer, I felt the heat of the flames and... I blinked, one of the bodies near the edge moved.

Sprinting over, I ignored the horrible sensation of heat on my exposed skin. The body hadn't moved since, but it almost appeared like they'd tried to crawl out of the flames after being set alight. Dropping to the ground, I gently touched them. The moment I did, they hissed softly.

"I'm here to help," I said softly.

"...ease..."

Pulling a healing spray, I started at the head. They were completely bald and I had no idea where the ash started and the burned flesh ended. But I needed them to be able to drink a potion. Spraying them down, I listened to their whimpers as blackened flesh turned red, then pink and finally back into their natural skin colour. Moving along, I made sure to be generous as I could on their head and what part of their face I could see. As their facial muscles healed back I could see her face as she grimaced and whimpered.

"I'm going to spray your back and roll you over," I told her.

"Hurts," she whimpered as a tear rolled down from one healed eye.

I grit my teeth as I gave her back a once over. Part of me wondered if killing her would be better. But I didn't have that in me and she was able to communicate. As her skin began to reform on her back, I took a deep breath.

"This is going to hurt."

"Nooo," she whimpered.

I ignored her for the moment and as gently as I could, I rolled her over. She gasped loudly clearly in a lot of pain. Then I grabbed her by the hand. I ignored the way her skin seemed to shift over her flesh like it wasn't attached. I also ignored the weak scream that escaped her lips and I started dragging her away from the fire. It was getting bad for me being that close and her being naked wasn't doing her any favours either. But that didn't mean she liked it.

"Ryan!"

I looked up as Maiya, Corrine and Henrietta raced over on the shriekers with Sarge in the lead.

"Spray and potions. NOW!"

They quickly dismounted and raced over as I forced my healing potion into the woman's mouth. She choked and lightly tried to fend me off, but I pinned her in place.

"Drink, I promise it'll help."

She moaned and choked, but I watched her throat move. Even through all the pain she was in, I spotted her hatred of the taste. It really was bad. As she drank, I heard the sprays start. They worked from her torso outward. Her face was in one piece and Corrine started at her chest and went up her neck. Maiya started with her stomach with Henrietta, before moving to legs and arms respectively.

"It hurts, please stop," the woman whimpered.

"I'm sorry," I cupped her face as she cried. "The pain means you're getting better, I promise."

She shuddered and reached up to wipe a tear from her eye. Only to pause as she saw her hand. Then she just laid there and cried. We continued to spray her down and hold her gently as she healed. And finally her crying slowed to whimpers and finally soft sighs.

"How much of this is real?" She asked.

"Technically, none of it," I replied. "We're getting you out."

She frowned and nodded, before glancing over at the fires. "Did anyone else survive?"

"I'm sorry," I shook my head. "I was surprised to see you move and you were mostly dead already. I can see about bringing back the others as soon as I can."

"Bring them back?" She asked.

I nodded. "We're all getting out. I don't know what Fletcher told you, but this is all a big computer simulation."

"I don't know what to believe any more," she closed her eyes.

"Edith, traveller's outfit please."

Hearing Edith's name, the woman opened her eyes and she flinched as the clothing appeared on the ground beside her.

"Get dressed please. You're safe," I smiled.

She was walking on her own when we met back up with Claire. My beautiful wife had taken control of things. The buzzards with Terry's help had cleared the men off the ballistae, and as long as they remained, no archers had tried their luck either. The woman seemed to find comfort in the idea of other women being around and gravitated towards my beautiful bard.

"How do you wanna go about getting him out?" Claire asked, gesturing for the front door.

"Are there any women inside?" I asked.

Our rescue seemed to flinch at being addressed directly and Claire gently took her by the arm and smiled. "It's okay. You're safe here, I promise."

The woman nodded slowly. "No. I was with... I was inside and they brought us out and..."

"That's okay," I held up a hand as she nodded and started to cry. "Cerb, on me!"

The woman squeaked in fright as the hunter raced over with the rest of the pack. I pointed to the front door.

"Let's go. Nobody goes up the stairs, we're only clearing the ground level!"

"What are you doing?" Claire asked.

"Returning a favour," I growled.

The hunters followed me to the door as Corrine, Maiya and Henrietta followed. I heard footsteps.

"We're coming," the female Sam yelled.

"They killed Sam, they're DEAD!" Davin snarled.

I nodded and we headed for the door. Henrietta went first, testing the handle. It wasn't locked, so she pushed it open. As she did a metallic clang sounded and she raised her shield properly and forced her way in. I could see around here there were a dozen men inside with crossbows.

"Cerb, kill!"

The hunters snarled and rushed in around Henrietta's legs. Henreitta charged into the room and I was a moment behind. Henrietta clashed with a large man holding a mace and I grimaced at the heaving bang of the weapon as it struck her shield. Henrietta didn't seem to mind all that much as she brought her sword around, forcing him back. A glint of metal passed my vision and I spotted Corrine hurling one of her knives at an archer who was drawing a bow. The knife took him in the chest and he screamed as a hunter took him the rest of the way to the ground. Davin and Sam were side by side, charging around the far side of the room. Sam was... Amazing. She leaped and twisted, doing a series of flips around her opponent. Every time he spun to hit her with his axe, she darted around keeping him twisting and turning. So he was completely unprepared for Davin's punch to the side of the ribs with a spiked gauntlet. The man yelled and whirled around, giving Sam the opportunity to slash him across the back, making the man yell and collapse. They took him to pieces in moments and moved onto the next.

The hunters were doing their dues, slipping in, biting legs, mauling unsuspecting combatants while they had their backs turned. Anyone who fell was immediately set upon, with the exception of Davin and Sam's opponents. Ironically, the hunters weren't as vicious as that pair. Maiya moulded herself into my shadow as I came across my own opponent. He was lightly armoured in chain and carried a buckler with a thick sword.

Stabbing out, he deflected and stepped in to stab me. That was Maiya's cue to step in, slashing at the man's neck, forcing him to go on the defensive while I drew back for another strike. I could see the panic on his face when he realised that he couldn't stop us. Every time he deflected one of my attacks, Maiya forced him back into a defensive position. With him distracted, Cerb herself slipped under his guard and bit the inside of his thigh. That's all it took for Maiya to open his windpipe as he turned away for a split second. As the man went down, we pushed on, killing and fighting right back to the stairs to the upper level.

At the stairs, I called for a halt and turned back to Corrine who was breathing hard, but otherwise unharmed. "Get Claire. I want enough wood and burning oil to set this floor on fire!" Corrine froze, then nodded with an evil grin. "Henrietta and Maiya, don't let anyone down to stop us!"

Turning around, Claire came in with the woman and Corrine. The woman seemed to grin herself as Claire began to order what she needed from Edith. Firewood started to appear and I grabbed each bundle, taking and placing them around the stairs. So long as they caught I doubted anyone was getting out. I ignored the sounds of fighting and yelling from the stairwell as I moved everything into position. I made sure to douse what I could in the oil Edith provided and left a trail back out the door.

"Let's go!" I yelled.

Everyone filed out. Maiya grabbed Henrietta and they two hauled ass back out towards me. A group of men raced down the stairs, the first couple raced towards us, while the others seemed to be trying to move the firewood. But Henreitta turned at the door as Claire handed me a lit torch. Like a famous kick from a movie about three-hundred ancient warriors, Henrietta knocked the runner back midstep and I lifted the torch to throw. Only at the last moment it was yanked from my hand as the woman I rescued raced it to the open doorway. She hurled it into the room with a yell and shouting went up from inside.

Henrietta shoved her aside as she plunged her sword into someone who came running straight at her. Which was probably a good thing as a sudden rush of hot air blew out the door knocking her to the ground with the dying man atop her. Running up, I grabbed the man and tossed him off as screaming came from inside. I looked up as smoke started coming out the windows from the second storey.

"We need to leave, now!"

Grabbing Henrietta's raised hand, I pulled her upright as a flaming body stumbled out the door. Henrietta used her shield to shove him back inside where he belonged. With that settled, I watched the hard glare from the woman who threw the torch. She jumped as I prodded her.