Post by Arakasi on Aug 1, 2004 19:43:31 GMT
In honor of the impending release of DOOM III, I present to you a snippet of a story that I and two of my friends started a couple of years ago, but never got around to finishing. This is actually the second part of a story set in the DOOM world, with our 4 heroes having just emerged from a long battle with a vengeful Cyberdemon into the lowlands of Hell. Enjoy!
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We find our foursome standing by a mound of boulders, shielded from the biting, hot wind. They were in one of the many valleys, the sky and ground blood red, the trees black and strangled by the sulfuric air. There was peace at the moment; neither demons nor robotic monstrosities were chasing them and the valley was eerily quiet. Except for the screams of a Texan ringing through the thick air.
Nikki was trying to yell over him. "Chuck, if you don't put that down we're going to have to do something you won't like!" She had the plasma rifle aimed at her friend, praying she would not need it. But the chain gun aimed at them all told her otherwise.
"No!" he screamed in panic. "Get back! All of you!"
"What's wrong with him?!" Erin yelled, her own gun pointed at him in fear.
"He thinks we're demons, too. It's this place!" Mike screamed. "It's getting to him! The dank air, the pressure of trying to stay alive, the constant whining of Nikki!"
"Hey!" She punched him.
"AHHH!" Mike let out a battle cry and knocked her down, tickling her. Curses flew through the air as Nicole fought back, tickling Mike in turn.
"STOP IT! STOOOP!!!!" Chuck's scream froze them all. "It's not dementia. I...I..." he was breathing heavily, and slumped to the ground. "I just...need a cookie."
Nikki, Mike and Erin stared at each other, then at Chuck, his head in his hands. Nikki got off the ground and started ruffling through the pockets on her black BDU pants, muttering, "There has to be..a-ha!...nope....grenade.....what about....nope, batteries....uhh.....hey, what’s that doing in here….errrrm….EW! There's demon bits in my pocket!!!" She flicked the offending yellow and red goo off her hand. Erin let out a squeal as it landed in her hair. "Get it off! Get it off!" She ran in circles screaming nonsense as Chuck and Mike continued calmly watching Nikki. "A-ha!" she said in triumph. "Oreo?"
"Gimme gimme gimme gimme!" Chuck dove for the wrapped package and ripped it open, pouring the contents into his mouth.
"Hmmph thummmp grrhpm, nmmiffyy," he mumbled, spraying cookie crumbs all over the two of them.
"Huh?" Nikki and Mike said.
He swallowed. "Thank you, Nikki."
"No proble....what the..?" She watched with a puzzled expression as Erin continued to run in circles, yelling and batting at the goo in her hair.
Erin felt their eyes on her and stopped. "What?" She asked defensively. "It's gross!"
"This is going to be a long trip," Nikki said.
"You got that right," Mike muttered. He was staring into the distance, watching an ominous black cloud roll over the horizon, red lightning forking to the ground.
Chuck stepped up next to him, eyes wide and Oreo-crumb-littered mouth agape. "Houston, we have a problem."
"Uhh....Mike?" Nikki said shakily. "What the hell is that?"
The black nimbus roiled and churned angrily as it loomed larger over the landscape. The four stood transfixed by the sight, until Nikki heard a sharp hiss and turned to see Mike grimacing as if in pain, eyes wide. Afraid that Mike had suddenly developed a slow leak, she asked,”What’s the matter?”<br>
The only response she got was a terse command. “Go. Now. RUN!”<br>
Mike had seen what the others had not. Falling in a torrent from the ebon clouds was a caustic flood, searing the ground with its acid touch and consuming the gnarled trees. It left naught in its wake but smoke, steam, and ash. The four turned on their heels and began to run back the way they had come, none of them chancing a look behind them as the steady rush of water got louder. All four looked wildly about as they ran, looking for somewhere, anywhere where they could find shelter from the deadly deluge. The land seemed to scream in their ears as their flight took them far away from where they had started. The angry red bolts blasted the ground around them, as though determined to fry all four of them in their tracks. The run seemed to stretch into miles as they fled the rampaging storm.
Finally, Erin could take no more, and she stopped and fell to her knees. The other three pulled her to her feet, half-dragging her along as the rains began to gain on them. The black clouds crackled behind them with sizzling energies, clamoring to blend them into the landscape. Nikki, with a scream of pure terror, dropped Erin’s arm and began to run for the hills. Chuck glanced at Mike, who was also looking back at him, and both of them rolled their eyes and began to dead-haul Erin along with them. They were so busy carrying her that they didn’t notice Nikki, who had flung her arms up and disappeared out of sight. But they would.
The long tunnel seemed to go on forever as the three of them fell. The gravel that slid them so easily along the hard-packed channel was beginning to abrade the skin from their backs and shoulders. Suddenly, their descent stopped with a thud as all three hit the ground in a heap. It was some time before any of them would see light again.
Groaning, Mike picked himself up off the ground and glared into the pitch black. The gloom closed in about the trio as the dank air in the hole invaded their nostrils. As he stood painfully and tried to become accustomed to the dark, he heard a shuffling at his feet. Erin had crawled over to him and was using the leg of his BDU pants to pull herself up. Mike grabbed at his waistband, as the pants tried to come unglued from his body. "Dammit, woman, now's not the time!" Mike yelled into the darkness. She managed to get to her feet, and stood shakily next to him. "Where are we?" she asked him in a shaky voice.
"Well, that's the question of the day, isn't it? Where ARE we?" Mike wondered aloud. "And where are Chuck and Nikki? The short one ran off just before we fell, I know, but Chuck was right here with us until we hit the ground." He looked around and shook his head. Without a bit of light, that question wasn't getting answered any time soon. Erin stood for a long moment, and suddenly yelped in happiness. Elbows flew at Mike and Erin rifled through pockets, finally coming up with a keychain. "Look what I've got!" she exclaimed as she held up a miniscule penlight. With a flick of her finger, she turned it on, and watched in disappointment as it cast a penny-sized circle of light on the floor. All Mike could do was stand there and shake his head.
Reaching into a pocket, Mike withdrew a red Cyalume flare and sparked its tip. The stick burned to life, casting their surroundings in a wicked crimson glow. A small room was revealed, devoid of anything but the two of them. "Uhhhhhhhm......" Erin started to ask, but Mike interrupted her. "Yeah, I know, you're wondering where Chuck and Nikki are, too," he said, glancing at the bare walls. "No," she said. "I was actually wondering if you'd ever done it in a damp room made of dirt." Mike looked over at her slowly with an incredulous look on his face. Erin looked away, muttering,"Jeez, guess that's a no. Why am I always the only one?! WHY?"
Mike laughed to himself as he did a slow sweep of the room, checking all the walls and the floor. As he got to the wall across from where Erin was standing, he happened to glance down at the floor. "Hello hello, what have we here?" he mused, looking closer. Two pairs of marks led straight into the wall: one was a set of two-toed footprints, and the other of a long trail. "Looks like something was dragge......waaaait a second," Mike thought to himself. He examined the wall and saw a very convincing false section. Moving it aside, he found a toggle switch sitting there, plain as day. Mike grinned and said,"Too obvious. This'll be easy." He flipped it and a wall next to him rolled aside, revealing a well-cut path leading upwards. He turned to Erin and said,"Hey, let's go and find Chuck and Nikki now."
Erin glanced up from her hand, which she had been staring at for the past ten minutes. "Oh, it's time to go?"
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We find our foursome standing by a mound of boulders, shielded from the biting, hot wind. They were in one of the many valleys, the sky and ground blood red, the trees black and strangled by the sulfuric air. There was peace at the moment; neither demons nor robotic monstrosities were chasing them and the valley was eerily quiet. Except for the screams of a Texan ringing through the thick air.
Nikki was trying to yell over him. "Chuck, if you don't put that down we're going to have to do something you won't like!" She had the plasma rifle aimed at her friend, praying she would not need it. But the chain gun aimed at them all told her otherwise.
"No!" he screamed in panic. "Get back! All of you!"
"What's wrong with him?!" Erin yelled, her own gun pointed at him in fear.
"He thinks we're demons, too. It's this place!" Mike screamed. "It's getting to him! The dank air, the pressure of trying to stay alive, the constant whining of Nikki!"
"Hey!" She punched him.
"AHHH!" Mike let out a battle cry and knocked her down, tickling her. Curses flew through the air as Nicole fought back, tickling Mike in turn.
"STOP IT! STOOOP!!!!" Chuck's scream froze them all. "It's not dementia. I...I..." he was breathing heavily, and slumped to the ground. "I just...need a cookie."
Nikki, Mike and Erin stared at each other, then at Chuck, his head in his hands. Nikki got off the ground and started ruffling through the pockets on her black BDU pants, muttering, "There has to be..a-ha!...nope....grenade.....what about....nope, batteries....uhh.....hey, what’s that doing in here….errrrm….EW! There's demon bits in my pocket!!!" She flicked the offending yellow and red goo off her hand. Erin let out a squeal as it landed in her hair. "Get it off! Get it off!" She ran in circles screaming nonsense as Chuck and Mike continued calmly watching Nikki. "A-ha!" she said in triumph. "Oreo?"
"Gimme gimme gimme gimme!" Chuck dove for the wrapped package and ripped it open, pouring the contents into his mouth.
"Hmmph thummmp grrhpm, nmmiffyy," he mumbled, spraying cookie crumbs all over the two of them.
"Huh?" Nikki and Mike said.
He swallowed. "Thank you, Nikki."
"No proble....what the..?" She watched with a puzzled expression as Erin continued to run in circles, yelling and batting at the goo in her hair.
Erin felt their eyes on her and stopped. "What?" She asked defensively. "It's gross!"
"This is going to be a long trip," Nikki said.
"You got that right," Mike muttered. He was staring into the distance, watching an ominous black cloud roll over the horizon, red lightning forking to the ground.
Chuck stepped up next to him, eyes wide and Oreo-crumb-littered mouth agape. "Houston, we have a problem."
"Uhh....Mike?" Nikki said shakily. "What the hell is that?"
The black nimbus roiled and churned angrily as it loomed larger over the landscape. The four stood transfixed by the sight, until Nikki heard a sharp hiss and turned to see Mike grimacing as if in pain, eyes wide. Afraid that Mike had suddenly developed a slow leak, she asked,”What’s the matter?”<br>
The only response she got was a terse command. “Go. Now. RUN!”<br>
Mike had seen what the others had not. Falling in a torrent from the ebon clouds was a caustic flood, searing the ground with its acid touch and consuming the gnarled trees. It left naught in its wake but smoke, steam, and ash. The four turned on their heels and began to run back the way they had come, none of them chancing a look behind them as the steady rush of water got louder. All four looked wildly about as they ran, looking for somewhere, anywhere where they could find shelter from the deadly deluge. The land seemed to scream in their ears as their flight took them far away from where they had started. The angry red bolts blasted the ground around them, as though determined to fry all four of them in their tracks. The run seemed to stretch into miles as they fled the rampaging storm.
Finally, Erin could take no more, and she stopped and fell to her knees. The other three pulled her to her feet, half-dragging her along as the rains began to gain on them. The black clouds crackled behind them with sizzling energies, clamoring to blend them into the landscape. Nikki, with a scream of pure terror, dropped Erin’s arm and began to run for the hills. Chuck glanced at Mike, who was also looking back at him, and both of them rolled their eyes and began to dead-haul Erin along with them. They were so busy carrying her that they didn’t notice Nikki, who had flung her arms up and disappeared out of sight. But they would.
The long tunnel seemed to go on forever as the three of them fell. The gravel that slid them so easily along the hard-packed channel was beginning to abrade the skin from their backs and shoulders. Suddenly, their descent stopped with a thud as all three hit the ground in a heap. It was some time before any of them would see light again.
Groaning, Mike picked himself up off the ground and glared into the pitch black. The gloom closed in about the trio as the dank air in the hole invaded their nostrils. As he stood painfully and tried to become accustomed to the dark, he heard a shuffling at his feet. Erin had crawled over to him and was using the leg of his BDU pants to pull herself up. Mike grabbed at his waistband, as the pants tried to come unglued from his body. "Dammit, woman, now's not the time!" Mike yelled into the darkness. She managed to get to her feet, and stood shakily next to him. "Where are we?" she asked him in a shaky voice.
"Well, that's the question of the day, isn't it? Where ARE we?" Mike wondered aloud. "And where are Chuck and Nikki? The short one ran off just before we fell, I know, but Chuck was right here with us until we hit the ground." He looked around and shook his head. Without a bit of light, that question wasn't getting answered any time soon. Erin stood for a long moment, and suddenly yelped in happiness. Elbows flew at Mike and Erin rifled through pockets, finally coming up with a keychain. "Look what I've got!" she exclaimed as she held up a miniscule penlight. With a flick of her finger, she turned it on, and watched in disappointment as it cast a penny-sized circle of light on the floor. All Mike could do was stand there and shake his head.
Reaching into a pocket, Mike withdrew a red Cyalume flare and sparked its tip. The stick burned to life, casting their surroundings in a wicked crimson glow. A small room was revealed, devoid of anything but the two of them. "Uhhhhhhhm......" Erin started to ask, but Mike interrupted her. "Yeah, I know, you're wondering where Chuck and Nikki are, too," he said, glancing at the bare walls. "No," she said. "I was actually wondering if you'd ever done it in a damp room made of dirt." Mike looked over at her slowly with an incredulous look on his face. Erin looked away, muttering,"Jeez, guess that's a no. Why am I always the only one?! WHY?"
Mike laughed to himself as he did a slow sweep of the room, checking all the walls and the floor. As he got to the wall across from where Erin was standing, he happened to glance down at the floor. "Hello hello, what have we here?" he mused, looking closer. Two pairs of marks led straight into the wall: one was a set of two-toed footprints, and the other of a long trail. "Looks like something was dragge......waaaait a second," Mike thought to himself. He examined the wall and saw a very convincing false section. Moving it aside, he found a toggle switch sitting there, plain as day. Mike grinned and said,"Too obvious. This'll be easy." He flipped it and a wall next to him rolled aside, revealing a well-cut path leading upwards. He turned to Erin and said,"Hey, let's go and find Chuck and Nikki now."
Erin glanced up from her hand, which she had been staring at for the past ten minutes. "Oh, it's time to go?"
