Hi all, I'm back with some more zombie/succubus shenanigans, just in time for the fall season!
If you're new to this, it's a spin-off from my main storyline, HFHM. While not necessary, you definitely want to read through Book Two of HFHM to fully understand some of the background.
Returning readers, it's about damn time we see what the inside of an Order's base looks like...right?
Please don't forget to rate and review, and check my release schedule in my bio to see when the next chapter is scheduled to come out. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
In The Pit
The view from several hundred feet above the Berkeley Pit should have been breathtaking. The lights from the city of Butte sparkled like a bank of landbound stars, and the shadows of the nearby mountains were slumbering giants, each of them dreaming of Ragnarok when they could awaken and do battle with the gods of old.
However, Dana couldn't help but pay more attention to the fact that Lily was being far too quiet tonight. After arriving at the hotel, the succubus had announced it was time to go. Her usual chatter had been replaced by an ominous quiet, and it was only when they were close to the pit that Lily had spoken up about a good place to hide the motorcycle. Now that she rode in the demon's arms, Dana half expected a joke about heights or being dropped.
Instead, all she had for company was the wind in her ears.
Down below, the pit was a blot of ink on the landscape, a shade of black that confused the eye into thinking there was nothing there at all. Lily descended in a tight circle, her body clad in black leather. Dana was in black jeans and a black jacket she had bought at a local thrift store with cash, a last minute purchase that she thought would help with their infiltration.
Up close, the pit smelled of many things, none of them pleasant. Dana wrinkled her nose in disgust as they glided silently over the water and landed on a narrow strip of land underneath a steep cliff.
"We can get in from here," Lily said, a chill in her voice.
"Sounds good." Dana reached into her pockets and pulled out a pair of waterproof flashlights and some swim goggles. She strapped the goggles to her head and made sure that none of her hair was trapped beneath. The goggles might not even work, but she hated the idea of being dragged through the darkness below, unable to see where they were going.
The air was thick with the smell of rust and decay, and when she knelt by the water's edge, she felt a slight twinge in her stomach. There was another odor there that didn't equate with anything that she knew.
"Ready?" Lily asked.
"As I'm ever going to be." She waded out into the water right behind the succubus. It was only a few feet from shore that the ledge they stood on dropped out, and they were now both suspended in the water. Despite being fully dressed, Dana noticed that she didn't really sink beneath the water itself. Also, her skin was starting to itch. "So where to?"
Lily grabbed Dana's wrist with her tail. "Just kick as hard as you can." With that, she dove underneath the water. Dana took a deep breath out of habit and followed, kicking her feet and using her free arm to pseudo paddle.
Once they had gone far enough under the water's surface, Lily turned on her flashlight. Dana followed suit and saw that they were right up against a large stone wall that disappeared into the darkness below. Large grooves had been carved into the stone, and Lily was upside down, and using her hands to pull them even deeper into the Stygian darkness.
The flashlight beams didn't reach very far, and a tiny bead of red water was in the goggle of her left eye. She didn't know how deep they were now, but could already feel the pressure squeezing the goggles tightly against her face.
Minutes passed, and the wall disappeared. They hovered in front of a large opening, and Lily swam into it, her wings acting like giant fins to propel them forward. Dana's whole body itched now, and she fought the urge to scratch. Even worse, she was becoming disoriented, the world around her starting to tumble about as she bounced along the stone ceiling of the cave they were in.
Thoughts of Alex floated in front of her mind, and then Tick Tock. She pointed her beam down, wondering if the motorcycle had followed them. Unable to see it, she tried to descend, only to be yanked back upward by Lily's tail. Disgruntled, she dropped her flashlight and watched it sink into the poisonous depths below until it vanished, hoping to see the mimic in the beam of the light.
What if Tick Tock was hurt? She fought the succubus, but got pulled along all the same. The stone ceiling disappeared and suddenly they were in a large, air filled chamber, but she couldn't see anything through the blue tint of her goggles.
"You're a pain in the ass," Lily muttered, then dragged Dana to shore. There was a large, metallic cube the size of a barn sitting on the edge of the lake with circular glowing glyphs on every side of it. The succubus dragged them up onto land.
Dana tried to stand, but couldn't. Her equilibrium was trashed, and in the beam of Lily's light, she saw that her skin was red and peeling in several places like a third degree sunburn. She had known a girl back in summer camp who had gotten one. Sally? Sally Mal? Sally Sally had a cow, stayed out too long, so inside now.
She giggled.
"Fuck me," Lily muttered, dragging Dana away from the water. "Try not to breathe in here. Even I can taste how poisonous the air is, I think it will burn the shit out of your lungs. You can even see where they've put up runes to keep the walls from degrading over time. This place is fucking nasty."
Dana groaned and flailed about as if drunk. The cube sat in front of a very large door next to a small hatch, and Lily turned the wheel on the hatch and then pulled Dana inside. It was like an airlockβonce the hatch was sealed, fresh air poured in through the vents above. There was a pair of benches and a half wall separated the room from a shower.
"You good?" Lily asked.
"Urgh," Dana replied, then pulled off her goggles. Her fingernails felt soft to the touch, and one slid off and stuck to her goggles, which had become slimy. She held her hand up in front of her face and saw that fresh skin had reappeared near her wrists.