“I said yow am right, kidda.”
Aymun frowned.
Kamiyo’s heart was beating so fast he worried he might pass out, but he couldn’t take his eyes of the stranger. “H-How did you manage to injure him? Everything we tried before you came…”
“He is bound by my friend’s human body. While the Red Lord is immensely powerful, he is still a prisoner to the flesh. Injure his vessel’s brain or heart and it will take him longer to recover. I thought we had him, but he is resilient.”
“Who is he?” asked Kamiyo. “I know he’s The Red Lord—whatever that is—but what the Hell are we up against here?”
Aymun watched the tree line for a moment, then seemed confident enough to address them further. “The Red Lord is a being so powerful that God imprisoned him mere moments after he was formed. The Red Lord’s true name is Crimolok. He is the 3rd angel, created after Michael and Lucifer. Crimolok was God’s first and only mistake; a perversion of everything he intended to create.”
Philip put a hand against his forehead and pushed back his rain-soaked hair. “Why can’t the end of the world just be simple? Airborne Ebola virus, a meteor… something like that.”
Aymun didn’t seem to understand Philip’s words, so he continued with his own. “Of the First Three, Michael was good and pure, created to serve and obey. Lucifer was strong and proud, created to honour and lead. Crimolok, however, was impulsive and emotional, created to create. He was supposed to tend to God’s creations, as infinitely wise and as vastly knowing as God himself. But one god can never willingly serve another, so Crimolok sought to destroy his creator so he might become the new maker of worlds. He believes his own Garden of Eden would be superior and will not stop until he sees it born.”
“So, he’s a dangerous shite then?” said Frank glumly. The rain pouring down his face made him look utterly miserable. “Jesus wept.”
“And still does to this day,” said Aymun. “Tonight, we faced not just our enemy, but the enemy of all existence. These are the end of days, my friends. The Red Lord shall return. And soon.”
Kamiyo looked at Hannah and sighed. “Cheery fellow you brought us.”
Hannah seemed worried. “It’s not just the Red Lord we have to worry about though,” she told them. “When I learned you all might be in danger, I had to make a choice. I let a demon escape. The one I wounded in the attack two weeks ago. It’s still on the loose. It still might lead others here.”
“So, this is it.” Philip was shaking his head. “We’re doomed.”
“Not yet,” said Aymun. “But probably very soon.”
30
CALIGULA
It had been several days since Caligula tasted human flesh. This air was dry, filled only with the stench of his own damned troops. A vast army had assembled with no enemy to fight. His scouts had come up empty-handed every time they'd set out to find human survivors. It appeared he had done too good a job of scouring these lands. His glory had peaked and was now in decline.
Rome is only Rome when it conquers.
Two-thousand demons formed ranks in the fields where they had made their camp, set to the task of building earthworks and fortifications, if only to have something to do—a Roman camp built by monsters. Monsters who were acting too human for Caligula's liking. Now and then, he caught them staring into space, mouths moving as they tried to form words. Some demons could talk well, but most did not attempt it. Until recently. He had even found one of his creatures fumbling with a pile of red and black cards, trying to shuffle them into random order. What was happening to them? Why was the stink of humanity upon his troops?
He needed to give them something to kill. A reason to be monsters.
“Rux!” he bellowed. “Present yourself at once!”
The battered slave hobbled before Caligula, broken bones grinding with every agonised step. He had almost killed the pathetic Gaul during the last beating but was glad he had not gone so far. Having a pet to kick around pleased him.
“I-Imperator, how may I serve?”
“By telling me we have found humans to slaughter.”
Rux trembled and failed to make eye-contact. “I-I fear it is not so, Imperator. The scouts have all returned without news. It is possible that no humans remain in these lands, such is the completeness of your conquest.”
Enraged to hear news he did not want, Caligula raised his fist, but before he could strike Rux, he was interrupted. One of his Germanic guards raced towards him with a bedraggled demon trotting behind. “Imperator,” he shouted. “I bring you auspicious news.”
“What is it? Speak quickly!”
“A casualty returns to us, wounded during a recent battle with humans.”
Caligula felt his sinewy eyelids rise of their own accord. He studied the burnt husk of a creature standing behind the guard. “You know the location of humans? Where?”
The demon nodded, drool hanging from his charred lips that were trying their best to form a smile. “Yes, yes, David knows. David knows. Humans live like bears. Bears in woods.”
Caligula snarled. This creature had named itself David, suffering the same ill-effects of whatever was happening to his troops. “Speak plainly or lose your tongue, creature.”
The demon cowered, a festering wound on its upper chest opening and closing. “David apologises. I…” He stopped to concentrate on what he said next. “David see many humans in woods. In forest. Many. The forest is near. People within. Near. Many. David knows.”
Caligula couldn’t help but grin. This was the Intel he'd been starving for. “So, there's a camp somewhere in the forest? Most excellent. Guard! Take our dutiful messenger to get cleaned up. Tomorrow, he leads us to new glorious battles. Tell the troops they shall feast on human flesh once again.”
The guard placed a fist over his chest in respect and then raced to carry out his general’s orders.
Caligula smiled. Tomorrow would bring blood. Finally.
31
