I could barely form thoughts, but managed to grunt, "You…you can speak!"

The imp, adorned with blood tipped horns jutting from various places on his body, stood up. This action made my finger flit to the trigger instinctively. The imp panicked, making me reconsider. So I put the gun down (as much as I wanted to just kill him and not have to worry about him at all). He relaxes a lot, even as far as to close his eyes and exhale loudly.

"Come on with me. You'll die out here alone," I said to him. Looking extremely grateful (I guess), he followed me to a corner of the room, where I spared some of my precious med kit to tend to the wounds on his leg. Another imp had no doubt dragged its claws along this one's flesh. From the inside, it looked. I watched him, fascinated, as he took the bandages from me and dressed the wound himself. I was wondering where in Hell he had learned that.

"You have a name?" I grunted, still not believing I was being sociable to the same type of creature I'd have nightmares about whenever I got to sleep.

He seemed to think for a moment and then said, "I'm not sure, but for some reason I remember being called Errol."

/Great/ I thought. /My old fucking buddy's name. So now whenever I call this monster's supposed name out, I'll have the pleasure of remembering the day my teammate disapeared, probably to some fucked up death. Or maybe I could just like, not talk to him at all./

Though Errol had light blue irises instead of the usual red, they were still orbed in large, wild, staring eyes. Even his voice, which sounded like someone I would have gone to Boot with, rumbled slightly with demonic undercurrents. I could tell he was really trying to not seem as horrible as he was. I guess it was my "mercy" that allowed him that chance.
"I know I would have," the pretty girl said.

"Me too," said the ugly guy.

The drinking guy just smiled and said, "Of course you would. You've never been to Hell"
(-)

I made him walk in front of me so I could watch him. Even to this day I can't have anything unknown behind me. I'll sit with my back against a corner if at all possible.

I figured Errol would be good to have on my side, since he could viciously fight the creatures after me, and that if he turned on me, I could frag him as easily as I could any other imp. After all, they were only really a threat when they snuck up behind you or something.

A portal. This was gonna suck. The portals I came across much more often than I'd like usually didn't take a person too far from where he started. But the real worry was that wherever you materialized could be infested with monsters. Essentially, these red, square platforms decorated with friendly pentagrams were passive traps.

Hooking my left arm around one of Errol's and whipping out my gattling gun, I jumped on the portal. For the smallest moment, were loose particles in space, then in a big room lit by red lights.

A growl, a thud of fleshy feet on metal, and a smell of Hell itself.

I turned painfully to match the glare of a big, fat, sweating fucker with burning eyes. Immediately I slammed Errol and myself down as the fire that burns hotter than any on Earth singed the air above us. The tips of my hair were scorched, and for a second the air was unbreathable.

I was really glad to have brought my gattling gun, because at that point, with no prospect of cover near enough (besides, I was way too pumped to see anything but the threat), the only way to survive this encounter was to blast the shit out of the target, pumping him with lead so fast, he wouldn't have time to fight back. Usually, that works. At least as long as I maintained a clean shot.

Errol, scared probably, knocked me over, breaking my vital shot. The mancubus then had the chance to whip out his guns with incongruous speed and barreled at me a flood of fire.

The flame bursts a typical mancubus releases are made of some parts Earth fire, many more parts Hell fire. One jet can tear a hole through a wall of thick concrete, boil a lake of ice, or, of course, reduce anything organic to what you'd find in an ash tray.

Screaming various things, I threw myself out of the path of an incoming blast. Though Errol and I had made it to the other end of the room, I felt my exposed skin begin to blister from the heat.

"Dammit, Errol!"

Gotta hand it to him, he knows when to turn on his demon charm.

I scrambled for my shotgun when my last gattling gun bullet disappeared in my enemy's fat rolls, while Errol charged at him from the other side. Bits of high calorie meat splattered bloodily in my general direction from Errol's claws, and mini geysers of blood sprayed my body room my shotgun.

The monster was too distracted with pain to attack, and his death followed soon. A stench a bit like the inside of a morgue filled the room as his body collapsed and his guns clattered. As I gazed at my accomplishment, I heard Errol walk beside me and chuckle. I turned, a faint look of horror forming on my face and that chuckle turned into a honest to god cackle. Hellish. But familiar.

Errol, when he could breathe, said to the body, "Heads up, nuthead!"

I stopped breathing after that sharp gasp. "What did you say?" I grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking roughly.

Errol pulled away, looking almost guilty. "What? I didn't say anything."

"Yes, yes you did. Say it again." I stepped closer to him as he tried to back away.

"I, I just said something to the monster, I don't remem..."

"Say it again, asshole!" I screamed in his face, spittle flying.

Errol stared at me, and for that moment, I could not tell at all what he was thinking. It was like he was not human like at all, but just another demon, about to die. "I said, heads up nuthead," he whispered mechanically.

I nodded, my gaze severe. I was still too close for his comfort. "That's what I thought you said." And then I began for the exit to the room, ready to move on. He trotted after me.

"What did I say? Did...did I upset you?" As I walked faster, he eerily caught up. "Talk to me, dammit!"

Still moving, I said, "Look forget it, ok? Come on. We have a lot of ground to cover."

So we walked. Out of the room. Down another dark hallway. Into a massive building where I hoped dearly a keycard would be hiding.

Or more realistically, death.