The following morning many had changed, for one, Alestir was found in his room in the Inn, dead. The Village doctor saw the cause of death as a stroke.
A feeling of hostility grew among the four men of the brigade, stirred up by the Fallen Angels that visited each one of them individually the night before. And even though it was an event of great significance, none of them told any other about what happened.
"I found a letter from Alestir in my room last night." said Giles who then opened up a folded piece of paper,
"As I left you tonight, I had the suspicion that this town has seen the last of me, something is telling me that I won't see the light of morning anymore. So I'll have to tell you what I know.
The Beast as you know can only be killed by a powerful heavenly force, and is said that it will be killed in the End of Days by the Archangel Michael, General of Heaven's Army. So killing it would be out of the question. The only valid action to carry out is to destroy the key, and have the Beast's cell locked till Kingdom Come. Failing that, you must stop the ritual that is needed to awaken the beast from it's generations of slumber and unleash it unto mankind.
For the ritual in question, I knew nothing. But I'll tell you on thing, to destroy the key you must first use it to unlock the door.
May God Protect you, O band of Champions."
The plan was set, they would head to where the boat's remaining were and arm themselves, then head to the mountain and find the cave. Where they'd find a way to destroy the key once and for all.
Each armed himself in the fashion of his choice, John with a shotgun, Giles with a sword, while Jason carried the mini Gattling gun and wrapped belts of ammunition around his torso under his trench coat as well as some grenades. As they left the boat, it started raining, the sky went gray and thunder sounded heavily. All was very fitting of the day.
As Alestir said, several flocks of demons inhibited the mountain, and they managed to get by them unscathed, avoiding confrontation whenever they could.
Two hours of hiking later, thy finally reached the cave, which was carved into a great mass of volcanic rock. They ventured through the dark tunnel and arrived at the end. Where a demon guarded a metal door. Jason shot the demon full of bullets and then they were able to inspect the door closely.
It was made of a smooth flat metal in which the only oddity was a tiny keyhole, which was even though as old a mankind itself, was stainless and shiny like the key itself.
"Should we open it?" asked Cartaphilus.
They all exchanged looks of fear, hesitation and sorrow.
"It's now or never."
Giles took out the key and inserted it into the keyhole and turned it.
The door swung open in a powerful motion, so Giles leapt back and raised his sword, Jason put his index finger on his gun's trigger and Constantine cocked his shotgun.
A fierce, animalistic war cry erupted from Jason, no doubt caused by his demon side. The Brigade charged into the cave, ready for their final battle, they ran in prepared for anything. But they were still surprised.
Silence.
"What in the name of Joey is this?" Jason softly said.
The Cell was cylindrical, and stone roof was fifty feet above hem, and a short distance form them was a ledge that overlooked a deep pit, there was nothing and none there.
Although, light was available as it came in through holes in the ides of the cell.
"Could it be that the beast has already been unleashed?"
"Mates, look!"
Jason pointed into the pit and they justgazed.
Millions upon Millions of creatures dwelled in the pit, each one resembled a Two headed Serpent with the wings of a bat and a human eyes on their back. Each was in the size of an Eagle.
None of the disgusting, horrific creatures moved to attack them, as they appeared to be a state of sleep.
"Harpies." said Constantine, "They're the beast."
"Of course!" exclaimed Giles, "We understood the prophecy wrong, it didn't mean 'Beast' but perhaps 'Plague'! A legion of demonic creatures that could swep across the glove, causing havo wherever they passed!"
"I think I was more optimistic when I thought we were going up a dragon or something. What now?" asked Jason.
Two gunshots were heard and a yelp came from Jason a she collapsed to the ground, his shins bleeding from two fresh bullet holes.
"Now you die."
Constantine and Giles looked back and all they saw was Cartaphilus, standing with a smooking gun in hand with the world's smuggest smirk on his face.
"You... betrayed us?"
"Clearly."
With great agility, Cartaphilus kicked Constantine in the face and took away his gun, then hit Giles across the face with it, and clubbed him after he fell, knocking him out cold.
Jason turned and aimed the gattling gun at Cartaphilus, but a jolt of energy knocked it away and into the pit.
"It's good night for you, Bauer." said Cartaphilus as picked up Gile's sword and put it through Jason, even piercing the rock beneath him.
Jason's red eyes turned white as he spazemed in pain, he spat half a pint of blood as he said his final words; "Bollocks."
With Giles knocked out and Jason killed, Cartaphilus turned to Constantine, who was starting to get up. He hit him in the back of the head with a rock as hard as he could.
A strange smell. Sounds quitted down and vision grew dark and went away. The last of the Uncorrupted men of the Brigade was knocked out.
"Wake Up, Constantine. You don't wan to miss this."
Constantine opened his eyes and looked at Cartaphilus who stood above him with the gun.
He tried to kick him down but discovered his hands and legs were tied.
Looking around, he saw Giles bound in the corner, While Jason still lay with Giles's sword through him. But more strangely, The five Angels were all laying on the floor, dead.
"What happened?" asked Constantine.
"Y'Know, last night each one of us was visited by one of those Angels, Carnivean the Oracle visited me, Agares the Phycisian visited the Exorcist, Zagiel the poet visited the Watcher and Iuvart the Hunter visited the Mercenary. Meanwhile, Raum was busy causing Alestir a stroke.
" They made me a deal, they'd give me peace and allow me to die and be reborn without memory of this life, if I helped them out."
"You Bastard!"
"I'm not going to argue." said Cartaphilus with a smile, "'Course I don't like Angels, even of the fallen variety, so I killed them when they came here to perform the ritual. Shot them in the heads with sacred bullets I had all the time. It was way too easy."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to unleash those Harpies, just as planned, only they will answer to me. You see the Angels taught me how to do the ritual as a show of good faith. All I have to do is chant a little, and drop a freshly killed human sinner's corpse into their pit. That's where you come in."
Cartaphilus stood up and started to pace.
"I can't use the angels or Jason since they're not fully human. And I'm not sure Giles did enough sinning, which leaves you."
"Me?"
"Yes you, Suicides, Committing Seven deadly Sins and breaking Ten Commandments, not to mention that little girl in Greenwich Village that you sent to hell on count of your stupidity."
Cartaphilus laughed out loud.
"You know what's funny? You never saw it coming! All the time you, Giles and I were too busy watching out from Jason. Hell, I didn't know I'd do it!"
He pulled the word out of Jason's corpse and sliced at the ropes that tied Constantine, "It's no way to die for you, Constantine. You'll die like a man."
Constantine sat up, his lip was bleeding.
"Very Christian of you."
"Let me guess," said the man with the gun, "This comes as a total shock to you?"
John Constantine bitterly looked up at the man, he brushed a lock of hair made wet by the rain and wiped some of his blood off his lip and said, "Yeah well, you got me good, what can I say?"
"A prayer would be a good idea, considering your destination."
"I think I might, just one final request..."
"Her you go," said the man as tossed him a pack of cigarettes and a matchbox, "I thought you might get a hankering."
"Thanks, you're a fuckin' prince."
John fired the cigarette and inhaled the sweet poison; his lungs long awaited that sensation.
"So where do you think it all went wrong, Johnny Boy?"
John took a puff and said, "Hard to say... I'd say from the beginning."
"In all fairness I was for real, at the start."
John eyed the cigarette in hand, and though about his end, and how after all he saw and went though, he'd finally die in a cave and be fed to legions of harpies.
"Now stand up, John. Walk to the ledge."
John ignored him completely, so Cartaphilus pointed the gun at Giles.
"I'll shoot him if you don't."
Despite knowing Giles would be dead anyway, John stood up and walked to the ledge slowly.
He suddenly turned and grabbed the gun, which fired into a wall, they started wrestling for it and John burned Carthpilus' hand with the cigarette to force him to relinquish it. The gun fell into the pit, so the two men had to duke it out on their own.
John felt his bones shatter as he punched his adversary in the ribs, repeatedly, and had the upper hand until Cartaphilus kicked him in the groin and followed by an uppercut punch to the chin that blew the wind out of him.
They soon were flat on the stone floor, quiet, both in pain. Only Cartaphilus had John's shotgun, which brought them back where they started.
"Walk to the Edge, Shitkicker!"
John complied, and stood panting on the ledge and lit a final cigarette, his very last one.
Cartaphilus aimed at Constantine and started chanting, "Animus Naeam Des Cklof del Daemon."
The creatures apparently were awoken, as they started squawking and making demonic sounds fitting of them.
"Any last Words, Constantine?"
"Just a few."
John took a long drag and exhaled, "Never turn your back on a demon untill you've seen it in flames."
At first, Cartaphilus smirked disrespectfuly, then understood what John meant and spun around and...
Jason was standing right behind him, still bleeding, wielding Giles' sword which minutes ago pierced his body.
With untamable wrath he struck it through Cartaphilus' heart and Immortal's eyes were filled with disbelief, the tip of the sword had exited from his back, so Constantine pulled the blade and swung Cartaphilus into the pit full of harpies.
The demon birds' sounds started to grow louder and wings fluttering was heard. It was time to leave.
John and Jason untied Giles and ran out like bats out of hell, once outside, Constantine shut the door with little ease and turned the key and pulled it out, the cell was locked again.
It was all over, The Charge of the Trench Coat Brigade ended in a spectacle of blood, betrayal and vengeance.
Eh, I'm not proud of this fic very much but I decided a while ago not to ever leave fics with loose ends. On a brighter note, I finally am out of the writers block with Vol 4. Which will re commense in a few days. Cheers, Lads.