Angel: The Last Ride
Chapter Four: On A Pale Horse He Rides..
The hell hounds threw themselves at Angel and Spike, reeking of the stench of sulphur, with wisps
of smoke drifting up from their nostrils and mouths. The first hound slammed into Spike, knocking him off his feet. Angel was a little quicker, his sword ready as a hound bounded into him. He lashed out, and hacked at the beast's side, leaving a massive gaping wound. If it hurt the beast, it didn't notice. It lashed out with its massive claws, knocking Angel too off his feet.
Spike struggled with the brute that pinned him to the ground. He could smell the vile, sulphurous breath of the monster. The drips of saliva from its fang filled maw burned like liquid fire. As he fought against the monster, Spike noticed a broken bottle to the side of him. He grabbed it and slammed it into the eye of the hell hound. Pushing the beast off of him, Spike grabbed his sword and brought it down hard on the hound's neck, killing it. He lifted his sword up in time to turn face to face with the third hound, ready to pounce.
The hound leapt at Angel again, driving its fangs deep into his arm. Angel roared with pain, but grabbed the monster's jaw, and ripped it open to free his arm. The beast pushed him down to the ground again, and roared, jaws open ready to devour Angel. Quickly Angel grabbed his sword, and drove it into the open mouth of the hell hound, piercing the brute's brain. He turned to see Spike smashing the head of the final hell hound into a wall, before throwing the carcass to the ground.
"We had better get back to the hotel." said Angel.
When the vampires returned to the Hyperion, they were greeted in the lobby by Faith, who wore a concerned look on her face.
"Angel, we have a problem." The Slayer said.
Faith explained the whole encounter with the mysterious entity in the sewer to Angel.
"How is Laura now?" Angel said.
"Oz is with her. She hasn't woken up since she was hit, and she is covered with a dark rash all over her body. Angel, what the hell is going on?"
"Sounds like you bumped into Pestilence..." Angel said, his mind deep in thought.
"Huh? You say it as it that should mean something."
"Pestilence. One of the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse."
"Sounds like some kind of death metal band to me..."
Angel showed Faith the chapter in his book on Revelations, and the Four Horsemen.
"So you're telling me that when these guys saddle up, its supposed to be the end of the world? How come we have never seen them before?"
"I've been thinking about this. Centuries ago, I remember hearing an old vampire legend about the Four. They were four extremely powerful demons who took on the identities and powers of the true Four Horsemen, and tried to conquer the entire world. According to the legend, the demons were trapped in some kind of realm outside our reality, and their physical bodies bound to four 'seals' inside this realm. The seals were closed, and the demons were banished for all eternity."
"And you're thinking the Master opened them up again?"
"That would explain the mystical surge The Council picked up. Opening the gateway to that realm must have taken a major spell."
"That makes things easier then," said Spike. "We charge in, bolt up the seals again, and bugger off before anyone's looking."
Suddenly they heard Oz shouting for help. They ran upstairs to find him trying to hold Laura down as she began to spasm.
"What's happening to her?" Oz said, worry in his voice.
"Pestilence must have used some kind of magical plague on her. If we are right about closing the seals, it should stop the effects of the plague, as well as curing L.A. of the famine and violence that is affecting everyone." Angel said.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Spike. "Lets find the bloody gateway!"
The team were too deeply involved in their current planning to notice that just outside the window to Laura's room stood a dark figure. Almost as dark as the night sky surrounding it, the only visible feature was its bone white skeletal face, bright blue eyes watching the suffering Slayer with interest...