Local 58
A/N: Hello again everyone! I hope no one missed me too much! As you've probably guessed, I have returned with another thrilling addition to the story! This chapter has our fearless Slayer and co. arriving in the twisted media that is Local 58, so don't change that channel! For those who are unfamiliar, Local 58 is a youtube channel with short but highly well-done and entertaining horror videos told through the format of television broadcasts. I personally love them to pieces, so I would definitely recommend them to you all, though it is not necessary to be familiar with them to read this chapter. Please enjoy and remember that I own nothing!
Jackie warily complied with the instructions given to her by the GPS system within her dashboard. The feminine metallic voice held the same monotonous edge that it always did, but tonight, that sense of familiarity did little to comfort the young woman. Right now, the voice was the only thing that could possibly lead Jackie to some answers, or at least help her try to understand what was happening around here.
"Turn right onto North 38th Street," the GPS recited, prompting Jackie to look around some more to try and get her bearings. She tried to take some comfort in the fact that she was still in a part of town that she was familiar with, but in truth, she was only growing more and more nervous by the second, her anxiety flaring with the realization that what she was doing was undoubtedly dangerous and incredibly stupid.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, Jackie's life had been as plain and simple as ever. She'd been nothing more than another average girl that slaved away in the local small-town diner to pay off her student loans, working hard and studying harder. And all the while, she still found time to be hopelessly head over heels in love with her fiancée of five months, whom she'd first met in one of her sociology classes.
The two of them had hit it off after working on a school project together, and after only half a year of dating, they had spontaneously moved in together. Neither of them had quite remembered why or how they had taken such a step in their relationship so easily, but neither of them minded. The next year had flown by after that, and before they knew it, the two of them were engaged. Like her, Jackie's fiancée was nothing super extravagant, but that hardly mattered, as he was all she had ever wanted and more. The way his laughter carried across the room always made her heart skip a beat. The way his hair always fell perfectly into that neat but slightly mussed look drove her absolutely crazy. But above all of those things, none of his traits could even hold a candle to how he reciprocated Jackie's affections as a whole. Despite their busy schedules and steadfast commitment to their futures, they always made time for each other.
Always.
All of that had suddenly changed this morning when Jackie had awoken. The last thing she remembered from the night before was watching the local news station before turning in. She had only planned on watching for a little bit until her fiancée came back inside from a quick cigarette, but she remembered falling asleep rather quickly after watching a weird documentary of sorts about sleep and dreaming in humans. She couldn't recall the details of the broadcast, or really anything at all about what she had seen, but when she had awoken from an eerily dreamless sleep, she did a double take when she realized that she had slept from 9:00 P.M. the night before until 5:00 P.M. the next day!
Never before had Jackie slept that long, and after checking the times on both her phone and her watch to make sure she wasn't seeing things, a million more questions began to run through her mind as she arose from the bed.
Questions like: 'How did she suddenly manage to sleep uninterrupted for twenty-one hours?!'
And: 'Was the human body even capable of doing that?'
Her next questions came in the form of how nothing had been done to wake her during that time. Why hadn't her fiancée roused her for class at 7:00 A.M. that morning? He had not been next to her in the bed when she had woken up, so she had at least assumed that he had slept for what could be considered a normal amount of time.
Her questioning attitude that morning had been cut short, however, by the chorus of police sirens sounding in the distance. Such noises where not uncommon occurrences near and around the apartment Jackie lived in, but the sheer number of sirens had been enough to cause the girl to investigate, as it sounded as though there were at least ten sirens overlapping each other as if fighting for maximum loudness. Whatever casualty those emergency services were responding to, it must have been massive.
It was then that Jackie began to grow nervous, as in addition to the unnerving nature of the sirens outside, there was also no sign of her fiancée in the apartment. He was nowhere to be found. His school notes and backpack were all still there, and so were his wallet and a few other items. The only thing that was missing was his keys, and upon that discovery, Jackie hurried outside to find that his car was gone.
An inspection of the stall he usually parked in told Jackie that he had left with an extreme sense of urgency, as tire marks ran strongly from the stall all the way to the end of the lot. A quick glance around showed that quite a majority of cars around the lot had done the same. Almost all of the remaining cars in the lot showing signs of minor damage, likely from the other cars attempting to leave so quickly the night before.
At this point, Jackie had truly begun to panic. Her fiancée was missing, and so was his car, and the fact that he had left in a hurry without her but with apparently half of the apartment complex meant that something was definitely wrong here. That, coupled with the numerous sirens still wailing in the distance told Jackie that it was time to get help and figure out exactly what was going on here, so she ran back inside and hastily showered and dressed before grabbing a granola bar from the kitchen and running back outside with her car keys in hand.
She had no idea where to even begin looking, but she knew she had to at least start somewhere. Perhaps he was somewhere around town? Or maybe one of her work friends had seen something at the diner that could give her a place to look?
In that moment, Jackie remembered feeling slight helplessness. She had no idea what was going on, and nowhere to even begin to try and find out. She did her best to stifle the feeling as she sat down in her own car and started the engine.
After pulling out and getting onto the main road, Jackie immediately began fumbling with her phone. Her safety seminars during her college years had ingrained the number for the local police department in her mind, and she hastily dialed the number from memory before holding the phone to her ear and waiting as she continued to drive towards town.
The exhausted voice of a desk clerk eventually came through on the other end, the cop's voice indicative of a strained workday. In the background, Jackie could also hear numerous voices, a strong indicator that the station was crowded and busy. Jackie quickly told them of her situation, and it was to her absolute dread that the cop informed her that similar cases like hers had been popping up all across town, hence the hustle and bustle that could be heard in the background. It was as though nearly a third of the townsfolk had just up and left, with no notes nor signs as to where they had gone. The small police force had barely been able to keep up with all of the calls they had received so far today.
Unfortunately, with their resources spread so thin, all the cops could do at that moment was file a missing persons report for her fiancée. They promised that they'd keep an eye out for anyone matching his description but reminded her with a weary tone that there was only so much that they could do at the moment, much to Jackie's chagrin. In that moment, Jackie wasn't sure if it was the cop's tone through the line or perhaps some other factor, but something triggered a horrible thought in her mind. For the first time since finding out her fiancée was missing, Jackie briefly entertained the grave notion that she might never see him again. She hastily thanked the cop for their help in a shaky voice and barely had time to hang up before letting out a choked sob. The fact that the police were stretched so thin combined with Jackie's own feeling of helplessness made her feel like she was being crushed under a ton of concrete. Her chest suddenly became constricted, and her breathing became labored under her distress. Jackie blinked rapidly to try to keep her vision clear as tears began to form in her eyes.
"Starting route to marked destination. In half a mile, turn left onto Holbrook Park Drive."
Jackie nearly veered off the road at the sudden voice, her distressed feeling momentarily banished in her shocked state. After looking around frantically to make sure that no one else was in the car with her, Jackie frowned and noticed that the navigational assist system in her car had spontaneously booted up. Realizing that to be the culprit of the voice, Jackie attempted to access the system from the console to find it completely unresponsive. It was as though the screen had frozen in place, refusing to show Jackie the destination that it had inputted seemingly of its own accord.
Jackie's frown deepened even further in her inability to control or even turn off the system. In truth, she had only sparingly bothered to use the built-in navigational feature, as it was just so much easier to use her phone, so attempting to access the system was entirely foreign to her. She attempted to prod at the screen a few more times before dismissing it as faulty when the voice suddenly spoke again.
"In five-hundred feet, turn left on to Holbrook Park Drive."
Though it was not quite as shocking as when it had first spoke, the voice still startled Jackie a bit. Looking ahead, she could see the indicated turn rapidly approaching, giving her very little time to decide if she wanted to follow the route or not.
On one hand, the navigational system in her car was leading her to an unknown destination that it itself had selected. That observation by itself made Jackie extremely wary. On the other hand, however, Jackie remembered that her fiancée had taken his car when he had disappeared… Perhaps this strange glitch had also appeared in his car as well? Perhaps wherever the car was taking her could offer some sort of clue as to where he and seemingly half the town had been whisked away to?
Jackie knew that she should have called the police, or her friends, or someone at least and told them where she was going, but in that moment, she was not thinking straight, and the prospect of finding her fiancée was all that she could think about.
"Turn left on to Holbrook Park Drive."
Quickly making her decision, Jackie turned sharply to the left as instructed, throwing caution into the wind and trusting the voice within the system. As an afterthought, Jackie reached forward and activated the camera on her dashboard. If she could gather some video evidence from wherever she was going, maybe that could help her search. In the back of her mind, she knew what she was doing was insane, but the thought of losing her fiancée stood prominently in her mind, so she suppressed her inner voice of reason.
After making sure the camera was on and recording, the navigational voice spoke up again.
"Continue on Holbrook Park Drive, then in five-hundred feet, turn right on to North 38th street. You will arrive at your destination in two hours and twenty-eight minutes."
Nervously, Jackie noted that the sun was already beginning to set to her west, which meant that according to the GPS, she would not arrive at her destination until well after dark. In addition, Jackie could see heavy rainclouds moving in as well, making conditions less than desirable for the frantic girl.
Taking a brief pause to steel herself, Jackie set her jaw and reminded herself why she was doing this. When her nerves had finally calmed enough, she reached over and opened the granola bar she had grabbed earlier. Taking slow bites, Jackie listened as the GPS continued to issue directions, and she complied in return.
…
The Alpha Hellhound registered in its bestial mind that this jump felt different. It and each of its packmates had long before now become accustomed to their warping abilities, making them the deadliest of predators among the ranks of the undead. But this time, when it had attempted to jump while choking in the grasp of the one who had killed its brethren, something had been different. Its armored adversary had jumped with it, not only through space, but through the space between spaces and far beyond that of the Earth or Aether. As the hound warped through, it felt a presence slip from its mind, something that had subconsciously been commanding and directing the alpha as to where to hunt and what prey to target. Its influence had gone unnoticed by the hellhound due to it being there since birth, but now that it was disappearing, the alpha suddenly felt its mind open up as it experienced free will for the first time.
The hellhound was then jolted from its new experience as it exited the jump and landed hard on its four legs. Its vision and thoughts were murky from both the jump and its new state of mind, causing the hound to shake its head and screw its eyes shut, whining as it slowly adjusted to its new state of being. Squinting through a haze, the hound could see that it had landed in a forest of some kind, though the low light of the setting sun did little to provide more of an idea of its surroundings.
Its senses had only just finally seemed to clear when the hellhound heard a metallic crunch above its head. Looking up, the hound saw an armored creature standing above it, and recognition immediately dawned in the hound's mind as it remembered what had happened prior to the jump. This creature, more so than all the others it had been with, had killed off the alpha's entire pack, its strength and speed far greater than any other prey the hound had hunted before. In rage and grief at the loss of its kin, the alpha had stepped forward to face the creature itself, but the prowess of its foe had proven too much even for the leader of the pack, and it was only by warping away from the iron grip of its foe that the hound had evaded death.
Unfortunately, its morbid fate seemed to be inevitable now, as the hellhound gazed up to see the creature pointing its weapon directly downward, tensed and ready to finish what it had started before the jump. The hound stood motionless, knowing full well that its life was at its end. The two of them were less than a meter apart, and the hound knew the creature's reflexes well enough to know that attempting to warp would be pointless. The alpha would be dead before the teleportational lightning ever struck it.
In silence, the hound sized the creature up once more. It had first targeted this creature as prey for it and its pack, but in truth, the roles were reversed from the beginning. Despite the strength that the hellhounds possessed in their numbers, their combined vigor had proven worthless against this armored creature, which had fully established itself as a far more dangerous being. It had overcome them in every aspect, with its might only matched by its will, and had made for a quick and bloody end to all that opposed it.
The hound looked to its "face", and though it was smart enough to know that the strange helmet that stared back was not the true face of the creature, it committed the sight to memory, taking a sort of strange solace in knowing that it would meet its end at the hands of a truly superior predator.
…
The Doom Slayer watched intently as the hound looked up at him, its glowing eyes betraying the inner conflict that the former alpha felt inside. While his posture remained ready and poised, the Slayer noted that the hellhound's luminescent eyes had shifted color. Before they had left the previous universe, the orbs had glowed with a deep and malicious red, and yet now, they had dimmed to a dull amber, acting as an indication that something had changed within the creature.
Studying the hound further, the Slayer's observations confirmed his theory, as he could see that the feral mindlessness he had observed before was now gone entirely. It was as though the hellhound was seeing things clearly for the first time, and as if to confirm his theory, VEGA's voice spoke within his helmet.
"I am detecting a shift in neural activity from the hellhound. In the previous dimension, I noticed that much of their cranial activity appeared to be suppressed, as though some outside entity was commanding them, something beyond their alpha. However, now it seems that this dimension is beyond said entity's reach, giving the hellhound autonomy for the first time."
At the end of the Super Shotgun's barrel, the hound let out a low whine, then bowed its head, signaling to the Slayer that it conceded its defeat. The ever-present flames that wreathed the creature's hide extinguished as well, their absence making the hound look almost like a naturally born wolf for the first time. The only evidence of its supernatural nature remaining were its skinless snout and glowing eyes, which had closed in submission. Looking down on the creature, the Slayer considered the options before him, the sight of the hound triggering a memory from a lifetime ago. Complete stillness reigned for a moment, as though the entire forest was holding its breath, then the Slayer made his decision.
…
From within the Praetor Suit, VEGA watched with interest as the Slayer slowly lowered his weapon and shifted his stance. His gaze remained on the hellhound beneath him, who slowly raised its head back up in confusion. It took a moment for the creature to realize that it was no longer going to die, and then it too stood back up to its full height, small flames reappearing on its fur. For a few moments, the Slayer and the hellhound stared at each other, a conversation without words seemingly flowing between them. VEGA remembered well that the Slayer had held such "conversations" in the past, and he also remembered the "deeper understanding" that was reached through such means: "The bond between warriors", as it had been previously put.
The two beings seemed to come to an agreement, and the Slayer relaxed his posture even more, with the hellhound's fur alighting further in kind. It seemed, at least for the time being, that both the Slayer and VEGA had acquired a new ally in their quest, which the A.I. perceived to have no drawbacks after running numerous scenarios to determine the hound's usefulness. From the combat data that VEGA had analyzed from the previous universe's encounter with hellhounds, he had deduced that they were quite formidable in their own right, with the alpha being even more so. In addition to their extreme speed and strength, they also possessed a near-instant teleportational ability which the hound seemed to have complete mastery over. VEGA's confidence was high that it would not prove a hindrance to either him nor the Slayer due to that data, and the man within the Praetor Suit seemed to agree.
The amiable mood that had fallen over the party was quickly shattered as the three of them suddenly became aware of a distant noise that echoed through the trees. It had been faint, far too faint for normal human hearing, but each of them had more than the necessary capabilities to pick up and decipher the sound. It had been a roar, and it was because of how powerful and trumpeting it had been that gave them a reason to investigate. Being as analytical as ever, VEGA searched for a match within his knowledge base only to discover that the pitch and intensity of the roar differed greatly from any known creatures within his database of lifeforms. Such a database had been steadily growing ever since VEGA had been reactivated, and yet despite the ever-growing number of creatures added into the codex, there were always more strange and unorthodox beings to be found across the dimensions he and the Doom Slayer had found themselves in.
As usual, VEGA was not the only one to immediately take action upon hearing the strange roar. The Doom Slayer readied himself once again, and the hellhound pinned its ears back let out a low growl as the flames on its hide began to burn even brighter. Its teeth were already constantly bared due to its lack of skin around its muzzle, but VEGA knew enough about canine mannerisms to recognize the difference.
The hellhound shared a glance with the Doom Slayer, and only when the armored man gestured with a tilt of his head did it take action. There was a bright flash as lightning appeared and struck the hound, causing it to disappear as the light faded. VEGA knew with relative certainty that it had warped somewhere ahead of them, and he was proven correct as the Praetor Suit's systems registered the hound's signature approximately a kilometer ahead. Exchanging his Super Shotgun for his newly Pack-a-Punched Lancer, the Slayer cracked his neck with a tilt of his head and then started after the hound, following the source of the roar. All around them, drops of rain began to fall, slowly at first, but within a minute, a complete downpour had ensued. There was a diminished flash of light from above, and a clap of thunder rumbled throughout the forest.
…
Jackie squinted to try and see through the windshield as her wipers worked overtime to try and keep the rain off of her windshield. By now, the sun had completely set, but the overcast sky had refused to let any moonlight through, making visibility much worse in conjunction with the rain. Jackie's headlights valiantly stabbed through the rain and darkness so that she could at least see where she was going. Unfortunately, what she could see did little to fill her with hope, as she very quickly realized that wherever this GPS was taking her, it was off the beaten path. What was the name of this road again?
"In 2.8 miles, keep right to stay on Service Causeway H-516. You will arrive at your destination in fourteen minutes."
With a name like that, Jackie couldn't help but begin to feel more and more nervous as the system began to lead her further and further from civilization. The small voice in the back of her head once again began reminding her of what a terrible an idea this was, but she had come to far to back down now. Setting her jaw again, Jackie squinted into the darkness and continued to follow the road, taking at least some sort of satisfaction in the fact that the road was at least paved.
…
Lowering its nose to the floor to sniff for tracks, the hellhound expertly used its natural instincts to deduce the location of its prey. The rain had proven to be no hindrance to its natural tracking abilities, and in truth, the hound barely noticed it at all as the downpour turned to steam upon making contact with its fiery hide.
Whatever this creature they were hunting, the hellhound had its scent now, and it betrayed that this particular creature was far different than the monstrosities that roamed the Dark Aether. It had no way of knowing if it was stronger, but by how fresh the scent was, the hound could tell that it was close. Even the rain could not mask the creature's odor. With a quick look behind, the hound saw that the armored man was keeping up with it despite its teleportational abilities. The supernatural canine had begun to see that the human was just as adept if not superior when it came to tracking, and together, they had managed to close in on their prey at an unrivaled rate. It would not be long now until they came upon it, causing the thrill of the hunt to arise within the hellhound. The anticipation continued to build, almost coming to a climax when the snap of a twig through the thicket carried over the downpour.
Instinctively, the hellhound diminished its natural flame and crept low to the ground. The armored man remained upright but held his weapon at the ready and turned in the direction of the noise. He himself as silent as the grave. There was a moment of silence save for the rain, then the hound watched intently as the darkened silhouette of a large bipedal creature emerged from the thicket.
…
The heavy rain that had seemed to come from nowhere had lessened to a light drizzle as Jackie continued down the empty two-lane road. She had lost sight of any other vehicles for at least ten minutes now, making Jackie the only motorist for miles. Looking around, the lack of any lights or structures to be seen meant that she was the only sign of civilization for miles. The road she was on didn't even have telephone poles running alongside it. Jackie's heart rate began to quicken once again.
"In half a mile, turn left onto—Rerouting…"
Stunned, Jackie glanced down to the frozen screen. Was it…was it changing her destination? What the hell?
The vehicle slowed with uncertainty as Jackie waited for the system to respond, and it was only after a few more moments of tense silence that it spoke again.
"Make a U-turn."
Jackie's frown deepened at the new instructions. Had her destination changed somehow? Was it a problem with the system? The destination couldn't have just disappeared, right?
…
The hound growled deeply and tore the creature's throat from its neck, dark blood dripping from the canine's jaws as it gulped down the spoils of its hunt. In truth, taking down the prey had hardly been a challenge. The creature had been aggressive at first, angry and seemingly lusting for a kill of any kind, but the combined attacks from the hound and its new ally had overwhelmed it in less than a minute. The creature, like many other prey the hound had hunted, had not even been given an opportunity to flee under the assault, and now it laid motionless and very much dead upon the forest floor, it's antlered shoulders and sinewy limbs broken in many places, courtesy of those that had hunted it. Across from the carcass, the Doom Slayer, as the hound now knew him to be called, knelt down and examined their kill, apparently to study it. The hound watched him for a moment, then turned to tear another piece off of the monster's lifeless body. There was little meat to speak of on the creature's bony form, but the hound had not eaten since the jump to this new world, so any meal was worthwhile, regardless of how much or little there was.
The hound's chewing was then interrupted as another roar sounded through the trees, only this time from a much greater distance. The Doom Slayer lifted its gaze to the direction of the noise, then signaled to the hound with a look. Their hunt wasn't over.
…
"Turn right onto 'Unnamed Road.'"
Jackie stared blankly out the front passenger window. The thick wall trees that loomed before her was only broken by the narrow dirt path that wound into the forest and out of sight. The path was barely wide enough for her car to fit if she turned onto it, and it was at this point that the small voice within her head went ballistic. What on Earth existed within those trees that the navigation system continued to direct her towards? The rain had stopped completely a few miles back, and judging from the complete dryness of the dirt ahead, Jackie deduced that the freak storm had missed this path completely.
"Turn right onto 'Unnamed Road.'"
The voice within the system insisted once more, and the small voice within Jackie's mind screamed that if there was ever a time to turn back, this was it.
"Turn right onto 'Unnamed Road.'"
Jackie's grip on the steering wheel tightened.
No.
She wouldn't quit now. She couldn't quit now. Not when she had come so far and was so close to finding out the truth. Whatever was down that path could provide the answers she was looking for, so with gritted teeth and a titanic amount of reluctance, Jackie steered her car into the mouth of the path and drove forward.
Taking the sharp turns and hills slowly, Jackie kept her eyes sharply focused on the dirt path ahead as the navigational system spoke with new instructions.
"Continue on 'Unnamed Road' for a quarter mile. Then follow signs for: 'Do Not Enter.'"
…
VEGA mapped the creature's unorthodox footprint and continued to monitor its step pattern as they continued to follow its trail. It was a near match with that of the creature they had just killed, meaning that this new contact was likely of the same species. The hound and the Doom Slayer had no problem following in the creature's wake, and given the height of the previous creature combined with the length between footprints of this new contact, VEGA deduced that it was moving deliberately, as though it were moving towards a known destination. A destination that VEGA hoped would soon be made known.
…
"Continue on 'Unnamed Road', then in three-hundred feet, turn off your headlights."
Had Jackie not completely suppressed her common sense by now, she would have thrown her car in reverse and gotten out of there at top speed, but her sensibility had thoroughly checked out at this point, and after a few more seconds of driving, Jackie slowed to a stop. Fingering the dial on the dashboard, Jackie winked out her headlights with a soft click. The entire forest became enshrouded in darkness, with Jackie only being able to see past her own nose due to the soft glow from the navigational screen.
For a moment, all was silent save for the soft idling of the car engine. There was only darkness in both sound and sight.
Then, from outside the car came the distinctive sound of a twig snapping in the dark, and Jackie's eyes opened wide and stared straight ahead as she listened, frozen with fear.
Another twig snapped. It had been much closer this time, and Jackie's breathing began to quicken in response. Her hands began to shake on the steering wheel, and Jackie slowly moved one hand from the from wheel towards the headlight switch.
There was a third snap that could not have been more than ten feet from the car, and Jackie's hand slowly closed around the headlight switch before pausing.
Stillness reigned yet again, then the loudest and most blood-curdling noise Jackie had ever heard penetrated from the outside and pounded against her eardrums. As if by reflex, Jackie flicked the switch, causing her headlights to come alive and illuminate a sight that could have only existed within her worst nightmares. Jackie screamed, but the overarching roar was loud enough to drown it out completely.
…
VEGA heard the creature roar once again, and in that moment all three members of their party came to the same conclusion. The creature they had been hunting had found a prey of its own. Both the Slayer and the hound made to quicken their pace, but both paused momentarily as another roar sounded from a completely different direction than the creature they were tracking.
VEGA began tracking this new roar as well, and he, as well as the hound and the Slayer, realized that there were now at least two of these unnatural creatures still roaming within the forest.
The hound looked to the Slayer, who considered for a moment, then gestured with a tilt of his head to continue along the trail they were following. The hound seemed to understand, then warped forward with a flash of teleportational lightning, continuing on in their original direction.
Another roar sounded from the new contact, though much closer this time. The Slayer turned to the source, then took off towards it. Though VEGA's presence remained within the Praetor Suit and therefore with the Slayer, the A.I.'s interest was piqued towards the hellhound. This would mark the first time since making an acquaintance with the canine that it and the Slayer would be separated, making this the first time that the hound would be left entirely to its own devices. It would be completely independent.
Though the hound's newfound freedom came with the obvious opportunity for it to abandon both VEGA and the Doom Slayer, the A.I. considered the possibility to be minimal, and instead was more interested in observing its combat capabilities in greater detail. There was still much to be learned about the supernatural canine and its origins, and it was with a slight amount of what could be considered regret that VEGA would not have the opportunity to observe how the hound would combat its prey on its own.
Luckily, patience was a virtue that VEGA possessed in spades, and he was certain that many more opportunities to see the hound in action would present themselves in the future. With that in mind, VEGA returned to the task at hand, and continued his study of the unorthodox creatures that existed within this forest. They were almost as much of an enigma as the hellhound, as their signatures were of little similarity to the other flora and fauna within these woods, making them non-congruent with the "standard" of other Earths VEGA had already visited.
Study of the creature that had already been killed showed that they were extremely sturdy, with their natural speed and strength far above any other mundane animals found on Earth. Tracking its movements had also made it clear to VEGA that their behavior was not natural either. They were intelligent to be certain, but the creature they had encountered before had seemed almost as though it were waiting for something, and it had seemed to be caught off guard by the arrival of the Slayer and the hellhound. Whatever it had been expecting, it had not been them.
In short, two conclusive statements could be made regarding these monsters.
Firstly: They were not a natural part of this Earth's ecosystem.
And secondly: They had come here for a purpose.
…
"Rerouting…make a U-turn."
Jackie completely ignored the navigational system's voice as she gunned the engine of her car, the uneven dirt road throwing her around in her seat as she sped down the path. The ear-piercing roar sounded from somewhere behind her, causing the violent tremors in her hands to only grow worse.
"Your destination is behind you."
Jackie cried out and dared to glance into the rear-view mirror as she pushed her car to its limits against the terrain. The taillights did little to illuminate her pursuer, which only made her sense of terror grow further.
"In five-hundred feet, your destination will be—Rerouting…"
The roar sounded again, angrier this time.
"In three-hundred feet, your desinati—"
Tears clouded Jackie's vision as she drove faster.
"In two-hundred and fifty feet, your des—"
The roar sounded once more, loud enough to deafen Jackie.
"Rerouting…your destination will be in fifty feet…"
Jackie could no longer hear anything save for her own heartbeat thundering within her ears.
"You have arrived at your des—"
…
The feed from the camera flickered and died as it was jostled around, and only when it came to a complete rest again did it begin to record once more. The scene that it now picked up was far different from the one it had been filming mere seconds ago. The windshield that it had been sitting just behind was cracked in multiple places, many of which had likely appeared when the car had been flipped onto its side. Due to the lopsided position the camera now rested in, the horizon stood as vertical instead of horizontal, with the trees sprouting from the right to the left from one side of the frame to the other. The night sky was still thick with rainclouds, making the only light coming from the sporadically flicking headlights and the few small fires that had sprouted as a result of the vehicle's now ruptured fuel line.
Though the camera's quality had been reduced from the impact it had sustained, the device was clear enough to capture the sight of a large creature slowly stepping into frame from the bottom border. The sideways position of the camera made it seem as though the creature was walking upward along a wall that was the forest floor, and the camera diligently continued to record as the creature circled the vehicle predatorially, its tall form in contrast to its thin and bony structure. It had almost no muscle to speak of, with its entire body looking to be a large skeleton with an impossibly thin layer of skin covering it. Though its torso was akin to that of a human, its fingers ended in an imposing set of ivory claws, and its head showed the skull of a horse, with a long and ugly snout that ended in a row of grotesquely large teeth. As if its imposing stature wasn't enough, impossibly large antlers sprouted from the creature's back as well, reaching towards the sky above and standing even higher than the top of the monster's head.
The beast watched the car through the empty sockets in its head. It appeared to be waiting for something. There was a moment of silence apart from the crackling of the small fires, then a low and weak groan was heard from next to the camera, signaling that the occupant of the vehicle was still alive.
This only served to agitate the beast, who bristled and opened its bony mouth to roar in anger. It took a step towards the vehicle but was suddenly intercepted as a bright flash of light burst into frame from someplace the camera couldn't see. The monster paused and looked to the source of the light, only to recoil a moment later as a large shape lunged into frame and attacked.
The creature dodged to the side as the shape landed, then the camera was able to record a clear look at the newcomer as it momentarily stopped moving. Its profile appeared to be that of a large dog or a wolf, though all similarities came to an end there. This hound-like creature in particular possessed brightly glowing eyes and a furless snout that displayed its long and numerous razor-sharp teeth. Its hide was jet black but was contrasted by the flames that sprouted from beneath its fur and enveloped its hulking form. The flames burned much brighter than the small gasoline fires scattered upon the ground, and when the hound-creature growled at the monster, small embers pushed outward from between its jaws.
The skeletal monster took in the sight of the flaming wolf-dog, then hunched its back aggressively and roared at its foe, signaling its animosity. It then lunged at the hound creature, its sharp claws bared and ready to tear into flesh and tissue.
The strange hound suddenly lunged forward with a speed that outmatched the monster's, catching the creature by surprise. Darting between the outstretched claws, the hound tackled the skeletal beast backward, sinking its teeth into the monster's shoulder. A loud snap could be heard as the force behind the bite shattered the shoulder bones of the creature, who howled in pain and tried to claw at the wolf as it bit down harder. The large monster's hands found no purchase, however, as a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through the air and struck the hound, knocking the monster back further and causing the dog to disappear from sight.
The monster stumbled for a few moments before regaining its balance. The shoulder that had been bitten through was now horribly mangled as jagged shards of bone jutted out every which way. The joint had been thin enough already, and the large chunk taken out by the wolf had left the rest of the creature's arm only attached by a single small bone and a few ripped patches of skin. The limb hung uselessly at the creature's side as it looked around wildly for its foe.
There was suddenly another flash, and the hound reappeared behind the monster. With hardly a split-second of pause, it leapt at the monster's exposed back and latched its jaws firmly around the creature's neck from behind, crushing many of the antlers that sprouted from back there.
The weight of the hound's tackle again unbalanced the monster, which roared in pain and fell forward, this time crashing face first into the dirt.
With the advantage taken, the wolf-like creature began tearing ferociously at the monster's exposed neck with its teeth, tearing away the thin skin and clamping down firmly upon the creature's spinal column.
The skeletal monster roared again and struggled to right itself, but it was completely immobilized by its broken arm combined with the weight of the hound gnashing at its neck. It tried to reach behind itself with its only usable hand and push the hound away, but the hound snapped its jaws hard on the creature's prying talons, shattering the appendage and now rendering both of the creature's arms useless.
In the next second, the hound clamped its jaw firmly around the monster's neck and wrenched violently. There was a moment of struggle as the hound's strength warred against the skeletal fortitude of the monster, then slowly but surely, with the creature bellowing and screaming the whole time, a loud popping began to sound as the creature's spine began to separate.
The monster thrashed and struggle to save itself from its fate, but the hound fiercely held on, continuing to pull the creature's head free from its shoulders even after it fell still. With one final crack, the hound wrenched the two apart, tearing much of the creature's spinal column out along with its head.
The hound tossed the disembodied skull to the side, then let out a long howl towards the sky, the flames on its hide burning even brighter still in response to its victory. It then turned and noticed the vehicle for the first time, tilting its head with interest toward the crash. With an air of curiosity, the hound pawed its way across the dirt towards the overturned vehicle, sniffing with its skinless nose as it drew closer.
Another weak groan came from the occupant still inside the vehicle, which caused the hound to pause for a moment before stepping even closer. It eventually was too close for the camera to capture its entire form, and the picture blurred slightly as it struggled to focus on the hound's close-up fur. There was some rustling for a moment, then the hound began stepping back from the vehicle, dragging the body of the driver with it. It dragged the young woman slowly and tenderly away from the car by the hood on her sweatshirt, careful to avoid the fires that had sprung up around them.
The flames on the hound's fur dimmed as well as it pulled the unconscious person to safety, likely to ensure that it would not burn the human that it was carrying in its jaw. Once the hound had dragged the young woman a safe distance away, it lifted its head and looked around for any further threats. There were a few beats of silence, then the hound's ears twitched in response to a sound. It turned as another figure appeared from the trees.
The new figure appeared to be human, and the hound seemed to recognize it despite the complete set of dark green armor that the figure was wearing. It's imposing stature was amplified by the fact that the armored human was dragging the corpse of another monster behind it. The weight of the deceased beast's body seemed to be no hindrance, however, as the figure casually tossed the monster's body on top of the other that the hound had killed. The camera captured another few moments as the figure approached the hound in a non-threatening manner, the battery then dying out just as the armored stranger turned to face the wreckage.
…
VEGA's presence flowed through the car's damaged systems, using the internal GPS components to finally spread himself out across the planet. Familiar information came to him in droves, and the A.I. accepted and processed it all with blinding speed as he brought more of himself online. He could not tarry long upon any single piece of data, however, as the mystery behind these creatures they had encountered still remained, as well as this strange signal that he had just discovered within the navigational system of this vehicle.
Further inspection of the signal showed that something had hijacked the system and had been able to input its own destinations, namely the creatures that now were dead and decapitated by the Slayer and the hellhound. With that in mind, VEGA deduced that whoever or whatever had done this was very adept at hijacking waves and frequencies, not unlike VEGA himself was. What was even more interesting was that the signal left behind a strange signature in the electromagnetic spectrum wherever it went. The signature took the form of an abnormal distortion throughout the wavelengths that VEGA was able to discern through his scans. This curious phenomenon was new and unheard of to him, however, which caused the A.I. to divert more of his processing power to finding and studying these spatial distortions as he continued his search.
While simultaneously tracking the signal to its point of origin, VEGA quickly discovered a large quantity of the aforementioned distortions in a nearby town. Whatever had hijacked the navigational system in this vehicle was also influencing the EM signals of the small community, mainly commandeering the frequency used by their local television station. For what purpose, VEGA still did not know, and his curiosity grew exponentially further as he finally uncovered the source of the signal a few moments later.
Locking in the location, VEGA spoke aloud to both the Doom Slayer and the hellhound.
"I believe I have uncovered the location of origin of these supernatural creatures. It is likely that if we venture to said location, we will uncover their purpose here as well as who or what sent them. Unfortunately, to travel there, an unorthodox means of transport will be required."
VEGA knew he had the Doom Slayer's full attention then, as the number of places that the Slayer couldn't reach simply on foot were few and far between. As VEGA continued, the Slayer expertly scooped the young woman off the ground and started in the direction VEGA indicated, seemingly making up his mind to drop her off somewhere along the way. The hellhound followed alongside.
…
Images flashed like a rapid slideshow, images that one barely had time to process before they were gone again. Visions of darkened trees and vibrant moons flashed by, and they all seemed eerily wrong somehow.
In the background, it sounded like someone was screaming. Their voice was raspy and desperate, as though they were clinging to the last vestiges of life as it was wrenched from them. The visions continued to flash, faster now, now showing glimpses of a flat white landscape with small craters peppering the snow-white desert. No signs of vegetation or animals could be seen, and the night sky above was peppered with more stars than could be counted. Strangely, long and deep cracks marred the empty surface, looking as though they had only just appeared.
The screaming was getting louder now, more frantic than before, and over the horizon, two shapes appeared, the only things to be seen for miles around. They were rapidly approaching, and just as their ambiguous forms began to come to focus, a flash of red streaked cross the visions, causing the scene to shake and tremble as the screaming grew louder still. It was apparent now that the screaming was not that of a human, but rather, something else that lurked within the realm of nightmares and media.
Something evil.
The vision changed one more time, and suddenly the cracks in the ashen white ground began to deepen, small fissures turning into wide canyons that spread towards the observer as the shaking grew in intensity to match the screaming. As the fractures spread further and further, the scene began to fade, as though the observer was fading, growing weaker even. The sight faltered as it faded further, then slowly turned to the night sky above as the screaming grew weaker as well. In the distance not too far away, a large blue planet sat proudly among the stars, completely peaceful as the voice and vision faded completely.
…
Jackie gasped and bolted upright, vestiges from her dream burning away as her eyes began to see once again. She looked around erratically for a few moments to see that she was inside a room. Pleasant blue walls surrounded her in an encasing yet comforting manner, putting Jackie a bit more at ease. Looking down at herself, Jackie saw that she was lying in a hospital bed, wearing a standard gown with a thin bedsheet covering her as well.
After the initial shock and double checking that she felt ok, Jackie frowned and struggled to remember how she had arrived at this hospital. The last thing she remembered was driving down a long an empty road, as if searching for something…what was it?
Jackie's attempt to recover her memories was then cut short as a nurse then walked in. The woman's smile was wide and genuine as she bid Jackie a good afternoon. Shocked, Jackie immediately inquired as to how long she had been unconscious, and the nurse informed her that she had been in a coma for almost two days now.
Panicking, Jackie then asked what was wrong with her, and the nurse had to calm her down before reassuring her that she was not injured in any way, at least not anymore. She had been admitted to the hospital with heavy bruising and a few minor cuts, but they had all healed nicely and quickly, making Jackie eligible for discharge whenever she was ready.
Jackie was stunned at the news, and quickly inquired as to how she had arrived at the hospital in the first place, but to her frustration, the nurse said that she had simply been found lying on the grass out front. One of the doctors had found her and quickly had her brought inside, but before that, no one knew.
Jackie sat back and tried to think properly as a million questions flashed through her mind. The nurse offered to give her some privacy to collect her thoughts and left the room to go retrieve a few forms, leaving Jackie alone to process.
With nowhere to even begin, Jackie rationalized that maybe a small dose of normalcy would help her clear things up. Noticing the television affixed to the wall across from her bed, Jackie picked up the remote from her bedside table and turned on the news. Unfortunately, the news that she then saw was far from normal.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming to you live with breaking news of the shocking variety. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration released an official report that our Moon…has ruptured."
Jackie sat silently, unable to even comprehend the statement that the news anchor was making.
"No information regarding how such an event has occurred or to the extent of the damage has been released, but photographs have been submitted by amateur astronomers and lunar scientists across the globe. A live feed has been provided courtesy of the Hubble Telescope, which will provide us with real-time updates of the situation."
The feed appeared on the screen, and as if like water through a tap, Jackie's memories rushed back to her all at once.
Her fiancée's disappearance.
The navigational system in her car.
The woods.
That…thing.
Her nightmares…
Jackie gasped and held her head in her hands, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene on the screen as tears formed in her eyes.
Against a darkened sky, the full Moon stood prominently, or rather, what should have been a full Moon. At the edge of what could be seen on the surface, it looked as though a large bite had been taken out of the celestial body, with cracks spiderwebbing outward from the source of the damage and scarring the cratered landscape. Chunks of lunar rock lay scattered across the surface as well, all blasted from their original positions and haphazardly thrown about the land.
"Some experts believe that the damage was done by a large meteor striking the Moon's surface, though many are quick to question if this event was man-made. Many statements submitted to here in the studio are quick to draw a connection between this event and the unscheduled satellite launch at Kennedy Space Center two days ago. We are currently reaching out to NASA for further comment…"
Jackie was barely listening anymore. The voice from the television faded into the background as the traumatized woman continued to stare at the screen. The ominousness of the damaged Moon continued to saturate the very air she was breathing.
Those dreams she had when she had been comatose…she had been so ready to dismiss them as just that…just dreams. But now, there was no way that they weren't connected to this somehow.
She had been there, on the Moon's surface. She had been watching through the eyes of something, and she had seen when the surface had begun to break away.
She remembered the screaming, how it had only gotten louder and louder…until it didn't.
Those two figures she had seen, did they have something to do with this? Were they the ones responsible?
Jackie was slowly pulled from her stupor by a slight buzzing on the table next to her. Unable to take her eyes from the television for a moment or two, Jackie only shifted her gaze when the buzzing continued persistently.
On the table, her phone sat patiently rumbling against the plastic surface, its screen alight and displaying the name of whoever was calling her. Jackie's heart leapt into her throat in the next moment as she recognized who it was.
Scrambling across the bed, Jackie hastily grabbed the phone in both hands and answered it clumsily. A groggy and disoriented voice came through on the other end, but Jackie could not help but to sigh with unrivaled relief as she heard her fiancée's voice for the first time since entering this personal hell.
He sounded confused and unaware of his surroundings, but Jackie quickly learned that he was alright. There were many other voices to be heard in the background of wherever he was, and Jackie could guess that they belonged to the others that had been missing too. It seemed as though they had all just woken up from a deep slumber.
Jackie hastily called the nurse back into the room as she questioned her fiancée about his surroundings. Once the nurse realized what was happening, she quickly called her superiors, and soon the police were alerted and tracking the call to its point of origin.
Just like that, the Moon, and whatever had happened to it, was put to the back of Jackie's mind. Everything that had happened to her up to this point was made irrelevant. The love of her life had been found, and he seemed ok, so she was ok.
On the screen, the live feed of the Moon stayed up to date as the news anchor continued to talk.
"We will continue to follow this story as it progresses here at Local 58. Don't go anywhere, we'll be right back…"
Though the Hubble Telescope was powerful enough to provide a very high-quality video, it still was not strong enough to capture the small flash of blue light that appeared on the Moon's surface just then. The phenomenon went completely unnoticed.
A/N: Alright, question time. What are your thoughts on the addition of the hellhound to out dynamic duo? Obviously, dogs have the capacity to make for amazing companions to badasses such as the Doom Slayer, but the main worry that I had with keeping the hound as a regular is that it may make the group too big? I personally think I can swing it, but they do say that "three is a crowd" don't they? I have already made a decision on the matter, but I would still love to hear your thoughts, as reading all of your reviews and messages often gives me ideas about how to better format or continue the story.
As always, please don't hesitate to leave compliments/backlash in the form of a review, and I will see you all in six years when the next chapter comes out! (That's a joke, nobody panic please.)