Murdoc dragged me out of the throne room, I saw an angry man screaming at us from the throne room and that awful dead thing coughing and attempting to stand. We ran hard, fearing at any moment something terrible might happen and we would be caught.
Hawk's cries sounded above us and I looked to see three women with bat's wings flying above us. We were being followed. Demons and all sorts of things were rising out of the ground around us. One latched onto my ankle, causing me to fall, I screamed and kicked it in the face but it still held firm. I fumbled with my gun to find it empty, in need of two more shotgun shells.
"OI! GITTOFF OF 'ER!" Muds cried, aiming a firm kick with his Cuban-heeled boot to the side of the demon's head, it snarled and let go. Murdoc turned to me, "C'mon luv," he panted, breaking back into a run to catch up with the group. I dropped my useless weapon and sprinted.
Then we were surrounded, demons and spirits alike circled around us, that half-dead thing heading the pack. The Evangelist came skidding to a halt and the rest of us had no choice but to stop. The zombie creature smirked and pointed at Murdoc. "We just want him, the rest of you are all free to leave."
Murdoc shook his head, chest panting. "No." he stated. "If I die, you'll die with me," The bassist said. "Why don't you let me go and live to see another day?"
"If I'm the one… killing you, I take your form." The thing rasped. "I'm going to devour your soul and become you. No more… shape-shifting, no more… decaying body."
I was so confused, Russel shifted his weight uneasily, but the Evangelist stepped forward with his hands folded, perfectly at ease. "I believe you're really looking for me, Boogieman." He said lightly. I felt understanding dawn on me, this thing was what the Boogieman looked like underneath the mask. The dead thing that was now revealed as the Boogieman stood a little straighter and snarled in a very feral manner.
"You." He spat. The Evangelist nodded.
"Just let him go Boogieman. Just let us pass on; it's my job to save him from himself. Your time is up." The white figure said in a soothing voice.
"Never!" the Boogieman yelped, lunging at the Evangelist. They fell over, brandishing fists and the decaying body was kicked off and the white figure stood again, throwing knives in his hands. He turned his head around to us.
"You need to run! RUN!" he urged as the demons dissolved like mist as Murdoc tugged on my hand. I shook my head.
"We can't leave you!" I said. Russel scooped me up, ignoring my statement and both he and the bassist began running towards the portal, which was now in sight. The Boogieman's cries and shrieks could be heard echoing across the dry, cracked landscape. I fought Russel but he held on tight as we neared the gateway back to Kong.
I looked back to see to my horror the Evangelist bleeding heavily, the Boogieman had a hand over his throat. I screamed, and Murdoc stopped to watch, mesmerized.
"Muds c'mon we gotta go!" Russel cried, dropping me and attempting to grab him, but Murdoc was as unmoving as ever.
The Evangelist punched the decaying face of the Boogieman and the thing let go of him long enough for the bleeding man to stagger towards us and begin running towards the portal.
"RUN! RUN GO!" He shouted, blood dripping onto the ground, leaving a trail of red.
The Boogieman picked himself up off of the ground and began running as well. One of the Evangelists's throwing knives where in his hand. Self-preservation instincts began screaming at me inside of my head and that's when I turned tail and ran, I heard 2D yelp and I knew that all of us were running for our lives.
I was faster so I reached the gateway first; I turned to watch the progress of my band mates. Russel was charging like a mad Bull Elephant, and 2D was sprinting, his limbs flying every which way. The Boogieman was gaining on the Evangelist and Murdoc, who was helping the man along.
My eyes widened as I saw the Boogieman throw a knife that hit the Evangelist square in the chest, knocking him on his face. I screamed as Russel and 2D sped up to reach me. The singer turned and took in the scene second, his mouth falling open, dumbstruck. Murdoc just stood there, watching the white figure's robes turn steadily red. He crouched down slowly to help him as the Boogieman stopped to lean over the two.
"MURDOC! MURDOC RUN!" all three of us was shouting. I felt like I was watching the whole thing from another perspective as I began sprinting back to him. Everything was in slow-motion, making the next bit of events unbearable to witness.
No matter how fast I ran I couldn't reach them in time, the Boogieman kicked Murdoc in the back so he fell next to the Evangelist, the decaying face twisted in a smile of triumph as he threw the knife so it pinned him in his good shoulder. Murdoc screamed out loud in pain. Next the Evangelist stirred, he faced Murdoc and then the Boogieman, he muttered something unintelligible to Murdoc and the Satanist nodded. I watched in horror as the white glove took the throwing knife out of his chest and stabbed the bassist right in the heart, Murdoc's body convulsed once and lay still.
The Boogieman froze. "What have you done?" he shouted at the Evangelist who sighed once before dying right there next to Murdoc. The decaying zombie shuddered, screaming as I watched his body turn to dust, his face angled towards me.
I stopped at Murdoc's body, his chest was bleeding and his eyes were glassy. "Murdoc!" I said frantically. "Muds? Murdoc-chan!" tears of fury gushed out of my eyes and I pulled the knife out of his body and hurled it a few feet away, collapsing on the still figure. His body moved slightly and I sat up to look at his mouth furiously work to form words.
"N-n-n-oods." He gasped, blood trickling from a corner on his mouth.
"Y-yes?" I stuttered, holding his hand. He squeezed it faintly.
"I-I-I couldn't let… 'im win… I'm sorry it had teh end like this, I love you…" he whispered. A hand fell on my shoulder and I turned to see 2D and Russel standing behind me. Tears were dripping from 2D's nose and Russel was solemn.
"Muds, yew saved us." The singer said.
A rustling sound made my eyes turn toward the Evangelist's body; the wrappings were falling away, to see a young Murdoc. I wouldn't leave my bassist's side as I watched in awe as he rose up, his body light.
The eyes of the Evangelist looked sad as he gazed upon the dying body we were crowded around.
I glared at the thing that had just come back to life. "This is your fault! You killed him!" I spat. "Murdoc is dead because of YOU!" I screamed.
"I am Murdoc, the Boogieman embodies the sins of this man and I am all that he had done right. I was to save him from himself and he allowed me to stab him, it was to keep the Boogieman from winning." He murmured. "Now you must leave this place, if you stay longer Satan might close the portal. Take him with you if you wish. I myself am leaving as well; I must escort Murdoc's spirit to where it belongs before the Devil claims it in compensation." He came nearer and crouched next to the dead man in my arms, he held his hand to his chest and drew out a little ball of light that expanded until I saw the spirit of Murdoc. This one looked much more well, his eyes were aware and a smile was on his face as he looked at me.
"Luv," he said, I stood to look at him. He put a hand on my cheek and brought my lip to his. "I did this fer you. I wan' you teh know tha' I'm still 'ere fer ya an' tha' I don' wan' you gettin' lost. I'm always 'ere. Give meh the inverted cross luv." He said I remembered that it was still around my neck and I took it off and dropped it into his hand. He smiled at me and closed his hand around in the necklace.
He reopened his palm and I saw a little gold ring with the words fall through space out of mind with me engraved on the outside. I slipped it onto my hand and closed my eyes, feeling his spirit inside of the ring. When I reopened them I was in the basement of Kong with 2D and Russel, the portal closing, Murdoc's face uplifted to me as I watched the gateway get smaller and smaller.
Then it was gone.