Whiteout II-16 (The Devil at the Gate) [1 of 2]

Here's the last chapter of Book II. It was a long one, so I had to split it up.

16. The Devil at the Gate

    Just beyond the plateau they had stumbled onto was a large cave, tucked away beneath an overhang of broken ice. Just beyond the threshold, there was a pulsating, gold light, streaming through a crack between two doors. They were dark wood, and adorned with scenes of blood and massacre, depicting the war between Gods and their creations. The woodwork seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning its way to smooth edges. Even in the cold mountain air, Nick felt a warm air blow from within them, enticing him forward.

     The shards of broken ice that hung above the cave entrance gave it the appearance of a snowy maw. At the back edges of the cave, there were massive icicles that hung nearly from ceiling to floor. What lay past the gates was unclear, but Nick guessed that they would soon find out. “I can’t believe it,” he said, stunned. “It’s real.” Relief swept over him in graceful arcs, calming the nagging voice that had been telling him for days: “There’s nothing up there.” Warmth spread through his limbs, even in the freezing mountain air.

Then, all at once, the feeling was washed away, and replaced by the cold terror he had become so familiar with. A large rock hurtled over the edge of the mountain above them, struck one of Manchester’s men in the chest, and sent him over the edge in a matter of seconds. The only sound was the crunch as his bones broke, and then the distant tumbling of rock on rock.

In Nick’s astonishment, he had briefly forgotten about their pursuer. “Defensive positions everyone!” he yelled, and pulled at the harpoon gun on his back. The tip caught on his oxygen tank, and he struggled with it as the loud booming of the creature’s footsteps echoed off the stones around them. This is it, thought Nick, trying to steel himself for the events to come.  

     James rushed up behind him, helped unstick the harpoon gun, and thrust it into Nick’s hands. At the same time, he brought his crossbow to bear on the spot the boulder had come from. He spared Nick a nervous glance. “How many of your apprentices have died horribly?”

     “Oh not that many.” He made a gesture of counting his fingers, but then gave up. “Last one went into a volcano, very quick. Barely made more than a gurgle. You should be so lucky.” Nick steadied the harpoon gun and laughed.

     James would have laughed too, but he was cut off by a mighty roar, and a loud crash. A blur of snow, ice, and fur had leapt in between them and the gates, showering debris from the ledge above. White mist billowed out from the spot it had landed, temporarily blinding them. Before they could even get a good look, Nick saw the confused top half of a mercenary, spinning through the air, spraying blood as it went.

     Hopefully he’s at least giving their families some money, thought Nick. Wait, do mercenaries have families? The thought was interrupted by the beating of worn flesh against stone. The creature shook the very earth beneath them, and it was a miracle they weren’t all buried by an avalanche.

     The white mist surrounding it cleared, and Nick found himself staring the yeti dead in the eyes. Long, white fur hung tangled and matted down the length of its body. Snow clung to the edges, giving it the look of a walking frost giant. Two black eyes stared out from beneath heavy eyebrows, searching for prey. Its powerful jaw gnashed with anticipation and drool dripped in massive gobs, steaming to the ground below.

     The image paralyzed Nick. It did not help that the creature let out a deafening roar, directed right at him. Sinewy muscle shook down the length of its body, in a show of brute strength. In the time between attacks, Nick noticed long scars running across the creature’s body, leading to patches of skin with no fur. It’s a survivor, he thought dully. This isn’t going to be easy. He raised his harpoon gun and thumbed off the safety with a click that was all too loud.

     The yeti’s head cocked to the side, as if it had heard something interesting, and it charged. Its white fur rippled in the growing gale, as it ran on all fours. Its knuckles scraped the ground, breaking ice as if it were no more than sugar glass. Nick pulled the trigger on the harpoon gun almost as an afterthought and barely heard the quiet hiss of the bolt leaving the chamber. He did not wait to see if it hit its mark, and instead moved to slide out of the way. The yeti swung its claw in a mighty arc, missing Nick, but severing the hose for his oxygen tank. He listened in dismay as the precious air leaked out. In the last seconds before it was gone, he gulped up as much of the precious air as he could.

     The yeti skidded into the ring of stones, and sent them flying in all directions. They flew in all directions, causing the crew to take evasive action. Luckily, the already thinning crew managed to avoid the bombardment. The creature turned and began looking for more targets. It was at that time, chaos broke out.

It was as if all of Manchester’s team remembered they had guns at the exact same time, and started firing. The bullets made heavy thumps as they hit the yeti’s hide, but the creature merely swatted at them as though they were flies. Nick seized the opportunity to get out of the way. As he ran, he saw the harpoon stuck in the yeti’s chest, and briefly felt hope. That was, until moments later, it fell out and clacked sadly onto the ground.

     It didn’t even leave a wound, thought Nick desperately. Nick ducked behind a boulder and quickly found that he was out of breath. The life-saving oxygen that had been coursing through his veins was gone, and he was stuck with what little remained on top of the mountain. The cavern entrance was a cacophonous medley of death and destruction. Manchester’s men continued to fire their guns to no avail, and one-by-one the yeti picked them off with ruthless efficiency.

     “Someone stop it!” Yelled one of the mercenaries as the yeti’s mighty fist crashed down on his leg, crushing it. “Please, kill it,” he whimpered just before the creature took its other fist and beat the man’s head into the ground. The yeti pounded the poor man’s body with its fists until there was nothing left but a grisly red swatch of rock.

     Nick looked at the creature and saw pure rage. Fresh blood coated its white fur, and dripped onto the rock below it. He had never seen anything so terrifying in his entire life. It’s angry alright, thought Nick, and looked around to see James and Lopsang firing their crossbows to no effect. The worst-case scenario had come. They had marched all this way up the mountain, and nothing they brought with them even left a scratch.

     Splinters of broken arrows, and bent, hot pieces of metal littered the ground wherever the beast stood. Nick had almost gotten used to the rat tat tatting of the guns when they stopped. The ammunition had run dry, and there was nothing to show for it. The beast stood to its full height, looking confused by the lack of noise for a moment, nostril’s flaring in the cold mountain air.

     “Get through the gates, it’s our only chance,” yelled Manchester, and ran past the distracted yeti into the glowing light beyond the door. There was no pop, or sizzle as he passed through the dazzling light, just the silence that meant he was either somewhere else or dead. It also meant the yeti had one less target to focus on.

     Delirious from lack of oxygen, Nick pulled out the bag of holy powder he had planned to use in the canyon. All’s well that ends well right? “James, Lopsang, run now!” Barely thinking, he stepped out from hiding, and chucked the entire bag at the yeti. He watched in slow motion as the bag spun through the air, and hit the creature dead in the face. White hot light erupted from the point of impact, and Nick ran, blind, toward the gates.

     The creature roared in either annoyance or agony, none of them could really tell. They all ran for the gates and jumped through the warm light, not knowing what they would find on the other side. Nick passed through the doorway and immediately tried to close the gates behind him. What he found was a stone wall that had not been there a moment earlier. He listened for the thuds of the creature trying to get through, but heard nothing.

Part 2