Chapter 1

War. Since the beginning of time, humanity has been constantly fighting each other. Either for land, religion, or for power, our thirst for violence and death has never been quenched.

It was the year 2038, and a nuclear war has been raging for almost 4 months. At least, that is what the government was telling us. Half of the United States is a barren wasteland. The other half has been forced almost completely underground. Most of Russia is nothing but fire and ash. Europe has been reduced to rubble. Although most of Asia has only been hit a couple times and is relatively untouched, it will only be a matter of time.

We were living in Toronto, my two sons and I, when we first were told that the world was at war, and everyone should get into their basements or bomb shelters. I wasn’t as surprised as you would think. With all the shit that has been going on in the world recently, it was only a matter of time. My boys on the other hand, Greg, who was 14, and Zack who was 16, were not so calm. Unfortunately, the bomb shelter I was going to build wasn’t even started yet. I figured we had at least two years left. I was planning on starting construction within the next couple months. I had even started stockpiling canned foods.

Luckily a priest in a nearby church was less of a procrastinator and had a shelter built fairly deep underground that could house 15 people for up to three years. With the large amount of food we were donating, it secured us a spot. Surprisingly, the bomb shelter was quite large. There were 2 bathrooms, each with 6 stalls and 3 individual showers. The stock room was below us, and was the same size as the main floor. It contained all the food, extra blankets, even a few soccer balls.

Anyone that was on the list could come and go as they pleased, as long as they talked to the priest and signed in and out. His name was Richard Chilowaski, but most people just called him Father. He was a very nice man, but very strict about his rules. At least one radio and one television must be set to the news at all times, and at least one person had to be listening or watching. A lot of the times he would do it himself, but when he was busy or wanted to do something else, the rest of us would take shifts.

Another rule was that he was the only person allowed to open the door to the outside. Anytime someone who was not on the list was seen knocking on the door, there was a speaker phone with a video feed so that you could talk to them without the fear of them barging in with a weapon and trying to take over. Most of the time they were families asking for shelter. Every time Father turned anyone away, he would go to his bed, hold up his crucifix and pray for forgiveness.

After about 2 weeks of being in the shelter, I decided to take the boys out to a nearby store to grab a couple decks of cards and maybe even a Playstation 3 and another TV. Father was against looting, but was also aware the effect this war was having on the younger kids and knew that sitting around doing nothing all day just made it worse. Luckily there was a Futureshop nearby and it had an excess of electronics. It has been looted hundreds of times before, but there was still some half decent equipment. Better than nothing anyway.

After another month, the news on the TV and radio stopped. We no longer had communication with anyone outside our shelter. I knew this was bound to happen eventually, but Father took it especially bad. I began to worry about him. Sometimes he would just walk back and forth, muttering something about the end of days. I often heard him talk about demons punishing us, or praying that God would send help.

This went on for a few days, until we heard a loud explosion. There was silence for about an hour, until we heard what sounded like the footsteps of an army marching overhead. Every once in a while, there were very loud footsteps. It sounded like there were elephants, or some other large creatures, walking around on the land above. I thought that it might have been survivors looking for help, so I went to the priest.

“Father, I think there are people outside. They may need help!” I said. He didn’t reply, he just stared at the cross on the wall muttering prayers. “Father! What should we do?” I said, this time grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. He slowly turned to me. I saw a deep terror in his eyes that I have never seen in anyone before. He started mouthing words, but no sound came out. “What are you saying?!” I yelled, this time startling the others in the shelter. All of a sudden his eyes turned black, and began bleeding. I was scared shitless and let him go, running to my sons. Father turned to me again. This time he spoke. It was not his voice, but a deep, terrifying tone.

“The time has come, my son. You must seek out the Knight’s Templar. Only they hold the secret. You must help to drive back the demons.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Demons? Templar? This is a nuclear war, between men!” I screamed.

“Look outside.”

I walked over to the screen. The camera feed was fuzzy. I smacked it, and the image became clear. The sky was red and black. There were flames everywhere. I could see people moving around outside, but they were not moving normally. Then all of a sudden a face appeared on the screen, but it was only half a face, all covered in blood. I stepped back, almost pissing my pants. As the face moved, I saw in the background a huge creature, covered in flames and human body parts, walking, shaking the earth as it moved. I turned back to Father. “What the fuck is going on out there?!”

“It is the end. The world you know will never be the same. Our mortal flesh is their food.”

“Where the fuck is the army? Why aren’t they blowing that shit up!?”

“Their weapons are useless against this enemy. Only the Templar have the means to destroy them. You must seek them out. You and the others must go to London, England.”

“London England?! How the fuck do you expect me to get there!?” I screamed. “This is unbelievable. How can you expect me to get past those things outside? Not only that, but how am I supposed to get across the God damned ocean?!”

“You will have a guide. There is another church on the other side of town. That is the home to many Templar who have been hiding. They need help, but have a few weapons that can be used against the demons. You must get there. If you stay here, everyone will die.”

“Ok great, they have weapons, but how am I supposed to get to them? If I go outside, I die. I need something or someone to clear a path! I need some sort of a weapon to defend myself.”

“You will have this.” He said, turning to the very large cross hanging on the wall.

“A cross? Or is that signifying that God will be on my side?”

Without saying anything, Father took his small cross from his necklace and placed it inside a groove in the large cross. As he did this, the wood lit up on fire and began to burn blue. It only lasted for about 10 seconds. As the flames faded, a great sword stood in the place of the cross.

“This is the Negotiator. It is a holy weapon, and will protect you against the enemies outside. Go now. You must join the Templars. You must push back the demons. Only the Templars can save Humanity now. You must lead these 13 people to their bunker. Their lives are in your hands now, Brother Jonas.”

“Ok, but my name is Henry.”

“Not anymore! That name is not holy enough, and strikes fear in no ones eyes. You will henceforth be known as Brother Jonas.”

Chapter 2

I got four of the biggest guys to take the body of the priest into another room and covered him in a blanket. I had no idea what the hell was going on. One minute, we were just sitting there, waiting for word to come through the news about what was happening in the world. The next, our world is filled with zombies and demons, and this Priest starts talking all weird, telling me I have to save these people and go to London, and that my name is Bother Jonas, then he just falls to the floor dead. Everyone in the shelter was scared shitless, especially me and my boys.

“What are we going to do now, dad?” asked Zack after about 10 minutes of silence.

A young woman named Kayla, probably about 25, was sitting on a cot nearby. “I think we should listen to the priest and get to the other church as soon as possible. More of those things outside could be showing up any minute!”

One of the big guys name Josh spoke up. “Are you crazy? We should just wait it out in hear. I’m sure someone will come and clean this place out. Then we join up with them. I don’t feel like being eaten alive by those crazy fucking monsters.”

“No, she’s right. We should leave right away. What if those things get inside? There’s only one door, we’d be trapped. It would be better if we left now before more come along.” This was coming from a 17 year old kid named Eric.

Josh piped up again “And how the hell do you expect us to get past them? This fuck over here, with that big ass sword? He’s more afraid than any of us here. And I don’t blame him. Some crazy ass priest starts bleeding from his eyes and spouting bullshit about him saving us all?”

I stood up, keeping my sons behind me. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We need to get the fuck out of here. Everyone grab something. A pipe, baseball bat, anything you can. You may not be able to kill those bastards outside, but you can at least keep them at bay. Knock a few heads off if you can. We are leaving in 10 minutes. Don’t grab anything you don’t need. We need to get to that church as fast as we can.”

“Well fuck you holy boy! I’m staying right here. You go to your deaths. Say hi to Satan for me, I’m sure he’s right outside the door waiting for you.” With that, Josh sat down and began reading a book.

“If he wants to stay here, that’s his choice. But my two sons and I are leaving. If you are coming with us, grab a weapon and prepare yourselves.” I started searching for something I could let my boys use. I found a few metal baseball bats in the stockroom. I gave one to each of my boys, and gave the other 2 away to a couple of the bigger guys, named Blake and Chris.

As I got back into the main room, I saw that everyone except Josh had found themselves a weapon of sorts and were making final preparations to leave. “Josh, come on man. No one is coming. We need to get out of here now. This is the last time I’m giving you this offer.”

“I said fuck off. I’m not leaving”

“Fine. Alright everyone, we’re moving out.”

As I got close to the door, I realized I needed a plan. I can’t just take everyone out at the same time. “Ok, here’s the plan. First, I’m going to take Blake and Chris here outside first. I’ll clear anything around the door, and they can watch my back. After it’s done, I’ll bang hard on the door 3 times. That is your signal to come out. Ok?” Everyone nodded.

“Are you sure about this, Henry? err… I mean Jonas.” Chris whispered, jokingly.

“Absolutely not! But it’s not like we have much of a choice, do we?”

I looked into the screen. There were a few things moving in the background, but nothing up close. I punched in the combination to the door. It hissed silently as the airlock opened. Once inside, Blake grabbed my shoulder.

“Dude, I know this is what we have to do, but I am pissed scared. Be quick with that sword. Don’t let anything come near me.”

“I’ll do my best. Not like I’ve ever used a sword before, but how hard can it be?” As I said this, I heard the hissing of the second airlock door. I waited a moment, then slowly walked out.

Outside was worse than I imagined. It was blistering hot, I could feel the ends of my hair singing. Chris looked over at me. “We won’t be able to stand this heat very long, Jonas. We’re gonna have to move quick.”

“I can see that. Lets not talk unless we have to, don’t want to draw any unwanted attention.”

“Right” they both said.

We took another look around, and saw the cost was clear. Right as I gave Chris the go ahead to knock on the door I heard a chilling gurgle sound. All of a sudden around the corner came our local hardware store owner, missing an arm and an ear. He looked up at me with his mouth open. I didn’t think twice before I took the blade and ran it through his chest.

“Holy fuck! What the fuck is that?!” Screamed Blake.

“Shut the fuck up! I took care of it. Let’s get moving, incase anything heard that.”

Chris knocked on the door. A few seconds later we heard the door hissing, and in front of the pack was Josh.

“Changed your mind?” I asked.

“I saw what you did to old Bill in the screen. Looks like I underestimated you. Jesus Christ it’s hot out here, let’s cut the chatter and get moving.”

“No argument here” said Chris.

“Ok boys, you stay close to Chris, Blake and Josh. I’m going to be walking around our group, making sure nothing is following us. If you see something, tell one of the guys. Other than that, stay as quiet as possible.”

“OK dad” Whispered Greg.

Zack looked up. “Sure pops”

“Alright good. Let’s get moving people. It’s not that far, but in this heat, with these monsters, it may take a while.”

A fairly loud, confident voice spoke up from behind a car. “Not as long as you’d think”

A man stood up and began to walk towards us. He had a strange gun in his right hand, and he had some light armour plating, covered in crosses. “I am Brother Phillip. I was sent by the Templar church to come and escort you. You are Brother Jonas, I presume.”

“What? How did you-“

“Never mind that right now. We need to get back to the church quickly. I will take the front, you guard the rear. Call to me if you need assistance.”

“Yeah, sure, ok. Whatever you say.”

“Good. Let’s get moving.”

Chapter 3

Phillip had cleared a fairly straight path to the church on his way over to us. We only had to dispose of two zombies and a “lesser demon” as he called them, but it still seemed pretty damn big and powerful to me. It was not long before we saw the steeple of the church. Only 2 blocks away.

“Stand back for a moment. I have to signal to the church to turn off the defense systems.” Said Phillip, reaching down to his wrist. “Brother Mathius, this is Brother Phillip. Mission successful. I have 14 survivors here, including Brother Jonas. Requesting deactivation of the security system.”

A voice came over the intercom. “Well done my Brother. Deactivation granted. Get those people in the church.”

“Roger that. OK people, follow me.” Phillip stood up and began jogging towards the doors. As we neared they began to open, and two men stood inside with guns similar to Phillip’s, keeping an eye out for anything moving besides us. Once we got inside, the doors closed. Very large metal braces would put into place that hold the doors closed.

One of the men greeted Phillip, then went over to a computer console nearby. “Reactivating security system. Drones online and operational. Good to have you back Brother Phillip. How was the journey?”

“It’s getting worse out there. We need to get to London very soon, or it may not be possible.”

“I figured as such. Let’s get these people downstairs. I’m sure they want an explanation for what exactly is going on.” He looked up at us. “Follow me please.”

He led us into the main room of the church. There were a few priests in the pews praying, as well as other civilians and Templars. The walls and windows were plated with metal. There was no natural light anywhere, just lamps run on batteries. Mathius led us to the altar. He pressed a button on his comlink and held it to his mouth. “This is Brother Mathius. I have survivors and wish to be taken to the bunker.”

“Very good, Brother Mathius. Activating the elevator.”

The altar in front of us started moving backwards, and I saw that there was no floor underneath it. Out of the hole a metal platform with rails appeared. Mathius turned to us. “Get on please. Quickly now.”

After we were on all, Mathius talked into his comlink again. “All are on the elevator. Proceed when ready.”

“Proceeding. Thank you Brother Mathius, return to your post and send Brother Phillip down right away.”

“Yes sir.”

The platform began to slowly descend. There were lights along the walls as we went down. I looked up to see the altar moving forward back into place. We continued descending for about 50 feet until the walls disappeared and we found ourselves in a large room, full of Templars, priests and scientists.

One of the priests was waiting to greet us. “Welcome, friends. I am father Ducan. If you would, follow me this way. You will be able to shower and given fresh clothes, as well as fed. While you are eating I will explain what exactly is going on.”

Josh piped up from the back “I think we’ve waited long enough! What the hell is going on out there? Our old friends have become monsters, and there are flying creatures, and creatures spitting fire! Give us an explanation now!”

Kayla smacked him in the back of the head. “Shut up Josh. You didn’t even want to leave the shelter in the first place.”

“Thank you, my dear, but he is right to question. I’m sure you are all waiting for an explanation, but please wash up and eat, and recover your strength. You will need it.”

Chapter 4

“How are you boys holding up?”

“Not bad I guess. Dad, what is going on?”

“I don’t know, Zack, but after we finish getting changed and eating, they said they’d give us an explanation, so let’s hurry up.” I leaned my sword up against the wall.

“Do you think they want you to fight with them, and use your new sword?”

“I hope not. The two that I’ve kill already have been more than enough. But, if they need me, I’m not going to refuse.”

“I wish I had a sword and could help.”

“You never know, I’m sure they could use all the help they can get!”

“You think so? Maybe I could even get one of those cool guns, and I’ll shoot the flying guys while you get the ones on the ground!”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Zack. Come on, let’s get going. Before we make any decisions I want to find out exactly what is going on.”

I picked up my sword and we made our way into the mess hall. A few of the others were already waiting there, already digging into the food that was laid out for us. I told the boys they could start eating, because I sure as hell didn’t feel like waiting for all the woman to finish prettying themselves up.

It was another 20 minutes or so before everyone was seated and eating. Father Ducan, who had been sitting quietly at the end of the table, stood up. Everyone stopped eating and looked over at him.

“Hello my friends. I am saddened that we must meet under these circumstances, but there is little that can be done about it now. As most of you know, I am Father Ducan. I am the lead priest at this particular facility, and I will be explaining to you exactly what is going on. Approximately one year ago, a nuclear war began. Nations began fighting each other for no apparent reason. At least, that is what the Government led us to believe. The truth is, our planet is being invaded. At first, these demons began appearing in remote locations, destroying small towns, making sacrifices so that they could open portals, or Hellgates.”

“These Hellgates are modes of transportation for the demons from their world to ours. Once the world leaders were made aware of this invasion, they panicked. Instead of planning an attack and studying our enemies, they fired. The nuclear weapons they used did have an effect on the demons, and slowed their invasion. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The Hellgates were large enough to brush off these attacks, and every hour more and more demons entered our world.”

“The nations decided to keep these attacks secret. They didn’t want the people to know there was an enemy they could not defeat. So they covered it up. Told everyone it was a nuclear war, which it essentially was. Countries were firing nukes at each other, and at themselves. After they realized they nuclear weapons did nothing, they sent their armies in. It wasn’t long before they were annihilated as well. Bullets cannot harm the hardened skin of a demon, or their undead minions. Only the Knights Templar has the technology to get rid of these demons.”

“For centuries we have known that one day the forces of hell would eventually reach us, so we have spent millions, even billions, developing the technology that can counter this attack. We offered our services to the leaders of the world, but they ignored the signs of the apocalypse and dismissed our knowledge as myth. The fools would not even turn to us when the Hellgates began to open.”

“We created underground bunkers in most parts of the world, keeping communication with our main base in London, England. Our orders were to find as many survivors as we could in our area, then transport them back to London. As you can see, our operation here has been very successful.”

“We have been training new recruits for the last couple of months. You would have also been getting trained, but we had no knowledge of your survival until a few days ago. We contacted your Priest, but saw that he was being corrupted by the demons inside him. Luckily he was able to hold them back long enough to give you the information needed to get to us.”

“Now, I am sure you have many questions you need answered, but we are severely short on time. We have transport available for everyone in this bunker to reach London. I am sure you have heard of the experimental hovering transports by the military. Luckily we have gotten our hands on a few and they are in the hangar. Grab any belongings you have with you and follow me.”

Nobody moved. Everyone was too stunned from what they had just heard. Why would the government try to cover this up? What possible logic came from this? These were just some of the questions I planned to ask, but for now I realized that we needed to get out of here. “Come on people, you heard the man. We need to get to those transports and get the hell out of here. Move it!” I grabbed my two boy’s hands and stood up. The others slowly got to their feet and started to follow Father Ducan to the hangar.

Brother Phillip walked up to me. I hadn’t even noticed he had been standing in the room. “You are quite the motivator. Father Richard was right to give you that sword. You are definitely deserving of it. After a few months of training in London, I can see you moving up the ranks of the Templar.”

“Thank you, but I just want to keep my boys safe.”

“I assure you they will be quite safe where we are going. If you think the defense systems are good here, wait until you see the London underground.”

Phillip led my sons and me into the hangar. There were 3 transports, each could carry a maximum of 50 people. “Are you sure these things can fly?” I asked Phillip.

“Oh yes, we have been testing them for a while. We even have backup transport prepared in case any of them fail. Each transport can fly up to 500km/h, and have enough fuel in them to reach London and back, if needed. They are also well guarded with 4 auto turrets, as well as 2 turrets that can be used by us, if needed.”

“Well that’s good. Which one will we be getting on?”

“You and your sons will be coming with me on the middle one there. We call her Genesis. The one on the right is Leviticus, and the one on the left is Exodus. So go get aboard. We will leave as soon as everyone is secured.”

I nodded. “Come on guys, let’s get on board. Don’t want to get left behind.”

Chapter 5

The flight to London was long. We often came across sever turbulence, and more than once had to dodge a greater demon. I couldn’t believe the size of some of these things! They would just walk through cities, destroying sky scrapers with a flick. How can anyone weapon created by man take down one of those?

I looked over at my boys. Somehow they managed to fall asleep. I envied them. There was too much on my mind to sleep right now. I looked over at Brother Phillip. He was not asleep, but deep in concentration. I poked him in the ribs. “So how long have you been with the Templars?” I asked.

“Ever since I was born. My father was a Templar, and when I was born he would not have me on another path. I began training with swords when I was just 6 years old. When I was 12, my father brought me to one of the underground bunkers. At the time I didn’t realize the importance this place would have in the future. There were all kinds of different weapons and armour on the walls. There were men and women working day and night, making the bunker bigger, giving it more security, and designing new weapons.”

I looked up, surprised. “They knew the demons were coming? How?”

“We didn’t know when or where, but the knowledge has been passed down through generations. I didn’t ever believe that any of this would happen in my lifetime. I always hoped that we were creating these weapons and armour for future generations to use. That our knowledge could be passed down to our children, so that they would know how to defend the earth.”

“And the rest of the world didn’t have a clue. I can say I blame them, if I was told all this before the war, I wouldn’t have believed it either. I mean, demons and zombies? Sounds too much like a movie or a video game.”

“That is the attitude the world had, some even in our ranks. Over the years, we began to lose people. They just stopped believing that we would be invaded one day and left us. To be honest, I had considered leaving myself, but I decided to stay.”

“Why?”

“Mostly from the way I was raised. All my life I had been told that demons would one day try to take over the world. As I grew, I accepted this as proven truth, no doubt in my mind. The world will be destroyed unless I do something about it.”

“I will have to thank you then, for choosing to stay.” I said. “If you had left, who would have come to guide us all?”

“I’m sure they would have sent someone, but you’re welcome. I hope that someday soon we will be fighting off these bastards together!”

“Speaking of fighting, what kind of training will I get once we reach London?”

“You will train with the sword, and our guns. Our Brothers always keep a couple of each at their side. Gun for the flyers and the ones that are far away, and a sword for the ones that get passed our bullets. You will be trained in your aim, and how to unsheathe your sword quickly. As you may have noticed, that Negotiator there is quite heavy. To use it efficiently, you will need practice, and to build your upper body strength.”

“Will this training take a long time?”

“That depends on your natural combat ability. But from what you have shown so far, I am confident you won’t have any problems.”

“And what of my boys here? Will they be trained to fight as well? I would rather that they be kept out of harms way.”

“Your sons will be trained in combat, yes, but we would not send them out to kill demons until they are at least 18 and we feel they are ready. We do not send out people who cannot defend themselves or others. There is no point in sending any of our people to their deaths.”

“Well, I just hope that we will be able to stop this invasion before they reach that point.”

Phillip chuckled to himself. “I wouldn’t count on that. Of course, what do I know? Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“I got a quick question for you. If bullets cannot harm a demon, how come a sword can?”

“These weapons have been passed down from the time of Jesus Christ. Each blade has been individually blessed by him. There are also weapons that we have recovered from the demons themselves. These weapons were forged by the demons and contain powers we cannot recreate. These blades have edges made of super toxins or molten lava, and slice through the demons with ease.”

“I guess that makes sense. So how many demons are there?”

“The answer to that, I do not know. Some have speculated that there is an infinite supply of the monsters, and every time you kill one, he just reappears back inside the Hellgate. In any case, we must find a way to destroy these portals. If we do not, there is no point in resisting. Now get some rest Jonas. You will need to be in top condition when we reach London. The Negotiator is a great weapon. The Elders thought it has been lost for centuries.”

“What has that got to do with me? It was just given to me by an old dying priest.”

“That may be so, but there is an aura surrounding you and your sons. Myself and all the other Templars and priests can feel it. You must speak with the Elders. Only they can discover what your true purpose is in this battle.”

“An aura? I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to. Just get some rest, and when you awake we may be at our destination.”

As I was beginning to drift off to sleep, I could hear Phillip muttering something under his breath. It was something about a man named Summersile. I couldn’t make out the rest, but at the end, I heard him clearly say “For the living.” I had no idea what that meant, but I made a note of it to ask him about later.

Chapter 6

I woke to the sound of alarms. The inside of the transport was flashing red. I could hear Phillip yelling at the pilot. The people around me were either huddled over or screaming. “Phillip!” I yelled. “Brother Phillip!”

“Jonas, just sit back and strap yourself in. We’re having a little bit of a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“A greater demon completely destroyed the Exodus transport, and some of the debris has knocked out our navigation, communication and our security systems.”

“Where are we? Is there any chance of making it to the underground?”

“We are somewhere over southern Ireland. But without navigation, we may have to land and travel on foot.”

“On foot? Isn’t there a lot of water between Ireland and Eng-”

The pilot turned around and screamed “Incoming!!”

“Get down!” yelled Phillip. Out of the window I saw a giant ball of fire heading towards the ship.

Greg and Zack looked up at me. “What is it dad?”

“Hold on boys!”

Just as the fireball reached the Genesis I woke up and yelled “NO!”, startling those around me.

Brother Phillip grabbed me. “Jonas, calm down! It was just a dream.”

“Jesus, I thought we were going to die.”

“Well we’re still here. Get back to sleep, we will be arriving in London in about an hour.”

“Are the other ships alright? They weren’t destroyed were they?” I asked.

“Take a look.” Phillip said, pointing to the window next to me. I looked out, and saw Leviticus and Exodus. “Oh thank God.”

“I do not doubt that you will be having a lot of nightmares in the next little while. Not only from what you have seen, but with the demons presence here. Their thoughts are pure evil, and when you let your guard down they can get into your head. You saw what happened to your priest in your bunker. Just keep your mind on the good things in this world, like your sons, and you will be able to ignore them.”

“You said you had bunkers all over the world, gathering recruits.” Phillip nodded to me. “Will they have transports like these?”

“Some do. Others use cars, trucks, planes or boats. We just lucked out that there was a military base nearby doing testing.”

“The London Underground must be pretty big if it can sustain all these people. How many fully trained Templars do you have?”

“Last count was about a thousand or so. That was many months ago though, so the numbers may have decreased. But with all the civilians being brought in for training, we should have our numbers high enough to provide enough defenses to keep the demons out. We will also need Templars to go out into the city for reconnaissance missions, or to provide escorts to transfer people from one bunker to another.”

“Looks like you guys have everything planned out.”

“We have been preparing for this for over two thousand years.”

“So, is it just the Knight’s Templar that are fighting, or has anyone else survived?”

“Actually, there are many groups that have joined us. The Freemasons, Cabalists and Hospitalers are a major part of our resistance group.”

“What are Cabalists?”

“They use captured demons and their corpses for research. It was them that have modified some of the demon weapons so that humans are able to wield them. Although we do not approve of some of their ways, they do help. And we could use all the people that we can get.”

“What kinds of things do they do that you do not approve of, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“They have found ways to use demonic blood and runes to give themselves unnatural powers. They are able to summon demons of their own. These summoned demons fight along side the Cabalists.”

“Well that sounds like a good thing. It helps with protection and such, doesn’t it?” I asked.

“In a way yes, but some of us feel that these powers will corrupt the Cabalists and turn them to evil. In some ways, it has already begun, but they can control it. They morph parts of their bodies into demonic parts. They give themselves demonic skin for protection, or the demon’s hands with great claws. We fear that in time they will fully transform themselves into a demon, and will not be able to control themselves.”

I was intrigued, but worried at the same time. “Why don’t you put restrictions on them, in terms of how much of their body they can morph at a time?”

“We tried, but they wouldn’t listen. Of course, who are we to tell them how to protect themselves and their kind?” Phillip answered.

“You have a point there. But do they not realize the danger they could be putting themselves in?”

“We do not know for sure that there is any danger, but many prefer to be on the safe side. The last thing we need is a Cabalist losing control in the underground. They could cause irreversible damage.” I yawned. “Am I tiring you with all this boring information, Jonas?” Phillip said with a smirk on his face.

“Oh not at all. This is very interesting stuff, and I could use all the knowledge I can get about what I will be fighting and who I will be fighting with. I am just tired with everything that has been going on lately.”

“That is why I told you to sleep! But no point in resting now, we will be in London within 20 minutes. Is there anything else you would like to know before we arrive, and you go before the Elders?”

“Just one more thing. Who is Summersile?”

Chapter 7

Brother Phillip walked over to the pilot, who was speaking to the London base. “London Underground, this is Transport Genesis. Requesting landing permission and deactivation of security turrets for three transports from Canada.”

“Hold on a minute, Genesis. We have activity outside the base at the moment. Give us a couple minutes to clear it out.”

“Roger that. Hold here Exodus and Leviticus.”

The transport slowed and was just hovering in place. Over the sound of the engines I could hear the roaring and screams of demons. I looked out the window to see about 15 demons charging at a small group of Templars. “Brother Phillip, look!”

Phillip looked out the window. “Jonas, come with me.” I followed him into a small tunnel. “You take that gun, I’ll take this one. They are fairly accurate, but do not aim too close to our Brothers down below. If you see any demons, take them out.”

“Ok. How do I work this thing?”

“Just aim using the joystick and fire with the red button.”

“Got it. Let’s kill these bastards.” I aimed at the group of demons and started firing away. The turrets we were using weren’t shooting bullets, but what looked like bolt of lightning. After a couple seconds I got the hang of the controls and shot a beam into the center of the group. Pieces of demons were flying in every direction. I looked back at Phillip. “This is much easier than using a sword!”

He laughed. “Wait until we get inside. We have hundreds of weapons for you to choose from. Looks like that’s it. The ground squad will clean up any remainders.”

A voice came over the radio. “Transport Genesis, you and the other transports are clear to land. Welcome home.”

As we exited the transport, we were greeted by 10 Templars in full metal body armour. Each piece of armour was covered in crosses and some had coloured lights. They were holding large guns and had a sword on their hip. “Welcome back, Brother Phillip. Is Brother Mathius with you?” One of them asked.

“Good to be back, Brother Harold. Brother Mathius is aboard the Leviticus. He should be on his way over.”

“I am glad to see everyone has made it back alright.” He looked over in my direction. “And who might you be, wielding one of the greatest weapons ever created?”

“Excuse my rudeness, this is Brother Jonas.” I smiled and nodded. “He was given the Negotiator by his local priest, who had it hidden inside a large crucifix.”

Brother Harold looked surprised. “I wonder how the priest came across it. I had read that the Negotiator has been lost for centuries. Where is he, I must question him about it.”

I decided to join the conversation. “Unfortunately, he died.”

“How did this happen?”

Brother Phillip answered. “His mind was infested with demons. Before he died, he contacted us and told us he had the sword and was giving it to a man named Jonas. He had great faith in Jonas, and so do I after I had seen him in action.”

“So you’ve killed a demon, have you?” Harold questioned.

“I have. It was not as difficult as I would have thought.” I ran my hand along the blade. “This sword just sliced clean through it. Then I had a chance to kill some more while in the transport waiting to land. Those lightning turrets aboard the ship are quite powerful.”

Brother Mathius walked up to us. “Indeed they are. But come now, let us get inside and underground where it is safer. It is unwise to stay on the surface. It is good to see you again, Brother Harold.”

As the last person walked through the doors, they slowly began to close shut. Once secured, Brother Harold walked over to the control panel. “Control, this is Brother Harold. Everyone is safe inside.”

“Roger that Brother Harold. Security systems online. Door locks functional. Proceed to the underground.”

“Alright, if everyone would follow me please. I am Brother Harold. I will be escorting you to the underground. Once we are down, you will be taken to your quarters. After you have yourself together, you will be taken to the meeting room and your roles in the resistance will be discussed.”

Around the room there stood 6 armored guards. We walked over to the elevator on the far side. Harold pressed the large down arrow button, and I could hear the sound of the elevator rising. “Alright, everyone inside. Don’t push, there’s room for everyone.”

On the way down my son Greg looked up at me. “Hey dad, do you think they have a PS3 down there?”

I laughed. “I doubt it bud, but we’ll see when we get down there. How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing great! I’ve always wanted to use swords and stuff. I’ve had a lot of practice in the games that I’ve played.”

“I’m sure you will be a great fighter. The best even! You’ll even be able to take on Brother Phillip.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

I heard Phillip chuckling behind me. “You’re quite the father. If you would let me, I would like to train your sons myself. I think it would be easier with someone they are familiar with.”

“That would be great. Hey Zack, Greg, how would you like to be trained by Brother Phillip?”

Greg was shaking he was so excited. “Yeah! Can we start now? What kind of sword can I use? Will it be big like Dad’s? And I want to use guns too!”

“In time. First you must find out where you are going to live, and then I will take you, your brother and your father to the Elders. There is much to be discussed.”

The elevator came to a stop. “Alright. Everyone listen up. Those who were aboard the Leviticus, follow Brother Mathius to your rooms. Those that were aboard the Exodus, follow Brother Harold. And the passengers of the Genesis, please follow me.”

Phillip led us down a long hall. It was mostly lit from lanterns and electric lights, but there were some candles along the way as well. The walls were lined with crosses and pictures. We passed one of a great warrior. Underneath was an inscription that read “Lord Summersile”.

I tapped Phillip on the should. “You never did answer me when I asked about Summersile.”

“Did I not? I am sorry. Summersile was once a great Templar leader. He died protecting a transport that was carrying many Templars including his grand daughter Jessica. She is now one of our leaders, and gives a great moral boost to our troops whenever she is around. You will be meeting her later this evening.”

Phillip stopped and turned around. “Alright, everyone listen up. Jonas and your sons will be staying in this room.” He pointed to the door on his right. “You three will be staying in this room.” He pointed to Chris, Blake and Josh, then motioned to the room on his left. “I will return in half an hour and I will guide you all to the main hall. If you have any questions, wait until we are seated. Welcome, to the London Underground.”

Chapter 8

Our room was fairly small, but that was fine. It only had to be big enough to sleep in. I knew that we would be spending most of our time training. A knock came on the door. It’s only been 10 minutes, that can’t be Brother Phillip already. I opened the door to find Kayla standing there.

“Hey guys! I was just seeing how everyone is doing.”

“Hello Kayla. We are doing fine.”

“That’s good to hear. How are your boys taking this new environment?”

“Pretty good, actually. They are anxious to start their training. What about you? You seem to be alright with everything.”

“I’m not really, but I try my best to put on a happy face. We survived, didn’t we? There’s millions of others who weren’t so lucky, and I am thankful for that.”

I was glad to see she was so optimistic. “Not only have we survived, but we are here, in the London Underground! Probably the safest place in the entire world at this time.”

“Well, I best be off. Gonna go chat with a few other people before I head back to my room.”

“Good, good, it was nice talking to you. Hopefully we can do it again sometime.”

“That would be great. Bye Zack and Greg!” The boys waved bye to Kayla as she left the room.

I looked towards the boys. “Well that was a nice chat. Are you boys almost ready? Brother Phillip should be around to get us in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, we’re ready.”

“OK. Try to think of some questions to ask during the meeting. Write them down if you have to.” I looked around the room and found some paper and a pen and handed them to the boys. “Here, use this.”

Another 5 minutes went by before Phillip arrived. “Everyone ready to go?” I nodded and stood up. “Alright, follow me this way.” We followed him into the hall. Chris, Blake and Josh were already waiting for us outside.

The main hall wasn’t as glamorous as I had thought. It was just a medium sized room with a large table at the center. At the head of the table were 3 throne type chairs. There was an older man sitting in the center throne, with a younger man at his left and a younger woman at his right. Behind the young woman stood what looked to be her bodyguard. A female Templar is full armour except the helmet.

Brother Phillip leaned toward me. “The woman there on the left is Jessica. The Templar behind her is Lyra. You will not be staying here with the others, though. You must come with me to see the Elders. Your friends and family will be told their role in the Underground will be, but you already know your role.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you will be trained as a Templar. Come now.” I stood up and began following Phillip.

“Zack, Greg, you two must stay here. These people will tell you what you will be doing for the next little while. I have to go with Brother Phillip.”

“OK dad. When will you get back?” Zack replied.

“I’m not sure, but it won’t be too long.”

Brother Phillip tapped me on the shoulder “Come now, Jonas. We don’t want to keep the Elders waiting.”

I followed Phillip out of the hall and back into the corridor. “There are many roles people play around here. Those with engineering backgrounds become blacksmiths, while others train to become fighters. We also have doctors for those with medical backgrounds, and builders for those with architectural and construction schooling. The Cabalist clan has asked that they are also allowed to interview the newcomers, to see if any have the spiritual heightening required to grasp their ways.”

“What will happen when we reach the Elder’s chamber?” I asked.

“They will ask you a series of questions, to get an idea of your intentions and your beliefs. Then they will assign a Templar to be your trainer. OK, they are through this door. Are you ready?”

“I am”

Brother Phillip opened the door. In the room sat 8 old men in robes. Inside the doors were two Templar guards. “Sit down, please, Brother Jonas.” Said one of the Elders, pointing to the chair in the center of the room. He was looking at some papers. “Jonas. Birth name is Henry Wallace, age 38. Married to Shelly Wallace, age 36. Two sons, Greg, age 14, and Zackary, age 16.”

I looked up at him. “Shelly died in a car accident almost 6 years ago.”

“Yes, I knew that. How did you take her death?”

“It was quite painful for the first year. I stopped working. I began working out at a local gym to help with the stress.”

“And how did your sons take it? I’d imagine it was quite hard for them, as they were still quite young when it happened.”

My eyes were beginning to water a little now. “Yes it was. I let them stay home from school whenever they wanted, but most of the time the decided to go anyway. The support they were getting from their friends was a real blessing.”

“I am glad to hear that. Now Brother Jonas, do you understand why you are here?”

“Yes, Brother Phillip has explained it to me.”

“Good, thank you Brother Phillip. On to business then. You are to be trained as a fighter. When training is finished, you will have earned the title of Templar. Your training will begin tomorrow morning at 6am. Your trainer will be Brother Mathius. Please, go now and join your friends in the mess hall. I am sure they will have things to discuss with you, as you will with them.”

“Thank you, Elders.” I slowly bowed and turned to leave.

“One last thing, Brother Jonas. Keep great care of the Negotiator. It is a great weapon, and you will be glad to have it at you side.”

Chapter 9

I woke to the sound of my alarm. “Five thirty already?” I whispered to my self. I slowly got out of bed and walked over to a pile of clean clothes sitting on a chair. I grabbed a dark blue pair of shorts and a light blue shirt, through them on, then headed out of my room towards the bathroom.

I took a razor from the cupboard beside the mirror. I hadn’t been able to shave for over a week, and it was really starting to show. I looked at the words on the box. “Seven blades for your protection. I wonder how this would do against the demons?” I laughed to my weak humour. I heard a giggle coming from outside the door. Kayla peeked inside the door. “What are you doing up so early?” I asked.

“Did you think you’re the only one who started training early? All the fighters have to start at six.”

“You are going to be a fighter?”

“What, you don’t think I can handle myself with a weapon?”

“No, no, it’s not that. You just don’t seem like the warrior type of girl.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know about me. If you want, I can show you.” She gave me a wink and laughed. “But not right now, I’ve got to go get myself ready. Brother Harold should be around to get me shortly. Who did they assign as your trainer?”

I was still stunned at her first response, but managed to work some words together into a semi coherent sentence. “I’m uh… tr-trainer is… Brother Mathius. Brother Mathius will be training me.”

“You sure about that?” She laughed. “Well good luck. I’ll see you at dinner I suppose.”

“Yeah, see you there. Good luck to you too.”

She walked out the door. I noticed now the whole time she had been only wearing a long t-shirt it was covering whatever she was wearing beneath. “Snap out of it, Jonas.” I said, smacking myself in the side of the head. I’ve got to finish getting ready before Brother Phillip comes. What time is it now? I looked down at my watch. “Five forty five.” I whispered to myself. I picked up the shaving cream and started shaving.

After I had finished and washed up I went back to my room. My boys were still sleep. Then I realized that they should be awake as well and getting ready, if they were to be trained as fighters as well. “Wake up boys” I said while shaking them.

“Why? What time is it?”

“It’s almost six o’clock, you guys have got to get up and get ready for your training.”

“But our training doesn’t start until eight… let me get some more sleep.”

“Eight? Aren’t you guys going to be trained as fighters?”

Greg looked over. “Nope, I’m going to be an Officer! And Zack is going to become a blacksmith. I wanted to be a blacksmith though, you to build and fool around with all kinds of cool weapons!”

“An officer! Wow, in a few years you’ll be giving me orders?” I said surprised. “And Zack, you’ll be making the weapons and armour I will be using the fight the demons! I hope you get a good trainer.”

“Me too. Now leave me alone!” With that, they both laid back down and tried to get some more sleep. I was ready to go, so I just sat on the edge of my bed and daydreamed a bit until I heard footsteps down the hall. I went towards the door, and right when I was about to turn the handle there was a knock. I opened the door and it was Brother Mathius.

“Good morning, Brother Jonas. I hope you rested well. Follow me, we will began your training.” I turned around and grabbed my sword. “You won’t be needing that for a few weeks. We will just be training with practice weapons first, so you don’t accidentally take my head off.”

“Oh alright, that sounds reasonable I guess.” I said, putting the sword back down. Then I picked it up again. “Perhaps there is somewhere I can keep this? Just so that one of my boys don’t decide to go on some sort of crusade.”

“Yes, that is fine. Come with me, we are going to the armoury first anyway to pick up some equipment.”

I followed Mathius to the armoury. The room was about the same size as the main hall, but the walls were lined with weapons and pieces of armour. I couldn’t believe all the different weapons that were in here. There was a man at the counter, he was reading over some paperwork.

“Brother Mathius, what can I get for you today?” He said, shaking Mathius’ hand.

“I just need some training equipment for Brother Jonas here. Also, I need you to store his sword in a safe place.”

“Not a problem. Let’s see, a Negotiator. Ok, I got just the place for it.” The man said as I handed over the sword. He took it and placed it in an open spot on the wall behind him. Then he reached down and grabbed a large black bag and place it on the counter. “Ok, here is the training bag. This has basic armour, a broad sword and a low power Spark Rifle. Now this rifle will hurt if your hit with it, but it won’t cause any major damage. I just need you to sign here, Mathius.”

Mathius grabbed a pen and sign on the paper. “Thanks, Mac. I’ll make sure I keep this stuff in top condition. Come Jonas, let’s get started.”

I followed Mathius to the training area. It was quite large, there were mannequins all over the place, as well as targets. “Alright, we will begin with the sword. Basically, all you need to learn is how to swing your sword fast and accurately. You will not need to learn proper parrying techniques at first, because demons don’t have any training. The few who do use swords will just charge at you. All you need to do is block or dodge their attack, and then slice through them. Let’s begin.”

He opened the bag and tossed me the sword. It wasn’t quite as heavy as the Negotiator, but it still had a good amount of weight to it. He then took out a very tall candle and a stand and put it on the ground. The candle was white and had a red line across it. “First I must see how accurate you are with your swings. Do not worry about the speed of the swing, just try to hit the candle across the red line. It is made of wax, so it will not take much force to cut through.”

I walked up to the candle and held out the sword and touched the candle with it. “Remember to keep your balance, you don’t want to swing and then fall over. That would be embarrassing, and would get you killed outside.” I position myself, and swung. The piece of candle fell to the ground. I had missed the red line by about 3 inches.

“Not too bad Jonas. Do not worry that you missed, this was your first time. You will get better with practice. There is a stack of candles there under the table. Stay here and practice. I need to go to the bathroom.”

I looked around the room and noticed Kayla, Chris and Josh were also with their trainers in different parts of the room. Kayla looked over and waved to me. I waved back, then turned and picked up a candle. “OK, concentrate. You can do this. It’s just a candle. Take your time.” I said to myself. I place the candle on the stand. I took a moment, made sure I was balanced, and swung. I missed the line again, but this time by only one inch.

All of a sudden I felt a burning shock on my back. I turned around to see that Kayla had her training shock rifle aimed at me. Brother Harold was standing behind her laughing. “Very funny!” I yelled. Kayla gave me a familiar wink, then turned back to her trainer. This new life could be better than I thought.

Chapter 10

Another week went by. Every morning it was the same routine. Get out of bed at five thirty, and head down to the mess hall, and eat breakfast. After eating I would head towards the armoury where I would meet up with Brother Mathius. We went in, got the training equipment, and head over to the training room and train until noon. We got an hour break for lunch, then more training until five. We went to the mess hall, ate dinner, and the rest of the day was ours to do what we wanted.

Many days I spent with Kayla, getting to know her better. She also started spending a lot more time with my sons, playing board games or cards. I thought that was nice of her, they needed a woman in their life to act as their mother, or even just a friend to spend time with.

Training was coming along well. After I mastered slicing the candle, I moved onto using the shock rifle.

“OK Jonas, today you will start to improve your aim with guns. Most of the time all you have to do is aim a weapon in the general direction of the enemy and it will hit, but it won’t hurt to learn how to handle it properly anyway.”

Mathius picked up the gun. “This is the battery hold. This is where you put the battery which powers the weapon. Some guns use ammunition, so there would be a magazine hold. These slots along the sides can hold relics and power-ups. You can get them at the armoury, but they have a very small selection. The place you are going to find the best ones is out in the streets and tunnels, dropped by the demons themselves.”

I nodded. “Battery here, relics and power-ups there. Got it.”

“That’s good. Here, take the gun, and aim it at the target down there.” He said, pointing towards the end of the room. “Now line up your sights and pull the trigger.”

I fired and hit the direct center. “Whoa!”

“Very nice shot, Jonas. You are a natural, or that was just a luck shot. Try again and we’ll find out.”

I fired again, but this time hitting the edge of the target.

“I guess it was just luck. Don’t worry, this is why we’re training. Just keep firing. When your battery runs low, there are others in the bag. Try it now.” He said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a battery. He tossed it to me. “There is a battery release button right next to the slot there. Press it and pull out the old battery. Now just snap the new one in. There are different types of batteries as well, changing the type of damage the weapon can do, and the amount of damage the weapon will inflict on the enemy.”

Mathius handed me a small book. “This book details the most common power-ups, including batteries, clips, fuel tanks, relics and rockets. Again, you can get some of these from the armoury, but the best ones will be found out in the streets. Here, take this fuel tank and put it into one of the slots on the gun. Now go ahead and fire your weapon again, but this time aim for that wooden dummy to the right of the target.”

I aimed the gun at the dummy and fired. When the bolt hit, the dummy burst into flame. “Whoa! What just happened?”

“What you see are the effects of the fuel tank I gave you. As you can see, power-ups are a great advantage, so keep an eye out for them and use them whenever you can. If you come across many and find that you do not need them all, you can trade them in at the armoury for money, which you can buy more equipment with.”

“Trade them in? We don’t get the best equipment for free? Wouldn’t giving everyone the best equipment for free help kill the demons faster?” I asked, confused.

“Yes and no. We are limited on supplies, so those who earn the best equipment can use it. This way, we do not have to worry about who is using what at a certain time, because once they buy it, it is theirs until they decide to trade it back in. The people who spend more time killing demons and finding new weapons, armour and power-ups will have first choice at the most powerful equipment because they have proven themselves worthy of using it. We do this because some people are just better at what they do than others.” Mathius answered.

“That seems a little unfair to those who just have a hard time coming across good equipment outside to trade back.”

“People are also rewarded just for killing demons. We haven’t got the system completely perfect yet, but it is working. We have discovered that the further the demons are away from a Hellgate, the smaller and weaker they are. They are like scouts, so those with weaker equipment or not as much experience don’t have a hard time with them. Then our more experienced soldiers can venture closer to the portals where there are larger and stronger demons and monsters.”

“I guess that makes sense. So when do I get to go on my first reconnaissance mission and start making some money to buy some nice shiny armour?”

“When I think you are ready. To be honest, you are the fastest learner I have ever taught. I would usually have another week or more of training, but I think you can handle yourself. Tomorrow, your training will be with live fire against demons, outside. Do not worry though, we will stay close to the station, and you will have an escort. I will be with you, as well as two other Templars. Do you think you will be able to handle it outside?”

“I hope so.”

“Good enough. I will give you the rest of the day off to do what you will. If you would like to practice more, just go to the armoury and ask for a training bag. This room is always open if you need it. Oh, and don’t worry about not being able to find any good equipment. I’ll give you everything I pick up.”

“Thanks a lot, Mathius!”

I walked over to the mess hall and sat next to Greg. “Is Zack not finished yet?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s over there talking with Blake. Blake is going to be a blacksmith too.”

“Awesome.” I started eating.

Kayla came in and sat next to me. “Guess what?” She whispered. “Tomorrow, I get to go on my first reconnaissance mission!” She seemed excited and nervous at the same time.

“Congratulations! Brother Harold thinks you are ready?”

She nodded. “I guess so.”

“Maybe we’ll be in the same team then.”

“You’re going out tomorrow, too?”

“You bet. Mathius says I’m the best trainee he’s ever had.” I said proudly.

“I’ll expect you to watch my back then. If I get mauled by a demon, you’ll never hear the end of it!” She said jokingly, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, nothing will get even close to you. Brother Mathius and Brother Harold will be with us, and I’m not too bad of a shot either.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I just hope I get a really good gun, not some pea shooter that will just bounce off the bastards.”

“Apparently we only get standard equipment to begin with, and have to earn the good stuff as we kill demons and collect their equipment.”

“Yeah, Harold explained the whole currency concept to me. Seems kind of unfair to the beginners.” Kayla said.

“That’s exactly what I said. Brother Mathius said he’d give me everything he picked up, and I’ll share with you if you need it.”

“That was nice of him. I guess since he’s been here a while, he probably has the best of everything and doesn’t need the money.”

We continued chatting until lunch was over. At the end, Kayla turned to me. “I think I’m going to go spend some more time in the training room. My aim is good, but not perfect. Care to join me?”

“Definitely.” I said.

“Alright good. Let’s head over to the armoury then.”

“Sure, just let me go tell my boys what’s going on.” I walked over to Greg. “Greg, I’m going to the training room. Let Zack know I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“OK dad, good luck!”

“I don’t need luck, those demons don’t stand a chance!”

“I wasn’t talking about killing demons, dad.” He said, looking over towards Kayla, then winking at me. We both laughed.

“Good luck with your training too. I forgot to ask, how is your training coming along?”

I could hear Kayla yelling from the entrance. “Jonas! Come on!”

“It’s going good dad. Now you get going, we can talk later. You need to get some training done.”

“Alright, son, I’ll see you at dinner.”

Kayla and I walked down the hall to the armoury. “Hey Mac, how’s it going?” I asked.

“Not too bad, Brother Jonas, Kayla. What can I do for you two today?”

“Two training bags please.” Kayla answered.

“Not a problem, I just need you both to sign here. Perfect, here you are. Try not to lose anything.”

“We’ll do our best, Mac. See you in a few hours!” Kayla said as we left, waving good-bye.

“So, what do you want to practice first?” I asked once we got to the training room.

“Lets go with guns, since that is what we will be using mostly.”

I handed her one of the shock rifles. “Did Brother Harold teach you about the different types of power-ups?”

“Yup,” she answered.

“Good, let’s get started then.”

“Why don’t we make this interesting? We each fire five shots, and the one with the most shots closest to the middle gets to use the loser as a moving target!” She said with an evil grin on her face.

“That sounds great! I could use some practice on a moving target.” I said jokingly.

“You don’t think I can beat you? You’ve got another thing coming! Let’s do this!”

“Alright, on the count of three. One. Two. Three!”

We both fired. My first shot hit almost directly in the middle, while hers went a little to the left. She poked me, “Not bad Jonas. Mine was just a warm up though.”

I laughed. “Oh yeah? Lets see how you do this time. Fire whenever your ready!”

This time I purposefully aimed close to the edge of the target, while she hit closer to the center on the right side. “Ah shit. You got lucky that time, a fly flew by my ear and distracted me.”

“A fly, huh?”

“You don’t believe me? I’ll show you!”

We fired again, this time she hit the direct center. Mine was a bit to the right. She poked me. “Was that another fly?” She said giggling.

“Actually it was a wasp that time. Fire!”

I aimed for one of the middle rings, while she hit close to the center again. She shook her head. “Jonas, Jonas, Jonas. What am I going to do with you? Looks like the only way you can win now is if you hit the center and I miss the target.”

I laughed. “We’ll see about that. Ladies first.”

Right as she was pulling the trigger I poked her in the ribs and her shot completely missed. “Hey!” She screamed. “Cheater!”

“What do you mean? I was just standing here. It must’ve been the fly.”

“Oh really? Well, you're up smartass.”

I lifted my gun and aimed at the target. As I pulled the trigger, I felt Kayla’s lips on my cheek.

Chapter 11

It was the morning of my first reconnaissance mission. I didn’t get much sleep, I was too excited and a little nervous. I looked over at my clock. It was only quarter after five, my alarm wouldn't be going off for another fifteen minutes. I decided to get up, no point in trying to fall back asleep.

I got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, taking some from clothes and a towel. After my shower I went back to my room and sat in a corner and turned on the lamp. I picked up the booklet Mathius gave me and decided to read up a bit on the different power-ups so I would be able to recognize them when we were outside. Greg was stirring in his bed, then turned and looked over at me.

“Go back to sleep, bud, it’s only five thirty.” I whispered.

“I just wanted to say good-bye before you left.”

“Thanks. I won’t be gone for too long, only a few hours. I’ll be back before lunch.” I said walking over to him. I covered him in his blanket, then went back to the booklet. I continued reading until about five to six. I put the book down and walked out into the hallway. After a couple minutes I heard footsteps and saw Brother Mathius turn the corner.

“Good morning, Jonas. Are you ready for your first mission?”

“I am.”

“Great, let’s get moving. We still have to get suited up and you will be issued your weapon and armour.”

We walked to the armoury. Another Templar was getting suited up. Mathius went over and shook his hand. “Good morning, Brother Grimm.”

“Good morning, Brother Mathius and Brother Jonas. I checked the readings, there is a very low population of demons outside the gates. Optimal for training.”

“Excellent. Brother Jonas, here is your sword back.” Mathius said, handing me the Negotiator. He also picked up a pistol and a suit of armour. “These are yours as well. This is called a Vulcan Bolter. Put on the armour, the others should be here shortly.”

I was putting on the boots when Kayla and Harold came around the corner. “Good morning, Brothers. Are we ready to do some hunting?” Harold said.

We took turns exchanging handshakes with each other. I smiled at Kayla. Harold called her over and gave her the same equipment as mine, and she also got a sword. “This is a katana,” Harold explained. “This button on the side here causes the blade to light up in a blue flame. It uses up the fuel cell fairly quickly, so only use it during combat.” Kayla nodded.

The three Templars took a while to finish putting on their armour. It looked so heavy and bulky, I didn’t think they’d be able to move in it. Once they were finished, they picked up their gear and started moving out of the armoury. “Come Jonas and Kayla, it is time we get moving.”

We headed towards the elevator. There were two guards, and a man at a console. Brother Grimm walked over to him. “Training run for Jonas and Kayla.”

The man pressed some buttons on the screen. “Everything is in order. Permission to surface granted. Good luck.”

The doors to the elevator opened and we went inside. “Once on the surface, we must stick together. We don’t need any accidents. If you see something moving, let one of us know before firing. You two will fire first, and if the demon gets too close that is when we take over.”

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Brother Mathius spoke into his comlink. “Requesting deactivation of the security system at entrance alpha-2.”

“Request granted. Security system offline for five minutes, unless you say otherwise.”

“Thank you. I will let you know when we are clear.” Mathius turned towards us. “Alright, here we go. Remember your training and what we’ve told you.”

The three Templars move out of the door first. After a quick look around and Harold motions for us to follow. We were standing in an underground tunnel. There were fires burning everywhere, and quite a few dead demons. Grimm walked over to a ladder. “This is the way to the streets. I will go up first, followed by Mathius. Then Jonas and Kayla will go, followed lastly by Brother Harold. Everyone understand?”

We nodded our heads. Grimm began climbing the ladder. He reached the top and started removing the metal plate that covered the hole, and climbed up and out of the tunnel. After a few seconds he poked his head over the hole. “Clear.”

Brother Mathius started moving up the ladder. Once he was half-way up Kayla followed, then myself, then Harold. Everyone was now out on the streets. The scene was worse than I had imagined. Most of the buildings were either half gone or burning, and there were fissures of fire coming out of the streets all around us. Cars were flipped over and there were piles of rubble scattered throughout the streets.

Brother Grimm spoke into his comlink again. “Control, this is Brother Grimm. We are clear of the underground, you may re-activate the security system.”

A voice replied, sounding a bit static. “Security system online. Good luck with your mission.”

“Is there an objective we are trying to accomplish, or are we just looking for things to kill?” Kayla asked.

Brother Harold answered. “Yes, we do have an objective. There was a Panther transport vehicle heading towards the underground coming from Germany, but we received a distress call that they were under attack and required assistance. A squad was sent to reinforce them, and managed to defend the demon attack and returned with seven survivors. Our mission is to return to the Panther and search for equipment that was left behind, and to discover if the transport is beyond repair.”

“How far away is the transport?” I asked.

“It is located about six blocks away, so let’s get moving.” Brother Mathius said, quickening his pace.

I we walked I noticed that there was an increase in the amount of dead bodies everywhere. I decided to ignore it, and just keep walking. I could tell that Kayla noticed the same thing, as she was constantly pointing out the more gruesomely mangled bodies to me. “Wow, I wonder what happened to that guy’s head!” she said.

Brother Grimm turned quickly. “Quiet! You don’t want to wake them.”

“What do you mean, wake them?”

“Those are not corpses. They are necros, humans that died and were turned into the servants of the demons. They are not as dangerous as the demons themselves, but as you can see their strength comes in numbers. If anyone of them notice us, they would wake the others. Then we would be in big trouble.”

“Necros… Jesus. I’ll just shut up now, then.”

“That is a wise plan.”

We continued walking for another block when I saw something in the corner of my eye. It was only a slight movement but it was definitely movement. “Brother Harold, I saw some movement.”

“Where?”

“Over there, by that telephone booth.” I pointed to the left down one of the streets.

Brother Mathius turned and looked. “Are you sure you saw something?”

“It may have just been the wind, but there was def-” I stopped talking. A necro stood up and looked in our direction. It tilted it’s head like an animal, then started making some gurgling and growling noises.

“Ah fuck, it’s seen us. Shoot it quick before it wakes the others!” Grimm said.

I fired a shot and it struck the ugly bastard in the shoulder. I fired again, this time it hit in the chest.

Kayla started speaking. “Um guys, look!” She pointed down the street where we came from. There were a couple necros running towards us, and more were starting to stand up in the distance.

“Alright guys, here we go. Fire at will, but take your time and aim.” Brother Grim said.

Everyone started firing. I looked over to Mathius. “Aren’t we gonna radio for backup or anything?”

“It’s just necros, they won’t be a problem. Just keep firing!”

Grimm moved to the right side while Mathius moved to the left. Grimm was using a large gun that shot out a beam of lightning that burned through the necros quickly. I later learned that it was called a Zeus Rifle. Mathius was using a Tempest Rifle, which fired a ball of electricity that split into many balls, hitting two or the necros at a time.

Kayla and I were packing a punch with our Vulcan Bolters. They fired at a reasonably quick rate and the shots exploded on impact, sending the monsters limbs in every direction.

Brother Harold was using a large gun called the Viral Lance. It fired a stream of venom and poisons that would melt away the remaining flesh on the necros.

Even though we had killed about a hundred already, there were still many running at us.

“Go back to hell!” I yelled as I blew off one of their heads. Another was sliced in half by Grimm.

“Need a new battery. Cover me!” Mathius yelled. Brother Harold turned and concentrated most of his fire on the group closest to Mathius. The necros were now lower in number, but they were getting closer.

“Alright, unsheathe your swords.” Brother Grimm yelled. “There’s not many left. Charge!”

Brother Grimm and Mathius took out their swords and went in first. Grimm’s sword had an edge of fire while Mathius’ sword what glowing green with a poison edge. Brother Harold was wielding a Firebrand, which held a fuel tank and would cause the necros to explode when struck.

I went in with my Negotiator and it cut through them like butter. Kayla was just a few feet away with her blazing katana, slicing through necros like she’d been doing it for years.

Mathius finished the last of them off. “Well done guys. I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to take on an army of necros on your first time out, but you handled yourselves quite well.”

We started moving again. After about ten minutes I could see the smoking remains of the Panther in the distance.

Chapter 12 - Six months later

“Wake up Jonas! You don't want to be late for the briefing!” Kayla said as she pulled the blankets off me.

“What time is it?”

“Almost seven o'clock. Get up and get dressed already, I'll be waiting outside with Mathius.”

Kayla had moved into the same room as me a few months earlier, while Greg and Zack moved into her old room. Nothing really big has happen since we found the Panther six months back. After lot of recognisance missions, Kayla and I were able to save up quite a bit of money from stuff we’d found and were able to upgrade our equipment to the proper Templar armour and weapons. Today was to be a mission of great importance, and the briefing was in ten minutes. I got out of bed and through on some cloths.

“Good morning, Jonas. If you both are ready, let’s get going.” said Brother Mathius as I closed the door behind me.

“Any idea what this mission is all about?” I asked.

“I’m not quite sure. All I know is that it is of great importance to the resistance and that Jessica will be leading it. We will get all the information we need in the briefing.”

I could see many other Templars walking down the halls going towards the meeting room. Brother Harold and Brother Grimm saw us coming down the hall and waited for us.

“Good morning Brothers.” Said Mathius.

“Good morning, Mathius, Jonas, Kayla.” Harold said and he came up to us. “All ready for the mission?”

“I am! Quite excited actually, we haven’t done anything of great importance since we arrived.” Kayla said.

“That’s good,” said Grimm. “I have a feeling we are going to need all the help we need for this one.”

The meeting room was full of chattering Templars. Everyone was asking questions, only to be answered with a shrug or a “No idea.” After about five minutes, the door at the front of the room opened and the room fell silent. Two Templars walked, followed by Lyra and finally Jessica. She stood at the pedestal and flicked through some papers.

“Thank you all for coming. I know you are all anxious to find out what is going on, so I will get straight to the point. During one of the reconnaissance missions last week, one of our teams stumbled upon a portal. At first they mistook it for a small Hellgate, but realized it was something else. You can actually look inside these portals and see what is going on inside. According to the team, it is a great platform with a building in the center, and the whole area is a glowing red.”

“Inside is filled with demons, most of which are much larger than the demons we usually encounter. The elders and myself have feared that these portals, or Hellrifts, are small gateways that allow the demons to replenish their numbers, and the possibility they are using them to plan a large scale assault on the underground.”

“After we were told of these rifts, we had our top scientists develop a device to go inside the rift and detect whether or not humans can survive inside. As it stands right now, we are in fact able to enter unharmed, but only for a limited time. After a few minutes the Hellrift closes. We think that this is some kind of defence mechanism to protect the demons, but we are not entirely sure. If you are still inside the rift when the time runs out, you will be taken back to the place where you first entered the rift.”

“We have detected at least seven Hellrifts in the immediate area of our underground stations, so we will be splitting you all up into seven groups.” Jessica lifted one of the papers of the podium. “Brother Mathius. You will be teamed with Brother Harold, Brother Jonas, Sister Elizabeth, Brother Wallace, Sister Kayla, Brother Freeman, and Brother Thomas. The Hellrift you will be assigned to is on Queen Street. Brother Grimm, your team will include Brother Chris, Brother Sheppard…”

She continued naming off the teams. When she was finished there were five teams of eight Templars. “The last two Hellrifts will be dealt with by the Cabalists. They have asked that they would be allowed to be involved with this mission. You’re mission begins tomorrow morning at six am. When you are finished clearing out your assigned Hellrift, you will report back to the station with your finding. If you find any new, unknown equipment while inside, please report it to the armoury. After it has been inspected it will be returned to you. That is your mission, Brothers and Sisters, good luck.”

Everyone stood up and raised their hand in the air. “FOR THE LIVING!” was heard throughout the entire underground.

Chapter 13

“Alright everyone, keep your eyes peeled. We are nearing the Hellrift. We don’t want to get caught off guard.”

I nodded to Mathius. We had been walking for about an hour without any sign of demon activity.

“Alright, should be just around this corner.” He said, peeking his head around the side of the building. “Ok, I can see the portal. I don’t see any guards, but there is quite a bit of activity going on inside. At least twenty-five or so lesser demons, and quite a few necros. No sign of any greater demons at this point. Let’s get a closer look.”

Harold sprinted past, taking cover behind a corner on the other side of the street. Mathius waved Kayla and Freeman in, and I covered the read. Thomas and Wallace moved over to join up with Harold. Kayla and Freeman moved down the street, and Mathius and I followed behind. “Alright, hold here for a minute. Here is the plan. I will lob a grenade into the Hellrift. Once it goes off, Harold, Thomas and Wallace will move in first. Kayla and Freeman will go in next, followed by Jonas and me. We want to get this done as fast as possible, and try to keep them at a distance. I do not want to engage in melee unless it is absolutely necessary.”

Harold nodded. “Before we go in, do a quick equipment check to make sure everything is in order.” I checked over my weapon. I decided to take dual grenadiers today and blast the bastards to little pieces.

“Alright, everyone ready? Here we go.” Mathius whispered as he pulled a grenade from his belt. “Fire in the hole!” He tossed in the grenade. There was a loud explosion and the entrance of the Hellrift portal was engulfed in smoke. Harold went in first, followed by Thomas and Wallace. I could hear the gunshots echoing from inside. The last four of us jumped into the portal.

The first wave was already just a pile of corpses, and I could see many more demons and necros running towards us. I fired a couple rounds into a group of five necros, blowing limbs into the air. A finger smacked me right in the visor, leaving a bloody stain. Mathius chuckled, and went back to fighting.

After about thirty seconds I could feel the ground starting to tremble. I looked over towards the great spire in the distance and could see a very large demon walking in our direction, surrounded by about fifty lesser demons. I tapped Mathius’ shoulder and pointed towards them. “Here they come.”

The large demon had a huge sword, so heavy it couldn’t even carry it, he had to drag it along the ground behind him. His body and head were covered in spikes, some of them shooting flames out of the ends. He also had a thick tail with a ball of spikes and flames on the end.

Some static came came over the radio. It was hard to make out, but a few words came in clear enough to understand. “-- Knights ----eturn----base----diately! I ---peat----get back here now!”

Mathius looked over. “You heard the man, lets get moving!” I fired a couple more shots into the oncoming crowd and turned to run. Once we were all outside the rift, Harold and Freeman took some large explosives out of Thomas's backpack.

“You guys are going to want to stand back.” Harold said as they both pressed the button on the charges and tossed them into the rift. There was a huge blast with flames and debris shooting out. Shortly after the hellrift began to close.

Mathius picked up the radio. “Command, please repeat last order.”

“All Knights get back to base immediately.” It was clear now that were were out of the rift. “The Hellrifts were a diversion to spread out our forces. The main base is under heavy attack. Everyone muct get back immediate----.” The radio got cut off, and all that could be heard was static.

“Alright Knights, this is still a hotzone, but we have to get back to base as quickly as possible. Keep your eyes peeled and just run.” When we were about five blocks away from the base we could hear the turret gunfire, as well as the screams and growls of many demons. Lesser demons and some necros were runnning around the streets, while the larger ones were trying to get close to the defence systems. I could see the bodies of many templars lying on the ground.

We stopped near the edge of a nearby building. “Alright, here's the plan. Jonas, Wallace and Freeman, you hit that small group of carnagors by the south-east turret. Elizabeth, Harold and Thomas, you focus on the lesser demons, keep them off our backs. Kayla and I will try to head to the doors and clear away any demons trying to breach the underground. Move out!”

Wallace led us around the building. There were four large carnagors trying to get close to the turret, but it was holding them at bay for now. “Alright, here's how it's going to go. Everyone, take out a gernade and toss it into the center of the group. They should be daze for a couple seconds, and that is when we attack. First fire any heavy weapons you have to do some damage, then we will go in and do some real damage with melee. Stay sharp, and don't do anything stupid.”

I grabbed a nade off my belt. “On three. One. two...”

Just as we were about to throw our nades there was a huge explosion, followed by gunshots coming from almost every direction. Almost of of the lesser demons were killed off instantly. We had no idea what was going on. I looked over to where some rockets were just fired from to see a small group of men just inside of a building. Freeman tapped my shoulder and pointed to my left where there was another group of men carrying large guns and firing randomly into the hordes of demons.

Altogether I could see at least fifteen squads of both lightly and heavily armoured gunman coming out from every angle. It looked to be about 150 men altogether. A group of them ran over to our position.

“Looks like we got here just in time.” One of them said to me. “We heard your distress calls over the radio, and just headed towards the sound of gunfire. We didn't think anyone else was able to stay alive out here.”

Wallace put his hand on the man's shoulder. “You have our gratitude. If I may ask, who are you and how did you get to London?”

“We are members of the elite. Special Forces, government agencies, spies, assassins... And we come from all over. Once the demons invaded, there was no point in fighting each other anymore. We can talk about this once the battle is over. You can just call us Demon Hunters.”