The DOOM Chronicles

Chapter 44: The Abandoned Mines

"Dammit, I wish we could get the chainguns off these bastards," he muttered, kicking the nearest one as the others joined him.

"If we had more time, maybe we could," Cortez replied.

"It may come to that, I don't have that much ammo left to play with," Jennifer said.

"Same," Hollenshead said.

Jack led them down the stairs and came to a crossroads. The hallway continued ahead of them and broke off into two more to the left and right. He checked their options. To the right was what appeared to be a larger room with a narrow path. Given the narrow paths he'd had to put up with recently, he chose to ignore it for now. Dead ahead seemed the most inviting, leading to a door that appeared to let out into a room he could mostly make out through the iron bar walls. Unfortunately, though, it looked basically like a strip of walkway tucked up against the walls, and ninety percent of the floor was missing, replaced by more acid ten feet down.

Perhaps inviting was the wrong word.

The left path just terminated in a door with red trim.

"All right, looks like-" Jack began, but was cut off by a muffled shout and the roar of gunfire. Another survivor! Jack cursed himself for not trying his radio again immediately, he really was starting to lose it, and activated his radio. "This is Ward, can anyone hear me!?"

"Ward!? Oh shit, I need help!" It was Sergeant Abrash. "I'm in a room with a fucking goat demon bastard! Shit! He's coming for me! I'm running out of ammo!"

"We're coming!" Jack looked around. "Find that fucking red key!" he said.

"Hurry!" Abrash pleaded. Something roared and more gunfire sounded.

"There!" Cortez shouted, pointing through the bars that looked onto the room with most of its floor missing. Jack looked again and saw it: in the corner was a red skull-key, laying on the floor.

"Hollenshead, Jennifer, get down there and get ready! Cortez, watch my six!" Jack said, and then took off. Time, suddenly there was no time.

He raced down the short corridor and hesitated briefly as he became aware of another alcove, this one mostly in shadows, to his immediate left, just before the entrance to the next room. An Imp roared and appeared as it tried to throw a fireball his way. He cut it down with gunfire, and did the same with another Imp behind it, then raced into the room. The path was narrow but not terribly so. He hurried down it, keeping an eye out for hostiles, but the place seemed otherwise clear. As he got to the corner and snatched up the key, he heard a shriek from nearby. An Imp had appeared at the other on the ledge he was on.

Cortez opened fire through the bars, killing it.

Abrash yelled over the radio. "Hurry! I'm out of ammo! It's coming for me!"

He sounded panicked in a way Jack hadn't yet heard from the man.

"We're coming! I've got the key!" Jack shouted as he raced back and rejoined Cortez. Another Imp suddenly leaped from the shadows as he tried to pass the darkened alcove and grabbed him. Jack screamed in fury. "Fuck off!" he roared as he grabbed the Imp and smashed its head into the nearby wall. He repeated the action twice more in rapid succession and something cracked wetly as its skull caved in. "Let's go!" he snapped, dropping it.

The two Marines raced off, joining Hollenshead and Jennifer, who were anxious and ready to rush in and help.

"Clear the way!" Jack yelled as he ran full tilt down the passageway. He got to the door and skidded to a halt, looking around frantically. Abrash was still screaming. "Where's the fucking slot!?" he cried.