Sam still felt elated that Joshua had decided to come with him. It was the first time that he’d ever felt like he had a friend. He hadn’t realized how lonely he was; just being here in Black Ridge with other humans who accepted him was fantastic. But now that he had Josh, he felt like anything was possible.
There was no moon tonight. Sam felt relieved by that. It wasn’t often that the blood moon was hidden by the swirling clouds. It would have almost been pleasant outside, listening to the wind rustling in amongst the half-dead trees, if it wasn’t for the impending threat of a demon attack.
Glimpsed through the swaying limbs of the surrounding trees, Sam could just make out the killing ground, now brightly lit by arc light. Above the area, he caught fleeting shapes dancing in the warm upswells of air. One of them swept lower, revealing the massive form of an Astaroth swooping low over the trees. “Not long now,” he said.
No sooner had the words left his lips than he saw the first wave of Lemure surge through the outer tree line, heading directly towards the palisade. His heart sank as he saw a group of horned demons, towering amongst their lesser brethren. The survivors of Black Ridge had their work cut out for them this night.
He and Joshua had positioned themselves carefully so that they had a clear line of sight to where Adam waited on the fighting platform. As the defenders opened up with their heavy machine guns, Adam turned in his direction and waved. The signal.
“Hit it,” said Sam.
Joshua turned the key on the jeep. A juddering, coughing sound emerged from the engine and then nothing.
“Try it again.”
Joshua turned it again. This time, with a splutter and then a great roar as the engine burst into life. Josh gunned it and they took off. They got about ten feet before they jerked to an abrupt halt. In the dim light, Sam could make out the trunk of a tree in front of them.
“Turn on the lights,” Sam ordered.
“Yeah, yeah,” said Joshua testily. He hit the lights, suddenly bathing the bare limbs of tree trunks in a wash of stark illumination. He reversed quickly and then accelerated down the dirt track.
Sam felt rather than saw some of the Lemure and other demons suddenly swerve from their attack on the palisade and head in their direction. Adam’s plan was working. They were drawing at least some of the attackers off.
Joshua drove on, far too quickly for the pock-marked dirt trail. The jeep bounced and juddered along, almost throwing Sam out. He had to release his grip on his longer sword just to hang on. To call what they were on a track or trail was an exaggeration. It was just a thin line of clear space in between the trees, still heavily overgrown. It had seen some traffic though — Sam could see tyre marks which Joshua was using to navigate.
“Take it easy!” he shouted over the roar of the engine.
“If you want to drive, be my guest,” yelled Josh.
“I don’t know how,” Sam admitted.
Josh took his eyes off the track for a second to give Sam an astounded glance. When he looked back, a massive shape had materialized in front of the jeep, blocking the path. It was a horned demon, easily recognisable in the glare of the jeep’s headlights. If they hit that, the vehicle was definitely going to come off second best.
“Look out!” screamed Sam.
Josh swerved violently, veering off the path, missing two trees by a hair’s breadth. As Josh fought the wheel with the jeep hurtling amongst the trees, Sam noticed other things in the forest with them. Lemure. Tens, if not hundreds of them, scurrying out of the path of the hateful light. A group of them were too slow and Josh rammed into them, sending demon bodies flying over the bonnet. Some disappeared immediately, raining ash down on the two boys. The others landed behind the jeep. Sam risked a glance behind him and was horrified to see them lurching back onto their feet and chasing the jeep again.
Yet more Lemure reached for him as they raced past. He struck out with his wakizashi, feeling the satisfying sensation of his blade cutting deep. He severed several clutching hands, leaving them twitching on the forest floor behind the racing jeep.
Josh swerved again and suddenly they were back on the path.
“Nicely done,” he yelled.
Josh nodded, but didn’t risk glancing in Sam’s direction. He’d learnt his lesson.
They charged along the path. Sam could sense the Lemure struggling to keep pace beside the vehicle. When he stared back down the path, he could see the horned demon lumbering after them. With its thick, powerful legs, it wasn’t built for speed. Soon, they had left it far behind.
Sam was impressed. So far the plan had gone off almost without a hitch. He started to relax, thinking they were in the clear when, without warning, the jeep shuddered under an immense blow. The whole front of the vehicle lunged upwards and began to slow as only the rear wheels got any traction with the ground.
Gulping, Sam grabbed his katana and turned, knowing all too well what he would find perched on the back on the jeep. He wasn’t disappointed. It was an Astaroth. Somehow, the massive demon had avoided the branches overhead and managed to land itself directly on the back of their jeep. Its huge weight was what was forcing the front up like the prow of a ship on a stormy sea.
The jeep was only crawling along now, struggling to move with such a load on the back. That was fortunate for Sam. It meant that he was able to keep his balance while he stood and confronted the creature with both blades.
The Astaroth was forced to duck continuously as low branches threatened to sweep it off the back of the jeep. Slightly off balance, it could only swing with two of its four blades at once. Somehow, he managed to block both thrusting swords. The impact left his arms numb and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. He’d defeated an Astaroth before, but using the same trick in these circumstances was completely out of the question.
“If you’re going to do something, now would be good,” he yelled at Joshua. The other boy didn’t have to be told twice. He knew something was on the back of the jeep and from the sound of Sam’s voice, knew that it wasn’t good.
Joshua swerved again. The manoeuvre done at speed would have effectively thrown the Astaroth (and probably Sam) off the jeep. Unfortunately, the crawling pace of the jeep caused only a minor inconvenience for the great demon. It shuffled its weight but stayed firmly rooted.
“Do something else,” yelled Sam again, desperately blocking another attack.
“I’m trying,” Joshua yelled back.
Joshua picked a spot between the trees. Sam knew it would be close but right now, they had no other options. The jeep scraped the sides of both trees as they squeezed through. The Astaroth wasn’t so lucky. For some reason, it had not furled its wings. As a result, they were jutting out like sails on a ship. Both wings clipped the trees and yanked it back. It fell off the jeep with a mighty thud.
With its huge weight no longer an issue, the front wheels of the jeep finally touched the ground again. The jeep surged forward, throwing Sam off balance. His katana flew out of his hand, over the side and into the undergrowth.
“Stop!” yelled Sam.
“No chance,” Joshua replied grimly.
“You have to,” Sam yelled again. “Without both swords, we’re history.”
Joshua sighed deeply and turned the wheel. The jeep roared through the trees and back onto the path. Again. The Astaroth was standing in the middle of the path facing in their direction, its gleaming red eyes fixed on them. Josh swerved to the left, taking them off the path. Once he was past the Astaroth, Joshua jerked the wheel to the right. The Astaroth was just turning as they hurtled past it and back towards the trees where they’d just been. Sam felt the swish of the demon’s blades narrowly miss his head as they swept past.
Joshua gunned the jeep through the narrow opening in the trees again. As he did, Sam reached down over the low side of the vehicle, praying that he remembered the exact spot correctly. A second later, he sat upright, grinning triumphantly, his katana once again in his hand.