The Book of Doom - By Barry Hutchison Page 0,78

you’re not a demon, either. You’re exactly like everyone.” He stared deep into the fireballs that were Angelo’s eyes. “The one good thing they did for you up there was give you those Hulk comics. Everyone thinks the Hulk’s a monster, but he isn’t. That’s what you said. All he wants is for people to stop trying to hurt him. All he wants is a friend. Right? Just like you, Angelo. Just like you. That’s why you love the Hulk, Angelo. You are the Hulk.”

Angelo’s breaths were coming more slowly now. The angry scowl on his face had relaxed just a fraction.

“Enough!” boomed Haures from down by the fallen giant’s knees. The demon duke raised both hands and fire flew from his fingertips. Pain contorted Angelo’s face again, and as the pain faded it was replaced by something savage. His eyes fixed on Zac. His mouth pulled into a snarl. A voice like a tropical storm roared out from within him.

“Angelo smash!”

He began to sit up, and Zac was forced to grab on to one of his tusks to stop himself tumbling to the floor.

“Yes!” bellowed Haures, dancing backwards. “Kill him. Kill the human! Kill him now!”

Zac had one chance. He gave the water gun a shake and listened to the liquid sloshing around inside it. There was a litre of the stuff left, possibly less. Even if it did work, would it be enough?

Angelo began to stand. Dangling from his tusk, Zac fired every last drop of the holy water into the demon’s mouth. There was a sizzle, but a faint one. Angelo stopped rising. He looked past his nose to where Zac hung. He raised his eyebrows. And then he licked his lips.

“M-more,” slurred Angelo, and the breath felt to Zac as if an oven door had been opened right in front of his face. He remembered the pistols in his waistband, thought about emptying the water into the mouth, then decided just to toss the guns in themselves. They cracked between Angelo’s teeth, then he gave a low moan of satisfaction as the blessed liquid trickled down his throat.

“Y-yuummeeee...”

“That’s it,” Zac said. “Remember. Remember who you are, Angelo. Remember who you are.”

“S-s-scrummeee...”

Zac finished the sentence for him. “In your tummy.”

“What are you doing?” Haures roared. He raised his hands again and his fingers glowed white-hot. “Whatever it is, stop or I’ll—”

CRUNCH!

Angelo’s tail sent him hurtling through the air again. This time Haures didn’t laugh as he thudded against the far wall and slid down on to the floor.

“Z-zaaac,” mumbled Angelo, his brow creasing as he struggled to form the word. Zac almost cheered.

“Yes! It’s me!” he said. “Can you... can you understand me?”

Quaking with the effort, Angelo nodded his head. The jerky movement almost made Zac lose his grip, but he wrapped his other arm round the tusk and swung himself up on to Angelo’s scaly shoulder.

He glanced down at what was left of the room. Over in the far corner, Haures was getting shakily back to his feet. “Want to get out of here?” Zac asked.

Angelo nodded again. He stood up, then squatted down low. “Yssss,” he said, and then his legs straightened and his hands reached up and together they tore through the ceiling of the tenth circle of Hell.

AC TUCKED HIMSELF in behind the Angelo-demon’s head as a chunk of the ceiling collapsed around them. The clanging of the alarm bell and the yelps of panic from the demons above rushed down to meet them, and Zac felt Angelo’s muscles tense in panic.

“Ignore it,” he said. “They can’t hurt you. Just get us out of here.”

Angelo pulled himself through the hole he had created and they emerged on to the zigzag carpet beside the fountain of blood. The nine circles of Hell stretched up above them. From down there, the first circle seemed an impossible distance away.

At least, it did to Zac. Angelo was already on the move. He crouched down low again and his legs fired like pistons, propelling them upwards. His huge hands reached out, smashed through the frosted-glass barrier, then caught hold of the edge of the seventh circle. The demons on that floor screamed and scurried for safety as Angelo reached a hand up to the sixth circle and began to climb.

“Stop them!” commanded a voice over the Tannoy system. Zac recognised the tones of the Dark Lord himself. He did not sound impressed. “The specimen must not be permitted to escape. Whoever stops them will be given the human