Doom: Hell's End

Chapter 5 - The Search

Sniper immediately scrambled to his feet and ran outside to see where Pyro was going. When he got past the rusting doorway, he was plunged into complete darkness. Despite being unable to see, the Aussie heard the sound of boots loudly impacting the metal floor. The sound seemed to be coming from the left hallway.

"Pyro's headed down the left corridor!" Sniper shouted to Medic, no longer trying to keep his voice down. "Grab yah weapons Doc, we gotta go help Pyro!"

Sniper scrambled into his section of the room and frantically began gathering his things. He attached his trusty kukri and SMG to his belt and went about getting his rifle. Working for years as a mercenary meant that he'd acquired quite the arsenal of weapons from Mann Co., some of which were...less conventional than others. He slung his old rifle over his shoulder and grabbed a few dozen rounds to go along with it. 

Emerging from his room, he saw Medic waiting silently at the hideout's entrance. The German had his medigun with him, as well as his so-called "Crusader's Crossbow". When Sniper joined him at the entrance, Medic pulled the door shut behind them.

"Lead zhe vay Bushman," Medic said, handing him a flashlight.

Sniper began moving down the left hallway where he had last heard Pyro running, Medic following close behind him. He soon realized the rinky-dink flashlight was utterly useless in the suffocating darkness. It was going to be a very long search.

An unknown amount of time later...

BANG! The last surviving Imp didn't even get a chance to scream as its head exploded into a thin red mist. This was the third group of demons they'd encountered, and like the other two, those things didn't stand a chance. 

"Next time, explore zhe base razher zhan sitting on your arsch all day. Maybe zhen we vouldn't be so lost right now," Medic sarcastically remarked as he pulled out a syringe embedded in a Hell Knight's eye socket.

Sniper rolled his eyes. "I'm keepin' watch up there while yer down here experimentin' with God knows what!"

"Zhe UAC told me to assist zheir scientists with experiments, so don't blame me for doing mein job." 

The two were still looking for Pyro, but still hadn't seen the pyromaniac. The only indication that they were even on the right path were the charred bodies of demons. When they'd first started looking, there were only a few burnt corpses. As they searched for longer and longer, more charred remains turned up in the corridors.

The duo continued further down the hallway, looking for signs as to where Pyro had gone. They had considered calling out for Pyro as they walked, but they had to cut down on the yelling as a result of monsters constantly swarming their location.

This time however, Sniper heard giggles echoing back down the corridor. He picked up his pace, Medic following closely behind him. They suddenly ran into another split in the hallway.

"Where are ya' Pyro?!?" Sniper called out once again.

He heard more giddy giggles and turned right to see a burst of flames. The fire illuminated a very excited Pyro, along with multiple dark shapes lashing out at them. Must be a bunch of tentacles.

"Alright, come on Doc!"

As Medic rushed into the fray with his Medigun, Sniper took aim with his rifle. The flames provided just enough light for him to see. When a tentacle broke through the ceiling and attempted to grab hold of Pyro's flamethrower, Sniper pulled the trigger. BANG! The loud gunshot echoed down the hallway. The creature let out a high-pitched screech as it retracted back into the ceiling.

A torrent of blood fell from the ceiling, drenching Pyro and Medic. Another tentacle lashed out, trying to impale Medic with its sharp edge. Sniper pulled back the handle, ejecting the shell casing and loading another round into his rifle. BANG! The creature screeched again as another shot penetrated its flesh. To add insult to injury, Medic turned around and stabbed the tentacle with his bonesaw. He laughed maniacally as he grabbed the tentacle with his free hand and ripped it in half.

"Ha! Take zhat you dämon!" 

Tossing the limp tentacle aside, he went back to healing Pyro. The duo burned their way further down the hallway while Sniper picked off any surviving tentacles. As he looked through his scope, Sniper heard a loud roar emanating from the darkness behind him. He didn't react in time before a Hell Knight slammed into his back, sending the marksman flying in the opposite direction. 

"Vhat was zhat noi-," Medic asked as he turned to look at the commotion. "AHHH SCHEIßE!!!"

Sniper was in agonizing pain as he watched the Hell Knight charge at Medic. At the last moment, the doctor pointed his saw at the demon, letting it impale itself. The creature stumbled back, allowing Medic to heal Sniper as Pyro ran towards the wounded Hell Knight.

The pyromaniac flipped a switch on the Phlogistinator, making the weapon glow red as massive amounts of electricity coursed through it. Pyro taunted the wounded demon, proudly showing off the flamethrower above their head. When Pyro was finished, they unleashed a torrent of fire at the demon.

The Hell Knight screamed in agony as its body began to disintegrate from the Phlogistinator's flames. It tried to attack Pyro, but its arms turned into ash whenever the fire washed over it. The creature was reduced to nothing in a matter of seconds. Sniper almost felt sad for the beast.

"Thanks Doc," he said when Medic finished healing him.

"You're velcome, mein friend."

The trio continued advancing down the hallway, destroying all in their way. Pyro's Phlogistinator disintegrated any creatures in its path. Even the corridor began to melt from the extreme heat. Eventually, they made their way into the power plant. 

They were standing on top of a long catwalk which lead to a central tower that loomed over them. There were several jagged holes carved into the exterior walls, with flesh tendrils emerging from the darkness. Below them was a massive pit full of hot magma. 

"So Pyro, ya mind tellin' us why ya ran off like that?" Sniper asked. 

The pyromaniac looked at Sniper for a moment, before pointing to something behind him. Looking around, he saw a familiar hard hat wearing Texan approaching them. Engineer was wearing his usual brown overalls and heavy workpants. A pair of black goggles still hid his eyes.

"Guess I'm a lil' late to the party, huh?" he remarked. "Sorry 'bout that, had to kill some demons on the way here."

Remember when I said I would update more frequently after getting my shit together? Turns out I didn't have my shit together. Sorry for another long wait. I'll try to not take this long to update next time.