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Lines of Shadow: Sequel to Somewhere Between	By : AceMaxwell Category: G through L > Hellboy Views: 4118 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hellboy or any related character and make no money off this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prophecies
- 2-Reunion
- 3-Artifact
- 4-Inferno
- 5-Flightless
- 6-Valhalla
- 7-Fate
- 8-Broken
- 9-Seduction
- 10-Unleashed
- 11-Traitor
- 12-Overrun
- 13-Vows
- 14-Escape
- 15-War
- 16-Humanity
- 17-Ragnarok
- 18-Judgment
- 10
- 11
- 12
- John

I stare across the East River at Manhattan, trying to ignore the piercing human screams that carry across the water. There's a terrible orange glow coming from between the buildings. It's the same kind of fire I saw in hell. The smoke curling out of the city doesn't drift and dissipate like smoke from a campfire. It's almost like a living thing. As we watch, it spreads in thick, greasy tendrils across the sky, blotting out the sun. Within a few hours, I suspect that the city will be completely shrouded in darkness. Shadows are creeping across the buildings already.

Abe and I are on the Brooklyn side of the river, between the Manhattan Bride and the Brooklyn Bridge. Both have a small handful of people sprinting across them. I'm horrified that there aren't more. The demons fell upon the city so suddenly that no one could get away.

The only other signs of survivors are a few ferries making a slow trek across the river. One is mostly empty, the few people on board clustered at the front of the ship in shivering groups. Another ferry is on fire, burning as it drifts listlessly across the harbor. I look away when I realize that there are bodies writhing in the inferno.

Beside me, Blue is muttering under his breath. From the few words I catch, I think he's reciting an Old Catholic chant for bringing peace to souls who died in battle. I doubt it'll help the millions of people dying on the island, but I finish the chant with him in a whisper. If there's some chance it might do some good, then it's better to say it than to stand in silence.

On the roof of the building directly behind us, Athena is barking out orders at every deity that shows up. So far, she has some Hindu warlords collapsing the Holland Tunnel, a few of her own siblings making rubble out of the east side bridges, and an extremely terrifying god with black eyes called Ek Chuah wreaking havoc on the Lincoln Tunnel.

If we can destroy all the pathways out of the island, we might be able to keep the hellish hoard isolated. So far, we haven't seen anything with wings taking off from the island except for the handful of deities who are brave enough to try and rescue the humans they can. I want to help them, but Athena said she had something for me to do, so I'm just twiddling my thumbs while people are getting ripped to shreds. My stomach is rolling at the very idea.

I turn away from the view of Manhattan's skyline, muttering, "I can't stand this."

"It's going to change everything," Abe says with certainty.

I don't ask. With Abe, I don't have to so I've stopped voicing unnecessary statements around him. I just look to him for the answer.

"There is no way that mankind can continue to deny our existence. There will be no need to hide, no need to scurry around in the dark. The Bureau will be able to acknowledge our work."

"Honestly Abe, I wouldn't be surprised if people decided that everything outside of their norm should be hunted and destroyed. We could be looking at a twenty-first century witch hunt."

He gets quiet at my words, accepting the idea with a slight nod. After a few moments, he admits, "That is a very real possibility."

I'm much too agitated to keep standing here. I pull out my wings and flex them a little. "Do you want a ride up?" I ask Abe, motioning at the top of the boutique Athena is operating on.

Blue hums and shakes his head, "No, I believe I would prefer the stairs."

"Alright."

Flapping my wings quickly, I manage to get enough lift to rise to the top of the three-story building. From a dead start, it's not easy. I barely rest the balls of my feet on the stone railing of the roof, wanting to be sure of my footing before I fold my wings. I may run off of the really good lessons Freya pushed into my head, but it doesn't mean I'm absolutely certain I'm not going to crash and die. She told me my confidence would grow as time went on. I hope she's right.

Athena glances over at me, finishing up with a blonde god that has a sun emblazoned on the chest of his armor, "Sink only the boats with demonic occupants. Save what humans you can."

He nods at her orders and runs to the edge of the roof and leaps off. For a split second, my breath catches in my throat when the idea passes through me that he's going to be a smear on the sidewalk. He reappears on top of a stag with wings of fire, darting for the horizon. I could place him in his proper religion if I though hard enough about it, but I've met enough gods in the last few days to last me a lifetime.

"Athena, I need something to do," I'm practically pleading.

As I ask, Anubis steps out of the dark shadows on the west side of a shed. He comes over to Athena, reporting, "All but two of the bridges have been handled."

"Good, good. What about the tunnels?"

"Athena-" I start again.

She holds a finger out to me like I'm a young child interrupting mommy's important discussion. I arch my brow at the act, my mouth setting into a tight line. I know I'm not a god, but don't I deserve at least a little respect?

Without acknowledging me, Athena reminds Anubis, "Tunnels?"

His eyes flick to me. He's clearly debating whether or not to say something about it, but I shake my head minutely. Instead, he answers Athena, "One is completely collapsed. Another is mostly blocked and they're evacuating a few survivors out of the last tunnel."

"Excellent."

"Athena-" I press.

She actually shushes me. A low growl slides out of my throat. My wolf still makes appearances from time to time, but only when I'm pissed.

Blue comes out of the stairwell, the door banging loudly behind him. "Ah, Anubis, good you are here. I need you to take me back to BPRD headquarters so I can speak to our director. I need to bring him up to speed."

Eyes flicking around like the pendulum on a clock, Anubis breaks away from Athena and me, "Glad to."

I glare at Athena as they leave, "I'm not a lawn ornament. I'm not a child. I need something to do."

"As soon as someone with enough power to destroy the-" She's motioning behind us at the Manhattan bridge when a swirl of snow materialized on the roof.

It's hot enough here that the snow melts almost as soon as it forms and Odin appears in the center of a slush storm. Athena cocks her hip to one side and plants her hand on it. Her expression enough to melt whatever snow is left. Her shouting is worse.

"The call to arms was sent out an HOUR ago! Where were you, feeding your mongrel bitches?"

Odin isn't fazed by her temper. He waves his hand with a snort, "Your messenger saved me for last. Hardly my problem."

"It is your problem! We could've used your help from the beginning, you lazy, overgrown bear."

My annoyance mounts as they start arguing. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to control myself. My power pulses at the base of my ribcage, just like the wolf used to do. It crawls up my insides as a slow burning fire, begging to rip down my arms in the form of some kind of attack. Their argument seems so damn petty. Human screams still reach us from across the river, stretching my patience to its breaking point.

I separate them and a pulse of white light explodes from my hands, making them both stumble back several steps. I don't think it hurt either of them, but it's enough to get their attention.

"Shut up! We still have to bridges left to demolish! If we don't act quickly, this bank is going to be swarming with demons so get your shit together!" I'm surprised by my ferocity, but they're stunned.

"The mouse has a voice," Odin mutters even as he's nodding to my words. "You're right. We must act in haste. Take me to the bridge. I will need your wings once it's destroyed."

Several blue-skinned deities appear on the other side of the roof and Athena goes to greet them. As she walks away, she leaves me with a hell of a glare.

"Why do you need my wings? Why don't you just do that snow-transport thing?"

Odin clears his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. "It's not very exact. If I'm moving, I have to time things perfectly."

"It's just easier to get a ride," I conclude for him.

I hope I can carry him. Besides my offer to Abe, I haven't tried to carry anything but myself and Odin is a very big man. He can't weigh as much as HB, but he's just as tall and almost as bulky. It's not really my wings I'm worried about. I doubt I can hold his weight at all. I'm a far cry from being a power lifter. My time at the gym is usually spent running on the treadmill.

My indecision must've been obvious on my face because Odin says, "Just take off and give me your hands. I'll do the rest."

I follow his instruction, holding out both arms to him once I'm in the air. He clasps my forearms up almost at my elbows. Instinctively, I tighten my grip on his arms too, even though I can't get my fingers all the way around them. Taking off with him is not as hard as I was expecting, but it's no cakewalk either. I'm going to be very winded by the time I get to our destination.

I fly low, just in case I lose Odin somehow. The land falls away beneath us, melting into the river in moments. I keep my gaze on the bridge because heights still make me a little queasy.

West of us, there's a spec I think is a god hovering over the Brooklyn Bridge. The water beneath the bridge seems to detonate and rush upwards with a sound like thunder. I watch with wide eyes as the water takes the shape of a gigantic hand that grabs the suspension bridge in the middle.

At first, nothing happens, then the cables start ripping out of the base with whip-like cracks. The structure groans as the water pulls at it. When it doesn't budge, other hands rise up out of the river. They smash into the supports in waves, more generating as the old ones hit in massive splashes. The bridge finally gives way under the onslaught, crumbling into the river. Abandoned cars tumble off the surface, looking like a kid's Hot Wheels set from this distance.

I flap hard as we get closer to the Manhattan Bridge. My muscles twitch and spasm from the strain of it. We barely crest the side. Odin has to lift his feet up so they don't smack into the concrete barrier.

I tuck my wings to get between the suspension cords and lose altitude fast. I let him go over the road. My landing is not particularly smooth. Going way too fast to get my footing, I stumble as I touch the ground. I end up tripping and falling into a head over heels roll that only stops when I slam into the median.

Odin's chuckle doesn't help ease my embarrassment any, "You have to start somewhere, but you have a long way to go, little angel."

I grumble as I shake off my new aches. Climbing to my feet, I readjust HB's massive jacket on my shoulders and look around for anything that might've fallen out of the pockets. There's a little silver disk that might be something. I scoop it up and shove it into one of the inside pockets, just to be safe. Pressing my hand to my chest to make sure Red's ring is still there, I walk over to Odin.

"Always let me go before you try to land," he says jokingly.

"Yeah, thanks. What's the plan?"

He scans the massive structure, his good eye playing over the double-decker road full of empty cars and the subway tracks cutting through the middle of the lanes. "I believe I need the hammer for this."

"A hammer?" I can't keep the uncertain edge out of my voice. He really thinks he can tear down a landmark that has survived hundreds of years with nothing but a hammer?

Odin lifts his hand into the air and a thunderbolt splits the clear sky. There's not a cloud it could've come from for miles. Not even the smoke from the city has spread this far yet. I probably look like an idiot, but I duck because the bolt comes straight for us. Logically, I know ducking won't save me from millions of volts of electricity, but I can't deny the baser instinct that also says I should be afraid of heights and things with big teeth. It's there to keep me alive, so I typically like to listen to it.

Pretty sure, "Holy SHIT!" comes out of my mouth, but it's hard to hear over the searing, crackling sound the bolt of lightning makes.

A breath later and the lightning is gone and Odin is holding a hammer with a head the size of a cinder block. It looks like it could weigh two hundred pounds easily. The sides of the stone head are covered in carvings that are clearly symbols of power. A faint glow is fading from the edges, probably from being super-heated by the bolt that delivered it.

"Not just a hammer," Odin states proudly. "Mjölnir, hammer of Thor, my son."

"Do even godly parents do that? Borrowing their kid's stuff without permission?"

He either doesn't catch, or doesn't get my joke. "The hammer is mine to wield when I require it. He is aware of this."

"Never mind," I sigh.

Hellboy would've laughed.

That thought sends my heart into a panicked flutter. I look back towards the city, pain tightening in my chest and making my eyes sting. The pain is quickly replaced by fear when I realize that a long tendril of smoke is snaking its way above the bridge. Shadows as black as the abyss crawl over the first support arch, licking down the suspension wires and swallowing every car they come to. It looks like a wall of heavy rain graying out everything.

"You will need to take to the air and be ready to catch me. Only one strike of Mjölnir will be required to bring this structure-"

"Look. What is that?"

There's something moving in the gloom, just behind the line of hungry shadows. I cup one hand and shield my eyes from the sun, trying to peer into the shadows. There are hundreds of shapes with glowing eyes coming towards us. The little shapes are clustered around a very large mass that sways back and forth as it walks. Faintly, I can hear the boom of its tread. Sitting on top of the mass is a figure that is illuminated by a ball of fire perched between his horns. My stomach knots at the sight.

"Hellboy," I breathe.

As the army gets closer, I can see them more clearly despite the haze of darkness they bring with them. The thing Red is riding on looks like a dinosaur that crawled out of a volcano and hasn't quite stopped burning. Its massive head swings low to the ground, liquid fire dripping onto the concrete from the empty orbits where its eyes should be. It leaves gouges where its blunt claws scrape across the road, its lizard-like arms and legs so thick with muscle that it must have a hard time lifting its feet too high.

There's a black, metal chain hooked behind its ragged teeth, the ends wrapped around Hellboy's stone hand two or three times. His flesh hand is gripping the sword of Lucifer, holding it across his lap. He's seated up high between the monster's shoulder blades. The position puts him at least ten feet above all of his… soldiers, I guess they are. His yellow eyes burn almost as brightly as his mount's eyes, steam drifting from his nose and mouth like he's a living furnace.

Those eyes fix on me and I swallow to try and get some spit down my very dry throat. God, what's happened to him? I see no trace of my lover in his hard gaze. The swirls of blood have dried on his skin without cracking, almost like a tattoo.

The markings ripple over his bare chest as he dismounts. Demons scatter out of his way and he steps to the edge of the shadows and stops, staring at me. His tail curls and twists behind him like a snake. I know that means he's agitated. I swallow again since my throat is still so parched. It doesn't help.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Odin lifting that massive hammer. Emotions rush through me, but only one wins out. I run to him, throwing my arms up with a frantic, "No, don't!" I grab his bicep like I could stop him. "Please don't! He can't swim!"

"All the more reason," Odin growls, shaking me off as easily as Great Dane would shake off a Chihuahua. He swings.

I get in the path of the hammer, screaming, "No!"

Odin's muscles bulge with the effort from stopping the fall of the hammer. It stills just an inch or so from my head, so close I can hear the sizzle of energy coming from the stone. My heart pounds in my chest, driven by fear for Red, not for myself.

Veins pop out of Odin's forehead and throat as he howls, "You damned fool! Mjölnir would have made you into dust."

"Please," I whisper, wrapping one hand around the solid grip of the hammer. "Please let me try and help him."

His expression falters. For a second, I'm fairly certain that my plea is getting to him, and then he motions at Red, "Look at him. There is nothing left in him but the fires of Hell. Nothing you do will change that. He have been your kjᴂreste, but he is lost now."

"I need to try."

Finally lowering the hammer, Odin nods, "But understand that this bridge will come down if you fail."

I turn back to Hellboy… no, to Anung un Rama. The demon studying me is not Hellboy, but I can only hope that there's enough of him left in there to hear me. I walk forward on shaky legs, the armor snapping around forward without any orders from me. My fear is probably enough to make it react. I focus and force the helm off my face, needing him to see me properly.

Anung un Rama takes several steps back, going deeper into the shadows as I come closer. He rotates his flesh hand on the grip of the sword while he scrutinizes me. His nostrils flare with a snort and a plume of steam bursts from his nose. Hesitating only a second, I step into the darkness after him.

"Hellboy, this isn't you. You need to wake up," I start with a thin, uncertain voice.

The smaller demons jeer and growl and chatter behind him. Thin scraping sounds signal them moving forward, but they keep several feet between them and us. Slowly, they circle around us, clacking their sharp teeth at me.

Red's mouth twists in a sneer, his voice nearly an octave lower than his normal baritone. "Traitor," he hisses.

The word lances through me. "No, Red, no." I shake my head furiously, moving towards him.

Anung un Rama raises the sword, pressing the tip against my chest, "Do you stand beside me or against me?"

My mouth works open and shut like I'm a beached fish. I would stand with Hellboy in an instant, but I can't let Anung un Rama's rampage destroy any more innocent people. This argument would probably go better if I wasn't in full armor. It doesn't send a good message. I close my mouth and take a moment to relax (as much as I can, considering) so the armor will retract into the disk.

When it's gone, I admit, "I will stand with mankind and protect them with my life, just like you pledged to do. Stand with me."

"Traitor," he snarls, pressing the point of the blade deeper into my skin.

Without the armor, the tip breaks the surface and a small trail of blood soaks into my shirt. I wince. All around me, the demons snarl and growl with their master. His rage is their rage.

"Remember the choice your father gave you," I whisper as I search his eyes desperately.

He is silent for a long moment and then he states, "The King of Witches does not give choices, he gives orders."

"No, Hellboy-"

My words die in my mouth as Anung un Rama hefts the sword back in preparation for a jab. He hesitates though, uncertainty flickered across his hard features. A hundred voices hiss like steam around us, whispering words like "kill" and "unworthy" and "destroy". I take a step towards Anung un Rama in the inane hope that I can drown out the demons.

"You don't want to do this, Hellboy. I know you don't. Stand with me."

He lowers the blade a fraction of an inch but still keeps it level with my chest. The rage flows out of his face. "Go," he growls.

I reach for him, my panic mounting, "No, Red, I know you're in there!"

When my fingers brush his burning skin, he makes the tip of the sword bite into me and roars, "Leave!"

Shaken, I fall back a few paces. He narrows his eyes and huffs out another puff of steam. Underneath all of his fury, there's pain. As much as I was Hellboy's partner, I was Anung un Rama's as well. The realization that he's trying to save me by letting me go grabs hold of my heart with a hand of ice. By the standard of the other demons, I should be killed for not staying by him during this war against mankind. But I know if I leave, I'll lose him forever.

"Red," I barely manage to rasp from my closing throat. The sting of tears burns the back of my eyelids. I'm not ready to let him go. A small, irrational part of me wants to go to him, to accept his role in all of this just so I don't have to say goodbye.

Something slams into me from behind, shoving me forward. I hear the wet cracking sound before the agony rips through my chest. Metallic blood fills my throat like bile. My fingers scrabble uselessly against the metal protruding from my ribcage and I look up at Anung un Rama with terror. His expression is not that different from mine.

He yanks the sword out of me in a shower of crimson that sprays across his chest. His stone hand winds around the small of my back as I collapse. My body convulses in his arms. Coughing isn't enough to clear my throat so I can breathe. I gasp in a lungful of blood, choking on it. The gurgling sound I'm making is so foreign that it has to be coming from something else. No person makes a noise like that.

Anung un Rama roars at something beyond my dimming vision, possibly whatever shoved me. I don't doubt that he'll tear it into tiny pieces in a few minutes. My bloody hands scrabble for purchase on red flesh. My grip is weak.

I manage to find his gaze and realize that I'm looking into eyes with pupils. Red presses his flesh hand against the wound in my chest. His mouth moves. I think he's calling my name, but I can't be sure. He draws me against him and the last feeling I register is him brushing his face into my hair. My hands slide off his arms when I can't hold on anymore.

- Anung un Rama

My weaker half eases into the back of my mind as our pair dies. Sorrow is not the word for what I feel, it is deeper, more consuming than that. It is an emotion that is more complex than any human could understand. They have such hollow feelings, barely scratching the surface of what a body is truly capable of experiencing.

This is grief. It is sorrow. It is guilt. It is all those things and more. The guilt mostly stems from the nearly human personality I have weighing down my deeper thoughts. He feels guilt. I do not. I only regret the loss that could have been avoided.

I lift my pair's bloodied form, turning back to the city I have already conquered. His passing deserves respect. I will give him that before I continue on the path fate has lain at my feet.

The hoard follows me, but it seethes with anger. The hell spawn are restless. They want nothing more than to press on, sinking their teeth into the tender flesh of mortals. I growl at any that become bold enough to question me. They shrink back into the masses. The lesser demons may not understand this ritual, but they will show respect when I demand it.

A crack similar to thunder pierces the air. I glance back to see the center of the bridge collapsing. The Norse god disappears in a flurry of snow as large pieces of stone and cement plunge into the water. The destruction does not reach us. I keep walking.

I take my pair into the conquered city, to the only place where I know his body will not be disturbed. The moment my feet touch the church's holy ground, they begin to burn. It doesn't hurt me, I'm too powerful for that, but I leave scorched footprints across the cobblestone walkway. I enter a small courtyard to the east of the entrance of the towering, gothic-style church. The plants in the courtyard wilt and die as I near them.

Scanning the modest space, I settle on the statue of the Virgin Mary at the far end of the carefully tended garden. Her arms are raised at her sides, her palms turned up in a pose that is less common than that of her praying. My presence makes the statue cry blood. The thick liquid treks slowly down her serene features.

Gently, I lay my pair in her arms, making sure his head does not hit the stone. For a time, I lightly brush my fingers across his face, smoothing back his hair and wiping specks of blood away with my thumb.

For the first time since I took over my body, the troublesome personality becomes silent. I suppose the fight has finally gone out of him.

- TBC

So, I know I still haven't brought back the other characters, but they really didn't have a place in this story just yet. They will be in the chapter after next. Considering I'm two pages from breaking a hundred, they're a long time coming.

Also, I like writing cliffhangers… can you tell?
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Lines of Shadow: Sequel to Somewhere Between