The Dogs of Hell: Raise Hell

By SM Griffith

It's a Hell of a job, but someone's got to do it...

It's been months since the incident with the inugami, and Michael and his hellhounds are seriously overworked. An overdue vacation is on the horizon that will give them a welcomed break from the black hunts that fill their mailbox and the wargs they must drag back to

• Language: English
• Publisher: Author SM Griffith
• Release date: Sep 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781734287523

Book preview

Chapter One

Woohoo! Back in time for dinner! Garmr cheered, the cream-colored mutt bounding into the apartment as I opened the door.

Gene Autry was singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the living room, greeting us as Gifr, Geri and I entered the dim apartment behind Garmr, the other two gigantic dogs far more sedate than their packmate. I forgot to turn off the radio again, I thought as the cheerful tune brought a smile to my lips, more so as Garmr sang along as he trotted off to the four-foot door of their room.

Man, why do we keep getting all the extra chatty souls? Geri grumbled, sauntering toward the leather recliner, the hairy, tri-colored dog not wasting time in claiming his favorite spot.

It did not help that you kept encouraging this one, Gifr admonished, the russet hound giving Geri a bland look as he sat next to the coffee table, staying off the furniture.

I did not, Geri huffed.

Yeah, you did, I yawned, walking past Gifr, hanging my battered Tricorn hat on the corner of the bookshelves that sectioned off the bedroom from the living room.

I’m beginning to lose count of all the black hunts and looking forward to that promised break after the holiday.

It had been a little over two months since my battle with the inugami but it felt like years. There had been a lull in black hunts for a couple of weeks afterwards, but now there was a continuous stream of black folders in my mailbox, with the rare red hunt thrown in. Blue hunts seemed to have disappeared completely, the easy retrievals a thing of the past. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, Rory and Amir mentioned the increase in black hunts a couple of times when we were lucky enough to run into each other at Valhal’s, the hunts keeping us all too busy to meet otherwise. From what my boys gathered from other hellhounds with Hunters, other districts were similarly affected, but not as bad.

I hate to talk shop when we meet up tonight, but maybe Rory and Amir have some more insights as to what’s going on. They’ve been Hunters longer than me, so maybe they’re familiar with the sudden change in business. You’d think with Christmas only three days away, people would be less spiteful or something. Guess there will be no peace on Earth this year. I sighed as I placed my M1 in the gun rack inside my closet before removing my coat and red scarf.

Oh look! The timer worked, Garmr said around a raw-hide in his mouth, gesturing with his nose at the small, plastic pine tree I had covered with lights and ornaments before he jumped on the sofa.

That was the one bonus to all the black hunts, the extra credit I was racking up. I had received a nice bonus from my encounter with the inugami as well and I had been able to splurge a little. The cushy leather recliner Geri claimed as his was the biggest purchase, the rest mostly books and some other random household objects I had missed or wanted to change. The Christmas tree had been an impulse buy and sat on a box covered in a festive tablecloth. The tablecloth was a gift from Bridget, Osiris’s secretary surprising me with it after she discovered I had the tree. It sat in front of my balcony window, glittering with multicolored lights in a happy symbol of peace and life.

There was an irony to celebrating Christmas in Hell that I found amusing. My parents had loved the holiday and their enthusiasm for it had stayed with me long after their deaths. When I was alive, I celebrated more for their memory and being a family, and to help Danny remember them. Uncle Henry hadn’t been huge on the holiday but told me once that it made him happy because of the joy it brought us. His men would help Danny and me decorate the apartment we all shared. Bran—my favorite among my uncle’s men—especially took great joy in helping us, the memory of him singing the carols in his Irish brogue always made me smile.

I released my breath when no stabbing headache came, becoming used to bracing myself for the assault often caused from delving too deep in my memories. It was a relief to find that—so far—the memories of my brother combined with the holiday were blissfully unaffected by the void in my head. It was comforting to be able to remember Danny in happier times.

That’s great, I replied to Garmr’s observation, absently.

Did you think it wouldn’t? Gifr asked.

The other one didn’t, Geri pointed out.

Yeah. That was weird, Garmr agreed as he chewed the raw hide.

Most likely some bitter soul didn’t like doing their job. I’m sure they got in trouble for that, I said, shaking off the past and walking away from my closet after a brief internal debate about changing out of my uniform. No point in changing clothes to only go out for a few hours.

My boys and I were lucky to have finished our hunt early. I had enough time to make a quick dinner before heading over to the Hound’s Tooth, the bar becoming our evening meeting place. Unfortunately, Carol and Brandon, my Watcher friends, wouldn’t be joining us due to being on a night shift on Level Six.

Which sucks. I need to tell Carol about the book I finished, and I wanted to see what days Brandon wanted to learn my whistle commands. A week off isn’t going to be long enough with everything I want to do. At least I can finally start looking for Danny’s soul.

Hunter duties had not allowed me time to find information on Danny’s missing soul, though there were some promising places to start. Osiris held true to his word about giving the other gods a heads up about my search. The problem was meeting with them.

I shoved all those concerns aside for now and headed toward the kitchen, rubbing Gifr’s head as I walked past him. The tall dog stood to follow me, the other two remaining in their spots on the furniture.

Suddenly, the building shuddered and the air seemed to drain from the room, a strange pressure and absence of sound that made me and Gifr pause. Then came a loud BOOM and the balcony wall exploded, shards of glass and chunks of wall flying into the apartment. The force of air knocked me and Gifr off our feet and into the wall. I heard Garmr and Geri let out startled yelps as the recliner and couch flipped over them. With a roaring, grinding noise, the shaking increased, forcing me to cover my head and Gifr’s as portions of the ceiling rained on us. The floor buckled and splintered, and there was a tearing, splitting sound toward the kitchen followed by the squeal of metal and the spray of water.

Then everything stopped.

Shit, I hissed, coughing and blinking rapidly as I shook off dust and drywall. Gifr pulled away from me to stand and shook himself off as I called out to the others. Geri! Garmr! You two all right?

I’ve been better, Geri responded, pulling himself from the wreckage that was my coffee table and recliner, limping over to me.

I’m okay, Garmr answered weakly, crawling out from under the couch. He rushed over to me and pushed his great white head under my arms.

What the fu— I started, reaching out to check over Geri, when my words were cut off by the building lurching, and I was lucky I hadn’t stood up. The structure rocked ominously to one side, as more explosions sounded over the popping of electricity.

Then came a sound that still made me wake up in cold sweat some nights, as it bounced within the missing chunks of my memory. The sound rose above the noise of destruction and echoed around us, as blood curdling as it had been the first time I heard it as a prisoner in my cell in Level Seven. Dread traveled down my spine at the awful joyous chorus of howls, the song of the inmates of Level Nine carrying a note full of sadistic glee.

It can’t be… I choked.

On no, Garmr whined, burrowing further under me.

Impossible! Gifr gasped.

Another howl cut over the ululations of Nine, silencing them for a breath and holding a note of urgency. Its overlapping quality told me who it was before Geri’s whispered recognition.

Cerberus.

Get up, Michael! We have to go! Gifr ordered with a frantic look I had never seen on the normally stoic hound. He pushed me to stand even as our home shook with more violence, Geri and Garmr helping to steady me. Gifr continued to issue orders, Grab your rifle and all your ammo!

With the hellhounds’ help, I stumbled to my closet, yanking the door off its frame as it hung by a hinge. I pulled on my coat, then stuffed the pockets with everything I had in storage, including the knife I had been issued as a Watcher. Flinging the M1 over my shoulder, the rifle’s weight reassuring, I shoved my battered hat on my head as Garmr handed it to me. Cerberus’s howl called again, joined by the brazen call of trumpets. The howls of Nine weren’t silenced this time but instead grew louder.

We must go—NOW! Gifr barked.

Hurry, Michael! Garmr spoke, pulling at my coat while Geri rushed off to the front door.

Trying. Not easy, I replied as the floor buckled under me, the motion reminding me of the few times on the ferry when the river Styx was being ruthless, making it a challenge to keep my balance.

Catching up with Geri, we all staggered into the wall of the hallway outside our apartment door as the building lurched to the side. Running down the short hall, we were joined by a Watcher and Hunter and their dogs as they left their apartments in the same haphazard state of dress I was in. We all took the stairs next to the elevators, and as I ran down the four flights of stairs, I heard dozens of boots, paws, and voices thundering above us. All within the building answering Cerberus’s urgent call that we could hear beyond the concrete walls. Exiting the stairwell, my boots crunched glass that covered the lobby floor, running behind my dogs as they escaped what was left of the apartment building’s entrance.

Tremors split the ground of Hell making it jut up under us and causing us to jump over the forming fissures. A patchy fog rolled around us, and when I took a deep breath within it, I immediately started coughing.

This isn’t fog. This is smoke! My thoughts buzzed and I went to cover my face with my red scarf only to find I had left it behind. What the hell is going on?!

As we came closer to the Rec Hall, Valhal’s, and the Hound’s Tooth, I noticed a shining figure in silver armor. It took me a moment to recognize Daisy standing outside Valhal’s, silver winged helmet covering her head and white wings spread out behind her as she waved a red banner with the Watcher/Hunter symbol flashing on it. My surprise at the waitress’s change had me gaping for a moment, but another urgent summon from Cerberus and the howling of Nine shook it off. Daisy saw me and waved frantically for us to come to her, not even flinching as another violent shifting had Valhal’s sign crash down beside her.

Michael! Go through here! Use the DOOR in the office! she urged, her small hand pulling and pushing me through the door of the diner.

I followed my hellhounds past fallen tables and chairs to the back and through the kitchen. The cook, a solid being whose ruddy skin held a red glow and whose eyes flashed copper beckoned us into the small office. His rough voice urged me to Go, go go! as I sped past him. The dogs barely waited for me before going through the DOOR, the Dimensional Opening to Other Rooms depositing me in the Main Hall on the other side.

We pushed through a mass of panic as souls came running downstairs from the upper levels of Hell, the opulent hall raining debris around them. The shining, winged figures of angels and familiar uniforms of Watchers were everywhere, steadfast as they tried to manage the chaos and direct the panicked masses. A rising shriek of frightened screams echoed around us, and a wall of shifting bodies rippled and stalled around us as a chandelier crashed down.

This way! Garmr barked, and we ran toward the left hallway that led toward the prison section of Hell, skidding on broken crystal as the lights flickered and Hell rumbled and shivered.

Joined by Hunters and Watchers, we ran the length of the hall as stained glass shattered down over us from the windows above, covering us in rainbow shards and mixing with the dust as chunks of mortar pelted us. I deflected what I could with my arms, hissing as a large piece of rock hit me. I counted myself lucky that it didn’t break my arm and was thankful for my leather coat and Rogers’ hat protecting me from the flecks of glass.

At the end of the hall, a group of Watchers held the doors closed as something banged on the other side, the heavy wood splintering above their heads.

Oh shit, I hissed, swinging my rifle over my shoulder.

Get out of the way! A Hunter beside me bellowed to the Watchers.

The Watchers and their hellhounds jumped back, running for cover. The next hit sent the double doors tearing off their hinges, crashing into nearby pillars. Three wargs rushed through, all gnashing teeth and twisted claws ripping through the carpet. Hellhounds met them before they could reach us, tearing at the deformed, monstrous canine-creatures who attacked with equal ferocity. The crack of rifle fire filled the hall as the Hunters shot, our bullets pounding into the heavy bodies. The three monsters fell to the ground with pain-filled groans.

Geri, Gifr, and Garmr led the hellhounds into the dark and smoke beyond the broken doors, leaving us Hunters to trail behind them. The smoke was thicker here, making my eyes sting and causing a tickle in my throat. White light shone above, plunging the world in shades of hazy gray and casting the hedged gardens around us in silhouette. In the distance were the sounds of howls and snarling, terrified, pain-filled screams, and gun fire, broken by the random wail of distant trumpets.

Trumpets? I searched the sky to see, but the smoke was too heavy to make anything out. Barking caught my attention and I returned my focus to the path before me. Right. Worry about that later. Now I need to search for Cerberus and find out what the hell is going on.

I moved forward down the familiar path, watching my hellhounds disappear into the shifting smoke.

Chapter Two

I scanned the area for my hellhounds and any wargs, eyeing the shadows that seemed to move in the haze. The rumbling of the ground had almost completely stopped, making it easier for me to find my footing on the unlevel path. A dark shape came charging toward me, and I had enough time to make out its beady, glowing red eyes as it snarled, and I ducked under the swinging claws of the warg.

Shit! This bastard’s huge!

The monster swung around to face me, long snout snarling and forcing me to roll into the branches of a bush as its jaws snapped inches from my nose. A streak of red jumped over my head with a vicious growl, Gifr knocking the warg in its chest, his teeth closing around its throat. I aimed the M1 and shot, the warg making a pained whine as it fell into the other garden.

A roar sounded up the path, and I switched my position on my knees, aiming at the charging shadow. Geri and Garmr waylaid the warg, and they tumbled in the foliage beside me. I shot the next lumbering shadow that had been behind the other instead. As it fell, more came forward. I barely heard the ping as the empty clip ejected, and I reloaded, not looking if it was sedative, flash, or kill ammo that I was putting in the chamber.

Standing, the rifle against my shoulder, I sprinted forward. The light above dimmed before winking out, casting the world in deeper shades of gray. Lights that still shone from far away threw long shadows around me. I used my memory of the paths between the gardens more than the sight of them as I ran. The flash of rifle muzzles and the crack of constant firing led me forward, even as two more wargs appeared out of darkness in front of me. My boys descended on one and I downed the other. A sizzling pop sounded, and then a light appeared overhead again, blazing like a tiny sun.

Clearing the gardens brought me to a writhing mass of shadows moving among the smoke. Glimpses of radiant figures weaved among dark leather and fighting hounds. I shot the hulking shadows as they barreled out of the vapor. My hellhounds were blurs of motion, circling me—tackling, sweeping, snarling, and barking. I downed warg after warg, ready to move on to the next, almost as soon as one was dead.

Two shrill, amplified screeches of nails on a chalkboard, horrifyingly familiar, cut over the cacophony of chaos around me. My boots faltered as I tried to cover my ears without dropping my rifle. Dread had me searching the smog above even as the cry of the inugami was answered by an overlapping roar. The earth shook beneath my feet, and I had to crouch down or fall on my face.

A snarling mass came at me from my blind spot, and I rolled away on instinct. The sound of ripping leather and white-hot pain flashed over my right shoulder-blade as claws raked where I had been. The air whistled as the warg swiped at me again, and I swung my M1 to club it away before lifting it to block the monster’s persistent attacks. The warg descended on me, the creature’s pug muzzle snapping inches from my face, coating me in its foul breath and saliva. My arms burned and pain flared in my right shoulder as I held it back with all my strength. There was a stinging sensation in my left temple as a fang grazed my skin. Kicking my legs, I tried to dislodge the creature or wiggle out from under it, hitting solid muscle.

Growling and barking came from my left, then two hellhounds hit the warg—a reddish-tri-colored blur followed by a sleek, brindled one that went for the monster’s throat. They yanked and tore at the warg, while I rolled back onto my feet. Grinning as I recognized the two hellhounds, I shot the warg twice, Trul and Jessi leaping off as it fell. Grabbing the hat that had fallen off in the scuffle, I shoved it into an inner pocket and ran forward. I don’t want to lose Rogers’s hat. It’s my only memento of my mentor. Well…that and maybe Geri.

As if hearing my thoughts, Geri materialized beside me with Garmr, my two boys dashing forward to take another warg. Trul and Jessi stayed with me as well, joining the others in their relentless attacks from one warg to the next. Gifr nimbly moved between them all, leading us all further into the midst of battle. The hellhounds appeared from the smoke like phantoms—black, brindle, white, and red. I’d whistle and they’d act as I shot. None of them hesitated, going for throats, groins, or any tender flesh.

My hands found a round of flash ammo, the blinding light making us all wince as it hit my target in the chest. I whistled and the hellhounds dispersed, circling around, as I shot the wargs, stunning them with each flash of light before the hounds returned to tear them down. I listened for the ping and, when the cartridge ejected, I plunged my hand into my pockets.

Only to find nothing but empty space.

Fuck! I growled, digging into all of them. My fingers found my knife and pulled it out, the small, silver weapon the only thing left in my arsenal.

Suddenly, a bright light flared beside me, and I lifted my knife up in surprise, ready to defend myself. Bridget stood there, hands up and empty, shimmering white wings folded against her back and green eyes blazing like stars. Beautiful, even as she was smeared in mud and filth, chestnut hair tied in a messy bun and her clothes ripped.

Bridge, I breathed.

Michael. The angel secretary of Osiris gave me a strained smile before pulling a duffle bag I hadn’t noticed around her small frame. She began pulling out handfuls of ammo, stuffing them in my pockets. Don’t give up, you have to keep going. Attach your knife to your gun here.

She showed me with steady, quick hands. I did as she directed, the knife bayonet fitting perfectly.

Bridget brushed my cheek, and gently traced the cut on my forehead that oozed with what I presumed was blood. When she noticed the growing stain on my shoulder, her breath caught in a choked gasp. Oh, Michael.

It’s okay, Bridge. I’ll live. The corner of my lip twisted up in a tentative smile.

Bridget’s smile was purer this time at my bad joke. Cupping my face, she brushed her lips on my uninjured temple before pulling back. You have to keep going, Michael.

What’s going on?

Not now. Later. Just keep going.

I nodded, holding back my multitude of questions and myself from wrapping her in my arms. Bridget gave me one last smile before stretching out her wings and leaping into the air. Her figure disappeared within the haze.

I didn’t have time to think about how surreal the encounter had been, because at that moment a pack of wargs was sprinting at me through the smoke. The hellhounds swept in from the side, giving me enough time to reload as they brought four to the ground. The M1 snapped shut as I pulled back my thumb. Bang, bang, bang, and the other three monsters went down.

Our journey across the battlefield led us toward a looming black, dog-like shape that rose above us, the ground shaking as it moved. I gaped at the massive creature. What the hell is that? I hope we don’t have to fight that too. The smoke parted for a moment and a ball of light glinted off amber eyes as three heads twisted and snapped at something in the air. Wait. That’s Cerberus!

The land around him was churned into mud, pitted and pockmarked, and there was a stinking chemical smell mixed in with the scent of charred flesh and sulfur. The high-pitched shrieking was louder here, making me cringe. A streak of white slithered into one of the lights glowing in the sky, confirming my suspicion of the powerful warg.

There’s the inugami! Was that in Level Nine with all these others? How the hell did all these bastards get out?!

A ball of gelatinous green came hurling toward us. The hellhounds and I ran beyond its reach before it hit the ground, sending a splash of acid that ate everything it touched. An angry, echoing roar and high-pierced screech overrode the pain-filled, human screams of those who hadn’t been as lucky as me.

A black form shifted toward me and I ran to the side to avoid it. I had enough time to marvel at the fact that it was a giant, black paw before noticing a comrade stuck with a warg on top of him, a piece of metal holding the creature back. More wargs were rushing in and I could see what I assumed were his dogs fighting off another, trying to get over to him. I whistled, and my hellhounds charged the incoming wargs and went to the aid of the others as I shot the warg over the man in the head. It slumped over, allowing the man to roll-out from under it and stand. Icy blue eyes looked over to me in shock, and I couldn’t help but smile and wink at Cold Eyed Sam. The Watcher frowned, never my biggest fan, before bending over to retrieve his rifle from the mud as I jogged over to his side.

You’ve got any ammo? he asked, rubbing his arm over his face, smearing the blood and mud that was caked there.

I handed him as many as I could grab, patting him on the shoulder as I chased after my company of hellhounds, surprised when Sam followed.

Another shriek from above was our only warning before a ball of acid streaked like a falling star towards us.

Run! I commanded.

Sam and I swerved and dodged, then watched as the acid hit an oncoming group of wargs. Agonized howls turned into gurgles and moans as it made a misshapen mess of bodies. The stench made me gag, and I held my arm over my nose and mouth as I continued forward.

More shrill screaming and the thundering sound of barking and snarling rose over the chaos of battle. There was a cracking noise followed by an ear-splitting wail. Then a resounding boom and the ground trembled as a gust of wind sprayed debris around us, making Sam and I cover our heads, and our hounds lie flat on the ground.

A triumphant howl rang out above us, the three converging voices uplifting. I felt my spirit energized as Cerberus’s song was joined by the howls of thousands of hellhounds through the smoke and across the battlefield.

My voice combined with theirs as