Hellspawn chapter 7

7
"No, I refuse to go!" a shout rings across the village, coming from Private Mitchell.
"I'm not leaving Sergeant. Not a chance." says Corporal Williams.
"This isn't up for discussion! It's an order soldiers! Your both injured, it's suicide for you to carry on. I want you both to go and get us help in case we don't make it back." Sims shouts back.
Loud protests ring out but I tune it out and walk over to where Derek and I put the food. I grab something and start to eat it without even finding out what it is. The argument has gone in circles for the last twenty minutes, Sims has almost shouted herself hoarse. I think that neither side is close to coming to an agreement.
"Anything good to eat?" Private Cheing asks as he approaches me, I shake my head and he sits down by me, his face suddenly serious. "I'm sorry about Corporal Barnes. He was a good man."
"it's not your fault, it's whoever gave us this damned mission. I think we were set up."
"who would try and kill us?"
"the demons of course."
"you think that demons infiltrated the army? That's a big accusation there Corporal." he says thoughtfully.
"well there's no other explanation is there? How else would we be given such terrible Intel on this place? It couldn't be just anyone either, it would have to be someone with a lot of power, someone with authority over most people."
Before I can come to a conclusion of who would of set us up Mathers walks up and grabs some food. I stop talking immieditly and she eyes me strangely.
"no need to stop on my behalf Corporal, I just wanted some food." 
"well the foods all yours Mathers, I should probably help the Sergeant with Williams and Mitchell." I get up to leave but Mathers puts a hand up to stop me.
"and I also wanted to say thanks and all, without you I'd be dead. So, err thanks." she says slowly, I can almost feel my jaw drop, she must notice because she looks away and spits on the ground.
"your welcome, we all have to look out for each other now Mathers, we need to be a team."
"I know, I got your back if you've got mine." she holds out a hand, I take it and she hauls me up.
"deal." I say quietly, just so that she can hear. I know this is one pact that I'll keep, even to the grave if I must. She pats my arm as I walk off to talk to Sims.
Mathers is all right. I find myself thinking. Even if she thinks I'm crazy.
But after we've seen maybe we could all be crazy, and just not know it yet.
"I'm not saying it again. You two are leaving!" Sims says firmly to them.
"I want to stay! There's no way I can leave you guys here!" Corporal Williams starts.
"Corporal, we could all die in there." I say as I point to the pit. "you took a bad blow to the head earlier, we need you alive to get the story out. Your kid needs you Williams, your daughter won't be able to survive without you." tears roll down his cheek as I mention her daughter, I then turn to Mitchell. 
"Private Mitchell, I'd take you down there if I could. That injury of yours though, it would be your death. I know your getting married in a few months, you need to go. You need to be with your fiancée." she looks down at her missing hand for a moment and nods slowly.
"your right. Ok, Sergeant, I'll go." Mitchell says slowly.
"I will too, we won't be long. We'll come back. With help! We'll teach them a lesson they won't ever forget."
"good." Sims says. "take the food too, we won't need it."
They give a salute to the sergeant. Then grab the majority of the food, and without a word to the others depart quickly.
Sims sits down and puts her head in her arms, I can tell she's exhausted from the argument and the fighting.
"do you want to get an hour of sleep, Sergeant? I don't think the others are ready to head out yet, I can keep watch."
She looks up and her eyes are swimming with tears.
"I'd like that, thanks Corporal." she says in a high squeaky voice, she rolls over on her side and I leave her be.
 I turn to look for the other members of my squad and see them searching the dead for supplies, I suddenly remember Derek's body and I spot it not far off. I reach the limp body and see that it was picked clean for ammo and weapons, this isn't a concern to me because I'm looking for what someone else would overlook. I spot his head nearby, his lifeless eyes seem to stare at mine. I unfasten his helmet and his purple bandana slides off his head. I grab it and tie it around my neck. I whisper a prayer and promise to keep it with me wherever I go as a reminder of his bravery. I then close his eyes and walk off.

After an hour I wake Sergeant Sims, who looks unscathed.
"No demons?" I ask her, which she answers with a shake of her head. "you do realise that means they're most likely waiting to ambush us."
"yes I know, we just have to be ready for what's down there. Assemble the men, Corporal. It's time to go in."
It takes a few minutes to assemble the men for they're all scattered. I notice how they all have two guns now, and some are trying to find a place for a third gun. Mathers tosses me a shotgun which I sling on my back.
"ok squad, it's time to go in." she says to us. "I don't want to see any heroic moves in there. Just stick close and watch each others back, got it?" we all shouted in agreement.
"good. We're going in single file, I want Dane on point and Maeves on the six. It looks like the pit became some kind of staircase, let's hope it holds. Ok marines, let's go."
I watch as Dane rushes to the front and takes a step onto the stairs, it holds his weight so he takes another step and Sims follows suit. The squad one by one steps onto the stairs and when I reach it I realise only Maeves is behind me. I place a foot on the stairs and I can feel my very bones creak with it. I can hear distant screams echo on my head. I try and ignore it but with every step the screaming sounds closer and louder and my bones seem to vibrate as I step. I try and focus on something else, but before I can even summon a thought I snap.
"who else can hear the god damn screaming? I can't take it!" I shout out in frustration. The others look at me and I can tell by the questioning look on their faces they can't hear it.
"is something wrong, Corporal?" Sims shouts from the front. 
"no sergeant." I reply, slightly confused.
We press on and I can no longer hear the screaming. We must of walked down the staircase for an hour before we finally reached the ground. The pit's bottom is a bloody red and is still a circle. There is a single wooden door ahead of us.
"you never mentioned anything about a door Private Cheing." Sims says as she approaches it.
"I never heard anything about a door, Sergeant. Maybe the elders left it out for a reason." Cheing says uneasily.
"I don't see any reason why they would." she says under her breath. She suddenly kicks in the door and it flys out of the wall. She runs into the room, gun raised. The rest of the squad Is right behind her. 
I enter into the room and notice how dark it is. It seems circular, but as if it was cut out. In the middle a light shines down on a young women, not just any women though. I can feel a memory burning inside my skull. I've seen this women three times before. She was in the water when we were dropped off, she was also the lady that attacked me in my dream. But neither of those memories are as painful as the first time I saw her.
She was also the lady I killed.
She is why everyone thinks I'm crazy.