Darkness Depths

Juliet, Lugnut, and Jess found themselves traversing a catacomb, filled with remains of various organisms, both unknown and known.
“I wonder if the others found stuff like this…” Juliet pondered, scared out of her mind.
“Probably. I doubt they found the land of sugars and sweets or things of the sort.” Jess affirmed.
“I am weary of this catacomb. These remains aren’t all…human.” Lugnut analyzed.
“We all are, Lugs. And Jess and I know..”
“This place is enormous. Yet there’s not thousands of ways to go. Just one way. Do you think the Atlantian people were really organized? It seems like it.” Jess slightly wondered.
“Maybe! I mean, what if they were technologically advanced? I’m sure you’d love that, Jess.”
“Definitely. It’d probably make my life.”
As the three conversed to lighten the mood, winged quadrupeds scuttled along the ceiling, eyeing the squad. The creatures, themselves eyeless, monitored the group and their every motion, detailing their prey with their heightened sense of smell.
Lugnut subconsciously scanned the mausoleum for any dangers, and activated his weaponry.
“Lugnut…?” Juliet asked, stopping her conversation with Jess.
“We are not alone.” Lugnut stated, looking around.
Jess readied her gauntlets, charging up the tesla bolts. “Really? Tell us where they are. We’ll off ‘em quick.”
“Above.” Lugnut fired his limited ammo Gatling gun to the ceilings, striking a winged monster, killing it immediately.
More monsters flew down, heading to attack the squad. The creatures looked similar to hounds, without eyes, but with freakishly long mouths. They had two tails and four wings, and multiple claws on their feet. The group of three fired their weapons, holding off the demons with relative easy. Lugnut flew around, killing as many as he could and using several to fuel his flight. The ruthlessness of the robot came in handy here, as the fleets of monsters were kept at bay.
“There’s a lot of these things!” Juliet yelled over her guns.
“Maybe too much! We need to get somewhere safe!” Jess ordered.
But Juliet didn’t hear her friend. The fall into the trance had begun, as her eyes changed from their normal youthful flair to the horrific black coloring.
“Hell on Earth. Hell needs its queen. Find the queen.” The voices chanted in her mind.
Juliet found herself chained to a wall, witnessing the destruction of all that she knew. The ground gave out, revealing lava all around. Her chains crumbled off the wall, dropping the girl to the hell below her. But she managed to cling on to a floating rock just in time. Out in the distance, the screams of millions boomed, while people fell down into the lava below.
“Oh my God…Oh my God…” Juliet repeated as she clung to the rock.
“Hell needs its Queen. Find the Queen. Cnbb. Kill. Find the Queen.”
“Juliet! Juliet! Juliet!” A familiar voice called out.
The young lady snapped back to reality, as she was slumped against Jess, the woman firing a single gauntlet at the flurry of monsters. Lugnut stopped his flight to cover Juliet and Jess, mowing down the waves of flying creatures.
“What happened?” Juliet came to, looking around confused.
“Thank God. Get your guns! We found a door in the ground! It’s a drop but it’s safe! Let’s go!” Jess pulled Juliet up as they ran to the door. Juliet dropped down, followed by Jess. Lugnut came last, firing a powerful shot at the coming swarm, significantly lowering their numbers.
They dropped into a massive chamber, successfully evading the winged beasts.
“Another throne room?” Juliet observed, standing up.
“It is, but this is a hell of a lot bigger than the other one. That throne is huge.” Jess pointed out.
The throne room was expansive. The throne itself was larger than the previous, and far more ominous. This throne was cushioned, and surrounding it was a moat of a black liquid. Behind the throne was an abrupt drop, the humming from before originating from there. Several meters away was a body, completely unmoving.
“Ms. Wilson!” Juliet realized, running to the motionless woman. “Ms. Wilson, wake up! Ms. Wilson, are you alright?”
“The humming, it’s coming from back there.” Jess grasped.
“Shall I go look for what is making the sound?” Lugnut asked.
“No, there’s no need. We need to get out of here. That’s our priority now.”
“Ugh…What’s going…What’s going on? Where am I?” Ms. Wilson awoke in a daze in Juliet’s arms.
“No clue where we’re at. But Ms. Wilson we have to get out. We have to get out now. We have to call the others…” Juliet’s sentence was cut short as more of the winged beasts zoomed out of the depths, taking their place along the ceilings and walls. A humanoid figure then lifted out, and began to speak.
“There is no one else.” The figure chuckled.
Another being, dressed in long robes, appeared with an orb in its grasp.
“No one else…? What do you mean? Who are you?” Juliet demanded, as she picked up Ms. Wilson and reloaded her weapons.
“I am what nightmares are made of. I am the darkness in the depths. I am the dark lord of all. I am Satan.”
“Whoopty fucking doo. Answer the girl’s first question.” Jess commanded, pointing her gauntlets at the descending brute.
“Dead. All dead and gone.” Satan spoke.
“You’re lying.” Juliet growled.
“I care not what you believe. They’re dead. You four are all that’s left. Well, you were.”
At that moment, the robed figure screeched, releasing the power of the orb on the four. The humans fell to the ground, Lugnut struggling to remain upright. The winged beasts around the throne room started swirling around the edges, creating a vortex of darkness.
Lugnut activated his weapons mode, and fired all he had on the robed figure. The being dodged the ammunition, flying near the robot and halted his processes. The robed monster used the orb to slowly rip apart Lugnut, who was now unable to do a thing. The creature screeched, its eyes barrowing deeper into Lugnut’s robotic psyche.
“Lugnut! I’m not losing you again…No!” Juliet struggled up, fighting the power of the orb and raised her gun at the oblivious being.
Satan floated off, smiling at the dramatic scene. Ms. Wilson resisted the orb, trying to get to her feet.
“No one else dies.” Juliet swore as she fired a single bullet.
Time slowed down as the bullet traveled through the air. Lugnut was being ripped away, bolt by bolt, the figure in the robes fully focused on the war machine. Juliet’s bullet was lodged to the side of the figure’s head, knocking him off balance. The orb dropped from its hand, disappearing completely once it hit the ground.
Lugnut regained control and launched a full out attack on the robed beast. Bullets and ray blasts contacted the being, injuring it more and more. Lugnut knocked it around with his fists, allowing no mercy for the screaming being.
The winged beasts making a vortex attacked three woman, but their attacks were repelled. Juliet, Ms. Wilson, and Jess blasted their bullets, killing multiple beasts at a time. At times of reloading, the women displayed their finesse and killed the monsters with their bare hands and legs.
Lugnut threw the robed monster to the ground, hood ripping off the rest of the robe. The beast revealed to be female, long withered hair drifting around her head. The being was a witch, whose face was almost a skull, eyes still glowing dots. It screeched at the robot, but Lugnut slammed the head into the ground. He repeatedly smashed it in the same spot, activating his guns to aid the women on the side.
The witch’s head started to crack open, prompting Lugnut to fully charge his ray gun. Once it was charged to full capacity, Lugnut fired point blank at the witch, eradicating her from the shoulders up. Lugnut turned his attention to the swarm, and fired off both of his weapons, leveling the odds.
Bursting through the monsters, Lugnut joined the three women, providing cover and extra firepower. Within minutes, the remaining winged beasts were slain, and the four emerged victorious.
“Bravo. Might I say, that was most impressive.” Satan congratulated, hovering over the throne.
“You have something up your sleeve. I can tell.” Juliet noticed as she threw her empty guns away.
“Intelligent girl. I’m in search of a Queen. For…Atlantis.”
“I’ll be that Queen.” Ms. Wilson volunteered.
“What? Are you fucking insane, woman? That is Satan! You know, the dark lord himself? He’s lying to you! There is no throne! There is no Queenship for Atlantis! There is no Atlantis! This is Hell!” Jess bellowed.
“I am going to end this.” Lugnut blasted towards Satan, blades at the ready.
“Foolish automaton.” Satan muttered, dodging Lugnut’s attack.
Satan extended both of his arms, two fireballs appearing at the ends. The fireballs were sent hurtling toward Lugnut, striking him violently.
“I’ll be sure you don’t return, robot.”
The fires consumed Lugnut, each bit of metal destroyed by the hellfire. Juliet watched in horror as her longtime friend and companion was essentially being erased from existence. For Juliet, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. She was forced to watch as Lugnut was destroyed so easily by a monster of pure demonic power.
Lugnut was fragmented into minuscule specks of ash, as the fires finished their jobs. Juliet was in shock, as Satan turned back around.
“Now…where were we?”

. . .

“I’ll be the Queen! I’ll be the queen!” Ms. Wilson beseeched the dark lord, her descent into madness irreversible.
“Wilson! Melanie! You have to stop!” Jess demanded, holding Juliet, who was secretly slipping into insanity like Ms. Wilson.
“Rlbb ej Lmghr! I will be the queen!” Miss Wilson continued, disregarding Jess.
“She’s like me…she’s possessed.” Juliet whispered in realization.
“What?” Jess looked down, seeing Juliet snapping out of her shock.
“Miss Wilson you have to snap out of it! You can’t let it get to you! Snap out of it dammit, wake up!”
“I will be the Queen!” Melanie praised, as Satan lifted her with his powers. A roar grew in the room, as Melanie’s skin started changing to black. Her eyes began glowing yellow, as she laughed manically. Her veins glowed red from underneath her skin, and her nails turned yellow. But something inside her, felt amiss.
“You’re no Queen.” Satan declared, releasing a different kind of magic on Melanie.
“Huh? Wait no! No you can’t! I’m supposed to be the Queen!” Miss Wilson cried. Her flesh began flaking away, forcing her to feel the agony of it all. She was reduced the her skeleton. But Satan kept her alive, making her feel the pain no one could ever feel. Making her feel the anguish of living an eternity in Hell.
“Hellfire Slave is all you’ll ever be.” Satan threw Melanie in front of Juliet and Jess, demanding her to rise and fight.
The glowing skeleton, still howling from the pain, glared at the two women. Jess pointed her gauntlets while Juliet pointed her pistol.
“We’re not out of this yet.” Jess sighed.
“I’ll get us out of here, Jess. Don’t worry. I’ll get us out.” Juliet ensured, tripping over her words.
“…Whatever happens, Juliet, know that I love you like a sister. It was an honor, love.”
“I love you too, Jess. I’m glad I met someone as amazing as you.”
Melanie then attacked, fires burning from her limbs. Juliet and Jess ducked out of the way, escaping the sharp, sweltering bones. Juliet fired several rounds into the skull, but the skeleton shrugged them off, and shouted Juliet to a wall.
Now Jess and the skeleton faced off. Jess fired her bolts, hindering the skeleton with every hit. Jess ran up to the skeleton and swiped it of its feet. Jess then jumped and stomped on the skull, shattering it to pieces.
Jess then flipped backwards, knowing the battle wasn’t over. Jess’s suspicions were confirmed when the headless skeleton stood back up, head regenerating.
“Now that’s bloody unfair!” Jess complained, firing off more bolts.
The skeleton dodged the blasts with effortless grace, and sprinted towards Jess. Jess leaped over the skeleton, heels of her boots colliding with the back of the flaming skull. The skeleton fell to the floor, but instantly leaped on its feet.
“You’re persistent, you bugger.” Jess ducked and rolled, firing off shot after shot.
The skeleton buffed off the shots now, using the hellfire as a shield.
“Oh you’re a cheater.” Jess groaned.
The skeleton sent a ball of fire at Jess, pushing her off her feet.
“Agh…” Jess held her side, seared by the fire.
Melanie’s skeleton fired off more flames, each one getting closer than the last. Jess fired her gauntlets, her accuracy waning. The skeleton was soon right above Jess, and destroyed her gauntlets. The woman kicked and flailed, trying to the skeleton as far as possible. But soon it was no use. The skeleton grabbed Jess and spun her around, launching her ten feet away.
Juliet awoke from her momentary unconsciousness, witnessing the battle between Jess and Melanie’s remains.
Jess scrambled for her pistol in her bag, but it was too late. The skeleton destroyed the pistol and jumped on top of Jess.
“Do your worst, you ugly bitch.” Jess smirked, ready for what was coming.
“NO! JESS! JESS!” Juliet screamed, as the skeleton jabbed its hand through Jess’s heart.
The skeleton stood up, stepping away from Jess, and collapsed into a pile of ashen bones.
“No…No…God dammit no…” Juliet pounded the ground, crying.
“It’s just you and I now, girl.” Satan floated in front of the broken Juliet.
“…Fuck you. Fuck you. Burn in the very hell you live in. I will kill you. I swear on every life lost, I will kill you.” Juliet swore, anger overriding her every being.
“Not if you become the Queen.” Satan laid his right pointer finger on Juliet’s forehead, pushing her down as she tried with all her might to stand up and fight.
The transformation was gradual. Juliet’s hair turned black and silky, her clothes formed into plating. Her skin turned smooth grey, and her eyes yellow and red. Her lips made red, and her teeth sharpened. All against her will, which was completely overpowered. Wings sprouted on her bareback, as Satan laid a crown on her head. Juliet rose, towering over Satan himself.
“My Queen.” Satan bowed graciously.
“Yes, Lord Satan. Your Queen.” The demonic Juliet rested her hand on top of Satan’s head, and ripped it right out of its socket. “I did make a promise to you, my dearest. I intended to keep it.”
Juliet calmly walked to the throne, tossing the head of Satan aside. Out of the holes came the two serpents from before, slowly circling the cathedra.
“Don’t you worry, my pets. Rest. We’ll begin soon. Your rightful Queen is here at last. And soon, there will be Hell on Earth.”