An old story but meets the requirements. Guess the quote!

 

To Hell and...

I hung up the phone. "I've got to go to the hospital," I said. I picked up my jacket and Otis's leash.

"You're not taking Otto?" Gabby asked.

I looked down at the hundred fifty pound Rottie sleeping on his back. "No. Otis will be more useful this time." I knelt down to clip the leash on the beagle's collar. "I'll be back as soon as I get the info. How about getting my things together."

"Okay."

I kissed her goodbye and drove to the hospital.

The guard was new. He took one look at me in my old army jacket and then the dog. "Visiting hours are over and dogs aren't allowed."

I pulled out my card and passed it to him. I kept telling myself that he was just doing his job and it wasn't my place to adjust his attitude.

He handed the card back. "Unless the dog has a card it's just you."

"He's a therapy dog. Check his collar."

The guard bent down to look. His eyes went wide. I knew what he was seeing. Otis would be four feet tall at the shoulder, three heads, and inch long fangs bared and dripping. Otis liked to adjust attitudes.

The guard fell back on his butt.

"We okay to enter?"

The guard, a few shades paler, nodded.

We walked to the light of the emergency room. I liked walking toward light. I hoped I would be doing it again soon. Emergency rooms are always well lit but not the rooms for coma victims without hope. A couple was leaning over a small figure in the bed. A priest stood back a few feet. He saw me, blessed himself, and came over.

I could feel the emptiness in the girl. "You should have called me sooner," I said.
"It happened too fast. One moment she was a devoted young woman; the next she was coming at me with a knife. If Father Jones hadn't walked in at the same time, I would be dead."

"So you exorcised the demon on the spot?"

"When she lunged I knocked over the baptismal font and the water landed on her. Then a crucifix landed on her. It seemed so easy to say the words and be done with it."

"Now the demon is back in Hell and so is her soul."

"Life doesn't always work the way we want. You know that more than most."
"Maybe God should go get this one." Father looked at me and I lowered my head. "Sorry, it's just that she's so young."

"Here's what you need." He handed me a packet of her hair and a few other personal items. "The demon's name is Galgish."

"It has a name?" That was bad; most hadn't earned a name. Only those who had come to earth and killed a human were named. "When, who?"

"Years ago. It went on a rampage killing several in a small town. You have less than twenty six hours left. I'll remain here with the family. Try to comfort them."
"How long did the demon possess her?"

 

"Long enough."

"Better and better." In an hour I would be in Hell and there would be, I checked the packet, two Marias. One a frightened little girl and the other a killer demon. I had to bring the right one back. And I had to do it in less than twenty six hours or her body would change and her soul wouldn't be able to re-enter it. She would be trapped in Hell and the best I could do would be to get her to purgatory. Typical, I would do the work and the priest would get the credit. I walked to my car. Otis padded beside me. The guard station was empty as we passed.

I opened the door to my apartment and saw Gabby on the couch. Otto was sprawled across her lap.

"I started a big pot of stew. It will be ready in an hour. Do you have the time?"
"Sorry, got a job."

Otto padded up and whined.

 I scratched him behind his ears, "Sorry big guy I need Otis's nose on this one.
"Can't it wait. You need sleep."

"I slept last week." Sleep is where your brain to figures out the world. I already know more about the world than I should. What I wanted now was to forget a bit of it.

"No. It's that kind of job."

She got serious. "Can I come?"

"Not this time. Too iffy."

"And if you don't make it back?"

"Don't forget to pay the rent." I picked up my bag and unlocked the bookcase. It opened to small room with a pentagram on the floor. The candles were ready to light. "Thanks for setting this up."

Portals to Hell could be any form, pentagram, hexagrams, even circles. I preferred the five points. It made it harder to confuse it with a circle of containment. The spell started by opening a passage to Hell. Most people kept talking and formed a passage from Hell to earth. I would stop half way and go to Hell. When I wanted to return I would complete the spell and pop back. That's the usual process anyhow.
Gabby was at my side. "Are you sure I can't come? I can help."

"You've been there once."

"I was born, ah, I come from there."

"You've been there once as a human. It was only a visit. There will be opposition this time. I haven't even showed you how to defend your self."

"I've been fighting demons from day one. It's what we do."

"Not as a human."

She opened her mouth but I put my hand up. "Not this time."

I opened the packet Father had given me and pulled out two crosses. They had been blessed with the same holy water that had expelled the demon. I slipped one on and the second on Otis. It didn't matter if the cross had been blessed with the same water that had expelled the demon from earth, but it really pissed them off.
Otis took his position in the circle and Gabby lit the candles. I pulled the book from the bag and started reading the spell. I knew it by heart but any error would be bad. As I said the final words I looked up at Gabby. Her face showed the enthusiasm and ignorance of youth. It was another reason she wasn't coming on this trip.

The world faded and we felt as if we were falling. I don't know what Hell is, or Heaven for that matter. Some of the Jesuits thought they were alternative universes. Multiple worlds from physics or from theology, I didn't care. I used words, a spell, to get there and back.

Otis stood behind me watching my back. He was in full hellhound form, three heads and fangs. I don't know why he bothered, demons don't care what your form is. He had gotten a whiff of the girl back in the hospital but I held the stuff the priest had given me for him to sniff. He sniffed it and one of the heads gave me a look as if to say that he had smelled it before and why waste his time. He lifted one head then another to triangulate the smell. He started trotting toward some smoke plumes in the distance. We would find a Maria there. The question was would we find the girl or the demon.

There were no demons around or lost souls either; Hell was eerily empty. Either we were very lucky or something bad was about to happen. This was Hell. I was expecting the bad. In the distance I could see two figures. As I got closer One looked like Maria. So did the second one.

Otis stared at the two girls with one head, me with another and behind me with the third. I guess having three heads is useful in Hell.

One girl looked up and said, "Hello, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." She turned to the other girl and they continued playing jacks.

This seemed too easy. I open the bag and pulled out the water. I would splash one of the Marias and if she stayed Maria or turned into a demon I would have the answer. Otis turned the head watching me so he had one head on each girl. Both heads growled. Odd I thought. I splashed the holy water on the nearest girl and she puffed smoke and turned seven feet tall with scales and horns. Otis lunged for the second girl.

"No," I cried and reached for his collar. The demon swung at me and I landed in front of Otis. Fights with demons in Hell aren't physical. This was all in my imagination. The thing is that in order to return to earth I had to keep thinking of earth. If I stopped I would lose the connection and wouldn't be able to find my portal back. Otis jumped over me and before I could grab him he was on the girl. She turned seven feet tall with horns and scales.

"Neat trick," I said. "Where's the girl?"

The second demon walked to the first and they merged into one. "She's over the hill a bit," he motioned toward a small rise nearby. "I can't decide if I should torture you while she watches or the other way around."

I focused a part of my mind on earth and stood up. "You know how this ends. We fight, I spray you with water until you give up and run away and I go get the girl."
"What water?" it said.

I looked down. The water had spilled and was quickly drying in the heat. Otis was loping up the hill toward the girl. That was the right thing to do but I always better with him at my side. All I had was the small bottle I had pulled out before. "So Otis went to get the girl. When he comes back we'll be gone."

"You can have the girl. What I want is your portal to earth. When I have that I'll take your body. Won't that be a surprise for the priest."

The demon charged. Water wasn’t the only thing in the bag. I pulled out a sword. A priest really has to know you these days to bless a sword. I swung overhead but the demon split in two. I caught one of them and sliced it in two. That would slow it down a bit. The second one came around and sank its fangs into my sword arm. I screamed of course, but kicked the head end of the sliced demon away so it could not join with its legs.

I pictured earth with green hills and cloudy skies. The demon twisted and raked my side with its claws. I screamed again and flipped the sword to my other hand. I plunged it into the demon's body and it let go of my arm. This continued for a bit. I would kick the two haves apart so it couldn't join up and the whole half would bite of claw me. We both tired but couldn't give up. I tired faster.

The two halves joined up and sprung at my back. A rock slammed into the side of my head and I heard a girl scream. As things went black I saw Otis leap into the fight. I must have been only seconds before I woke but as I rolled to my feet I could see Otis holding the demon. One of Otis's heads held the demon head and the other two heads each held an arm. The demon tried kicking but Otis shook its head and it quieted down.

I picked up the sword and walked to it and cut off its head. I walked to a rock and put the head on it. Do you have it?

"Have what?" it asked.

"My memory of earth?"

"What? No! Damn. You lost it."

I sliced its head in half but the only memories it held were disgusting. The head grew back together.

"So it's gone. All this and we're both stuck here."

How the head could talk without a throat and lungs is not one of the biggest mysteries of Hell. I picked up the head by its ears and punted it down the hill. It hit and rolled. After a hundred yards I lost sight of it. I whistled to Otis and he let go of the demon's arms and trotted over.

The girl was hiding behind a boulder whimpering. Otis turned into a beagle again and walked to her. She picked him up and he licked her face. I went to her and she looked up at me.

"Can we go home now? I don't like this place."

"Soon, real soon." I lied to her. I couldn't picture earth any more. We could wander around hoping to find the portal but without a memory to help I wouldn't be able to see the light.

"Please, I'm scared."

"Soon," I said. "Watch this." I took Otis from her and put him on the ground. At my command he did a back flip. The girl giggled but stopped. She looked up to me and tears started to pool in her eyes.

The demon body stood up and she grabbed my leg. "It's okay," I said. "See it doesn't have a head.

"Still scary," She said and held on tighter.

The demon's body turned around to feel for its head. Then it started walking down the hill but tripped over a rock. It stood up and headed toward its head but would trip and fall every few feet. I looked to where the head lay and could see another demon pick it up. It dropped it and rolled a rock over it. Then it picked up a bag and started toward us. I had never seen a demon carry anything before.

I picked up my sword and knelt next to Maria. "That demon is coming to us but don't worry. We don't have anything it wants so it will move on. Plus Otis here can change into a fierce three headed dog when he wants. No demon wants to mess with him then."

"I saw him earlier. He was scary but then he turned into a beagle and was funny."
The demon got closer. I waved my sword and glanced at Otis. "Now would be a good time to change." Otis stayed a beagle and wagged his tail. Then he broke and ran to the demon. He jumped into its arms and licked its face.

The demon turned into Gabby and put Otis on the ground. "I thought you could use some help. It's getting late. We’ve only got and hour before," she looked at Maria, "Before the link closes and it's too late."

I stood there with my mouth open until she came to me and kissed it. "They're called portals," I muttered. The internet is changing everything.

"Oh, how twentieth century," Gabby smiled. She went to Maria and took her hand. "It's time to get back. When we get back you will wake up in a hospital. Don't tell anyone about this place it should be our secret."
Maria nodded her head.

Gabby started down the hill. "Come on. We don't have all day."

"How did you find us?" was all I could say.

"I lived here for years before you found me and took me back. Now move."
I trotted to catch up to her and took her other hand. Otis turned into his hellhound form and kept a set of eyes looking in all directions.

At the bottom of one of the endless hill Gabby stopped and the three of us joined hands with Otis in the middle. Gabby started speaking but all I heard were sounds that vibrated and echoed. I had never been on the outside of the spell before. We fell and were suddenly back on earth.

From inside the circle I could see the that the door was open. The smell of brimstone brought Otto running. I reached to open the circle but my hand hit a solid force. Gabby snorted and broke the circle. Maria's soul flew off in the direction of the hospital. It should be back in her body in an instant.

"Hungry? I've got a big pot of stew waiting," Gabby asked.

We went into the kitchen. Otis had his paws on the stove and two heads were lapping up the stew. He yowled in annoyance as I pushed him away. I poured half the stew into a bowl and put it on the floor for him.

"How did you do it?" I asked.

"Do what?" Gabby said.

"Look like a demon."

"As I said, I lived there for years. I picked up a few things."

"I thought I had to protect you."

"Men. They always think that. I brought you something." She pulled her bag over and unzipped it. The demon's head glared up at us. 

"What do we do with that?"

"I don't know but it seemed like a waste to let it stay there."

We took it into the room behind the bookcase. We both drew the circle and sealed it together. It would take both of us to open it.

Back in the kitchen I finished the stew and pulled Gabby into my arms. "Still think I need a nap?"

The phone rang. Gabby slid out of my grasp and picked it up before I could stop her. She listened. "It's Sargent Lowitzki. He says that all Hell is breaking loose..."

END