Sniper at the Gates of Hell
Sometimes all you need to make a short story is a title. Often as a "writing exercise" (read: procrastination), I'll sit down and start listing what I think would be cool titles for stories. "Sniper at the Gates of Hell" popped up during one such session, and all of a sudden I had an image of a lone sentry posted at the gates of Perdition, charged with picking off the poor souls who thought they had a chance of escaping the fiery pit. It was a striking image, one which led itself rather naturally to the story I wound up writing. Namely: What happens when the sniper posted at the gates of Hell finds the Devil himself next in his cross-hairs?
The big D has already appeared in an earlier story in the collection, but that was a slightly more grounded portrayal. For this one, I wanted something a little more rock 'n' roll: full-on, Lord of Darkness-styled horns, massive cloven hooves, a pointy tail... the works. The whole story falls in line with such over-the-top visuals and ideas, with Hell and it's denizens consisting of some real Heavy Metal, horror-movie imagery from beginning to end. The ending leaves some tantalizing possibilities for the future, so I wouldn't be too surprised if we don't see any further adventures for Hell's Sniper... but you never know.
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