CHAPTER 21
Three
of the convicts hovered close to a fire as night closed around them. Four tuskers
were roasting on a spit over the fire. One
of the convicts pulled one of the small animals off and tossed it to Amasunto
who ripped into it hungrily.
Another convict stood guard outside
the circle of light. The four prisoners
watched warily and the children cling to their mother.
Amasunto nearly swallowed the tiny
rodent whole and licked his fingers. “More!” he bellowed.
Even those who had escaped the
maximum security prison with him feared the terrifying giant. The convict who gave Amasunto the first
tusker started to take another off the spit.
“No.” Amasunto stopped him. “I find
them too greasy for my taste. I need
proper nourishment.” He smiled a crooked-toothed grin at Toby, who cowered
against her mother and nodded toward the boy. “He will do.”
“You know that ain’t our thing,
Amasunto,” the man said.
Amasunto licked his lips hungrily.
“I was not thinking of sharing. Prepare
him for me.”
The convict looked at the boy and
his mother with regret, but he knew better than to disobey Amasunto. He nodded to another of the convicts, who had
no compunction about roasting children as he strode toward the prisoners.
Elena’s eyes grew wide in terror as
she clung to her children. “No! You
can’t do this,” she pleaded.
“Momma, what’s he going to do?”
Tobey said terrified.
“Give me the boy,” the convict
demanded.
Elana clung desperately to Toby as
the convict pulled at his arm. “Please, don’t!
Take me, I beg you.”
“Normally, you would be acceptable,
but he will be more tender,” Amasunto said and nodded at the convict. “Get it
done. I am famished.”
“Why are you doing this?” Elana
asked desperately. “We have done nothing to you.”
“It is not personal. It’s a matter of metabolism. I must eat every two hours or I will perish.”
He shrugged. “It is who I am.”
“If you must eat, then why not me?”
“Your time will come.”
The convict slugged Elana, knocking
her down and yanked Toby from her arms as he walked toward the smoking fire and
drew a knife. He did not see the pencil-thin red laser beam cut through the
campfire smoke as a red dot centered on his chest just above Toby’s head.
Everyone in the camp, however, did
see the beam. All eyes followed it to the man as he drew the knife up to Toby’s
throat.
Toby struggled as he dangled in the
air and kicked helplessly against the convict’s legs. Then the convict noticed everyone staring at
something. He finally saw the red beam
of light in the smoke and he looked down slowly, following its path to his
chest. He looked up at Amasunto with an aw-shit expression.
Amasunto tried to see into the
darkness around them. “Perhaps you should put the lad down,” he said quietly.
Instead of heeding the warning, the
convict raised Toby higher and pressed the knife against his throat. The red dot rose to the convict’s head.
“Even if you kill me, the boy’s
dead,” he shouted into the darkness.
From the opposite direction another
red beam cut across the first and centered on Amasunto’s chest. The tiny dot expanded slowly to a ten-inch
circle, indicating the size of the hole the blast would make.
“Now it is personal,” the man-eater said.
“Put him down.”
“No way I’m gonna do—”
Without warning, the convict’s
right leg was blown off below the knee.
He screamed in agony and dropped Toby as he fell to the ground writhing
in pain. Amasunto stood across the fire with his shotgun-blaster.
The red circle remained on his
chest.
“Drop it,” Jake commanded.
Amasunto tossed the weapon
aside. It was a practical decision. There was no fear in him as Jake, October and
Tibbs stepped into the circle of light. But
there was recognition on the giant killer’s face.
Then
a little smile.
“Sergeant Lane? I thought you were dead,” Amasunto said
cheerfully.
The children saw October and ran to
him, crying together, “Grandpa!” They lept to him as he knelt to take them into
his arms. Elana ran to her father.
“Christopher?” he asked her of his
son-in-law.
Elana shook her head and tears
swelled up in her eyes as she looked toward Amasunto. “We were traveling to the
Escalante outpost,” she said through the tears.
“They ambushed the caravan.
Chris... he tried to protect us, but,” her eyes glared at the monster
with hate, “but that one murdered him...in front of the children.”
Amasunto looked past Jake at them.
“Touching,” he said without feeling. “If I had known they were friends of yours, sergeant,”
he grinned through crooked lips showing sharp teeth, “I would have had them for
breakfast.”
“You know him?” Tibbs asked.
“We’ve met.”
Tibbs looked from Jake to Tibbs. “The
two of you are just full of surprises.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“It seems like only yesterday when
we were comrades-in-arms,” Amasunto said.
“He fought with the rebels?” Tibbs
said. “With you? Why am I not surprised!”
“He’s a mercenary,” Jake said as he
glared at Amasunto, “and a traitor.”
“That’s not how I saw it, sergeant,”
Amasunto said. “The other side simply
made me a better offer.”
“Just business, right,” Jake said
scornfully.
“I liked you, sergeant. But I had a reputation to consider. I couldn’t let emotion stand in the way of a
firm offer.” He shrugged his massive shoulders.
“You know how it is.”
“Yes, I do. And I’m sure you’ll understand—” Jake aimed
his weapon at Amasunto.
“That wouldn’t be smart,” Amasunto
said.
“You know I’ve never been the smart
one,” Jake said.
Amasunto held up a small device in
his hand.
Jake knew instantly what it is, a
miniature tactical nuclear explosive device.
Amasunto smiled as a long finger
tapped gently on a button. “If you are intent on killing me, then I have
nothing to lose,” he said.
“Is that what I think it is?” said
Tibbs.
“Exactly,” said Jake.
“Crap!”
“The range is limited, but everyone
here will die,” Amasunto said.
Tibbs looked desperately at Jake
then Amasunto. “Let him go,” he said.
“He’s bluffing,” Jake said. “He may be uglier than hell, but he doesn’t
want to die any more than you do.”
“Mr. Lane, please,” Elana pleaded.
“Yes, sergeant, after all, there
are the children,” Amasunto mocked. “As
I recall, you always were one for protecting the children.”
It was a deadly standoff as Jake kept
his weapon aimed at Amasunto, who caressed the button on small explosive device. Jake straightened up, eased the weapon down
and motioned with a nod for the others to move back away from the camp. “We’ve
got the high ground and can see every move you make,” he said.
“You had the high ground before.”
“We don’t have a traitor among us
this time.”
Amasunto eyed Tibbs. “It’s a small
asteroid, sergeant.”
October guided Elana and the two
children out of the camp. The four other
prisoners moved out with Tibbs as he walked backwards keeping his weapon trained
on the other convicts.
Jake stood at the edge of the light
a moment. “I won’t hesitate to kill you next time,” he promised.
“That would be wise,” Amasunto
said.
Jake stepped into the dark and
disappeared.
Amasunto stood motionless for a few
moments then took out of one of his pockets a long, twisted cigar-like object
and casually flicked the explosive device
as he lit up and took long drag.
One of the convicts went over to
the injured man who had dragged himself up against a rock as his knee smoldered;
the remains of his leg lay nearby.
“They might have a radio up there
and call for help,” the convict said as he looked down at the injured man. “We better get moving.”
“You’re right,” Amasunto said.
“What about me?” the wounded man
gritted. “I need a doctor.”
“He ain’t going to make it out of
here on his own,” said another convict.
“Excellent point,” Amasunto said as
he took a drag on the cigar.
The man’s fear overrode his pain as
he looked up in terror at Amasunto.
“I ain’t carrying him,” said the
man nearest the injured convict.
“No need,” said Amasunto as he blew
out cigar smoke through fleshy slits on either side of his thick neck.
The wounded man struggled to rise,
but fell back in agony. He looked helplessly
at the others. “Just help me up,” he pleaded.
“I won’t slow you down.”
“You’re right. You won’t,” said Amasunto as he picked up his
weapon and pointed it at the terrified convict. “I hate to travel on an empty
stomach.”
