The giant bobbed and weaved, making it more difficult for the guards to hit its head. Its chest was a bloody pulp, and yet it didn’t slow down. Unless one of the shooters was able to make a head shot, this could be trouble.
The gunfire stopped.
Surprised, Carmen looked back at the guards. They parted, and a man stepped through. He was handsome and tall, with close-cropped blond hair and a fit body. Unlike the others, he was outfitted in black. Carmen had no doubt he was the team’s commander. As he continued forward, Carmen saw he carried one of her favorite weapons: a fully automatic Steyr TMP machine pistol. If that couldn’t bring the beast down, nothing would.
About fifteen feet away from his target, the commander lifted the weapon and unleashed a vicious spray of automatic gunfire. Bullets strafed the giant’s body from top to bottom. It screamed and stumbled backward. Showing no mercy, the commander pressed forward, focusing his fire on the giant’s upper torso and head. Losing blood and unable to move effectively, the giant backed away more quickly, guarding its head with its massive hands. The commander pressed on, clearly focused on finishing the job.
Carmen eased forward along the ledge, watching the spectacle play out in front of her. The giant was close to falling into the abyss. Whether the commander had done that on purpose or not, she couldn’t tell. Regardless, it was a positive development.
Several rounds finally pierced the giant’s hands, shredding its neck. It cried out, staggered, and teetered, barely able to stand. The commander stopped firing and approached to within a few feet. He directed the muzzle of the Steyr at the creature’s head then squeezed the trigger. There was a click, but no shot came forth. The giant lowered its hands and growled. Sensing an opening, it crouched, ready to spring. If it could somehow get its hands on the commander, the tide might turn in a horrifying way.
Two gunshots echoed across the cavern. The giant’s arms fell to its sides, revealing a gaping wound in its right temple. It teetered for a moment then fell backward into the pit.
Carmen lowered her pistol and looked at the blond commander.
“Thanks for giving me the honor.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
A loud boom echoed across the alcove. Then another. Roger Lawson checked his watch. It had been going on for some ten minutes. Something was on the other side of the gate, trying to get through. At first, he’d thought it was the escapees conducting a ruse to get them to open the gate, but as the pounding continued, he realized it couldn’t be them or anyone else. The blows were too powerful. Whatever hammered that wall was the size of an elephant.
Once it became clear the threat was lethal, Roger and his men had retreated to a nearby building. Rather than retreat with them, Viktor and his crazed followers had remained in the alcove. Strangely, they seemed to be ready to receive with open arms whatever was trying to come though. Roger wondered if Viktor hadn’t used his hocus pocus to conjure something out of the abyss.
As the pounding grew more intense, Roger turned to the senior guard at his side. “Has the C-Four been rigged?”
The guard relayed the question through his headset. After receiving a response, he nodded. “Yes, sir. Everything is in place.”
The blocks of C-4 had been brought in and placed near the gate in case the key didn’t work. Roger wouldn’t hesitate to use it if, somehow, the gate came down. Whatever this thing was, it would be no match for the explosives waiting to rock its world. That much C-4 was enough to bring down a skyscraper.
Roger lifted his binoculars and trained them on the alcove. The only light came from a few dozen candles Viktor’s men had set in a giant circle.
Roger shifted the binoculars. Viktor and his flock lay prone on the ground, caught up in some sort of spiritual ecstasy. Roger shook his head. He never should’ve worked with them in the first place. He should’ve gotten his hands on the map and come in alone.
As he studied the scene, someone rose and began walking. Roger leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. What the…?
It was Viktor, and he had something in his hand. As he neared the gate, the cult leader approached the obelisk. Roger dropped the binoculars to his chest. No…
There was a flash of light in the alcove. His pulse quickening, Roger raised the binoculars again. A spray of colored light splashed across the walls.
The fool… He can’t be.
And yet he had. He’d placed the relic in the obelisk, and the gate slid open. The idiot had finally crossed over into insanity, and he was going to pay with his life.
Roger looked at his senior guard again. “Have your men prepare to detonate.”
The guard hesitated. “Sir, shouldn’t we warn the others to evacuate the area?”
“I guess you must have something clogging up your ears. I said to have your men prepare for detonation.”
“Sir, if we set off the C-Four while they’re—”
“Just do it!” Roger screamed.
The guard stepped away and spoke into his mic.
Roger turned back to the spectacle playing out in the alcove. The gate was now halfway open. Something hovered in the darkness beyond, waiting to come out, something massive, as tall as a tree.
Rather than retreat, Viktor took a step toward it. His crazed flock followed. They were on a suicide mission, and at this point, there was nothing Roger could do to stop them. The shadows in the cave mouth moved. The thing — whatever it was — took a step forward, the ground shaking under its weight.
Roger lifted the binoculars for a closer look. The gate was open, and a dark figure emerged from the cave. Roger flinched when it came into the light. It had the form and shape of a man but was twenty to twenty-five feet tall. Its head sported a massive mop of red hair, and its beard hung down over its abdomen. It looked like something ripped from the pages of a fairy tale. A real life troll. A giant.
Son of a…
The giant turned its head back and forth, not sure of what to think of all the people. Instead of fleeing, the people moved forward, their arms lifted.
No, you idiots. No.
The giant let loose a horrifying growl then grabbed two of the nearest men. It flung one against the wall. The man hit the rock like a sack of potatoes then dropped to the ground. Roger guessed every major bone in his body was crushed. The other man suffered a more gruesome fate at the giant’s hands. Roger was a hard, cruel man, but even he had to turn away at the sight.
Rather than turn and flee, Viktor pressed forward. He seemed to be speaking to the giant, perhaps trying to reason with it. That was pure insanity. There would be no reasoning with this thing. It had one purpose, and that was to kill anything that moved. Unfortunately, Viktor couldn’t understand that. His mind was too far gone.
Unimpressed with the attempted communication, the giant lunged forward and grabbed the cult leader, lifting him into the air.
Roger had seen enough. He knew what was coming next. Viktor’s body would be torn to pieces. He turned to the guard. “Blow it up.”
The man hesitated.
“Now!”
The guard nodded nervously then relayed the message through his headset.
Seconds later, there was a flash of light to the left of the giant. A massive fireball erupted. Rolling flames billowed out of the alcove. For a moment, it seemed as though it might even reach the city.
Roger stared at the fiery inferno. Nothing could survive such an explosion. He told the guards in the room to gather their weapons. If any member of the order had managed to survive, they were to be put out of their misery. Roger looked back toward the flames. Despite the death and carnage, he gave himself a figurative pat on the back.