Rubicon Crossing by Ralph Prince

Author:Ralph Prince [Prince, Ralph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-27T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7: Under the Gun

The three stood in the searing heat of the late afternoon sun, as the lengthening shadows draped over the post-apocalyptic cityscape like a burial shroud, bringing with them a solemn stillness that even the wind dared not disturb. The silence heralded the imminent darkness and the imagined terrors that had haunted children throughout history. But the monsters the coming night would yield were real.

“This is insane,” Dillon said, anxiously shifting his heavy club from one hand to the other. He was there solely because his sister had insisted upon following the Terran to her doom. “What will our deaths accomplish? We should return to the caves and make our stand there.”

“You don’t have to stay,” Don said calmly, his eyes fixed on the street leading into the Tant’s domain. He found no comfort in the knowledge that there were over fifteen thousand of the deformed humanoids in the city.

“Donald,” Karen said, moving closer to him, “maybe Dillon’s right. The Tants won’t listen to reason.”

“Please, Karen,” he pleaded, placing one hand upon her shoulder, “go back to the caves before it’s too late.” He had hoped Dillon would make her stay in the relative safety of the shelter below, but she had insisted upon accompanying him. Unable to sway her, Dillon chose instead to come with her. Now, both of their fates hinged on his ability to make peace with the Tants.

“They’re coming,” Dillon said, as dusk brought with it a perceptible drop in temperature and the sounds of bloodthirsty howls and earsplitting shrieks.

“I won’t leave you, Donald,” Karen said, choking over the words. “I love you.”

“Then stay behind me,” he said, his hand moving to the butt of his photon blaster as the cacophony grew ever louder.

Together, they watched as the masses of disfigured humanoids began to appear, weapons and arms flailing above their heads. Accompanied by loud shrieks and whistles, the creatures resembled a pack of wild animals more than a group of humans.

As he looked upon the ever-growing mob, Don began to have doubts about his plan; serious doubts. He looked to Karen and Dillon; both stood tense, but neither faltered in the face of their greatest fear.

The army of Tants drew nearer, their screams of excitement growing louder as they spotted living prey. His hand clenched tightly around the blaster, the captain began to slowly draw it from the holster as the first Tant came into range.

“Stop!” boomed a voice from amid the crowd. Immediately, all the Tants halted, their war cries dying until all that remained was the whistling of the wind.

The wall of Tants parted, and the dim moonlight fell upon a dark-skinned, barrel-chested figure standing head and shoulders above the rest. His muscular body was not twisted like those milling around him, and he was much more massive—towering over two meters tall. Beneath a mop of oily black hair, the pronounced asymmetry of his visage gave him a frighteningly monstrous appearance. The mottled brown skin of the right side of

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