Conquest ~ Indian Hill 3 ~ A Michael Talbot Adventure by Mark Tufo Page B

stuff, but it wasn’t like I had been scoping them out too much . M ost of the trip down I had sat with my head down , deep in thought of what was about to happen. Not knowing what else to do , I walked over to my sword and shield . Damn , they felt heavy. M aybe this was a good thing . I was tired of fighting, tired of trying to save others, tired of trying to justify all the things I had done thus far. I honestly hoped at th at point there was no heaven . I did not want to have to explain myself at the Pearly Gates, if that was indeed the direction in which I was heading. The devil , though , I’m sure he had a special wing already set up for me . N o , it was much better to think that once Drababan laid the killing blow I would just fade out to black.
    And then I nearly dropped my shield as a voice thun dered from above , “ Warriors —l et the games begin! ”
    “Fuck ,” I said as I walked toward Drababan.
     

    CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    “Is everything in place , S ergeant?” t he stern- faced Colonel asked.
    “Yes , sir ,” the sergeant answered calmly . F or what was about to happen she showed no emotion whatsoever, she was the poster child for the pro fessional soldier . C alm , cool and collected, no matter that her heart said differently.
    “Alright , Sergeant , when I give the order I want you to hit the switch , within five seconds of that switch I want all of you r men outside.” He yelled even though in the confined space , a whisper would have been sufficient, that and the fact that this drill had been run a thousand times before. “Look alive folks, this time it ’ s for keeps and we’ll have a world wide audience. So no screw ups!”
    “Oooh Raaah!” w as the unabashed reply.
    “Oooh Raaah!” The C olonel echoed. Now he had to hope that his intel was correct, the aliens had let it be known far and wide that the fight would take place on earth but they had not disclosed the exact whereabouts. At least 5 different spots around the planet were being monitored after increased fly bys by transport and gunships. Th at could mean absolutely nothing, his targets could be fighting on the top of the Himalayan mountains for all he truly knew.
     

    CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Mike Journal Entry 5
     
    Drababan shook his head ever so slightly as he saw me head toward him . No, matter how concerned he was with actually killing me, he would do it , I was sure. W hat was the point of running ? Drababan shook off his distaste for the event and approached me warily but steadily . I stumbled a few times on the uneven terrain, Drababan , for all his bulk , may as well have been floating, he never faltered and even more disconcerting , he never once took his reptilian eyes off of me. As I closed in I saw no good reason to stall, I swung first, my blow easily deflected off of D’s shield. He countered and nearly took my head off in one fell swoop.
    Well so much for hesitation on his side . I tucked and rolled by , swinging my sword and catch ing his shin guard. I think it momentarily stunned him that I actual ly made contact, he pulled his leg back. Either way he was in no position to counterstrike, good thing too, because a small mound had halted my progress much so oner than I had anticipated . Drababan recovered quickly , but so did I , and with some effort I was able to deflect his incoming blow as I did my best to regain my footing.
    “You fight well , Mike, I had prayed to Gropytheon that it would be so.”
    “Um , thanks? I guess?” How the hell does one answer that when you’re fighting for your very existence. He said it so matter of factly like we were shooting hoops or playing darts, not trying to survive. “You too.”
    “Coming from you , Mike, that truly is a compliment.”
    Are you kidding me? Could this be any more surreal? He dipped his head slightly , I lunged missing badly and catching si ght of D’s blade swinging down on my sword arm. I was sent sprawling in the dirt, my arm was on fire but