she saw a rotting corpse drop to
her left. With no time to worry about Asher, she focused on the enemy. He was
roaring as he grew stronger.
“Aileen?”
“I don’t know if I can,” she confessed. Her entire body
pounded with agony. Her life was ebbing away, draining into Mictlan.
“You have to,” Asher said. “Ian will die if you fail.”
Ian. Oh God, Ian is over there. She turned her face
up toward the sky and her prayer was more of a plea. “I need more. Please.”
She put her hands down and the white light disappeared. She
saw the moment of confusion on Mictlan’s face before she lifted one hand. A
bolt of lightning flew across the distance hitting him in the chest.
He screamed with rage and lifted his own hand shooting back.
His bolt merged with hers filling the Earth and sky with blinding light.
Aileen screamed in pain.
When Ian reached the top of the Pyramid of the Moon he heard
the crackle of lightning and felt the now familiar pain in his head. Now that
the sun had gone back behind the clouds he could make out the figure of Aileen
across the way. She was only a dot from that distance and she seemed small
compared to the monster in front of him. He could still see through The Lord of
the Dead. He had to wait.
“What are you doing? Why don’t you shoot?” Nancy asked.
“Not yet. He’s not here yet. It will just go through him,”
Ian yelled above the cracking thunder.
Creatures started scaling the side of the pyramid. Men and
women who no longer lived but still walked the Earth and a few werewolves
climbed higher.
Nancy’s eyes widened. “You stay and take care of him. We’ll
deal with the rest.”
He heard gunfire. He saw creatures battling people and he
heard the cries of both sides dying. Ian Scott stood his ground. He made no
move until he saw the lightning change and Aileen cried out. He felt it more
than heard it over the great distance with all the noise.
She was dying. He knew it was true. Part of him began to die
as well. A gun in each hand, he began to fire before he even realized he had.
He was not sure if he had waited long enough until his shots hit the mark
pushing Mictlan backward.
Ian saw his rage and surprise but continued to shoot.
Lightning struck the devil’s right side as bullets pummeled his body. Mictlan
redirected his lightning toward Ian who threw himself down and rolled out of
the way of the bolt.
Another bolt struck Ian’s left shoulder. Burning pain shot
through him, but he fired until the clips were empty. He pulled the third gun
from his leg holster and fired again. Lightning flew across the sky, striking
Mictlan hard and sending him over the side of the pyramid.
Ian ran to the edge and watched Mictlan tumble to the
ground. His minions were collapsing and the people rushed down to where the
Lord of the Dead had landed. Ian followed them, watching as men and women shot
into his already dying body. They beat him with hammers and sticks.
By the time Ian reached the ground Mictlan had taken his
last breath in their world. His corpse was a bloody, broken pulp.
Ian looked toward the other pyramid. Something was making
its way down.
Nancy was beside him. “What is it?”
“Something is wrong,” Ian said and began to run down the
Avenue of the Dead.
His exhaustion forgotten, he ran across the ancient city
until he could clearly see Asher walking toward him. In the boy’s arms lay the
limp body of Aileen Grant.
“Oh, no,” Nancy said in a small voice.
Ian willed his heart to stop but it kept on beating. His
ears rang with the sound of rushing blood as it rolled down his wounded
shoulder dripping on the ground beneath him. He walked forward, feeling more
ghost than man. Asher’s eyes were older somehow. The boy seemed to have aged
ten years in the last hour.
“She’s alive,” he said as he reached Ian.
Those two words filled Ian’s head to near bursting. He no
longer heard the revelry of the people who had ultimately killed
her left. With no time to worry about Asher, she focused on the enemy. He was
roaring as he grew stronger.
“Aileen?”
“I don’t know if I can,” she confessed. Her entire body
pounded with agony. Her life was ebbing away, draining into Mictlan.
“You have to,” Asher said. “Ian will die if you fail.”
Ian. Oh God, Ian is over there. She turned her face
up toward the sky and her prayer was more of a plea. “I need more. Please.”
She put her hands down and the white light disappeared. She
saw the moment of confusion on Mictlan’s face before she lifted one hand. A
bolt of lightning flew across the distance hitting him in the chest.
He screamed with rage and lifted his own hand shooting back.
His bolt merged with hers filling the Earth and sky with blinding light.
Aileen screamed in pain.
When Ian reached the top of the Pyramid of the Moon he heard
the crackle of lightning and felt the now familiar pain in his head. Now that
the sun had gone back behind the clouds he could make out the figure of Aileen
across the way. She was only a dot from that distance and she seemed small
compared to the monster in front of him. He could still see through The Lord of
the Dead. He had to wait.
“What are you doing? Why don’t you shoot?” Nancy asked.
“Not yet. He’s not here yet. It will just go through him,”
Ian yelled above the cracking thunder.
Creatures started scaling the side of the pyramid. Men and
women who no longer lived but still walked the Earth and a few werewolves
climbed higher.
Nancy’s eyes widened. “You stay and take care of him. We’ll
deal with the rest.”
He heard gunfire. He saw creatures battling people and he
heard the cries of both sides dying. Ian Scott stood his ground. He made no
move until he saw the lightning change and Aileen cried out. He felt it more
than heard it over the great distance with all the noise.
She was dying. He knew it was true. Part of him began to die
as well. A gun in each hand, he began to fire before he even realized he had.
He was not sure if he had waited long enough until his shots hit the mark
pushing Mictlan backward.
Ian saw his rage and surprise but continued to shoot.
Lightning struck the devil’s right side as bullets pummeled his body. Mictlan
redirected his lightning toward Ian who threw himself down and rolled out of
the way of the bolt.
Another bolt struck Ian’s left shoulder. Burning pain shot
through him, but he fired until the clips were empty. He pulled the third gun
from his leg holster and fired again. Lightning flew across the sky, striking
Mictlan hard and sending him over the side of the pyramid.
Ian ran to the edge and watched Mictlan tumble to the
ground. His minions were collapsing and the people rushed down to where the
Lord of the Dead had landed. Ian followed them, watching as men and women shot
into his already dying body. They beat him with hammers and sticks.
By the time Ian reached the ground Mictlan had taken his
last breath in their world. His corpse was a bloody, broken pulp.
Ian looked toward the other pyramid. Something was making
its way down.
Nancy was beside him. “What is it?”
“Something is wrong,” Ian said and began to run down the
Avenue of the Dead.
His exhaustion forgotten, he ran across the ancient city
until he could clearly see Asher walking toward him. In the boy’s arms lay the
limp body of Aileen Grant.
“Oh, no,” Nancy said in a small voice.
Ian willed his heart to stop but it kept on beating. His
ears rang with the sound of rushing blood as it rolled down his wounded
shoulder dripping on the ground beneath him. He walked forward, feeling more
ghost than man. Asher’s eyes were older somehow. The boy seemed to have aged
ten years in the last hour.
“She’s alive,” he said as he reached Ian.
Those two words filled Ian’s head to near bursting. He no
longer heard the revelry of the people who had ultimately killed
Similar Books
