Walking Dollar Bills

Chapter 45 (1/2): Death to Dictators (1/3)

A circle of wind lashes out in all directions tossing a thick sheet of sand throughout the stadium. Amara and Dictator Beneficence turn away with their arms shielding their faces. Jayce, halfway up a flight of stairs, drops on all fours and tucks his head into his crossed arms. The two unconscious government workers disappear under the sand. Although no sand reaches Zala on the second level, the vicious wind nevertheless pulls her hair vertically.

Earl's entire right arm is swallowed by sand. He stands on one knee and grips what little of his shoulder that is above the surface. The wind whipping around him dies down as sand rains over his body.

"I missed" says Earl.

Amara notices her friend and feels a surge of optimism rise in her chest until she looks behind him. She sees the prototype rip out of the ground and direct both gun-barrel arms at his back. Instinctually, she points at him.

"Get out of the way!"

Instead of heeding her advice, Earl throws his head up and takes a long look at Amara. The panic on her face baffles him just as bullets are blasted behind him. After his friend's scream and the explosion of firing guns, he hears a third sound that rattles his eardrums.

Three arrows of light zip over Earl's head and slam directly into the speeding bullets. The force of the explosion plucks his arm out of the sand and hurls his body several feet forward. He lands head first into soft golden sand and slides his gaze upwards.

Gumbo flies above him with his bow shaped with dark energy in hand.

"Appreciate the help" says Earl with a smirk.

Dictator Beneficence takes a step backwards that pulls him closer to the outside wall of the bottom level of the stadium. His eyes feast on the two gods in front of him. Turning to his side, he glances at Amara and flares his nostrils.

"It seems the second god has arrived" says Dictator Beneficence.

Amara glares at the Dictator. His nonchalance sickens her. While she desperately worries about her friends, he sees this battle as entertainment. This battle is a chance for him to test his new weapon of war. If he wins, people die. If her friends win, property is destroyed. The unfairness of this entire situation forces a frown on her face.

But that frown quickly straightens into a line as Amara acknowledges the full meaning of Earl's arrival.

Zala.

Scanning the stadium with her blue-eyes, Amara desperately searches for the whereabouts of her friend and Yoko's little sister. When she fails to find anything on the lower level, she squints her eyes and checks the second level. That's when she finds her.

Zala leans over the railing with the upper-half of her body and watches the battle beneath her. Amara releases her anxiety with a deep exhale that rolls out of her throat. She convinces herself that everything will be fine as long as Zala stays put.

"Hold on Gumbo, I'm going to crush this thing into pieces" says Earl, which causes Amara to snap her attention away from Zala.

Amara watches him point his open palm at the prototype. Earl's stance and demeanor reminds her of the moment before he controlled the mountain and smacked away the Crimson Brigade's cannonball. Did he have a similar plan?

The prototype's scorpion legs slap away sand as it charges at Earl.

Beads of sweat dot Earl's forehead. Intense concentration causes his face to contort and his fingers to curl. The slithering sound of a tail sliding through sand rises from a hum to a scream.

"It's not working!" shouts Earl.

Gumbo releases a poorly aimed arrow of light that grazes the side of the prototype. But, he succeeds at shifting its direction away from his friend. The prototype does not cease, however. The bladed tip of the prototype's tail plunges towards Earl's exposed chest.