Turning to Michael, Max said, "We'll circle around him and meet up at the center of the ship.”
Kyle nodded and took a step toward the creature. "Man, are you ugly," his whispered to himself.
Freshman year, the coach had decided that all the play- ers take a karate course offered by the phys ed depart- ment, for discipline. Like most of the guys on the squad, Kyle had not taken it very seriously, but there was one thing the instructor had said that Kyle had remembered. He had been showing them how to crack boards with their hands.
"Before you strike, see your hand breaking the board. If you can't see it, you'll never be able to do it," he had said.
This is just like the all county championships. Now there were some scary guys, Kyle thought.
Kyle noticed the creature eyeing him with interest. When it tilted its head, Kyle got the distinct impression that it was amused by him and his friends. There was a sound of footsteps from the direction that Max and Michael had gone. The creature's head turned quickly and scanned the area. It fixed on Max and Michael.
That was it. Kyle started running. He was less than fifty yards from the alien and he covered the ground quickly.
As he got closer he saw that the creature was fairly bulky up top… broad in the chest area. Its legs and lower body were thinner. Kyle knew what to do now. When he was only yards from the alien, he got himself ready and fought back the revulsion he felt.
Massive upper body means a higher center of gravity, he heard the coach say in his head. In that case, hit them low, the voice continued.
At the last second, he threw himself forward, at the crea- ture's lower thigh. He hit the creature with his shoulder. The creature didn't have time to move. The alien obviously didn't, think humans posed it a physical threat.
Then again, maybe he knows something we don't, Kyle thought as he took out his opponent with the best hit- and-wrap move of his post-football career. Like he learned on the team, he wrapped his arms around the alien's rough skin so it couldn't throw him off.
The rest was physics. The alien was going down.
He met with much less resistance than he expected. The creature immediately fell back, and Kyle realized that it was lighter than it looked. Though he couldn't be sure, Kyle thought he heard a solid snap as he made contact. Kyle and the creature went down together in a heap.
As soon as they hit the ground, he let go and scrambled to put some distance between himself and the alien as he tried to get to his feet at the same time.
Something grabbed his foot.
It's got me with its claw, Kyle thought, fighting down panic.
Kyle felt himself getting pulled closer to the creature and all he could think about was its wide mouth full of teeth. As he slid closer, Kyle heard a series of loud clicks from the alien. They went right through him and brought the panic closer to the surface. While he squirmed and tried to get away, Kyle felt the second claw trying to find purchase on his body.
I'm caught, his mind cried out.
Out of instinct, he reared up with one foot and slammed it where he thought the creature's head would be. He made contact with something and felt the second claw jab him in the stomach. He brought his foot down again and, this time, he heard a satisfying thud and knew he had landed a very solid blow. Kyle had hurt him. Sud- denly, the creature released him and… as far as Kyle could tell… went still. He wasn't sure, because he didn't turn around until he had scrambled several feet away.
When he did turn around, he saw the alien lying in a heap. It didn't move and had stopped making its horrible sounds.
Got him, Kyle realized. He had won one for his friends and for himself. A quick smiled formed on his lips, but Kyle knew they were a long way from done. He had to get to Max and Michael. Kyle pushed off the ground and found that he couldn't get up.
There was an odd pressure in his abdomen. Kyle's hand went to the spot and came up wet.
What? he thought looking down at his hand. It was wet with his blood.
As the haze of his adrenaline rush started to fade, Kyle realized that it wasn't pressure he was feeling in his stom- ach. It was pain.
The creature had stabbed him with his claw when they were struggling. It had gotten him pretty good, too, judg- ing by the fire in his abdomen now. Kyle tried again to get to his knees and found that he couldn't. A moment later, he was on his back, pressing his wound with one hand.
"Kyle, are you okay?" a voice called out. It was Max.
When Kyle spoke, he thought his voice was remarkably strong. "Yeah. I took him down, but he clipped me good. I'll have to sit out the rest of the game.”
"You sure you're okay?" Max said.
"Yeah, go… do what you have to," Kyle said.
He spoke the last sentence quickly as the pain got worse. Kyle knew that Max would stop to heal him if he knew that Kyle was hurt. They couldn't afford the time now. Liz's life depended on them striking hard and fast.
If they succeeded, there would be plenty of time for Max to help him when they were done and Liz was safe.
"Stay where you are," Max said. "We'll be back for you.”
No problem, Kyle thought. I'm not going anywhere.
Despite the pressure he was putting on the wound, Kyle felt the blood seeping from it. He saw the blood spreading over his shirt and begin to drip down to the ground.
Suddenly he knew he was a long way from all right.
Well, the important thing was that Max thought he was okay. Now, he and Michael could finish what the three of them had started. Kyle was glad he had been able to help, even if it was just to take down one of the bad guys.
He shivered. That was new. Had it gotten colder all of a sudden? Kyle figured it had. He noticed something else; the pain wasn't as bad now. The waves were gone, and he felt only a dull ache now.
He shivered again. When did it get so cold?
22
“Doesn't look like there are any more guards," Michael said.
"I'm not sure he was a guard. He didn't even have any weapons," Max said.
"Either way, it looks like they are all inside," Michael said.
They crept closer to the ship. A few more steps. Then a few more. They moved as silently as they could. Now they were less than twenty yards form the ship. Details were clearer. Max could see the landing struts and a single ramp that let up to some kind of hatch or doorway.
"How is that plan coming along, Maxwell?" Michael said.
"Slowly," Max replied, considering the scene carefully.
"We have no idea how many of the aliens are around or inside. We don't know what kind of weapons the ship has. And for all we know, they're watching us inside on the big screen now and laughing," Max said.
"Well, sure it sounds bad when you put it like that,”
Michael said. "I guess that leaves us only one choice.”
"The front door," Max said.
"On three," Michael said.
"One," Max said.
"T…," Michael began, but he was interrupted by a loud, high-pitched clicking that suddenly filled the night.
Max's eyes searched the ship for signs of movement. An instant later, he saw a spot near the top begin to glow. Reacting instinctively, Max threw up his hand, and two things happened nearly simultaneously. A green barrier appeared in front of Max and Michael and a bolt of some- thing tore out from the ship toward them.
It struck the barrier Max had created with tremendous force. The barrier held, at first. But the blast of whatever it was was still there… an angry ball of swirling white energy pressing itself against the barrier.