The Predator Hunters And Hunted 73

"Tomlin stared at the metal spear for a long while as he held his insides in place. He did his best to watch the fight. Sometimes he saw something and other times he faded away. Dying. He was dying. He knew it. There wasn't a thing for it except to hope that the others finished the job and killed the alien hunter."

"The damned alien was moving. It started to run toward the south, toward the Okefenokee, and then it fell flat. He watched as it crawled a few feet, wheezing and coughing and feeling almost as shitty as he did. He didn't want to cheer anymore. He just wanted it to be over. It looked like the only one who was going to end all of this was him. Tomlin made it to his knees. It was hard, damn it. It was maybe the hardest thing he'd ever done in his entire life, and then he looked down at that damned alien spear again. He reached out, let his hand touch it. The metal was cold and it was surprisingly light. He pulled it closer and stuck the pointy end into the ground.

It slid a little before punching into the soil and staying put. One hand stayed on his stomach-he was almost certain that if he let that hand fall away, his guts were going to slop on out and spill all over the ground. If that happened, friends and neighbors, he was damn sure he'd never pull them back into his body before he died. It took an eternity to stand up. During that time the rain fell, and lightning flashed, and thunder crashed. A few million raindrops hit his face and body. Still, he persisted.

It was important that he get all the way to his feet, though he was having trouble remembering why. There was something he had to do. Something important, too, because if he didn't do it, he was pretty sure Pappy was going to yell at him. Sure, Pappy was dead and he knew that, but it didn't matter. Pappy would be pissed off and an angry Pappy was never a good thing. Another flash of lightning, and then he saw the alien where it lay. It was moving something on its arm and waving long taloned fingers over that spot. Something Pappy had said about the aliens buzzed in his head, and
he tried to focus. "Oh. Shit. Bomb." He shook his head. "No, no, no, no..." Tomlin moved. wasn't exactly his best time. He was moving slower than his granddaddy when he was using his walker."pg.290-291chpt.29