Matt Archer: Monster Summer Read Free Page B

and
kicked at its midsection, but it didn’t loosen its grip.
    Think, think! How would I pull this off? I could get in
position to take out the leader, but without a diversion, would I be fast
enough to save Will, too? I honestly didn’t know.
    Edging toward the Humvee, I said, “There’s no reason to kill
him. I’m the one you want.”
    “Well, not entirely,” the Lead-Dingo said. “But you’ll do
for a start.”
    We knew the Dingoes were out here searching for someone. All
the monsters seemed to be hunting for a particular person, showing up in very
specific places and killing their way across the countryside while they
searched. We figured the Dingoes were looking for a shaman from the Aboriginal
tribes living in the area, someone who might have a crucial piece of magic to
stop them. Maybe dogface here would confirm that for me.
    I shuffled a few more steps. “What do you mean ‘not entirely?’”
    The Lead-Dingo snorted, sounding so much like a Labradoodle
that I had to swallow a hysterical laugh. It noticed and bared its teeth at me.
“You think I’m just an animal, senseless enough to answer your questions.
How…human.”
    Okay, if I couldn’t get it talking, maybe I could piss it
off. “We’ve already established the fact that I’m human and you’re not.” I
stepped closer to the Humvee, moving slow. “But I’ll debate the animal
thing—you’re nothing but an overgrown dog in my opinion. You don’t even have
opposable thumbs.”
    The beast snarled and showed me the whites of its eyes. “You
sound awfully confident for a dead boy. I’ve killed plenty like you, and I’ll
kill plenty more.”
    Rage thrummed through my chest. Some of it wasn’t mine; the
knife was spoiling for a fight, too. “I’d like to see you try, because I’ve
killed plenty like you, too.” I gave the Lead-Dingo a cold, hard smile. “And
I’ll live to kill plenty more after you’re dead.”
    The monster stalked a few steps toward me, its back claws
gouging deep trails in the dirt. I used its approach as an excuse to scoot
closer to the pack of Dingoes by the vehicle.
    When it didn’t rise to the taunt, I said, “Well, you got
anything to say to that? Oh, wait…you aren’t going to answer my questions.” I
tightened my grip on the knife. This would be tight. “What’s the matter? Cat
got your tongue?”
    The Lead-Dingo lunged and I brought the knife up just as a
huge “Boom!” echoed across the plain. The ground shuddered beneath my feet and
I dropped to my knees. The Lead-Dingo stumbled, howling something in his native
language. Two of the others took off running.
    Another explosion came, closer this time, sending pebbles
sliding down the hill. In the confusion, I popped into a crouch and launched
myself at the Lead-Dingo. It scrambled backward as I slashed at its chest, but
it slipped on the loose rocks littering the ground and landed on its back.
Moving at warp speed, I was right there to land a blow to the heart before it
had a chance to stand. It jerked once as the knife slid between its ribs, then
was still.
    The Dingo holding Will howled and slammed him against the
Humvee so hard, he went limp. I yanked the knife free from the carcass and
hurled it with all my might. The knife flew like a guided missile and slammed
into the thing’s chest, sending it toppling over backward. Will tumbled down on
top of it.
    The last Dingo standing let out a yip and ran after the
others. I sprinted down the hill as fast as I could without sliding on the
carpet of pebbles and reached Will just as Schmitz came charging up the hill
from the other direction. Together we tugged Will off the dead Dingo.
    Will groaned and sat up. His neck was red and scratched, but
otherwise he looked fine. “Holy Elway’s ghost, dude,” he said in a raspy voice,
“I thought we were dead this time.”
    Relieved, I sat on the ground next to him. “Nah, just beat
up.” I looked up at Schmitz, who was peering across the desert.