Free Demon Hunters by JKMelby74 Page B

arm gave out and he dropped down
a bit. I kicked out at him and he flailed at me. I noticed he had a
bit of an advantage as his toenails were long and hand been
sharpened into claws. He slashed at me like a feral creature. I
felt my grip weakening and the logic of my strategy was escaping
me. I flipped around and started away with the intent of climbing
back down. I suddenly felt a sharp stab in my back and with a quick
scream. I fell down and landed hard into the ground. I was
struggling for air when I suddenly felt a tremendous weight land on
my stomach. When the dust cleared, I saw Braveheart standing on top
of me with a smug smirk.
    “Give up?”
    “No,” I forced out. I quickly grabbed his
ankle and flipped him over. He fell and I was on him. I pinned him
down and began to pound him against the ground. I could hear his
skull knocking against the rock floor. After a few good ones, I
tossed him aside. He was bruised up, but nothing serious. I crawled
over and clamped my arm over his throat. “May we leave?” Braveheart
opened his eyes. He looked like he was about to cry.
    “Go.”
    “That’s a sport. Take care now.” I gave him
a playful slap on his red cheek.
    Ivar and I were ushered out with little
ceremony and we quickly found the jeep. As we got in, we could hear
the music and celebrations going on back in the camps. We drove
back toward the main road that would lead us back to Diablo
Luto.

Chapter 10
    Diablo Luto

    The trip to Diablo Luto was rough. A hard
gravel road and lots of deep holes and steep hills along the way. I
felt the springs in my seat bend and squish with each bounce. There
was no top for the car, so air conditioning would have been
pointless.
    We were going along a smoothly stretch and I
took that opportunity to take in the area. I looked around either
side of me and just saw miles of burnt desert and dead brush. Up
ahead, I could see what looked like a town. I could definitely make
out a few buildings and as we got closer, I saw small things moving
around which started to look like cars. It was rather hard to say
for sure, as we drove in a large cloud of dirt all the way.
    We were finally getting closer to town and I
was able to see more. It was small. About as small a town as I had
ever seen in my life. It looked like the heart of Diablo Luto was
no more than a strip mall. We passed through into the town and
parked alongside a rundown diner with a tin roof. We got out and I
looked down the way and saw a large fountain surrounded by some
very large stone buildings. They looked very authentic. It was
clear tourism wasn’t a major industry in Diablo Luto. Ivar led me
across the way to a large hotel. Unlike the other businesses, it
looked like someone had put money into it. We pushed through the
doors and stepped into a large bar room, or what once was a
barroom. It had since been converted into a kind of makeshift
lobby. There was a gray haired old man leaning against the old bar,
which had been turned into a reception desk.
    “Afternoon,” The old guy said as he turned
to see Ivar and me. “What brings you to Diablo Luto?”
    “Is there a room available?” Ivar asked. The
old man gave him a thoughtful look. “We’re tourists.”
    “Don’t see many of those nowadays.”
    “So you do have vacancies.”
    “Yeah, we do. Let me get you set up,” He
went around the counter and pulled out a large book. “Just sign the
registry and I’ll get you some keys. Two rooms?”
    “That would be fine.”
    “Rooms? Do we really have time to kick back?
Shouldn’t we be getting around to finding your friend?”
    “It will be too hot to search today. As long
as the demon cannot find you, we will be safe. We can afford to
stop and rest at last.” I was about to argue, but I just then felt
my fatigue and realized we really hadn’t rested. My adrenaline had
been keeping me running, but the truth was I would have ripped off
my own legs if it meant I could shut my eyes for five minutes.
    “Here