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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4189228" data-attributes="member: 3285">Thin Jack: Part 7c – The Thing in the Mine“Everybody ready?” asked Blade.Guppy swallowed hard.  “Well, I had my ultraviolet projector but…”“But what?”“It requires a lot of power,” said Guppy.  “And there’s only enough power for it at the generator back on set…”“And you didn’t have a long enough power cord to bring it here,” said Caprice with a sigh.  “Great.”“Well I do have shotgun shells.” Guppy loosened the carrying strap of the shotgun across his back.  “I filled it with garlic powder.”“Hope it’s really a vampire.” Blade nodded at Hammer. “Let’s flush him out.”  “We know you’re in there, Jack,” shouted Hammer.  The Hummer’s engine plaid a staccato beat while they waited in the desert night for the thing to crawl out of its lair.  A figure wearing a fedora and black overcoat slowly shuffled into the headlights of the Hummer.  Its hands were at its sides.  It kept its head down, so the shadow of the hat’s brim concealed its features.“Come out,” said Hammer. “We just want to talk to you.”The thing slowly slid back the edge of its duster. Its revolver, a huge monster of a pistol, hung loosely at its hip.“Now we don’t want to have to hurt you,” began Hammer.  Everyone was on edge, hands near their pistols.  The long, claw-like fingers flexed beneath the leather gloves, twitching over the revolver’s handle.  “Nobody needs to shoot—“As if the word “shoot” was a command, the thing drew the pistol in a flash and, before anyone else could draw their own guns, fired.  With a yelp, Caprice spun from the impact of the shot and collapsed face-first into the dirt. Both of Hammer’s Glocks were out.  He returned a hail of fire.  The bullets ricocheted off the thing’s body as if he were made of stone.“What the hell?” was all Hammer got out before a crack shot pounded the stone near his face.Blade rushed forward with a roar, hatchets in hand.  The thing calmly waited for him as he closed.Blade brought both hatchets together on the thing’s neck in a scissoring motion.  The blows were so forceful that the attack should have beheaded it.But his hatchets bounced off of the thing’s throat with a metallic clang.  Its free hand shot out, grabbing Blade by the throat.  He gurgled.Its arm outstretched, holding Blade up against the mine wall, the thing’s features were finally visible.  It looked almost rat-like, with grayish-white pupils and fangs that jutted out at odd angles from its mouth.  Its bald, deformed features were twisted with malice.Hammer took advantage of the moment to fire both Glocks at it again.  Bullets sunk through its coat, but the ones that didn’t disappear into its body bounced off.  “Guppy!” shouted Hammer. “DO SOMETHING!”Guppy broke out of his shock and aimed the shotgun.  Then he ducked just as Blade’s unconscious body hurdled toward him.Hammer stood in front of the mine entrance, still emptying his Glocks.  “Shoot it,” said Hammer calmly.  “NOW.”Guppy screwed up his courage and took aim again.  The thing had stopped firing its pistol.  It stalked towards them, removing its gloves one at a time with malign precision.  It was done playing games.Guppy squeezed the trigger and the shotgun shell blasted into the thing’s chest.  It staggered and fell down.“I got it!” shouted Guppy with glee.Hammer shook his head as the thing rose up. He dropped the empty clips from his Glocks and reloaded them. Guppy reloaded and fired again.  This time the thing didn’t stop coming.  “I don’t think it’s working,” said Guppy in a panic. “Then try SOMETHING ELSE!” shouted Hammer.  The thing had closed to within yards of him.  Hammer unleashed both clips into it at point blank range.It laughed.  Then, grabbing Hammer by the throat, it hurled him into the darkness beyond the Hummer.The Hummer!  Guppy tore the door open and dove into the driver’s seat.  The thing was standing in front of him.He shifted the Hummer out of park and slammed on the gas pedal.  The Hummer lurched forward, screeching its wheels as it thudded against the thing.  There was a shriek as it was pinned against the entrance to the mine.The Hummer protested, revving louder.  He couldn’t push it any further because the mine entrance was too narrow.Guppy threw it in reverse.  The Hummer lurched backwards.  Guppy peered over the edge of the Hummer. The thing was gone. He kicked it into drive, but the Hummer didn’t get any traction.  That’s when he felt it lift up.“Mother trucker,” hissed Guppy.  The Hummer winched up higher and higher with a shriek. Guppy threw himself out of the driver’s side door as the thing, arms straining beneath the chassis, twisted the Hummer over on its side.He landed near Vanvon, who was tied up and watching the whole thing in awe.  “Magnificent,” he breathed.  “Fantastic!  The drama, the special effects, I couldn’t choreograph this better…”The thing stalked towards him.  Guppy scrabbled backwards on all fours.  Blade and Hammer were unconscious.  Caprice was down in a pool of blood.  It loomed over him, drawing its pistol with exaggerated care. It occurred to Guppy that the thing was savoring the moment.It pointed the barrel of the six-shooter in Guppy’s face.  Only the glint of moonlight on the tip gave any indication how close it was.There was a crack of gunfire and the thing’s head bobbed back.  It sank to its knees and fell to the ground, dead.“How did you do that?” asked Guppy in awe.Archive blew on the smoking barrel of his pistol. “Magic,” he said.</blockquote>

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