Chapter Twenty-Two
Jennifer felt her strength draining from her body as she struggled to keep Anubis's jowls from finding a "death hold" on her throat.
Vaguely Jennifer could hear the low rumbling of thunder as lightning behind to streak across the sky. The incoming clouds had not only carried rain with them but a storm as well. Lightning flashed across the faces of Jennifer and Anubis; to Jennifer, the lighted face of Anubis made him look like a demon straight out of Hell. Which is what he was.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jennifer saw Evelyn, Rick and Alex enter the dirt bank clearing. Jennifer, hand still on Anubis's muzzle, turned her head to face the O'Connells. Anubis did the same, momentarily distracted from Jennifer. That gave Jennifer the prefect moment to escape; she used her free hand to "punch" Anubis across the muzzle. The surprised jackal-man released his hold on Jennifer's other hand; Jennifer pressed herself against the wall and slid under Anubis's arm.
Jennifer turned around to face Anubis, still weaponless and in no better position then she had been before the O'Connells showed up.
Evelyn took the sword from Rick and called Jennifer's name. Jennifer turned her head to face her sister; Evelyn threw the sword toward Jennifer. Jennifer grabbed the sword off the ground and brandished it. Now, Jennifer thought, I have the upper hand because Anubis is still unarmed. Well, almost unarmed except for his teeth and claws.
However, Anubis didn't stay unarmed for long. With a wave of his left paw, a double bladed axe materialized. Jennifer felt her eyes go wide when Anubis brandished the axe as well. This axe was longer and sharper then the ones his warriors carried around and even more deadly.
Like the other fights that had taken place today, Jennifer and Anubis's fight was going to be a fight to death. A fight against Good and Evil.
Lightning streaked across the sky again, followed by the booming of thunder. Raindrops began to fall from the sky and drop onto the dirt ground below. If Jennifer had been paying close enough attention, she would have realized that when Anubis was hit by a raindrop, close to a centimeter of his flesh disappeared.
Anubis charged at Jennifer with his axe raised; Jennifer parried the blow with her sword. The vibrations flowed down Jennifer's arms and to her shoulders; her fingers tingled with the waves. Anubis swung at Jennifer but the girl dodged the attended fatal blow. Jennifer, in turn, swung at Anubis; she sliced his across the chest. Anubis seemed unharmed by the blow; the sliced flesh joined together again, not a single scratch.
Surprised by the unearthly healing mechanism, Jennifer staggered backward. Now she had no chance, it was only a matter of time -now- before Anubis delivered the fatal blow. All Jennifer could do was put up a good fight that she would ultimately lose.
With Jennifer numb with surprise and sense of impending doom, Anubis saw the prefect opportunity to strike. Anubis struck Jennifer with the flat side of his axe, so not to kill her yet, in the side. Jennifer fell to the ground, winded and surprised; her sword was jostled from her grip.
"Jennifer!" Evelyn cried from behind Anubis. The O'Connells could do nothing but watch the fight. Evelyn attempted to rush to her sister's aid but Rick held her back. He couldn't let Evelyn get killed as well.
Jennifer lay on the dirt ground, trying to catch her breath; there was no use in getting up anyway, she would be finished off eventually in the end anyway, way not now? Anubis seemed to share Jennifer's thoughts; he raised his axe to deliver to fatal blow. Instead of making the blow quick, he wanted to see Jennifer suffer; he aimed at her legs, with a quick blow he could easily slice them off. But he wanted Jennifer to suffer so he decided not to deliver the blow as strong as he could. Anubis brought the axe down upon Jennifer's calves; instead of hearing Jennifer cry out in pain there was the sound a breaking metal. However, Jennifer felt a sharp stab of pain but the pain was dismissed by confusion of the sound.
Anubis was as surprised as the others; he brought the axe away from Jennifer as she reached to see what had made the sound. Jennifer reached into her pocket and drew out two pieces of sliced metal. Jennifer was surprised to see the two halves of the toy car Alex had given her in her palms; on her fingers was a little blood from where the axe had cut past the cars but Jennifer didn't feel the pain at that moment. She stared down at the broken car; without that car, Jennifer would have been officially helpless.
Jennifer staggered to her feet with newfound courage; Anubis had to pay for everything he had done, even if she couldn't really kill him. Jennifer quickly grabbed her sword off the ground and swung at Anubis; she hit the jackal across the neck. Once again there were no results; the wound quickly healed up.
After seeing that there were no effects upon the attempt to "behead" Anubis, Rick realized that this "Anubis" was not like his warriors. There really seemed to be no way to kill him.
Lightning flashed in the sky again, bringing with it a heavier onslaught of rain. This time, Jennifer realized that Anubis was deteriorating with the rain; Anubis realized it too. Now Anubis had a weakness, an Achilles Heel, so to speak. Jennifer found the part on Anubis's body that was most deteriorated so far: his left paw. Jennifer brought her sword down on Anubis's left paw. The paw vanished like the bodies of the beheaded Anubis's warriors; Jennifer's smile was evident, a smile of sweet victory. Anubis stared at his vanished paw, surprised; it didn't appear to hurt him but it did make him mad. He had a weakness, a way to be defeated and that made him mad.
Roaring, Anubis swung the axe at Jennifer's head; the girl barely had time to dodge to blow. Anubis swung at her again and Jennifer met the blow with her own sword; the metal against metal made a "nails on the chalkboard" sound. Jennifer pulled her sword away from Anubis's and dodged another blow; she ran behind Anubis, closer to the edge of the dirt bank. If Jennifer could lure Anubis over the dirt bank into the Blue Nile then he would be "killed".
Anubis spun around and swung his sword at Jennifer; Jennifer stumbled backward, nearly slipping off the bank. Jennifer cried out and dropped her sword; she managed to keep her balance and back away from the bank. Anubis swung at her again but this time Jennifer dodged to the left of the bank; Anubis and Jennifer now face to face on the dirt bank.
The O'Connells rushed closer to Jennifer and Anubis, ready to lend a hand if the opportunity presented itself.
With the increasing rain and the weight of Anubis and Jennifer, the dirt bank broke, taking Jennifer and Anubis down with it. Jennifer screamed and fought for something to hold herself up with; Evelyn lunched forward and grabbed her sister's hand. Jennifer looked up at her sister, who was straining to held her up; her eyes were filled with unspoken thanks. Jennifer chanced a look down to see if Anubis had fallen into the river; the jackal-man had his claws dung into the side of what used to be the dirt bank.
Evelyn felt the rest of the dirt bank shift under her feet, preparing to break as well. Just as Evelyn thought, the bank dissolved under her feet. Evelyn lost hold of Jennifer but Rick grabbed his wife before she fell as well.
Jennifer dug her fingers into the side of what used to be the dirt bank, like Anubis had. Though dirt was showering on top of him, Anubis kept his hold on the wall. Jennifer felt herself slipping; she dug her fingers deeper into the wall and prayed silently that she wouldn't fall.
Jennifer looked up to see Rick extend his hand down for her to grab. Jennifer took one of her hands off the wall, feeling herself slipping more, and reached up to take Rick's hand. She strained to reach his outstretched hand; she almost had taken a hold of it when she felt a sharp stab of pain in her left leg. She looked down to see what was causing the pain; Anubis had climbed upward and had dug into her leg with his claws. With Anubis's weight, Jennifer felt herself being pulled down; Jennifer fought to keep herself on the dirt wall, no longer concerned (for the moment) about grabbing Rick's hand. She was more concerned about not falling.
However, the dirt walls were becoming slippery with the rain and Anubis's weight was beginning to drag her farther down. Jennifer felt her fingers lose hold of the wall and felt herself begin to fall. Both Anubis and Jennifer fell the long drop down to the Blue Nile. Both hit the river with a teeth-jarring splash; both disappeared beneath the water.
Jennifer felt her strength draining from her body as she struggled to keep Anubis's jowls from finding a "death hold" on her throat.
Vaguely Jennifer could hear the low rumbling of thunder as lightning behind to streak across the sky. The incoming clouds had not only carried rain with them but a storm as well. Lightning flashed across the faces of Jennifer and Anubis; to Jennifer, the lighted face of Anubis made him look like a demon straight out of Hell. Which is what he was.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jennifer saw Evelyn, Rick and Alex enter the dirt bank clearing. Jennifer, hand still on Anubis's muzzle, turned her head to face the O'Connells. Anubis did the same, momentarily distracted from Jennifer. That gave Jennifer the prefect moment to escape; she used her free hand to "punch" Anubis across the muzzle. The surprised jackal-man released his hold on Jennifer's other hand; Jennifer pressed herself against the wall and slid under Anubis's arm.
Jennifer turned around to face Anubis, still weaponless and in no better position then she had been before the O'Connells showed up.
Evelyn took the sword from Rick and called Jennifer's name. Jennifer turned her head to face her sister; Evelyn threw the sword toward Jennifer. Jennifer grabbed the sword off the ground and brandished it. Now, Jennifer thought, I have the upper hand because Anubis is still unarmed. Well, almost unarmed except for his teeth and claws.
However, Anubis didn't stay unarmed for long. With a wave of his left paw, a double bladed axe materialized. Jennifer felt her eyes go wide when Anubis brandished the axe as well. This axe was longer and sharper then the ones his warriors carried around and even more deadly.
Like the other fights that had taken place today, Jennifer and Anubis's fight was going to be a fight to death. A fight against Good and Evil.
Lightning streaked across the sky again, followed by the booming of thunder. Raindrops began to fall from the sky and drop onto the dirt ground below. If Jennifer had been paying close enough attention, she would have realized that when Anubis was hit by a raindrop, close to a centimeter of his flesh disappeared.
Anubis charged at Jennifer with his axe raised; Jennifer parried the blow with her sword. The vibrations flowed down Jennifer's arms and to her shoulders; her fingers tingled with the waves. Anubis swung at Jennifer but the girl dodged the attended fatal blow. Jennifer, in turn, swung at Anubis; she sliced his across the chest. Anubis seemed unharmed by the blow; the sliced flesh joined together again, not a single scratch.
Surprised by the unearthly healing mechanism, Jennifer staggered backward. Now she had no chance, it was only a matter of time -now- before Anubis delivered the fatal blow. All Jennifer could do was put up a good fight that she would ultimately lose.
With Jennifer numb with surprise and sense of impending doom, Anubis saw the prefect opportunity to strike. Anubis struck Jennifer with the flat side of his axe, so not to kill her yet, in the side. Jennifer fell to the ground, winded and surprised; her sword was jostled from her grip.
"Jennifer!" Evelyn cried from behind Anubis. The O'Connells could do nothing but watch the fight. Evelyn attempted to rush to her sister's aid but Rick held her back. He couldn't let Evelyn get killed as well.
Jennifer lay on the dirt ground, trying to catch her breath; there was no use in getting up anyway, she would be finished off eventually in the end anyway, way not now? Anubis seemed to share Jennifer's thoughts; he raised his axe to deliver to fatal blow. Instead of making the blow quick, he wanted to see Jennifer suffer; he aimed at her legs, with a quick blow he could easily slice them off. But he wanted Jennifer to suffer so he decided not to deliver the blow as strong as he could. Anubis brought the axe down upon Jennifer's calves; instead of hearing Jennifer cry out in pain there was the sound a breaking metal. However, Jennifer felt a sharp stab of pain but the pain was dismissed by confusion of the sound.
Anubis was as surprised as the others; he brought the axe away from Jennifer as she reached to see what had made the sound. Jennifer reached into her pocket and drew out two pieces of sliced metal. Jennifer was surprised to see the two halves of the toy car Alex had given her in her palms; on her fingers was a little blood from where the axe had cut past the cars but Jennifer didn't feel the pain at that moment. She stared down at the broken car; without that car, Jennifer would have been officially helpless.
Jennifer staggered to her feet with newfound courage; Anubis had to pay for everything he had done, even if she couldn't really kill him. Jennifer quickly grabbed her sword off the ground and swung at Anubis; she hit the jackal across the neck. Once again there were no results; the wound quickly healed up.
After seeing that there were no effects upon the attempt to "behead" Anubis, Rick realized that this "Anubis" was not like his warriors. There really seemed to be no way to kill him.
Lightning flashed in the sky again, bringing with it a heavier onslaught of rain. This time, Jennifer realized that Anubis was deteriorating with the rain; Anubis realized it too. Now Anubis had a weakness, an Achilles Heel, so to speak. Jennifer found the part on Anubis's body that was most deteriorated so far: his left paw. Jennifer brought her sword down on Anubis's left paw. The paw vanished like the bodies of the beheaded Anubis's warriors; Jennifer's smile was evident, a smile of sweet victory. Anubis stared at his vanished paw, surprised; it didn't appear to hurt him but it did make him mad. He had a weakness, a way to be defeated and that made him mad.
Roaring, Anubis swung the axe at Jennifer's head; the girl barely had time to dodge to blow. Anubis swung at her again and Jennifer met the blow with her own sword; the metal against metal made a "nails on the chalkboard" sound. Jennifer pulled her sword away from Anubis's and dodged another blow; she ran behind Anubis, closer to the edge of the dirt bank. If Jennifer could lure Anubis over the dirt bank into the Blue Nile then he would be "killed".
Anubis spun around and swung his sword at Jennifer; Jennifer stumbled backward, nearly slipping off the bank. Jennifer cried out and dropped her sword; she managed to keep her balance and back away from the bank. Anubis swung at her again but this time Jennifer dodged to the left of the bank; Anubis and Jennifer now face to face on the dirt bank.
The O'Connells rushed closer to Jennifer and Anubis, ready to lend a hand if the opportunity presented itself.
With the increasing rain and the weight of Anubis and Jennifer, the dirt bank broke, taking Jennifer and Anubis down with it. Jennifer screamed and fought for something to hold herself up with; Evelyn lunched forward and grabbed her sister's hand. Jennifer looked up at her sister, who was straining to held her up; her eyes were filled with unspoken thanks. Jennifer chanced a look down to see if Anubis had fallen into the river; the jackal-man had his claws dung into the side of what used to be the dirt bank.
Evelyn felt the rest of the dirt bank shift under her feet, preparing to break as well. Just as Evelyn thought, the bank dissolved under her feet. Evelyn lost hold of Jennifer but Rick grabbed his wife before she fell as well.
Jennifer dug her fingers into the side of what used to be the dirt bank, like Anubis had. Though dirt was showering on top of him, Anubis kept his hold on the wall. Jennifer felt herself slipping; she dug her fingers deeper into the wall and prayed silently that she wouldn't fall.
Jennifer looked up to see Rick extend his hand down for her to grab. Jennifer took one of her hands off the wall, feeling herself slipping more, and reached up to take Rick's hand. She strained to reach his outstretched hand; she almost had taken a hold of it when she felt a sharp stab of pain in her left leg. She looked down to see what was causing the pain; Anubis had climbed upward and had dug into her leg with his claws. With Anubis's weight, Jennifer felt herself being pulled down; Jennifer fought to keep herself on the dirt wall, no longer concerned (for the moment) about grabbing Rick's hand. She was more concerned about not falling.
However, the dirt walls were becoming slippery with the rain and Anubis's weight was beginning to drag her farther down. Jennifer felt her fingers lose hold of the wall and felt herself begin to fall. Both Anubis and Jennifer fell the long drop down to the Blue Nile. Both hit the river with a teeth-jarring splash; both disappeared beneath the water.