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shattered against the floor, spewing its contents all over him and Angie and just as quickly saturating the bank of torches illuminating the walls of the granite cubicles. |
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What I hadn't counted on was the size of the explosion. |
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The blast slammed me against the base of the altar, and I felt both legs fly out from under me. The ball of flame engulfed the cavern and raced up the walls of the cave, consuming the oxygen and blowing the timeless creatures from their stone cocoons like so many pieces of useless debris. |
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Bert Johnson was burned and bleeding, staggering toward me, screaming out Polly's name. He still clutched the oversized revolver. Angie was behind him on the floor, scorched, her gaping mouth belching out the last vestige of life. |
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Bert suddenly stopped, steadied himself and leveled the gun at me. It was his final gesture. |
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Bert fired, and I heaved the second container at the same time. |
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The ensuing explosion was louder, bigger and more devastating than the first. For one terrifying moment I was at ground zero. The cavern became a white hot world of blast furnace proportions. The tumbling, madly careening ball of flame swelled up until it consumed itself. |
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Bert Johnson was instantly incinerated. |
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Choking, acrid gas and smoke filled the |
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