Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 8

By Christopher D. Carter

Crush and Pound, now trapped in a strange world, fight to free the enslaved people of the mountain from the merciless ant people and their cruel Queenmother. Crush travels with the man of stone, Boulder, to the faraway Scalus Mountain in search of the dragon's tooth that will somehow defeat the Queenmother. Pound fights for his own life against the insects that stand between himself and the Queenmother's lair. Join them in the third issue of their 7-part journey inside another dimension and hope for their safe return to earth!!!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christopher D. Carter
• Release date: Nov 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781940451183

Christopher D. Carter

Christopher D. Carter is an engineer by trade. After spending many hours of free time drawing, painting, and writing, he decided to unleash a unique universe of characters upon the worlds of science fiction and comic book fandom.

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Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 8

by Christopher D. Carter, © 2013

Text and Illustration Copyright © 2013 Christopher D. Carter

All Rights Reserved

Also by Christopher D. Carter available at ebook retailers:

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 1

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 2

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 3

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 4

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 5

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 6

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 7

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 1

Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound Annual 2

Discover other titles by Christopher D. Carter at

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SawdustEntertainment

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Next Issue

About the Author

Chapter 1

*

Roach’s Den

*

Pound and Shad walked down the dark hallway with their last torch held up high, and the rounded walls seemed to absorb the light as it flickered in the murky underworld. Every once in a while, Pound could hear the light footsteps of cockroaches following behind them just outside of the light, and he asked himself how he had gotten involved in such an adventure.

If Dr. Tatum were here right now, I’d tell her what she could do with this job, he thought to himself. But no matter what he wished he could do at the moment, he had to stay alert and get out of the insect hive where he found himself trapped. With the ever-shortening torch in one arm, Shad suddenly held up his other arm against Pound’s chest and stopped him from moving forward.

Can you smell it? Shad asked as he sniffed the stale air of the cave. I think we’re headed to the center of the hive, he continued as his upper lip seemed to curl with the rotten smell that traveled through the tunnel.

That’s not good news, if you ask me, Pound commented and turned around to look at the cave behind. Can we go back the way we came? Shad shook his head in response as if he were at his wit’s end.

No. We can’t go back, friend, he answered, and he nervously scratched an itch on his chest. Then he picked up a leftover root and heated it with the fire from the torch so that the dried pulp began to smolder. Once the root had flickered into a warm glow, Shad reared back to pitch the root into the dark. Tossing the flaming stick into the cave behind them, the light dispersed the darkness and scattered the array of giant cockroaches that followed close behind. There were literally dozens of the pests tracking them just out of range of the torch, and Pound realized that there was no turning back. They would have to go ahead to the center of the hive and hope that there was a way out.

As they continued on, the tunnel sloped downward at an angle, and the dampness of the ground beneath their feet seeped into their shoes. With every step, Pound’s feet sank deeper into the muddy surface, and as the angle of the tunnel became steeper, he started to feel uncomfortable without a hand rail to stabilize himself. Shad, on the other hand, seemed to be hiking down the tunnel quite well, and without slowing his pace, the dwarf pressed forward to descend deeper into the heart of the cave. Finally, with both feet turned sideways and sliding down the hill, Pound dropped to his knees and unraveled the thick rope that he carried around his shoulder. He then wrapped it once around his waist and then once around Shad’s waist so that the two men were connected.

Since this climb downward seems to be no problem for you, then can you help me? Pound requested of the dwarf in frustration. It was not a question derived from anger with the little green fellow. Rather, Pound doubted his own abilities, and fear was the source of his frustration at the moment. The last thing I want to do is fall headlong into another one of those roaches. Shad could hardly blame him, and the little green fellow seemed more than willing to lend his body weight as an anchor to stabilize Pound. But the angle of the descent gradually increased such that even Shad had trouble maintaining his balance. The light that emanated from deep within the tunnel grew with every step, and Pound had a feeling that there was no escaping their fate. He turned back once to look at Shad, and then he dove