Sinuously, the monster's eyestalk swayed. The huge orb atop stared at Boone unblinking.
Stiff-fingered, too fear-straught to even look away, he slid his hands out in arcs along the ground.
But they touched no stick, no stone, no clod, no debris. He remained as he had been, a warrior sore beset, without a weapon.
And still the monster eddied closer....
He could not even break and run. Weak as he was, he dared not even trust his muscles.
Spasmodically, his nails scraped at the dirt.
The dirt—!
He dug his fingers deep into it ... sucked a ragged breath to ease his hammering heart.
Like a serpent poising to strike, the monster paused. The horror that was its body drew together.
With a wild shout, Boone hurled the dirt square into the glaring eye.