BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER, CHAPTER THREE

As The Warrior drew closer, he felt the ominous trap was about to be sprung. Suddenly, a gigantic, spike-laden log flew from the trees towards the cyclone of the saddle. But swiftly, The Warrior shot an energy arrow from his magical bow and blasted the weapon to bits.

The Warrior rode one more step. His mighty mount neighed and The Warrior, his steed and war dog, fell into a pit of doom. A tremendous thud was heard from the bottom of the pit as bodies crashed into each other. The Wolf Man, anxious to destroy his hunter ran to the pit to see The Warrior seemingly unconscious at the bottom. Just as The Wolf Man trained his two guns upon his helpless victim, The Warrior, with a thunderous force, broke from the pit’s imprisonment. The Warrior’s fist flattened his beastly foe. Splat. The Wolf Man drew his gun in fury but before he could fire, The Warrior grabbed his arm in a tightly locked grasp and the beast dropped his pistol from the pressure. The Wolf Man’s arm cracked under the Warrior’s super strength. With his other hand, The Wolf Man drew a dagger from his belt. But before he could plunge it into the Warrior’s heart, The Warrior flipped the evil one into the pit. The Warrior then heard an agonizing scream from the pit. A sharp spike impaled the hapless Wolf Man and as he breathed his last, The Warrior unmasked him. The Wolf Man’s fang had claimed his last victim, himself! Cactus Andy, the old prospector who never seemed to have a dime to his name, was one of the leaders of the West’s most infamous group of outlaws. Before he died, Andy divulged to The Warrior the secret location of The Trinity Of Terror’s hideout. And in seconds, The Warrior, The Thunder Rider and Lone Defender war dog galloped to a final confrontation with The Dark Skull.

The Dark Skull’s hideout and headquarters, a maze of caves behind a waterfall, was deserted for his Legion Of The Lawless had been wiped out at the Alamo. But The Dark Skull had in his evil possession something more wickedly incredible.

The Warrior, with the fire of revenge in his eyes, stormed the mighty mountain and used his powerful lance to smash through the stone walls into the black caves. Unafraid of causing an avalanche, The Warrior crashed through the cave’s walls in an incredible rage to find the designer of Billy’s parents’ murder. Rocky boulders crashed down and were pummeled to dust by The Warrior’s avenging ferocious fists of fire as he madly chased the object of his vengeful wrath. Finally, The Warrior was face to face with The Dark Skull himself.

"Beware the angels of death," crackled The Dark Skull. The Lightning Warrior instantly knew what evil force was behind the mask. He had heard those words just before The Dark Skull gunned down his birth father. Although an infant when he heard them, those evil words became burned into his mind and heart. And he had heard those words when Fort Yuma’s bumbling old cook cautioned him to be careful on the trail on many occasions. Lester, the oafish mess hall chef and dishwasher of Fort Yuma was The Dark Skull all along! Lester not only was a robber and killer but he was also a traitor to his country as he planned to seize the USA after he robbed Billy of his birth parents’ legacy.

Just as The Lightning Warrior was about to hurl his tomahawk at his enemy, The Dark Skull showed The Warrior something he had stolen at The Alamo.