The Predator and the Prey
x-x-x
Kevin Black was aiming his rifle at the spot in the trees. His hands were shaking – badly – but he managed to calm himself down. Just enough to steady his hands and let loose just one shot.
The sound of the report was ear-splittingly loud and terrifying after the long section of silence. As soon as he had pulled the trigger, he ducked down behind the log he had been resting on and listened to the thing scream in pain.
Then, terrifyingly, the log exploded. It simply detonated in a shower of sharp splinters and wood and hurled Kevin forward, sending him straight into a tree with a painful crack. He yelped and fell to the ground in a heap, all his breath knocked out of him.
Dazed, Kevin looked up at the log which he had been crouching behind. A huge chunk had been blown out from where he had been crouched and the edges of the crater left behind were smoking and blackened. Kevin stood, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness, and then saw the thing.
It was back, and it was staring at him.
'Oh shit,' he whispered hoarsely, his knees threatening to give out from under him. Somehow, though, Kevin managed to stay standing and turned to bolt away through the trees.
Without warning, the tree trunk to his right exploded outwards and nearly filled his side with burning splinters of wood. The explosion had the effect of making Kevin suddenly alert and he managed to run even faster through the trees. He dashed past the body of Harry and charged through a low-lying bush, coming out the other side and hitting a small embankment.
As soon as he was on the slope, Kevin lay down, gave himself a push using his legs and began to pray as he picked up speed.
x-x-x
Corporal Kevin Black had not been running for his life a mere hour earlier. He was a member of a scout company in the Central American jungle, and was enjoying a brief rest from walking through the jungle for several hours. The sun was bright and warm overhead, and the other members of the group were taking the chance to get their bearings.
'Hey, Kev,' said on of the other soldiers, Jacob Devlin. Kevin smiled and gave a nod before taking a swig out of his water canteen.
He and the company were on top of a hill that overlooked a large, wide valley, its hills and slopes absolutely smothered with trees, bushes and other vegetation. A small river ran through the middle of the valley and had several steep drop-off points, making a slight churning and rushing noise that just barely reached Kevin's ears.
But he couldn't hear it over the noise of the insects. It seemed like there wasn't air in the jungle, but insects instead; the air was so thick with them. There were a few clicks and chirps in the trees, from both insects and birds, and he could hear the irritating sound of buzzing wings in both ears. He swiped his hand to brush away the mosquitoes and took off his helmet and goggles, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
That was the one main thing that had struck Kevin about the past week: the heat. It was sweltering, humid heat, the kind that got under your skin and made your pores spurt out sweat like an oil tower. One minute you were inside and the clothes that you're wearing are nicely pressed and dry, and the next you were out and looking like you went skinny-dipping without removing the clothes.
Now that they were in the shade and there was a faint breeze blowing, Kevin didn't feel so bad. The sky was bright blue and a few dark clouds sat on the horizon, but they looked too far away to be bringing any rain. He sat down and leaned on an old, rotted trunk and sat back to enjoy the breeze.
The rest of the patrol group – six altogether – were all sitting down on the ground or against a tree. That was, except for Captain Whittaker. He kept his M-16 slung over his shoulder and just leaned up against one of the trees, gazing out over the valley. He took off his goggles and put on a pair of sunglasses before taking a swig out of his canteen. At 54, he was the oldest member of the unit and the most experienced.
Kevin took off his backpack and put it on the ground in front of him, resting his shoulders a little bit. Private Walsh, a thin guy with short hair and curious eyes, pulled a Soldier of Fortune magazine out of his pack and flipped through it. He had double stripes of camouflage paint on his cheeks.
'Hey, Walsh,' called out Kevin. Walsh looked up from the magazine at him.
'Do you mind if I have a quick look at it?' Kevin asked. Walsh nodded, closed the magazine and tossed it to him.
'Keep it, I've read it before,' said Walsh as Kevin picked it up.
'How many times?'
'Ah... about six. Six times since we got here,' said Walsh. Kevin chuckled and began to absently flick through, glancing at the various articles.
After a few more minutes, Whittaker had told the group that they were going to finish the patrol. Everybody had suited up again, albeit with a bit of reluctance to go out in the heat again, and the walk had resumed.
Kevin latched his helmet back on and was suddenly aware of how damp and sticky his clothes and helmet strap were. A huge mosquito landed on his hand and he batted it away. It landed on Devlin next and he squashed it before it could even twitch. Kevin shook his head, swatted at a few more mosquitoes and took hold of his gun again.
x-x-x
About twenty minutes later the group was walking along a rocky outcrop. The outcrop was completely under the harsh glare of the sun and Kevin started to feel hot and claustrophobic in his gear again. He desperately wanted to take his helmet off for a few minutes but didn't, waiting for when the Captain gave the order. By the time that the group had gotten under the cover of trees again they were completely worn out and had to have a second rest.
'Sir, you sure about this?' asked Harry Goldman. Whittaker nodded.
'Alright then, everybody, short break. Five minutes. There's mostly shade from this point on but it goes uphill. I'd suggest that you get back your full energy before moving on.'
Kevin once again took off his helmet and backpack. He didn't let go of his gun, though... he had gotten an unnerving vibe, almost like the sensation of being watched. The feeling quickly passed and he stood up, looking back out across the valley. The rock outcrop jutted out for about fifteen feet or so over the slope leading to the bottom, and most of the ground below it was covered by low shrub. He had an amusing thought of how a person could hide in bushes like that in the time of war.
'I'm going to the ladies room,' said Devlin.
'Not too far. It'll be a pain in the ass looking for you out here,' said Whittaker, and Devlin just smiled, nodded, and then hurried off down the slope, taking his gun and equipment with him. The slope wasn't all that steep, but it sat on an angle that made climbing with heavy equipment almost impossible.
Kevin took the Soldier of Fortune magazine back out of his pack and flicked through it to the editorial and started reading. After a few seconds, he realised that he had read through the magazine already and threw it down, annoyed. Walsh noticed and looked up, surprised.
'Read it,' Kevin said, and Walsh nodded.
Suddenly, the ear-splitting crack of rifle fire rang out through the trees.
Without pausing, the soldiers were immediately up on their feet and had their rifles ready, jumping behind any cover that they could find. Kevin whipped his helmet on and took hold of his M-16, swinging it out in front of him and aiming at where the shot had come from.
'Holy shit...' muttered Goldman. 'Was that... was that Devlin?'
Captain Whittaker, crouched behind a tree and aiming his gun around it, shook his head slowly, unsurely. He held up his hand, raised two fingers and then pointed forward.
'Black, Walsh, Goldman, go down there and see what's happened to Devlin. On the double,' he said softly, but firmly.
Kevin got to his feet and picked up his backpack, swinging it over his shoulders and fixing it on. Walsh stood up, his face nervous, and started to move ahead of the others. Kevin fell into line behind him with Goldman following, and the three started down the slope.
It wasn't hard to find Devlin's tracks. The ground was covered with old leaves and soft dirt, and at a few points they had been pressed down by something heavy. On the slope the trees were spread out less thickly and the sun, directly overhead, began to shine through and the air almost seemed to heat up along with it. The three began to walk side by side, always keeping their rifles raised as they looked for Devlin.
'Where the hell is he?' whispered Goldman. Sweat was trickling into his eyes but he wasn't even blinking. Kevin shrugged.
'Hell if I know. What happened, anyway?'
'As you said, hell if I know,' Goldman responded. Kevin went back to looking down the slope. He trod on a stick and almost slipped, but managed to regain his footing at the last second. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and his hands began to grip the gun so hard that he thought it would crack.
Eventually, about thirty-five feet down from the rest spot, the soldiers stopped. Goldman looked around and just shook his head. Kevin looked further down the slope, where a thick tangle of trees and low-lying brushes stood, and then back up at the top of the slope. He lowered his rifle and tipped his helmet back as Captain Whittaker looked down at them.
'Find anything?' he called out. Goldman lowered his gun and looked up at the captain.
'No, sir, nothing. He's either disappeared or he's gotten lost.'
Whittaker shook his head. 'Look, get back up here and we'll wait. If he doesn't show up then we continue with our search.'
The three nodded glumly and began to trek back up the slope. Kevin felt another huge mosquito on his cheek and swatted it, grimacing as he did so. He briefly heard the sounds of he insects in the air; a low clicking, a chirping that sounded similar to a cricket's call, a hissing noise, and a low, warbling call that sounded like either a frog or a bird-
Kevin stopped. Goldman and Walsh noticed, paused, and looked back at him.
'Hey, what's wrong?' asked Walsh, and then he saw what Kevin had been looking at. Smeared across the tree trunk in front of him was a star of blood, partially obscured by several leaves on the tree. Goldman reached out and took some of it on his fingers, rubbing them over it. He turned back to where Whittaker was standing.
'Captain! I think that you might wanna see this!' he called out. Whittaker and the sixth soldier, Dan, appeared.
'What is it?' Whittaker called out.
'Sir, please come and take a look at this,' Goldman said again.
Whittaker came down cautiously, keeping his gun aimed away from the soldiers below him. He looked wary as he came down, but as soon as he saw the blood his face became a stone statue, completely unmoving.
'Is it fresh?' he asked. Goldman nodded.
'Still warm,' he muttered, and he wiped a streak of it with his fingers. 'It's still dripping onto the ground, so it hasn't coagulated yet.' He glanced at the tree, and then down the slope. 'The blood was spilled recently. Very, recently.'
'This complicates things,' said Whittaker. He surveyed the trees for about half a minute, trying to decide what to do. The feeling of being watched sprung back into Kevin's mind and he looked over his shoulder quickly, seeing a monkey lazing on a tree branch. He turned back around and the feeling was gone.
'Alright then. Goldman, Walsh, I want you two to do a quick scout of the area. You have five minutes. You can't find Devlin or any trace of him, come back and we'll call in a search and rescue.'
'Yes sir,' said Goldman. He and Walsh started back down the slope, carefully moving forward and keeping their guns trained forwards.
Whittaker began to move back up towards the rest spot. Kevin and Dan followed him up the slope. They got back up and stopped, waiting for the others. The three didn't sit down and just looked out over the valley and the slope, watching for some sign of Devlin.
The burst of gunfire that echoed out from the trees made Kevin jump, and his was on his feet in a flash.
But this time, the gunfire didn't stop after one or two rounds. It came out in one long, continuous burst, making several birds take flight while squawking madly. Whittaker was immediately on his feet and aiming his gun down the slope. Kevin and Dan followed, their weapons at the ready.
'Ah, shit,' growled Whittaker and then he was bounding down the slope, half-sliding and half-running down. Kevin didn't give much thought about it and he began to head down the slope, too. He mimicked the Captain's movements perfectly, and that gave him a good view of what was happening at the edge of the trees.
It was about eighty feet down, but he could clearly see the muzzle flashes of both Goldman and Walsh's guns as they fired madly into the trees. They were running backwards and yelling out a whole bunch of things; most of it Kevin didn't catch, but he was able to make out "what the fuck was that" over the noise.
Suddenly, Kevin went hurling forward.
He felt a tug on his foot as he lifted it up to take a step, and then he was flipping over his feet and landed on his face. Before he could regain his footing, the leaves underneath him gave way and he began to slide down the hill, rolling as he went.
His fall was stopped by the sapling which he collided with, knocking the breath out of his lungs. Dazed, Kevin lay on his back, unmoving, until he felt Whittaker's hand on his shoulder.
'You alright?' he asked. Kevin nodded.
'What happened, did I trip?' he asked.
'Don't worry about it, you just slipped a little bit,' Whittaker replied, and then he went over to Goldman and Walsh. Dan came up behind Kevin, asked him if he was alright, and then went with the captain.
'Goldman, what the hell just happened? Did you find Devlin?' Whittaker asked firmly. Goldman shook his head, his face filled with shock and bewilderment. Walsh, however, just looked terrified. His skin was white and
'I-I don't know,' Goldman managed to say. He lowered his gun slightly and his body relaxed. 'We... we were just going through the trees, then Walsh said he'd found something, and the next thing I knew...'
'What? What happened?' asked Kevin, panting slightly from the pain in his chest. Goldman shrugged and shook his head.
'He started shooting and running. And he was screaming and then... I don't know what the hell it was. It looked like a guy but it was too big... too tall, and then we both left the trees and shot at it.'
Whittaker was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke again. 'What the hell are you talking about?'
'There was something in there, sir,' Goldman said firmly. 'I don't know what it was, but it was like a man, only bigger. And it was perched in the tree like a bird or a damned monkey, or something. I only got a quick look at it, but Walsh looks like he stumbled straight into it.'
Whittaker looked over at Walsh. He looked back and stood up, shaking slightly before managing to regain his composure.
'What did you see, son,' Whittaker said.
'I saw something like a heat wave, sir,' Walsh began. 'It was near a stream and I thought it must have been that, but then... I looked again and it was more like a person, and then I heard this growl coming from it, and... I ran.'
Whittaker nodded and looked back and forth at the rest of the soldiers. He glanced quickly at Kevin and Dan, and pointed at the trees.
'Scout the trees,' he said in a low whisper. 'Everybody else, patrol around the trees. Meet up back here in ten minutes. And if w-'
They all heard it.
It was something similar to a clicking noise, coming from further up the slope. But there was something else about it, too; it rose in pitch as if the thing doing it was drawing in a deep breath, and it seemed to sound like an angry hornet or something similar.
Suddenly, there was a loud wha-BANG from up the slope and everybody turned to look at it. Kevin barely had time to register a human-shaped heat shimmer, sitting on a branch, and then saw a bright flash of blue light come from the object's shoulder. The shimmer disappeared briefly and Kevin thought he saw metal and something darkish-brown in colour, but it was gone before he could truly make it out.
The bright bolt that came from the shoulder, however, didn't disappear. It streaked down straight at where Whittaker was standing and he barely managed to dive out of the way. The bolt lanced past him and struck the tree behind him, blowing out the trunk and lighting it on fire.
'Men, scatter! Get down!' Whittaker yelled, and Kevin dived behind the trunk of a tree. Dan followed him just as a second bolt passed over his head and tore the cap he was wearing off. Kevin cocked his gun and then whipped around, poking out from the side of the tree, aiming at where the object had been.
He didn't dare move.
'What the hell was that?' hissed Dan. Kevin glanced over at him; he was lying down inside a bush and keeping his M-16 trained on the spot. Kevin shook his head.
'I-I don't know,' he said.
He looked over at Whittaker, pressed up against a thick trunk, and saw that the commander was watching the tree carefully as well. Goldman was pressed up against the back of the tree, holding his gun skyward, while Walsh was lying spread-eagled on the ground with his gun trained on the trees. Nobody dared to move, let alone breathe.
Kevin turned back to the spot where the thing had been, not wanting to take his eyes away from it in case it jumped down and ran at him or tried to get away. But as he looked up, he saw that it wasn't there.
It isn't there, Kevin thought to himself, more uneasiness bubbling up into his chest. The fucking thing isn't there
Without warning, the tree trunk next to Goldman exploded, slamming him against the trunk of another tree. Kevin whirled around, his gun raised, and the others did the same. Goldman began to slide around the tree trunk, while aiming at the exploded trunk… then, suddenly, he jolted once and he stopped.
As the soldiers watched, Goldman's eyes went wide and he raised his hands up to his chest before he spat up a huge amount of blood, showering the front of his body with it. Then something began to materialize on his chest. It was a long, thin shaft, covered with intricate designs and sharp barbs along its length.
'...Harry?' whispered Walsh, his voice shaky with panic. The only response he got was Goldman going limp and dropping his gun to the ground.
'Men! Into the trees!' shouted Whittaker, raising his gun and firing it into the foliage above Goldman. Kevin looked at where he was shooting, bewildered, and then caught a glimpse of the heat shimmer a second time.
This time, the reaction was instantaneous.
Springing to his feet, Kevin reloaded his M-16 and began to backpedal while shooting into the trees. The shimmer seemed to be leaping from one tree trunk to another, almost like a monkey.
'What the fuck is that thing!?' screamed Dan, who scrambled to his feet and nearly lost his gun at the same time.
'Men, run!' yelled Whittaker, yanking Dan up to his feet before reloading. Kevin could hear his heart pumping madly in his ears, almost drowning out the crack of gunfire. There was a flash of the heat shimmer, and he fired madly at it, only to hear the click of the dry gun. Fumbling around in his pocket, Kevin grabbed another magazine and began reloading.
Suddenly, Walsh let out a blood curdling shriek.
Whipping around, Kevin just had time to see another heat shimmer come down on a rope of some sort and grab Walsh, before yanking him back up into the tree canopy. Blood exploded from the impact and showered over Dan's face, and he slipped.
'Oh, shit. Dan!' yelled Kevin, and he started towards him. Just as Dan began to scramble back to his feet, grabbing at his gun, a blue bolt shot down from the canopy and struck him in the side of the head. The entire left side of his skull blew apart and he flew backwards, landing on his back.
Kevin felt his entire body go numb, and he dropped the M-16 to the ground. Time seemed to slow down and all the surrounding sounds were blocked out. He vaguely heard Whittaker yell something out, although heavily distorted, and-
Wha-BANG.
The sound of the shimmer's weapon firing snapped Kevin out of his daze, and he hit the ground a split second before a third bolt passed over his head and slammed into the wet leaves on the ground, sending them up in the air along with a puff of dirt. Then he was back on his feet and running, scooping up the M-16 as he ran past it and chambering a round.
Whittaker was standing in front of several old, fallen trees, and was firing at the spot where Walsh had disappeared. Kevin felt his hopes begin to rise as he approached Whittaker-
Whittaker began to convulse as several sharp, pronged objects slammed into his chest and passed through into the ground below. He shook violently, his face contorted into a look of pain and shock, and then he hit the ground. His gun continued to fire and nearly took out Kevin's kneecaps in the process. Yelping in fear, Kevin jumped of Whittaker's body, nearly spilled over as he landed on the ground, and then was off running into the maze of overgrown trees and brushes.
x-x-x
Kevin Black snapped back into the present as he stopped sliding down the hill. He dug his heels into the ground and was pushed up straight, landing almost perfectly on his feet. He had lost is helmet at some point during the fight, although he didn't remember where and how. Ducking under some low-lying branches, he took off running, breathing hard.
Suddenly he caught sight of a shimmer to his right; raising the gun, he fired off a burst of fire, but it was gone as fast as it had appeared. Cursing, Kevin continued running, moving into a ditch growing in between two rows of trees. The ditch was full of bushes and root balls, and he had to take extra care not to trip over.
Okay, okay, you've got plenty of places to hide. Just wait here until nightfall, then move back to base or try and get a radio from one of the dead bodies; Kevin thought to himself. The ditch was dug deep into the ground so that it was almost a trench; he couldn't see above the ground at the rim.
Then, he stopped.
Slowly, Kevin turned around and aimed his gun down the ditch.
Oh shit, oh shit I heard it, it's here... he thought, panicked.
'...who's there?' Kevin yelled, his voice shaky. The sounds of the jungle had gone quiet, and he could have heard a pin drop.
The sound (or lack of it) was disturbing.
A flash of movement caught his eye and Kevin let loose with the gun, then went down to his knees and peered at where he had fired with his scope.
Nothing.
There was nothing there.
Letting out a deep breath, Kevin lowered his gun. The thing – whatever the hell it was, he thought – was gone. He sighed, then chuckled softly, and his heart began to slow. He turned around-
Pain exploded through Kevin Black's chest as something sharp, cold, went through his stomach and up, into his chest. In that instant, Kevin spat out a torrent of blood as he felt it flow into his right lung. Sputtering, he grabbed the thing that had gone into him... then noticed it was invisible.
His eyes widened with terror, and then he was lifted up into the air, the pain exploding once again. His heart seemed to be trying to push out of his chest, like some alien monster, and at the same time more blood pushed its way into his lungs. He was only vaguely aware that, in his terror, he had wet himself.
Kevin looked forward at the huge figure standing before him; it looked just like a heat shimmer, but now he could make out a vaguely humanoid outline despite his clouding vision. As he watched, blue light danced over the thing's form and it suddenly became solid. It had brownish-grey skin covered with a net-like piece of clothing, and armour plates sat at different points on the body.
Just before he died, feeling the blood begin to bubble out of his eyes and nose, Kevin Black looked up at the creature's face... and saw nothing but black.
x-x-x
A.N.: Yes, I'm back, guys. :) And I thought that I'd finish this little story that's been floating around for months. I'm sorry about the bleak ending, but I thought it fitted in quite well with the story.
Now: please leave a review if you've read! I'd really like to know what you thought of this, and whether I should do more AvP fanfics.