"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough, and liked it, never really care for anything else."

Ernest Hemingway

"Evil is always unspectacular and always human. And shares our bed...and eats at our table."

W.H. Auden

Chapter Four

The house looked quiet and empty. Large, lush plants had invaded the lawn. Vines grew on the house's walls, creeping across the window and roof in places. Broken paving tiles created a stepping stone path through the overgrown lawn towards the door. Three cars sat in the driveway. One matched the car Anderson had been driving when he triggered the traffic cam. It was a beat up pick up truck with more rust than faded blue paint.

Steve shot Danny a look and crept towards the truck, keeping low so that the vegetation would cover him. A bird burst from the undergrowth in front of him, flapping for the sky. He froze and waited for his heart to stop racing before he moved on, gingerly reaching over the truck. The hood felt cool under his fingers. It hadn't been driven for a few hours.

He unzipped the bag slung over his shoulder and took out the camera, pointing it at the house. The screen showed five distinct heat signatures. Three seemed to be seated at a table, but the other two were moving around.

"That can't tell us which one is our guy, can it?" Danny asked. He wiped his face with the back of one hand. A bug landed on his arm and he slapped it away. He was crouched beside Steve, gun drawn but pointed towards the ground. He would never live it down if he shot his partner by accident.

"I wish it could," Steve answered. He slid the camera back into its protective case and set the bag on the ground. "Ready?"

Danny nodded. "Ready."

They used the cars as cover and ran in a half crouch towards the house. Steve took the lead, letting Danny cover his six. He reached the house and pressed his back against the wall, twisting around to peek in through the window. The room on the other side was empty.

Danny slipped past him and did the same, raising his hand to show that the room he was looking into was occupied. He lifted two fingers, then pointed at the door with a questioning look.

Steve nodded and eased past him, taking a second to look through the window as he passed. The glass was grimy, but he could see through it well enough to spot a table that was piled high with knives, guns and ammo. He tightened his grip on his gun and kept walking.

They reached the front door at the same time. Steve hammered a kick into the door. The flimsy wood shattered around the lock and the door swung open, jamming on something just before it hit the wall.

Steve darted inside, flicking the light mounted on his gun on to dispel some of the gloom. The stench of old blood and rotting things almost made him gag. He swallowed it back and breathed through his mouth.

Danny followed close behind him, sweeping the narrow hallway with his gun. He counted five doors, all of them closed except the one directly in front of them. The smell hit him and made his stomach roll.

Steve tried the doors as he edged forward. All of them were locked. shadows moved beyond the open door. He hurried forwards, knowing that they were in a bad spot if anyone started shooting at them. There was no cover and no easy way to escape the hallway. It was a killing ground.

He peered around the door and felt his stomach churn as the stench got worse. Saliva flooded his mouth and he swallowed it back. A fat fly buzzed past his face. Blow fly, his mind supplied helpfully. Found on or around dead things. He forced the thought away and stepped into the room, ducking sharply as two shots smacking into the wall where his head had been seconds before. His own shots hit the man in the shoulder and gut. He went down and stayed down.

Danny stepped into the room and crouched by the injured man's side, pressing his fingers to his neck. "This isn't Anderson," he said as he stood. The man was beyond any mortal help.

"No, it isn't," Steve said and looked around the room. "Does this place seem weird to you?"

Danny lifted a hand in a shrug. "It's Hawaii. The whole island is weird."

Steve shot him an irritated look, but didn't comment. He was studying the room around them, wondering what was out of place. Something seemed off to him, but he couldn't place it and didn't have the time to really look.

They moved on, heading towards another narrow hallway tucked into the back corner of the kitchen. It stretched back a few feet before it turned a corner.

Danny took the lead. The blond man peeked around the corner before he walked around it. Stairs rose in front of them.

Heavy, booted footsteps clattered across the wood floor somewhere about them. A man appeared on the stairs. He carried a bulging bag in one hand and held a gun in the other. Halfway down, his feet went out from under him. He crashed into the wall, slipping down a few steps before he caught his balance and carried on. Heavy, dirty looking dreadlocks covered most of his face.

"Five-o," Danny said flatly. "Put the gun on the ground and lean against the wall."

Anderson dropped the bag and lifted the gun, firing a couple of badly aimed shots towards Danny. They splintered the wooden wall above his head.

Steve stepped out of the shadows and jammed his gun against Anderson's neck. "Drop it."

The smaller man twisted around, slamming his elbow into Steve's stomach. Steve grunted and stepped back, letting Anderson get another blow in before he grabbed the smaller man's wrist and smashed it into the wall. The gun clattered to the floor. The SEAL pressed his advantage and hammered a blow to the side of Anderson's ribs.

Anderson raked his booted foot down Steve's shin and threw them both into the wall. The wood splintered under the impact. Anderson's elbow struck Steve in the face, drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.

Danny hung back, knowing that he would only get in his partner's way if he joined the fight. He kept an eye on the stairs and the hallway. None of them wanted any more nasty surprises.

Something snapped with a wet sounding pop and Anderson howled in pain. Steve gave his arm another vicious twist and forced him down to the floor, pressing a knee into the small of his back while he cuffed the smaller man. He looked up at Danny and smiled. "Book 'em, Danno."