CHAPTER 7: THE DUEL

Cd. Juarez, Angeles hospital, hours later.

-"So, tell us Juanito. What happened there?" The guy interrogating him was American but he doesn't look like a DEA agent or the FBI. The guy had the looks of a spy, the stereotyped creepy looking, who likes to smoke in a hospital.

-"Yo no hablo con gringos" he responded.

-"Of course you will. You are the only witness of what happened in that warehouse, and you know we are the only ones who are gone to believe you about that. The Federales believe you're crazy and your boss, Quintana, will kill you because his brother is dead." The man explained, his voice was calm and cold like the hiss of a snake.

-"And what do I get?" Juanito considered, the guy in front of him was right. Quintana surely will kill him not because he had fled, but he didn't manage to protect his brother from the 'Devil'

-"We can put you in protection custody, out of Quintana's hands" The spy offered.

-"Oh right. I'll tell you everything." Juanito first hesitated but then he agreed and related what he had seen.

- o –

-"Don't run, Puto!" Miguel Quintana shouted as he shoots Juanito on his back

He fell to the floor apparently dead, but he wasn't, the bullet passed through his Right lung and it was difficult for him to breathe, he lay on his stomach and watched as the Devil came down and lifted Miguel by the neck.

-"Aahhhggg" Miguel Quintana growled and screamed as he tried to get out from the Hunter's grip.

The Hunter threw him aside as a rag doll, and then tossed away his shoulder plate and plasma cannon, and then he did the same with the left shoulder and front plates.

-"I think I will keep this, monster" Miguel tapped into his bulletproof vest.

The Hunter raised his arm and a blue plasma flechette shot out of his bracelet, hitting Miguel's vest. The ardor made him shed the garment. "Cuchillo" The Hunter instructed the Sicario to pick up his knife as he pulled out a ceremonial dagger made from a shiny, stainless metal with carvings on the blade.

-"Okey Monstruo, tu juego tus reglas." Miguel agreed, but then added "Show me your face. I want to see the Devil in the eyes."

The Hunter complied, disconnected the tubes that kept the mask with the exact mixture of gases from the atmosphere of his home planet, the gas was released with a hiss. The creature pulled out his mask, showing Miguel his face, a pair of yellow, swollen eyes in a green yellowish face and four mandibles, each one ending in a sharp fang.

The creature had no facial hair instead, tiny quills for eyebrows, and rubbery, long dreadlock-like protuberances as hair. The Hunter opened extended his arms and mandibles in a defiant pose and roared. Miguel took the knife from the floor and held on his extended arm, this wasn't the right thing for an experienced fighter, the Hunter realized the Human in front of him didn't know the basics on hand to hand combat. The hunter let Miguel made the first move.

-"I'm gonna cut your dick off and put it on that pussy you had for mouth" Miguel said as he circled the Hunter. He launched the first blow, which was easily evaded by the hunter.

Miguel tried to reach the creature two, three more times, but his sweep technique didn't seem to work. He was furious because he had become accustomed to having his adversaries handcuffed, wounded and within reach of his knife.

-"Ni siquiera puede enterrar un cuchillo" The Hunter taunted him, he was a bit disappointing because he hoped for the leader to be good fighter, even if he was a vicious killer his techniques shouldn't be those of a rookie.

-"C'mon fucker. Muéstrame lo que tienes" Miguel was angry; he threw himself forward with the intention of stabbing the monster in the abdomen, it was a bad decision.

The Hunter grabbed Miguel arm with his left hand, and then used the blades on his right bracelet to wound the man's abdomen, just a lacerating cut, making man reconsider his poor strategy. But before Miguel retreated arced his arm up and wounded the hunter in one of the jaws. The hunter gave a grunt of pain as phosphorescent green blood sprayed the floor and threw Miguel aside.

-"You liked, Monster?" Miguel asked. "Those aren't the only things I'm gonna cut you off"

-"Can't kill the Devil, Miguel!" the Hunter responded, imitating Juanito's voice. Miguel realized the Hunter wasn't furious, instead he seemed almost pleased.

He wasn't far from the truth. After he had killed ten of his men and his friend Ortega, none of the men had hurt him seriously, which was disappointing. In the Hunter's culture, wounds are revered, it was common the Hunters returned with wounds and even lost limbs, which they exhibited with pride.

Wounds showed that a prey was indeed dangerous but that even so the hunter was better, having survived the encounter. There were a few cases in which a hunter falsified a wound to give himself prestige, but if he or she was discovered, would face dishonorable execution or, at best instance, exile.

Miguel's move had taken him by surprise, but it'll not happen again. With a roar, the Hunter attacked. Punched the man one, two, three times, taking care not to cut him further with the blades or striking a blow that could break his skull, leaving it useless as a trophy.

-"¿Que chingados eres?" Miguel shouted.

He grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor, preparing for the final blow. But in honor of the wound granted, he would let him know the name of his people, not in the native language of the creature, composed of clicks and guttural growls, but in sounds more adequate for the mouths of the humans.

-"Yakṣa*" The Hunter said.

Miguel spat on the Hunter's face, enraging him. The Hunter then ripped Miguel's head off along with the spine, according to the costume, letting out a triumphant roar.

With a cord from his shoulder pack, the Hunter hung Miguel's body from one of the roof catwalks and using the ceremonial dagger, he removed the skin carefully, admiring the tattoos depicting skeletons. They will be a nice addition to the Hunter's collection.

He pulled his mask on and looked around; the heat of the bodies began to dissipate since they had been dead for several hours, except one, that of Miguel's henchman, Juanito, who still flashed in yellow and red colors. He was alive, the Hunter turned his body, Juanito was terrified, he had seen what the monster did to Miguel and he thought he would be next.

-"My brother" The Hunter used Miguel's voice "Find him; it should not be far away"

The Hunter then jumped over the catwalk above and disappeared, and Juanito heard the sirens of police cars approaching before he fell unconscious.

- o –

-"So, this 'yautja' is after Pedro Quintana?" The agent asked Juanito, after he finished the story.

-"Yes, I think that, Sir." Juanito responded "He wasn't interested on me"

-"Mmmm. Ok I'm finished here." The agent said to the nurse who was changing meds on Juanito's IV line.

-"But… you said, you said you were to help me, put me into custody." Juanito begged.

-"Actually, I didn't and I didn't sign anything. Besides, I have a bigger fish to catch." The agent said, and before he left the room, he added "Oh, and don't forget to warn your boss about this 'Yautja'"

- o -

Hello readers, here's the new chapter in this story. Miguel is dead and now Juanito had to tell his brother Pedro he's the next in the Hunter's trophy list. Oh and a little clarification, I know the word Yautja is the canonical name of the Predators, but is not my favorite, I'd like to refer to them as the Raksasa from the Hindu myth due to similarities in the description and habits. Yautja is similar to the sanskrit word Yaksa, which also is very, very close to the predators. Here I made the agent misspell the name Yaksa into Yautja, in the same way that Gojira became Godzilla.

*Yakṣa (यक्ष): is a Sanskrit word which means "speedy" (jie yi). It also means "courageous and strong" (yong jian).—In Vedic hinduism represent a group of mysterious beings, and are often associated with Rākṣasas. In many stories, they harass mortals, chiefly by enchanting forests, haunting the wilderness and waylays, killing any human who ventures near them and devours travelers, similar to the rākṣasa. They are not immortal, but they are very long lived and possess magical powers (Maya), although they can be defeated by men without magic.

Rākṣasa (राक्षस) were most often depicted as ugly, fierce-looking and enormous creatures, with two fangs protruding from the top of the mouth and having sharp, claw-like fingernails. They are shown as being mean, growling like beasts, and as insatiable cannibals that could smell the scent of human flesh. Some of the more ferocious ones were shown with flaming red eyes and hair, drinking blood with their palms or from a human skull. Generally they could fly, vanish, and had Maya (magical powers of illusion)