Tomb Raider:
The Adventures of Lara Croft
Book 1-Curse of the Scorpion
Chapter 9- On the Offensive...
That's when it struck. A loud thud was heard, which was followed by a louder scratching that could only be caused by something much bigger than the little creatures. Alex and Lara jumped out of their seats and had their guns ready to shoot. "What now!?". Alex said in an annoyed voice. Lara looked over at Alex, "The bigger ones...". "BIGGER ones!?!?". Alex questioned in more of a yelling tone. Lara nodded. "The little ones are scouts, the bigger ones are the more dangerous. They're three times the size of a fully grown human, and much stronger.".
Alex's eyes widened as he heard a louder thumping coming from the outside of the plane. "Great. That's just great. I suppose then can break through metal too huh? Like the metal of this plane?". "Yes.". Was all that Lara replied to him.
A sound then began to ring in their ears. A mix between nails scratching on a chalkboard and of a car hitting a wall. A gigantic sharp black scorpion claw then pierced through the metallic nature of the plane. Alex and Lara looked up to see the claw. Instantly they both started shooting at the claw. Gun shots were heard and the sound of a creatures moaning loudly in pain and anger. Another claw jutted into the side of the plane. Lara turned to face it and started to shoot. "How many!?". Alex yelled over the firing. "Two! They always travel in two's!".
"How do you know!?". "Because it's all I've ever seen!". "Oh that's real comforting...". Alex said sarcastically as he continued to shoot at the claw trying to reach him.
A slight smile spread across Lara's face as she continued to shoot and reload her pistols. It was just like Alex to find time to be sarcastic in a moment of crisis. The sound of bullets hitting metal and solid claw bones was heard. The two claws reached in closer to the two tomb raiders. Lara started to back up, she stopped when she felt her back pressed against Alex's. "Hey Lara, we're stuck aren't we?". Lara nodded. "Seems that way. There has to be a way out of this.".
The scorpion on the side of the plane smashed it's other claw through the metal and glass, it's pinchers grabbed at the metal and in one loud ripping sound a hole was torn in the side of the plane. It wasn't big enough for the scorpion to get in, but it would be big enough for Alex and Lara to get out. "Alex! Start shooting at the one on the side! Now!". Alex then switched places with Lara and started shooting at the scorpion. Lara knelt down on the cold metal floor just under the claw of the scorpion on the top of the plane.
Lara paid no attention to the claw, furiously trying to get at her. The hole on the roof wasn't big enough for it to come through yet. Lara unzipped her duffel bag and searched for something she thought might help them. "Lara!? What are you doing!?". Alex looked back at her while quickly reloading his pistols. He then turned back to the scorpion waiting impatiently outside the hole on the side of the plane. He started to shoot again, aiming for it's head hopeing that it might cause more damage than shooting at it's hard claws. Lara ducked her head slightly the side as a claw tried to reach her.
A bright smile came to Lara's face as she found what she had been looking for. She pulled out a black bag and then re-zipped the duffel bag. "Alex I've got it! Stop shooting Alex!". Alex stopped firing and the sound of gun shots stopped suddenly. All that was heard were the angry moans of the two scorpions. "What did you find? Can it get us outta here?". Alex questioned Lara.
Lara smiled. "It'll give us a chance.". Lara then opened the bag showing Alex what had been inside. "Explosives! That's your plan!? Are you insane!?". Lara smiled. "Yes.". Alex sighed. "Ok. Just checking. So what's your plan? Or do I even want to know?". Lara bit her lower lip. "We're going to blow these things up! We're going to get them to come in here while we set the explosives. Then, when they get inside, we get out and blow the plane.". Alex raised his brow. "Not bad actually...".
"Set the explosives, I'll lure in the twins!". Alex grinned as he started to randomly fire shots at both scorpions. The one on the roof was slowly succeeding in making a bigger hole to get in through, while the one outside was getting bolder and trying hard to snap at Alex. "Whoa! Easy big boy!". Alex shot a few rounds and then let it get closer before firing a few more rounds to annoy the overgrown scorpion.
Lara started to set the explosives all around the plane, she kept the remote detonator by her side. "Alright! Now we just have to get them inside!". "I'm working on it!". Alex said as the scorpion on the side was now inside the plane and getting closer to them. "One in!". Alex said as he started to back up towards Lara.
Lara smiled. The plan was working. A loud ripping of metal was heard as the scorpion on the roof had finally managed to tear a hole to get in, right above where Alex was standing. "Alex!". Lara then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and started to pull him towards the cock pit just as the scorpion on the roof dropped in. Alex continued to fire a few shots to keep the scorpions at a fair distance, while being dragged by Lara.
Lara then stopped when she got to the closed door in their path, it lead to the cock pit and was jammed shut from the crash. "Lara! Would it kill ya to hurry!?". Alex commented as the scorpions continued to get closer. Lara grabbed the door handle and tried to open it. "Lara!!". Lara then sighed and kicked the door open. "Come on!". Lara then ran into the room and slammed it shut when Alex got in. Lara then locked the door and faced the glass in front of the controls. Alex raised his brow. "Oh like locking it is going to stop them? What now?".
"Stand back!". Lara then pulled out her pistols and randomly shot bullets at the glass in front of them. Her eyes widened when the window didn't shatter. "It's bullet proof! Why the hell do they decide to change things now!?". A loud pounding sound was heard at the door. "Lara! WE need to get out of here! NOW!". Alex pulled out his guns and was now aiming at the door that would soon give way.
Lara then smiled. "Stop shooting and stand back! We're going to get out of here alive Alex, one way or another!". Alex then holstered his pistols. "Oh and how are we gonna do that?". Lara shot a few more rounds at the glass and then put her guns away. "I think we've established that shooting DOESN'T work!". Lara then walked back to where the door was. "I know...Now follow come on!". Lara then grabbed Alex's hand and the two ran straight at the glass. The bullets had been enough to weaken it.
The sound of shattering glass was heard as the two tomb raiders came crashing through the plane and onto the ground with a thud. Shards of glass were all around them. Lara then stood up and took Alex's hand in hers. "RUN!". Lara and Alex then ran through the darkness of the strange forest and passed the tall trees.
The scorpions had just gotten the door open when Lara set off the explosives. A loud explosion was heard as the plane was completely demolished. Dark grey and black smoke could be seen coming from the plane. The screams of the two scorpions echoed through the night and the darkness. They were gone, but Lara knew that those two couldn't have been the only ones of their kind.
After they got a certain distance from the wreckage Lara and Alex stopped running. They was breathing heavily and Lara finally let go of Alex's hand. Lara then dropped to her knees on the ground. Alex dropped down beside her. "You ok?". Lara nodded. Lara then suddenly started to laugh. Alex raised his brow. "What? We could have been killed back there. So what's so funny?". Lara just smiled. "The fact that we didn't, we're still alive. ". Alex then smiled too. "Yeah, what were the odds?". The two laughed for a bit and then heard a loud thud. "I think the explosion might have attracted more of those creatures...". Lara said as she stood up. "Yeah, let's go. We need to find somewhere to spend the night. Guess there's no chance that the bags survived huh?".
Lara shook her head. They hadn't had the time or the chance to bring their duffel bags with them. Lucky for Lara, she always kept most of the important things in her back pack. "So we lost the papers and maps about the artifact! Just perfect!". Alex said. Lara then smiled. "No we didn't. I have them.". She then started to walk straight ahead into the forest. Alex caught up to her. "You stole them from my bag didn't you?". Lara just smiled. "Yes. But aren't you glad I did?". Alex just smiled as he continued to walk a few steps behind her.
Lara and Alex walked for about two hours, but to them it seemed at least twenty times more. They were tired of walking and needed desperately to rest. As they walked they passed many tall trees, but the height of the trees was becoming less and less. The moon provided little light in the dense and dark forest. They could barely see a metre in front of them. Lara then came to a stop. "We can stay in that cave for tonight.". Lara then pointed it out and then she and Alex slowly walked over to it.
"I'll check it out to make sure...". Lara dropped on all fours and crawled into the cave, she soon was out of Alex's view. The cave was barely visible from the outside, if the moon hadn't been shining directly on it they wouldn't have even noticed it. The entrance was surrounded by a tall dense type of grass and on the inside was nothing like the outside. Lara looked around the cave to find that it was made completely out of solid rock on the inside.
The inside of the cave was smooth and not jagged, something seemed strange about this. The rock shouldn't normally be this smooth, but Lara just dismissed the negative thoughts from her head. After all, she had seen this type of cave structure before. In under water caves the rock on the inside was just as sleek. Water often caused that to happen to rock. "Hmm...Maybe there was water here once, a long time ago?...". She whispered to herself. There wasn't enough room to stand up, but it was dry and safe. That's all they really needed right now.
Lara had been in the dark cave for a few minutes now and Alex hadn't heard a word from her. He started to get worried. "Lara? Lara!? Ah screw this! I'm going in!". Alex then holstered his pistols and crawled into the cave. "Lara?". He soon was face to face with her. "Lara. What took you so long?". Alex said, relief was written all over his face. Lara smiled. "Alex, if I didn't know better I'd swear you were worried about me.". Alex went to open his mouth, to say that she had scared him. He wanted to say that he had been worried about her, more than she could imagine. Yet, he couldn't say it...He just couldn't.
"Looks like we're spending the night here huh?". Alex questioned instead. Lara nodded. "Yes. It's too dark to find our way now, if we try we might only end up going deeper into this cursed forest. So get some sleep Alex.". Lara then took off her back pack and used it as a pillow. She stretched her legs out on the cold rock and slowly closed her eyes.
Alex put his back pack down near hers and rested his head on it. His eyes watching Lara intently. She shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew into the cave. "Lara?...". She was already fast asleep. Alex smiled as he moved closer to her. Her back was now pressed against his chest as Alex draped one arm around her waist. He slowly pulled her closer to him, both started to feel their bodies warming up from the shared heat. Alex sighed as he slowly closed his eyes. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn? Why do you always have to push me away?". Alex said in a whispered tone before he drifted off to sleep. Lara smiled as she kept her eyes closed, she had heard everything but made no attempt to pull away from him. She figured that she could just let him have it in the morning, for now she was more than content in staying where she was. Warm, comfortable, safe...In his arms...
*Aven*
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