Tomb Raider:
The Adventures of Lara Croft
Book 1-Curse of the Scorpion
Chapter 51 – Should Be Alright…
Lara's eyes widen at the sight unveiling before her; in the lead, the same scorpions from earlier only… not only.
"…and this time they're not alone!"
The scorpions from earlier turned out to not be the biggest, not by a long shot, no. At the back of the swarm came bigger scorpions, two massive creatures. These too, were not alone. The swarm became a scattering of different sizes; from the very small and normal sized, to the overgrown creatures they'd encountered earlier that day, to these two newest hulking monstrosities who, clearly, weren't here to talk.
"OH FUCK ME!" Adam shouted as his eyes saw what Lara's had already registered.
"SHOOT!" She commanded as she raised her guns and began to fire.
A barrage of bullets flew through the air, some missing their target while others didn't. Some of the escorts stood frozen until Lara's voice stirred them back, and with Adam's urging they finally began to take aim and muster the courage, or perhaps fear, to pull the trigger.
The small scorpions spread out rapidly, attacking without any specific pattern. Just attacking, unswayed by the bullets that splattered their brethren around them. They just kept coming with seemingly one thought in mind; attack. And, truly, it was all either side could do.
Gunfire, shouting, swearing, and the sickening crunch of carapaces being blown to pieces as the bullets hit their targets; THAT was what had suddenly surrounded them, THAT was their current situation. The escorts, to their credit, didn't run away. They may have stalled for a moment or two in the beginning, but they had quickly snapped back into action at the sight of Lara's bullets tearing through the swarm and her determination to not back down.
Even Adam, with only one hand to shoot with, was a source of inspiration in the heat of battle. As far as any of them knew, the man had never actually been in situations like these. A guide, that's what he was. But today, with her, he appeared every bit an explorer and adventurer as any could ever hope to be.
"Bloody 'ell! Shoot the fucker already!" Adam hissed, taking a few steps back to reload his pistol, "Can't kite 'em 'round all day now can I?!". He shouts as he begins to fire again, drawing the attention of one of the bigger scorpions so the escorts can focus on shooting instead of being overtaken by the urge to run for their lives. Not that it would have been a bad idea in itself… IF their attackers weren't so incredibly fast. They wouldn't get far before they'd be swarmed and taken down individually. Running wasn't an option; their only option was to fight.
"Only got one arm…". Adam grimaced, "Oh shit!". Swearing again as a few smaller scorpions managed to get close enough to make attempts at his feet, he began to back up while keeping the attention of his monstrous target. "Gah! Get the…". Nearly stumbling as he kicked at the smaller scorpions, knowing full well that he couldn't risk taking his gunfire off the REAL danger; as said danger was still intent on his demise. "C'mon!" He reloads his pistol and sends another round at the giant scorpion, a grin crossing his face as the sudden pleasing sound of crunching underfoot signals his freedom from the smaller creatures… for now.
"Hey Lara!? I think this one 'ere likes me!" Adam laughs as he continues to be THE source of attention for one of two devastatingly resilient and dangerously oversized scorpions "tanks". "How's your treatin' ya?!" He calls over to her, not daring to shift his gaze from his own target and yet needing to know she still had everything under control.
Lara, despite it all, couldn't help but smirk at both his tone and game-like nature of his handling of the situation. He certainly did have a way about him. She couldn't quite place it and yet, she had to keep reminding herself that it was the time or place. "Well good luck keeping it as a pet if that's your intention!" She called back to him as she reloaded her guns, taking a few steps back to keep a fair distance between herself and her attacker.
"Ya might wanna dodge THAT love!" Adam's voice urgent and Lara's eyes widened at the sight of his warning. Rolling to the side at the last minute she dodged one oversized claw as it tried to swipe at her while her mind had been elsewhere. She cursed herself for that small lapse in focus. "Close one!" His voice echoed again, a light tone and yet she could sense the worry as well.
"Not THAT close!" Her words, laced with a somewhat defensive tone, as her mysterious expression almost hints at a dare. Her actions causing Adam to shake his head, not quite buying it but with a cocky smile nonetheless, leaving it at that.
The two leads continued their rhythmic dance of dodging claws and kiting tankers, as Adam so lovingly came to call them, around the battlefield. All the while the escorts switched from shooting at Adam's scorpion, as it was closer to them and they dared not venture too far into the line of sight or reach of either tanker, let alone close enough to be fair game for both; to taking out the swarms of smaller scorpions that just seemed to keep coming regardless of how many they killed.
…
As the tides of battle seemed confidently in their favor, the sudden twists that came next reminded them that it was folly to believe you had won before your opponent had truly begun to fight.
In a show of pure acrobatic prowess, Lara suddenly leapt from the ground and side flipped over the tanker's claws as it reached for her. An angered and frustrated sound erupted from the creature as its claws grasped at the empty air where she had been merely seconds before. "You'll have to do better than that." She smirked, simultaneously firing at the scorpion as she performed a backflip to put a greater distance between herself and those massive claws.
The sound of gunshots was ever present as the escorts fired madly at Adam's scorpion, reloading in turn and then repeating the process. Thankfully, the scorpion seemed determined to get Adam before even bothering with the other men… or perhaps it just didn't see them as a threat? Everything was happening so fast that no one really had a chance to wonder why the two greatest threats, the tankers, were so dead set on chasing down Lara and Adam when they could have just as easily wiped out a few escorts with little effort. Perhaps the two greatest threats on the field were just following the course of nature… attacking the other two biggest threats. Afterall, without Lara and Adam, what chance would the others honestly have?
Whatever the case, it was most definitely a good thing that the men didn't have a chance to ponder on such things… but the tide of battle is quick to change and the most certain of things can suddenly crumble.
…
"Whoa!" Adam hissed as he dodged the scorpion's attempt to strike him down with its tail, just missing him and yet Adam had felt the air whip past him. It was enough to remind him that they couldn't keep this up forever. The second attack was more than proof… it was a solid confirmation of that fact.
The tanker strikes again, this time sending Adam stumbling backwards to escape the attack as the blow is delivered hard into the ground. "Arg!" He groans, wincing as pain shoots sharply through his broken arm. As a reflex he grasps at his injured arm with his right hand… dropping his gun in the process.
"ADAM!" Lara shouts as the monster, the tanker, frantically tries to un-wedge its gigantic stinger from the ground. In her moment of distraction, her own target readies itself to slash at her with its razor sharp claws… an attack that could have very well proven fatal is interrupted quite unexpectedly by a barrage of bullets that instantly steal the tanker's attention. The escorts, having re-found their previous courage from earlier that day, have succeeded in drawing Lara's scorpion away from her. An act for which is most thankful as it would surely buy her the time she needed to act and race to Adam's aid.
"ADAM!" She called out to him, urging him to move but it was lost on him as a shocking realization surfaced in his mind… that this could really be the end of the line.
…
His eyes widen at the sight before him, the sight that could very well be his last. The scorpion, the abomination he'd dubbed 'tanker', had managed to pull its tail free from the ground and was staring right at him in what he could only imagine was pure rage and a sure fire intent to kill. His heart races as his hand reaches for his gun, eyes ever fixed on the scorpion's tail. With him on the ground, at this distance, he wouldn't be able to dodge the next attack.
"ADAM!" She shouts his name again, racing towards him she fires with pistols at the creature's eyes, evading the smaller scorpions who attempt to attack her feet and keep her from him. "MOVE!" She commands as she continues towards him; not once did she stop firing.
…
In a vain attempt to get back to his feet, Adam falls back once more and as he does he feels the cool metal of his gun… now in reach. It's in that moment that he makes a decision. He knows that even if he manages to force himself back to his feet, he won't be fast enough to move out of the way should the scorpion take his current disadvantage of injury to its own advantage and strike once more. So he doesn't bother… instead he chooses to grab his gun and follow Lara's lead in firing straight into the scorpion's eyes at near point blank range. He's decided that if he's to go, he'll go fighting. So he shoots.
…
Gunfire illuminates the darkness in steady, urgent sparks…
The scorpion beast, the tanker, roars in pain as the bullets hit their target. The creature lets out a sound that is almost ear shattering as it pierces into the night.
And the battle raged on…
…
The sound of gunfire slowly faded as the dire screams of the wounded and slaughtered men mixed with the pained cries of their attackers. Bullets lay scattered amongst the shattered fragments of hard shells and crushed claws left behind. The smell of blood was heavy in the air… when everything finally fell silent.
The battle was finally over… for now.
Sadly, not everyone was lucky enough to live through it. Of the eight escorts who had left the village that morning, not counting the two who had been assigned to the wagon, five were no longer standing. Killed, mauled, ripped to shreds… their screams still lingered in the minds of those who survived. The wagon driver and the youngest man, the boy, who had been tagging along in the back of the wagon and was the least accustomed to guns, didn't survive either. The greatest tragedy, despite it all, was no doubt the boy who had been so eager and so young… he would never get to tell his story of adventure and battle; nor would any of those who perished that night.
The scorpions, those monsters who attacked them, had even been clever and organized enough to plan ahead and cut off their means of escape should they fail in their attack. The camels and horses were gone… lost to the creatures… shredded like they were made of paper and just tossed aside like rag dolls. Yet, they were not all accounted for… even slaughtered like they were… some were no doubt carried away to be eaten; though dragged was more accurate a term. Whatever poor, terrified creatures managed to get away from the brutal claws of their attackers had run off in a mindless frenzy and…
"Poor bastards won't make it 'til mornin'… not with them wounds." Adam pointed out with a heavy sigh of frustration when they finally realized that they would now be returning to the village on foot.
Lara frowned at that realization. Back, through heat and sand, wounded and with nothing to show for all the bloodshed. They'd died in vain… for they had learned nothing and weren't any closer to finding what they'd been sent for. Their expedition was over before it had even truly begun. It seemed like this whole adventure was cursed from the start… as if someone or something didn't want them to succeed. Didn't want them to find, well… whatever it was they were trying to find.
In the end… only three escorts were left alive to stand with Adam and Lara. It had been total chaos, they had been unprepared and yet… could one EVER truly be prepared for such a thing? Looking around at the un-moving figures of those who had willingly followed her into the unknown, staring at the bloodied faces of the three remaining souls… at Adam, who despite his broken arm since the plane crash and the heart-wrenching death of his friend, was still standing by her and ready to follow her into anything… She couldn't help but wonder how he must be dealing with all of this.
…
No one knew how long they stood there, guns in hand and ready for a second wave. Staring into the dense and all too quiet jungle that surrounded them, they stood on edge until Lara and Adam holstered their guns and started towards them with expressions as grim as their current reality.
…
Carefully they rolled the dead in the bedding from their sleeping bags and placed them onto the back of the wagon for the night. In the morning they would bury them all properly… it was the least they could do.
With a heavy heart Lara watched as the escorts loaded the last of their fallen onto the wagon, closing it as the three men who survived the onslaught wandered over to the nearby fire. Huddled close together, they held they guns tightly at their sides. Shaken more than they would ever say… there were just no words to describe it.
"Some adventure…" Lara muttered, so they wouldn't hear, as she turned away; slowly she began reloading her pistols. "They shouldn't have been here…" Her tone soft yet pained, laced with blame and guilt. It was obvious that she felt responsible… and even more obvious that she felt the need to avenge them… by whatever means necessary.
Adam frowned, "Hey…", placing his right hand firmly on her shoulder from behind; his tone almost pleading with her to be reassured by his presence. To his credit, it actually brought her some comfort… not that she felt particularly deserving of it at the time.
She bites at her lower lip as she hears the compassion and sympathy in his voice, "… you couldn't have known. Lara… 'ell, none o' us could have."
Giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze, "I'm gonna put more wood on the fires… keep as much light goin' as we can.". As he starts to walk away she can hear him mumble, "Does shit all for the big tankers but keeps the little skitterers back good enough." She half smirks at his mumbling, knowing that he's right… on all counts. Though she wasn't about let him know it… he was cocky enough on his own.
Sighing heavily, she finally holsters her guns. So here was where things stood… they'd lost half the caravan… actually two more than half… Three survivors, they'd managed to protect only three. But of course, they didn't get out untouched by the battle either. Somehow the trio had neglected to mention that they'd gotten stung during the ordeal due to the strange fact that not one of them had remembered getting stung in the first place.
"…don't worry love… they have antidotes from the village remember?" Adam had reassured, backing up the escorts who seemed to not even be bothered at all by the stings. Though that actually made sense; who's going to worry about regular scorpion stings when there are oversized creatures running around that could take your head off and with just one swift strike, end you? Thinking about it… it did seem a little silly.
Still, they decide to play it safe and sleep in shifts… just in case. Adam's words were the last thing Lara remembered hearing before her body finally betrayed her and she drifted off to sleep.
"Should be alroight."
…
*Aven*
Hey guys! Just wanted to thank you all for your patience with the random updating! Still trying to work out a more stable upload schedule for you guys =^-^= Getting there…
Thank you all so much for sticking around and for the wonderful new review, favorite and follow additions! But above all else… so much appreciation to you all for the views/reads 3
Side note: there needs to be a better word for "views/reads"… suggestions?
