Chapter 30
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
"Stay low and quiet."
Bu'at led the way through the building with Kaail behind, carrying A'stea in his arms. Luckily, they didn't have to go through mazes of rooms like a few buildings had to. Only going up against some stairs and passing through the dark area that led outside via the back way. A'stea noticed one or two Hish guards that were lying on the ground near the door of the prison.
"Did you kill them?" She asked Kaail.
"No. I knocked them out before they noticed it was me. The last one I had to talk to but he was a weakling."
"Everyone is a weakling compared to you, Kaail." Bu'at chuckled.
Kaail hissed, "Just keep going."
They stopped at the door to which Bu'at cracked it a little to check if anyone was outside. The waiting was stressful. Being exposed like this wasn't entirely welcoming. Still, it gave A'stea a chance to ask some questions.
"Bu'at." She called. He didn't look but he hummed to confirm he heard her. "How do you know of the hideout? And my friends?"
"Let's just say that I met a little birdie who I had to 'bribe' to let me in."
"What birdie?" Kaail grumbled.
"You'll see once we get there." He paused to peek his head more outside. "We're clear."
All three were outside in the dead of night. It gave A'stea the answer she wanted to know, realizing she must have been out for a long while. It was still daylight when she was dragged to the training building.
They kept going through the night until they reached the maze of canyons. Many who come through would get lost in it for hours unless you knew where you were going. A'stea debated on giving Bu'at some directions but from his movements, there was no hesitation. He knew where he was going. Curious.
"How much further?" Kaail asked.
"Not much longer. We just need to get to the cliffside on the edge of the jungle and then we—"
Bu'at stopped when he disappeared around the corner. Sensing something was wrong, Kaail pressed his back against the canyon quickly and being careful not to hurt A'stea in the process. She still hissed silently but didn't complain.
"What is it?" A'stea whispered.
"I don't know." He didn't have an answer for her. But she sensed something was up and kept silent.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
An unknown male, a Hish perhaps, could be heard that they didn't recognize. A crowd of footsteps came followed by the clicking of spears. Kaail figured it could be guards, maybe about three or four including the male they heard. He was tempted to peek around the corner but he remained still, looking down at A'stea in worry.
"Hey boys!" Bu'at's voice called cheerfully. "I didn't expect a patrol would be out this late. Shouldn't you be partying or something?"
"We're ordered by the masters for extra patrols." The unknown male spoke.
"Really? For what?"
"We're not allowed to tell you that."
"Aww, come on."
"What's going on?"
A'stea couldn't stay silent anymore. It didn't sound good the way the conversation was going. Kaail glanced at her before tightening his mandibles. With a sigh, he leaned around the corner, moving A'stea enough so both could see what was going on. Sure enough, they saw four Hish guards pointing their spears at Bu'at. He had his hands up in a non-threatening posture but the guards didn't relent.
"Where are you going this late at night?"
Bu'at shrugged his shoulders. "Getting some fresh air. I needed to get away from the foul smell you guys brought."
"Enough!"
One of the guards rushed at him and kicked him right behind the knee, forcing Bu'at to fall with a grunt. Another guard pushes the tip of his spear right at his throat, pinning him. Kaail's anger boiled. His body desiring to take action. But A'stea grabbed his hand when she felt him tremble. He slumped back, knowing there was nothing to do unless they wanted to expose themselves. A lot more trouble would come to them if they did and all of this would be for nothing.
"Tell us where you're heading. Comply and the masters might spare you."
Bu'at chuckled. "Spare me? That's the same as being killed but peacefully. There's no glory in that. And I can't believe you would follow the Amengi after everything they did to us."
A'stea's eyes widened. That sounds like what I've been preaching to . . .
A roar pulled her back, seeing the guard had swiped his spear right at Bu'at, making a cut in his cheek and spilling green blood on the ground. Bu'at hissed, holding his cheek.
"We have no choice." A split moment that the guard spoke with uncertainty. "Either you tell us or we have to kill you."
The guards hesitated. It wasn't uncommon to see such behavior but only seen in Hish that are barely starting their duties. It showed how much the Hish didn't like the Amengi but only forced to do what they were ordered to do unless they wanted to die. Such cowardice. A'stea thought. It was almost sorrowful to see them in such a state.
But then, Bu'at began to laugh. It stunned Kaail and A'stea.
The guard tilted his head, seemingly not liking it. "What's your problem?" The other pushed the tip of the spear deeper into Bu'at neck, creating a puncture that barely entered his skin. "Answer me!"
"You fools." Bu'at's laugh became a chuckle. "If you didn't do that, you might have been spared this."
"Spared?"
All of a sudden, one of the guards dropped to the ground, thrashing at something. The others turned around to see what happened, only for something to hit them on the head. So fast . . . so precise. The next thing A'stea and Kaail knew, the guards were on the ground with only Bu'at spared. He got to his feet and looked around for anything else.
"It's okay. You can come out." He signaled for them.
Kaail hesitated but with a nod from A'stea, he carried her around the corner and into the open. With a better view, they saw the guards were trapped in some sort of netting. Metal wires that stuck onto their skins and grew tighter, even beginning to cut into their flesh. Kaail was stunned by what he saw but A'stea knew too well what they were.
She looked at Bu'at. "How did you . . ?"
He smiled. "I told you. I called some of your friends." He lifts his head and clicks his mandibles in a tune.
Out of nowhere, a few figures emerged from the shadows with masks on their faces and armor that was unlike anything Kaail had seen before. But A'stea recognized them. They weren't made of bone but rather metal . . . and the good kind no less. Their weapons were also fashioned the same way with a particular one that looked like a gun but not quite. But it had the metal net wrapped around it.
What the pauk?
"A'stea?"
"A'stea!"
She heard her name as Kaail turned, seeing it was none other than Fi'ka and Nu'kha coming to their side."Guys?"
Despite Kaail being right there, Fi'ka came without hesitation and reached for A'stea. But Nu'kha stayed back with a glare. If Kaail didn't have A'stea in his arms, he would have told him to back off and growled. He didn't like the look this male was giving him
"We got the call that you were hurt. What happened?"
A'stea hissed. "Let's just say that the high and mighty Master Thu'at wanted payback . . . and he got it."
Her friend checked around, noticing the punctures in her neck. Kaail looked away as she examined them.
"That bastard," Fi'ka growled.
"It's alright, Fi'ka. It's nothing serious." A'stea hissed. "But can you explain what the pauk is going on?"
She turned to Bu'at who came to their side. Unlike with Kaail, Nu'kha was relaxed with him. They exchanged glances for a moment and then answered.
"Say hello to the little birdie." He patted Fi'ka's shoulder gently.
A'stea's eyes widened and then went into slits. Her mouth tightened together. "Fi'ka."
Her friend lowered her gaze. "It's for a good reason. He's the spy that we told you about."
Kaail pulled his head back in surprise. A spy? He glanced at Bu'at and then looked down at A'stea. "Did you know about this?"
She lowered her gaze. "We did have a spy among the Hish for recruiting others . . . but I didn't imagine you knew him."
"Why didn't you say anything?" He grunted.
"Don't blame her, Kaail." Bu'at interrupted. "Only her and a few higher members knew, not to mention it was a secret. But I don't think it's the best time to talk about this. Especially that the ooman is injured and needs healing."
Kaail went silent. As much as he wanted to argue, he was right. A'stea was hurt and the guards that were trapped were struggling to get out, not to mention they were in the open and who knows if anyone heard them.
He sighed. "Fine."
Bu'at turned to the other warriors and gave them a signal. "Keep them alive and bring them with us. We can't let anyone know." The others complied and went to gather the guards.
"Come on," Fi'ka called to Kaail. "Follow us."
Kaail did as he was told, following the small Hish female that led the way. His eyes though turned to the male Nu'kha who was keeping a glare on him. What's his problem? He fought the urge to say something and pressed forward.
With the others taking care of the guards, everyone else took off at a fast pace out of the canyons and into a small flat plane of gravel. It didn't take long before they reached the cliffside of the jungle, going straight for the first one they saw.
"This way.."
Fi'ka went ahead to press against the wall. As soon as they arrived, she was pushing a small boulder out of the way, revealing an opening that went deep underground. How are we going to fit in there? Kaail thought.
"It's a tight fit but you'll make it through." She waves her hand to get Kaail and A'stea first.
Without hesitation, Kaail twists his body into the tight hole, much more than he expected. He froze when A'stea gasped a little. Being squeezed like this was pushing on her ribs. He leaned his chin on her head for reassurance.
"I'm fine, Kaail. Keep going."
They moved through the small parts of the cave with Fi'ka following behind. It was wet and dark so Kaail had to be careful where he stepped, keeping A'stea close to him. If they weren't running to hide and she wasn't injured, he would have enjoyed feeling her warmth and smelling the honey.
Further in, they made it to a larger space, a cavern, where Kaail could stand up and take a breather for himself and A'stea. The pressure on her chest faded and the pain got slightly better. They waited until Fi'ka got through and moved to the front once more, signaling him to follow and move through the cavern until they went to the tunnel on the other side.
When they were close to reaching the end of that one, Kaail could see a small light from the other side. Were they going outside? He shook his head. No . . . it's still dark outside. He began to worry about what was on the other side. But when he saw the look of relief on Fi'ka and even A'stea, he began to think otherwise.
Finally, they made it to the end and the light was almost blinding in his eyes. But as soon as he broke through the initial blur of white, his focus came back. As soon as he could see, nothing could prepare him for what was before him.
He could only look in awe as he stared down at an underground city . . . bigger than anything he ever imagined.
Hi everyone!
Finally, Kaail has found the hideout and it isn't what he expects. What does he find when he enters?
And I'm glad that Bu'at is helping them but he's still got a lot of explanation to give to Kaail and the others. Or do they already know? They seem quite familiar with him. But nu'kha is giving shots of glares at Kaail. What's his problem?
But the big question is about what will happen when the others A'stea mentioned in the last few chapters see Kaail. How will they react? Will they accept him? Or will it end up a slaughter?
Find out when Chapter 31 comes tomorrow! ;)
Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, lil ang3l x, IanAlphaAxel, and NeverNeverLady)! They are very important for me and I hope I see more readers posting as well. All opinions are welcomed. I hope you keep on reading! ;)
Happy Hunting! :))))