Author's Note: SORRY SORRY SORRY it took me SOOOOO long to get this finished! It's been..what...4 months since my last update? Sheesh...sorry again. I was just stuck on what to do for the last chapter. Jungle Book 2 inspired me to continue the story. Some scenes are based on the movie. I kinda rushed into this...and the chap's not as good as I wanted it to be....I hope you like it anyway.
Here's the final chapter of Dangerous Game!
Another note: I decided to add the lyrics to "You Can't Take Me" to
this chap. It kinda fits Eliza in the chapter somehow. Though I don't know
how. I just like the song, actually. XD
DANGEROUS GAME
Story by DarkHououmon
"Sloan escaped?!" Marianne exclaimed, obviously horrified. Bree nodded slowly. "Yes. Eliza says he took off into the jungle." She turned her head away, then looked back. "We have no idea on how to find him."
Marianne and Nigel had just gotten word of the horrible news. They were discussing things in their own room. They didn't hear any sounds other than themselves. They didn't hear Sloan creeping down the ladder. Marianne clutched her husbands hand tightly. Nigel placed a hand over her hand, then turned to Debbie and Bree. "What do you advise we do, Bree?" The man asked calmly, despite the terrible situation. The woman shook her head. "I don't know." She admitted, now completely out of ideas.
Eliza knelt down by Darwin's side. The cut on his right leg was quite deep, but not as bad as the cut on her left arm. 'You didn't have to do that.' She nudged the chimpanzee to see if he would react. Nothing. The chimp was out cold, but alive. She looked around and saw some spare white bandages, and covered the wound with it. 'This should help the bleeding stop.' She hoped that it would. She then heard people talking, and walked outside of the Commvee, where her parents, Bree, and sister were.
"There has to be something we can do!"
Nigel was sounding even more determined than usual. His sudden outburst surprised everyone, including Bree Blackburn. Eliza walked up and stood next to Debbie. "What's going on?" She whispered softly to her sister. "We're trying to discuss what we should do to get Sloan."
Eliza Thornberry shuddered at the mere mention of the name. She was still terrified by the 3 attacks she had recieved from Sloan within a short while. He must be really determined....really desperate if he kept coming back to get her. He just won't give up! Then Eliza did feel anger rise up inside of her. She did know that Sloan also attacked and injured Darwin. The primate was still alive, but she didn't know if he'd survive. 'He can't get away with that!' Her mind screamed.
She seemed to be in deep thought. She could no longer hear anyone around her, nor could they get through to her at the moment. They continued their discussion while Eliza floated in her own mind, thinking of a way to stop Sloan herself. Sloan might come back to harm her family. She couldn't let him do that! He already hurt Darwin. 'There's only one way to get Sloan as far away from here as possible.'
She knew the answer. She knew what she had to do.
She had to get the poacher to chase her.
"Why don't I suggest something?" The small girl spoke up. Everyone stopped their talking. They turned their heads and then all eyes were on her. Her mother asked, "What is it, honey?" Gently rubbing the injured arm with her right hand, Eliza suggested, "Sloan is after me...so to get him away from here..why don't I get him to chase me?" She released her arm. "That shouldn't be too hard."
"NO!" Marianne exclaimed as she grabbed her daughter. "You can't do that! I don't want to risk losing you." She gave a stern and worried look at Eliza, who started to feel some guilt arise in her heart. Bree nodded. "She's right, kid. You can't take on Sloan by yourself. You could be killed!" The young girl nodded her head in understanding. She did understand why they were worried. But she had made her decision.
She walked out in the middle of the campsite. "When I say so, run!" She hissed the warning sharply, then looked around, trying to see Sloan anywhere. "Eliza!" Debbie cried from a few feet away. "You don't have to do this!" But the young girl just ignored her. 'I know I shouldn't be doing this...but either I face Sloan now or he'll continue to stalk me.'
"Show yourself, Sloan!" She shouted.
Almost on cue, the poacher emerged from the thick jungle bushes in front of her. She backed away a few steps, but stood her ground. She turned to her family and Bree. "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!!" The poacher drew closer, and the family stayed put. Nigel shouted back, "We aren't going to leave you!" Eliza frantically looked back at the poacher. He was getting closer! "JUST RUN! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! I'LL BE FINE!" Sloan leapt at the girl, and Eliza dodged just in time as the others reluctantly ran into the jungle. 'They were supposed to drive away...' But Eliza couldn't think about that now.
"So you're braver. Interesting." Sloan Blackburn pulled out his copper knife. "But that isn't going to save you." The 12-year old redhead could feel all the fear and terror coming back to her. She knew she had to run, but she needed a short distraction. Gathering all the courage she could at the moment, she knelt down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and threw it in Sloan's face. The man screamed as the girl took off running.
You can't take me, yeah!
The man recovered rather quickly, and started to pursue the girl, death
on his mind and thoughts. 'That girl will die! I will see to it!' He snarled
mentally, continuing to chase Eliza through the jungle. 'Once I get
my hands on her, she won't have the strength left to breathe...' He
smiled evilly at this. The chase continued.
The thunder increased and the lightning started to flash. Eliza could feel the rain hitting her and dripping down her body as she ran through the Amazon forest. She struggled through all the foliage and trees and bushes that lay before her, blocking her path. She didn't know what has become of her family. 'I told them to run.' She remembered. Hopefully they had gotten away. She had literally given her life for them. Although scared to death, she knew she had to lure Sloan as far away from camp as possible. She could feel her heart beat its hardest, trying to keep up with her incredible speed. But the burning sensation in her throat was getting the best of her. She could feel herself cough and wheeze, then started to slow down a bit.
"YOU WILL PAY DEARLY!!!" A horrible voice shouted from behind her. She turned around, and screamed when she saw Sloan Blackburn closing in!
"Go away!" She yiped, and quickly ran again. She looked ahead. She could see what appeared to be some sort of old temple. It was pretty similar to the one she'd been in with those jaguars. She sped up as best as she could, but it felt as if she was going to collapse on her knees any second now. She ran up towards the temple, but then she skidded to a stop. A few rocks fell...fell into a large crevice which surrounded the entire temple! She looked down, and noticed that there were large sharp rocks jutting out from the ground below. If she fell she'd be diced!
Gotta fight another fight
I gotta run another night
I'm getting out, check it out
I'm on my way and I don't feel right
I've gotta get me back
I can't be beat, and that's a fact
It's okay, I'll find a way
Eliza looked behind her. Sloan had stopped running, and was now stalking her, slowly. He grinned deviously as he approached her, the new knife in hand. He readied it for the blow. Eliza shook with fear, and frantically looked around for an exit. She gazed at the temple, and a look of determination locked on. She knew she had to reach that other side, if she wanted to live. She drew in a deep breath, and leaped over the crevice. She barely reached the other side, but was still able to grab the very edge of the rock emerging from the dirty grass. She whimpered as her feet slipped from her footing. With a few troubled breaths, the young girl managed to pull herself onto the ground. She turned around, and smirked at Sloan.
"Oh, you think that's gonna help you?" He asked coldly as he backed away from the edge, then came running back at an alarming rate. Eliza screamed and jumped back. She ran into the temple, which didn't have any roofs. This was a disadvantage; not many dark places to hide. She looked back for a second, then ran off into one of the few dark places there was. Sloan shook himself as he reached the other side. He didn't have any trouble clearing the jump. 'A baby could have done it.' He smiled evilly as he entered the temple, and stared at the rock formations that surrounded him and the girl.
They ain't gonna take me down
No way!
Oh, yeah...
"No matter where you go...."
Eliza could feel herself panic. She never felt so scared in her life. The fear was rising. She looked around her hiding spot, and peered through a crack in the wall. She had chosen one of the openings in the wall to hide in. If Sloan found her she'd be trapped! But it was a risk she had to take...Better here than out there in the open.
"No matter where you hide...."
She pressed herself back into the wall of her hideout, trying her best to stay out of sight.
Don't judge a thing
'Till you know what's inside!
Don't push me, I'll fight it!
Never gonna give in!
Never gonna give it up, no!
If you can't catch a wave
Then you're never gonna ride!
You can't come uninvited!
Never gonna give in!
Never gonna give it up, no!
"I will catch you." Sloan snarled in frustration. He hadn't seen the girl yet, but there wasn't that many places to hide to begin with. He kicked a rock, which bounced off the wall and skidding about 4 ft away. He gripped his knife tightly, and continued to search for the small girl. 'The brat couldn't have gotten far...' He shifted his eyes constantly, and was as alert as possible to any sudden movements or sound. Eliza knew she hadn't a chance of escaping. This may be it.
She pressed herself harder against the wall. She did her best not to make a sound. She watched Sloan circling the entire small temple. She sucked in her breath as an attempt to make herself quieter still. One wrong move, and it's all over. She peered through the small crack. She could not be seen. She could see Sloan headed her way. The poacher, snarling, looked around the area. He turned and walked away. "She couldn't have gotten far. Where is she?!" He formed a fist with the other hand. Eliza lowered her head in fear. She pressed the side of her head on the wall in front of her, trying to hear what the man was saying. But she leaned to hard....and the wall started to crack.
Eliza screamed loudly, catching the poacher's attention, as the rock, obviously very worn out, crumbled before her, and revealed her right to Sloan. She gasped, and took one step back. She looked at her arm, still baring the white bandage she recieved only a couple days ago. Sloan glanced at the bandage, and an ominous smirk marked on his face.
You can't take me
I'm free!
"Isn't this ironic?" He asked coldly. He advanced on the girl quickly. Eliza backed up as fast as she could, but soon fell into the rocks. She panicked when her hand got stuck between 2 large rocks. She struggled to pull her hand free, but it was useless. It was wedged in too tightly. She widened in her eyes in fear and watched Sloan nervously as he stood above her, a triumphant look on his face. "You run here to hide, yet I find you." He laughed, and raised up the knife. Eliza shook violently, horrified as Sloan began to drive the knife down. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the sharp blade to penetrate her skin.
But it never came...
"Leave my sister alone!!" A teenaged feminine voice shouted out loud, then a blonde teenager grabbed Sloan's raised up and attempted to pull him back away. Angry, Sloan used his other arm to elbow Debbie hard in the stomach. She yelped and fell to the ground. She gasped, looking up at the angry poacher. "You little....." He hissed threateningly and snatched the teen by the arm. "DEBBIE!" Eliza screamed, watching in terror as Sloan pointed the knife at her big sister. Sloan had an evil smile on his face. He knew just what to do. This same trick worked before on her, and it will work again. 'She won't let anything happen to her big sister...even it if means her own life!'
Why did it all go wrong?
I wanna know what's going on!
What's this holding me?
I'm not where I'm supposed to be!
"SURRENDER, OR SHE DIES!" Sloan screamed, and the knife was dangerously close to Debbie's neck. She struggled to get free. "Eliza!" She screamed in terror, like she had when she was nearly thrown off the cliff.
Thoughts rang through Eliza's mind. They never did register completely. She was becoming confused with a million thoughts. She knew she had to save Debbie, but she didn't want to lose her life in the process. 'What am I going to do?!' She cried desperately in her mind. She looked up at Sloan, scared, then she looked at Debbie, who's life was in danger....again...because of Eliza herself. She couldn't have anyone else have their lives put in jeopardy on her behalf. She just couldn't! She knew she had to save Debbie. But the sight of Debbie about to be hurt....She could feel rage filling in her heart. A white hot anger rose inside, and she did something she never thought she'd do.
She pulled her hand free of the wedged rocks, and jumped forward. Startled, Sloan let go of Debbie, and she fell to the ground. Debbie looked up from her landing spot, and watched in astonishment as Eliza grabbed onto Sloan, who in turn grabbed both her arms to try to pry her off, but Eliza just wouldn't budge. She started to kick Sloan in the back as hard as she could. The man's eyes widened in pain, but narrowed them as his face turned red with anger. He finally grabbed Eliza by the back of her shirt and forcefully pulled her off. She screamed in pain as she was shoved roughly into the rocky surface below.
I gotta fight another fight
I gotta fight with all my might
I'm getting out, so check it out
You're in my way
And you better watch out!
Oh, come on!
Sloan released his grip. Then he went to snatch one of Eliza's arms. He grinned evilly as he closed his hand around the bandage that covered the wound he had given her in one of their previous encounters. Eliza's eyes snapped open and she let out a loud scream of pain as Sloan's grip tightened around her wound. She shook, her eyes closed tightly, her teeth gritting, the girl struggled to get free. The pain increased, and she screamed again. White hot pain....seering through her arm. It was not like anything she experienced before. The pain was so bad that it made her appendicitis pains feel like just a few sharp pricks. 'So..intense...pain so strong....' She then felt something warm and wet coming onto her arm. But she knew all too well what it was. 'Blood.' She could feel blood seeping out of the bandage, running through Sloan's fingers and her arm, hitting the ground.
"I just can't let you live." Sloan then raised the knife above the 12-year old's chest. Eliza opened one eye just in time to see the tip of the blade hovering above her. Sloan gathered up as much energy as he could in his arm, and then struck down, preparing to drive the knife through the girl's chest, ultimately killing her.
"STOP!!" Bree cried out as she ran towards them. She roughly grabbed her husband by the hand and tried to pull him back. The man didn't answer or look back. He just turned around and pushed Bree down. But he made the mistake of letting go of Eliza's arm. The young girl saw this opportunity and made a run for it. Sloan growled deeply in frustration and glared at his wife. "Don't interfere!" Bree's eyes widened in fear and she backed away quickly. She could only watch as Sloan continued to chase Eliza throughout the temple. 'Good luck, kid.'
Don't judge a thing
'Till you know what's inside!
Don't push me, I'll fight it!
Never gonna give in!
Never gonna give it up, no!
If you can't catch a wave
Then you're never gonna ride!
You can't come uninvited!
Never gonna give in!
Never gonna give it up, no!
'What do I do?! What do I do?!'
The girl had this question ringing through her mind as she desperately tried to get away from Sloan, who was gaining on her. She could feel her legs weakening already. She had run for too long now. 'I need to rest. But I can't rest! He will catch me!' So she kept on running. She looked ahead. She was headed straight for the crevice again! She looked harder and did see a statue of what appeared to be a jaguar across the crevice. She might be able to make the jump. If she didn't, she'd be skewered. She picked up speed, and prepared to jump across the wide gap opening.
They reached the edge.
Eliza jumped.
You can't take me
I'm free!
Oh yeah, I'm free!
She sailed through the air. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Eliza quickly grabbed the edge of the stone jaguar's mouth, and struggled to hang on. She tried climbing up, using her feet to push her up, but she just slipped back down. She was left dangling above the sharp rocks below. Sloan smirked evilly and jumped across as well. Being more athletic than she was, he cleared the jump too easily. He had landed on the jaguar's nose. He turned around and watched in amusement as he saw the small girl below him trying to pull herself up. She stopped when she saw Sloan above her, and she gasped.
"Sloan?" She whispered, horrified. She watched as Sloan edged closer to her, knife in hand.
"Hehehe...looks like this is the end of the road, kid!"
Marianne and Nigel rushed into the temple. They found Debbie and Bree in there as well. They had followed Eliza because they knew she'd need some help. "Where's Eliza?!" They both asked in unison. Debbie quickly pointed in one direction, and soon they all watched as Eliza hung on for dear life. Marianne screamed in horror as Sloan suddenly grabbed Eliza by the same place where he had before; the arm with the wound. The seering white hot pain....the intensity..it all returned to Eliza. With tears of pain streaming down her face, she let out a sharp cry of pain.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
The scream echoed throughout the rocky formations and jungle around her. She quickly let go of her grip on the rock. The pain was too great for her. The blood once again flowed down her arm. Bree, Debbie, Marianne, and Nigel watched, terrified, as Sloan pushed Eliza further away from the edge, and hung her above the sharp rocks. "Goodbye, Eliza." He said mockingly and started to loosen his grip on the girl's hand. But he never looked at the skies. A storm was brewing up. The skies lit up, and a lightning bolt struck down. A blue bolt of power struck near where Sloan was standing.
He screamed in surprise and let go of Eliza suddenly. Eliza screamed but to her luck, there was another flat edge jutting out from below the statue. She quickly grabbed it. She looked behind her. Sloan was slipping off the edge himself. She could hear his scream as he lost his grip and was starting to fall down towards the rocks below. She smiled in relief, and started to climb back up.
But it wasn't over. She suddenly felt someone grip her ankle tightly. She looked down, and was horrified to see Sloan grabbing her leg! She tried to pull her leg free. But Sloan's grip was too tight. She gritted her teeth in pain as the grip tightened. "If I'm going down," She heard the man say, "You're coming with me!" He watched in morbid amusement as Eliza struggled to climb up. She couldn't possibly support both their weight. She could feel her grip loosening. She couldn't hang on for much longer. Her hands started to slip over the edge. Even when she was hanging on just by her fingers, she continued to try and pull herself back up. But Sloan's weight combined with her own weight was pulling her back.
"No!" Her father shouted as they all gathered on the other side. They watched helplessly as Sloan started to pull Eliza down with him in the fall. They became frustrated that they couldn't do anything. "Eliza!" Debbie screeched. "Hang on!" 'Yeah, like that's gonna help.' She could tell that the girl couldn't hang on for long.
Eliza could hear her family members. She knew they were watching. She couldn't give up. Not now! She had to try and hang on, for them. She started to pull herself back up, but slipped back again. Her hands twitched and ached in pain. She closed her eyes tightly. Her arms were getting too tired. There was no way she could hang on any longer. She shed a tear of sorrow and shouted to her family, "I'm sorry!" Then she lost her grip. She could hear her mother shout, "NOO!!" as she slipped over the edge and she and Sloan plummeted towards the sharp ground below.
Nigel, Marianne, Debbie, and Bree rushed to the edge and looked down. The skies had gotten so dark that they could not see the bottom of the opening in the ground. They looked down sadly. Marianne buried her face in Nigel's shoulders. "She's gone....she's gone..." She whispered over and over again. Nigel comforted his wife. He wiped away a tear. "A brave young girl." Was all he could manage to say before breaking down himself. He'd never broke down before..until now. The emotional pain was too great for him to keep inside himself. Bree closed her eyes in regret. "I failed." She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked at the person next to her. It was Debbie. "No." She said. She let out a couple of sobs, then continued, "You tried your best, Bree." She removed her arm, and knelt towards the edge. "We all tried." She choked back a sob. "But we weren't fast enough...." She started crying out loud, not caring who saw her.
"C-Come on, everyone. You, too, Bree." Nigel signalled everyone to leave now. Marianne hung onto her husband, refusing to let go, as if she'll lose him too if she did. Bree let out a sorrowful sigh, and stared walked with them. Debbie didn't want to leave. Not yet...they didn't even know if Eliza was gone or not. But it didn't seem that she would survive the fall. She took one good look at the crevice hole again, and then turned around and walked away.
All of a sudden they heard something crack behind them. They stopped dead in their tracks and looked behind them. Debbie ran over and looked over the edge. She narrowed her eyes to get a better look. It was so dark she couldn't tell who or what made that noise. She peered closer, and saw the form of someone climbing back up. As the figure started to move from the darkness, Debbie could hardly believe her eyes. "ELIZA!" She screamed joyfully and reached down for her sister. Eliza had managed to grab onto a ledge and survived the fall! The girl, a bit torn and shaken, grabbed her sister's hand and struggled to pull herself up and came onto the edge. She shook her head, and brushed the dirt off of her. She looked up, and saw her parents rushing towards her, tears of happiness leaking out of their eyes.
"Oh, Eliza!" Marianne screamed.
"Eliza!" Nigel choked out, hardly believed what he was seeing.
"MOM! DAD!" Eliza yelped as she felt them pick her up off the ground and pulled her into a tight hug. She coudln't blame them. They were worried sick about her. She hugged them back, though it hurt when she used her left arm. Sloan grabbing it had made it weak as well as hurt it. She winced in pain as she moved it.
Bree Blackburn was quite surprised that the child survived the fall. She walked over to the parents and eyed the girl. Eliza glanced up and watched Bree warily, uncertain of what will happen next. The woman simply smiled. She then turned and walked away towards the edge. It seemed as though she was going to attempt to climb down. "Bree..." Eliza began to say, but her father interrupted her. "Let her go. She needs some time alone." Eliza nodded, but couldn't help but feel sorry for Bree as the female poacher started to climb down to find Sloan. 'Thanks for your help, Bree.' She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Back on the bottom, Sloan groaned in pain. He had somehow missed every impaling object around him and landed in a small crater on the bottom of the wide gap. He was bleeding from a few cuts and scrapes, but was overall alright. He struggled to his feet. He coughed a few times. He looked up, and growled. He had seen Eliza grab an edge before he hit the ground. She must have survived! 'That accursed little girl..' He cursed in his mind. He stood up shakingly and almost buckled forward. He managed to hold his footing and limped towards one particular direction. There was an opening in the wall..a cave. He might be able to get out that way.
'Eliza..this is far from over!'
Then darkness overwhelmed the area. Everything turned pitch black.
Eliza believed the threat to be over. But that may be far from the truth...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, I rushed through this. I hope you liked this. This is the final chapter of Dangerous Game. Finally! It's over! I was struggling with what to do, then I watched Jungle Book 2. That gave me some ideas to use. Yes, as I said, some scenes are based on scenes from that movie. It was a good movie, yes. :) I don't really plan on a sequel. The reason why I left the cliffhanger is mainly to show that, as the movie title goes, evil never dies. Eliza is not out of the woods yet, but the story is over. Bye! I'll try to work on some other stories soon.