Chapter X

Tyler calmly took a temporary eviction notice to the owners of the property that Walker so insisted upon studying. The old man was actually quite agreeable, not wanting to put himself or his wife at risk. They had packed up and left within a few hours and the scientists quickly moved in like vultures on a dead cow.

Tyler was pissed that Walker had outwitted him in the laws of his town. To Tyler it really was his town, even though he had spent the last couple decades in the semi-bustling yet still crime-ridden streets of Wichita, he had grown up there. And now two unwanted guests were encroaching upon it. An egotistical scientist and something that to Tyler was still a crazed serial killer and not a monster until proven otherwise. Walker could be dealt with easily, but the thing killing cattle and people was another story. Tyler was definitely beginning to lean more towards Walker's explanation of this killer being an alien hunter than just a crazed hillbilly because of what other people had seen and what he had seen, but except for May and James, he would stick with the potential serial killer story, and only if that person knew that Pete's death was no accident.

*  *  *

The Yautja observed the bipeds, which he had learned through his ship's database were called Pyode Amedha, which meant "Soft Meat", by other tribes.

Apparently, they had picked up on the radiation trail left by his landing of the small Ner'uda class shuttle he had piloted down and left several miles away. He well could have brought down a larger, more comfortable ship, but being as the area he was hunting in was a large plain, it would have been much more difficult to conceal.

He watched as several of the Pyode Amedha scurried around the some field with electronic instruments that created small clicking and static. The heat in this area, produced by the sun, the season, and the harvesting of an indigenous grain that tended to give off heat when cut, gave his thermal vision a fairly yellowish green tint all around while the bipeds gave off their normal yellow, orange and red silhouettes. He breathed deeply, feeling his throat produce its normal clicking sounds that were automatic to a Yautja's breathing. The air was very dry, other hunters of his race had made a note that this particular region of this particular continent tended to be very dry in the summer months, and had no true rainy season. Another problem for all the Yautja who hunted on the planet was the natural atmosphere as well as the pollution caused by the Pyode Amedha. On the Yautja home world, the atmosphere contained one percent more oxygen and four percent more nitrogen, but this planet at least was adaptable. The Yautja's hunting mask also helped him along because of the built in respirator that enabled him to perform as if he was at home. 

Despite his uncomfortable conditions on the planet, he looked on as the law enforcement biped appeared once again and conversed with others of his species, and then left. The Yautja decided that he would be the last trophy to claim before leaving this planet, so as the satisfaction would be greater. While the others in his tribe may not fully realize his reasons for wanting that particular biped simply because he was hunting solo, he knew he'd have the head of another hunter before he left.

*  *  *

That night, Joe Tyler's son, Michael was in the car with his newfound girl, Elizabeth. They had both decided to park at the end of Lady Greyhound Road, named for a very eccentric old woman who once lived in the area and raised greyhounds, because no one was generally around there and was a typical spot for teens to go when they wanted privacy. The radio of the car was turned to a classic rock station that broadcasted out of nearby Manhattan, the college town.

Elizabeth leaned in on his shoulder and he held her hand with his fingers intertwined with hers as the first notes of the song "She's Got A Way" by Billy Joel came on with a smooth piano. They inched closer and began to kiss tenderly.

"She's got a way about her…Mmm mmm…I don't know what it is…But I know that I can't live without her…" sang Billy Joel over the radio as the younger Tyler held the girl.

CRASH.

*  *  *

The Yautja cursed himself; if he had one downfall, it was his weight. He often found himself on weak branches that broke under his weight. It had already happened several times since he arrived.

*  *  *

Michael looked up toward where the sound had come from. "What was that?" he asked as Elizabeth gently pulled him down toward the seat.

"Ignore it," she said as she ran her hand over his cheek.

"She's got a way of pleasin' … Mmm mmm … I don't know what it is… But there doesn't have to be a reason, anyway," Joel continued as the events unfolded.

*  *  *

The Yautja noted that high amounts of vapor were building inside the primitive Pyode Amedha vehicle. The occupants seemed to be engaged in some kind of mating ritual. He noted that it was nowhere near as violent as Yautja mating.

*  *  *

"She comes to me when I'm feeling down…Inspires me, without a sound, she touches me…And I get turned around," continued the song as it got to the midsection. Elizabeth took hold of Michael's shirt and began lifting it up.

*  *  *

The Yautja felt embarrassed to be witness to this. On his planet, it was quite improper for another party to be present during the mating rituals; privacy was key. He turned and began walking away when suddenly his thermal vision picked up a small animal moving towards him. He switched to a vision in which he saw in the ten to the negative seventh area of wavelength, or in simpler terms, he saw like humans see. It was a small rodent-like creature with dark bands about its eyes and a ringed tail. Saliva was foaming at its mouth and it suddenly lunged for the Yautja's leg, biting deep into his flesh, thrashing about, and causing his luminescent, phosphorus-based blood to leak out. He howled in pain and quickly dispatched the creature with his shoulder cannon.

*  *  *

The next verse came up; "She's got a way of showing… mmm mmm…How I make her feel…And I find the strength to keep on goin' ".

ROOOOAAAR.

The two teens parted quickly and looked around with wide eyes. "What the hell was that?" Elizabeth asked Michael.

"I don't know. It didn't sound like any animal I've ever heard before," the young man responded. He reached down under the driver's seat and felt around, and pulled out a six-shot revolver. "My dad keeps this in here just in case of emergencies. There's ammo under the passenger seat. Could you get it for me?"

Elizabeth reached under and found a box of bullets and handed them to Michael. He quickly loaded six shots into the gun. "Stay here, I'll be back."

He exited the vehicle and raised the gun, but his hand wavered and it was clear to Elizabeth that he was as afraid as she was.

*  *  *

The Yautja saw the young male biped coming in his direction with a small firearm. He neither wanted to claim the adolescent as a trophy nor be attacked while he was injured. So he simply limped off into the brush and disappeared from sight, cursing himself for not having his cloaking device on and allowing the animal to see him.

*  *  *

Michael Tyler picked up his cell phone and dialed his home number after he got back in the car. After the lines were connected, he heard a couple of rings and then his father's voice ask "Hello?"

"Dad," the younger Tyler started, "Something really weird just happened at Lady Greyhound Road…"