4. Alone
Ennui set in soon after Inu saw that he had no other choice but to wait around until the pyramid freed him from the confined room. For a moment he heard the terrified screams of a human that had been trapped under the floor. He listened carefully; a moment later, there was a pained yell followed by silence. He had a strange feeling there was a second sound mixed with the human's cries—a screeching sort of sound.
Inu brought up his wrist computer and punched in the simple code that created the image of the temple. Six humans remained—two not far from where he stood, four heading away. Prient'De and Boccob reunited in a chamber some several yards behind his temporary prison. However, what caught his attention was the breeding room; when he and the others had entered there was a small group of humans in the chamber, while the other group of them were in the lower level ransacking the Yautja weapons room. Now, the chamber was empty of any human life.
Inu knew immediately that the planned prey had already started sprouting. His equipment wouldn't allow him to see where these creatures lurked, since the point of his adventure was to hunt them and kill as many as possible. But without his plasma gun…
Inu grew very frustrated. He wanted out so he could find those blasted humans. He could care less if the "kainde ameda" got to them or not; he just wanted his gun. That was his primary concern and focus until he got what he wanted.
A rustling sound caught his hidden ear and he turned sharply. The small opening, the crawl space, held something—either that or led to a room where something was impatiently pacing. Shadows moved back and forth on the floor, scratching nails scraped stone and ragged breathing bounced into Inu's space. It wasn't a human, this he could tell by its rapid, perhaps anxious pace. Besides…humans, as far as he understood it, didn't make snarling noises.
It had to be a kainde ameda. His possible first kill was separated from him by a solid stone barrier. For a moment he wondered if his fellow hunters had succeeded in slaughtering their first find. A part of him hoped not, although he knew that was selfish. And as if his hope of taking out his first kill was answered, the pyramid began to rumble and the floor vibrated.
Inu reached back for his spear, fingers grazing over the handle, but not taking it just yet. He waited as he heard rock shifting, but his eyes remained transfixed on the crawl space.
To his great disappointment, the slab before him hadn't budged. He growled and let his arm fall back to his side. Turning around he saw where once stood a wall was no an open passageway. He suddenly had this terrible feeling this would all be a wild-comet chase.
Starting down the wide hall, Inu observed the ancient prints and statues. It oddly reminded him of the travel ship, but in an old-sort-of-way. But he didn't come here for a self-guided tour.
A sudden beeping on his computer stopped his footsteps and caused him to let it flip open. He almost felt nervous when he saw the symbols—almost. Boccob was dead. His link had gone out. No matter though…Boccob was an idiot anyway.
He continued forward, looking around the floor for any sign of recent movements. He found a small and extremely narrow staircase; he remarked out loud to himself how in the starry hell did his predecessors fit through such narrow passageways with ease? He was in tip-top shape and even he had to move sideways down the stairs so he and his equipment could fit.
The computer beeped again and an inner instinct told him what it was. Prient'De was dead.
In a matter of minutes, Inu became the only survivor of the three hunters. He doubted the humans got him—it had to be the kainde ameda. He did, however, blame the humans for their deaths to a certain extent. Those pathetic creatures screwed everything up from the beginning. Then again, Prient'De and Boccob should've been able to stand and fight—they were all in the same class rank. Then again….he had been fortunate enough not to find any problems other than walls.
Whether those humans still had his weapon or not, he would not fail. Inu brought the computer's holographic image up again and was pleased to see three blue figures quickly moving down a passage that would lead to the exit—whether they'd make it before the walls reconfigured, he didn't know, but highly doubted. He did know, though, that he'd reach them before they got out, either way. He had to hurry, though—it had been some time since the pyramid shifted last.
Heading down a dark path to his left, he immediately saw three sets of foot prints on the floor, thanks to his computerized visor. He loved his people's technology. Inu noticed, though, that there were skid marks every few steps; one of the humans was injured. This would slow them down and prove to be an advantage for him.
Around a sharp corner, down the path, veering right and straight ahead were two sets of wide staircases. Inu walked with heavy, confident steps with a steady even pace, dreadlocks barely shifting on his shoulders. The humans were stopped, kneeling on the stairs. All at once they made a try to get up. Almost at once he spotted the one that carried the gun: a female human, smaller in stature than the other two.
To Inu's surprise, only two (the female included) hurried on and up the remaining steps. The other barely seemed able to stand up.
Inu laughed inwardly when the frail human held up some sort of curved stick with a dull blade (compared to his own, that is). Did it honestly think it had half a chance? Pathetic or not, Inu acknowledged the fact that it had courage, even if there was no chance of making a scratch on his armored body.
Before Inu had even reached the human completely, it swung its arm out, trying to whack the hunter with the curved blade. Inu easily swatted his arm away; his right hand came up and clutched the human's throat and lifted it up with ease. Technically he didn't have to go so far to scan its body just to see if the offspring of the kainde ameda was inside, but he wanted to give the human a good scare, just for the hell of it.
Inu discovered that the only thing wrong with this human was its lungs and heart—both were failing him. With no foreign creature growing inside waiting to free itself, however, there was no point in harming the human. It wasn't worth the energy, since the other two were getting away.
Inu dropped the human and silently turned around with complete calmness. He had no problem leaving the old human behind him; he would've paid it no further attention if it wasn't stupid enough to lure him back.
Before he was three steps away, the human used some sort of dual device to blow fire at his back. The flames started to singe the mesh that wasn't covered by armor. The flesh under the thick strands of hair felt the heat.
With a harsh, angry growl, Inu spun around to see the human knelt on the steps. A quick flex of his forearm and the gauntlet blades fired out. In a flash he shoved them into the human's stomach as it just started to stand up.
For a split moment Inu stared at the face, complete features of it absent because of the visor's infrared. But he had wasted enough time; he threw the body off and watched briefly as it rolled down the stairs and come to a halt at the landing. Then, he turned, blades disappearing into the holster and continued forth.
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The remaining two weren't far; he could hear their scared voices and see their shadows dancing tall in the hall ahead. Both were unarmed and neither a significant fraction of his strength that could put up a fight. If they didn't attempt anything, he'd just take his weapon and leave them to fend for themselves. If they tried to attack he wouldn't hesitate before attacking back. He only attacked and killed something, (other than his initial hunting prey that is), if it went after him. He saw no point, nor gained any satisfaction for killing innocents.
He paused when the floor shook slightly and dust feel from the ceiling, the particles disrupting the clear vision of his sensitive visor. The pyramid's time was up and the walls moved once again. He gave no time for a grunt as he hurled forward, feet carrying him down the corridor. The floor was beginning to rise and he only had a little space left before he'd get caught between the two slabs of rock. The humans were practically within spitting reach and he wouldn't let an elevating wall get in the way. Jumping up and pulling himself onto the slab, Inu clawed his way through the narrowing passage, flinging himself free before the floor met the ceiling. He now stood in a small, semi-circular room complete with a large engraving on the floor.
The humans hadn't stopped; they continued forward and tried their luck at getting passed a second rising floor before is squashed them against the ceiling. Inu knew right away that he couldn't get through the second one—it was much too far ahead of its elevating process by the time he got passed the first one. He couldn't get them within his hands' reach—the male human was closed to being crushed as it was, crawling flat on the stone trying to make it through—but there was another chance. If he waited any longer, he'd miss the opportunity completely.
His left hand quickly pulled a shuriken off his belt, pressed the round center to unleash its six curved blades. With a powerful and precise throw, the weapon was released from his claws, twirling through the moldy air. The aim was perfect; the two stone surfaces were within inches of meeting. But the human had fallen down to the next room just as the metallic shuriken flew free of the passage.
Inu knew the human survived when the floor didn't crunch bones against the ceiling. He was fairly amused that the human made it out alive, but not he stood trapped in this room, since the only respectable way he had come had now been blocked. He cursed at his rotten luck.
Then again, he didn't have another moment to dwell on that—he heard something; something skittering across an upper space. There! Out of the corner of his visor he saw something emerging from the shadows, taking flight. His hand quickly grabbed a second shuriken, opening it up to unleash another set of deadly curves, and threw it on a diagonal path towards the ceiling.
Perfect. The creature that was known to impregnate its victims with the kainde ameda spawn was cut into two, straight down the middle. Before it hit the floor, the shuriken did a loop and returned to his outstretched left hand. His first kill had been made.
Although, he would have to wait before taking in all the pride; a faint drip of a semi-liquid tapped the floor next to him coming from above. This time it wasn't eh faceless creature with many legs and an extremely long, bony tail. Before turning to check he knew it was a kainde ameda. He figured the creature thought it had him as it remained silently perched in a crevice on the wall above him. Inwardly, Inu smiled.
His left arm lifted and swung back, unveiled shuriken clanging as it easily cut through a hard exoskeleton. He waited, arm coming back down to his side as the monster paused. Without a drop of bloody, the front portion of its elongated head fell off, that and the body falling limply to the ground. Inu gave a victorious snarl, his hand doing a quick and hard double-shake of the weapon and the blades folded back up and disappeared into itself.
Inu's heart triumphantly pounded in his chest. He had done it—he had killed two deadly creatures within seconds of the other.
He was worthy to return home.
Nothing made him more proud than the two carcasses lying at his feet. Inu took in a deep breath before raising his hand to his head. He pulled the two, thin tubes from the sockets of his mask, air releasing and whistling as it did. With the help of his other hand, he gently pulled the chin of the helmet up and away, exposing his face to the dirty air. The mandibles around his mouth flexed from the freedom as he knelt down on one knee.
Cradling the face-plate with his right hand and using the left to break off on of the small, bony legs from his first kill, he began making the mark of the hunter on the forehead section of the mask, right above the reflective eye piece. The acid blood from the disgusting creature scorched the metal, leaving an indent as he moved the limb along in one semi-horizontal line then a vertical line beneath it.
Inu held his breath as he raised the hand holding the leg—marking the mask was just the first step. Now he had to carve the same mark into his own skin. Quickly he pressed the bloody flesh to his forehead, a small deep-throated growl rumbling out of his mouth as his skin burned. His mandibles tightened together as he blindly drew the two lines.
Once finished, Inu stood up, letting the leg of the creature fall to the floor. He fingered the mask to get a good grip on it in order to put it back on. Foolishly, though he pad no attention to the surroundings. If he had, he would've noticed he was being watched.
He barely had a chance to look up and yell out; the impregnating monster leapt at him, legs spread out wide, tail swishing in the open. It wrapped its legs around his head, covering his whole face with its body. The sudden impact of the face-hugger caused him to drop his precious mask. His clawed hands scratched at it, trying to find a spot where he could grab the creature's body. Its tail tightly snaked its way under his dreads, curling itself around his thick neck.
He couldn't breath, couldn't see, and could barely think. Something long and slimy tried to push its way into his tooth-outlined mouth. His mandibles were trapped against the creature's rubbery sides and his nails seemed to have no effect as they scratched at the hard back of his attacker.
Young Inu tried not to panic as he felt something wet and warm sneak its way through his mouth as he gasped for oxygen. The legs gripped his face tighter and its tail tapped his shoulder after wrapping around his neck. He would not let it end like this—he would not let his body involuntarily give a hideous birth to that of which he hunted. He refused.
With a great amount of strength, Inu's powerful hand swung up and under the creature's body, hitting one of the two large sacks that hung from its sides. He must've hit a nerve just right, for the thing loosened its hold on his head just enough where he could dig his claws into its rough skin and yank it away.
He threw the thing face-hugger away with great force, the body of the thing hitting the wall hard. He bent down and grabbed the ceremonial dagger strapped to his right calf and shoved it up just as the creature came back for a second try. The blade dug into the front of the thing's headless body, cutting it bad enough to let hot, green blood practically pour to the floor. Inu tipped his arm fast enough to avoid any of it hitting his arm or hand, and with a swift fling, the creature was flung back across the room, only this time there was no re-attack.
For a moment he stood and stared at the thing, hoping that what he gagged on was not the seed of the monster's point. He waited a moment, but nothing felt different, except that he needed to regain his composure and go on. With a grunt he picked up his face-plate and pushed it up against his face, mandibles squeezing into place as his hand fingered the tubes and pushed them back into place. He gave a short sigh as he finished and looked around. The leg of his first kill was still on the floor; he bent forward and picked it up. With a stray piece of leather cording hanging from the side of his waist-belt, he tied up the dried leg of his kill, displaying it as a new trophy to show all that would meet him that he was a true hunter.
The walls still remained in place as Inu decided to take a finger of the kainde ameda, just to prove that he had not only killed the face-hugger, but also the big dish itself. With a second piece of cording he tied it up and let it hang next to the first prize of the day.
Time was up. The walls jerked and stones off to the side separated creating a whole new passage for the young Yautja. He started off, calmness raking through his body once again, as he set out to find the humans.
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Author's Note: Don't you feel sorry for Scar:( I did, even as I wrote it. I'm mean to the poor guy. lol. Chapter 5 will be coming soon, I hope—the inspiration is moving! Oh, and for those that don't know, "kainde ameda" means "hard meat" otherwise known as xenomorphs, or to those totally unfamiliar AvP people, the aliens. A thank you to Solian Rhyo for telling me about that wonderful Predator site that had all this cool info, including some words in the Yautja language. If you'd like to see it, here: http:members. go read Solain's ficsthey're WONDERFUL. XD
