.x.
With every step I took further into the darkened cavern, I was assailed by apprehensions, by worries I could no longer ignore. Any creature the predators deemed worthy of hunting had to be highly dangerous, and I was more than aware of the fact that I was once again entering a situation from which I may not survive. What would happen when my absence was discovered onboard the Piper Maru? How long would it be until Reed realized I spoke the truth about the island, that there was nothing of value to salvage and would then order the icebreaker's anchor to be hoisted, leaving me here on this island? And what about Cora and Ana? I felt a sharp pang as I thought of them, for in the short time I'd known them I had become overly fond of the pair.
There were other unhappy things to dwell on, as well. What if I did live through this hunt? Would the hunters take me back to the icebreaker and leave me there? It was a nice thought, but I was by now fairly certain that it wouldn't happen. Whatever the mark that adorned my cheek signified, it had somehow tied me to these hunters—perhaps marked me as kin? And then there was the matter of Scar, and I could no longer deny what it was I so feared. When all was said and done, it would be he I would have to contend with when it came time to decide my ultimate fate, and I despaired at that realization.
As we further penetrated the cavern, it became increasingly dark. I could not see much beyond my own face, but the hunters moved with the precise assurance I had witnessed before. I had a suspicion that their metal masks offered some sort of infrared vision assistance, or perhaps the hunters could see such as a trait of their race. Either way, the fact that I could not see anything beyond the broad back of Scar whom I was trailing made me uneasy. Very little good was I going to be on a hunt when my vision was limited to within a foot of myself. I briefly contemplated turning tail and attempting to escape this madness. I knew it would be of no use, however. Obviously, I was considered a vital part of this hunt, for they had waited until I was mostly healed to bring me along. Killing in order to save my own life had in turn brought me respect from the hunters, and now I was expected to kill simply for sport—or so I speculated. Perhaps, I mused grimly, it would have been best just to die in the temple.
The path we had been following in a steady, gentle descent abruptly widened and began to incline, and as we climbed I found that either my eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark, or it was lightening somehow. There was no sound but for our soft footfalls and the occasional quiet grumble from one of the predators. Bringing up the rear, I studied the walls as I passed with growing concern. Obviously this tunnel had been a natural occurrence; the stalactites and stalagmites and the glitter of some mineral long trapped within the dense rock affirmed my thoughts. As we continued ever upwards, however, I began to notice carvings etched into the stone, and they were very reminiscent of all the ancient art I'd seen within the temple. And as the incline leveled and we walked again on even ground, I saw something on the wall that made me close my eyes momentarily in despair. It was a roughly hewn insignia—the same I'd seen numerous times, with the alien and the hunter locked together in eternal combat.
Scale made a noise then that drew us all to a halt. He began to use his own arm device to bring up another digitized map. As he went about it, my gaze wandered back to the carvings. There was ancient script there along with the primitive, stylized images, and while I had no idea what it said I could hazard a guess. I looked then at Scale and the crimson three-dimensional image rising from his arm device and as I studied it with the same intentness the hunters did my blood turned icy with a sudden realization. This tunnel, hidden beneath the mountains of the island, connected somehow with the enormous cavern that had housed the temple. Perhaps this was an alternate entrance, or maybe the pyramid wasn't meant to be the only hunting ground …
What if the entire island was the hunting ground?
It made sense to me suddenly. I had no way of knowing how many aliens there had been and I only knew how many had died by either my, Celtic's, or Scar's hand. What if he creatures had found their way out of the temple before we had? I already knew the largest alien, the one I had come to think of as the queen, had managed to do just that. It was entirely possible that some of the beasts had left the pyramid before it had been destroyed and the fact that we stood even now in this tunnel told me my hunch was right. I had thought the nightmare was over—I had thought that I had triumphed, but I had been so very wrong. Something had survived, something was currently roaming this tunnel, and we in turn were stalking it.
Scale flipped his arm device closed, cast a cursory glance over all of us, and gestured with three fingers first ahead, and then to the left of him. I had no idea what he was signifying, but Tank and Scar must have, for Scale began to walk again as they rumbled in response. Before he turned to follow, Scar looked to me and tapped the barrel of my shotgun with his closed fist and gave an almost inaudible growl. His meaning was clear—be prepared to use it. Swallowing thickly I gave him a brief nod, and we began to walk again.
Upwards we continued, and as we did so I found that it wasn't my imagination—it was getting brighter within the closed confines of the tunnel. After several minutes I realized that the light factor was coming from a faint luminance from within the stone walls. They were almost glowing with a golden hue, putting the etched pictures and symbols in vivid relief. Was this some sort of technology from the hunters' race? It had to be, for never had I seen such a thing occurring naturally in nature. Whatever it was, it aided me in seeing, and I was extremely grateful for such a minute blessing.
Abruptly, between one step and the next, I found that we were no longer traversing an incline. The passage had leveled out. Not only that, I saw as Scar and I drew to a halt beside Tank, but we stood now at an intersection, with three paths branching out further into the mountainside from the one we stood on. It was Scar this time that brought up the image on his arm device and this time I could see ourselves and other moving figures around us. Swiftly Scar disabled the image, snarling. Tank and Scale were already running into the passage on the right, and as we followed I thumbed off the safety on the shotgun.
I was able to see quite easily in this tunnel, and I had to strive to keep up with the predators. My side ached as I ran, reminding me that I was not yet completely whole, but being left behind was not an option. Ahead of me, Scar's cannon moved into activation over his shoulder, and my hands tightened involuntarily on the shotgun. I didn't need a sixth sense to know we were approaching something dangerous. Scar swerved around a sudden corner in the passage with an ease that belied his large frame, and I did the same—
And found myself in chaos.
All I could recognize in that instant was that we were no longer confined to the rocky passage – we stood now on a ledge overlooking a huge cavern. I barely managed to leap to the side as Tank came hurtling through the air towards me. Entangled with his massive frame was a wiry, spindly ebony form that I was by now so terribly familiar with. Shrinking back against the wall, I tore my horrified gaze from the two struggling entities before me and searched the dimness for my other two companions.
Scar stood not far off, cannon firing repeatedly, the shots illuminating the shadowed cavern below. What I saw by that harsh blue light chilled the blood in my veins: there were three more aliens swarming up a steep, rocky incline towards us, and behind them lurked something huge, something hulking …
Screeching, one of the creatures flung itself at Scale. With a swiftness that was remarkable the predator used the alien's lunge to an advantage, catching the beast by the neck and turning to hurl it over his shoulder. It struck the passage wall opposite me with enough force to judder stones loose, and as it quickly gained its feet, hissing, Scale launched himself at it, but I could see no more of their struggle as Scar, bearing the weight of an alien that had thrown itself upon him, came crashing into me. I went down beneath them, covering my head with my arms and the gun and attempting to scurry out from underneath. Screaming his rage, flat on his back, Scar brought his knees in close to his body and propelled the alien from him with both metal clad feet flat against its carapace. Stumbling to my feet, I brought my weapon swiftly to my shoulder and sighted—
Something struck me hard from behind. I twisted to the side to avoid landing on Scar and managed to turn my fall into a shoulder roll while still maintaining the grip on my shotgun. I came up awkwardly, feeling a stabbing sensation in my side but ignoring it. All around me was roiling commotion, and I had only a second to get my bearings before I could make out something rushing towards me. Panic and fear receded then and there was only the cold reality that I had to strike now or lose my life. Almost unconsciously, in one movement, I brought the rifle up to bear and pulled the trigger. The shot struck the creature fast approaching in one of its hind limbs, and it stumbled before baring its teeth at me in a breathy shriek. I fired twice more, my hands steadily gripping the gun. Both bullets struck home in the same injured leg, the buckshot shredding muscle and ebony exoskeleton and spraying caustic blood in all directions. With a warbling cry the alien hit the ground, its leg no longer able to support it, but it was still coming for me, pulling itself along, screaming …
Furious, terrified, I let fall the rifle and withdrew the elder's weapon from the loop at my belt, flicking the small metal catch along the grip. It sprang forth into its true form: a long spear with long, wickedly curved barbs at the middle and smaller, pronged barbs at the tip. The alien was only a few feet from me, and the trail made by its acid blood steamed and sputtered. I took the two steps I needed to be directly before it, and as it reared up to strike me, as its double jaws snapped at me, I drove the length of the spear directly through its exposed neck with a strength borne of rage and fear. I leapt back then as it began to thrash in the throes of agony in an attempt to avoid its blood. My eyes were torn from the dying creature by the angry bellow of a hunter and I spun about to see Tank grappling with a beast, slicing at it repeatedly with the long jagged blade that had sprung forth from his forearm. I knelt and fumbled for my shotgun, but when I came up again Tank had buried his blade deep into the midsection of the alien. With a savage and echoing roar the predator ripped his arm free, nearly cleaving his opponent in two, and as it fell twitching to the ground he threw back his head and howled his triumph.
His cry was joined by that of Scar and Scale, both emerging from the shadows of the passage from whence we had came. Both were bleeding; neon rivulets had traced paths down the unarmored part of Scale's midsection, and Scar's right thigh was awash in bright green. Neither seemed worse for wear, however, as they came forth and exchanged gestures of victory with Tank. I watched them from where I stood, letting the shotgun rest against my shoulder and aware that I should be feeling some sort of distress because of what had just occurred, and dismayed because I wasn't.
It was Scale that approached my kill, head moving from me to the alien, and then back again. He removed the spear easily and handed it to me. Careful to avoid the blood that coated the length I flicked it back into its compact form. Scale was now examining the corpse closely, stepping around the large pile of blood that was even now gouging a hole in the stone floor and kicking the carcass over to reveal the alien's mangled leg. Scale turned to me again, and I knew his gaze was for the rifle I had shouldered. With a grunt, he skirted the body and stepped in front of me, and when he laid one hand on my shoulder and brought the other fisted to his chest, I felt something I had never expected to feel under these circumstances.
Pride.
Tank and Scar were there then, chittering over the alien carcass—my kill—before turning their attention to me. Tank, reaching my side, pounded me on the back with such force I almost staggered headfirst into the steaming blood pool spreading steadily outwards from the corpse. He then thumped his chest as Scale had, giving me a respectful growl, and I couldn't help the answering smile that crept across my face. Tank and Scale stepped past me then, heading towards their own kills and leaving me face to face with Scar. My smile faded.
I didn't know what I expected, but I was uncomfortably aware of the fact that my heart was still racing, and that my mouth had gone unaccountably dry. Scar approached slowly, halting only when a few inches separated us, and with a tip of his head indicated the alien I had killed. I didn't move, and as one hand lifted towards my face I waited for his inevitable touch with bated breath. Two fingers followed the line of my jaw before rising to trace my mark. I didn't flinch, wasn't sure I wanted to, and that in itself made me feel distraught and confused. With a soft rumble, his hand dropped to where the ring and tooth hung about my neck, and he brushed them briefly before clasping my shoulder. Torn, wondering wildly why I felt the way I did, I was about to step away and out of his grasp when a sound from the depths of the cavern rose on the air.
As one we turned to face the incline from which the aliens had come, and it was then I remembered what I'd caught a glimpse of before we'd been attacked. Standing half-silhouetted midway up the steep path was something large, something that walked manlike but was undeniably not. It moved then, and I saw the lengthy, oblong head swing in our direction, caught the movement of two lower mandibles attached to double jaws, watched as a long, spiked tip tail cut the air around it with languid ease.
Scar snarled, a sound of alarm, and in the next instant Tank and Scale had joined us. As two shoulder cannons fired in unison, the shadowy creature was moving, retreating down the incline with an awkward gait that possessed a familiar, animalistic grace. The hunters made no move to pursue it, however, and as it disappeared from view they began to communicate in excited chitters. I ignored them and stared wide eyed into the awaiting abyss of the cavern, for I knew now what it was we hunted.
The creature that had erupted from Scar's chest those many days ago …
I had turned without realizing it to stare at Scar's exposed midsection. I'd seen the jagged, misshapen scar there before and had known what it was, but now I looked at it in a new light. I could barely see it now, hidden as it was by the mesh he wore … my eyes moved again to where I'd last seen our ultimate prey.
The abomination. The hybrid.
The hunters began to move then, taking trophies from the aliens they had overcome. I remained numbly where I was, gaze fixated on my own kill. I had hoped however futilely that this would be a quick, simple hunt, but I realized now that I had been overly foolish. There was nothing simple about this, and I had a sinking feeling our prey was going to be in a league of its own. I sighed, and it wasn't a happy sound. The true hunt had only just begun.
.x.
