Author's Note: An EXTREMELY short chappie. Why? Schoolwork is a killer, that's why! The original other half of this chapter is helping to fuel the next one, so, I'm not done yet. Thank you for all who have reviewed this mediocracy so far. -
Prey to a Hunter
Chapter 10:
Specialists?
"Now, boy, this is gonna hurt…" Tim warned a barely conscious Stacker. The Marine's eyes rolled in his head as Tim yanked the alien weapon out of his chest. His scream of agony tore through the paper-thin walls of the Inn, and made some of the crowd standing outside of the door blanch.
"Quick, Elli! Now!" Tim urged. Elli nodded grimly and plunged the needle into Stacker's neck. The Marine's eyes closed, and he lay still on the bloodstained cot. Elli put the needle down on the small table, and picked up her knife. Tim did the same, and they both opened up Stacker's wound, scouting the damage done.
"Wow…Tim, have you ever seen wounds like this before? Look at this," Elli gasped, horrified. She stared at the gory mess of blood and entrails splayed out before me.
"Damn it…we should have gotten him to the Clinic. This is sure to get infected…just look at it! That weapon must have some metallic fragments imbedded in it, look at this!" Tim cursed, extracting a large piece of metal from Stacker's chest.
"Oh, god! Do you think he's gonna make it?" Elli groaned, surveying the damage done.
"He'll make it. He's a marine" Mira softly answered, more to herself than anything. Shiro, one of the only combat medics, crouched over Takatura, the alien throwing star next to her. Takatura's face was pale, twisted and contorted with pain, even in unconsciousness.
"Come on! Come on! Stay with me, Marine!" Shiro grunted angrily, discarding a disposable needle. The instrument shattered when it hit the ground. Mira soundlessly swept the pieces up and out of Shiro's way as she continued work.
"Yo! Stop your grinning and drop your linen! We've…oh, oh my god" Larsen, covered in scrapes and cuts, and bleeding from a gash above his left eye, burst into the solemn atmosphere of the room. Elli and Tim gaped, and Shiro scowled at him with fury etched on every inch of her face. She slowly stood, flinging aside the bloody bandages and wiping her hands on her fatigues.
"What. Is. It?" she asked, slowly and deliberately. Larsen gulped and stepped backwards.
"Umm, I didn't think that…well, heh…but this is really important! We caught the hunter!" he reported. Everyone's heads snapped up immediately.
"You did? Where is it? How did it escape?" we all asked at once. Larsen held up his hands.
"Ok, one at a time! Apparently, our Predator lived and got away, but didn't quite escape the blast. We found him severely wounded, several hundred yards out. He was barely alive from what I could tell, and the sergeant was rigging up a stretcher to take him back here". At this, everyone's eyes widened in terror.
"Back here?" Basil gasped in horror.
"You all must be insane!" Won, who had been quiet for the last week, finally piped up. His garish yellow outfit contrasted with the darkness of the Inn's upper hallway, the void only punctured by the portable Marine flashlights and the hole in the ceiling made by the hunter.
"What if that thing wakes up again, huh? THEN what'll we do?" Zack yelled angrily. Gotz opened his mouth to speak, but a low, droning voice loftily floated through the tense atmosphere of the Inn.
"The creature will not wake. I can assure you of that"
The dark agent, sliding out from the shadows, coolly fingered his sunglasses and looked at all of us in turn. Ann's face reflected mistrust and confusion, and Mira glared at him, the hair on the back of her neck rising in anger.
"What makes YOU so sure?" Gotz challeneged. The agent's lip curled into a sneer as he replied,
"This Predator is not of this earth, but is still susceptible to many methods of…incapacitation. I assure you, he will not wake" the agent smoothly said. Gotz still didn't look very convinced. The agent's hand drifted, almost casually, to the inside of his black jacket.
"Now, everyone may return home. Return to your homes" he said, calmly and stoically. Several people grumbled, but they all began to slowly file out of the Inn. The agent smiled and looked up as the noise of a circling helicopter sounded through the skies.
"I did not think they would be here so soon" he smirked, walking slowly outside. I arched an eyebrow. What was he talking about?
"Uh…hey, Sarge!" Larsen shouted. The sergeant grunted, lifting a massive stretcher covered with a white bedsheet. Cliff and Nickson struggled at the other end, straining to keep the stretcher balanced.
"He's…so…heavy…" Nickson panted. Cliff grunted in agreement. Both their long, heavy weapons were strapped to their backs, and sweat glistened on both of their foreheads as the sergeant finally decided to set the stretcher down.
"Well, let's see this motherfucker" Larsen slapped his hands together and reached for the sheet. The sergeant, however, slapped his hand away.
"Now wait a minute, boy. We have guests knocking at the door; wouldn't do to not greet them!" the sergeant tried to re-capture his normal energy, but failed. In fact, the sergeant sounded almost…apprehensive. The sounds of a helicopter got progressively louder, and the sergeant stood, slinging his sniper rifle over his shoulder and spitting out his cigar. Doug huffed in indignation, but didn't say anything.
"Sir! The chopper has made landfall" Larsen reported, gazing out the window at the shining top of a military Black Hawk transport.
"Ok, marines. Let's go. Shiro, Mira, watch over our wounded. You two," he began, pointing towards Elli and Tim, "keep that boy alive. He's a good kid, and I'd hate to lose him". Tim grunted and Elli picked up a surgical knife, before continuing their gory work.
That left only Larsen, Nickson, the sergeant himself, and Cliff, the informal marine, to stand at attention outside. Karen, Ann, and I all rose and followed the three warriors outside.
The dark agent quietly slipped into formation, taking point in front of the sergeant, who meekly stepped aside and let him pass.
The Black Hawk pilot saluted as he stepped out of the chopper first. He was followed by two burly men, wielding two massive, fearful weapons. They impassively stared out at us, their hands on their weapons.
A huge, hulking man, with white hair and a strange badge with a strange insignia, strode out of the Black Hawk. His face was scarred with several long slashes that looked like they had been dealt by twin blades, side by side…
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I assure you, the specimen is in prime condition and ready for…examination" the agent said, bowing low to the ground. The white haired man smirked.
"Perfect" he purred, in a heavy Russian accent that seemed to suit him.
He turned to us.
"My name is General Asmov Rykov. This is my pilot, Fredric Eisenburg, and these two here" he pointed towards the two men, "are the pinnacle of human technology".
They certainly didn't look like any type of human technology that I could tell. In fact, they looked perfectly human. Their eyes were cold and heartless, but their form was still human.
"If you do not know what I mean…heh, then don't mess with these two. They're too for any of you to handle" General Rykov smirked. I arched an eyebrow at him.
"The specimen is inside of this building. Come with me, please…" the agent smoothly said, walking side by side with this "General". The Inn slowly drew into view, the gaping hole and the hastily boarded windows prominent.
We were about six paces away from the building when it exploded.
The second story of the Inn exploded, spraying fire and burning chunks of wood and metal everywhere. General Rykov impassively stood, watching the building burn. The agent's face was twisted in surprise, and the sergeant charged towards the burning building in horror.
Only one thought raced through my mind as I sped behind the sergeant: Ann. Ann, Doug, Elli, the two wounded Marines, Mira, Shiro, Elli and Tim were still inside!
And the hunter. I would bet every cent that had ever slipped through my fingers, against a toenail, that the hunter was behind this attack.
"No! The specimen!" the agent yelled. The hunter was nowhere in sight. The two guards raised their weapons, looking around.
"Shiro? Stacker? You hear me, Marines?" the sergeant called, sifting through the rubble. Cliff and I desperately flung boards aside, calling frantically for any survivors of the blast.
Suddenly, a gloved hand shot up from the rubble. I moved to grasp the appendage, pulling at it with my own hands.
"Wait, Jack, no!" Cliff yelled, trying to bring his massive weapon to bear on the arm. But he wasn't fast enough to stop the arm from clamping around my throat. I gagged and fell backwards, as a huge, armored beast rose from the rubble. It was our hunter. And he looked pissed.