CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE HUNGRY KIND
CHAPTER 7
Sarah paced around her room in extreme boredom. Two days seems like an eternity when you are stuck in a space ship with no food and nothing to occupy your time. She hadn't eaten since the morning she was captured; or saved, she hadn't figured out which yet. All she had was a watch, a keychain with a laser light, and her spear.
She had been practicing with the spear, as much as she could; straightening her swings, and getting a better feel for the weapon. It would take a while before she could fight, but she figured 'Why the hell not?' It's not like she had anything better to do.
The hunter walked into the room quietly, and headed over to the table. He set down a bowl, and filled it with water. He had made a custom of doing this about every 2 hours. He closed the container, and turned to face her. "Prepare yourself. You will come with me on the hunt." He clicked something on his minicomputer absentmindedly. "It is not long now." With that, the hunter turned and left.
Sarah fidgeted with her keychain, letting out a long sigh. Truthfully, she couldn't wait to get out of the ship. This hunt would be an excellent opportunity to stretch her legs. She just couldn't get the loneliness out of her head. She missed Kyle, her parents, her sister. She missed her life.
She was just praying for an opportunity to jump ship. But not here, no. She would buy her time, at least until they came to a familiar planet. Then she would leave him. Or would she?
She was actually growing strangely fond of the big guy. Maybe it was the fact that he could beat the crap out of anything that wanted to hurt her. He would make a killer bodyguard. Or maybe it was the fact that in the cold of space, you cling to whatever you can to keep sane.
Sarah jumped out of bed, and began stretching. She thanked the gods that she had been a gymnast in high school. She wasn't too out of shape, and she would have to keep up with the hunter. Sarah pulled the spear from her bed, spinning it around with finesse. The practice was beginning to pay off.
Sarah swung the spear around, imitating various attacks and parries she had seen from movies. Control, it was all about control. She would learn form later. The 3 foot long shaft soared through the air with ease parting the tiny atoms of air, gliding ever so gracefully as she directed its path. It felt almost artistic, passionate. She never considered herself a fighter, or even desired combat in any way. Sarah was actually quite non-confrontational.
She lowered the spear, dropping it on the bed, and tightened her garments. As she looked down at her shoes, she thought to herself, 'I'm going to need to get some boots.' She walked out of the room, after grabbing the spear again, and headed up the hallway to the cockpit.
As she entered the room, the hunter turned and tossed a backpack of sorts to her. It was large enough to swallow her whole. She grudgingly slung it over her shoulder. The hunter pulled out one of his knives, testing its sharpness with his thumb. He then clamped the knife back onto his armor, and put on his mask.
The ship jolted as it hit the planet's atmosphere. The hunter reached up, pushing some buttons on the panel close to his head. He grabbed the control shafts, guiding the craft towards their destination. Sarah peered out of the glass, trying to catch a glimpse of the planet.
Her eyes widened, taking in the vast beauty of the planet. From what she could see it was almost completely covered in forest. She could see a few waterfalls and many rivers. Sarah turned to the hunter, tapping him on the shoulder. "What is the planet's name?"
The hunter looked back at her, replying, "The name it has would be green planet in your language."
She smiled to herself. It sounded like a very nice place.
Sarah grabbed onto the back of the predators chair as they neared the ground. The ship seemed to land effortlessly, so much that Sarah thought they were still in the air.
The hunter stood up, fixing his armor. He turned to Sarah, taking her hand lightly. He had seen how twitchy she could be if he didn't tiptoe around her. Humans had no nerves. He gently pulled her closer to him, and he kneel down.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't want you ruining my hunt." he said. "I want you to stay behind me the whole time, unless I say otherwise." He put a hand on her shoulder firmly, looking her in the eye. "I mean it. This is a dangerous planet. Stay within 20 steps. I will not come looking for you, and I will leave you."
Sarah nodded, wondering if he would actually leave her. The hunter let go of her wrist, walking toward the ramp area. She followed him closely, making sure new clothes were tight and secure. As the hunter activated his cloak. She switched her vision so that she would be able to see him.
She had only taken two steps off the ramp, but already she could feel nervous. Her first hunt, what would the people back home think? 'A twenty year old girl taking up hunting with an alien species.' She thought. The idea would seem funny, if not for the fact that she was in an unidentified animal hide with a spear firmly in hand, which she didn't even know how to use. 'Yep, knee deep in it.' She thought to herself.
She looked around, taking in the landscape. The ship had landed in a small clearing, barely wide enough for it to set down in. Thick forestation surrounded the left, spanning around the back, and most of the right. To the north, there was a small, rocky hill. Atop the hill, Sarah could see a strange bird like animal, perched upon the branches of a lonely tree, closely resembling a gigantic bonsai.
The hunter turned back, motioning for Sarah to follow. She obeyed, not daring to lose track of him. He walked quickly and without a sound, despite his enormous size. As the makeshift pathway turned south, he began heading into the thick of the trees. Sarah followed closely, but kept enough room not to crowd him.
The hunter stopped suddenly, motioning her closer. Sarah stepped over to him, leaning forward. The hunter patted his chest, and then pointed up the tree. Sarah looked up, and then back at him, shaking her head. There was no way she could climb that thing. He put his hand on her shoulder, and pointed off in the distance. 'Great,' she thought. 'He gets to go tree climbing while I hoof it through the underbrush.' She nodded to him, and began walking off.
Sarah lowered herself to the ground, trying to stay as silent as possible. Her heartbeat quickened, half in excitement, half in fear. If whatever they were hunting didn't kill her, the anticipation might. She stopped a few yards out, looking back into the treetops. Spotting the hunter, she waved.
The hunter looked around for a moment, scanning for prey. Then he returned his gaze to her, and waved his hand, signaling for her to continue. Sarah sighed, and grudgingly resumed her course. As she passed through the brush between two trees, something pricked her leg. She looked down, seeing a purple thorn sticking in her shin.
'Oh wonderful! I can hear it now; 20 year old college girl dies tragically after contracting strange disease from a bush.' She tore off a small section of the branch, placing it in the sack. Maybe the hunter would know what it was, and if it was poisonous.
Sarah continued on, noticing a clearing ahead. She looked back to the hunter, pointing it out. He returned her gesture with a nod, waving her forward. She then headed to the edge of the clearing, and began looking for any signs of life.
Sarah spotted a strange animal walking on the other side of the clearing. It appeared to be some sort of reptile. It walked on all fours, but looked very agile. Its legs were thin, yet muscular. Something seemed oddly familiar about it. 'A dragon!' she thought to herself. 'That's what it looks like!'
She turned back to the hunter, and pointed ahead to the creature. The hunter looked ahead, spotting the creature. He quickly pulled his spear from its clasp and motioned for Sarah to stay put. She gladly complied.
When she looked back for the creature it was nowhere in sight. "What the hell?" she whispered. Sarah began looking all around for the 'dragon,' but to no avail. She turned back, looking for the hunter, but he too was missing.
Sarah backed against a nearby tree. Her mind was racing. 'What the hell is he doing?' she wondered. 'Where did he go? The thing was right there. Where did IT go… where the hell is it?' Sarah's heart began pounding so hard she would have thought the whole forest could hear. She had never felt so alone, so desperate.
'Snap!'; The sound a twig breaking. Sarah snapped her head left. Leaves rustled behind her, sending chills up her spine. She spun around in a panic; only the wind. The tiny goose bumps on her arm felt like tiny ants crawling over her entire body. She began to pant uncontrollably. Her head began to spin. She felt so dizzy; so trapped; so small.
A loud 'thud' came from behind her. She couldn't breath. She closed her eyes, and balled up her fists. Then it came; the rhythmic sound of the patting of feet on dirt. The sound drew nearer, dangerously near, but Sarah could not look. A snort came from the unseen threat, causing her to shiver, but she still could not look.
Then came the roar; a deep cry that shook the leaves from the very trees surrounding them. Sarah opened her eyes. Everything felt like slow motion. She turned to meet the creature. She had to look. She had to make herself look.
A claw. No, three claws. Three claws attached to a giant reptilian foot. Her eyes traced up the foot as she continued to turn, her heart pounding faster and faster. Up the leg was a chest, not even three feet from her face; the massive, scaled chest. And then the head. Almost a towering 12 feet from the ground, two yellow eyes peered deep into her soul.
Sarah fell back in awe, staring at the massive creature. 'Do something!' she kept thinking. But she could not move. Suddenly, the creature reared back on its hind legs. A soft cry escaped Sarah's lips. Time seemed to come to a halt. The creature's eyes glinted in the sunlight. A leaf seemed to hang in mid air, suspended in time.
All at once, the universe returned to motion. The creature opened its mouth slowly, letting a bit of saliva escape over its chin. Then it came down quick, lashing toward her. Sarah closed her eyes, and held her arm up against her face. The sounds of flesh being pierced were followed by a splatter of blood. And all was silent.
Sarah opened her eyes, in shock. The hunter stood before her, with the end of his spear lodged into the animal's head. The creature seemed suspended in motion. The hunter then yanked the spear free, and the creature fell to the ground, limp. Its tongue rolled out of its mouth, dripping saliva.
Sarah looked to the hunter. He grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her to her feet. "This is a good find. Why did you not attack?"
Sarah looked at the limp carcass, whimpering, "I was terrified." She wiped a tear from her eye. "I thought you abandoned me. And I was scared. I didn't want to die." She looked to the ground. "I just… I… I couldn't move. I wanted to, I just…couldn't."
He put a hand on her shoulder firmly. "You must be strong!" He looked at the dead creature, then back to her. "Even the greatest hunters get scared. But to be a good hunter, you put fear out of you mind. Don't show your fear. Your prey will use it against you."
Sarah nodded, asking "What now?"
The hunter pulled his knife from its clasp. "Now we take the trophy and meat."