A/N: And here is the fight against the juvenile Skull Crawler. Also, there are going to be a few slight changes to this battle, one of which would give off a similar atmospheric look as the Elephant Graveyard from the animated Lion King movie. The other 2 is purely in the interest of curiosity and/or experimentation.
Kong: Skull Island
Chapter 6: The Graveyard
Later, everyone trekked across the land and eventually came across a place where bones laid on the ground. But those bones were different. Those were the bones of Kong's long-extinct family.
"Yeah, you smell that? That's death.", Hank stated.
"That's... horrible.", Martha said in shock.
"What is this place?", Slivko asked.
"This is what's left of Kong's parents.", Hank responded.
"I've taken enough photos of mass graves to recognize one.", Weaver said.
"Well, good for you.", Margaret responded.
"The crash site's just on the other side of this valley. We'll cross through and make it to the highest point west.", Packard said.
"Uh-uh. This place is a real no-no, sir.", Hank refused.
"We need to be going to the north side right now.", Steve added.
"And you're welcome to do that, my man. By yourself. I'm not leaving Jack out there. Now, who's with me?", Packard asked.
"We can make it.", Conrad said.
"You're mighty right, we can make it. Now, stay sharp. Keep an eye out.", Packard said before everyone then advanced.
"I've only been here 28 years. What do I know?", Hank said sarcastically before going forward with the others.
Inside the desolate area with naught but bones, ashes, and dark cloud-like smoke, while Bill took pictures of the skeletons of Kong's long-dead parents, Cole started trying to light his cigar.
"Cole, we don't got time for that, man. Put the cigarette out.", Mills said before Cole then flicked the cigar away.
But that was a mistake. The moment the cigar landed on the ash, fire suddenly exploded, prompting everyone to turn back and notice as the flames then disappeared.
"Watch those fumes! Idiots.", Bill commented before taking another picture.
"Let's go. We gotta move!", Packard said.
But as they pressed on, an inhuman noise sounded.
"We should run... Now!", Martha shouted before taking off as everyone else follows her.
"You took the words out of my mouth, sister!", Hank agreed before they fled toward the giant skull.
"In here!", Mills shouted before everyone hid behind the skeletal remains.
"Quiet.", Bill whispered.
After a while, the juvenile Skull Crawler itself emerged, looking around the graveyard, before giving a shriek.
"That's a Skull Crawler?", Martha whispered.
"I told you this darn place was a no-no.", Hank whispered to Packard and the others.
Then, it started hacking up, almost as if it was choking. It hacked only twice before finally spitting out a human skull from its mouth, much to the disgust of everyone. But what was really horrifying was the revelation, indicated by the dog tags that the Skull Crawler had killed Chapman.
"No...!", Martha gasped before the Skull Crawler gave a slight roar again and then walked away.
"Looks like it's going away.", Margaret said.
"All right, let's move. Rally on me.", Packard said before he and the others left their posts.
"Rally up! Rally up! Somebody cover the civilians' six. Let's move!", Packard shouted.
Then, everyone moved carefully as Hank drew his sword before Martha gasped suddenly.
"What is it?", Margaret asked.
"That Skull Crawler... It didn't leave... It's still here.", Martha responded in slight pants before Bills took another photo only to hear the same growl from earlier.
"Oh, no.", Bill said before the Skull Crawler quickly went down and then chomped on him, prompting the soldiers to fire at it.
"Randa!", Mr. Brooks shouted as the Skull Crawler then swallowed him, making Randa drop his hat prior to the Skull Crawler escaping as Slivko shouted, firing at it while the camera flashed inside the Skull Crawler with Brooks preparing to fire.
"Set up the 50!", Packard shouted before a big gun with a mount was set up on top of a giant triceratops skull.
For a moment, it was silent. But then, flashes from Bill's camera, which got swallowed along with him, lit up at random spots.
"The flashes... We can use those to keep track of it.", Margaret realized as the Skull Crawler slinked around and stopped.
"We have to be careful, though. It could still strike from anywhere.", Martha said before Hank entered his stance.
"Death before dishonor.", Hank said in Japanese before the Skull Crawler then lunged out from the dark smoke and then tried to attack only for Hank to dodge and then slice it down the leg, damaging it.
"Go!", Conrad shouted before Martha and Margaret, as well as the soldier stationed at the Triceratops skull, fired at the Skull Crawler.
The two girls managed to put a dent on the creature, making it trip and fall for a moment.
"Yes!", the two women shouted in joy.
But then, half as quickly, the skull crawler only recovered, although limping.
"No!", the two women shouted before the soldier was knocked away and grabbed by the creature's tongue before getting eaten alive.
The Skull Crawler then chased after Weaver, eventually getting her trapped beneath the bones as it tried to reach for her as Martha and Margaret looked on in worry.
"No!", Martha shouted.
"Mason!", Margaret shouted.
"Bring the torch! Do your thing!", Packard shouted before a soldier then set the Skull Crawler on fire, buying Weaver time to escape.
Unfortunately, that soldier wound up knocked back by its tail toward the skull before he landed, causing the pack behind him to explode in flames and send Slivko back with the shockwave, also causing him to drop canisters of Toxic gas with Conrad turning to notice.
"Slivko! Gas!", Conrad shouted.
As if the fire too close to the toxic gas canisters wasn't bad enough, though, a sudden familiar rumble of thunder sounded, making Martha gasp.
"No, Conrad! Wait!", Martha shouted before suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the gas canisters, causing green gas to explode and sending several leafwings flying off, but not before some of them decided to attack the soldiers.
"Those things again? I hate them so freaking much!", Martha exclaimed.
Meanwhile, as one of the soldiers focused their gunfire on the Skull Crawler, Hank was slicing and hacking at the incoming leafwings.
"Marlow! Sword!", Conrad shouted before Hank handed Conrad the sword.
With that, while Martha fired at another leafwing just as it got to a soldier and hit him from behind, killing it, Conrad sliced the incoming creatures up front, but not before getting a gas mask to wear in order to avoid breathing. Having sliced through numerous leafwings and escaping the toxic gas, Conrad took off the mask and went for Slivko, helping him up, but not before setting the sword down.
"Slivko, hang on!", Conrad shouted while going over to him.
In the meantime, Martha noticed leftover sparks from when the lightning struck the toxic gas canisters earlier as said sparks of electricity arced on the torn toxic gas canisters.
"That's it...! I think I know how to kill it.", Martha said.
At that moment, the Skull Crawler already claimed its next victim in spite of its limping as it used its tail to make up for the slight lack of mobility on its legs, and was charging toward Conrad and Slivko.
"This thing's moving!", Packard shouted.
"Weaver, toss anything that's metal toward that thing and quick!", Martha shouted before Weaver, as instructed, tossed the lighter toward the creature, but not before lighting it up.
As it fell to the ground at the same time the Skull Crawler caught up, lightning suddenly struck again, but this time, it hit the Skull Crawler, zapping it and also causing the lighter, upon contact with the electricity cooking it, to explode, knocking Conrad, Martha, Margaret, Slivko, and Weaver back as well as covering it in flames, making it screech in pain. After a moment, the lightning died out as did the fire with the Skull Crawler groaning before dying out as some sparks remained.
"How did you know it would do that?", Conrad asked.
"Metal attracts electricity. Everyone knows that.", Martha responded as everyone then decided to head out from the graveyard.
A/N: Well, that was a shocking ending. Get it? In any case, the next chapter is where Packard shows his "true colors". And we all know how that goes, don't we?