Chapter 04 – Hunters of the Forest.
The car that Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance were riding in shook all over as they ran over countless rocks lying on the forest floor. Alyx sat to Gordon's right in the passenger seat manning the Resistance Model Turret Barney installed an hour before. The Combine was suspiciously quiet at the moment. Hopefully they won't attack on the couple's way to the resistance hideout they were headed to. Dr. Kliener's voice was in Gordon's ear due to the com-link.
"The resistance hideout shouldn't be too far from here. I'd say about another mile or two." Alyx heard the message as well with her com-link.
"There's no sign of any Combine yet guys, but I can't say they're not out there." Alyx was right. Judging from past experiences with the Combine, they couldn't be too far away. They were probably waiting for the two rebels, ready to sabotage all their plans.
"Freeman, this is Magnusson. I just tried to radio the rebel hideout, but there was no answer. Be on the lookout for Combine forces." Alyx didn't like that reply.
"Great, just what we need. Another rebel base overrun with the enemy." She said. Gordon just kept driving the car.
A few minutes later Gordon had to stop the car at a fallen log. He offered to get out of the car to move it off the trail. Alyx was hesitant at the idea.
"Be careful Gordon, it could be a trap." Gordon understood the risk and took a shotgun out of the trunk, just in case. He slung it around his back and switched it for his ever helpful Gravity Gun. Gordon was right in thinking that the gun would help move the log. The gun lifted up one side of the log and Gordon moved it to the right side of the road. Suddenly, Gordon heard a snap. He looked around to find the source of the sound. Gordon put the Gravity Gun back on his back and pulled out the shotgun. He looked toward Alyx and whispered.
"Look alive Alyx." She did so and grabbed the helm of the turret. Gordon slowly walked behind the car. Another snap was heard. Gordon cocked the shotgun. A low rumbling noise soon filled the air and increased in volume quickly. Gordon looked above him and saw the last thing he wanted to see. A Combine soldier transport flew overhead. At the same moment, a shot was heard. A bullet ricocheted off the car behind Gordon. Soon, Combine soldiers started running out from behind the many trees of the White Forest shooting their SMGs at Alyx and Gordon
"Gordon get back to the car!" he heard Alyx yell. Gordon squeezed off a few shots from the shotgun and he saw about 4 Combine soldiers fall. Gordon bolted for the car's trunk. He quickly grabbed 2 grenades from it and lobbed them at the soldiers. Two big explosions quickly lit up the great forest and ended the service of about a dozen Combine officers. Kliener screamed in Gordon's ear.
"For God's sake, Get back to the car Gordon!" He didn't need to be told once more. Gordon ran back to the door less driver's side and floored the gas pedal. The car quickly sped off as Alyx started firing the turret at the Combine behind them. She killed a few that were chasing them.
"Some of those soldiers were Elites Doc!" Gordon yelled into the microphone on his collar. Elites were the soldiers the Combine sent out only for the major jobs they needed done. The fact that they were present meant that the cargo on the Borealis was even more important than the Citadel itself was.
"I noticed Gordon. This is not good. This is not good at all." Kliener replied. "Just keep driving and worry about getting to the rebel base. Do you have the situation under control Alyx?"
"Yeah, I got it. I'm a better shot than I thought. We just have a few soldiers on our tail, and a lot of them are down already." She said. She squeezed off a few more rounds and down went 3 more Combine soldiers. Gordon sped up and weaved around a bunch of trees. Soon the Combine's numbers thinned and it was quiet again. Gordon kept driving. He looked over at Alyx.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm as good as I can be." She said. She squeezed off a few more rounds of the turret. "I know they want to kill us, but this turret is actually kind of fun." She laughed and then got back to being a lookout.
A few minutes later, another horrible sound was heard, a sound that Gordon first heard at the train yard when Alyx was attacked. Gordon instantly knew what was following them.
"Alyx, we got a Hunter on our tail." The same mechanical moaning sound was heard again.
"Not another one of those again." She said. Gordon reached through the hole in the backseat and picked up his Crossbow that rested in the trunk. Luckily, it was just in time. About 40 yards ahead a Combine Hunter jumped out of the trees and stood on the trail. The massive creature let out a massive mechanical battle-cry like howl and began to run forward. Alyx let loose with her turret. Gordon kept his foot on the gas pedal and his right hand on the wheel. He lifted the loaded Crossbow with his left hand out of the driver's side and fired at the Hunter. Gordon scored a direct hit at the creature's top mechanical eye, making it shatter into bits and pieces of glass and mechanical parts. This made the great beast slow down. Gordon kept driving toward it. He handed the Crossbow to Alyx, who quickly reloaded it for Gordon. The Hunter recovered from its injury and set its sights back on the hot rod quickly riding toward it. It gave out another howl and shot a few flechettes at the car and started running toward it. The flechettes missed the car and exploded behind it. Gordon grabbed two grenades from the trunk and pulled the pins. His timing had to be exact. The car was nearing the Hunter. When the car was about 3 feet from the Hunter, Gordon took the two grenades and tossed them into the hole he had made on the Hunter's head. Gordon drove under the Hunter through its legs and behind it. Before the Hunter had time to turn around, the grenades detonated and blew another hole in the Hunter's head. Gordon quickly aimed the crossbow behind him and fired another rod at the Hunter. This final blow, along with Alyx's constant turret fire, made the Hunter's legs give out and made it fall to the ground defeated.
"YeaaaaHooooo! We did it!" Alyx yelled.
"Good work you two!" Kliener said through the earpiece. "But you're not done yet. The base is dead ahead. Be on the look out, there's still no answer from them."
"You got it Doc." Gordon replied to the scientist. He kept driving forward through the trees. He could visibly see the base from his position through the trees. Its condition did not look good though. Gordon drove up to it finally. Oddly, there was no one outside. Gordon looked around and yelled out. "Hello!? Is there anyone here?" Gordon stepped out of the car, as did Alyx. Gordon looked to his right at the resistance barricade blocking their path. Then he looked to his left and saw something on the tree that made his heart skip a beat. He told Alyx to come over. She reacted almost the same way.
"Oh God no. Not here. They can't be here too." She said. Gordon went back to the car's trunk and picked up his shotgun and Gravity Gun and slung them over his shoulder onto his back. Then he picked up his trusty crowbar. These weapons would be helpful because this base, hidden in the forest, was infested with headcrabs.