Chapter 5

For a moment she hadn't realised she had opened her eyes. But after blinking hard several times, comprehension washed over her. It was night again. Mirias head still throbbed, and she struggled to push herself into a sitting position, trying not to let the panic overcome her as she tried to decipher her surroundings. The air was heavy with humidity, and her ragged clothing clung to her perspiring skin. She felt weak, which was probably from lack of decent nourishment.

Rock. Beneath her was hard rock, she could tell. She noticed to her left were some faint shadows, and she hoped that it meant her eyes were beginning to adjust. She strained to listen for any noise, but her ears were still ringing. She had received quite a blow to the head, and she felt the large swollen lump as she raised her hand to touch it. No doubt her eyes were black and horrid looking she thought. No sooner had the thought left her mind and she almost burst out laughing. What did it matter of her appearance here? That wasn't going to help her now. She had been told back home that she had a natural pretty and dainty face. But that counted for naught here.

She jumped as she heard the low trill behind her. She knew immediately who and what it was. But that thought was not enough to comfort her. The noises the hunter made still chilled her to the bone with their unearthly nature. And she remembered then. She remembered being carried through the forest. The hunter had seemingly been helping her. Or carrying her off to enjoy her for dinner! She had to scold herself for assuming the good over the bad every time he did something for her.

But as the soft red light illuminated the small area in which they were hidden away in, she knew she wasn't about to become his next meal. The hunter sat leaning back against the far wall of a small cave. The cave itself was a decent size. Not cavernous enough to produce echoes, but enough room for two people to not be tripping over each other every time they turned around. It slopped down towards the back of the cave, and Miria thought she could hear the soft trickling of flowing water. It was about 10 paces or so across the opening of the cave, and she noted that she would probably have to duck in order not to give herself another concussion upon exiting.

The clicking bought her attention back to the hunter. When she turned to face him again, he motioned to a pile of things on the ground close by her. Miria recognised the backpack straight away, as well as the couple of canteens. There was also a small plastic box, and a canvas bag which held god only knows what. Well, the hunter had definitely considered things carefully if he had thought to bring supplies along for her. What was his plan for her? She did not yet think she was out of dangers way when it came to being this predators prey. But yet, when she studied the necessities he had thought to bring along for her own comfort, a smile tugged at the corners of her rosy lips.

She turned her face away from the hunter quickly when she realised her response, and felt her cheeks warming. She ascertained that this creature knew far more of her species than she did of his. He knew what she needed to survive. He knew that she needed the light source in the darkened cavity to enable her to see. What else did he know of her?

A thought dawned on her then. Had he known she was watching him when he first stumbled into the clearing near her hideout? He seemed oblivious at the time, but she couldn't say it would surprise her if he was aware of her presence right from the very beginning.

Miria wrapped her arms around her body as she shivered with the uncomfortable thought. She felt so alone. She had accepted her fate of dying on this forsaken planet. She wasn't giving up on living. She just couldn't see an alien hunter returning her safely to her home planet. She turned to glance at the Predator, and noted that he was grinding a substance with pumice like stone in a small bowl. He glanced towards her briefly, his helmet now removed, and she watched as his mandibles clicked together in an apparent form of communication. She sighed, turning back around and leaning her head forward to rest on her own knees which she still hugged tightly.

He was a complete mystery to her. This was partly her own fault, for not listening well enough in school. The times she had been listening seemed to supply her with useless facts about the Yautja race, which would fail to serve her any good now. Besides that, it had been several years now since she had finished school, and she wasn't sure if she even remembered correctly.

She flinched involuntarily when the creature took her by surprise as he crouched before her. She eyed the bowl that he was holding, and noted the slimy substance it held within. She withdrew a little, huddling backwards a little further as her mind tried to decipher what he was trying to convey to her. His soft trilling seemed as if it was meant to reassure her as he stirred the sticky substance some more. He leaned closer to her again, closing the distance between them. The hunter himself seemed a little hesitant when he reached out to her slowly with his free hand. Miria forced herself to be still, and not to recoil from his touch in case she might offend him.

She was surprised when he pushed back the dark hair that fell across her face, and revealed the sore and tender lump on her forehead. He wants to treat my wound! She realized immediately as he ran his fingers over the bruise on her head. It was extremely sore, and at the sting of his touch, she knew the skin must be broken. Miria wondered if he was sorry for causing her the injury, and almost laughed at the thought. This creature rips human spinal columns out while they are still breathing, why would he feel bad about a bump on the head? Perhaps this was his repayment for her treating his own wounds. Perhaps keeping her alive was his repayment for her own deeds?

She braced herself as the hunter dipped two fingers into the substance, and then lifted it to her wound. It stung like crazy as it made contact with her skin, and she noted it had a foul smell to boot. She gritted her teeth and pursed her lips in an effort not to cry out and make a fool of herself. But he worked quickly, and before she knew it, the task was complete. She breathed a sigh of relief, and though the after burn of the ointment on her wound was only just bearable, she felt a slight numbing sensation begin to take over the aching.

Miria had made herself comfortable on the opposite side of the cave to where the hunter had positioned himself. She was examining the contents of the canvas backpack in the dim light, and was impressed with what the hunter had thought to grab for her. A basic first aid kit had been contained within the plastic box too. For the most part he had bought food. Dried fruits and nuts, jerky and some tinned foods just to name a few. But all of which were of a non-perishable nature of sorts, and she sensed there was a reason for his choosing these particular items. But there was also a small hunting knife, and she wondered if this meant that he trusted her enough to leave her with a weapon. There was also a flare gun, a lighter and fluid, and a small coil of wire. It was the coil of wire that confused her out of these items, but she didn't have time to ponder on it then.

She stood as the hunter walked towards her. His very appearance chilled her, as he was now fully armed and appeared to be ready for something much more sinister than a mere camping trip. The soft glowing red light illuminated his clammy and damp skin in an eerie manner. He held his bio helmet in one hand, and placed his free hand on her shoulder once he closed the distance between them. His large hand had a way of making her feel incredibly small and fragile and glancing up at his gnarly face only reinforced these feelings within her.

He voiced something to her in the way of low growls and clicking trills. She genuinely tried to find understanding in his dialog, but sighed in frustration and slowly shook her head. The creature then too seemed to grunt in frustration, and he clamped his hand down hard on her shoulder again, reinforcing his action. His next gesture he seemed to be pointing towards the ground. He did this twice, before barking gruffly, and began backing towards the caves entrance. He had replaced his bio by the time he had reached the opening, and he turned back towards Miria for a brief moment before ducking out into the darkness.

Miria stood dumbfounded for a long moment, rooted to the spot where he had left her standing in confusion. The realisation dawned over her then. She looked back towards the supplies. The food and the tools, as well as the more than adequate shelter…

The hunter had left her to defend for herself.