Ok! This is it! I really hope you guys like it! I had a blast writing the whole story and I want to thank everybody who read it and wrote reviews! Special thanks to green-eyed troublemaker! Here we go:
CHAPTER 8:
She was going to die alone. She had that coming anyway. She was no better than the creature standing right in front of her. She was a murderer as well. She had killed people, a lot of people. She did it for her country but still… She had killed too many people and couldn't stop thinking that she deserved it all. That supposed to be her fate and it was time to accept it. She closed her eyes. She was ready. A shot was heard… Isabelle was still standing with her eyes closed. She opened them slowly only to see the hunter dead on the floor with a big hole in its head. Maybe she wasn't the monster she thought she was; maybe she was being given a second chance or maybe, and more likely, Royce's plan had just worked. The mercenary came running to the door to see if she was okay and make sure that thing was really dead.
- I guess your plan worked!
Isabelle exclaimed.
- You didn't need to call me an asshole though…
Royce said, still checking the room.
- I was trying to be convincing.
She said with a smirk.
He smiled at her a little before handing her the rifle.
- Let's go! There's one more out there!
Royce and Isabelle didn't know for sure if the last predator was in fact inside the lab. They couldn't risk it all and just go to their camp to get the code without knowing that. The hall looked empty but given the hunter's ability to stay invisible that didn't mean much. They had to be extra careful. They decided to split up and check the other rooms. Royce headed left and Isabelle headed right.
Royce wasn't exactly thrilled with Isabelle alone looking for a giant alien assassin and was praying he'd be the one to run into it. He entered the surveillance room. The last room on the left. It was quiet and dark. What a bad combination! He stepped to the monitors that were now turned off. Nothing there. The place was completely deserted. Just when Royce was about to leave the room and find Isabelle he looked at one of the TV screens only to see the hunter's reflection in it. The remaining predator fired its laser gun but the mercenary was faster. Royce jumped out of the window, leaving the predator shooting at the control panels. He ran back into the lab to check on Isabelle. Royce was passing through the hall when he spotted her at the distance, coming towards him. She was out of breath by the time she got to him. Isabelle already knew the predator was there. With the hunter in the lab they could finally go to the ship and get the code. Royce knew, however, that if the two of them went together to the camp, the alien would follow and probably kill them. They needed something to keep the hunter distracted for their plan to work. They needed a diversion. There was only one way: one of them had to stay as bait so the other one could get to the code and active the creature in time.
Royce had always been a self-declared bastard who would do anything to survive, including taking other lives to save his own. He was a mercenary. Getting out of situations like that was his job and he had always been selfish enough not to care about the possible casualties. About a month ago he wouldn't have thought twice before leaving Isabelle as bait in order to save his own ass. In fact, he did that. About a month ago the choice would've been pretty obvious. But what about now? Royce had taught himself to put his survival above all. This was one of his rules. The one he had never broken. The one he was about to break now. Royce had never understood why some people would risk their lives to save others. It didn't make any sense to him. Just then, he looked at Isabelle and it became clear: he was willing to risk his life for her, willing to die for her. It still didn't make any sense to him at all but nothing ever felt more right. He had never imagined how he would die but if that really happened, he'd be glad she was the reason. Dying for the woman you love was a good way to go. He was finally ready to love. He was finally ready to die.
- Well, since that fucker is here that means the camp is free.
Royce started. He looked at Isabelle and continued:
- Ok! One of us has to stay here as bait. You go and get the code. I think you'll be able to active the creature from there. Get the ship ready; set the coordinates just like Zeltron taught us, ok?
- What are you saying? I'm not leaving you!
Isabelle stated firmly.
- Is, listen to me! This is the only way! I'll be there, I promise. Look, I'll set up this watch to go off in twenty minutes. If I don't show up in time…
- Stop it! I'm not going without you!
She was desperate.
- You have to! You gotta do it for you, for me and for Zeltron!
Royce finally said, cupping her face in his hands.
Isabelle was crying but the guy had a point. She wiped the tears rolling down her face and said:
- You better be there or I'll kill you myself.
Royce let out a small laughter and stroked her face.
- Come back to me, ok?
She said in a whisper.
- Always.
He stated.
Just when she was about to leave, Royce grabbed her arm:
- Wait!
He kissed her. He kissed her with all his passion, all his love. He felt a thrill passing through every fiber of his being. He was there completely. He had her in his arms and in his heart. Suddenly, Royce broke off the kiss and in a blink of an eye he was gone. They had twenty minutes.
…
19min13s
Royce decided to take one last look back. He still could see Isabelle running to one of the lab's exit doors. That could be the last time he'd ever see her…The mercenary then decided to focus on what he had to do.
18min54s
Isabelle didn't look back. She swallowed hard and exited the lab.
17min42s
Royce was now running through the hall. Not cautiously. Not this time. He had to be seen. "Where's that thing?"He couldn't stop thinking about Isabelle. What if that monster had found her first? What if…Royce's thoughts were interrupted by a gun shot. "That was close!" The mercenary thought to himself. He smiled. Isabelle was safe.
17min03s
Isabelle could spot the ship from there. She sprinted. The faster she could get to the ship, the faster she'd be able to get the code and the faster Royce would come back to her.
16min33s
"Where the fuck is it?"During his escape, Royce got into a room. The surveillance room. "Where is it?"It didn't matter. The ex-military held his gun at ready and left his hiding place. He couldn't let the predator leave, not with Isabelle alone in the jungle.
15min20s
Getting into the ship was easy. Zeltron had taught them right. The ship's interior was huge. Isabelle went to the main control panel. According to Zeltron, the code supposed to be there somewhere.
14min56s
Royce fired. He wanted to draw the predator's attention. "Where is it?" He fired again. Royce never thought one day he would want to run into that thing on purpose.
13min30s
There were too many codes but Isabelle clearly remembered the one that would active the creature.
12min17s
He fired the fourth shot out of despair. Royce was sure the predator had left and it was just a matter of time for Isabelle to get caught.
11min42s
"This is the one!" Isabelle mentally exclaimed. She typed the code into the activation area and then pressed "enter". She was praying for that to work, praying for Royce to be still alive.
11min41s
In an underground room, inside of a tank, a sleeping creature had just woken.
10min52s
Was she still alive? Royce wanted to believe so but it was getting harder to. Royce was about to shoot for the sixth time but that wasn't necessary. He felt an incredibly strong pressure on the back of his neck; it felt like a hand had just grabbed him. But there was nothing there, nothing he could see at least.
9min32s
She looked at the watch. "Where are you, Royce?" Isabelle thought.
8min26s
The predator finally became visible. It had worked. Royce had managed to draw it to him. Isabelle was safe.
7min51s
The tank was already shattered. The creature was alive and ready to do what it was made to do.
6min08s
The ship was ready. In a few minutes Royce would come through that door and they would head back to Earth. Isabelle wanted to believe that.
5min37s
So he would die. Royce faced it without fear. He thought of Isabelle and smiled.
5min35s
Suddenly, something happened. Royce couldn't move his head to see what it was. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor. Whether that thing had just given up killing him or… "She made it." Isabelle had saved his life again. A few meters from him, a medium-sized skinny creature was staring at the hunter.
The mercenary got up and stepped away from the two aliens. Then, he turned around and started to run in the opposite direction. "It's gonna be a hell of a fight." Such a shame he was going to miss it.
4min01s
Isabelle looked at the watch again. He still had four minutes. "Where are you?" she repeated.
3min42s
Royce exited the lab without looking back. All he wanted was to be with Isabelle. He knew he still had a few more minutes.
2min37s
Royce was running as fast as he could. He could spot the ship now. It was still there.
1min45s
She felt a tear rolling down her face. Isabelle promised herself not to look at that stupid watch again.
0min18s
Royce sprinted. He was close.
0min5s
4…3…2…1…The watch went off. Time was up. Isabelle knew what that meant. She couldn't go without him though. She just couldn't. The alarm was still on. It reminded her that their plan had failed, that she was alone, that Royce… She took off the watch and threw it violently on the floor. The sound stopped. The sniper broke down and cried. She cried like she hadn't in a long time. Maybe she cried like she had never cried before in her life. Even through the tears, Isabelle managed to see a silhouette getting closer and closer…She jumped and stood up. The blurry vision became clear. There he was. Royce was looking at her with a smile on his face, happy to know she was okay. Isabelle couldn't do anything else but to throw herself at his arms. She hugged him so hard that it even hurt. He didn't seem to mind though. She cupped his face in her hands. She needed to know that was real, that he was really there.
- I think I broke your watch.
Isabelle said smiling and crying at the same time.
Royce kissed her relieved. He was finally going home and he wasn't going alone.
…
Royce was right. It had been a hell of a fight. Judging from the destruction of the lab, the fight had been epic. Both creatures were on the ground, defeated. There was no winner. Zeltron's creature didn't resist. The predator however was capable of one last action. The hunt would continue. The humans had not won. The score was settled. The hunter activated its wrist device and pressed a button. A few seconds later, it was dead.
…
- All set?
Royce asked. He couldn't hide his happiness.
- Just like Zeltron taught us!
Isabelle answered. She was proud of herself. She was proud of them.
- So, let's go home!
Royce exclaimed.
The ship took off and the two soldiers couldn't be more excited. They were finally going home. Their excitement however impeded them to notice a little change in the main control panel's computer: "Coordinates successfully changed."
They were not going home.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ok! A sequel to this sequel is already planned but since my classes start next week I don't know when I'll be able to post it! Thanks for reading! Até a próxima!