.x.

It's funny how the mind works when one is utterly and absolutely terrified. Face to face with this massive hunter, this inimical predator, I began to notice with detached interest small and insignificant things—the myriad of small bones and strange skulls that hung from the creature's belt; my own frightened reflection in the metallic eyes of his mask, and the trio of red dots shining from the left side of his helmet. An instant later I realized what those dots were, and very slowly I looked down to find an identical crimson laser sight centered on my chest.

What were you expecting? asked one of the many sharp, hysterical voices in my mind. I had, after all, given him back his gun. Stupid to think that the enemy of my enemy would be my friend—who was the real enemy, anyways? And now he'd found me here, taking weapons from his dead comrade … The cannon on his shoulder moved with the high pitched whine of machinery, focusing in on me—there was to be no mercy, no pity …

I did the only thing I could think of doing. I hurled his spear at him with a frantic cry. It wasn't a good throw, nor was it accurate and it struck a glancing blow off the side of his helmet. He turned his head to look at the spear where it had clattered to the floor and then looked back to me where I stood trembling. He shook his head, hair-like tresses flying, and emitted a low trilling sound.

Laughter.

The prick was laughing at me.

Of all the reactions I'd expected from him amusement wasn't one of them and it made me suddenly and irrationally angry. To be laughed at, on top of everything that had happened within the last four hours, was insult to serious injury and in an uncontrollable fit of rage I threw with all my might the knife I had so recently attained. Fueled by my ire, it soared end over end to nick the side of his upper right arm. Neon green blood sprayed lightly in its wake, and the noise the predator was making became distinctly unpleasant. The cannon moved again, and in terror I made a lunge for the tunnel. Something blue exploded in my vision, and I was thrown back—hard—into the wall. My head connected with enough force to leave me breathless, and for a moment all I could do was lie limply where I had fallen and concentrate on making my eyes come into focus.

Bad idea, for when they did they saw the predator towering over me, and again the red dots had honed in on my chest. I wheezed something—I don't know what—and raised a shaking hand in futile defense. Again came the sound of his amusement, and I closed my eyes tightly.

Would it hurt?

Abruptly a breathy shriek tore through my ears, and opening my eyes again I watched as the predator removed—one handed—an alien from where it had draped itself violently over his shoulder and threw it savagely into the tunnel. The alien struck the sides of the wall and shuddered stones loose as it disappeared from sight. The hunter strode determinedly after it, canon firing once, twice. I climbed painfully to my feet, grasping the wall for support. An agonized scream ripped forth from the tunnel, but I didn't turn to look. Instead I half-stumbled, half-crawled to the spear where it lay, grasped it, and took off at a staggering run down the corridor that I'd come from. I made it to a corner before I had to stop, leaning heavily on the spear and trying to calm my breathing enough to listen for sounds of pursuit. Only the furious thunder of my heart echoed in my ears, and as I made to turn and run again movement caught my eye. The predator was approaching in quick savage strides. As his laser sight danced across the floor towards me I spun about and pelted down the hall I had so recently come from. Praying silently, fervently, I hurtled around another corner—

-and fell back as one of the black aliens reared up before me. I screamed and back-pedaled, coming up hard against the wall. This close I could see the needle-like teeth that lined its slavering maw, could smell the overwhelming acrid stench of its breath. It leapt at me and unthinking I thrust the spear out before me. Searing pain flared immediately down the length of my arm and the alien's weight sent me skidding hard across the rough floor. I hadn't let go of the spear, and as I lay prone beneath the snapping double jaws of the creature that cold length of metal was the only thing separating me from death. Sobbing in eerie silence I heaved upwards with all my strength, shoving the monster away while it was still pinioned upon the spear. As I gained my feet it gave a final, horrendous screech before falling very still.

I let go of the spear and walked numbly backwards, all the while struggling to compute the fact that I had killed one of the demons, one of the monsters. Me. Alone. I began to laugh, but it wasn't a happy sound. It was the sound of me caving into my fear. You should run, the part of my brain that wasn't in shock said matter-of-factly, the predator is coming…

And true to form, there he was, having just come around the corner. He glanced from the corpse of the alien and to me, and then back again.

"Yeah, I killed it," I muttered with weary belligerence. I didn't bother fleeing, although every part of me was screaming that perhaps I should if I wanted to survive. The predator took one step towards me and then the world began to shake. The heavy rumbling rocked us both as the pyramid began to reconfigure itself. A thick slab of granite began to rise up between the hunter and I, separating us, and I went weak with relief. I watched through the shrinking window as the predator removed the spear with one fluid movement from the alien corpse and then turned to me-

-and tossed it. It wasn't a throw meant to kill. I caught it easily one handed. And then I could see him no more for the wall that had risen before me. I was alone once more. For long minutes I stood there, stunned by what had just happened. The predator had known I was defenseless and he had given me his weapon. A sign of respect, or a promise he would inevitably find me and finish me off? I had no way of knowing. It would have been more comforting, if only I was sure a weapon could guarantee my survival.

It was a long time before I began to move once again.

.x.