Nina was helping Jacob skin the animals from this morning and cook the meat in a small skillet to preserve it into strips. A small fire wouldn't matter at this point. The mud on the cadets' flesh was starting to dry and cake, making it itch unbearably. The others had already started chipping away the clumped dirt off of themselves and reapplying muck, not only to stop the itching, but to allow their minds to concentrate on something else after what they just witnessed. Provisions were divided equally amongst the group, as were matches or extra equipment for those that didn't have certain items.
"That's what we're facing?" Colton finally asked, "That thing just ripped apart Mike in less than a few minutes. Alone. And we're supposed to fight a whole group of them?"
"We're screwed," Tessera said.
"Not if we can find a way out of here. The grounds have to end somewhere, right?" Nina asked, trying to calm everyone down.
Jarred jumped to his feet and flung his pack on the earth, "Will you shut up already, Nina? You're "guidance" on how to deal with these monsters got Mike killed! He would still be here if it weren't for you! And you just expect us to listen to you now?"
Corin got up and grabbed his arms, but he quickly got loose and back away angrily, "She's just trying to help! Why can't you just listen instead of turning your nose away from everything?"
"Because if it weren't for her, maybe none of us would be in this mess to start with! She's the one with the family connection whose been hunted by these things! For all we know, they just want her and we're the extra sport!"
Now it was Nina's turn to shout, "My fault? My family line!" She stood up and tackled Jarred, pinning him to the ground, "Did I ask for my own father to get killed? Did I ever ask to be abandoned and left alone by everyone I've ever cared about? Did I ever ask to get stuck with an idiot like you for a partner?" she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to face her, then whopped a tremendous punch, dotting him in the eye.
Don and Corin grabbed her tightly and pulled her off of Jarred. She thrashed around in their grasps like a wild animal, consumed with the thought of getting payback for what he just said, fire in her eyes, screaming like a dying creature. Jarred had gotten back on his feet, brushed himself off, and pick up his pack. He headed away from the rest of the group.
"Where the heck are you going?" Nick said, grabbing him by the arm.
"I'm leaving and I'm finding a way out of this alone."
"Are you insane? You'll never make it by yourself!" Chase exclaimed.
"I'm insane? You're the ones following the orders of some psychotic girl!" Nina lunged for him again, only to be blocked by Corin.
The conflict welled up and soon everyone was arguing. It was a mass of chaos. Corin and Don were trying to calm Nina down and hold her back. Nina was attempting to leap over and pound Jarred. Jarred was fighting with Chase, Jacob, and Nick, who were trying to convince him to stay. Tessera and Colton were trying to get everyone to shut up.
It wasn't Tessera and Colton that finally got everyone to fall silent. It was the sound of howling. Not like one of pain from some unfortunate sentient being, but like that of a wolf who just found its prey.
"What the-" The ground shook and dust stirred from afar. Large creatures with long, razor sharp tusks and spikes on their heads and backs raced toward them on all fours. They were almost canine in shape, but had bluish-gray scales and red eyes. The tore apart whatever stood in their path between them and the cadets. Wood flew in different directions as they came.
The cadets' reactions were instantaneous. They grabbed their weapons and opened fire upon the beasts. From multiple, powerful rounds coming from four cadets, one dropped down, but the rest kept coming, unfazed by the waves of bullets.
Sain'ja and the rest of the Youngbloods watched from above. The hounds were excellent when it came to flushing out prey. If they couldn't see the humans, then the hounds would sniff them out. They had followed the cadets' trail for hours. They hadn't expected them to risk coming back to their original camp.
Thankfully, everyone was smart enough to grab their gear, but they began splitting off from one another, retreating to the jungle and firing at the hounds. The hounds moved in different, but effective patterns, blocking some of the cadets from forming a group again. Nina managed to summon up the nerve to call out, "They're trying to split us up! Stay togeth-" she was interrupted as a hound leaped onto her, blocking the passage of air to her lungs as she fell on her back.
The hound gnashed it's fangs at her, trying to tear out her throat. Nina quickly drew out her machete and held it length wise. "Eat this!" The thing bit at the blade instead, its teeth sending small sparks flying onto her. The pressure of the animal jutting its head down, trying to kill her forced Nina to grip the blade her weapon with one hand as the other held the hilt. Saliva coming from the hound's maw dripped onto her. Her own crimson blood slid down her arm as the blade tore into her hand. The scent of it seemed to drive a newfound lust in the hound.
Jarred ran away as fast as his legs could go as two oncoming hounds chased him. One was nearly biting at his heels. Upon seeing a tree with a low enough branch, he jumped up and gripped it, his pistols holstered. A hound bit into his leg, sending a bolt of pain into him. Blood dripped onto the hounds and seemed to enrage them further. He hoisted himself up onto the branch and breathed heavily.
The beasts continued trying to reach him, jumping up with powerful hind legs. Jarred backed into the trunk of the tree and continued climbing until he was far enough away from the creatures. He leg seared with torture and protest at the movement. He yelled with pain and fear.
Once he reached a high enough sturdy branch, he stopped. Jarred looked down to see the creatures still surrounding the tree, waiting for him, and began shaking.
A Youngblood watched him from an adjacent tree, cloaked. Now was the perfect time to strike. He took aim with his shoulder-mounted plasma caster, and fired.
He missed. Startled at seeing the red lights on him, Jarred moved, and the blast it the branch. Now damaged and unable to support his weight, the branch snapped. Jarred tumbled downward, hitting tree limbs on his way, but he couldn't grasp one. He fell to the ground below, badly beaten and out of breath. The hounds attacked him once more without hesitation. His screams could be heard by everyone within the area, but none would be able to reach him in time.
The Youngblood jumped down and whistled. The hounds dashed away obediently as their master approached, waiting a few yards away. He uncloaked and stared at Jarred, who had chunks of skin torn apart and was bleeding heavily. He was still alive- the Youngblood could still see the rise and fall of his chest- but dying slowly.
Jarred looked up at the Predator blurrily. He wondered if the Youngblood would just watch him die like this. He closed his eyes and dared to hope. Softly, he repeated again and again, "Please."
The Yautja was surprised the human could still speak at all, and that when he did in wasn't some insult. He hadn't intended for the human to get hurt and die like this; it was dishonorable and cruel. He had only meant for a quick, clean kill. In answer to the thing's plea, he took out a glaive and quickly pierced it through the male's heart.
Jarred grinned as he saw the glaive, preferring this death to the long and horrid one he know would happen if the Predator had let him be. His mouth went slack and his body relaxed as he died. At least he would see Mike again.
Nina gasped as she fell in a blood soaked heap in a large crevice of a bunch of rocks somewhere in the jungle. She ached everywhere and now, she was alone. It had taken all of her determination to run out of there instead of just passing out near the water. The hound had nearly done her in until there was a long whistling sound and it left her there. However, she hadn't taken that as a good thing, and had run as far as her suffering body would allow.
Leaning her head back outside and holding her hair out of her face, she wretched her meager breakfast. Tears poured down her face. She couldn't stand throwing up. She dug into her pack and with trembling hands drank out of her canteen to cleanse her mouth of the acid taste. The pain in her hand was agonizing. She then yanked out her medkit and applied disinfectant and medicine to the wound, causing it to sting for what seemed to be forever. Nina wrapped her hand in a thick bandage, which only barely stopped anymore blood from bleeding through. The pain began to dull, but she winced whenever she moved.
She had left her parachute material back at camp, so the crevice would have to make do as a natural shelter. She was too tired to make one anyway. Nina scooted as far away from the entrance as possible, pressing her spine against the cold stone. Maybe I'll get lucky and die in my sleep, she thought. However, the cuts soon began to clot up, already healing themselves.
Were the others ok, or were they in just as terrible shape as she was…or worse? Maybe it is all my fault. She already blamed herself partially for Mike's death, but what if the Predators did want her because of her father and the others were just here to add on to the fun? The offspring of one of the commandos that helped in the death of one of their own probably could prove a good challenge, but how would they know who she was anyway? Could they have been tracking her down all these years, waiting for the right moment? The thought made Nina shudder.
She gripped her father's dog tag for strength. To hold on. To fight back. But right now, mainly for the will to live. Nina tried to shake or pinch herself, wanting to stay awake until nightfall incase more of those…those things came back. She knew quite a bit about the Predators because of Dutch's teachings; however, it seemed he never encountered one of those. That left Nina incapable of knowing just how to protect herself against them. Her body grew limp, and she fell into the embrace of unconsciousness.
All of the hounds save two returned back safely, wounded, but alive. The others had been shot to death because of the cadets, who now wandered aimlessly throughout the jungle without guidance. Except for maybe one.
Sain'ja now believed he knew who the leader of the human team was; a female. However, a strong and stubborn one at that. The one the male he had killed tried to protect. The one he had let live another day. He wouldn't make that mistake again.
He petted one of the hounds, congratulating the brute on a job well done. You'll get an extra treat tonight, he thought, smiling. Another one of the Youngbloods dragged a mutilated corpse of one of the human males across the ground. Dropping it on its back, he dug his claws through the skin, ripping out the dead being's spine and skull.