"Damn, that kid can shoot!" The Colonel heard one of the men mutter as another demon's head exploded into dust as it tried to jump over another soldier and Harris shot it. Every shot they knew he made had hit it's intended target and dusted them. His plan, to drive the demons out of the cave with a chemical attack and fight them out in the open, meant the humans weren't hampered by a shadowed cave and being deafened by their own weapon's fire in the small space. It was a smart plan and they'd have come up with it on their own, but that was owed to training and experience the kid hadn't or shouldn't have had yet. But having been a hunter for years, combined with the training he had already had as a Reservist was obviously paying off. And blocking the entrance to the cave with a fire created by a Molotov cocktail paid off as well as it kept the demons from retreating back into the cave and any still in there trapped. Unfortunately there were a lot of them that poured out of the cave and the soldiers had quickly run out of incendiary grenades, although they had managed to destroy a significant portion of the demons with them. Now they were using their limited number of incendiary rounds and hoping they'd have enough to kill them all. It helped that Harris could shoot that well, especially given he was fighting in an environment he'd never been in before. But damn, those things could jump far.

Finally all the ones who'd been driven out were dust and the Colonel called for a sit rep and report of causelties.

"I don't think anyone is injured, Sir." The men informed him, after checking each other.

"Then we need to move on to the next step, gentleman. Holster your guns and go to your blades." Most of them pulled out machetes as those could double for clearing a path though the rainforest. Xander pulled out an ax he'd found in the armory that had belonged to the villagers. "It's not a battle ax." He'd told the Colonel. "But I've never used a machete and I have used a battle ax, this will work better for me." The Colonel had agreed, now was not the time to try using an unfamiliar weapon.

"Alright, we still have to clear the cave. There's every chance there's more in there." The Colonel reminded them. "And remember Aaron's warning, they might have been using the cave for breeding purposes. He thinks they lay eggs, he's not sure though. If we find any, we destroy them. We do not want these things growing up!"

"That may be why they attacked the village." Harris said thoughtfully. "It was quite close to this cave. It means they're doing the same thing we are, trying to survive and propagate their species. But they feed on humans, so it's us or them. I'd like to be a father myself someday and that means not being food for a demon. Too bad they're not animals, we've learned to co exist with them because the vast majority of them don't like to eat us. With demons it's the opposite, the vast majority of them enjoy eating us and also enjoy adding a side order of torture. I vote for humans."

"So do I." The Colonel nodded. "Let's go make that clear to them." He led his men cautiously into the cave, headlights on their helmets on and weapons ready. Half the men remained on watch outside. The Colonel had already decided that Harris would be going in with them, he was going to be here for a month, they needed to know he could handle whatever they encountered.

They made it about 200 feet into the cave when they discovered there were more in here. The cave ended in a cavern that was maybe half the length of a football field and thirty feet high. Harris visually scanned the edges of the cave. "Sir, I'm not seeing an exit." He murmured softly, not wanting to call attention to them.

"Neither am I. Alright, let's see if our vests are good enough to protect against these guys. Earplugs in, remember they scream. Charge." The soldiers responded to the Colonel's hand gesture and charged into the cavern, attacking and hacking at the demons. Harris swung his ax and sliced through a thin neck and moved onto another. Telford saw his face and his features were set and determined, his eyes constantly scanning. He didn't look afraid, just determined. The soldiers slashed their way though the demons and found there was a nest in the center of the cavern and eggs. Pretty good sized ones too.

"It's us or them." Telford murmured as they set C4 charges around them. Aaron's warning had included the supposition that most demon eggs were thick shelled and hard to hack though and many demons were lethal from birth. Hence blowing the Hell out of both them and the cave. They retreated from the cavern and once out of it and a safe distance from it, he triggered the detonator. Dust and debris exploded a ways out of the entrance, the narrow cave acting similarly to a gun barrel, focusing the explosion. Fortunately not enough to cause any damage beyond the clearing around the cave.

"Alright, back to base, people. Stay alert, we may have missed some." The trek back though was uneventful and once there and passed the Wards, they gratefully began pulling off the vests.

"Damn, those things are hot and heavy." Harris exclaimed as he got the vest off. "And can I just say, that was damn scary."

"I wouldn't have known you were afraid if you hadn't said anything." Telford commented. "You just looked determined."

"I was, but I'm always scared when I deal with demons, I just don't let it stop me." He headed inside to clean and store his equipment.

"Any chance we can keep him, Sir?"

"No. He's earned retirement from the cause. He has a life he's building with a gorgeous girl who loves him and he loves in return. A girl who threatened me with a prostrate exam with a stake if I try to keep him. I'm absolutely certain she both meant it and is equally capable of following though. She's a retired hunter that survived Sunnydale too."

"Damn." One of the men whistled. "Yeah, let's not provoke her. But I'd welcome Harris as a teammate if he ever changes his mind."

"So would I."

"I think we can all agree on that."