Hunted: Day 4

When the first scream rented the air, six men jerked awake. Nathan rushed into the cave where his friends had spent the night. Another scream followed his entrance.

“Two down, only about twenty more to go,” Nathan reported dryly.

His teammates nodded and took their positions.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vin watched from his vantage point as several hunters fell into the branch-covered pits. Chris had wanted him to stay close to the cave and to cover their backs with the sparse supply of ammunition they had left. Hefting the rifle, Vin took out two more hunters. Nathan saluted his thanks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

JD almost gagged as he ran past the decapitated corpse of a hunter. The ex-navy SEAL and the ex-Ranger had put together some of the most vicious traps they could remember from their military days and the traps worked beautifully. Reaching his appointed trap, JD nervously fingered the triggering mechanism and waited.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buck hunkered down, ready to activate the spring action spear. He had to admire the ingenuity of the trap that Josiah had designed. A young sapling had been bent so that it resembled a harmless bow laying flat on the ground. But Buck knew that it was far from harmless. He and Vin had loaded it with several of the sharp spears that Chris had whittled, then had pulled the sapling so taut that the force with which the spears would be thrown could kill a man.

Rustling caught the large man’s attention. Buck’s breathing quickened but he ruthlessly controlled it, not wanting to give his position away. He slowly smiled, the hunters were in range.

Two of the three men didn’t make a single sound. The spears had impaled them, killing them instantly. The third, Buck saw, was not dead but would die soon enough. Taking their weapons, he ran in search of the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ezra watched as two of the hunters crept towards the cave, weapons at the ready. He mercilessly triggered the mechanism and watched dispassionately as hundreds of heavy rocks and boulders crushed the two invaders.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Turning back from the two bodies that Vin had just taken out, Nathan turned his attention back to his surroundings. He tensed, hearing more hunters coming. With a simple tug, Nathan activated the trap. Two more hunters laid seriously wounded at the base of a tree, knocked unconscious by the large swinging log.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

JD watched as the hunter came his way. Taking a deep breath, he jumped onto the vertically positioned log and held on for dear life. With JD’s weight, the log heavily swung down towards the hunter, impaling him with the stakes that Chris had embedded in its length.

JD scrambled off the log, getting away from the grossly mutilated body.

“I really don’t ever want to get on Chris’s bad side.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They never knew what hit them. One moment they had been standing in a clearing searching for their prey, the next they were suspended fifteen feet in the air, a net of prickly nettles surrounding them with a dangerous Chris Larabee grinning at them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vin froze as the cocking gun sounded in his ear. Vin silently cursed himself for his inattention. He was so busy watching everyone else’s back that he forgot what Chris was always telling him, ‘Watch *your* back, cowboy.’

“Mr. Tanner. Would you be so kind as to turn around?” The request, so reasonable in its tone, made Vin’s stomach churn in disgust. Slowly, the sharpshooter did as he was bid. Standing up straight with his hands out to his side, Tanner faced the Warden. The hunter’s white mask stood out against the dark foliage and from his dark fatigues.

“And here I thought you would be the hardest to kill.”

“You could always let me go and I’ll try to be harder to catch.”

The Warden laughed. “Such a sense of humor, Mr. Tanner. Alas, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Vin sighed, “Damn, was kinda hoping you would.”

Vin started to say more but another sound caught the agent’s attention--another cocking gun. Without thought, he reacted, throwing his body to one side. Bringing his head up, Vin saw the Warden’s body jerk as he took a bullet in the right shoulder. But as the Warden went down, he managed to get a shot off, taking out his shooter. Tanner watched as one of the Warden’s own men fell to the ground, fatally wounded. Vin didn’t waste any time. Pumping his legs as fast as humanly possible, the young man ran to join the others at the meeting point.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Okay, new plan.” Larabee’s breath came in small pants. Inside the cave that sheltered Josiah from the hunters, all six fighters had returned. Outside, he knew, that there were several more men waiting to put a bullet in their hearts. Although the traps took out most of the hunters, the really dangerous ones--Shaolin, the Colonel, Coyote, and the Warden--were still on the loose.

“No! Damnit! It’s suicide!” Buck hissed fiercely as his friend and leader quickly outlined their new plan.

“It’s the only way.” Chris raked his men with a hard look, daring them to defy his decision. Seeing that they had resigned themselves to the much-hated plan, Chris turned to leave the cave, readying himself for his part. But before Chris could exit the cave, Vin grabbed his arm. The sharpshooter’s bright blue eyes glowed in the semi-darkness of the cavern. Larabee placed his hand over his friend’s and giving it one final squeeze saying, “I’ll be fine. Just make sure you take them out.”

With a final look at his men, Chris burst from the hiding place. Larabee thrashed through the underbrush, creating as much noise as possible, attracting the attention of the hunting dogs.

The six men watched as the hunters quickly chased after their human prey. The dog’s barks and growls were deafening to the six men who watched their friend sacrifice himself to save them. Six men watched with their hearts in their throats as they realized where their leader was heading.

“My God, no.” Vin’s whisper echoed through the small cave.

The members of Larabee’s team watched in absolute horror as Chris ran to the edge of the cliff and with one last quick look at his pursuers, jumped.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Dear Lord.” Ezra’s stunned voice was unnaturally loud. The other members of Team Seven stood rooted to the cavern floor, staring at the spot where their leader had vanished just moments before.

No thoughts ran through his mind as Vin looked at the empty spot in horror. He had taken only three steps when a heavy weight knocked him down from behind.

“Buck! What are ouohouhh…” Buck’s hand effectively muffled the young man’s words. Briefly Vin struggled against his friend but stopped when Buck indicated for Vin to listen. Suddenly he heard it. Several raised voices, trying to be heard over the roar of the waterfall.

“DO YOU SEE HIM?”

“NAH! HE CAN’T BE ALIVE! NOBODY CAN SURVIVE A JUMP LIKE THAT!”

“DOESN’T MATTER! YOU, YOU, AND YOU. COME WITH ME! THE REST OF YOU FIND THE OTHERS!”

“YES, COLONEL” was heard, then silence.

“Chris is okay. Remember? Navy SEALs. . .did this kind of thing for a living?” Buck’s whispered words finally penetrated the panic that had engulfed the sharpshooter. With a quick nod, Vin indicated for the rogue to let him up. Slowly, Tanner made his way to the entrance of the cave. The roar of the waters muffled the sounds of the others as they joined the second-in-command.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

‘Damnit! I’m getting too old for this shit!’ The thought floated through his mind as his body fought against the rushing water. ‘I should’ve made Tanner do this…gotta get to the top…ex-Army Ranger….damn, that waterfall is getting closer…they’re trained for this shit too…gotta hurry, don’t feel like falling over another damn cliff…yeah right, Larabee, like you’re gonna make your best friend…almost there…jump from a 30 foot cliff into a raging river…coupla more feet…nope, I’m the only one crazy enough to try this shit…there!’

As his blonde head broke the surface of the river, his arms and legs fought to keep it up there. Spotting the shore, Chris battled his way to land. Finally reaching it, Larabee used his long arms to leverage and hoist himself up. Turning his head to the right, he realized how close the next waterfall was. “Damn close. I’m definitely….”

Pain shot through his head as he felt a boot connect with his chin. But instead of falling back into the river with the force of the blow, Chris felt himself being dragged back onto land.

“Hello, cooowboy.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vin tensed, hearing movement to his left. The Shaolin appeared like the mist…one moment – empty space, the next – his dark form was revealed.

The Shaolin surprised Tanner by bowing first, a gesture of respect to one’s opponent. Vin could do no less than to return the gesture, even if he despised how the fighter got his kicks.

“KEEEE-YAAAH!”

Blue eyes widened as the Shaolin leapt into the air, aiming a sidekick straight for the tracker’s head. He managed to dodge it, narrowly avoiding the kick, but he did not go unscathed. Pain shot through his arm as the Shaolin’s kick connected with his shoulder. Instinctively, Vin knew he had to fight or he’d be a dead man.

Kicks, punches, and pain were exchanged as the two combatants faced off. One had greater skill, but the other had a stronger will to live.

Tanner knew that he wasn’t going to win this fight on sheer skill alone. He just didn’t have what it took to beat the Shaolin. He smiled harshly as he blocked another forceful punch. ‘I’ll just have to out-smart him.’

As Vin’s fertile mind devised ways of defeating the Shaolin, his agile body fought for his survival. And he would survive too, at least long enough to lay into Chris for scaring the life out of him with that damn fool stunt of his.

Movement in the corner of Tanner’s eye caught his attention. . .Ezra.

The Shaolin, too, saw the movement and was ready for Standish’s attack. Soon it was a tag team effort on the ATF agents’ parts. Vin and Ezra both used their considerable fighting talents to wear down their opponent. But the Asian man was good. . .really good.

It was only when the two agents simultaneously attacked that the tide turned in their favor. And the Shaolin knew it.

Vin and Ezra’s eyes widened as the Shaolin ran for the cliff, with a final bow, he jumped.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pain-filled green eyes opened. “Nice to see ya too, coooolonel.” Chris sneered the last word with a sarcastic tone. Before the “Colonel” could blink, Larabee rammed his own fist into the mercenary’s nose. He dropped to his knees, then scrambled away from the raging bull of a man. Larabee bounced to his feet, the adrenaline coursing through his body dissipating his earlier exhaustion.

“You’re going to die, Larabee!” Still holding his broken nose, the Colonel charged at his former SEAL team leader. Larabee was ready for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Well, hello there.”

JD spun at the purr, his eyes widening in fear. Coyote stood just above him, wielding the biggest damn metal stick he had ever seen! The maniacal grin was just as he remembered, as were her unnaturally wide blue eyes.

“Wanna play?”

“Go to hell!” JD yelled as he lunged for her ankle, hoping he could drag her off her vantage point. He felt that a little payback for Josiah was in order.

But Coyote wasn’t having any of that. Jerking her foot back, she let loose with a vicious kick to JD’s head. JD stumbled back, loosing his grip on her ankle. JD tried shaking the ache away only to have more pain explode in his obliques after having the metal rod slammed into his vulnerable side.

Dazed with pain, JD jumped to one side, avoiding Coyote’s next swing.

“Oh, c’mon? Where’s the highly trained ATF agent, huh?” Coyote swung the staff again as she taunted JD. He jumped and avoided the swing. Yelling in fury, Coyote intensified her attacks, swinging the rod again and again. The young agent continuously jumped, trying to avoid the wide arcs. It was on the fourth swing that he didn’t make it.

“AAAAARGGGGHHHHH!” JD screamed as the heavy metal rod slammed into his forearm, causing a clean break through both bones.

Across the clearing, Buck’s head shot up as his friend’s scream rent the air. Quickly disposing of his opponents by ramming their heads into the nearest tree, Wilmington dashed across the distance between himself and his young partner.

“JD!” The young agent was on the ground, clutching his injured arm, while Coyote stood above him. Her arms were upraised, ready to deliver the final blow with her staff.

“NOOOO!” Buck put on an extra burst of speed as he ran. Flying through the air, he tackled the Coyote. Buck rolled to his feet, ready to take her on, but froze.

She had vanished!

His eyes scanned the woods. Seeing no one and not sensing any danger, Buck quickly made his way to JD’s side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGG!” tore from the Colonel’s mouth as he flung himself towards Chris.

Larabee’s eyes widened as he realized the Colonel’s intent, but it was too late. He felt the impact of Snider’s body, then the sensation of free falling filled his being. Faces and voices flashed through his mind, all blurring together, but their message was clear.

Survive.

Without knowing how, Chris felt himself jerk to a stop. Looking up he realized that somehow he hand has been guided to the only branch on the barren cliff face. Below him, Chris could hear Snider’s screams as he plunged several hundred feet to the valley floor below.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Frustration howled through Josiah. Sitting in a cave, not knowing how his friends were faring, feeling completely helpless.

“So you’re the one who found my toys.”

Josiah nearly jumped out of his skin at the cooing voice. Twisting his body around, he spotted the young woman. She was exactly as Buck and JD had described: beautiful and delicate looking but with an unmistakable aura of madness in her eyes.

“You must be Coyote.” Josiah said as he watched as the young woman circled him, studying her prey, much like her namesake.

Laughing as the sombre tone of Josiah’s voice, Coyote continued to circle. “And you must be one of my prey.” She threw back at him finally coming to a halt in front of him.

Leaning back to look up at the woman towering over him, Josiah took a long look at her shadowed face before diverting his eyes to the bone handled hunting knife dangling loosely in her hand. Spotting a carved “C” in the handle, he jutted his chin towards it. “A present?” He asked calmly.

Holding up the knife to glance at it, she nodded before a puzzled frown crept across her face. “You’re not scared?”

“Should I be?”

She cocked her head to one side, considering the question. “I could cut your throat right now if I wanted to.”

“I know that.”

Nodding to his injured ankle, she said, “I set that trap.”

“I know that too.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Have you considered whether or not you are?” Josiah deflected her question with one of his own. Surprisingly, she laughed.

“Oh, yeah, lots of times.”

“And?” Josiah couldn’t wait to hear the answer to this one.

“I figure I’m crazy as a loon.” Sanchez warily watched as the young woman took another step closer to him and squatted by his injured side.

“Why are you doing this?” Josiah asked as he studied her more closely. She was tiny, dainty, almost vulnerable. At first sight, she didn’t have the look of a killer. But then again, what does a killer look like?

She shrugged. “Because the Warden wants me to.”

“Do you always do what the Warden wants you to?”

She smiled and nodded. “He takes care of me.”

Josiah smiled kindly at her. She sounded like a child speaking about a parent. And it made sense. As brilliant as she probably was, Coyote clearly needed someone to take care of her.

Before he could ask more, the Coyote quickly changed subjects. “I broke your friend’s arm. . .the young one’s.”

“Did you kill him?” Josiah’s own calm voice surprised him.

She shook her head, suddenly silent as if considering something. “If I leave, will you come after me?”

Josiah wasn’t surprised at the jump in topics. For all her physical maturity, Coyote was little more than a child emotionally. And children could be easily diverted. . .and easily persuaded. “Will you give me a reason too? Will you help the Warden kidnap more people to hunt?” The preacher’s son couldn’t abide the idea of more people falling victim to the Warden’s sick game.

She shrugged one shoulder.

“Then yes, I will come after you. We can’t let you hurt any more people.” His blue eyes solemnly echoed his verbal promise. Softening his gaze, the big man continued quietly, “What the Warden is doing is wrong. And it’s wrong to ask you to do the things he does.”

Standing up, she shook her head. “No. The Warden loves me. He takes care of me. He wouldn’t do anything wrong. Besides, he’s just playing a game.”

“A game where men die. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

She grinned, “Then let the games begin.”

Before she could take a step to leave, Josiah tried again to drive a wedge of doubt into the childlike woman before him. “And if he runs out of people to hunt, what do you think he’ll do? Maybe he’ll make you the prey.”

Seeing a flicker of emotion cross her face at his last comment, he tossed out nonchalantly, “There’s a fine line between being the hunter and the hunted. And coyotes have been hunted to near extinction.”

Tearing her eyes off the older man, Coyote hesitantly moved away from him, she made her escape from the cave.

“Do you think it was wise to try to turn her against the Warden?” Nathan’s voice filtered out of the darkness.

“I don’t know, Nate, I honestly don’t know.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hoisting himself the last two feet onto solid ground, Chris thanked the powers that be. Larabee let his body go limp, feeling all of his remaining energy slipping from his body. His green eyes slid closed. If anyone had been with Snider, he’d be a dead man.

The whirling of chopper blades made his eyes snap open and his body bolt up right. Chris couldn’t believe it…the Warden’s chopper! The blonde head whipped back and forth, trying to find cover, but it was too late. The chopper hovered right above his head. Larabee roared in frustration. After all this and he’s just gonna get picked off like a fish in a goddamn barrel!

“Weeell shee-it. Just shoot me and get it over with.” Sometimes, his own sense of humor amazed even him.

Chris tensed as the shots rang out, but miraculously there was no pain. Turning, Chris followed the sniper’s line of fire only to see several more of the Warden’s men fall under a hail of bullets.

“CHRIS! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?”

Chris slumped back to the ground as the sound of Travis’s amplified voice rang out over the noise of the river.