12-31-2014, 09:53 AM
Jacinda saw her death in its eyes and she laughed and laughed. This is how it should happen. Not in a bed. Not like a bitch. Nah, you go out fighting creatures from hell. And she'd had a good run as a field hunter, longer than most. But she'd not die without a fight, not even now. This thing wanted to take her life? Then it'd give something up. It'd remember that she was no easy meat.
She couldn't get her gun hand up but her other hand was able to reach the knife in her boot. She got it up to its chest just as its maw of a beak tried to rip at her face. She jerk her head and it stabbed her scalp instead, deep. She felt the burn distantly, though, as her hand shoved the knife into its body cavity. She felt it spasm and for a moment she thought she had hit its heart- if it had one. But its head turned and then blood fountained from the side.
Good old Ricky, she laughed, even as it jerked again and again. She twisted the knife up into its guts, feeling the thick hot blood covering her hand. It slumped on her like some spent lover on top of her. Course, that wasn't how she liked it and she did what she would've done had someone tried. She shoved the thing off of her and rolled it over as she got up.
It was all done in a moment. The screams and screeches still filled the cave as she turned her head and saw the other two queztals that had been tearing at El Diablo. They were coming for them now, wings and claws flapping about, hopping about and gliding forward to swoop at them. Through the frenzy she could see a mass of bloody flesh around the man's face and- perhaps not surprisingly- around his groin.
She wiped away the blood in her eyes and quickly bent down to retrieve her dropped gun as Ricky begin firing away, screaming as he unloaded both clips into just one creature. She fired at the other one, curiously calm. She had emptied her box already.
This was just a cold necessary kill, simple really. Her gun emptied itself as she tried to decipher what had happened. The last time she'd faced a quetz was maybe 20 years ago. They'd never gone for her before. She wondered if they were changing, now. It was to be expected, she supposed. She'd have to remember that, though.
When they were both down, Ricky asked her if she was ok. "It got me in the head, but I can stitch it up at the house."
She went over to the creatures and looked at their bloodied bodies. Ugly bastards.
She walked to El Diablo and knelt down beside him. Despite everything, he seemed to be breathing weakly. He was going to die in soon, she was sure. He was bleeding pretty bad. Still....she looked at her knife in her hand, now tacky and sticky with blood. One quick jab into the heart and he'd be dead. Part of her thought that would be fitting. One last shot of revenge.
Instead she leaned forward and whispered. "I'm going to let you live. You can enjoy your last moments in this cave all alone in the dark."
She smiled and laughed in her chest. "Who knows? Maybe you'll have some visitors."
He moaned weakly and she felt a great sense of peace wash over her. Coyotes and other feral creatures were out and about and there was a lot of blood. It seemed fitting.
She stood and felt good. She gave Ricky a look. She wasn't in the mood. "Let's go."
They walked to the car. "Thanks for the help. I owe you one."
She did too.
They drove back to town in silence. The moon had moved only a fraction- it had been maybe 15 minutes since they'd arrived. It felt like they'd been in there all day.
The pain in her scalp was minimal. She needed the stitches. What she wanted was a drink.
She couldn't get her gun hand up but her other hand was able to reach the knife in her boot. She got it up to its chest just as its maw of a beak tried to rip at her face. She jerk her head and it stabbed her scalp instead, deep. She felt the burn distantly, though, as her hand shoved the knife into its body cavity. She felt it spasm and for a moment she thought she had hit its heart- if it had one. But its head turned and then blood fountained from the side.
Good old Ricky, she laughed, even as it jerked again and again. She twisted the knife up into its guts, feeling the thick hot blood covering her hand. It slumped on her like some spent lover on top of her. Course, that wasn't how she liked it and she did what she would've done had someone tried. She shoved the thing off of her and rolled it over as she got up.
It was all done in a moment. The screams and screeches still filled the cave as she turned her head and saw the other two queztals that had been tearing at El Diablo. They were coming for them now, wings and claws flapping about, hopping about and gliding forward to swoop at them. Through the frenzy she could see a mass of bloody flesh around the man's face and- perhaps not surprisingly- around his groin.
She wiped away the blood in her eyes and quickly bent down to retrieve her dropped gun as Ricky begin firing away, screaming as he unloaded both clips into just one creature. She fired at the other one, curiously calm. She had emptied her box already.
This was just a cold necessary kill, simple really. Her gun emptied itself as she tried to decipher what had happened. The last time she'd faced a quetz was maybe 20 years ago. They'd never gone for her before. She wondered if they were changing, now. It was to be expected, she supposed. She'd have to remember that, though.
When they were both down, Ricky asked her if she was ok. "It got me in the head, but I can stitch it up at the house."
She went over to the creatures and looked at their bloodied bodies. Ugly bastards.
She walked to El Diablo and knelt down beside him. Despite everything, he seemed to be breathing weakly. He was going to die in soon, she was sure. He was bleeding pretty bad. Still....she looked at her knife in her hand, now tacky and sticky with blood. One quick jab into the heart and he'd be dead. Part of her thought that would be fitting. One last shot of revenge.
Instead she leaned forward and whispered. "I'm going to let you live. You can enjoy your last moments in this cave all alone in the dark."
She smiled and laughed in her chest. "Who knows? Maybe you'll have some visitors."
He moaned weakly and she felt a great sense of peace wash over her. Coyotes and other feral creatures were out and about and there was a lot of blood. It seemed fitting.
She stood and felt good. She gave Ricky a look. She wasn't in the mood. "Let's go."
They walked to the car. "Thanks for the help. I owe you one."
She did too.
They drove back to town in silence. The moon had moved only a fraction- it had been maybe 15 minutes since they'd arrived. It felt like they'd been in there all day.
The pain in her scalp was minimal. She needed the stitches. What she wanted was a drink.