Transmission Lost

by Stefan Mazzara

  As she ran, Aria could sense that she was not alone. She turned her head to the sides as she went, and in the darkening evening she could make out the forms of creatures pacing her. Aria roared a challenge, raising her rifle as she ran. Not even breaking pace, she let off a series of shots at the creatures that were astride her. She heard a yelp of pain as one of her shots connected, and the other demons fell back slightly. Hissing in satisfaction, Aria returned most of her attention to the path ahead, her tail whipping behind her.

  ******

  Jack was almost to the trees, but he was slowing down. He thought he'd killed at least three more of his pursuers, but he couldn't be sure in the growing darkness. His weariness and dehydration was combining to make it very difficult for him to run, and several of the beasts were right on his heels. Jack tried not to think about what it would feel like for those poisonous fangs and tail blades to tear into his skin. He looked back over his shoulder as he ran, and fired one shot. The slide of his pistol locked back on an empty magazine.

  “Fuck!” he yelled. He ejected the magazine and reached at his belt for a spare, but his pace slowed slightly as his attention was divided.

  One of his pursuers saw the opportunity and took it. It launched itself at Jack's back, front claws extended. Jack grunted and stumbled as he felt a searing pain at his shoulders, and the spare magazine was knocked from his hands. Yelling in pain, feeling the hooked claws digging into his flesh through his jacket, the human quickly grabbed for another and slammed it home into his weapon. Reaching around with his gun hand, he jammed it into the side of the creature that was clawing at him. Before it had a chance to clamp its poison jaws on him, he fired point blank into its body. The demon went limp and released him. Ignoring the new pain, Jack fought to bring himself back up to speed.

  Finally he made it into the trees. He dodged around the thick trunks, trying to lose his pursuers in the shadows and the thickening plant cover. He came around a particularly large tree and came to a small clearing. Spotting a depression in the ground covered by several thick shrubs, Jack dove for it, rolling inside. He barely made it before his pursuers came around the tree, and they halted, pawing at the ground as they looked around for him. Jack held his breath, feeling blood seep from his back and soak his jacket. He could smell it, and he knew that if he could the predators soon would as well.

  Well..., he thought to himself, pondering what his next move would be. This is-

  ******

  -bad situation..., Aria thought. She was huddled under a large shrub, her empty rifle slung at her side and her knife in her hand. She didn't dare reload right now; the noise would definitely give away her position, and she had gone to too much trouble in making her mad dash for the treeline.

  All around her, the pack was prowling. Aria wasn't sure how far away from her Jack was, but at the moment that hardly seemed to matter. She needed to find a way through the enemy first, and so that was what she would do.

  Waiting for just the right moment, Aria readied herself to strike...

  - 7 -

  Jack watched as the demons prowled around his hiding spot, their noses snuffling the ground as they searched for him. They were slowly coming closer to him, and he knew they were probably catching whiffs of the blood seeping from his fresh wounds. Jack only had a few minutes before they would be right on top of him. His hand tightened on the grip of his pistol.

  I've really gotten myself into it this time..., he thought. His jaw clenched, his heart pumping quicker with fear. Damn it, I should have just stayed put back at the river. What the hell was I thinking, going off all on my own? It's like I thought Aria wouldn't come looking for me.

  He felt a wash of shame as he realized that, although he'd convinced himself he was reasoning through the situation rationally, that was exactly what he'd been thinking at the time. Jack had really thought that Aria wouldn't come to try to find him, even if she thought he was dead. Though she could be abrasive and cold at times, Jack ought to have known by now that she wasn't the kind to abandon somebody, especially not a friend. And he was certain that at the very least she felt friendly towards him, even if she wouldn't call him a friend, exactly...

  Right then...Let's see what I can do...

  Jack quickly took a mental inventory of his resources. He had all of the tools on his belt. He had no water, and no food, though those were secondary concerns at the moment. His handgun had eight rounds remaining in it, and he had two spare magazine of ten rounds each. Twenty-eight rounds for the...it looked like eight...predatory animals prowling around his hiding spot. Jack was hungry, dehydrated, sore, sunburned, and injured. However, he did have one thing going for him. While they were close to him, they hadn't yet pinpointed his exact location.

  I can take at least two of them before they can strike back...That should even the odds somewhat.

  Not a whole lot, but some.

  Ever so slowly, Jack raised his weapon. He extended his arm, pushing the weapon out through the leaves of the shrub that was covering him. Jack was very thankful that pistol skills were the one thing from his old job, apart from piloting, that he'd allowed not to atrophy. The sights lined up perfectly, and his hand was steady. He took aim on his first target...

  ******

  With a snarl, Aria leapt from her hiding place, wrapping her arms around the beast closest to her. The animal bucked, trying to get her off, but Aria clung fast, drawing back her knife arm and plunging the blade into its body. With a yelp of dismay, the creature went limp in her arms. Yanking her knife free, Aria tossed the corpse aside and turned her attention back to the rest of the group. The six remaining animals regarded her with apprehension. One of them seemed more apprehensive than the rest. The Ailian took a sniff of the air, keeping her arms up in a guarded position, pointing the blade towards the creatures.

  “Ke la...?” she hissed in surprise, her eyes widening. She recognized that scent. Taking another sniff, Aria's tail whipped the air behind her. There was no doubt about it. These creatures weren't just of the same species that attacked them before, they were the same pack!

  Growling deeper, Aria took a step towards the creatures, quickly shucking the backpacks from her shoulders. She didn't much like the idea of having been stalked. She imagined that the creatures had been following them this entire time, waiting for a good moment to strike at them. They'd waited for Aria and Jack to become separated. If Aria didn't do something about it right now, they would certainly do the same thing again and again.

  “Sala te ke'na ai,” Aria hissed at the creatures. “None alive this time...”

  Roaring, Aria set into the group, slashing and stabbing with her blade. She had learned well from her first encounter with the creatures. In a matter of moments, three more lay dead on the ground. The remaining creatures scattered, but did not flee. Aria halted her attack, standing still, catching her breath. She had a small cut across the back of her neck where she had carelessly allowed one of the demons to scratch her with a claw, but otherwise she was unhurt. She swiped the back of her free hand over the cut, silencing the irritating tickle from the seeping blood.

  “Kre...,” she murmured, waiting for a move from her enemies. Looking around, Aria saw glimpses of them darting between the thick trunks of the conifer trees, the blades on their twin tails flashing in the growing moonlight.

  In the distance, Aria heard the sudden crack of a gunshot. Her ears pivoted towards the sound, and she chanced a glance in that direction as well, though she saw nothing through the trees. In that moment, one of the creatures charged her, whipping its twin tails directly towards her head. Snarling, Aria twisted to one side, snapping her foot out in a powerful kick that caught the creature under the chin. It tumbled to the ground, stunned. She placed her foot on its back, pinning it to the ground. Reaching down, she grasped a handful of the fur on the top of its head, pulled its head up, and very calmly slashed its neck with her knife.

  Straightening up, Aria turned around and hurled her knife through the ai
r end over end, and it embedded deep in the skull of the predator that had been attempting to sneak up behind her. With an abbreviated bark of surprise it fell dead. Aria swiftly strode over to it, stepping on its neck and tugging her knife from its head with a wet scraping sound. Sighing, Aria wiped the knife clean on the dead animal's fur and replaced it in its sheath at her side.

  Aria turned her head sharply, her eyes locking on the last remaining enemy. She narrowed her gaze, baring her teeth at it, and the beast shied back. With a whip of its tails, it turned and started running away.

  “Na la!” Aria shouted. She began running in pursuit, her strong legs propelling her faster than the demon could run. Dodging around trees and smaller ground plants, she gained on her quarry steadily. The beast looked over its shoulder at her, and Aria saw fear in its alien eyes. Grinning, she roared at it. She was mere meters behind it now.

  In minutes Aria caught up to it, and she reached out with her arms, grabbing one of its tails with one of her hands. Barking at her, the beast halted, whipping its other tail at her. It missed with the blade, but the muscular portion slapped the side of her head hard and knocked her off her feet. Aria kept a grip on the tail, dragging it down with her. She wrapped her legs around it from behind and held on for dear life, on her back with the animal on top of her. Now it couldn't strike at her with its tails.

  Aria pressed her nose to its neck, inhaling a deep breath. The scent was unmistakable. This creature was definitely one of the two that had escaped from the first attack. Though it seemed so long ago now, only a few weeks had passed.

  “Ailia'kra me le nai,” she whispered into the beast's ear. The first lesson she had been taught in basic training. An Ailian never leaves an enemy alive. Aria grabbed the demon's head in both hands, at the front and back. With a mighty wrenching to the left and up, she shattered its neck.

  Her failure corrected, Aria rolled the corpse off of her, getting to her feet. The adrenaline, the thrill of battle, was coursing through her veins. Before she had a chance to finish reveling in it, the distant sound of gunfire drew her mind back to more important matters. Aria swiftly returned to where she'd left the packs and her rifle. She reloaded her weapon and quickly strapped on the packs, then hurried to follow the sounds of the shots.

  ******

  Jack was doing well, better than he'd expected. His first shots had taken two of the beasts, as he'd predicted, and in the confusion of his attack he'd managed to take two more of them. The other four had scattered, and while he'd gotten a few rounds off at them he hadn't gotten any more hits. Still huddled in his hidey-hole, Jack reloaded his weapon. He'd expended eighteen bullets against the first four predators, and he was down to his last magazine of ten rounds.

  Knowing he'd get no clear shots if he remained where he was, Jack cautiously extricated himself from underneath the shrubs. He stood up, looking around. The evening was growing very dark, but strong moonlight made it fairly easy to see, and his weapon was equipped with luminescent night sights. Even so, Jack drew his flashlight from his belt and switched it on, illuminating the area. Jack crossed his hands, holding the gun and the flashlight so that the backs of his hands were touching, with both items directed forward. He played the beam of light around the trees.

  His beam lit up two shining points of light. The beast to whose eyes the reflections belonged started to growl, its eyes widening in surprise. Clearly it had never seen anything like a flashlight, and hadn't expected to be found. Barking loudly, it broke from the shadows, its jaws spreading wide as it prepared to strike.

  “Oh, no, you don't!” Jack shouted. He aimed his weapon, loosing two rapid shots. Both rounds shot through the predator's mouth, exiting the back of its head. The dead animal's momentum carried it forward into Jack, and he was knocked to the ground. He landed on his back hard, the heavy corpse on top of him, and his flashlight flew away. As Jack hit the dirt, he got an upside-down view of another demon leaping out of the shadows and into the moonlight, its tails poised to attack. “Shit!” Pain was rippling along his back from the gashes in his shoulders, but he pushed through it. He swung his gun over his head in a two-handed grip and fired three times. Two shots struck it in the flank, and it landed on four legs just short of Jack, though it was obviously badly injured.

  Jack took the few precious seconds he'd just been given and kicked the dead animal off of him, freeing himself to be able to stand. He got to the side of the wounded demon and pressed the muzzle of his weapon to its head, firing once and finishing the job. The human stood over the two dead bodies. Four shots left, two enemies left. Not a lot of room for error.

  Looking around, Jack saw and heard nothing except tall tree trunks and a breeze rustling through the long needles of the conifer trees. His flashlight was nowhere to be found; when it had been thrown from his hand it had either shut off or the LEDs inside had been damaged. He had to rely on the moonlight and the soft green glow from the tritium in his gunsights. Moving away, Jack started walking through the trees, keeping his steps light and trying to make as little noise as possible. His head turned from side to side, his eyes searching for a target in the darkness.

  Jack heard a soft crunching noise ahead. His senses heightened by the severe need of the situation, he started to move towards it, but then he stopped. Something wasn't right. The noise had been too loud, too obvious. Jack wasn't a warrior, but he knew this felt like an ambush. Well, he wouldn't walk into it, not this time. Retracing his steps a bit, he moved off on a different heading.

  ******

  The demon crouched behind a tree, its ears perked up and its eyes scanning the night for any signs of movement. It did not have the best night vision, but it was very good at sensing movement no matter what the time of day. It stilled the twitching in its tails, its paw scratching deliberately at fallen needles again, making a noise to lure its prey. The creature had done this many times, though against less formidable foes.

  Licking its lips, the beast waited. It was very hungry, and had been stalking its prey for many days. It could go for weeks without eating, but now it was ravenous. The strange creature it was tracking looked as though it would make a tasty meal indeed, and when the other half of the pack caught the other strange creature...It drooled in anticipation.

  Growing impatient, the beast took a few steps forward, looking around. This was taking far too long. Where was its prey? Growling softly, it continued moving forward, gradually passing the tree trunk.

  As soon as the beast's head was visible, Jack fired a single shot from his ambush position. His round struck dead center on its head, blowing a part of the skull away. The demon keeled over instantly, blood gushing as its heart thumped out its final beats.

  Just as Jack reveled in the triumph of his successful attack, he was struck from behind. His weapon flew out of his hand, landing a short distance away. Jack stretched out an arm for it, but he was pinned to the ground by the demon that had just tackled him. Desperate, he rolled over, just in time to grab the throat of the beast before it tore his face off with its jaws. He gritted his teeth, squeezing as hard as he could. His arms shook with the effort.

  The beast snarled, straining to get its jaws at Jack, clawing the ground on either side of its head as it tried to get enough leverage to overcome his arm strength. Jack was just as determined not to allow this, and he tightened his grip even more, focusing on choking the animal. A long, slender tongue started to protrude from the demon's mouth, and he heard it wheezing, its eyes narrowing gradually as it started to suffocate. With a grunt of exertion, he finally rolled it over and perched atop it, putting all his weight on his hands over the animal's neck.

  For several minutes the beast pawed ineffectually at the air. Then its movements slowed, weakened even more, and finally stopped. With one final wheeze, it went completely still.

  “Oh god...,” Jack gasped, relief washing over him in intense waves. He slid off of the corpse and laid on the ground, a hand on his forehead and he tried to catch his breath. All of a sud
den, his hunger and dehydration was pressing in on him. He had a terrific headache and his body was wracked with pain from all of his wounds.

  After long moments of trying to gather strength, Jack got up from the ground and shakily walked to his fallen weapon. He picked it up and checked it. One bullet remained in the magazine and there was one in the chamber, hardly enough for protection on this planet. Jack sighed, sinking to a sitting position on the ground. He was just about ready to give up. He'd managed to kill all of the creatures that had been stalking him, and for what? So that he could die in a little more peace from starvation and dehydration. Well, if he was going to die regardless...He did have two bullets left...

  The sound of crunching dead needles broke Jack out of his contemplation. He looked up, his heart kicking into overdrive. Whatever was making the noise, it was moving rapidly through the trees, with little regard for keeping its presence hidden. Swallowing, Jack looked down at his weapon. Though he was full of pain and despair, he didn't want to die. Gritting his teeth, he raised his weapon, waiting for the source of the noise to come through the trees. The sound was growing louder, coming nearer, and he thought it would be close in a few seconds.

  When finally the source of the noise emerged from the trees, Jack's arms went weak and the gun slipped out of his fingers.

  “Jack!” Aria shrieked, rushing up to him, falling to her knees and catching him before he collapsed. She wrapped her arms around him, clutching him to her. “You alive!”

  “Aria...,” Jack gasped, his voice hoarse. He put his arms around her in turn, more than relieved to finally have a friendly presence near. The human just rested against her, not caring at all anymore for what his previous employment told him he should think of her. Right now she was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced in his life.