Laurann Dohner - Slade

She turned the binoculars, scoping out the area, but didn’t spot anyone else. She could see for a long ways with the help of the powerful glasses. She turned her focus back to Slade, knew when he had reached the bottom of the ravine to her left. He turned and examined the area where she hid and then started to jog away. Trisha kept her focus trained on him.

Darkness crept up too quickly for Trisha’s liking. She had lost sight of Slade through trees but sometimes she’d spotted him through the dense foliage. He moved fast, showed no signs of slowing, and he seemed to be heading in one direction. She wondered if he’d caught someone’s scent with his amazing nose.

She scooted back into the dark hole and had to feel her way to the backpack and unzipped it. She’d watched Slade take all the beef jerky but he’d left her the breakfast bars they’d found. She ate two and drank a soda before crawling back toward the opening. She glanced at the darkness below her and then gasped. In the distance she spotted a tiny sparkle of flame that came from the same direction Slade had been heading.

Trisha could see what had to be a camp. Flames showed through thick trees, not more than distant flames even with the binoculars. She had a sinking feeling that’s where Slade headed.

Trisha sat up and dragged the sleeping bag to the edge where she got comfortable, grateful she at least had somewhere to try to catch a glimpse of Slade. He was out there somewhere and she worried.

If Slade could smell their fire and he planned to attack, that’s where it would happen. Forever seemed to pass to her but no distant sounds of a fight reached her ears.

She got more comfortable by stretching out on her stomach and propped her elbows on the sleeping bag while she continued to catch snatches of the flames.

More time passed and she lay down flatter onto her stomach. A yawn passed her parted lips, reminding her of her exhaustion. She drifted to sleep until a single gunshot jerked her awake.

Trisha scrambled to sit up while frantically aiming the binoculars toward the campfire. She spent seconds searching the darkness until she found the flickering light.

Her attention remained focused on it until it died out, disappearing in the darkness.

No more shots rang out. It gave her hope that he might have survived if he’d attacked the camp.

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She fought the urge to shed tears over Slade being out there alone. He could be dead if one of them had gotten off a lucky shot. She dragged the sleeping bag away from the edge and huddled into a ball on top of it. She needed sleep and she had no chance of trying to spot Slade until the sun rose.

* * * * *

Slade kept low, watching the four men in the camp with hatred. He could hear their words and it made his blood boil. The smell of the deer they’d shot and cooked faded with the firelight they allowed to slowly burn out.

“Think the animal will beg for his life when we find him?” The one in the jeans jacket asked the one in the black shirt.

“I hope so.” He laughed. “I brought along my video camera to tape it all. We need to show all the decent folks that they aren’t men.”

Jeans jacket snorted. “Damn two-legged animals. Not only do we have to protect our country from them but our women too. First they’ll want to vote, then they’ll want to get married. If their women look anything similar to the men they will be after our sisters and daughters. It’s just sick. I figure they hide how their women look for a damn reason. They probably mixed them with mules and they have jackass faces.”

One of the men laughed. “Butt-faced ugly. Forget the coyotes.”

“They never should have been set free. We don’t go around freeing monkeys they test makeup on. Hell no.” The black-shirted man leaned back against the log, putting his boots closer to the fire. “They are dangerous and probably nuttier than fruitcakes.”

The blond man who’d kept silent suddenly frowned. “Does fruitcake actually have nuts in it? I won’t taste that junk. It looks bad.” He paused. “Do they really use cute monkeys to test women’s face crap on? Monkeys are cool. I always wanted one for a pet when I was a kid.”

“Hell if I know.” The guy in the black shirt shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a damn saying. My point is that they have to be completely whacked out of their minds. You don’t set caged animals loose and let them run around free. It’s dangerous and that’s why they all need taken out. They sure aren’t cute and I wouldn’t want one for a pet. It would probably try to hump my wife.”

The blond laughed. “I’ve seen your wife. I doubt it.”

The guy in the black shirt threw his can at his friend, tagging him in the arm. “Fuck you, Mark.”

“Knock it off,” the guy sitting farthest from the fire sighed. “We haven’t found our target and every hour that passes means he could somehow slip out of the area. The roads are locked down by our teams. They are trapped in the area, but that woman he’s with is some kind of doctor. That means she’s smart and is probably thinking for him.

They might have found a hole to hide in. That’s what I’d do. We need to cover a lot of 92

Slade

ground tomorrow at first light, find them, and kill them. I didn’t come out here to bullshit and insult each other. I want the reward.”

“I’m not mounting that head on my hunting wall.” The blond shuddered. “They look freaky and just plain ugly. Of course it would be cool just for a conversation piece.

I could charge admission and show it off.”

Slade had heard enough. He wasn’t about to allow those men to leave the camp.

They were too close to Trisha and they were looking for sheltered places. He eased around the camp and waited until the men began preparing to sleep. The blond stood, stretched and walked into the darkness to take a leak.

The man never heard Slade come up behind him until his hands were on him. The smaller man only gasped when a palm slapped over his mouth, he was jerked off his feet, and the knife on his thigh was yanked free and pressed to his throat.

“Be quiet,” Slade ordered.

The blond panted but didn’t try to cry out.

“Are there more of you nearby?”

The guy hesitated before he slowly nodded.

“More than the other three at your camp?”

The blond nodded again. The news angered Slade. He needed to find the other camps, take out the threat to Trisha, and get hold of their cell phones. Hopefully one would work. He could call Homeland to help them locate Trisha faster. She needed to be taken out of this dangerous mess quickly.

“I’m going to tie you up and go after your friends. If you don’t fight I won’t kill you. I’ll secure you until my people come. Do you understand me?”

The blond nodded. Slade wanted the humans dead but he wasn’t at Homeland. He wasn’t sure where he stood on the law. Self defense was one thing but the man he gripped posed no current threat. He hated them but he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer despite their low opinion of Species.

He loosened his hold and the blond suddenly struck. The guy tried to twist out of his hold and twisted his head. He gasped in air to give the alarm but Slade was faster.

He snapped the man’s neck. The sound of the bone breaking sickened him as he allowed the body to slump to the ground. He turned to face the camp but suddenly spotted movement. Another human came at him. The guy didn’t seem to see him in the darkness until the last second.

The human’s shock was apparent as he frantically grabbed for the handgun strapped to his chest in a holster. Slade threw the blade in his hand and lunged forward to grip the man’s arm and throat. The human went down without putting up too much of a fight. He lowered the dying body to the ground, staring into his enemy’s eyes.