Laurann Dohner - Slade

They had made good progress since she found them a lot closer than they had been.

She turned the binoculars back to the two swiftly moving males in all-black gear. It appeared they were headed right for the four hunters. She bit her lip as she tried to estimate if the two possible New Species would reach the four before they made it to where she hid. The chances were good.

The four men coming her way were definitely going to be able to find her. The two dead bodies sprawled on the ground below her were a good indication of where she hid. She softly cursed and prayed that the New Species would reach her first.

Trisha settled flat, hugged the ground tighter, and shifted her binoculars to watch the progress of both oncoming groups. She prayed the two New Species—if they were New Species—were aware of the four-man hunting party and prayed they’d pick up the scent of those men. They would unless they were upwind.

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Laurann Dohner

She really wished that thought hadn’t come to her. If those two men were New Species trying to save her and Slade, the last thing she wanted was to watch them be surprised by the hunting party. They didn’t appear as well armed as their opponents.

The tension inside Trisha rose so high her hands hurt from gripping the binoculars while she watched them draw closer. They weren’t moving nearly as fast as the two who she gradually became certain were New Species. She could now make out their shoulder-length hair and their uniforms seemed right, although they were too far away still to make out the NSO patches if they sported them over their chests.

The four hunters had nearly reached the dead men below Trisha and she knew she’d lose sight of them soon. She wasn’t about to inch out farther where she could look straight down. They’d be able to glance up and find her too easily. She also didn’t want to give them a target to shoot at or give away her exact location.

The two New Species slowed, not jogging anymore. They stalked slowly toward the hunters, obviously aware of their presence by their cautious behavior. Relief swamped Trisha as she watched the New Species duo make hand signals to each other before they separated. One of them sneaked up behind the hunters while the other one moved to attack from the side.

Voices started to carry up to Trisha until she knew without looking they were scary close. She continued to use the binoculars, hoping she was low enough on the cave floor to make a smaller and harder-to-see target with her chin on the sleeping bag. The four hunters were nearly out of her lens range.

“I know those shots came from this direction,” a man with an accent stated firmly.

“Buck and Joe Billy said they were going to climb to high ground to take a look-see.” The deeper voice had the same Southern accent. “Do you think they killed that two-legged animal?”

“I don’t know,” a new voice without an accent answered. “But they aren’t answering their radio. Look sharp, guys. Those animals have minds the way we do and sure aren’t as easy as shooting elk. Wild animals don’t talk back or carry weapons the way we do.”

“Fucking James,” another man without an accent laughed. “Elk? Come on. Let’s compare them to something at least similar. Maybe they are closer to apes. Those think and walk on two feet, don’t they? For all we know, Joe Billy and Buck are screwing with us. Remember that time last year when they ambushed us just for the hell of it to see if one of us would piss our pants? I’ll bet you twenty bucks they will spring out at us any second.”

“You’re on,” a man without an accent said and laughed.

Trisha moved her binoculars from the four men to where she’d last spotted the two New Species but couldn’t find either of them. She continued to scan until she finally spotted one but was shocked at where she located him.

He jumped from one branch high inside a tree to another branch in the one next to it. The jet-black haired New Species amazed her with his sense of balance and grace. He 100

Slade

stopped practically on top of the four hunters who didn’t even realize he watched them from above.

Trisha’s heart raced while she kept her binoculars glued to the black-haired New Species as he jumped again to land in the top branches of the tree directly over the moving hunters. He gripped the trunk and seemed to be studying the men below him.

He withdrew a handgun from the holster strapped against his chest. Every fiber of her body told her he would attack.

The black-haired Species suddenly dropped to a lower branch. It was the most graceful thing that Trisha had ever seen. He obviously had done it very quietly because the men below him never glanced up. He stepped down to another lower branch, walking it as though it were a balance beam, and moved with the men. He suddenly jumped out of the tree and landed hard on two of the hunters below him.

Trisha gasped but kept her binoculars trained on the three fallen men. She saw movement as the two other hunters spun to look at what had happened behind them.

She saw a flash of black and the redheaded New Species seemed to appear out of nowhere as he rushed the two men from behind.

He leaped, tackling them as if he were a football player taking down two rival players. She was close enough to clearly hear the grunts of pain. In seconds the four hunters on the ground lay motionless and the two New Species stood over them silently.

Trisha got a really good look at both men and was assured they were definitely Slade’s men. They had the distinct facial anomalies that most of the New Species had.

The black-haired Species had a smaller nose than most and his features were telling. She suddenly had a feeling that he had to be part primate. The redhead had cat eyes similar to Justice North, indicating he had to be feline.

The two men withdrew something from the lower pockets of their pants that resembled thick plastic ties and secured the downed men’s hands behind their backs.

When they’d handcuffed all four of their prisoners, they yanked their ankles up and bound them with more white ties until they had them hogtied. The black-haired Species give a thumbs-up sign to his redheaded companion.

One of them laughed and Trisha moved. Her body was sluggish because she’d lain in the same position for too long but she was able to carefully rise to her feet. She leaned out a little, staring down at the men who were about sixty feet from the area where the two dead men lay.

“Hello,” she called out.

They didn’t jump or seem surprised when they turned their heads to gaze up at her.

She let that sink in. Did they already know where I was? She decided they probably had.

One of them, the redhead, nodded at her.

“We’ll get to you after we dispose of the dead bodies. Your kills?” He jerked his head toward the two men who lay far below her. “Two of them, right? I smell two different scents.”

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Laurann Dohner

Shocked, Trisha just gaped at him. There was no way they could have seen the two dead bodies from where they stood. They would have had to walk around a few more trees and a huge boulder. She finally nodded.

The black-haired Species pushed his hair away from his face as he peered up at Trisha. “Where is Slade? We caught his scent but it’s faded as though he’s been gone for hours. Why did he leave you, Dr. Norbit?”

“He said there were too many of them.” She paused. “He wanted to cut down their numbers. He seemed certain if he started hunting them that some of them would get spooked enough to leave but he should have been back by now. He said if I fired the guns he’d hear and come running.”

The redhead nodded. “That is a good plan. It accounts for why we found two empty camps with the scent of blood but no men.”