Jack looked at the Clickers. Both were focused on Jane. They growled. The nearest monster rushed at her. Jack grabbed its ankle when it passed. It stumbled. Jane attacked before it could regain its balance. She avoided the claw that swiped at her and swung an axe. It pierced the side of its head. Blood spurted. It collapsed to one knee. Jane rushed around the side of the Clicker and buried the other axe in its back.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
The second Clicker moved forward to attack.
Jane slipped on a pool of blood. The axe buried in the Clicker’s back was pulled from her grasp. A claw brushed the top of her head during her fall. She stared up at the monster she slid toward. It turned its head from side to side, searching for her. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! Jane swung the axe into its stomach and let go. She slid through its legs and turned onto her front. She jumped to her feet, rushed forward and slammed a shoulder into the screeching creature. It stumbled over its dead comrade and tripped. Jane pulled the axe from the dead Clicker’s back, straddled the fallen creature when it turned and slammed the axe into its face. The Clicker’s death-throes didn’t last long.
Panting with the exertion, Jane collapsed to the floor and leaned against the wall.
“Are they dead?”
Jane looked at Jack. “I damn well hope so. I’ve not got the strength to fight again.”
“I thought you needed a hand?”
“I got fed up waiting. What did you do, have a nap?”
Jack smiled. “I tried, but with that racket you and your friends were making, it wasn’t happening.”
They laughed.
Jack groaned when he pulled out from under the creature and leaned against the wall beside her.
He took deep breaths. “I think Ripley would be proud of you the way you fought those monsters.”
Jane looked at the three dead Clickers. “You only think she would be proud. She had an assault rifle, I had two ice axes and a napping accomplice; of course she’d be proud. Probably invite me along on her next Alien monster hunt if she gets to learn of this.”
Jack climbed to his feet and held out a hand. “Well, we can’t spend all day basking in your glory—things to do, you know.”
Jane smiled, took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. They ended up face to face. They stared at each other, both wanted to kiss, but both were hesitant to make the first move. The moment passed and Jane stepped back. She noticed Jack’s shredded jacket tinged with blood. “You’re wounded.”
“It’s only a scratch.” He retrieved the ice axes, shook off the drips of blood and lumps of gore and handed one to Jane. “Let’s go fetch Lucy.”
The patter of small feet directed their gaze at the door.
Jack grabbed Jane’s arm and was about to push her behind him, but then remembered what she had just done and removed his hand. They both prepared for battle.
Three small Hunter monsters, barely a yard tall, appeared through the doorway, glanced at Jane and Jack, screeched, pounced on the nearest dead Clicker and began feeding. Larger footsteps drifted through the open door.
Jane and Jack edged around the body the younglings were feasting on and gazed through the doorway. Five Hunters approached. The breasts on two of them identified them as female—the younglings’ mothers. On spying them, the monsters screeched.
Jane and Jack fled along the corridor.
“We’ll come back for Lucy when they’ve gone,” said Jack.
Jane nodded. “Okay.”
The adults stepped through the doorway, glanced at the two fleeing creatures and then at the three Clicker corpses. Deciding on the easier opportunity to feast, they gathered around the dead creatures and ripped off chunks of flesh.
Richard sped along the corridor and passed through another door. With no regard for his friends that might be following, he closed the door. For a moment, he remained in total darkness while he calmed his beating heart and allowed his fear to reach a manageable level. He switched on the headlight. Though the familiar bonelike struts highlighted in the torchlight gave him confidence he headed in the right direction, his panicked rush had left him uncertain of his bearings. He pulled out the camera and examined the photo of the route. But as he had no idea where he was, it failed to supply him with any clue to his position on the ship or which way he should go.
He carried on until he reached an intersection that offered him two choices. Straight ahead or turn right. Believing the right turn might lead back to the engine room corridor Henry, Max and Theo were on, he headed in that direction, but paused after a few steps and cocked an ear. Something breathed up ahead. His fear level began to rise. He felt Lucifer squirm beneath his jacket. He pulled down the zip enough to reveal its small form and sighed; its fur had turned red. Convinced his fears were real and something waited in the darkness ahead, Richard zipped up the jacket and slowly retreated to the intersection.
Cloaked in the darkness of an open doorway, the Hunter watched the strange being approach and stop. The old creature was not as fast as it once was. A damaged leg received in an affray with another creature slowed it down even more. Though its preferred method of attack was to lie in ambush and wait for its victims to come to it, it would give chase if required. Its retreating prey indicated the ambush had failed. The old Hunter stepped out of the room and headed along the corridor.
When the Hunter appeared in the furthest reach of his headlamp, Richard turned and ran. He turned right at the intersection. Fuelled by adrenalin and the will to survive, he fled for his life.
The creature Henry had knocked unconscious, regained its senses and groggily climbed to its feet. It shook its throbbing head and stared at the dark opening above. Sounds of movement within drifted out. It reached up and pulled itself inside. It sniffed the blood leading away from the opening and licked some up. It stared along the dark tube and let out a frightening howl.
The ravenous Hunter had left its forest lair to prowl the ship’s corridors in search of something to fill its empty belly. A distant howl brought it to a halt. It directed its gaze upon the ceiling vent where the sound had come from. It moved closer and peered through the metal slats. Though it saw only darkness within, it heard strange sounds uttered by unfamiliar creatures. It gripped the grill with one claw and yanked it free. The discarded grill clattered to the ground. The Hunter climbed inside.
Max shot a terrified glance behind when the terrifying howl echoed through the narrow space. Something was in here with them. Claws scraping along the metal shaft announced its approach. Henry and Theo had also heard. They increased their speed.
A mass of cobwebs choking the vent brought Theo to a halt.
Max looked past the others and saw the reason for their halt. “That doesn’t bode well.”
Henry agreed, but however uninviting the blockage, they’d have to pass through it or face the horror approaching behind them. “We have to keep moving before that thing behind catches us.”
With vision of giant spiders foremost in his thoughts, Theo dragged the webs aside, shivered from revulsion at their touch, and crawled through. After travailing a short distance, he again brought Henry and Max to a halt. His eyes focused on the crossroads of side turnings a little way ahead. He thought he had heard something come from one of the openings, but was unsure which one. He glanced back at Henry directly behind him for confirmation. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.
“What, apart from that monster coming up behind us?” asked Henry, anxiously.
Theo nodded.
Henry shook his head.
“Probably my imagination playing tricks?”