The Hunter paused when the human moved. Though it had noticed none of the deadly weapons that killed from afar on this human, their layers of strange, thick, blood-less skin, contained places where things could be hidden. When the human didn’t produce such a weapon and started swinging the frame, the Hunter decided it was time to end the hunt.
Jane glanced at the thick bough below. Each complete swing brought her a little nearer. One more and she would be right above it. Dropping into the tree to escape the Hunter was as far as her plan went. She would work out the next part if she survived the fall uninjured. As the frame swung out above the branch, Jane prepared to jump.
Metal snapped with barely a whimper. The frame dropped, taking Jane and the Hunter along for the ride. The edge of the frame struck a branch, almost dislodging its terrified passengers, and tipped ninety-degrees until it crashed into the branches of the tree opposite, forming a bridge between the two. When Jane’s tired grip failed her, she hung upside-down from legs hooked over the frame.
The Hunter slammed into the frame when it came to a jarring halt and looked through the metal bars at the human hanging below.
Terror gripped Jane as she gazed at the one-eyed monster running its foul tongue over wicked teeth eager to taste her flesh. She contemplated letting go. Breaking her neck on impact with the ground had to be a quicker and hopefully a far less painful death than ripped apart by foul thing creeping towards her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She glanced up at the ice tunnel opening. Now would be the perfect moment for Jack to heroically appear and save her. The dark tunnel mouth remained empty of her saviour.
When Jack reached the end of the rope, he realized he had a serious problem; it was too short. He wound the end around his wrist, fumbled the weapon into his hands and pointed the light down the dark passage. He thought he could make out the end about fifty feet away, but there was no sign of Jane.
He tried to make out what lay past the tunnel’s end, but it was too far away. If he released his grip on the rope and slid down into the unknown there was a good chance he would be killed and Jane would be left down here alone. He gazed back up the passage and contemplated the merits of climbing back up. Maybe help had arrived or soon would. If they had, they would surely have another rope. It was the safest course of action. Just in case Jane could hear him but for some reason couldn’t reply, Jack voiced his plan.
“Jane, the rope is too short. I’m going back up to get another.” Jack began to climb up the tunnel. He hadn’t gone very far when a voice echoed down to him.
“Jack. Are you down there?”
The three British soldiers in the helicopter hovered over the wreck of the downed helicopter and gazed at Northwood’s gruesome corpse and Devonport’s decapitated head.
Sergeant Fredrick Hopkins tore his gaze away and looked at the pilot. “Head northwest, we need to find the others.”
The pilot headed across the iceberg and the dark opening in the ice appeared a few moments later. Buffeted by the increasing wind, the helicopter landed a short distance away.
“You’ll have to be quick,” stated the pilot, as the men prepared to exit. “If this wind gets any stronger I won’t be able to land on the ship.”
Hopkins glanced at the dark clouds. “I assure you, this is not a sightseeing tour. It will take as long as it takes.”
The pilot shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
Hopkins followed Private Arkwright out onto the ice and across to the hole. Their gazes took in the rope tied to the pole and its trail into the hole.
Arkwright shouted to be heard over the roar of the wind and the ice pellets splattering his Gore-Tex clothing. “Jack must have already gone down.”
Hopkins dropped to his knees besides the opening and poked his head inside. “Jack. Are you down there?”
Jack had rarely been so pleased to hear a man’s voice. “Yes, I’m here.”
“We don’t have much time. What do you need?”
“A longer rope, this one’s about fifty feet too short.”
“I’m on it,” said Arkwright, and rushed back to the helicopter.
“Is Miss Harper with you?” Hopkins asked.
“No, she fell all the way down. She was answering a while ago, but isn’t anymore, so she might be injured.”
“When we have a second rope secured, I’ll come down to help.” Hopkins glanced over at the helicopter and saw Arkwright heading back with a rope and an ice anchor.
The ice rumbled and shook violently.
“What the…” Hopkins threw himself away from the hole when the edges started cracking away.
Because the Hunter was so close, Jane hadn’t answered Jack as she was worried her voice might cause it to abandon its cautious approach and attack. Help had arrived, so if she could survive for a little longer she might live through this. She held on tightly when the ship trembled, causing metal to screech in protest and distant booms to thunder through the ship like a drumroll announcing her impending death. The frame vibrated violently, sending the Hunter that had climbed to its feet to its belly again and causing Jane to wrap her limbs tighter around the frame.
Both human and alien waited for the ship to settle before making their next move.
When Jane looked around for something that might save her from the monster, she noticed something directly above the Hunter. The large lump of ice protruding through the ship’s hull shuddered and a crack formed around its base. As the vibrations faded, the ice lump fell.
Aware the ice would probably send the frame crashing to the ground, Jane climbed through and as the Hunted leaped at her she jumped for the branch a foot above her outstretched arms.
The leap saved the monster’s life. Lumps of ice shot out in all directions when the ice exploded on contact with the frame that folded from the force and shot to the ground.
Lucy grabbed the branch and turned her head.
The Hunter flew towards her, its extended claws ready to receive her flesh. She tried to pull herself from its reach, but she lacked the strength. The Hunter’s claws caressed Jane’s jacket when it was swept aside by the large piece of ice smashing into its back. A smaller lump struck Jane’s chest, dislodging her precarious grip upon the branch and slamming her into the thick tree trunk. She fell and yelped in pain when her ankle struck something hard. She collapsed and smashed her head on the branch she had landed on. Draped over the limb, through hazy vision, she watched the Hunter fall until the undergrowth hid it from her view. A shrill chattering turned her throbbing head. An Alien Squirrel appeared around the trunk of a nearby tree and bared its small sharp fangs at her. Jane would have sighed in despair if she’d had the energy. She pulled her tired body onto the branch and backed away.
The Alien Squirrel observed the still creature for a few moments before deciding it was no threat. It glanced around worriedly on hearing others of its kind approaching to investigate the disturbance. Eager to be first to feed, it moved cautiously nearer the unexpected meal.
The Hunter’s frantic grabs at branches it crashed painfully into during its fall, failed to provide a firm enough hold to stop them slipping from its grasp. They did however, slow its plunge, enabling the bush it landed on to cushion its abrupt halt with the ground. Dazed by the experience, the Hunter remained on the ground and gazed up into the trees with its single good eye. When a buzzing distracted its search for the human aloft, it turned its battered head at the sound. Alien wasps exited their huge nest a few feet away. Though it was a giant in comparison to the small insect, the Hunter was aware of the danger their numbers presented. The Hunter slowly climbed to its feet and skulked into the undergrowth before it was noticed.