them, swishing back and forth in an agitated, feline way.
But it was the feet that got Team Grendel’s attention. Three-toed, two of the toes ending in long, sharp claws while the third had a thick, raised claw that stuck far into the air. The third claw was at least a foot long and the tip glinted in the dappled sunlight, telling everyone and everything that it was sharp as shit and meant for one thing only.
The creatures packed together in a group of six, their black eyes focused directly on Grendel.
“Thorne?” Darren whispered. “What’s the call?”
“The call is stand as still as fucking possible,” Thorne said. “See if maybe they’ll lose interest and move on.”
“I don’t think that’s their plan,” Shane said. “We’ve got two hostiles on our nine.”
“Two more on our three and one on our six,” Lucy added. “We’re surrounded, folks.”
“Daddy?” Kinsey asked. “Permission to light these weird chickens up, please?”
“Weird chickens,” Shane chuckled.
“Permission denied,” Thorne said. “We do not want to engage if we do not know what we are engaging. We wait. If they make a move then cut them the fuck down. If they go away then we’ve avoided a fight and also avoided alerting the whole island to our presence.”
“Your plan is boring and safe,” Kinsey joked. There was a slight waver in her voice and she took a quick look back at Thorne, giving him a frightened smile.
“Hang tight, operators,” Thorne said. “Be cool.”
They were.
The five of them stood there, eyes and weapons locked onto their new friends. Black avian/reptilian eyes watched the Team and the Team watched back.
Thorne could tell the creatures were studying the Team. He watched as what he guessed was the alpha in the pack kept glancing from the barrel of his carbine then back to directly in his eyes. The other creatures looked him up and down, assessing his strengths, his weaknesses, his will. The standoff lasted for close to thirty minutes.
Then as one, the creatures moved in.
They did not attack like wolves or lions or any other predator pack Thorne was familiar with. The closest he could approximate would be hyenas. That chaotic rush and then the everyone-for-themselves attitude of violence. Get your piece and go.
After the silence of the standoff, the barking of the rifles and carbines was near deafening. Only Team Grendel’s experience and discipline kept any of them from jumping as the first triggers were pulled.
The six in front moved so fast that Darren dove to the side as he fired, avoiding a couple quick slashes by the thick, sharp third claws. He hit the ground on his shoulder and grunted, but didn’t let up as he squeezed the trigger again and again.
Kinsey dropped to a knee and opened fire, aiming for the creatures’ legs, not their chests or heads. Three went down from her carefully placed shots, their bent knees exploding in a spray of blood and bone. She emptied her magazine by the time the other three reached her. Kinsey didn’t have time to reload. The creatures were on her and those jaw-beaks, those third claws, came at her face and belly.
The air above her erupted as Thorne moved forward, standing over her, his M4 barking. He nudged her with his knee in the back and she quickly tossed her carbine aside, choosing to pull her .45s from her hips. She was a good shot with her M4, but she was an expert with her pistols.
Thorne moved to her side, laying down a protective fire, giving Kinsey time to roll away and come up shooting. The two Thornes pressed their attack, driving the three creatures back into the dense foliage of the jungle, the explosive rounds blowing chunks out of everything they touched.
But that was all they could do, drive them back. The things were incredibly fast so the explosive rounds rarely touched the targets. They jumped and ducked, moving and weaving back and forth like supersonic boxers, avoiding the gunfire as if they had stepped out of the
But it was the feet that got Team Grendel’s attention. Three-toed, two of the toes ending in long, sharp claws while the third had a thick, raised claw that stuck far into the air. The third claw was at least a foot long and the tip glinted in the dappled sunlight, telling everyone and everything that it was sharp as shit and meant for one thing only.
The creatures packed together in a group of six, their black eyes focused directly on Grendel.
“Thorne?” Darren whispered. “What’s the call?”
“The call is stand as still as fucking possible,” Thorne said. “See if maybe they’ll lose interest and move on.”
“I don’t think that’s their plan,” Shane said. “We’ve got two hostiles on our nine.”
“Two more on our three and one on our six,” Lucy added. “We’re surrounded, folks.”
“Daddy?” Kinsey asked. “Permission to light these weird chickens up, please?”
“Weird chickens,” Shane chuckled.
“Permission denied,” Thorne said. “We do not want to engage if we do not know what we are engaging. We wait. If they make a move then cut them the fuck down. If they go away then we’ve avoided a fight and also avoided alerting the whole island to our presence.”
“Your plan is boring and safe,” Kinsey joked. There was a slight waver in her voice and she took a quick look back at Thorne, giving him a frightened smile.
“Hang tight, operators,” Thorne said. “Be cool.”
They were.
The five of them stood there, eyes and weapons locked onto their new friends. Black avian/reptilian eyes watched the Team and the Team watched back.
Thorne could tell the creatures were studying the Team. He watched as what he guessed was the alpha in the pack kept glancing from the barrel of his carbine then back to directly in his eyes. The other creatures looked him up and down, assessing his strengths, his weaknesses, his will. The standoff lasted for close to thirty minutes.
Then as one, the creatures moved in.
They did not attack like wolves or lions or any other predator pack Thorne was familiar with. The closest he could approximate would be hyenas. That chaotic rush and then the everyone-for-themselves attitude of violence. Get your piece and go.
After the silence of the standoff, the barking of the rifles and carbines was near deafening. Only Team Grendel’s experience and discipline kept any of them from jumping as the first triggers were pulled.
The six in front moved so fast that Darren dove to the side as he fired, avoiding a couple quick slashes by the thick, sharp third claws. He hit the ground on his shoulder and grunted, but didn’t let up as he squeezed the trigger again and again.
Kinsey dropped to a knee and opened fire, aiming for the creatures’ legs, not their chests or heads. Three went down from her carefully placed shots, their bent knees exploding in a spray of blood and bone. She emptied her magazine by the time the other three reached her. Kinsey didn’t have time to reload. The creatures were on her and those jaw-beaks, those third claws, came at her face and belly.
The air above her erupted as Thorne moved forward, standing over her, his M4 barking. He nudged her with his knee in the back and she quickly tossed her carbine aside, choosing to pull her .45s from her hips. She was a good shot with her M4, but she was an expert with her pistols.
Thorne moved to her side, laying down a protective fire, giving Kinsey time to roll away and come up shooting. The two Thornes pressed their attack, driving the three creatures back into the dense foliage of the jungle, the explosive rounds blowing chunks out of everything they touched.
But that was all they could do, drive them back. The things were incredibly fast so the explosive rounds rarely touched the targets. They jumped and ducked, moving and weaving back and forth like supersonic boxers, avoiding the gunfire as if they had stepped out of the
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