by the dirty lens, vague
shapes could be seen struggling on the ground, while others stood
with weapons pointing towards the commotion.
~ Chapter
XIII ~
As Manon had predicted the night before, the
biggest problem of all were the spiders… just not in the way he had
imagined.
The howler monkey fought the instinct to flee
as the three large men approached. The guns gave off the
particularly disturbing scent of metal and oil. He grew more
unsettled as they got closer. He moved further behind the trunk of
the tree he was in, and there remained motionless.
Only when the men approached within ten
meters did he begin to sense the spiders secured to the top of
their packs. Gradually, his caution turned to a blinding rage. The
nearest man passed just below him and the second was just behind.
The primate could sense a spider near the man’s head.
The howler monkey dropped down directly on
top of the second man and attacked the back of his head with teeth
and claws. The man, bleeding copiously, screamed and clawed at his
attacker. Panicked, he stuck his rifle over his right shoulder,
next to his ear, and shot at whatever was on his back. Blood flowed
from his ear and a loud buzzing invaded his head. From the
remaining working eardrum, he heard another scream, though he was
unable to tell which direction it came from.
The man threw off his backpack behind him.
The monkey fell to the ground with it. Sensing the spider’s
presence in the box, the primate started ripping at the thin
material covering the plastic with teeth and nails in an
uncontrolled frenzy.
The bitten man turned quickly around, fully
intending to shoot his attacker. At that moment, with his weapon
half raised, he fell to the ground and started convulsing.
~ Chapter
XIV ~
Armando turned around to face the screams and
gunshots behind him. The scene was overwhelming in its
confusion.
One of the soldiers with him was down on his
back, face bloody, shaking uncontrollably. His weapon still tightly
clutched in one hand clattered against the hard soil. Next to the
man on the ground, a black ball of thick fur was savagely ripping
strips of material from a backpack, tossing them into the air.
Further down the trail, the third soldier in line was kneeling on
the ground, bent halfway over, holding his hands tightly over a
bleeding wound in his chest. Blood poured through his fingers.
Armando took quick aim at the attacker
ripping through the backpack and shot three times. At this short
distance each shot hit and the thing was thrown back down the
trail, rolling, where it collided with the third soldier in the
path.
The ball of fur jumped back to its feet
disoriented, and Armando could see now it was a monkey. He could
not risk another shot since there was no way to avoid hitting the
other man behind it.
The third soldier punched feebly at the
bleeding hairy beast which had appeared in front of him. The monkey
attacked the threat in return, and soon the two were rolling on the
ground. The quickly weakening man with the chest wound was reduced
to fending off the bites and scratches of his incredibly powerful
attacker when Armando arrived.
Armando grabbed the monkey and threw him from
the man. The furry creature flew through the air and landed hard up
against a tree trunk. It was quickly back on its feet and striding
towards Armando with incredible dexterity.
Armando just had time to pull his pistol up
and take a snap shot at the creature before it leapt up and locked
its jaws onto his forearm.
Time seemed to slow. Events moved frame by
frame. Armando noticed Manon running their direction. He noticed
the third soldier at his feet convulsing uncontrollably with his
backpack still secured tightly around his torso. The assailant
latched to him had blood filled eyes like a madman, nostrils
flaring, as it worried his arm.
Armando was surprised there was no pain. In a
motion that seemed to take minutes he brought the pistol up, placed
the end of the barrel
shapes could be seen struggling on the ground, while others stood
with weapons pointing towards the commotion.
~ Chapter
XIII ~
As Manon had predicted the night before, the
biggest problem of all were the spiders… just not in the way he had
imagined.
The howler monkey fought the instinct to flee
as the three large men approached. The guns gave off the
particularly disturbing scent of metal and oil. He grew more
unsettled as they got closer. He moved further behind the trunk of
the tree he was in, and there remained motionless.
Only when the men approached within ten
meters did he begin to sense the spiders secured to the top of
their packs. Gradually, his caution turned to a blinding rage. The
nearest man passed just below him and the second was just behind.
The primate could sense a spider near the man’s head.
The howler monkey dropped down directly on
top of the second man and attacked the back of his head with teeth
and claws. The man, bleeding copiously, screamed and clawed at his
attacker. Panicked, he stuck his rifle over his right shoulder,
next to his ear, and shot at whatever was on his back. Blood flowed
from his ear and a loud buzzing invaded his head. From the
remaining working eardrum, he heard another scream, though he was
unable to tell which direction it came from.
The man threw off his backpack behind him.
The monkey fell to the ground with it. Sensing the spider’s
presence in the box, the primate started ripping at the thin
material covering the plastic with teeth and nails in an
uncontrolled frenzy.
The bitten man turned quickly around, fully
intending to shoot his attacker. At that moment, with his weapon
half raised, he fell to the ground and started convulsing.
~ Chapter
XIV ~
Armando turned around to face the screams and
gunshots behind him. The scene was overwhelming in its
confusion.
One of the soldiers with him was down on his
back, face bloody, shaking uncontrollably. His weapon still tightly
clutched in one hand clattered against the hard soil. Next to the
man on the ground, a black ball of thick fur was savagely ripping
strips of material from a backpack, tossing them into the air.
Further down the trail, the third soldier in line was kneeling on
the ground, bent halfway over, holding his hands tightly over a
bleeding wound in his chest. Blood poured through his fingers.
Armando took quick aim at the attacker
ripping through the backpack and shot three times. At this short
distance each shot hit and the thing was thrown back down the
trail, rolling, where it collided with the third soldier in the
path.
The ball of fur jumped back to its feet
disoriented, and Armando could see now it was a monkey. He could
not risk another shot since there was no way to avoid hitting the
other man behind it.
The third soldier punched feebly at the
bleeding hairy beast which had appeared in front of him. The monkey
attacked the threat in return, and soon the two were rolling on the
ground. The quickly weakening man with the chest wound was reduced
to fending off the bites and scratches of his incredibly powerful
attacker when Armando arrived.
Armando grabbed the monkey and threw him from
the man. The furry creature flew through the air and landed hard up
against a tree trunk. It was quickly back on its feet and striding
towards Armando with incredible dexterity.
Armando just had time to pull his pistol up
and take a snap shot at the creature before it leapt up and locked
its jaws onto his forearm.
Time seemed to slow. Events moved frame by
frame. Armando noticed Manon running their direction. He noticed
the third soldier at his feet convulsing uncontrollably with his
backpack still secured tightly around his torso. The assailant
latched to him had blood filled eyes like a madman, nostrils
flaring, as it worried his arm.
Armando was surprised there was no pain. In a
motion that seemed to take minutes he brought the pistol up, placed
the end of the barrel
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