Prey

She took a moment to swig some more water before shrugging off her winter weather gear and hoisting the rifles, grenades and ammunition on her back while she dragged the survival kits to the proximity of the jungle entrance.

Doing so exhausted her even more, but Julia wouldn't let herself quit until she had Mick back safe and sound.

If he wasn't dead yet.

The thought had hit her several times during the course of her journey. A huge part of her urged her to simply forget about Mick and get the hell back to the research station. At least there she could radio for help. Raise the alarm.

And if the aliens came for her there, she could probably hold them off.

Probably.

So why risk her life by coming back to this place? Why risk another impregnation attempt by the aliens? Why risk running into Kendall again?

For Mick.

She sighed. Her life had been devoid of anything she could remotely classify as romantic for so long that the prospect of enjoying some quality nuzzle time with Mick had pretty much driven her common sense right out of her.

Did love ever make sense anyway?

She didn't think so.

What about Mick? Would he take to her the way she had to him? There was no guarantee he'd be enthralled with Julia when this was all over.

She shook her head. Either way, she had to try. And she didn't much think that anyone deserved to die the kinds of deaths her people had suffered at the hands of Kendall and his alien pals.

There needed to be some payback.

Big time.

At the entrance to the jungle, Julia paused again and sucked down more water. She was worried about dehydrating with all the exertion she'd been putting herself through today. Combined with the multi-climactic settings she'd been walking through and she'd have to be careful she didn't pass out at some point.

It was time.

She nudged her way through the entrance and paused there.

Waiting.

Part of her suspected they might have set some type of trap. Waiting for her to come back.

But she saw nothing that would indicate such a thing.

What she did see was the body of the dinosaur with Nung's head embedded in its chest still laying where she'd left it.

Dead.

Nung's eyes were closed.

Like he was sleeping.

But he wouldn't be waking up from this one.

She moved further into the jungle and sniffed the air cautiously. But again, there seemed to be nothing to alarm her. The air seemed clear. She took a deep breath, watched for any unusual side effects and could find none.

Maybe Kendall thought she'd run back to the research station without caring about what happened to Mick.

Good.

She paused by the dinosaur, knelt down and touched Nung's face. She whispered a silent prayer of the kind she hadn't said in so many years. She hoped he'd find a way to forgive her.

She hoped she'd find a way to forgive herself, too.

The rifles clanked against each other as she walked further down the trail. She followed the curves now more confidently than she had before. She knew where she was going.

And while she kept an ear peeled for possible dinocreatures and other nastiness, something told her she didn't have much to worry about. She hastened along.

When she finally saw the metallic door leading into the spaceship, she paused. This was it.

She tucked two of the M16s underneath a nearby shrub, along with some grenades and ammunition. Chances were good that she and Mick would need them when they came running out.

She slid her own M16 off her back and held it at ready. She kept the other diagonal across her back for Mick. She prayed he'd be safe until she could get to him.

But where was he?

She pressed the door release on the side of the door and it slid open suddenly with a sharp hiss. Julia took one last glance around and stepped inside.

The door slid shut behind her.

Silence dropped.

Julia stood not moving for a minute, taking in everything around her and letting the ambient noises settle in her ears. If anything changed, subconsciously, she'd notice it.

She could see blast marks on the walls still, evidence of the lasers shot at her and Mick during their escape attempt. She could see smaller scars from the bullets they'd fired as well.

Here and there on the floor, dark stains showed up.

Blood?

But whose?

Julia pushed the idea that it might be Mick's out of her mind. She had to concentrate on finding him. If there was bad news waiting, she'd handle it when she got to it.

She turned left and headed down the long winding corridor back toward where she and Mick had come from before they got to this point.

The ship seemed deserted.

It worried Julia just a bit. Where was everyone? Where was Mick? Had they gone some place else? Did they have the capability to transport people to places outside the ship? Could they be there now and Julia not even know it?

Anything seemed possible now, after all she'd been through.

But in truth, she suspected they were simply deeper in the bowels of the ship, rather than out here on its periphery. And that was fine with Julia. She'd find them in her own time. And she'd kill every last one of them.