Big Game - 03 by Sandy Schofield

Author:Sandy Schofield [Schofield, Sandy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

15

A true hunter must know what weapons to use for each creature. A hunter does not go after a small bird with a tree stump. Or attack a running buffalo with only his fists. But even with the correct weapon, the ultimate outcome always turns on the ability of the hunter to outthink his prey.

Nakai’s heart had stopped racing and he had caught his breath long before he reached the outside perimeter of the army encampment. Before he went in, he finished off the third bottle of water, figuring after his near miss in the desert, he needed it.

The army had decided to set up their headquarters in a small valley, just above where Cole Army Base used to be. Even in the moonlight, he could see the changes: the desert glittered like a billion stars, the sand fused by the intense heat of the explosion into a field of glass globules reflecting the moon.

Nakai would have thought they’d have set up the camp farther away, but apparently those in charge knew more than he did.

He climbed silently up toward a shallow saddle among some large rocks. Two guards sat near a fire. The smell of coffee filled the night, making Nakai’s stomach rumble slightly. Except for the blue-plate special at Rosalita’s, he hadn’t had anything at all to eat for almost twelve hours. He was going to need some more food soon to replenish his strength.

Nakai moved up to a point twenty feet from the two guards. The firelight brought both their faces into clear perspective, just as the monster’s fire had illuminated him. Nakai found it strange that this fire calmed him, while the other had terrified him, even before he had seen the creature warming itself before its flames.

Nakai crouched and stared, taking in the entire scene. These two guards were the only men on this part of the perimeter.

One of the men wore black-rimmed glasses, while the other had deep-set eyes and a heavy mustache. It seemed that the one with glasses was supposed to be walking post, but had stopped for the moment. A moment was just enough time for Nakai to get through easily.

“Say, Figueras,” the one with glasses said, kneeling by the fire. “How about another cup of Java? I got more than an hour to go and I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

“You’re still on watch, Private,” the one sitting by the fire said, his voice deep and strong. “The major will kill you if he sees you off post.”

“Man, I can hardly stay awake enough to walk,” the man in glasses said just as Nakai moved past them, silently creeping through the dark night toward the camp below. “Besides, that’s a bomb crater over there. People died there, and they don’t know exactly what kind of weapon caused it. Ain’t no one in his right mind who’d want to be within miles of this spot.”

Nakai completely agreed with the private. No sane person would want to be here. But at the moment he knew he was far from sane.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.