The Phoenix Colony

Fox lays there against the side of the cave, covered with dirt and Reva. After coughing up a little blood, she yells out, "Grab the guns and start shooting. Also use any mutation you have if it can help us."

 

Viva nodded and decided to use her own imagination for once. She looked towards Pasha and then down at the beast.
"Let's give this momma some motherhood."
She started imagining the beast would be weak, fragile and paralyzed. With that hope, she kept thinking about it, almost meditating.

 

"Stop telling everyone the obvious and get inside the damned cave!" Reva hissed at Fox as she rose into a crouch, grabbing the woman's arm and almost dragging her.

Any minute she expected to disappear like Bardon had, swallowed nearly whole. Her whole body clenched with the expectation of it.

Instead she heard a snorting that sounded...confused? Turning in the overhang of the cave, Reva's gaze swept back and forth, looking for any sign.

Earth kicked up on the other side of the fire. Then sparks rose as something smashed into that. There was silence for a moment.

The Beast watched the little snacks run like ants on a confused anthill. The one she had eaten was a good appetizer, the rifle not so much. Her nose smarted from brisk contact with the ground when she had tried to pin Fox and the rifle caught in her throat.

She hacked, an explosive sound, and the rifle dropped directly into the fire.

Weakness began to consume the beast. The wicked eyes blinked lazily...she smelled her errant little one in the cave and scraped up the energy to bellow for it. Her body wouldn't work right and she began to fall-

-when the rifle rounds began to explode in the fire, jolting the huge animal out of thrall.

She roared angrily and dove for the little beings in the cave doorway. An animal of this planet the imaginings had slipped their hold on her. She grabbed a struggling, screaming gang member in her jaws and crunched him into three pieces, eating the midriff from armpits to hips first and diving in to devour the fallen upper body and legs as delicacies.

Then, grasping the rock above the cave in her claws, she pulled off a loose boulder and let it drop.

 

As Fox quickly scrambles into the cave. She quickly goes for the handguns. She sits down and concentrates on its movement. While keeping her eyes closed she raises the guns and begins to fire over and over again, aiming for its eye movement.

 

The Beast fell back under the barrage of bullets, bellowing again as some buried themselves in her hide. She lifted the piece of rock and hurled it at the cave entrance then scrambled up and over slithering so that she lay out of sight on the 'roof' watching over the edge to see what the soft small two-legs would do.

 

Pasha got up from the back of the cave just as the commotion started, with his spears on his body and his staff close at hand. He slid the knife in between his teeth, as he stood feet behind Viva. He wasn’t sure how to take this on, as he held the first of the spears up. He couldn’t see the beast, which was going to be their biggest problem.

“We need blood!” he yelled, “We can throw it on the beast.” He looked around, as his knife fell into his hand, his eyes stopped on the gang members that littered the inside of the cave. His eyes stopped at Reva and he stepped forward.

 

Reva had been searching the falling dark outside, trying to see eyeshine, looking for the elusive movement of nothing.

"We need blood!" it was Pasha's voice, heavy with something terrifying. She swiveled to look at him and saw his eyes fastened on her, "We can throw it on the Beast."

Her mouth went dry as he advanced on her, knife flashing orange from fireglow.

"What are you doing?" she asked him crouching defensively, "you can't just kill someone!"

 

Fox reloads the guns and points them at Pasha. "Back up from Reva. If you are going to use blood, use your own blood." says Fox in a commanding tone, "Please don't try to hurt Reva, I really don't want to have to kill you."

 

Pasha couldn’t help but laugh, as he threw the frantic voices inside his head to the back.

“Kill? That beast will kill us all if we can’t even see it.” He growled. He didn’t wait as he backed up slowly, keeping his eye on Reva.

He took a glance at the gun in Fox’s hand and gave her a grin.

“Stupid bitch. You’ll learn.” He backed up, until he could hear the breathing of the man that stood behind him.

 

Viva was mostly occupied with her imagination, but she saw the situation slipping past for Pasha. She slowly tiptoed towards Fox, keeping her concentration. She didn't want him hurt, no matter what. She smiled at Fox and then suddenly kicked the gun out of her hand.
"Let him be."
She said coldly, making sure her concentration remained. Then, an idea struck her. She smiled and thought of a Fox being surrounded by hula dancers. Though her head ached now, she was happy to be able to use her imagination a little strongly.

 

Fox jumps back and grabs up her guns again. This time pointing one at Pasha and one at Viva. "Now that I know you concentrate on you, you won't be able to do that again. I know love can't make you this stupid. Pasha is getting crazier, and you know it. Hell, according to Raylene and Kat, he almost killed you. Its only a matter of time before he tries that again with one of us. We should kill him and use his blood to splash onto the beast, for all of our sakes." says Fox. Hula dancers appeared around her. She yells out "Viva, you better stop it, or I will start shooting."

 

"Let's not kill each other," Reva held out a hand toward them, hoping Pasha wouldn't try to jump her, hoping that Fox wouldn't have to shoot anyone. She kept peering outside, looking to see any indication of the Beast but an unearthly hush had fallen outside. Even her mutated hearing caught nothing.

Nothing that went thud-THUD thud-THUD.

Something that sounded like the earth itself had a heartbeat. She tilted her head up, to stare as though she could see through the rock ceiling and silently pointed upwards.

The Beast was lying on top of the cave, waiting for the unwary to come out.

She was angry and hungry. The smell of her little one wafted from the cave entrance along with the scent of many of the two-legs. An animal anxiety for the young back at her own lair and the one in this cave tore at her and she pawed at her face, stinging from the bullets embedded in her hide. There was little blood, her flesh closing over the irritants.

She lay silently, watching down over the edge, keeping an eye on the entrance of the cave, tail twitching.

 

Pasha smiled at Fox, bringing his knife up, juggling it in his good hand. He nodded his head, the grin never leaving his face. Self-sacrifice. He would have to. He was condemned if he killed one of the other useless lugs. Death after this was over, or death by that stupid bitch.

In a quick stabbing motion, the knife came down to his shoulder and his chest. The blood came quickly, as he put his hand to the wound. He yelled and started forward, dropping his weapons as he continued forward. His hand shook as he looked at Fox, he dropped all but his knife at her side.

“You better use those when the times right. You shouldn’t have too long.” He grinned at her, as he walked past once more. He stopped just before he got to the mouth of the gave, the blood now covering his arm. He grabbed one of the skulls from what was left of the makeshift sled, and let his blood drip into it.

He looked back one last time at Viva, “I love you.” He said, his eyes changing to a soft look, “I’ve always loved you, and you will be the last and only thing I’ll dream about.”

He fell to the ground on his knees, grabbing more of the skulls as his body slowly got weaker. He took the knife, sliding it across his throat. He gagged, and struggled to stay up as he placed the skulls underneath them, the blood poured in as he fell to the ground.

“You crazy bastard. You finally went over the top… and killed yourself.” He heard Yuri say as he lost the ability to even move.

His heart came to a slow stammer, and the blood came out onto the floor.

“Bait.” He muttered, just before his heart came to a stop.

 

Viva dropped to her knees, losing her concentration. Her eyes were filled with tears as Pasha's body became nothing but a mass of dead cells. The beast's rambling could be heard as Viva let her gain confidence. Unwillingly, ashe crawled together Pasha and kissed him on the cheek. When the beast gave another growl, she winced and looked back at others, her eyes drenched in wretchedness.
"I'm sorry, but I can make it up to you."
She looked down at Pasha and said serenely:
"I love you too."
She quickly pulled the knife from his hand and cut her entire chest open, dragging it down to her legs. Her heartbeat stopped as it bore the bruises, and her blood added to the resources.

 

Fox drops to her knees, and tears begin to come from her eyes. So many people were dying because of that beast and there was nothing she could do about it. Bardon, Viva, Pasha, Ben, that gang member, and Britney, all dead. She looks up at Reva and says "I don't know what to do anymore. More and more people are dying, and I can't stop it."

 

All the air seemed to be sucked from the room. Reva felt lightheaded, everything slow and heavy she couldn't hear herself scream, only feel it as she ran toward Pasha, watching his knife slice a glittering arc across his own throat.

Wide-eyed with horror Reva stood, trying not to see but shaking uncontrollably, unable to look away even as Viva joined him in Reva's line of sight, destroying herself as well.

Frank appeared in her vision, looking grim, walking slowly to the two, making sure that the blood went into the vessels.

And the slow, heavy Thump-Thump of the Beast's heart overlaid everything with its menacing beat.

Hands...hand...grabbed at her, turned her around and she vaguely saw Fox standing a little way off, looking down at the knives as though stunned, falling to her knees. Then Reva was pressed against a man's chest, her head forced into his neck, blotting out the bloody scene of double suicide. She felt him attempt to embrace her with a stiffened, broken opposite arm and felt the wordless low vibrating croon of comfort.

She burrowed into his neck, still shaking, clutching a double handful of his clothing, unable to watch Frank at his task.

A new scent joined the others, wafting to the Beast's questing nostrils. Blood. The smell whetted the keen edge of her hunger and she shifted, impatient to claw her way into the cave below and clean it of every tasty morsel. Yet she waited, knowing that the success of a hunter often depended on patience.

 

Smith had nearly carried Ray to the cave, had even managed to be the first one to the door. He ran with her to the back of the cave, holding her gently as the bloody scene took place, he didn't even have time to offer the use of berries before the fool had killed himself. He had held Ray against his chest at this point blocking her view of the bloody scene. "It'll be ok, I promise." He told her softly whispering into her ear. He felt her grab tightly onto him. "I... I love you Ray, nothing is going to happen to you." He promised again, kissing her forehead gently before pulling her close again. He looked at Reva. He might be the only person that the beast might spit out if he got a bite, though from the looks of things it'd shater Smith's body in the process. "What do you need me to do to cover that beast in that stuff?" He asked and Ray pushed herself away and looked up at him in shock. She shouldn't be, he had been voleteering for this job since the first meeting.

 

She needed to get a hold of herself, Reva knew that. Leaders weren't supposed to blubber into someone's shirt front. Yet the hand on her head remained, stroking her hair now.

"What do you need me to do to cover the beast in that stuff?" It was Chad, quiet and resolute.

Reva stifled her own emotions, still clinging to the man that held her but now listening. The heartbeat remained overhead, pulsating.

"While it is on the roof," she gulped finally, "I don't think we can do anything. It can probably see from where it is...remember, we found out that it is an ambush hunter."

Reva looked through the gaps in the doorway and saw that night had clamped down outside.

"It's night time and by all accounts we're pretty sure it's noctournal. I say we hold it off until morning and then draw it out, hope for a sunny day, and then try to kill it."

She sighed, burrowing her forehead against the chest in front of her again....she heard someone shush her as her voice had risen shrilly. She gulped damply and went on.

"As for throwing b-blood on it," she stumbled over the word, shutting her eyes, "I'm not sure how I'd go about that. I'm not even sure if we should try. It's awfully risky."

 

Fox stays on her knees, listening to what Chad says. "Great another person is going to die, and there is nothing I can do about it." thinks Fox. She looks towards the wall of the cave, not wanting the others to see her being weak. "All this death, and there is nothing I can do." thinks Fox. She suddenly hears Britney's voice in her head, "Fox snap out of it. You are strong. You can help them." "No I can't. Why do you think I'm strong, I'm just a weak girl who can't protect the people I care about." thinks Fox. She hears Lonan's voice in her head "You were never weak. You survived more than most people ever could. Others would have been broken by now, but not you. You can do this." "Would both of you just shut up!" thinks Fox as hard as she can. She pulls out her knife from her belt and slides it along her wrist.

A little bit of blood trickles down her arm and the pain snaps her back to reality. Also with the pain comes a since of calmness. It was as if everything was ok. There was no sadness, anxiety, or anger in her anymore. She stands and looks at Chad. There were still tears on her face, but she looks completely content. She smiles and says "Chad, man, hold on for a second. I think I have a better idea. You should throw Pasha's and Viva's bodies outside. When it tries to eat them, we'll throw the blood on it." in a completely relaxed voice.

 

Then realization hit smith. "This shouldn't even work." He said knowingly. The creature is sure to have some dirt on him, and we can't see that, right? No creature is that clean, I'm not that clean. The blood will most likely disapear when it hits the beast." He said hoping that his thoughts made since to the others. "But i might be able to stall it in place for a moment if some one can think of a way to kill it." He said sure of himself. He hoped biting a bone hard man would shock the creature like it would any other creature.

 

Fox lets out a loud laugh. She smiles and says "Ofcourse, ofcourse. Why didn't I realize that before. We should have been able to see the blood on it from when I shot." as she laughs some more. She leans against the back of the cave and says "Hell, why don't we just get it over with. We are going to die on this world, so we might as well get it over with. Lets just walk out and let the damn thing eat us already." She hears Britney's voice in her head again, "Fox please don't. You can survive this. Please don't die, you still have too much to live for." Fox falls to her knees and holds her hands over her ears. She says "Britney, would you please shut up. I have nothing to live for on this planet. Most of the people here hate me anyways, and I have no way of getting home, so why should I bother fighting to stay alive anymore."

 

Reva sighed and pushed away from the comforting arms surrounding her. There was no time for her to feel emotion, to take comfort, to be human. Fox was falling apart and they all needed each other at this point.

Crossing to Fox she smacked her hard across the face, crouching and staring at her.

"I need you to be Fox, combat-trained, bloody-minded, arrogant Fox. If I can't break down I don't see why you should have the luxury of dramatic-"

Fox's eyes wandered and Reva slapped her again, hard.

"Focus! If you don't help now then Pasha and Viva will have given their blood for nothing. Try to act like what you are."

Standing, Reva wiped away a few more tears of her own and turned to Chad.

"We're making a lot of assumptions about what can be seen and what can't be," she stated, "everytime anyone's seen the thing they've been scared too witless to study it. Heck, a pink ostrich could have been riding on it's back and would anyone really have noticed? Let's say the blood will work...it's worth a try.

"Now...we have to think of what will actually kill it. I have an idea but I'm not sure I like it."

 

Chrys jumped up, "Okay, I went space cadet...What the frick is going on?! Dead? Big Burly and his mate are dead?" She flings her hands up, and then smiles at Reva, "There's the girl I knew waas hiding!"

 

Fox stands and gives herself another cut on the wrist with her knife. "Logan, I know you told me to never cut again after catching me doing it, but right now I need it to stay sane." thinks Fox. Once again, with the pain and blood, comes that sense of calmness. She thinks "Brit, I'm sorry for the way I was just acting."

She walks over to Reva and says "Sorry about that. I'm fine now. So what is your plan and how am I going to save all of us this time?" with a grin.

 

Smith nodded. Reva was back in charge. Things might just turn out good. Then Ray pinched his palm, Smith winced, his soft palm sore now, he looed down at Ray who had tear in her eyes. "You can't do that!" She said and Smith shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid." She said and held smith tight.

"Lets hear Reva's plan first." Smith said unable to make eye contact with Ray. "Go ahead Reva."