Undergrowth.




One by one they slowly make their way along the winding dirt path amidst the dense curtain of trees and foliage. The silence here is disturbing to Samantha Bliss, only a short time ago they could hear the unmistakable sounds of gunfire and screaming coming from up the mountainside. Lifeguard tells her that he has not heard from Klinger’s group in almost thirty minutes. And he was growing concerned. So now here is Samantha Bliss, Priss, Ajax and the little spitfire known as Sil, cautiously making their way single file up the path. All around them the only sounds they hear is the uncomfortable all consuming silence. All walking again towards the unknown, but this is what they do, when the concern for your own safety is outweighed by the concern for the well being and safety of others. Weapons drawn they approach the first clearing, when all at once they find themselves staring down the weapons of Klinger’s rear flank. It is Church, he holds two fingers up to his lips and motions to Samantha Bliss and the others to spread out. She nods and motions to the others. It is then that she sees Klinger just ahead, she can tell by the look on his face that there is something very wrong. They have come upon a small cluster of woodland shacks numbering between ten and fifteen, all of the inhabitants lay dead, in small pools of blood, they all spread out clearing each shack one at a time with weapons drawn, each time with the same result. All dead.. Men.. Women.. Children all slaughtered. Klinger’s teeth slowly clamp down on the cigar between his lips. He looks up at Samantha Bliss.

Wounded Immortal.





“ They’ve been dead less than two hours .. I’m guessing that the ones we encountered down the side of the mountain didn’t even know.”
“ Yeah. Either that Kling or they thought that you were the ones that did it.”
His steel blue eyes slowly scan over the bloody scene.
“Yeah.. That seems likely we only tangled with them awhile ago though, they all had bows, there were six that we had to take out, they must have been out hunting when they came back to this.”
“Samantha! Over here!”
She turns towards Sil’s voice and begins to walk towards her, all of the while silently surveying the grim scene around her. When she arrives Sil’s is leaning over something that she has found in the wet soil.
“What is it Sil?”
“A paw print.”
She kneels beside of Sil. slowly pulling the Plasma rifle to her side.
“And just why is this significant?”
Sil stands abruptly and stares into the deep woods.
“Because it isn’t of an animal that you are going to find on earth.”
Priss appears at their side and kneels down slowly to examine the paw print.
She slowly looks at Samantha Bliss and then rises. Her own eyes now begin to scan the deep woods.
“Tholos.. He’s here.. He probably followed Morganna.”
The members of team Alpha begin to congregate around Priss.
“He is a known associate of Forge’s.. he’s a tracker. And he always has a team of Hell hounds with him. Forge must have brought him to Oxenburgh with him. And when she took out Forge he must have followed Morganna here to retrieve the piece of the Stone.”
“Hell Hounds?.. Oh great, so how many are there?”
Sil stands silently staring into the woods. Priss walks up beside of Klinger and puts her hand on his shoulder.
“There are usually six to a pack.”
Sil has begun to walk up the path into the darkened woods. Samantha Bliss nods to Klinger.
“Some of you better stay here I’ll see what she’s up to.”
Twenty feet down the path she sees Sil coming back towards her. Helping a wounded Morganna back to the clearing.


Scratch ABT. Copyright © 2007.

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