The lush green world of Kraw was a breathtaking place. The flora covering this green dot in space was exotic, regardless of one’s origin. A well-balanced ecosystem was formed over the course of millions of years. Not only did the plant life adapt throughout the years, so did the fauna.
The gorgeous jungles housed many dangers. A wide variety of deadly creatures inhabited the never-ending jungle of Kraw. Whether they traveled by land, air or water, if one were to set foot out in these parts, its best you assume everything is out to kill you. It’s this notion that not many people travel here. It’s a place for adventurers, scientists, hunters and apparently archeologists. Due to the historic nature of the planet, many scholars come to find traces of the ancient civilizations, hoping to discover whatever treasure they have left behind. Whether they were seekers of artifacts or knowledge, for every hunter there was a prize somewhere on this island.
Deep in the jungle of Kraw, there was a trio of men, scientists. After many years of research, and laying their lives on the line trying to get to this exact spot, they finally did it. They found the remnants of the ancient civilization known as ‘Péam’. Legend has it they were guardians to something that was called: ‘Gift of the gods’. This gift was not to be used by men. They were mere protectors of it until the divine creatures would return to reclaim their prize.
As with many civilizations, the Péam became a mere footnote in the history of the ruthless planet. But on this joyous of days, the Peam have been rediscovered. Or at least what is left of them. The first of the scientist, Todd, returned to camp. Covered in dirt, mud, spiderwebs, and god knows what else. But it did not withhold the young man from flashing his stupidest of grins. Behind him was his colleague, Peter, not the sharpest lad but he was handy when it came to fending off trespassers and other ‘jungle dangers’ they may encounter. Last to arrive back at camp, carrying a small bag with him was the oriental man going by the name of Kanda. They converged around the campfire celebrating their discovery. Little did they know that an alpha predator had marked them as it’s pray.
Amongst the thick growth of the jungle, hidden between the leaves and exotic plant growth they were being watched.
“Thaaaat’s right, celebrate your little victory. You obviously earned it.” Klaue whispered in his South African accent. The scientists weren’t the only ones that did their research. Having followed them to this planet and tracking them deep into the treacherous jungle. They finally stopped, allowing him to set up camp outside their base, biding his time. Ulysses stared through the rifle’s scope, watching the three men celebrate their achievement.
“I can’t believe we finally did it, we are the best scientist ever.” The hunter continued in a higher pitched voice, adding dialogue to the quiet scene he was observing from afar.
“Yes, for a couple of idiots we did a great job collecting treasures, I sure hope we live long enough to enjoy our scientific achievement and tell everyone about it.” A deeper voice continued the impression.
His trigger finger laid dormant on the mechanism. Klaue was in complete control of his body and breathing. Not moving a single muscle the hunter blended in with the environment like a snowflake on a frozen lake. The target lens moved from one scientist to the other,
“eenie….meenie…. miney….mo.”
Ulysses controlled his breathing and exhaled at a slow pace. A gentle pull on the excessive sensitive trigger set off the starting signal of the hunter’s games.
*BLAM*
The first plasma bolt shot through the dense jungle, relieving Peter’s head from his torso. A clean hit. The headless body crumbled to the ground. The others looked with disbelief, there was no panic, no screaming, just a blank emotionless stare. Dealing with the shock made them an even easier target, like shooting plastic ducks at a carnival.
*BLAM*
The pulse forcefully dug its way through Peter’s chest, leaving a bloodied hole in its wake. Gravity took a moment before deciding which way it wanted the body to drop before finally, it crumbled down at the spot. Two down, one to go. The last remaining scientist began to realize what was actually going on, finally let out a scream before starting his escape, rushing into the jungle.
Klaue smirked as he watched his prey disappear in the wild growth of Kraw, “Run, run, run as fast as you can.”
Emerging from his sniper spot, Ulysses looked down at the campsite where the two mangled corpses dropped to the ground. Like a painter admiring his latest creation on a fresh canvas, the marksman was glowing with pride. He took pride in his work, after all, a man who doesn’t enjoy what he does for a living, doesn’t live to his full potential. With his long rifle strapped to his back, he made his way to the victim’s camp, whistling the tune to ‘in the hall of the mountain king’. The ominous notes of the classical music piece set the right tone as the eccentric hunter treated through their campground. With great care, he made sure he did not touch anything by soil—avoiding his boots getting blood or any other chunks that were intended to stay inside one's body on them. The high pitched whistling turned into a calm hum as Klaue casually searched through the remaining gear. An eyebrow quirked up, standing in the middle of camp looking around him. To his surprise, the artifact he was looking for was not amongst the rubble. Ulysses turned over to the bushes where the last of the scientist rushed into.
“Ah, I love a good hunt.” He spoke as if clenching his thirst after a long walk through the desert.
With his sidearm in hand, he followed the most obvious trail he’d had seen in a while. It was rather disappointing. Instead of a carefully thought through escape plan, this Kanda character was just running around like a headless chicken. Who does that in a jungle like this?! The trail continued, moving into the deeper territory of the Kraw jungle. The continues heat in combination with high humidity made the trip rather uncomfortable. The tracks were so clear he didn’t even need to pay attention anymore, without realizing he switched to autopilot while his thoughts lingered towards better times. When this job was done he was going to grab a nice cool glass of beer. A nice layer of foam while chicken wings with chili dip on the way. The good life. The corners of his mouth moved slightly upwards, resembling the faintest of smiles. Almost as if he was there already.
The trail continued for a while: deep footprints, disturbed plants, ruptured pieces of cloth, blood….blood? This unusual appearance of made Ulysses snap out of his daydream. Knowing for sure he did not shoot or hit the Asian man he kneeled down for a closer look. Two fingers dipped into the red substance which proved to be rather fresh. Up ahead he noticed the more and more of it laying around. Both fingers got wiped clean on the bottom of his pants as the hunter pressed forward. Klaue stopped when a few meters ahead he noticed a second pair of prints in the mud, they weren’t human, and the claw prints in combination with the blood found earlier made it very clear it wasn’t friendly.
With a creature nearby which—unlike the scientist—had the ability to pose an actual threat to the arms dealer, Ulysses treated with more care. His pace slowed down, eyes scanning the surroundings like an airplane radar, finally some excitement. Every leaf that moved caught his attention, strange noises in the distance kept him sharp. The trail led to a small crawlway underneath an enormous tree. Roots as thick as small cars dug their way deep into the earth. Some spaces between the dirt branches were large enough for a grown man to squeeze his scared ass through. The last visible drops of blood led straight to one of these places. Deep scratch marks were forced into the wood. Klaue moved his index finger through one of the imprints. Whatever was chasing his pray, it wasn’t any bigger than a horse. Ulysses sighed, a combination of relief and disappointment was mixed through it. They say size doesn’t matter but what hunter doesn’t enjoy a big game prize?
Leaves rustled behind the tracker’s back. Eyes shifted to the right side, making sure Klaue didn’t make any sudden movements, triggering whatever was inching closer to him. Hand tightened on his weapon, placing his finger on the trigger. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen soon and fast. several twigs snapped at the same location on his right-hand side. A fresh drop of sweat mad it’s way over his temple down to his chin. This, the thrill of the hunt is what he lives for. All that thing had to do was reveal itself so Klaue could end it’s miserable existence.
The creature’s warcry combined with the noise it made by charging out of the wild growth of the jungle was to be expected. The fact that this creature came from the left, meaning there was two of them, wasn’t. Out of pure instinctive reflex, Ulysses lits up his left arm to protect his face from the surprise attack. Razor Sharp teeth bit down, tearing through the cloth of his shirt, into the bionic arm. The screeching sound of teeth scratching the immensely strong and rare metal vibrated through the air. It was not until that moment Klaue saw what he was up against. This was the first time a velociraptor charged him, trying to eat his vibranium arm. With a raptor in one arm and his gun in the other, he knew what needed to be done. Turning his head to the other side, aimed over the silencer of the gun and shot the second prehistoric beast which attempted to flank him.
*Plop, Plop, plop*
Three silenced shots were fired at his second attacker, dropping it to the ground fairly easily. The weapon was then put against the raptor using his arm as a chew toy. Pressing the silencer against the dinosaur’s skull, right between the eyes, Klaue showed a satisfied smile with sinister coating when pulling the trigger.
*Plop, Plop*
Two rounds into the creature’s brain. The jaw unclenched, dropping the rest of the body onto the ground. Now that he had time for a closer look Ulysses noticed both of the raptors weren’t adult sized. Before anything else he allowed his senses to take in the surrounding. Taking in any hints of others still lurking in the jungle somewhere. But, there was no indication of that being the case.
“You can come out now.”
It remained silent—no response was given.
“You either come out now or stay in there and get eaten by the rest of them. Either way is fine with me really.”
His empty threat appeared to have worked. From underneath the tree, amongst the thick roots of the ancient tree, the older Asian man appeared. His uniform smeared with blood, face scratched open and a heavy limp.
“Bwahahaha Oh man, you look like shit.” The hunter mocked the mortally wounded man. Kanda coughed, spewing out blood all over the ground.
“Ey! Watch it!” Klaue shouted before wiping a speck of human blood off from his boot. “These are my favorite ones.” The fact that his shirt was covered in dinosaur brain, didn’t seem to bother him one bit. Kanda’s faint eyes were colored with disbelief about the entire situation.
“Don’t give me that look. I tell you what, you look like shit, you had a rough day. Hand it over and we call it a day, I will even let you rest at camp.”
With one foot in the grave, the researcher didn’t see any other option, he chose life. Wincing in pain he took out a small golden statue shaped like a cat, covered in some kind of native inscription.
“Waaooh, would you look at that. Now that is a good looking kitty.” Klaue reached out and took it from the wounded man. The artifact reflected the glistening of the sun. Ulysses stared at the statue, amazed by the craftsmanship of it. “This thing is worth a fortune.”
“That thing is a priceless piece of history, it shouldn't be in possession of someone like you.” The victim snapped.
“Oh don’t worry, I am merely here to collect, this kitty will have a new home soon enough.” The statue disappeared in his bag. “Well, time to go should be night time soon. And keep up, don’t want to be stuck out here when it gets dark, and neither should you. Now help me cut a piece of this beast before we head back to camp.” With his machete he cut off one of the raptor’s rear legs, it wasn’t chicken, but it would have to do.
The trip back to camp was uneventful. Just a complaint here and there regarding the older man’s walking speed. “With all that extra weight you lost in blood you would think you’d be moving faster, ghehe.”
Even though the hike was a short one, for the scientist it was too much. His legs gave up underneath him the moment they reached the camp the hunter set up, just a click from his own camp. The site screamed experience, the location perfect, shelter from the rock wall on one side, and plenty of plant growth to cover itself from any curious eyes. The camp itself wasn’t much, a circle of stones in order to safely create a fire. five large leaves bound to each other created a homemade roof, with underneath a place to sleep and rest.
“Don’t be shy, have a seat.” Klaue welcomed his guest. “Just not over there, I don’t want you bleeding all over my stuff.”
Kanda dragged his feet over to his designated spot, where he finally dropped down. The scientist kept applying pressure to his wound.
“You don’t look so good there Doc, that thing really did a number on you.”
The pale victim leaned against the rock wall, his eyes more dead than alive. His breathing got more heavy as time went on. Ulysses didn’t seem to be all to bothered by the worrisome medical condition of his guest. From behind his sleeping spot, he collected some branches, dry leaves, and other flammable components. It wasn’t long before a fire was lit and the Raptor’s hind leg was being roasted above it.
Klaue inhaled through his nose, extracting the smell from the air surrounding the meat, “Smell that! If only I had some seasoning with me, I’m sure this would beat even a roasted chicken.”
Kanda gave no reply, staring into the flames of the campfire his soul appeared to be out of this world already. The sun was setting, creating an orange glow over the pre-night sky. It was both beautiful and ominous at the same time—indicating the survival of yet another day in the deathtrap that was the jungle and warning for the terrors that roam the night. Not even Ulysses was stupid enough to underestimate those.
Taking a big bite out of the raptor’s roasted leg he took a moment to take all the flavor in, “Ya know, this ain’t half bad. You should really try some of this.” Klaue threw a piece of meat at Kanda, only for it to bounce off his seemingly lifeless face. “This is what I’ve always wondered yeah. When we go shopping for food we see all these delicious things; eggs, bacon, steak, chocolate, you know, all that good stuff. Now, and stay with me on this, imagine you being one of these raptors, a killing machine from ancient times. You see one of us running away from you as you hunt them down. Do you think they would see us as a steak fleeing for his life or maybe bacon strips dashing through the jungle.” Klaue picked some flesh out between his teeth before continuing, “Things like this make me think. I can’t imagine running around the jungle, chasing a chocolate bar to satisfy my needs.”
The strange philosophy was lost on Kanda, blinking with his eyes was the only sign of life left in him. Day turned into night, the light turned into darkness, Ulysses looks up to the stars in the heavens, “It seems our time is up my friend. I got one last job for you.”
Klaue got up to his feet, picked up a rope and made his way to the unwilling guest who was still down on the floor. “C’mon, get up now.” He got no response from the elderly Asian man. “Don’t be like this, I don’t want to play games. It’s late and I want to get some rest.” Again, the scientist was unresponsive. “Alright then, have it your way.” With his bionic arm he lifted the wounded man from the ground, and like carrying a briefcase to work he took him into the dark shadows of the jungle.
“I just want you to know, this is nothing personal. We all have our jobs, our stories. Yours was just unlucky, I mean, look where you ended up.” A good five minutes from camp he stopped at one of the bigger trees of the surrounding, “Perfect.”
Putting down his scientist ‘briefcase’ and taking the rope in both hands he took a steady stance. Waving the rope around to gain momentum, his eyes were focused on one of the thicker branches above. All it took was one decent throw and the rope hung over the branch. Klaue lowered it far enough for it to reach the ground again. Wrapping the rope around Kanda’s waist and securing it with a tight knot, he started showing his sinister yet mocking grin. The scientist got pulled upwards, roughly 12 feet from the ground. Like a pinata, the older man was dangling from the tree.
“Now, be a good piece of bait and get me a good night rest.” Ulysses took out his silenced pistol and shot a round in Kanda’s lower abdomen, allowing a stream of blood to drip to the ground. The scientist screamed when the bullet penetrated his body, exactly what the hunter was hoping for, a nice dinner bell.
“Thank you and goodnight, your story seems to end here.” With those words, Klaue disappeared into the night, back to camp where he snuggled inside his sleeping bag. Well hidden between the leaves, he created a true camouflage sleeping spot.
Deep in the jungle, he heard bone-chilling screams disturb the silence. Yet to him, it was like a sweet lullaby, “Hmm, goodnight.”
The gorgeous jungles housed many dangers. A wide variety of deadly creatures inhabited the never-ending jungle of Kraw. Whether they traveled by land, air or water, if one were to set foot out in these parts, its best you assume everything is out to kill you. It’s this notion that not many people travel here. It’s a place for adventurers, scientists, hunters and apparently archeologists. Due to the historic nature of the planet, many scholars come to find traces of the ancient civilizations, hoping to discover whatever treasure they have left behind. Whether they were seekers of artifacts or knowledge, for every hunter there was a prize somewhere on this island.
Deep in the jungle of Kraw, there was a trio of men, scientists. After many years of research, and laying their lives on the line trying to get to this exact spot, they finally did it. They found the remnants of the ancient civilization known as ‘Péam’. Legend has it they were guardians to something that was called: ‘Gift of the gods’. This gift was not to be used by men. They were mere protectors of it until the divine creatures would return to reclaim their prize.
As with many civilizations, the Péam became a mere footnote in the history of the ruthless planet. But on this joyous of days, the Peam have been rediscovered. Or at least what is left of them. The first of the scientist, Todd, returned to camp. Covered in dirt, mud, spiderwebs, and god knows what else. But it did not withhold the young man from flashing his stupidest of grins. Behind him was his colleague, Peter, not the sharpest lad but he was handy when it came to fending off trespassers and other ‘jungle dangers’ they may encounter. Last to arrive back at camp, carrying a small bag with him was the oriental man going by the name of Kanda. They converged around the campfire celebrating their discovery. Little did they know that an alpha predator had marked them as it’s pray.
Amongst the thick growth of the jungle, hidden between the leaves and exotic plant growth they were being watched.
“Thaaaat’s right, celebrate your little victory. You obviously earned it.” Klaue whispered in his South African accent. The scientists weren’t the only ones that did their research. Having followed them to this planet and tracking them deep into the treacherous jungle. They finally stopped, allowing him to set up camp outside their base, biding his time. Ulysses stared through the rifle’s scope, watching the three men celebrate their achievement.
“I can’t believe we finally did it, we are the best scientist ever.” The hunter continued in a higher pitched voice, adding dialogue to the quiet scene he was observing from afar.
“Yes, for a couple of idiots we did a great job collecting treasures, I sure hope we live long enough to enjoy our scientific achievement and tell everyone about it.” A deeper voice continued the impression.
His trigger finger laid dormant on the mechanism. Klaue was in complete control of his body and breathing. Not moving a single muscle the hunter blended in with the environment like a snowflake on a frozen lake. The target lens moved from one scientist to the other,
“eenie….meenie…. miney….mo.”
Ulysses controlled his breathing and exhaled at a slow pace. A gentle pull on the excessive sensitive trigger set off the starting signal of the hunter’s games.
*BLAM*
The first plasma bolt shot through the dense jungle, relieving Peter’s head from his torso. A clean hit. The headless body crumbled to the ground. The others looked with disbelief, there was no panic, no screaming, just a blank emotionless stare. Dealing with the shock made them an even easier target, like shooting plastic ducks at a carnival.
*BLAM*
The pulse forcefully dug its way through Peter’s chest, leaving a bloodied hole in its wake. Gravity took a moment before deciding which way it wanted the body to drop before finally, it crumbled down at the spot. Two down, one to go. The last remaining scientist began to realize what was actually going on, finally let out a scream before starting his escape, rushing into the jungle.
Klaue smirked as he watched his prey disappear in the wild growth of Kraw, “Run, run, run as fast as you can.”
Emerging from his sniper spot, Ulysses looked down at the campsite where the two mangled corpses dropped to the ground. Like a painter admiring his latest creation on a fresh canvas, the marksman was glowing with pride. He took pride in his work, after all, a man who doesn’t enjoy what he does for a living, doesn’t live to his full potential. With his long rifle strapped to his back, he made his way to the victim’s camp, whistling the tune to ‘in the hall of the mountain king’. The ominous notes of the classical music piece set the right tone as the eccentric hunter treated through their campground. With great care, he made sure he did not touch anything by soil—avoiding his boots getting blood or any other chunks that were intended to stay inside one's body on them. The high pitched whistling turned into a calm hum as Klaue casually searched through the remaining gear. An eyebrow quirked up, standing in the middle of camp looking around him. To his surprise, the artifact he was looking for was not amongst the rubble. Ulysses turned over to the bushes where the last of the scientist rushed into.
“Ah, I love a good hunt.” He spoke as if clenching his thirst after a long walk through the desert.
With his sidearm in hand, he followed the most obvious trail he’d had seen in a while. It was rather disappointing. Instead of a carefully thought through escape plan, this Kanda character was just running around like a headless chicken. Who does that in a jungle like this?! The trail continued, moving into the deeper territory of the Kraw jungle. The continues heat in combination with high humidity made the trip rather uncomfortable. The tracks were so clear he didn’t even need to pay attention anymore, without realizing he switched to autopilot while his thoughts lingered towards better times. When this job was done he was going to grab a nice cool glass of beer. A nice layer of foam while chicken wings with chili dip on the way. The good life. The corners of his mouth moved slightly upwards, resembling the faintest of smiles. Almost as if he was there already.
The trail continued for a while: deep footprints, disturbed plants, ruptured pieces of cloth, blood….blood? This unusual appearance of made Ulysses snap out of his daydream. Knowing for sure he did not shoot or hit the Asian man he kneeled down for a closer look. Two fingers dipped into the red substance which proved to be rather fresh. Up ahead he noticed the more and more of it laying around. Both fingers got wiped clean on the bottom of his pants as the hunter pressed forward. Klaue stopped when a few meters ahead he noticed a second pair of prints in the mud, they weren’t human, and the claw prints in combination with the blood found earlier made it very clear it wasn’t friendly.
With a creature nearby which—unlike the scientist—had the ability to pose an actual threat to the arms dealer, Ulysses treated with more care. His pace slowed down, eyes scanning the surroundings like an airplane radar, finally some excitement. Every leaf that moved caught his attention, strange noises in the distance kept him sharp. The trail led to a small crawlway underneath an enormous tree. Roots as thick as small cars dug their way deep into the earth. Some spaces between the dirt branches were large enough for a grown man to squeeze his scared ass through. The last visible drops of blood led straight to one of these places. Deep scratch marks were forced into the wood. Klaue moved his index finger through one of the imprints. Whatever was chasing his pray, it wasn’t any bigger than a horse. Ulysses sighed, a combination of relief and disappointment was mixed through it. They say size doesn’t matter but what hunter doesn’t enjoy a big game prize?
Leaves rustled behind the tracker’s back. Eyes shifted to the right side, making sure Klaue didn’t make any sudden movements, triggering whatever was inching closer to him. Hand tightened on his weapon, placing his finger on the trigger. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen soon and fast. several twigs snapped at the same location on his right-hand side. A fresh drop of sweat mad it’s way over his temple down to his chin. This, the thrill of the hunt is what he lives for. All that thing had to do was reveal itself so Klaue could end it’s miserable existence.
The creature’s warcry combined with the noise it made by charging out of the wild growth of the jungle was to be expected. The fact that this creature came from the left, meaning there was two of them, wasn’t. Out of pure instinctive reflex, Ulysses lits up his left arm to protect his face from the surprise attack. Razor Sharp teeth bit down, tearing through the cloth of his shirt, into the bionic arm. The screeching sound of teeth scratching the immensely strong and rare metal vibrated through the air. It was not until that moment Klaue saw what he was up against. This was the first time a velociraptor charged him, trying to eat his vibranium arm. With a raptor in one arm and his gun in the other, he knew what needed to be done. Turning his head to the other side, aimed over the silencer of the gun and shot the second prehistoric beast which attempted to flank him.
*Plop, Plop, plop*
Three silenced shots were fired at his second attacker, dropping it to the ground fairly easily. The weapon was then put against the raptor using his arm as a chew toy. Pressing the silencer against the dinosaur’s skull, right between the eyes, Klaue showed a satisfied smile with sinister coating when pulling the trigger.
*Plop, Plop*
Two rounds into the creature’s brain. The jaw unclenched, dropping the rest of the body onto the ground. Now that he had time for a closer look Ulysses noticed both of the raptors weren’t adult sized. Before anything else he allowed his senses to take in the surrounding. Taking in any hints of others still lurking in the jungle somewhere. But, there was no indication of that being the case.
“You can come out now.”
It remained silent—no response was given.
“You either come out now or stay in there and get eaten by the rest of them. Either way is fine with me really.”
His empty threat appeared to have worked. From underneath the tree, amongst the thick roots of the ancient tree, the older Asian man appeared. His uniform smeared with blood, face scratched open and a heavy limp.
“Bwahahaha Oh man, you look like shit.” The hunter mocked the mortally wounded man. Kanda coughed, spewing out blood all over the ground.
“Ey! Watch it!” Klaue shouted before wiping a speck of human blood off from his boot. “These are my favorite ones.” The fact that his shirt was covered in dinosaur brain, didn’t seem to bother him one bit. Kanda’s faint eyes were colored with disbelief about the entire situation.
“Don’t give me that look. I tell you what, you look like shit, you had a rough day. Hand it over and we call it a day, I will even let you rest at camp.”
With one foot in the grave, the researcher didn’t see any other option, he chose life. Wincing in pain he took out a small golden statue shaped like a cat, covered in some kind of native inscription.
“Waaooh, would you look at that. Now that is a good looking kitty.” Klaue reached out and took it from the wounded man. The artifact reflected the glistening of the sun. Ulysses stared at the statue, amazed by the craftsmanship of it. “This thing is worth a fortune.”
“That thing is a priceless piece of history, it shouldn't be in possession of someone like you.” The victim snapped.
“Oh don’t worry, I am merely here to collect, this kitty will have a new home soon enough.” The statue disappeared in his bag. “Well, time to go should be night time soon. And keep up, don’t want to be stuck out here when it gets dark, and neither should you. Now help me cut a piece of this beast before we head back to camp.” With his machete he cut off one of the raptor’s rear legs, it wasn’t chicken, but it would have to do.
The trip back to camp was uneventful. Just a complaint here and there regarding the older man’s walking speed. “With all that extra weight you lost in blood you would think you’d be moving faster, ghehe.”
Even though the hike was a short one, for the scientist it was too much. His legs gave up underneath him the moment they reached the camp the hunter set up, just a click from his own camp. The site screamed experience, the location perfect, shelter from the rock wall on one side, and plenty of plant growth to cover itself from any curious eyes. The camp itself wasn’t much, a circle of stones in order to safely create a fire. five large leaves bound to each other created a homemade roof, with underneath a place to sleep and rest.
“Don’t be shy, have a seat.” Klaue welcomed his guest. “Just not over there, I don’t want you bleeding all over my stuff.”
Kanda dragged his feet over to his designated spot, where he finally dropped down. The scientist kept applying pressure to his wound.
“You don’t look so good there Doc, that thing really did a number on you.”
The pale victim leaned against the rock wall, his eyes more dead than alive. His breathing got more heavy as time went on. Ulysses didn’t seem to be all to bothered by the worrisome medical condition of his guest. From behind his sleeping spot, he collected some branches, dry leaves, and other flammable components. It wasn’t long before a fire was lit and the Raptor’s hind leg was being roasted above it.
Klaue inhaled through his nose, extracting the smell from the air surrounding the meat, “Smell that! If only I had some seasoning with me, I’m sure this would beat even a roasted chicken.”
Kanda gave no reply, staring into the flames of the campfire his soul appeared to be out of this world already. The sun was setting, creating an orange glow over the pre-night sky. It was both beautiful and ominous at the same time—indicating the survival of yet another day in the deathtrap that was the jungle and warning for the terrors that roam the night. Not even Ulysses was stupid enough to underestimate those.
Taking a big bite out of the raptor’s roasted leg he took a moment to take all the flavor in, “Ya know, this ain’t half bad. You should really try some of this.” Klaue threw a piece of meat at Kanda, only for it to bounce off his seemingly lifeless face. “This is what I’ve always wondered yeah. When we go shopping for food we see all these delicious things; eggs, bacon, steak, chocolate, you know, all that good stuff. Now, and stay with me on this, imagine you being one of these raptors, a killing machine from ancient times. You see one of us running away from you as you hunt them down. Do you think they would see us as a steak fleeing for his life or maybe bacon strips dashing through the jungle.” Klaue picked some flesh out between his teeth before continuing, “Things like this make me think. I can’t imagine running around the jungle, chasing a chocolate bar to satisfy my needs.”
The strange philosophy was lost on Kanda, blinking with his eyes was the only sign of life left in him. Day turned into night, the light turned into darkness, Ulysses looks up to the stars in the heavens, “It seems our time is up my friend. I got one last job for you.”
Klaue got up to his feet, picked up a rope and made his way to the unwilling guest who was still down on the floor. “C’mon, get up now.” He got no response from the elderly Asian man. “Don’t be like this, I don’t want to play games. It’s late and I want to get some rest.” Again, the scientist was unresponsive. “Alright then, have it your way.” With his bionic arm he lifted the wounded man from the ground, and like carrying a briefcase to work he took him into the dark shadows of the jungle.
“I just want you to know, this is nothing personal. We all have our jobs, our stories. Yours was just unlucky, I mean, look where you ended up.” A good five minutes from camp he stopped at one of the bigger trees of the surrounding, “Perfect.”
Putting down his scientist ‘briefcase’ and taking the rope in both hands he took a steady stance. Waving the rope around to gain momentum, his eyes were focused on one of the thicker branches above. All it took was one decent throw and the rope hung over the branch. Klaue lowered it far enough for it to reach the ground again. Wrapping the rope around Kanda’s waist and securing it with a tight knot, he started showing his sinister yet mocking grin. The scientist got pulled upwards, roughly 12 feet from the ground. Like a pinata, the older man was dangling from the tree.
“Now, be a good piece of bait and get me a good night rest.” Ulysses took out his silenced pistol and shot a round in Kanda’s lower abdomen, allowing a stream of blood to drip to the ground. The scientist screamed when the bullet penetrated his body, exactly what the hunter was hoping for, a nice dinner bell.
“Thank you and goodnight, your story seems to end here.” With those words, Klaue disappeared into the night, back to camp where he snuggled inside his sleeping bag. Well hidden between the leaves, he created a true camouflage sleeping spot.
Deep in the jungle, he heard bone-chilling screams disturb the silence. Yet to him, it was like a sweet lullaby, “Hmm, goodnight.”