Contagion -The Hybrid War - Book Three

The hunt.

It had now been two months since the almost total destruction of life on earth. The surviving animals had soon established supremacy, with the fittest surviving and feeding off the weak and ill. It was the genetic hybrids that were to eventually secure their position as top of the food chain.

There enhanced abilities gave them an advantage, above and beyond that of the ordinary surviving humans, with a devastating effect.

Even deep within the mountain at the ex-military base, Elaine and her family had not escaped without injury.

“Michael do you have contact with your brothers?” asked Mary Jane.

Mary Jane had been uneasy about allowing Isaiah and Jamie to accompany Michael’s family in a hunting trip. Those in the mountain had an adequate supply of water, tinned and dried food, however they had realised that very soon, fresh food, would become more difficult to acquire, and that each and every hunting trip would become more and more difficult.

“Michael I am concerned for their safety, it’s been over three weeks since they left, and it was five days ago, that you lost communication with them; and now we have no way of knowing where they are.”

Michael raised one of his hands and gently stroked Mary Jane’s face,

“I know my love, but remember, they have Robert and Julie with them along with four of my sons, and two of Alex’s offspring and four specialised clones.”

Michael allowed his words time, before he spoke again.

“It would take a formidable force to prevent them from returning home, and if it was not for the continuous electrical storms, then I am sure we would still have a telepathic contact.”

Mary Jane could see the wisdom in his words, yet her love for Jamie and Isaiah was strong and she could not help feeling concerned.

In a distant valley, movement had caught Robert’s attention. Immediately his extended family had almost stopped walking.

“Jamie, Isaiah, wait,”

His words carried a warning,

“What is it Sir?”

Isaiah looked across to his brother, and then back towards Robert. Juliet had already gone ahead; her agility and speed far exceeded that of anyone within her group, although Robert far outreached her in strength and sustainability.

“Shish son, Juliet has seen something.”

From an advantage point, high above the valley, Juliet watched as a group of humans, mostly women and children, totalling no more than twenty in number, and who were making their way in near total darkness, and in a confused and scared fashion.

Sensing further danger, Juliet kept a low profile, as in the distance some two hundred yards behind the women and children were armed people; that were in a sporadic pincer formation and using the human’s prisoners as bait.

“Robert can you see what I see?” Robert silently confirmed, “Yes, do you recognize or sense who they are?”

“Whoever they are, they have no direct connection with Father Peter, as they appear to have no telepathic abilities.” It was Jamie who spoke next.

“There is another presence nearby, I know it can’t be Old Minstrel, but I seem to somehow feel his presence, there is also something; I can’t place it, but…I know something is out there.”

Robert and the others looked at each other and then back towards Jamie, even now, they had not learnt from where Jamie had acquired his ability, yet without question he seemed to have a gift in been able to sense a presence or danger, long before the others.

“Do you know who those people are down there Jamie?”

Robert handed over to Jamie, military night vision glasses, as he moved his body and looked through the binoculars; Jamie could be seen to have a tear in his eye.

“Yes, one of them is a kind of kin, a cousin that old Jethro married before he fell out with Paa.”

Robert looked at the young man, and he could sense his discomfort.

“Do you know who the others are son?”

Jamie turned his binoculars towards the direction that Robert was pointing to.

“No Sir, but I recognize two other humans from within the group.”

He paused to wipe his eyes, even though it was almost pitch black, and he had been wearing protective eye covering, the dust kept finding its way through the goggles.

The military Night vision glasses gave Jamie a considerable advantage, although the hybrid humans, who were genetically crossed with animals, were able to have a limited night vision.

“Look over there to the right of that group.”

Jamie’s words had only left his lips, seconds later Virgo and three other bears ambushed part of the party in the valley.

“Dear Lord did you see the speed of those animals?”

The ambush had been undertaken with considerable skill and stealth, with the bears killing only selected individuals with intelligence and purpose.

“Look…over there!” It was Christopher, one of Michael’s sons that pointed upwards, towards an overhang of rocks and trees.

“What in heaven’s name is that?”

Robert felt fear, never before had he experienced, or seen such awesome power. Standing proud on the uppermost rock, was what looked like a cross between a Lion and some other kind of wild cat, only this species stood some three meters from paw to shoulder and was approximately eleven foot in length.

The two giant canine teeth extended from either side of its mouth, and by at least twelve inches below its jaw line. It was as the electrical storm momentary ceased, that Robert and his extended family could view life through the cat’s eyes, while it watched the humans and hybrids below. It was then that Robert saw it had also seen Juliet.

“Juliet…” cried out Robert in fear for his wife. “It’s alright my love I can see it also, and I don’t know how, but I sense it is aware of our thoughts as well as our presence.” She replied.

Michael momentarily picked up their thoughts. “I can’t say for sure, but according to Seth, he informs me that the Undraus cooperation, had a bio genetic research institute in Nevada, they had collected various fossilised material and used the genetic markers and data to…”

His words were interrupted, as the electrical storm had returned once again blocking their telepathic connection.

“It would seem my love that we only have the ability to mentally communicate in line of sight.”

Juliet was already moving away from her location, back towards her family. As she looked up towards where the cat had been standing, it was now nowhere to be seen. Then she felt a sudden stinging pain as the claws from a female bear, ripped through her side.

“Juliet…” Cried out Robert, no sooner had he spoke than the Bear reared itself above Juliet, towering some three meters above her. It was then that the bear became aware of an adversary, stronger faster and with stealth abilities, far in excess of its own.

From out of the darkness, the enormous cat sank its huge teeth into the back of the bear’s neck, instantly breaking its spine and ripping out chunks of flesh. Juliet felt if it had not been for the bear that she would have been the animal’s victim with her life ending there and then.

Scrambling to her feet, Juliet struggled forward, only to be met by the cat leaving its meal and looking at her with what she thought to be confusion.

“It can’t understand why it can see itself through your eyes” replied Jamie.

As Robert spoke, he came to within five feet of the animal, raising his gun he took aim; and then for some unknown reason, he slowly lowered the barrel.

“It’s almost as if it is trying to communicate with us, I can’t say how, but I sense it realizes there is a genetic part within us that also inhabits its own blood-line.”

“But how could that be?”

Juliet reached the safety of her immediate family, yet the cat held its ground standing proud. Then from behind the animal, appeared a female cat and three cubs, they gave Robert and his family only a glance, and then proceeded to tear open the body of the bear.

“It somehow knows we are not here to kill it, yet only moments ago it could have taken Juliet’s life.”

Robert thought quietly over his brother’s words, but it was Jamie that spoke next.

“No Sir, in truth I do not believe it intended to kill Juliet, I can’t explain why, but I feel it realized she was in danger, or at the very least the less danger of the two and in this instant, for some reason took out the strongest threat first.”

Juliet looked at the animal as it turned and slowly walked away, from the valley, while below could be heard screams and the various sound of firearms.

“I would say from that, that the bears have acquired some more victims.”

No sooner had Adrian spoke when the group realized that the cats were no longer in sight, such was the silence and speed of the exit, that even with Roberts extended abilities, they had passed into the dark unseen and unheard.

Looking at the dismembered body of the bear, the group decided it would be safer to leave the remains where they were.

“Over there just below that ridge”

Jamie had diverted his attention, back towards the women and children.

“It’s the unarmed group of humans, they are running this way.”

Robert and his family could see in the darkness about twenty women and children frantically running, it was then that they realized they were tethered by a robe which prevented the group from dispersing in opposite directions. However, the resulting panic had caused some to fall or run into boulders causing considerable injury.

It was then that Robert saw one of the cats stalking the humans, while the other kept the bears and armed hybrid humans under observation.

“No…” Cried out Jamie, as he realized the cat was about to pounce on the unprotected humans.

Robert seemed to unintentionally and telepathically scream out the very same words. At that very moment the cat stopped, and turned his head sideways looking towards Robert, and then turned and allowed the group to pass by unharmed, diverting its attention instead towards the armed hybrids.

“Did you see that; it is almost as if it understood that we feared for their safety?” said Juliet. “In truth I think it was more sinister than that.” Jamie’s words had caught their attention. “I somehow feel it sensed that if it harmed the humans…that it would in turn involve a response from us.”

He paused for some seconds, and then continued talking. “It knew we were armed with weapons that can kill, and that we have abilities above and beyond that of the group below it.”

“Just what are you saying?” Ask Isaiah.

“Your brother is saying that the animal is intelligent enough to have realized, that we were stronger, and a far more difficult prey than the others.”

Juliet looked at her partner as he continued talking.

“In other words, like all predators, it took out the weakest and easiest prey, realizing that to have attacked us, presented him and his family with a greater risk of injury.”

Isaiah looked at Robert, then back towards his brother.

“Can we help those women and children; you said Mary Ann our cousin was among them.” Enquired Isaiah.

“Yes son, I know you cannot see as well as us, but I have already sent three of my kin down into the valley to retrieve those folk and bring them to safety.”

Isaiah thanked Juliet, and then returned to his brother’s side.

“Here allow me to attend to your injuries.” Robert walked over to his wife, already the wound had started to heal itself, with the blood flow having ceased and started to regenerate.

“It’s alright my love, the injury was not as bad as I feared, anyway you know as well as I do, that within three days the wound will have almost healed.”

Within minutes, from the darkness emerged the group of scared women and children; again, from the valley below came the sound of screams and one single gunshot. Then there was silence, the women and children instinctively huddled together and kept a low profile.

As the overhead electrical storm momentarily ceased, the group could see one of the cats viewing Virgo and two other bears, tearing chunks of flesh off their victims. At the same moment Michael, Alex and Peter saw the same images, allowing Robert just enough time to partly update them as to what had been happening.

Then again, the storm re-started cutting off their telepathic communications. “Let’s get away from here; I have a feeling that we could be pushing our chances of survival, now that that group below have been terminated.” Robert saw the wisdom in his partner’s words, and then left the area leading the group to safer ground.