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Chapter 14

A skin stinging crackand a flare of pain made Hunter double over as his invisible enemy struck again.

He’d been battling the creature for what felt like an hour, and this thing didn’t tire.

Although he’d figured out some of the signals to warn him a blow was coming, he hadn’t been able to avoid them all. Every time the beast was about to strike, it inhaled sharply or growled, and it often made a shuffling sound as if it was dragging something along.

Hunter wiped sweat out of his eyes and gently tested his damaged ribs with his fingers, hissing out a breath of pain. Yep, they were fucked.

He dodged to the left, then ducked as the creature growled. Something whizzed past his face as he tried for a blow using his knuckle duster.

He needed to get past this creature so he could reach the exit. If he retreated back into the caves, he’d go farther into enemy territory and run the risk of meeting Siblet or more invisible nightmares. But this thing was determined not to let him out.

A blow to the left side of his head sent Hunter staggering into the wall. He bounced off it and slid down with a pained wheeze. “Show yourself! It’s not a fair fight when you’re hiding in the shadows.” His hand went to his gun, but it was too risky to fire a shot. It would bring Siblet flooding into the corridor, and then he’d really be screwed.

The creature growled, and the floor shook as something heavy fell against it.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Camouflage is your thing.”

The rodent poked its head out from behind the rocks.

Hunter shooed it back. “Don’t creep out now. You’d make a tasty snack for this fucker.”

The rodent ducked its head back again.

There was another thump as something heavy landed on the floor.

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s not impressing me because I can’t see you, dumbass.” Hunter wrapped a hand around the bleeding slice on his arm. It was slowly clotting, but he had so many injuries, it would take him a while to heal. And he had no time to do that.

The wall above him shuddered and something heavy slammed a few inches above his head, making dust rain down on him.

“Are you planning your killing blow?” Hunter looked down at his blood-spattered hand, which was covered in a fine mist of dirt. He rubbed the tips of his fingers together. It felt like a gritty paint was on his skin.

A smile crossed his face. “If I can mark your invisible ass, you’ll be easier to beat.” He swiped his hand over his injured arm again so there was a fresh coating of blood on his skin, then crouched low, his eyes half-closed as he listened for the beast’s next move.

There it was. A shuffling sound to his right. Hunter launched himself in that direction, his bloodied palm out. He hit the button on the knuckle duster, releasing the spikes, just before he slammed into something hard and viscous.

The beast roared and knocked him away.

Hunter rolled over and hit the wall, but he was back on his feet immediately.

He grinned. “Got you.” His bloody, smeared handprint floated in the air, along with a trickle of blood from the puncture marks. Now he had a target, he could destroy this thing.

Hunter threw himself at the mark on the beast’s gut, slamming into a wall of rubbery muscle. He smashed his fist into it repeatedly, before ducking away.

The creature roared again, and something smacked into Hunter’s legs and knocked him off his feet.

“It looks like you’ve got a big old tail.” He swiped more blood off his arm and lunged low to the ground, connecting with something thick and fast moving. He smeared his hand along it. It was one hell of a long tail and the scales tore at his skin. Hunter only made it about a third of the way down before the creature tossed him away.

But he was ready and back on his feet. He threw himself at the middle of the creature again.

He’d just landed his first blow, when there was a blur of movement to his right.

His little rodent buddy flew out from behind the rock, its teeth bared, and two huge bone spurs jutting out of the middle of its paws. The creature lunged at the bloody smear on the beast’s tail and rammed the spurs into it.

The invisible creature roared its distress and flicked its tail, but the rodent held on tight, those bone spurs making sure it wasn’t going anywhere fast.

Hunter used the distraction to smear more blood over it. He pulled out his gun and rammed into what he hoped was the beast’s stomach, and fired several times. The noise was muffled from being so close to the creature.