Doomsday Hunter 2, page 1
part #2 of Doomsday Hunter Series
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Chapter 1
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” I asked the beautiful blonde woman standing beside me in the snow. “Minnesota winters aren’t for the faint of heart.”
“Please,” Natalie scoffed with a smirk and a wave of her hand. “The winters in the Fallen Lands were really bad, so I doubt anything your dimension throws at me could possibly be any worse.”
“Chicago winters are nothing like the ones up here,” I teased. “Those are all about the bitter cold and wind. Here, in the land of one-thousand lakes, the winters are cold, windy, and you have to deal with literal mountains of snow. That’s why Karla was so giddy when she saw the forecast for this week.”
She really had been. It was kind of scary to see somebody, particularly a native Minnesotaen… somebody who knew the horrors that awaited… be so excited about the freaking snow.
Natalie and I were both standing out in the middle of the powdery forest that was part of the Nash estate’s hundred and fifty acres of property. The two of us were adorned in wintery combat attire, which included white tactical scarves on our faces and equally pale snowsuits with blue, white, and gray camouflage. Goggles pressed tightly against the skin of my forehead and cheeks, and I pulled the scarf back over my nose and mouth and prepared for what laid ahead.
“I still can’t believe she’s making us do this,” I sighed. “We’ve already done a million agility tests since we got back from your dimension, so what more does she need to see?”
“I’m actually kinda enjoying them,” Natalie admitted. “They keep me on my toes, and they’re a great exercise for keeping my body limber and fit. As much as I’m loving your dimension, I must admit it has certain… vices that can send me spiraling into bad habits.”
“Chipotle?” I chuckled.
“Chipotle,” Natale confirmed with a nod. “I don’t see how you avoid eating that stuff every meal.”
“I guess I’m used to our food here in Dimension One.” I shrugged. “That place is fine and dandy, but I haven’t even had a chance to take you to a real Mexican restaurant yet. We’ve been too busy training.”
“What do you mean ‘real?’” the blonde Scavenger questioned. “The web browser clearly said it was ‘authentic Mexican cuisine.’”
Oh, poor, sweet, innocent Natalie. She was still new to our world, and she hadn’t quite adjusted to life outside of a nuclear, mutant-filled holocaust. She definitely had no idea about the nuances or tricks of companies who just wanted to sell things and make a quick buck.
In a way, she was a marketer’s dream come true.
I was somewhat worried what would happen once she got a bit further along in her pregnancy, though. The food bills were going to go through the roof.
Even now, in the early stages of her term, the Scavenger was showing signs of my baby inside of her. A few days ago, she started to have morning sickness, and she kept saying she felt more tired than usual. Then the cravings began…
“I’ll take you to La Parilla sometime,” I promised her. “Once you take one bite of their burritos, you’ll never want to go back to Chipotle again.”
“That’s a powerful statement, you know,” Natalie noted as she checked the knife on her belt.
It was the only thing we’d been given to complete our task. Though, I still wasn’t exactly sure what our task was.
Karla hadn’t told us much. When we arrived this morning, she just handed us a bunch of gear, led us out into the proverbial woods, and then told us to come back to the house when she gave us the signal.
Oh, and also there were several booby traps we’d have to avoid along the way.
Other than that? It was simple.
“What is she waiting for?” I grumbled as I rubbed my gloved hands together to try and stay warm.
Even though we were dressed to the nines in warm tactical equipment, the bitter winter wind cut through it like pinpricks in a water balloon. Sure, I was glad we weren’t freezing, but if we didn’t get a move on it soon, we were going to literally suffer death by a thousand frostbites.
“Maybe she got lost?” Natalie suggested.
“On her own property?” I was skeptical.
“Perhaps she’s playing a prank on us?” The blonde shrugged.
“No way.” I shook my head. “If there’s one thing I know for sure about Karla, it’s that she never fools around while on the job.”
“Alright, you two!” I suddenly heard Karla’s voice echo through the silent landscape. “Agility and dexterity test number eight. Ready?”
“So… we just have to run back the way we came?” I raised my eyebrows at Natalie.
“It’s not going to be that easy, Hunter,” Natalie giggled maniacally. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Before I could respond, the sound of the start gun erupted through the trees and sent several birds flying away in a panic.
It was time to begin.
Natalie took off in a full sprint. The few inches of snow on the ground seemed to slow her down slightly, but her new enhanced agility more than made up for the handicap.
I started off right behind the woman, and within a few seconds, I had caught up to her side.
The last time we’d done a speed test, Karla had clocked us as going thirty-five miles per hour.
We both barreled down the pathway as we took short, harrowed breaths in unison. My heartbeat quickened from the sudden exertion, but my muscles didn’t feel tired or strained whatsoever. Even at our breakneck pace, I felt no more strain than if I’d just been taking a brisk jog.
That’s when we hit the first obstacle.
I felt the front of my ankle catch on a trip wire, and then I heard a loud snap from above.
Natalie and I both dove in opposite directions as a giant log, attached to pieces of rope, swooped down and swung past where we’d just been standing.
I tumbled across the snowy turf for a moment, and the world went white from all the powder I kicked up. I felt bits of the freezing dust sneak into the cracks of my suit as I rolled, but then I came to a halt up against a snowbank.
As I regained my breath, I saw the log was now hanging there lifelessly, a trap that had been avoided and was now useless. The thing was as thick as the trunk of a cottonwood tree, and for a brief moment, I wondered just how Karla was able to get it up there.
I could worry about logistics later, though. Right now, we had a course to finish.
Natale and I joined back up at the trail, and our bodies were now completely covered with a white dust of frigid snow.
“I want to say ‘that was close.’” Natalie grinned. “But you and I both know it really wasn’t. We were out of the way to safety before the mechanism even fully released.”
“Is that all you’ve got, Karla?” I called out playfully into the woods.
“Don’t test her,” Natalie giggled.
The two of us took off once more, this time with much more incentive to get to the next trap and overcome it. After about two more minutes of running, I noticed the snow-covered ground up ahead had completely disappeared.
I skidded to a stop, threw out my arm, and caught Natalie before she accidentally ran over the newly-formed pit.
A tightrope stretched taut across the length of the crevice, and as I peered over the edge, I saw the ground below was littered with several rocks.
“Damn.” I whistled. “Are you sure we can’t just go around?”
“Not if we want to finish the course fairly,” Natalie said as she took a few steps back from the edge.
The Scavenger dug her heels into the ground and then wiggled them back and forth as she bent down like a sprinter on the starting block. The next thing I knew, Natalie dashed straight toward the tightrope, and she threw out her arms for balance as she ran across it with the grace of a squirrel on a balance beam. My mate didn’t slow her stride once, and she soon found herself on the other side of the pit.
Now, it was my turn.
“Easy, right?” I chuckled as I tried to psych myself up.
I was never good at this sort of thing in gym class. Even with my heightened agility, I didn’t know if I’d be any good at it now.
The trick was going to be in my momentum and my balance. If I slowed down, even for a millisecond, the whole endeavor was screwed. Likewise, if I didn’t distribute my weight evenly on both sides of my body, I was going over the edge.
Sure, Karla had designed these traps to be non-lethal, but those were still real rocks down there, and it was going to hurt like hell if I didn’t make it across.
Not to mention, if I bungled this up, my pain would be Natalie’s pain, as well. We were both Wayfarers, bound together by both the DNA inside of us and the future child she was to bear for me. She felt everything I did, whether that was pain or love or even hunger.
I couldn’t mess this up.
I had to do this for Natalie.
So, a growl of determination left my lips as I charged forward. My footfalls crunched against the packed snow with each hurried step I took, and soon I found myself at the edge of the tightrope.
Don’t look down, Hunter. Whatever you do, don’t look down.
Without breaking stride, I stepped up onto the tightrope, threw out my hands to form a “T” with my torso, and began my journey across the obstacle.
The rope gave a bit with eac h step I took, but I wasn’t going to stop. My legs felt like jelly underneath me as my feet threatened to miss their cue, and I felt like my heart was about to burst out through my chest from the pure adrenaline rush.
Then, as soon as I had begun, my foot crunched down on the powdery ground once again.
“I knew you could do it!” Natalie proclaimed.
“I totally knew I could, too,” I lied as I tried to catch my breath.
“Our hearts beat in unison, remember?” Natalie raised an eyebrow as she stared me down, and even though she was wearing a scarf over her face, I could just picture the coy smile on her lips.
“Okay, fine.” I held up my hands in defeat. “There may have been a moment or two there where my faith may have wavered. But I knew I had this. After all, I just watched the expert.”
“You’re going to make me blush.” Natalie rolled her eyes and then motioned for us to keep going.
We ventured onward, and eventually, we came to the point where I could see the Nash Mansion off in the distance. It was only a vague outline through the forest of jack pines, but that told me we were getting closer by the minute.
Natalie got a few strides ahead of me before she was abruptly halted by the next booby trap, and there was the sound of a snapping twig as the Scavenger was yanked to the ground forcefully. Natalie fumbled for her knife as an unseen force dragged her across the ground by her ankle, but the sudden motion caused the weapon to slide out of its sheath and land in the snow beside her. She scrambled for the knife as she was lifted up into the air, but it was just out of her reach.
Luckily for my partner, my weapon was right where it needed to be.
So, I quickly unsheathed my knife, took aim at the snare wire that was pulling her upwards, and swung. There was a high-tensioned twang as the snare was cut, and then Natalie fell back down into the snowy ground with a thud.
I had cut the wire before it’d taken the Scavenger too far up into the air, so the impact was minor. I honestly would be surprised if it even left a bruise.
“I owe you one,” Natalie huffed as she pulled herself back up to her feet. “Actually, I owe you a lot of ‘ones.’”
“I’ll put it on your tab,” I joked as I sheathed my blade.
I walked over to where Natalie had lost her weapon, pulled it out of the snow bank, and brushed the freezing powder off. Then I took it by the metal of the blade and held it out for the woman to take.
“We’ve got to be getting close to the end,” Natalie mused as she snagged the weapon out of my hand and slid it back into its leather sheath. “The house is right up there.”
We continued on at a more leisurely pace, and this time, we weren’t caught off guard by the trap. As we approached its location, I saw the spot in the snow where the trip wire had been placed. There was a miniscule sliver in the powder, almost as if it were a cake that had been cut into by the thin blade of a knife.
I held out my hand and silently commanded Natalie to stop.
“Third time’s the charm, I guess,” I noted as I began to slowly step over the wire, careful not to accidentally activate it.
I had one foot over when I first heard the loud, shrill beeping noise, and my stomach fell into my knees as I looked up in the tree trunk and saw what appeared to be a motion sensor staring back at me.
Clever, Karla. Very clever.
“Hit the deck!” I called out as I hoisted my other foot over and began to run.
However, I wasn’t quite fast enough. There was a high-pitched explosion behind me, followed by a shockwave that threw me forward and knocked me off my feet.
My face slammed into the cold snow as the world went black, and my body numbed. Then, when I finally got enough strength back to raise my head up, the landscape started to spin.
I was seeing doubles of everything, including the beautiful blonde woman who was approaching me.
Her face was strewn with worry as she crouched down and put her hand on my shoulder. Natalie’s mouth was moving as if she were speaking, but all I could hear was a loud ringing in my eardrums.
Finally, a bit of it came through the haze.
“--Stun grenade!” I caught the end of her sentence. “Are you alright?”
“I might need hearing aids,” I grumbled as I shook my head and tried to clear out the double vision, “but other than that, peachy.”
“That was a smart ploy on Karla’s part.” Natalie took off her goggles and face scarf and looked around as she admired Miss Nash’s work. “A fake tripwire, after we’d already encountered two of them? She knew we’d be prepared, and she adjusted accordingly.”
As the Scavenger helped me get up to my feet, I realized the pain really wasn’t so bad. It was more of a dull ache.
“You said that was a stun grenade?” I questioned.
“It fell from the tree once you moved past the motion sensor,” Natalie confirmed.
“How the hell am I still in one piece, then?” I gasped. “If I took one of those at that range, shouldn’t I at least have some broken bones? It just feels like I tripped and fell down a staircase.”
“It’s the enhancements,” Natalie reminded me. “I was disoriented for a moment, as well, but there isn’t any damage from what I can see.”
“That would have been nice to have back in your dimension,” I chuckled. “If I could have just shrugged off the blows of those giant bugs, maybe we wouldn’t have had to make camp and recuperate immediately after.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t like that at all,” Natalie purred. “Our night together on the beach was by far my favorite part of our journey.”
“Really?” I played along. “Not the part where you saved the human race and then got to come to a new dimension where you actually have running water, clean air, and no mutants?”
“Did I stutter?” The blonde woman winked, and then she strutted further down the trail.
Even with the ill-fitting snowsuit on her body, I could still see each and every curve of the woman I called my mate. Her hips sashayed back and forth as she walked, and she looked over her shoulder at me with her deep azure eyes.
It was enough to make a guy melt, and in this sort of weather, that might actually be a good thing.
I followed Natalie further through the forest. The tree line was now in sight, and Dr. Nash’s multimillion-dollar mansion rose up as a bougie silhouette off in the distance.
However, there was still one obstacle that needed to be taken care of.
Right at the center of the path was a mound of snow. It stretched across the entire width of the trail and rose up to almost to the halfway point of the nearby pine trees. It was obvious this wasn’t a natural phenomenon, and my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the excavator sitting off just beyond the tree line.
“This is our last obstacle?” Natalie chuckled. “It’s just a pile of snow.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that,” I observed. “No way would she give us such an easy task.”
We looked around at the mountain of snow to see if there were any hidden traps, snare wires, or motion sensors, but after a few minutes of searching, we realized there was nothing there.
“It’s clean.” Natalie shrugged. “It’s just a big pile of snow.”
“Then I guess we go over?” I mused as I walked over and reached up to grab a handhold. “I’ll take up the lead if you want to--”
Instantly, my hand hit solid ice.
“Here,” Natalie offered as she pulled her knife out of its sheath. “Use the two knives like you would an ice axe.”
Not a bad idea.
So, I took the tool from Natalie, pulled out my own, and then approached the icy pile once more. Next, I leapt up, stabbed the knife in my right hand into the hardened snow, and--
Watched as it broke away under my weight.
“What the hell?” I grumbled. “We can’t climb it, and we’re not supposed to go around it… ”
“I think she wants us to go through it, Hunter,” Natalie noted as her voice trailed off.
“Through it?” I questioned as I walked over to the side and glanced at the depth of the pile. “This thing’s got to be at least twenty feet deep. There’s no way we could tunnel through that… Without any structure, there’d be a risk of the whole thing collapsing down around us. And if that happens--”
“We’ll struggle for air.” Natalie grinned with a nod.
“You’re saying that like it’s a good thing.” I raised my eyebrows curiously.
