HUNTING THE HUNTERS (1st INSTALLMENT of THE HUNTERS SERIES)

Chapter VI

MELISSA

Thud!

I coughed as I landed in the dirt, dust filling the air and clouding my lungs.

I rose to my feet, looked around and was surprised at what I saw.

There was vegetation all over the place and they were vines and bent trees hanging over a mossy lake. The vines all bared yellow flowers in their braids and they clung to the trees, feeding off of them like the parasites they were. The area looked like a jungle, the swampy ground and rain and woodsy scent eating up the fresh oxygen in the air.

What was I doing here?!

"Round One, Agent Melissa Forbes V.S Ashanti!" A voice boomed from the trees. "Let the games begin!"

Just then a girl dropped from the trees, landing directly in front me and shocked me to the core.

She was hideous, her eyes were yellow with black ovals for irises, her skin was scaly, and her hair was a jade green colour. She was covered in strips of cloth that concealed only her breast and dropped to cover the apex of her thighs. Minus the skin tone and hair, she could pass for a creature in Avatar.

"Die," she said with a hiss in her voice, before I can react she lunged.

She barrelled towards me, swinging her arms that were covered in torn infested vines at me.

Ashanti swung left, I dodged right. She swung right, I ducked dropping to the ground and swept her feet. She fell backwards kicking me in my chest and sent me flying into a tree.

Damn, she's good...

I propelled myself off the tree using my feet and flipped with my leg positioned to land a strike but she blocked it. Using the X she formed over her head with her arms as a base, I pushed myself over her head. I twisted in the air and used my hands to push her forward. She collided with the tree as I landed on my feet.

Ashanti hissed running towards me ready to hit me. I grabbed her hand, tossing her overhead and she landed on her back, grunting in pain. She brought up her right leg trying to hit my head but I blocked it and brought my elbow down to her face. Defensively, she grabbed it with her torn infested hands and they rip into my skin.

"Damn!" I screamed as the pain hit me.

She hit my head with her left leg and I fell back. She twisted and proceeded to leap onto me. My legs push outwards to kick her and they made contact, sending her into the lake.

I groaned, holding my head and rose to my feet. I looked for any signs of her resurfacing but there were none.

I turned around looking from place to place sceptically. "Is it really over? Is she dead?"

"It's not over!" I heard her scream in gurgles but I couldn't see her.

Just then, the ground beneath my feet sprang up. I leaped into the air and flipped away from the area but as I did a tail slithered around me and pulled me down, hard.

The dust blinded me, my body aching all over and my head was killing me.

"Say good night hunter," said the gir--SNAKE.

As the dust cleared I saw a giant anaconda. It had red scales at the top and black at the bottom. It was hissing at me and it had me in a tight grip.

You've got to be messing with me.