Predator: Captured

4-5

Leaning her head against the hot metal bars of the cage, Camila groaned. Another damn cage. That morning, they were awakened by the deep sound of a horn. With only minutes to orient and relieve themselves, they were tethered together and marched deep into the forest. After walking for what felt like all morning, the guards escorting them led them into another black metal cage sitting in a small clearing next to a shimmering stream.

"How long are they going to keep us in here like dogs!" one woman wailed.

"That's if they ever plan to take us out," Angie mumbled, staring off at the stream while gripping the bars with both hands. "They could just leave us in here to die."

That wasn't helping, Camila thought with a groan, as she listened to the frantic raised voices. But who was she to say anything, hell Angie could be right for all Camila knew. Sitting with her knees drawn up, she rested her head against the metal bars behind her as she tried not to focus on the stifling heat. When they were being led away that morning, Camila couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up in reaction to the strange feeling of being observed. When she turned to look around she didn't notice any of the creatures even looking their way, and her assigned hunter had vanished—again.

"The bars are moving!" The blonde from last night shouted excitedly.

Just as she felt the metal moving against her back, a large horn sounded in the distance. Camila's heart began to thud. Oh God, that wasn't good, she could just feel that that wasn't good at all. The top and sides of the gate completely retracted into itself at the base, leaving them free in the middle of the clearing.

"Now's are chance to..." Blood freezing howls sounded in the distance cutting off one girl's words.

But not too distant.

Snapping her head in the direction of the horrid noise, Camila's stomach dropped as she watched the top of the trees shake.

"Run!" she screamed. Turning the opposite direction, Camila began to run. Seeing Fiona's sweet fearful frozen face, Camila snatched her hand and forced her to run beside her.

Everyone spread out to different directions in their panic, blindly running into the forest ahead of them. Behind her, Camila could hear whatever it was break through the trees with viscous roars and wet snarls. Fiona quickly looked back over her shoulder and nearly stumbled at whatever she saw.

"Oh god," she screamed, increasing her speed.

Heart pounding, Camila said nothing. She didn't want to know, she just knew she needed to run. But whatever it was sounded fast, like they were dogs or something, running on all fours. They had to do something else besides run if they wanted to survive.

A loud electrical whine sounded before they both heard a huge explosion behind them. No, she thought, they couldn't be shooting at them as well! Panic and tears welled in her throat, threating to break loose. But she knew she couldn't, she had to keep moving.

Another whine and an explosion sounded behind them, to their far right this time. And another.

The faint screams of the other women echoed through the forest. Looking around frantically, Camila forced herself to think. The stream! The stream that was to their left as they ran wasn't actually a stream at all. From the cage, they could only see a bit of it but as she ran next to it she could see it was deeper and wider than Camila expected.

"Come on we have to get in the water," Camila tugged Fiona in a hard left turn, nearly swinging the poor girl out of her grip. "We will ride it back the opposite direction. Hopefully whatever they are will go past."