Hunted

Chapter 15: Walker

The man standing before Haley was tall and ruggedly handsome, only a slight crook in the nose ruining what might otherwise have been movie star good looks. The wind rustled the long strands of blonde hair that were combed to curl just above one eyebrow, and his icy blue eyes seemed as cold and hostile as this alien world.

The man slid the black device Haley had been so desperately searching for into his pocket, then spoke softly, but with authority. "Here are the rules. You do everything I say, when I say, and without question, and you stay alive. I already have what I came for. You're just a bonus. You can come back with me dead or alive. It doesn't matter much to me, but it might to you."

"It matters," said Haley quietly, as if the words spoken too loudly might echo off the invisible walls he felt closing in on him.

"In that case we'll get along just fine," the man said with a wicked grin. "Let's start by having you hold out your hands, crossing the wrists."

Haley did so without comment.

"Very good," the man said with a hint of condescension, like he was dealing with a young child. "Now, I'm going to put a pair of magnetic handcuffs on you. To do so, I'll need to holster my gun. But I know you've met Max." He paused to glance at the red-eyed creature.

"You could say that," said Haley.

"Well, if you so much as flinch when I'm putting these cuffs on you, Max'll think you mean to attack me, and he won't take too kindly to it. I wouldn't advise upsetting Max." He smiled and motioned with his shoulder for Haley to look behind him.

As Haley turned the creature flashed a row of sharp teeth in what might have been taken as a smile, then raised a claw and ripped it through the air with such force that Haley couldn't imagine a steel beam stopping its progress.

"You're the boss," Haley said.

"You learn quickly," said the man. He holstered his gun and with one easy motion had the cuffs on Haley and activated.

"What now?"

"Now we get off this forsaken planet. Let's go," he ordered, lifting Haley to his feet.

They marched in silence behind Max. Up close, the beast was even more impressive and frightening, and any thought Haley might have had about taking a swipe at the man and making a break for it were quickly dismissed.

The hike turned out to be only a short one, as in less than ten minutes they had reached the top of a ridge. Haley had spent the walking time with his eyes darting about, looking for some miracle in the darkness that might help him escape. He hadn't found it when they reached the ridge, and he couldn't see one from there either. What he did see, below in the valley, was a small, bullet-shaped, dark blue ship.

His captor nudged Haley ahead as Max bounded easily down the snow-covered slope. Haley had trouble with his balance due to the cuffs, and after only a few faltering steps he found himself sliding down the hill on his backside. At the bottom, the man roughly pulled him back onto his feet.

He entered a code to overcome the ship's lock, and a door whose interior held three steps fell open before them. Inside, there were only two areas, the cockpit and a small hold. Max went directly to the hold, and the door closed automatically behind him.

"You'll have to sit on the floor, I'm afraid," said the man with no hint of concern. He motioned to a spot on the metal deck, and when Haley sat there, he attached another set of handcuffs so that the pair on Haley's wrists were fastened to a support beam in the corner. Once the man turned to take the ship's controls, Haley tested the cuffs and soon came to realize that they would stay on until the man chose to use the magnetic field deactivator to release the lock.