Kong: Skull Island- Beneath the Surface

Chapter 17

Panic. Anger. James climbs the rope clumsily but swiftly--adrenaline pumping through his veins. His mind is racing as fast as his heart. James turns every outcome through his head of what those three gunshots meant. Each outcome worse than before. He shakes his head. Get to her, he thinks, just get to her dammit.

He pauses below the hole and draws his pistol before launching himself into the small space above. It's empty. She must have ran, he thinks, taking quick strides forward. That means she's still alive. Suddenly a fist appears out of midair and lands in James' diaphragm. The air in his lungs is forced out. The gun is knocked away from his hands. He coughs, trying to regain his breath and gears his body into fighting mode. He swings his right leg back, catching Garret's knee and setting him off balance. Taking advantage of the moment he strikes Garret's wrist, sending the gun skittering across the floor. James goes in for a blow to Garret's nose to stun him.

But Garret is trained as well. He easily deflects the strike.

Oh how badly he had underestimated him.

It is no longer a battle of strategy but of skill. The men face off. Fists lead attacks, feet kick up dust in the dim light, and forearms form a defensive barrier. They're almost evenly matched. Almost. But James' opponent is a killer by trade. And he is very good at it.

Both men finally stand apart from each other, recovering. Analyzing. Garret's eyes suddenly narrow. James growls and steels himself, ready for another attack. Garret fakes a left jab. Then puts all his energy into a quick punch directly into James open wound. James recoils, gasping in pain. That second of distraction is all Garret needs.

Garret sweeps James' ankles out from under him before lunging towards the gun on the ground. James lands hard, clenching his teeth as he clutches his wound. Ignoring the fiery pain, he scrambles towards his own gun...only to freeze. Garret has his gun once more. And it's pointed right at James. James glares, observing the considerable distance between him and the gun. Too far, he concludes, he'd shoot me before I could reach it. I'll have to wait for a better opportunity.

"Stand up," Garret says, breathing heavily, "slowly."

James does as he's told. His eyes follow Garret carefully, watching for that opportunity. Garret senses this.

"Now turn around," he demands, gripping the gun comfortably, "and put your arms out."

James hesitates. If he allows Garret to control him from behind, it will be twice as difficult to escape.

"Now!" Garret barks.

James turns. Before he can even register what is happening, Garret grabs James' right arm and twists it behind his back. The force of it puts intense pressure on James' wound. James grunts.

"Walk," Garret says quietly to James, "and don't do anything dumb. You try something stupid and I'll make her death slow."

James eyes burn with a fury he can barely contain. But he keeps it inside. As Garret pushes James forward, James continues to think. He has to think his way out of this mess to save Mason. They step into the sunlight. James winces. It's bright. Then he observes the open space before him. Nothing to duck behind. The ground is relatively even. But there is a prickly looking bush nearly ten paces ahead. If I can force him into it with me, the brambles might catch on our clothes and slow him down. Then I can...

BAM!

James flinches. His ears ring. Behind him there is a loud thud. James whirls around, eyes wide, to see Garret. The man's eyes stare vacantly at the sky. Part of his head is gone. Blood stains the ground. For a second James can't move. His brain is still catching up with what just occurred. Was it the Russians? No. No that was an excellent shot, one he'd seen before, one that had saved him on skull island. His eyes leave the corpse and scan the surrounding jungle. Mason. He sees a flash of metal in the forest to his left. James runs.