Predator: The Scavenger

ch 7

Everything in her body told Ember to open her eyes. To wake up and try to find Red or at least see if she was still strapped to that horrible operating table. Unconsciously, she rubbed at her stomach and Ember felt herself flinch from the painful memories of the android's tests. Injections after injections, the androids inserted long gleaming needles into her abdomen filled with mysterious golden liquids. No matter how much she screamed, cursed, and eventually shamefully begged—nothing stopped them. The androids just kept working, ignoring her as they injected her one after the other, twelve shots in total. At one point when they moved her to another section of the lab she tried to fight back, Ember grabbed the nearest object—a metal pan—and prepared to hit one of the guards to take his gun. Within a fraction of a second, she quickly found herself face down on the ground, with one guard pinning her down and another snapping a metal collar to her neck. A quick, cruel explanation of the collar left her unwilling but pliable in their arms.

She was somewhere different now, even without opening her eyes fully, she knew she wasn't in the same lab. Funny thing was she couldn't remember falling asleep or even passing out for that matter. Opening her eyes, Ember let her vision focus to the darkness of the space. The firm padding of the table beneath her body was the first thing she recognized. Shifting carefully, Ember paused when she felt hot rough flesh against her legs. Still too dark to see anything, Ember's heart felt as if it had stopped as she lay there motionless. Where was she? Was she back in the room that Red was in earlier or was she somewhere different? Fear began to fuel her imagination. Did they put her back with Red as they said they would or was this some other creature?

Cautiously, with a shaking hand Ember reached out to the body next to her. More alert now, she could feel the intense heat rolling off its body. With her hand only inches away from the powerful heat source, she blinked blindly in the dark.

"Red?" She whispered searchingly.

A deep familiar clicking growl sent relief rushing through her veins. Without hesitation, she pressed the full length of her body to his hard form. As soon as her cool skin touched his, Ember could feel the jolting flinch of his body.

Confused, she looked unseeingly into the black void of the room for his face. "Are you ok?"

Two orange glowing orbs appeared out of the darkness above her, and Ember had to remind herself not to jump in fear. Red's predatory eyes blinked as he stared at the ceiling. Now seeing the location of his eyes and the feel of his thick forearm beneath her breasts, Ember was able to realize the hunter was laying on his back on the table beside her.

Slowly the orange eyes turned in her direction and she could feel his arm pull slightly away from her. Pathetically Ember wanted to hold onto it, to never let go. His strength and warmth were the only thing keeping her from breaking down right now. Black pupils constricted as he focused on her, most likely seeing her perfectly with his nocturnal vision she thought.

The silence became too much to bear. "Please say something," she whispered, hating the pleading tone in her voice. She didn't want to show Red this side of her, but she was scared. She was so scared of every second in this place not knowing what was going to happen next.

Reaching out for his arm again, her body jumped at the startling growl he issued in warning.

"Do not touch me," his snarl was deep and resonating. His orange and black eyes glowed like twin burning suns in the darkness.

Shrinking into herself, Ember's felt as if her heart had dropped to her stomach. In seconds she went from relief to knowing it was him by her side in the darkness to feeling utterly alone. What was wrong? Maybe they did something to him or maybe he was just angry in general because of the situation. Nodding silently, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her hands around them tightly until she formed a ball. Tucking her head into her knees she willed herself not to break weak and cry, to ignore the burning pain in her throat and eyes as tears threatened to spill forth. Ember felt his angry growl as he shifted on the table. The cold air in between them whooshed around her and she knew he moved further away from her.