Surviving Demon Island Part 7

More d.a.m.n mysteries.

After breakfast, a long walk, and some alone time in her bungalow, she was still ready to climb the walls. Deciding she'd better figure out a way to eliminate her frustration, she spent the rest of the day working out her tension with Olivia, who was more than happy to oblige her with a little sparring.

Such an una.s.suming, pet.i.te woman, Olivia would be the type of person to surprise the h.e.l.l out of someone who didn't know better. No more than five foot two and a hundred or so pounds, Olivia looked like she couldn't even lift a grocery bag. At five foot six and with a lot more muscle, one would think Gina could kick Olivia's a.s.s.

Gina knew better than to ever underestimate an opponent.

They started on the sand by the beach, bowing as they faced each other. Every muscle in Gina's body screamed with taut tension and she needed a release. s.e.xual release would have been better, but this was a pretty good second.

Olivia launched first, but Gina was ready, warding off Olivia's high kick with her forearm. She pivoted and kicked Olivia soundly in the stomach, sending her to the ground, but Olivia twisted and scissored Gina's legs between hers, and Gina went down.

They both leaped up and the battle was on again, a mix of chops and kicks that Gina knew would leave her bruised and sore.

It was fabulous. Gina had to struggle mightily to fend off Olivia's every move. The woman was relentless, coming at her with everything she had. If they had weapons in their hands they could both do some serious damage.

Olivia was good. Very good. More than a match for Gina, a black belt. By the time they'd sparred for about an hour, Gina was wringing wet and ready for a cool swim.

'You're not quitting on me, are you?' Olivia asked as Gina stepped out of the unofficial battle ring.

'Are you kidding? You kicked my b.u.t.t. I'm wiped out.'

Trace, Jake, Ryder, and Shay had taken a seat on a small hill above the sand and watched them. 'Yeah,' Trace said. 'Don't quit now, Gina. This was just getting interesting.'

'Feel free to take her on if you're so inclined,' Gina said, bending over and resting her hands above her knees, trying to catch her breath.

'h.e.l.l, no,' Trace said. 'I'm not dumb enough to let Olivia kick my a.s.s.'

Gina laughed. Guess that meant she was was dumb enough. That's okay. She'd enjoyed the h.e.l.l out of the sparring match. When she looked up to shoot a smart retort in Trace's direction, Derek stood above them, leaning against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest. dumb enough. That's okay. She'd enjoyed the h.e.l.l out of the sparring match. When she looked up to shoot a smart retort in Trace's direction, Derek stood above them, leaning against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest.

And she once again found herself at a loss for words. How long had he been up there watching?

Furthermore, what difference did it make if he was?

Maybe he should get down here and let her take out her frustrations on him instead. Except the thought of jumping on him had nothing to do with martial arts and everything to do with straddling him and rubbing the ache between her legs against his shaft until she burst with a mind-numbing climax.

Dammit. He was slowly killing her and he didn't even know it, because she was too stupid to just tell him how she felt.

Deciding to ignore him, she turned back to Olivia and bowed her head. 'You are one h.e.l.l of a formidable opponent. I don't know where you got your training, but I'd love to visit your dojo sometime.'

Olivia bowed in return. 'You held your own quite well. I'm impressed. And you're more than welcome to visit anytime.'

'I'm going to change and go for a swim,' Gina said. 'Anyone want to join me?' When she looked up to the hill, Derek was gone.

'Some of them are very good.'

The Master inhaled the darkness, breathing in the cool, fresh scent of earth and dank moisture. 'You worry too much.'

The other shot him a look. 'With good reason. Louis recruits only the best.'

'Bah. Louis thinks he is so smart bringing these people here.'

'I'm worried.'

He looked to the other, shaking his head. 'Why are you worrying about this? They are of no threat to us. Our numbers grow every day. We hold the power. It is Louis's and the Realm's fear that makes them do this.'

'You know who these people are, don't you?'

'Yes, I know perfectly well who they are, what their connection is to us.'

'Yet you don't fear them.'

'No, I don't fear them. They are tiny pests and we are the great beasts who will crush them under our feet.'

The other shook his head. 'I hope you're right. I will leave you in charge of this.'

'You go about your business. I can handle this. There is much at stake here and I have plans to make.'

'A reunion for you.'

'Yes.' The Master's teeth gleamed in the darkness. 'It has been a very long time. I am anxious for this meeting to take place. But first there is the business of eliminating these humans.'

He walked through the darkness with a smile on his face, confident of his supremacy, a.s.sured of the final outcome. 'They don't even know we're here. Even Louis, the great and powerful Louis, doesn't know we're here.

'The killing will be so easy.'

Chapter Six.

O nce darkness descended, the torches were lit and everyone geared up for the start of the game. nce darkness descended, the torches were lit and everyone geared up for the start of the game.

Despite the hokiness and the camera lights s.h.i.+ning in her face and the whole Hollywood-like atmosphere of this s.h.i.+ndig, Gina was still excited. After last night's practice, she knew she could do well at this. All she had to do was stay focused, keep her eyes sharp, and stay on the lookout for demons.

'Remember,' Derek said, giving all of them a last-minute reminder of the rules, 'anyone who's marked by a demon is out of the game for the night and must report back to base immediately. Listen up for commands. We'll track your shots and kills. Good luck, and stay alert.'

Each team once again prepared to enter the jungle on opposite sides. Derek stood on the sand in between them, and when he signaled them to go, they moved out in a hurry. This time, cameras followed them, filming everything.

Gina and her team stayed together for the initial trek into the jungle. G.o.d, it was humid tonight. Her clothes clung to her skin and she was sopping wet already. There was no breeze, and the only sound was their footsteps as they crunched over leaves and twigs.

Trace took the lead again, stepping slowly through the dense part of the jungle. Thick palm bushes flanked either side of the marked path. Gina expected a demon to pounce out at them any second. Her muscles tensed, finger at the ready on the trigger of her weapon.

When they entered the part of the jungle where the torches grew more spa.r.s.e, it was time to split up and go hunting.

'Everyone ready?' Trace asked.

'Ready as we'll ever be,' Gina answered.

'Good luck, everyone.'

The moon was a little brighter tonight, which helped some, but the lack of torchlight and the tree cover overhead nearly obliterated any glow the moonlight might have cast on the ground. Gina slipped on her night-vision goggles, a cameraman staying in step with her as she hunted. She ignored him, hoping he'd eventually go film someone else.

A sharp crack to her left had her swiveling around and taking aim, letting out the breath she'd been holding when she realized it was just Jake. Dammit. She moved further into the jungle, skirting south to avoid the others. The d.a.m.n demons had to be out here somewhere, just waiting for them.

She got the idea the people playing demon had gone easy on them last night, and tonight it was going to be tougher. This was the real game.

'Anyone see anything yet?' she commed.

'Nothing,' Shay replied.

Trace and Ryder came back with the same reply.

'I thought I saw a shadow, but if they're out here I can't find them,' Olivia said.

'All I've seen so far is you,' Jake retorted with a laugh. 'Scared the s.h.i.+t out of me, too.'

Gina grinned. At least she wasn't alone in this. Those d.a.m.n demons were hiding well.

'Wait. I've got something.'

Ryder's voice.

'It's too far ahead of me, heading southeast.'

She was the furthest out. Had to be heading in her direction. She scanned the area, then caught a glimpse of movement. 'I'm on it.'

This time, he wasn't getting away. She tore off in a dead run, hating these night-vision goggles that b.u.mped the bridge of her nose every time she jumped over something on the ground. d.a.m.n heavy things. Too bulky. But she was blind without them, and right now she needed them to track the demon.

Oh, he was trying to be so smart, hiding from her. She stepped back, realizing what he was doing. He was going to pounce. She played lost, circling around like she was looking in the wrong place for him. But she ended up sneaking up behind him, keeping her footsteps purposefully light. While he was busy watching for her, she was busy aiming, crawling on the ground around the tree.

Almost there. When she sprang, he jumped back. She shot and hit him in the chest.

'Gotcha,' she whispered.

's.h.i.+t,' the demon said.

'One kill, Gina,' Derek announced.

Yes! The demon turned and left. Adrenaline soaring, Gina went off in search of another.

'Got one in my sights,' Trace said.

'Ditto,' Ryder piped up.

Now they were cooking. Suddenly, she spotted four or five of them, slipping in and out behind trees and thick foliage. She sprinted in the hopes of making another kill, grinning the whole way.

She hoped the cameraman could keep up, because she was ready for a wild night and she was determined to come out the winner.

'How are they doing?' Derek sat on the edge of the table, watching Lou enter points into his laptop while he listened in to the sounds of the team engaging the 'demons.'

'Good so far. Gina, Ryder, and Olivia each have one kill. Shay and Trace have points. Jake, nothing so far.'

Not too bad. Not great, but they'd just gotten started. Derek purposely withheld the demons for a while, making the team hunt them out.

And Team B, of course, wasn't really on the other side of the island. They were lying in wait just outside the base camp, so they wouldn't be spotted in case someone from Team A was killed and had to report back in.

No, the only ones being tested were on the east side of the island tonight. Six newbies. Untrained and mistakenly thinking they were playing a game.

'Time elapsed?'

Lou scanned the clock on the laptop. 'Twenty-five minutes.'

'Thirty-five minutes left, Team A,' Derek said over his mic, then switched it off. 'How many of these do you intend to run?'

Lou looked up at him. 'The game is set for two weeks. We'll see how it goes. Have to play it out with the other team, too, then combine some of these new folks with our trained hunters and see how they react. We'll see who gets eliminated early and who stays around past the first few days, then we'll!'

Derek waited. 'We'll what?'

But Lou didn't say anything. He stared down into the computer, frowning, then he looked up and cast a strange, faraway look into the jungle. Derek was about to ask Lou what was wrong when it hit him.

His blood went cold and he shuddered. s.h.i.+t. He shot off the table. 'Lou.'

Lou stood and turned to Derek. 'I know.'

Derek didn't know exactly what was up, but a feeling of deep dread overcame him, like he'd just gotten news a close relative had died or something. d.a.m.n. He'd never had the senses that Lou had, but he sure as h.e.l.l felt something off-kilter right now.

'They're here,' Lou said.

'What do you mean, they'? Whooh, s.h.i.+t.'

Lou nodded. 'Call the others. Grab the weapons and get out there. I mean they're here and right now, and they're after our new team.'

Derek was already on the mic to the others before Lou finished talking. The other hunters charged out of the opposite end of the jungle and Derek went to the storage bin to retrieve weapons.

The real weapons.

'I don't want to call them back in. I don't want them to move,' Lou said. 'Don't even alert them. They start heading back to base, the demons will attack. I know it.'

Derek knew better than to second-guess anything Lou said. 'Got it.' He turned to his team. 'Grab gear and run like h.e.l.l,' he commanded.

'I'll stay here and talk to the new people, try to keep them calm.'