Author's Note: All characters are over the age of 18. This story is a work of fiction. Please do not republish on other platforms without my express permission. Constructive criticism welcomed. I hope you enjoy!
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"The boy's not giving us much."
"What?"
"There's not enough of whatever was in his bloodstream to extract and analyze so the boys and girls tell me all we can do is wait."
Carrie huffs with annoyance as she shoves a strand of blonde hair away from her face. "Then what the hell do I do now?"
The man seated behind the mahogany desk leans back as his office chair squeaks. He brushes his mustache thoughtfully. "Weeeell, since you're now free. We actually sent Rusty to Auatralia to gather some intel..."
"You WHAT," exclaimed Carrie as her jaw drops. "What the hell would possess you to do that?!?"
"Hey! I had no bloody choice! The boss thought the boy was ready and insisted that I let him go prove himself!"
"It's because you enable him! The kid's overweight and we're just supposed to pretend he's some kind of professional bounty hunter?!?"
"Sssshhh," hushed the man sharply as he looked around. "Look, the boss has no clue and he is gonna throw a fit if he finds out we've lost contact with Rusty."
"You can't be serious! He's missing???"
Winston waves his hands in front of him frantically. "Oi! I said keep it down! It's not the most ideal outcome..."
The woman scoffs. "Let me guess, you want me to clean up your mess, huh? Well, give me one good reason why I should care, Winston."
"Eeeeerr, well, because you owe me?"
Carrie was sitting with her arms crossed as the plane cabin rumbled. Her dark look nearly scared the pilot when they first met. Luckily, he was a friendly and understanding guy so he brushed it off.
The man taps the side of the cockpit. "Oi, yer stops coming up, love. It's a nice breezy Australian mornin' so you should be able to get down there no problem."
The woman nods and gets up, making sure her gear is set. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Fetching the boss' son was a pain in the ass and it was affecting their organization's effectiveness since they had to keep bailing Rusty out. In fact, one of their top hunters died covering his escape a few months ago.
"Aye, mind the Abos, yeah? They're right nasty with those chompas. Wouldn't want a pretty little thing like yourself getting torn to shreds, eh?"
He looks back to see that she had already jumped out of the plane. "Oi, the nerve of some people."
Carrie had done this many times before so she wasn't worried. She used this time in the air to go over the details of the mission. Rusty was supposed to represent their guild and hammer out a deal so they could work together with one of the more reputable Australian mercenary groups. According to Winston, Rusty was well guarded because he decided to hire some former spec ops to ensure the process was smooth. The problem is that Rusty never arrived to finalize the deal.
Winston had installed a tracker on Rusty's glasses and the signal it emitted was in Aboriginal territory. Knowing that they were cannibals, he immediately arranged for Carrie to head out the same night.
As she landed on the ground, Carrie removed the parachute harness. This time she was dressed in a synthetic rubber one piece suit. The idea was that it would protect her if the Aboriginals tried to bite her. She pointed out to the tech guys that her face was still uncovered to which they shrugged and said that was where her training should kick in.
Carrie decided to hide so she could trail the Abos since they'll probably know the terrain better than she would. The blonde nearly dozes off in the trees when she hears a sound. Sitting up quietly, she peers down to see a group of three below. This was her first time seeing an Abo in person. They were short, dark-skinned, curly haired, and...wrinkled.
Their faces were brutish looking and the strange bone piercings in their noses gave them an intimidating look. They spoke among themselves in a strange language, waving their spears carelessly. The men were dressed in bone skirts and necklaces as they seemed to be collecting supplies.
"Come on. Hurry it up will you," hissed Carrie.
There wasn't much time. Yet, she couldn't just rush in without a plan. Thankfully, the scavengers had finished and were on their way back.
Just as she suspected, there were traps along the way. Even though the Abos are considered primitive, their traps were no joke. The trained hunter feels a shiver run through her as she imagines what would happen if she got caught. They finally arrived at the village which was protected by a crude wooden fence decorated with what were presumably the skulls of their enemies.
The defenses were a paper tiger because Carrie was able to easily find an opening to sneak through. Her camo rubber suit proved to be more useful than she thought and she was able to blend in with her surroundings. Their movement patterns were strange. For some reason, they kept going to one tent in particular.
Carrie didn't want to risk it so she bided her time. Her muscles ached from being still for so long then finally something happened. The big tent opens and they carry out a familiar figure on a makeshift wooden stretcher. He wasn't wearing his shirt showing off all of his pale, blubbery glory and he was on his back seemingly relaxed.
"What the hell? Rusty???"
The red-haired youth had his eyes closed as four Abos carried him like a king or a sacrifice. Their destination was the area in the middle of the village where there were about five guys banging on some drums.
Carrie felt uneasy with the atmosphere. It looked like they were preparing for some sort of ceremony and she had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to be good. She began to look around to craft a plan.
After about fifteen minutes, she hears a loud shout and sees an Abo with an ornate headdress walking out with his arms stretched high while the drum sounds slowly die down. He then says something in his native tongue which sounded very aggressive as he punctuated it with sharp hand movements. The rest of his men whooped and threw up their fists vigorously in response.
Carrie then saw why. Three bound women were taken out on wooden stretchers and, by the looks of it, they were locals! Wait, there was something different about them. She noticed they were pretty fit and their clothes weren't the type civilians would wear. A glimmer catches her eyes and she spots a badge on one of the women.
"No way! It's them," whispers Carrie as she squints to get a better look.
The kangaroo with the two guns symbol belonged to the guild group Rusty was supposed to meet! Did the Abos really take them all out too? If so, maybe they weren't as strong as previously thought...
Not that there was much time to think because the ritual was resuming as the ladies were placed in front of the chief. The men started to surround them as their eyes gleamed with hunger. Carrie swore under her breath. It was now or never.
She sneaks closer and closer as they chant. Some of them were holding knives, no doubt to carve up their victims for a feast. The hunter takes out her handgun and takes aim at one of the drummers next to the chief. A loud bang rings through the air.
Before some of the Abos could act, Carrie leaps from her hiding place and strikes them with her bare hands while shooting others. She had successfully scared some of them away and incapacitated others. Though, there were still plenty of men in her way towards the captured women.
The first two guys nearest her quickly recover from their shock and they charge at her. She sidesteps one and strikes him in the back of the neck while throwing a high kick which hits the second attacker's neck. The remaining men swarm at her as she fends them off.
Carrie was glad she didn't slack off on her conditioning and hand-to-hand combat skills. Since the Abos were a bit smaller than average, it was easier for her to repel their aggression. However, one of the Abos manages to grab her from behind stopping her defensive maneuvers.
"Shit! Let me go!"
