Island Girls 2 Read online

  I immediately assumed that their path here must have been different than ours, based solely on the weapons that they carried. Perhaps they did not have to escape through the starship/space station like we did. They might not even know about our alien captors, or that they exist solely for the entertainment of others. Their perspective on life could significantly change how we need to approach them, or how they might react to our messages. I hadn't given that possibility a lot of thought until I saw their weapons.

  They slowly spread out, but not necessarily in a tactical formation. Their heads turned in all directions, no one staying focused on the chance that there might be threats existing on this island. They resembled a family checking out their new hotel suite at a fancy resort. They nodded and pointed at different things, including the nearby islands. None of them seemed to be in a particular hurry to inspect the house where we were hiding. Hopefully, our sand messages would catch their attention.

  I distinctly got the impression that they knew roughly what was in store for them here. They carried their guns like they were nice handbags. Too valuable to sit down just anywhere, so they had to hold onto them. All barrels remained pointed at the ground the entire time.

  "What do we do?" Nancy asked in a whisper.

  "We wait for them to read our messages in the sand before we expose ourselves," I answered.

  "Joah," Delilah spoke up. "We need to board that ship before it takes off. Don't wait too long to make your move."

  "Why would we want to board the shuttle?" Lin asked. "Won't it just take us back to your people in orbit?"

  Delilah quickly replied, "Yes. I can get us to safety up there. We have a better chance of survival on the station. I can’t protect myself in this environment."

  "I thought you said that you were banished," I answered without taking my eyes off the newcomers. I couldn't let the alien waif manipulate this situation. Her insistence on boarding the shuttle, though, might reveal more about her motivation.

  "Yes, sort of," Delilah replied, struggling to find the right words to express herself. That was unusual, and a signal that she was preparing to tell us another lie. This woman just could stop deceiving us. It must be a permanent part of her nature. "I still have friends up there. They can help us."

  "No," Jayla said. "They might help you, but not us. Now that I know that we are already on Vromia, I'm not getting on another one of your shuttles if I can help it."

  "Focus ladies," I then said. "Delilah, stay quiet and inside the house until I call for you. Communicating with these people might be harder than we thought."

  "Why is that?" Nancy asked.

  Delilah spoke again, in a lower tone. "They have human weapons. I do not know where they came from."

  "What does that mean?" Lin asked. "They had to have come from your people, right? It's one of your shuttles!"

  "Focus!" I demanded. One of the men had heard us bickering and was looking our way. It was Hairy. This world was quiet aside from the gentle lapping of the waves, unless there were birds chirping. Presently, the only chirping was from undisciplined followers behind me.

  Two of us had powerful weapons, one skilled, one not so much. Three of them were armed. Though it was always difficult to judge how accurate a person was without watching them shoot, I was pretty sure that none of them had military training. Or even paintball experience for that matter. Or, they were certain that the island was unoccupied before their arrival. Still, I doubted a seasoned veteran among them. I would still need to be cautious, but I used that information to boost my optimism.

  "We need to show a display of strength," I told my followers. "They might not give us a chance to talk if we don't. Lin, slowly alternate aiming between the three of them that hold weapons. Do so randomly, or when one of them makes any movement. The spears are obviously not a long-range threat, so their presence suggests an absence of firepower. The coral stars are likely an unknown object to them. Nancy and Shira, leave your spears here and hold the corals like a gun and copy Lin's technique. Jayla, you can bring your spear since you have nothing else."

  "What happens when they start shooting?" Jayla expressed reasonable concern.

  "Everyone dives for cover," I instructed them. "Then Lin is the only one of you that targets them until they get close. I'll handle the rest. Hopefully, it won't come to that. I’ve done this sort of thing dozens of time." Most were in training, but I didn’t mention that part.

  I watched as the newcomers continued to approach, paying no attention to our messages in the sand. I needed to prep my people. "Okay, now we need to step into view with confidence. Fan out until there is five to ten feet between us. I'll stay center. Let me do the talking. Delilah, stay put."

  Everyone has a plan until the shit hits the fan. So, I plan for the shit, and the fan. Visualize the things that could go wrong, because they probably will.

  Before we could all get outside of the house, Hairy raised his assault rifle and began firing from the hip like an egotistical drug lord. Some of the bullets impacted trees between us and the house roof behind me before I reacted with a perfectly aimed pulse rifle blast directly to his chest. He flew backwards, sending his gun somersaulting out of his reach. The damage done to his body and his lack of movement suggested that it did not matter, unless another member of their team retrieved it.

  To my surprise, neither of the other two gun-toting opponents opened fire. They were clearly shocked to see people coming out of their new home, and even more so when Hairy began shooting. Skinny dove for cover to my right, behind a sand dune. The woman with a gun, let's call her Shorty, took cover behind a large tree to my left. Unarmed Blondie simply dropped straight down onto the sandy rocks and stayed motionless like a hostage in a bank robbery. She was clearly visible. Her position placed her less than ten feet from the discarded assault rifle, but she made no attempt to move in that direction. Perhaps she did not yet see it.

  I crouched down to one knee and kept both eyes open as I used the scope to alternate between the armed opponents. They were less than thirty feet apart and at least seventy feet from me, so it was not that difficult for me. I considered it unlikely that they would be firing upon me at the same time, but they were close enough for communication, so it was possible.

  "Lin," I said in a low voice not to be overheard by our targets. She had scrambled for safety behind a tree to my right. "Can you see the skinny guy on the right or the armed woman to the left?"

  "No," she replied, just a little panic in her voice. I remembered from our experience escaping the station that it might take her a minute to get zoned in for battle. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late. "But I saw where the guy went. I'm holding my aim on that area."

  "Good," I said. "Keep it there, even if the woman starts shooting. When he pops up, fire a blast. It doesn’t have to be a great shot. We need to keep him pinned down."

  "Hello," I called out. "There has been a misunderstanding. We mean you no harm. Our weapons are only for our protection. We live on a nearby island and were leaving you messages that we are friendly when you arrived. Your teammate opened fire on us first, but we prefer to end this peacefully."

  I waited for a response, but there was nothing. Not even movement. They were still shocked and confused, trying to figure out their options. I should help them.

  "You are out gunned, and we are accurate marksmen," I shouted. Hairy's death should convince them of that statement. "There is no reason for anyone else to die here today. We only wanted to avoid a conflict between us. That's why we came here. There are messages in the sand on each beach. You should be able to see them from where you are. Make the right decision and step into the open without a weapon."

  Blondie lifted her head and looked to each side. Her friends might be signaling to her. When she saw me looking her way, she quickly put her cheek back to the ground.

  I allowed more time to pass. Some people, most people, took longer to assess their situation than I did. Patience could make all the difference in r
esolving this without more bloodshed. I was right. Movement to the left by the tree caught my eye.

  Shorty stepped slightly to her left, exposing that half of her body. The right side, including the hand that held the gun, was still hidden from view by the tree. A second later, Skinny raised up enough that I could see his chest and shoulders. His hands were not visible. I had to assume that they were both still armed.

  I kept my rifle aimed at Shorty but shifted my eyes between the two of them at quick intervals. Lin should still have a bead on the guy. The fact that they were not fully complying with my demand was a bad sign. They were using my patience as an opportunity to get a clear view of their opposition. Position and firepower would be calculated before their next move. They might be a little smarter than I gave them credit.

  Movement in the center area then caught my attention. Blondie was sliding her slender body toward the assault rifle. That was not a smart move since I could clearly see her. With my gaze in her direction, the other two took their opportunity to raise their pistols.

  Shorty fired a bullet at me that hit the ground just inches from my left foot before returning to cover behind the tree. A blast from my rifle burnt a big section of the trunk, but apparently did not hit her. Skinny failed to get a shot off before Lin tagged him in the shoulder with her laser pistol. His body spun around as he was sent awkwardly to the ground behind the small sand dune once again.

  "Is everyone okay?" I asked my people. They all sounded off, even Delilah. I had told her to remain in the house. With me front and center though, it was possible that an errant shot could find her.

  What was accomplished with that last flurry? Several things, actually. They saw the evidence of our skill and firepower. The alien weapons could be more intimidating than mere bullets. We managed to injure one of them, thanks to Lin's ability to focus under pressure. And, most importantly, we now know that a peaceful resolution is not their first choice. And that required a mental adjustment on my part. Any armed foe now must die.

  "Lin," I whispered loud enough for her hear. "Keep the guy pinned down. He might try to flank left or right, so make sure you can see that whole area. I'm going around to the left. Be prepared to shoot anyone that might have a gun."

  I did not have eyes on Skinny, but Blondie was still in view. She had stopped moving toward the weapon and was now face down on the ground with her hands behind her head. She, at least, was ready to surrender. That's probably why they never gave her a gun. Even if she managed to retrieve the weapon, she would be the least threat between the three of them.

  Hairy's body remained motionless. I needed to assume that he was dead. It was a calculated risk, but I decided to focus primarily on Shorty, with a side eye out for any movement from Skinny. I had to trust my partner, Lin, to cover that guy. We got it down to two-on-two as far as armed participants. I needed to improve our chances by taking down another one. My hope of gaining new friends had faded away. It was time to take care of business.

  I crept along the ground to the left slowly. I didn't want to tip them off to my movement, but I also did not want to miss anything by getting too low. That took time and an incredible amount of patience.

  Eventually, Shorty came into view, but only her shoulder, and her big fat ass. She was still behind the tree but poking out the other side to search for us. As a right-hander, she should be keeping to this side instead. I heard two more shots fire off. Based on Shorty's movement, I concluded that they both came from her gun. She must be aiming for Lin or one of the others. I hoped that neither shot found a target. I was too deep into my flank to look back and find out.

  A loud noise caught everyone's attention as the shuttle released the two survival kits just like it did ours. Blondie screamed. I couldn't see her, but I assumed that she did not move from the scare. Shorty spun around to face the ship as its engines powered up. I had a clear view of her back.

  I debated on giving her another chance to drop her weapon and surrender. With a second armed foe out of sight, and an additional weapon available to them on the ground, I considered that option could significantly increase the risk of one of my women being shot. They made their choice already. I had to make mine.

  With just that moment's hesitation, I allowed the woman opportunity to turn back around. This time she faced my direction and caught sight of me. Instinctively, she raised her pistol hand. Before she could even aim, I obliterated her right shoulder and sent her into a spinning cartwheel to land out of view.

  I rushed to take cover behind her tree to see if she was dead. Her pistol came into view first. It was still in her hand. Unfortunately for her, her right arm was no longer attached to her body. A few feet away I saw Shorty lying on her back breathing heavily as her body bled out from the huge charred wound in her chest. Despite the blackened burnt sections of flesh, blood was gushing from somewhere inside her to stain the sand bright red. She wasn't completely dead yet, but she was certainly no longer a threat.

  I poked my head out from the tree to check on Blondie. She was then on her hands and knees, almost within reach of the rifle. "Don't!" was all that I said. Based on her demeanor and the fact that she did not yet have the gun in hand, I decided to give her a chance to live. Her long blonde hair blowing in the breeze like an anime princess had very little to do with it.

  The ship took off and standing behind it was Skinny, his pistol already aimed at me from about forty feet away. Calculating the difference between our weapons and skill, I gave myself a better than fifty percent chance of winning a duel with this guy, even though my barrel would need to be raised up to fire an accurate shot.

  When the man gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes, I knew a bullet would soon be headed my way. I dropped to one knee to give him a smaller target as I aimed my pulse rifle at him. Before either of us could fire, a rudimentary spear came at him from my right. It missed and bounced off a rock. It was, however, enough to get him to spin around. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jayla dive to the ground, chest down.

  Skinny never got that shot off. The spin of his body sent him into a different stance. My shot, intended for his chest, took his head clean off. The rest of his body stood there in for a second, then began a gory slow-motion descent for the ground behind him. Blood was already projecting from his neck before he landed. It was as nasty as anything I had ever seen before.

  All four opponents were now in view. Three of them clearly dead. The fourth face down on the ground once again, now begging for her life.

  Our mission was a failure. We did not make new friends as we had hoped. Any new team coming here would surely be shown video of this battle to prepare them for hostility toward us. Alliance was no longer an option.

  I gave the 'all clear' to my hiding friends so they could join me to stare at the carnage. Three separate camera drones were recording from different angles. We had become so used to their presence that I paid them no attention during the battle. When one swooped in to get a close up of the deceased, I blasted it out of the sky in frustration, yielding yet another scream from our newest captive.

  Jayla joined me first. I quietly thanked her for the spear throw. It was enough to distract Skinny man to dramatically improve my odds of winning the shootout. It also drew his attention to her instead of me. That was a big risk on her part. And enough action to earn her my trust. When I gathered up the weapons, I handed her one of the pistols.

  Lin came next. She had been flanking around on the other beach in pursuit of her target. Then Nancy and Shira. All were unharmed. That left only Delilah. I adjusted so I could see the entrance of the house from my position. Did a stray bullet take her out? Would it be a great loss if it did? At least we wouldn't have to guard her anymore. Still, a worry in my gut told me that I preferred that she had not been shot.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:

  Delilah was calmly waiting for permission to exit the building. She stood there with her arms open in a gesture demonstrating her patience. She was trying to win points with me, I th
ought. After that claim that it would be in our best interest to board the shuttle, she would need to do more than follow simple commands. I motioned for her to join us. With her majestic stride it would take a couple minutes for arrive at the massacre site.

  Blondie remained prone but was no longer crying. She popped her head up to look around as my group gathered above her.

  "I wasn't lying when I said that we meant you no harm," I told her. Her lithe body style was a change from the athletic build of most competitors that we had faced so far. Resembling a Barbie doll, she looked too frail to run an obstacle course. I was surprised that she survived that long. "Why did you reach for the gun?"

  "They told me to," she screeched. "I didn't know what else to do."

  "Your friends didn't have to die," I said as I squatted down in front of her. She had a narrow face with flawless white skin. Subdued features reinforced my anime analogy from before. "You don't have to either."