But where is her partner? And are there two Hunters or more? Very possibly more.
And how did they find Pilot? Did Isch betray us, or Celia, or did someone spot us in Barcelona and follow us here, or have they been watching Pilot for days or weeks? And is Van safe or is she already a prisoner?
It will be hard to get to the Hunter quietly. She’s in a good spot, not easy to attack from behind, but that’s what I have to do. I know I can beat her in a fight but the problem is getting close to her before she raises an alarm. I really don’t want her turning round and shooting me.
I set off, keeping my eyes on the black figure . . . it’s like a child’s game. I’m in plain sight if she turns round—let’s face it, I’m dead if she turns round—but her job is to watch the house and if I’m silent she won’t turn. So, slowly down the valley side, hardly breathing, keeping my eyes on the ground now to find my next foothold and—she shifts on her stomach, readjusts her binoculars—the loose, sandy ground slides away under my left foot but quietly. I take one more step to the floor of the valley. Now I keep my eyes on the Hunter, two meters above me. My knife is ready in my left hand.
I take two swift, large strides forward, grab her ankle with my right hand, and yank her down. She’s good—she yelps and twists and kicks me but already I have the knife in her throat. The blood spurts over my hand. The glints in her eyes go out. I’m surprised how quick that happened.
My ribs hurt. I think she broke one with her kick. I heal, get the buzz, and I’m still holding her body, still holding the knife in her throat. I pull it out, my hand shaking a little as I wipe the knife clean on the Hunter’s shirt. She has a radio and earpiece. I take them, my hand shaking again as I touch the Hunter’s skin. I try the earpiece but I can’t bear it hissing in my head. That’s why I could sense them from so far away—not just their mobiles but the radios too.
I get her binoculars and move up to where she’d been watching from. The binoculars are great. I can see Pilot’s house and the patio and the vines; I can see part of Gabriel’s head but not Pilot’s. The binoculars do their job but the vines do theirs as well. The Hunters don’t know that Nesbitt and I left there, if they even knew we arrived.
I scan the hillside for the Hunter’s partner and for Nesbitt. Way over the other side of the hill I can make out a black figure, a Hunter, then further up again I see another dark figure. Nesbitt? No! Another Hunter. Then further again another figure. Another Hunter. Shit! And I’ve no idea where Nesbitt is.
The alarm would have been raised if he’d been caught, though, so . . .
Then I spot him. He’s doing what I’ve just done, approaching the Hunter across from me from behind. Which is fine but I have a feeling that Nesbitt doesn’t know about the other two further up the slope and I think they will be able to see him. Shit!
I slide down into the valley to the body of the Hunter and grab her gun. I’d rather not use it but if I have to I will. Then I run uphill, keeping to the dry valley bottom, being as careful as I can to keep the sounds down but speed is more important.
I go three hundred meters; I reckon that’s enough. Then I’m up to the side of the valley on my stomach and scanning through the binoculars. Nesbitt is way below and across from me, kneeling over the Hunter, who looks pretty dead. But the Hunter furthest from me is shuffling back and must be able to see Nesbitt. The Hunter nearest me is still but not relaxed, looking back to where my dead Hunter is. They know we’re here now. They’ve seen Nesbitt and radioed each other and are now wondering why Hunter number one isn’t responding.
I have to get to the Hunter nearest to me quickly and hope Nesbitt can deal with the other one.
My Hunter is a hundred meters below me and to my left. I reckon silence isn’t an issue anymore, so I get as near as I can as quick as I can as quiet as I can. I point my gun at the Hunter but I know I’m not a good enough shot unless I’m close up. I’m almost on her when she hears me and turns. I shoot and get her leg. She rolls away and shoots, and I’m amazed that she’s missed me. I shoot again, emptying the gun as I run at her, and then my knife is in her stomach and I’m pulling it up, out, and stabbing it into her neck. The sparkles in her eyes last and last, silver and brown. I glance at my hand, her blood covering it. When I look back at her eyes there are no sparkles and I turn quickly away.
The side of my head stings. Blood is pouring out. Her bullet didn’t miss but grazed my skull. I heal again as I put the binoculars back up to my eyes.
Nesbitt is by his dead Hunter, picking up her gun, then turning to look toward me.
I scan uphill and see the last Hunter. She looks from me to Nesbitt and gets her mobile out. She’s contacting base. The place will be swarming with Hunters in no time if she does.
I’m off toward her. Shouting at Nesbitt, “Shoot her!”