Predator Stalking Shadows 37

"Scott looked at him steadily. "I assume the other guy came off worse?" Something passed across Dutch's face; a fleeting wince, as if at a sudden stab of internal pain. "In this case, unfortunately not," he said. "And it wasn't a he, it was a she."
Scott's eyes widened. Dutch raised a weary hand, as if to ward off a flurry of questions. "It happened a few months after New Mexico. My men and I were dispatched to a small village in Laos, which intel informed us was a definite hunting ground. But when we got there the village was empty. No bodies, no blood, nothing. It wasn't until we reached a square in the center of the village that we received our first and only indication we'd come to the right place - a fresh human skull and spine, impaled on a Hunter's spear that had been rammed into a hole in the ground."

"We knew straight away the Hunter was
aware of our presence, and was taunting us. But before we could decide what to do about it, all hell broke loose. Every man who was with me that day was a highly trained soldier, most of whom had been with me for years. They knew how not to make themselves targets, and how to find cover when under fire. But despite that..."

"...they were wiped out, every last one of them. Angus, Blaine, Cook...""pg.258 chpt.10

"You were ambushed?" Still staring at the tabletop, Dutch's head moved in a nod. "How many of them were there?" Now Dutch looked up. The expression on his face was a complex blend of shame, embarrassment, anger, grief. "Just one. But she... she was faster, and smarter, and more ruthless than any Hunter I've ever encountered." That word again. "She?" Scott repeated. "We're pretty sure it was a female. I'm pretty sure she was... royalty of some sort. Or whatever passes for royalty on their world. I thought we had the measure of these fuckers. But she tore us apart. And she did it without breaking sweat. We were like children against her." "So how did you escape?" Scott asked. Dutch looked shamefaced. "I didn't. She let me go."pg.259 chpt.10