Chapter 4 - THE MERCENARY TRAILThe rain poured heavily, washing away our footprints as Leo and I crawled deeper into the thick undergrowth.
Just fifty yards away, three heavily armed men in black tactical gear stepped into the clearing around the burning cabin. They carried assault rifles fitted with thermal scopes and suppressors.
"Target cabin is destroyed," one of the mercenaries reported into his shoulder mic. "No sign of the mutant lioness. Checking for human remains."
"Move, now," Leo whispered, pulling my sleeve.
We crept through the dark, muddy forest, using the thunder and heavy rain to mask the sound of our footsteps. Every muscle in my body ached, my ribs throbbed with every breath, but the fear of a bullet in the back kept me moving.
As we reached a rocky ridge half a mile away, we stopped under a dense canopy of pine trees to catch our breath.
"We need to reach the ranger station at the base of the mountain," I panted, wiping muddy water from my eyes. "They have satellite phones. We can call the authorities."
"The authorities?" Leo laughed bitterly, clutching his injured arm. "The corporation that owns that lab is the authority in this region. They own the local police, the park rangers, everything. If we step foot into that ranger station, they'll put a bullet in our heads and bury us in the woods."
"So what do we do?" I cried out in frustration. "We can't survive out here forever! There's a deadly beast hunting us, and a squad of hitmen looking for our bodies!"
Before Leo could answer, a soft, familiar sound echoed from a nearby rocky hollow.
Mew... mew...
I froze. I slowly turned my flashlight toward a small crevice between two high boulders.
Sitting inside, wet, trembling, and utterly terrified, was the tiny lion cub I had saved off the cliff hours ago.
"It's him," I whispered, stepping toward the crevice.
"Don't go near that thing!" Leo hissed, grabbing my shoulder. "That cub is the reason its mother is tracking us! It's a beacon for that monster!"
"He's just a baby, Leo! He's innocent!" I pulled away from his grip and knelt down in front of the cub. The little creature looked up at me with wide, golden eyes, shivering violently from the cold. I reached out, gently scooping the small, light body into my arms and tucking him inside my remaining sweater. The cub immediately buried his head against my chest, seeking warmth.
"You're crazy," Leo muttered, shaking his head. "You're holding a death sentence."
"We can't leave him to freeze or get shot by those men," I snapped.
Suddenly, the air went dead silent. The wind stopped blowing. The rain seemed to slow down.
From the top of the rocky ridge directly above us, a shadow emerged.
The lioness stood on the high rock, outlined against the grey storm clouds. Blood dripped from her wounded shoulder where Leo's flare had grazed her. Her eyes burned with a terrifying, yellow fire as she looked down at me holding her baby.
Beside me, Leo reached for the flare gun again, his hand shaking violently. "I'll shoot her!"
"No! Don't shoot!" I yelled.
The lioness opened her jaws to let out a lethal pounce—when suddenly, a red laser dot appeared on her chest.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
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Suppressed gunfire shattered the silence.
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