<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The slow movement of time seemed to end in an instant. It did not return to its normal flow, the steady march where actions were easily distinguishable. It was almost a blur, a hazy jumble of gunfire, claws, and teeth. Ava’s hand went to her holster, drawing her weapon to point in the roaring beasts’ direction. On her back, her shots were not easily marked and fortunately for her they didn’t need to be as the Hunter’s bullets made contact with vulnerable flesh. The piercing shriek it loosed cut through the night, echoing guttural sounds that vibrated in her chest. It writhed on the ground as she was scrambling to her feet, her gun targeting the thrashing monster that quickly got its bearings. Briefly she was astonished; how many shots it could take and how much pain it could endure, it seemed that the thing just simply refused to die-- sheer will and rage numbing its wounds. Much like the wrecking ball that charged in its direction, thoughtlessly toward the clutches of death with no regard for his existence or well-being. “Wes!” Ava saw him run past her and instinctively she took determined strides forward to go after him, trying to stop him from an assault of razor sharp talons and jagged rows of teeth. Her steps slowed, stopping a few feet shy of the wild struggle. <br/>
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It was another situation where shooting put Wes at risk. With how the beast was jerking and twisting, reacting vocally to the series of bullets the Hunter emptied into its side, it was impossible to get a clear shot. One sudden movement and the bullet could hit him instead, and though it was tempting at the moment she shoved her frustrations aside. “Wes! Get out of there, now!” She called, urgency in her voice as it seemed that the Grunch wasn’t about to succumb to its wounds. Much to her surprise its cries of agony became weaker, like the murderous posture and hostility that supported its muscles. With another, pitiful screech, it collapsed. Ava was still for a few seconds, gun still trained on the fallen creature as she proceeded with caution. “Wes?” A hint of worry in her voice, her footsteps quickened. Flurries of panic in her gut, she feared he might have been gravely injured or worse. All this time she had been admonishing him for being reckless, for not thinking things through when she hadn’t thought of the most dangerous aspect of her little side operation. If something happened to her, she was willing to take responsibility. She went into every supernatural situation with the knowledge that she may not make it out alive. But, with Wes . . . Ava didn’t know if she could live with herself if something happened to him. <br/>
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She was almost afraid to look beneath the corpse, fearful that she might see a face frozen in the last expression it wore upon death. “Wes . . .” The body began to shift, and instantly her hold on her weapon tightened, ready for the vicious Grunch to spring back to life. Instead a hand reached up. Ava let out a sigh, an immense wave of relief coming over her. Lowering her weapon, she dropped her forehead into her palm. She wanted to be furious, to ream him out for being so impulsive and foolish, for making her <i>worry</i>. More frustrating than anything she could hear that stupid smirk on his face from where she stood, just knew it was there from the witty words he spoke. She was torn between wanting to choke him and joining in on that lighthearted laughter. “I should leave you under there.” Ava moved over to him, staring down at the Hunter still wedged beneath the dead Grunch. “That was really . . . Not <i>smart</i>.” Visibly she was holding herself back from what she really wanted to say, but as she stood over him she couldn’t help but find the humor in his situation. “You’re going to stink to high heaven.” Ava holstered her gun, offering him a hand when she heard a roar, deeper and more primal than the ones they heard before. <br/>
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Looking up toward the source of that dreaded screech, her jaw went slack to see another monster; same tough hide, sharp claws, and teeth, but larger. Angrier. Its teeth were bloody, strands of meat and flesh between them as the spines on its back bristled with agitation. There was no more bait, their ammunition was lacking, and they had little time to strategize. Ava reached down when the creature stepped into the water, her foot going to the corpses’ side to slightly lift its body. She helped pull the Hunter up, quick to retrieve her rifle when it submerged itself. “We need to get away from the water.” It had too much of an advantage there. Rarely did she propose running but they needed a little bit of distance to regroup. “Let’s go.” She said, leading the way. Ava made sure her path wasn’t linear, making sure to keep her movements unpredictable since the Grunch was faster, better able to use the environment to gain ground. She didn’t look back to see how close it was, if it was behind them or above them. Judging by the harsh pound of dirt behind them, it was on the ground, feet tearing into the earth and soil thunderously.<br/>
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She kept her focus ahead, her mind racing for a solution. “Do you have any more of that wire? I know I said I wasn’t going to use you as bait but I think I have a plan.” She said between breaths. “I would volunteer, but you <i>were</i> the one to kill its lover. I don’t have many bullets left, so I need to make the ones I do have count. If we can down it, I can take it out. You just . . . You just gotta keep it busy and bring it to me.” </span>