Mark didn`t require luck to find the alien dog, Erodicilee.

　　He smiled, looking at the hunting gear spread out before him. Aside from his rifle, most of it he`d purchased two days ago after the airing of the interview with the blonde broad and the hot alien. Mark couldn`t believe the aliens let women into politics, but he supposed it was a different culture. At least she was something to look at, and ambassadors were for talking, as far as he knew. It made sense to send one that others would actually want to speak to.

　　His eyes flicked over the desert camo jacket, flashlight with spare batteries, a map covered in a pencil grid, canteen, and knife that sat on the blanket he`d spread out. The guy at the army surplus store promised the blanket would keep out any rain. Mark hoped that was true. The last thing he needed was for the corpse to get soaked and damaged.

　　He slid the knife into his belt before putting on the jacket. It went well with his camo jeans. When he`d purchased them, the guy said they fit him perfectly. Mark agreed that he might have to get a few more. He needed to look professional for the camera. After all, there was no way he wouldn`t get famous when this was over.

　　A real-life alien? People would clamor to hear his story. Money. Women. Fame. He`d have it all. Idly, Mark wondered if they`d let him keep some of the corpse as a trophy. Maybe he could get some of the fur framed or a leg mounted in his man cave. If not, he`d demand they let him take photos. Perhaps holding it like he`d caught a fish? Women dug those.

　　With his supplies all set, he moved out of the small town and started into the outback. All around him, the people he`d unfortunately shared a plane with still milled around. He inwardly scoffed at the lot of them. Posers. Wannabe influencers. Internet kids shouting memes. Everyone, from real journalists to vloggers hoping to hit big, was carrying a camera, shoving them into the faces of anyone who appeared vaguely local.

　　One or two were people like him. True believers. He could spot them a mile away. They wore tactical gear, carried weapons, and had serious expressions. A few carried GoPros strapped to their chests, already recording to make sure they got proof of the kill. Sure. Neither chick had asked for them to kill the creature if they found it, but who cared? He`d get famous either way, and this was safer.

　　Still, as he passed on the group, he saw them hauling a collection of metal cages off the back of the truck. Some were small enough to be cat carriers; others he could have fit in with room to spare. Creepy, but if they wanted to risk the extra danger, let them. No skin off Mark`s nose. They were nothing but a footnote, the group that followed him too late into the dangerous wild against unique prey.

　　As he moved, he stuck to any natural shade he could find. The sun beat overhead, and he bet a beast with so much fur wouldn`t want to stay out in it too long. Others drove past them in trucks, motorbikes, and a tiny sedan. Teenagers filled the last one, laughing and drinking. He sneered. They`d get bogged down, probably. Idiots.

　　With his map in hand, he crossed out any of the grid squares he`d checked. He knew the beast would be on foot. All the photos showed it running. That meant he`d see it coming, which was good. He could get a solid shot off then. It would be like being at the range.

　　The time between vehicles grew longer as he walked further into the outback. Mark took frequent breaks, sipping from his canteen and studying his map. There was an area nearby, a place with a bunch of natural cave formations. He`d put money on the creature hiding in there. Lots of space, nearby water, and close to the town where its owner stayed.

　　Yes, it would be there. All he`d need to do was find it.

　　A smile grew as he pictured the scene. Mark, standing over the alien with a smoking gun, had saved one of the young, hotter influencers—blonde, like the chick in the interview—who was too scared to think straight. She`d throw herself into his arms and then talk about how he was her hero.

　　His smile grew until he couldn`t do anything but replace his canteen and start heading again. That was the type of fantasy he couldn`t wait to make into a reality. No matter how much work it would take.

　　***

　　The caves were dark, but his flashlight didn`t fail him as he walked into their murky depths.

　　His imagination was still going, casting him as the hero as he breezily crushed anything that stood in his way. Each step inside caused his footsteps to echo, and he waved his flashlight around to check out the walls. Most were blank, but a few held ancient paintings by the first nations` people. Mark hoped he wouldn`t have to shoot any of them. They were old, and the oil companies had broken enough of them.

　　At the thought of his gun, he shrugged it off his shoulder and rested the butt against his shoulder. He wanted to be ready. If he needed to take the shot, he would. It was hard to keep the flashlight and the rifle steady, but he managed it after some time. Mark shifted the beam, walking ever further into the tunnels. At the first split, he went left. When he reached the second, he went right. There was no real reason for his choice. He simply picked at random in the hopes he`d stumble on something.

　　At one point, he heard squeaking above him, and he stopped before pointing his flashlight towards the ceiling. Goosebumps sprang up over his arms as he stared at the mass of bats that appeared to be growing from the rock. Their eyes appeared red in the beam of light, and he quickly lowered it. His heart raced, and his knees shook, but he swallowed away the fear.

　　Mark Roberts wasn`t a coward. No, sir. He simply didn`t want to disturb them in their own home.

　　A quick check of his gun gave him time to calm his breathing, and once he placed it on his shoulder, he shook his hands out. With a determined grunt, he continued walking through the tunnels.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author`s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

　　His canteen got lighter at every intersection, and he did his best to remember the way back. As he drank the last drop, he heard the sounds of squeaking and flapping wings coming in his direction. Mark dropped, arms over his head, as things passed over him. He shivered, feeling them touch him. None had bitten him, and his sigh sounded loud as he straightened up again.

　　"Get it together, Mark," he muttered before he peered off into the gloom they came from, half expecting to see eyes glowing in his torchlight.

　　Instead, there was nothing. His stomach clenched, and he swallowed again, suddenly wishing he hadn`t finished his water. With slow steps, he crept forward with his gun and flashlight still pointing out ahead of him. There were no sounds he could hear aside from his own footsteps, and he flicked the flashlight around the ground as he entered the next proper cavern.

　　All of his senses screamed at him. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. His breathing turned shallow.

　　"Run!" His instincts screamed. "Run and don`t look back!"

　　Mark resisted, continuing to scan the ground. It would be there. In the shadows. Waiting. There! He almost pulled the trigger, barely stopping himself. It wasn`t the creature that shone in the light, but a small puddle. As he watched it, he heard the smallest of plops.

　　Trepidation filling him, his shaking arms slowly and achingly raised the flashlight towards the ceiling.

　　He met the bat`s eyes and shrieked. They were empty, lifeless, and staring. With barely restrained fear, his attention moved off to the corpse, allowing him to finally notice the prey he`d started today off hunting. Matted pink fur covered it instead of the fluffy strands, and it held the bat in its teeth by its broken neck. What held his attention were the eyes. They were big, brown, and as empty as the corpse that hung in its mouth.

　　Suddenly, he couldn`t remember what he was doing here. His shriek of fear reverberated off the walls as the creature darted towards a hole in the wall. It squeezed through, but not before he got one of his hastily-fired bullets into its leg.

　　The alien didn`t so much as squeal.

　　Mark panted, dropping to his knees and cuddling his rifle to his chest. He didn`t know he could feel that. The primal fear that a predator was watching him, waiting to see if he was worth devouring. This wasn`t about fame anymore. It couldn`t be. Whatever it was needed to die.

　　With determination, he pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off. His rifle shook, but he kept a hold on it as he moved into the tunnel after the monster. Time to do the world a favor.

　　***

　　Mark`s legs shook as he followed the trail of blood.

　　He swore the pools were getting smaller as he followed them until they dried out entirely. Not that he needed them at that point. No. The bits of animals that littered the ground told enough of the story.

　　Bile rose in his throat as he stared at the bat eye laying on the ground. He wanted to run. Hide. Flee. Instead, he froze, staring at the remains of the corpse. Further ahead, he heard chewing. Small bites that followed large tearing. The stench of blood permeated the entire area. Breathing was hard, but he forced himself to move forward. If nothing else, the camera he wore would need to record what happened, and for that, it needed light.

　　At the first sign of pink fur, he stopped, his breath hitching and his legs shaking. He breathed out when he saw it was simply a piece that had gotten cut off on a rock. As he walked, he kept an eye on the ceiling and the floor. If this thing could climb, he didn`t want to be caught unaware.

　　The further in he moved, the more signs of death he found. Soon, however, he stopped and turned around. He`d got the footage he needed. Now it was time to leave. Each few feet felt wrong. Mark turned, checking behind him constantly to make sure it wasn`t sneaking up on him. As he continued, he felt something rumbling beneath his feet.

　　He bit his lip and picked up the pace; however, the feeling didn`t go away. Mark`s chest burned as he ran. The gun still held in his arms felt heavy, but he refused to entertain the idea of dropping it. His foot caught on a rock, and he stumbled, hitting the ground hard enough to let go of the flashlight.

　　It tumbled along the ground, and he scrambled to pick it up again. As he did, his foot dropped into a small hole, and he felt something soft constrict his legs. With trembling fingers, he grabbed the torch and swung it around. The scream hurt his ears worse than the bullet.

　　Pink tendrils were slowly winding around his leg, climbing towards his knee. Desperate, he dropped the gun and plucked the knife from its place on his belt. He hacked at the tendrils, crying as he sawed at them. Through his tears, he noticed a shimmering quality. Another of his screams pierced the air. It had bitten his foot and felt like it had ripped off a toe.

　　Another slice, and he freed his leg. Mark pulled it from the hole while sobbing, his watery eyes barely letting him see the wound. Not that it mattered. None of this did.

　　He needed out. Out right now. Escape. Light. Anything. Anything but the dark!

　　Adrenaline and fear did all the work as he scrambled forward. Behind him, he heard the ground tremble, then break. That was when he heard something new. Another voice. Mark didn`t care if they saw him crying or about the wounds. He turned, thankful that something was there to save him.

　　The alien stared at him. Pink tendrils held in the air like tentacles, blood dripping down its muzzle. Long ears twitched, and as he met its soulless blank eyes. Eyes that promised death, and not a swift one.

　　"Mommy."

　　Mark didn`t have the wherewithal to scream again. All he could do was moan. It could talk. It wanted to know.

　　"DIE!" He screamed at it and hurled the knife.

　　The blade spun, but he didn`t bother to stick around to see if it hit. That didn`t matter. It was a distraction, nothing more. He needed out. Away. Flee.

　　"Please!" he screamed in his own mind. "Adrenaline. Fear. Hope. Something. Make me run faster."

　　Briefly, he thought it worked. He seemed to go faster, and he swore he could see the exit. Light. Blessed, true light. Mark dropped his torch. All it was doing was slowing him down. His foot hit the edge of the cave when the force smashed him into the ground.

　　Tendrils cut off his screams as they wrapped around his throat. His vision faded. All he saw were rocks and dirt. The outback. As his vision turned black, he heard a final bark. One that sounded different from the last.

　　"Die."

　　Progression: Evolutions

　　360 Vision (Flies)

　　Sticky Feet (Flies)

　　Limb Regeneration (Lizard)

　　Gills (Fish)

　　Scaled Fur (Fish)

　　Digging (Wombat)

　　Enhance Speed (Dingo)

　　Enhanced Smell - Distance Increase (Cow)

　　Word Mimicry (Cockatoo)

　　Echolocation (Bat)

　　Enhanced Endurance (Human)