Hunted

by Chris Ryan

  Amber leaned down. The hole was about as wide as her finger; she could see through it to the ground below.

  Alex pulled their attention away from the door. 'Look at that.' He pointed in front of the Jeep.

  A fully grown elephant moved out of the bush. It was enormous, a great grey mass, moving in slow motion.

  'It's fantastic,' said Alex. His voice was an awestruck whisper. 'Look at the size of it.'

  As if floating on air, ears flapping slowly like pterodactyl wings, the elephant came towards them, growing taller and taller. Patrick slowed.

  'She's a mother, look,' whispered Amber. Two younger elephants sheltered under the great grey body.

  'But she's got tusks,' said Hex.

  'Matriarchs have tusks too,' said Patrick in a hushed voice. 'We've got to be very careful as she's got her babies with her. We'll stop and let her go past.' He halted the vehicle gently. 'No sudden movements. Everyone sit still.'

  But the elephant walked right up to the Jeep and stopped in front of it. Her craggy face loomed over them, the tusks nearly as long as the vehicle's bonnet. Her eyes were like black sloes. It was like an immense statue in an ancient tomb coming to life.

  The five members of Alpha Force looked to Patrick for a lead; he didn't move a muscle.

  The elephant shattered the silence with a trumpet-burst through her trunk. The sound was ear-splitting. The six passengers sat transfixed by the awesome display of animal power.

  Then she flicked her trunk at them and walked away, her youngsters trotting behind her.

  Patrick spoke in a low voice as he put the Jeep in gear. 'That's Boudicca. She's been on the reserve for forty years. She just likes to warn us away from her family.'

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  6

  TEAK LODGE

  A man came down the steps, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dusty jeans. From the way he walked purposefully towards them, smiling in welcome, they guessed he must be Joe Chandler. He was older than any of Alpha Force had expected, well into his fifties, with a liberal sprinkling of grey through his thick head of hair. But he still had a powerful frame and moved with assurance, like an old cowboy.

  Patrick halted the Jeep and cut the engine as Joe enthusiastically shook everyone's hand and introductions were made. 'Welcome to Teak Lodge,' he said. 'Make yourselves at home. Let me help with your luggage.'

  Teak Lodge was a long, low wooden building lying along the crest of a hill. A veranda ran along its whole length, and two white pillars marked the entrance. The ground sloped gently away into a valley, mottled with grasses that varied in colour from grey-green to golden. Further away, clusters of animals moved slowly across the plains – the substantial dark blobs of buffalo, the stripy confusion of a herd of zebra.

  'Say,' said Amber as she dragged her suitcase out of the back of the Jeep, 'you've got more visitors.'

  A pair of giraffes stalked towards the far end of the building, their necks rocking gently with each leisurely stride.

  'They come here all the time,' said Patrick.

  Hex was amazed. The combination of wild animals and the smart, modern-looking house made his head spin. 'Don't you mind giraffes wandering around the garden?' he said.

  'There isn't a garden,' said Joe, 'and the animals don't understand boundaries. We have the checkpoints but they're to keep people in and out. The animals go where they want. Speaking of which, I'll show you to your rooms. Tessa's resting but she'll be down later.'

  Li was also fascinated by the giraffes. 'They're so weirdly built but so graceful,' she said. 'Look at the way they move.' The animals continued their sedate promenade and went round the corner of the building.

  'They're like aliens,' said Hex. 'They look like they're in low gravity.'

  Amber dug him in the ribs. 'Poor Hex. Didn't you pack Safari Simulator for Nerds?'

  Amber and Li were given a room together in the upstairs extension. As they were unpacking there was a knock at the door, then Alex popped his head round. 'Anyone coming for a swim? We can christen the new pool.'

  'Wow, definitely!' Amber's face lit up. 'It'll do my ankle good. I must start using it now that it's more or less healed.'

  Li looked sceptical. 'But isn't it starting to rain?'

  'What, worried you'll get wet?' teased Alex.

  'Anyway, swimming in the rain's fantastic,' said Amber.

  'OK, we'll be down in five,' said Li.

  Alex left them to get changed.

  Li and Amber wasted no time in digging out swimwear. As they stripped off, Li noticed something silhouetted against the window.

  She giggled. 'Amber, we've got a peeping torn – look.' She was looking behind Amber, out of the window.

  Amber turned and saw a giraffe's head, silhouetted in three-quarter profile against the sky. The tips of its horns almost reached the top of the window. 'My God, how tall are those things?' She giggled as she shook out her dark red bikini bottoms. 'I hope it's female.'

  The giraffe swayed out of view. Li stepped into her blue tie-dyed costume as Amber put on her bikini briefs and rummaged in her case for the top half.

  'It's back – look!' squealed Li.

  Amber looked round. The giraffe head glided back past the window again.

  'It must like that bikini,' said Li.

  Amber wriggled into her bikini top – a tight-fitting vest with crossover straps. Halfway, she got stuck. 'Li, can you give me a hand with this? It seems to have been designed for a contortionist.'

  Li pulled up the straps of her swimsuit and went to help Amber.

  The giraffe returned a third time, its head floating into view serenely. A voice boomed, 'Say cheese!' There was a flash like a camera going off. The giraffe capsized out of view like a tree falling.

  Li and Amber shrieked and ran to the window. Hex and Paulo were below, staggering under a tall pole like a broom handle. On the end of it, they saw now, was a wooden cut-out head of a giraffe. Lashed to the pole was a length of plastic tube that ended just below the neck of the giraffe. The two boys were convulsed with laughter, which rather interfered with their efforts to make a clean getaway.

  'I see you, Hex,' yelled Amber. 'You boys are so dead.'

  Paulo gave up dismantling the creature and put his mouth to the plastic tube. His voice boomed out of the other end: 'Remember, girls, to keep your curtains closed in future.'

  'Have you taken a picture of us?' shouted Li.

  Paulo took his mouth away from the tube. 'Who knows?' He gave them his most enigmatic smile. 'Hex rigged that up.'

  'Right,' said Li. 'This means war. At the swimming pool.' She ducked back into the room, snatched up a towel, crossed to the door, and was out in the corridor in a flash.

  'Ow,' said Amber, hobbling after her. 'I can't run.'

  Amber went slowly down the stairs, using the banisters as a crutch. But when she got to the bottom, Li was already outside, pursuing the boys into the pool. Amber heard big splashes and shrieks of delight. She cursed her ankle yet again. 'When I'm better,' she muttered, 'there'll be no stopping me.'

  Someone was coming in from the pool, a slight figure lurching on a walking stick. She was visible only in silhouette, the pool an inviting bright rectangle of turquoise behind her. One of the girl's legs was slim, the other was enormous – twice the size. She walked painfully and slowly towards Amber.

  'You must be the elusive Amber. I'm Tessa.' She held out her hand. 'It's irritating, this rain, isn't it? Now I've got to sit indoors because of my bandage; I'm not supposed to get it wet.'

  Amber looked down and saw that the thicker leg was heavily bandaged, all the way down to the toes. Above the dressings it looked swollen, and yellowed with bruising. Amber shook Tessa's hand. 'I heard all about you from the others,' she said. 'That was some gruesome accident.'

  'And I hear that you're lame too,' said Tessa, looking down at Amber's ankle. It looked almost back to normal, but Amber was still favouring it. Tessa let out a sigh and tucked a blonde curl behin
d her ear. 'Frustrating, isn't it?'

  'Absolutely,' agreed Amber. 'I had to sit out the whole race. I didn't know what to do with myself.'

  'All I can do is sit,' said Tessa, her face screwed up. 'I've never sat still in my life. The last few years, I've been training the whole time. Whatever the weather, I train. Now I have to stay in if there's a drop of rain.' She paused. 'Sorry, that was a bit of a rant. You were on your way to swim. You don't want to listen to me.'

  'Believe me, I know how you feel.' Amber laughed good naturedly. Tessa's frustration brought back her own all too clearly. 'I did sit-ups and press-ups while the others were racing.'

  Tessa's face broke out in a big smile. 'Oh, it's so long since I had a good conversation about working out. I want to hear all about what you guys do to train. I've got withdrawal symptoms.' Her expression suddenly changed. She was tanned but her skin was pale and clammy. She looked as though she might pass out.

  Amber caught her arm. 'Are you OK?'

  Tessa nodded and tried to pull away, but another wave of giddiness came over her. 'I think I just need to lie down,' she said. She spoke through clamped teeth as though she was fighting the urge to be sick.

  'Can I do anything?' said Amber. 'Should I get your father or call a doctor?'

  Tessa shook her head. 'It's the antibiotics. You should see how many I'm taking – enough for an elephant.'

  'At least let me see you to your room,' said Amber.

  'Oh, I'll be OK in the lounge,' said Tessa. 'Besides, I've got to put that away before my dad sees it.' She nodded towards the reception area. Lying along the counter was a long pole with a giraffe's head attached to it.

  Amber went over and picked it up. It had originally been painted with a lifelike portrait of a giraffe, but the paint was peeling and old. It was funny to think how convincing it had looked in silhouette. Amber turned it over and had a quick look for signs of the promised camera, but of course there was nothing.

  'It's hideous, isn't it?' said Tessa. 'I used to have it in my room when I was little. It was the old sign in the bar – it used to be called the Rubbernecks Bar when we first came here. There's a load of old stuff lying around that belonged to the previous owners. Some of it was really gross – like leopard skins and stuffed heads. In those days people used to come here to actually shoot animals.'

  Amber put the sign back down on the counter. 'The boys had this earlier. How on earth did they get hold of it?'

  Tessa grinned. 'I left it propped up outside their room as a giggle. It was in the window. I listened outside the door. It took them a good few minutes to work out it wasn't a real giraffe standing there – they were so funny.'

  Amber smiled to herself. Outside, she could hear shrieks and shouts as Li dispensed wet justice to the boys. She picked up the sign again. 'Where do you want this?'

  'Tessa says you are confident and knowledgeable around animals,' said Joe Chandler.

  They were all in the lounge sitting around a large table, with Patrick and Gaston. They had eaten superb steaks, barbecued by Joe, and were now exploring a map of the lodge and surrounding area.

  Tessa was on a large sofa, her bad leg propped up by cushions. 'They can come with us when we go out tomorrow morning on patrol,' she said. She sounded enthusiastic, but Amber caught that same tone in her voice that she had heard earlier – as though she was forcing herself to go on when she was very tired.

  Before Amber could say anything, Joe was up and at Tessa's side. 'Are you all right, Tess?' he said. He put his hand to her forehead. Tessa protested, but only weakly. Joe stepped back. 'I think you're running a temperature. You ought to be in bed.'

  'Oh no,' said Tessa. 'I'm just a bit tired.'

  'You've been overdoing it,' said Joe. 'Come on, let's get you upstairs.' He took her gently by the elbow.

  'I'm underdoing it, that's the problem,' muttered Tessa. But she allowed Joe to walk her to the door. Just before they reached it she turned round. 'Sorry, you guys,' she said to Alpha Force. 'But we'll be up bright and early tomorrow to do a patrol, OK?'

  'OK,' agreed Paulo and Hex. 'Goodnight, Tessa.'

  'Sleep tight,' said Alex.

  'Take it easy,' added Amber.

  'See you in the morning,' said Li.

  Patrick's face was etched with concern as he watched them go down the corridor.

  'Is she all right?' said Paulo. 'She looks quite ill.'

  Patrick shrugged. 'The doctors said the drugs would make her feel bad but she should be all right. We just need to keep an eye on her. And Joe's right, she doesn't know the meaning of rest.'

  Gaston nodded slowly, his compact features earnest. 'Before she did the race she used to train by running alongside me in the Jeep for the whole morning.'

  'Wow,' said Alex. 'That's a pretty good workout.'

  'She's just like her mother was,' said Gaston. 'She used to run marathons all the time.'

  Patrick smiled. 'Full of energy, that's our Tessa. She wants to change the world, stamp out animal poaching and be a champion long-distance runner. This injury has been a big blow. She had a lot of competitions lined up.'

  'Still, enough of such gloomy talk,' said Gaston. 'We're monitoring the elephants tomorrow, so you can tag along for the ride if you want. Or do you want to see some lions?'

  Li and Paulo had the same thought going through their heads. Having had to avoid the lions during the race crisis, they were itching to study them at closer quarters. 'Lions,' they said together.

  At almost the same moment Alex, Hex and Amber were thinking of the immense creature they'd seen at the gates. 'Elephants,' they chorused.

  'Actually, both,' said Li.

  'I think we can arrange that,' grinned Patrick.

  7

  LIONS

  Joe's face looked drawn as he came down the stairs into the foyer the next morning. The sun wasn't yet up but Alpha Force were ready to go. Dawn was the best time to see the animals; it was when they visited the water holes or went hunting.

  'Tessa's not coming down,' Joe told them. 'She's got a temperature so I've made her stay in bed. If she's no better by lunch time I'm going to call the doctor. She's really disappointed because she was looking forward to coming with you. She made me promise to let you come up and tell her about it when you're back.'

  'Absolutely,' said Amber.

  Outside on the veranda, they saw the Range Rover pulling up. The handbrake rasped. Patrick leaned out of the window. 'Who's for the lions?'

  'That's us,' said Paulo, taking Li by the arm.

  'See you later, guys,' said Li. 'Enjoy the elephants.'

  Patrick drove them down the slope and out onto the plain. He slowed for a moment, his head cocked and listening. As the engine noise quietened he asked, 'Did you hear that?'

  A roar sounded from the black sky. It was loud and long. Paulo caught Li's eye. 'Yes,' he said, 'and I feel a lot better than I did the last time I heard it.'

  Patrick drove on for about ten minutes. From time to time, roars rumbled across the plain. Each time they heard them, Patrick would stop and listen, and check he was still heading in the right direction. Although they were safe in the Range Rover, it was still an eerie sound in the pre-dawn darkness.

  'I think they're here,' said Patrick and halted again. He cut the engine, turned off the headlights and switched on a torch. As he swung it around, an acacia bush sprang into view, and with it the reflections of fifteen pairs of eyes.

  Li and Paulo gasped softly. Lions. A whole family of them.

  Patrick looked pleased at their reaction. 'OK, it's the same drill as it was with the elephant: no sudden movements. They're a safe distance away and we're going to get out and climb up into that hide there.' He flashed the torch in the direction of a tree. Metal struts had been hammered into the trunk to make a ladder. 'We should be safe because they're used to seeing people do this, and because they've got a kill. You know you should never under any circumstances attempt to feed a lion or put food out for them?'

  Li n
odded. 'It makes them lose their fear of humans.'

  Patrick smiled. 'That's right. But you'd be amazed at the number of people who want to do it.' He got out of the Range Rover and shone the torch at the ladder. 'Li, you go up first.'

  They climbed up. At the top, eight metres up the tree, was a hide like a tree house, with wooden benches and a thatched roof. A long slitted window ran horizontally all the way round, like in a pillbox, giving a 360-degree view of the plain.

  The sun started to light the horizon; the sky was turning pale.

  The lions were feeding on a zebra. They gave the visitors a moment's attention and returned to their meal, pulling at the flesh with their teeth. After they had stripped off the meat they licked the shafts of the long bones clean, purring as they worked.

  From the hide the three watchers could smell the carcass; even at that distance it was strong and meaty. Paulo shuddered. 'That was nearly us,' he said to Li in a low voice.

  'Makes you think, doesn't it?' said Li.

  Patrick hadn't heard them. 'All the prides have names,' he said. 'This is Red Pride's territory. It has ten lionesses.'

  'That makes it very strong,' said Li.

  'You obviously know about lions, Li,' said Patrick. 'Have you worked with them?'

  'My parents are zoologists. They did some research at the Lion Study Center in Minnesota a few years back.'

  'Fascinating,' said Patrick. 'What was the project?'

  'To find out whether lionesses preferred lions with light manes or dark ones.'

  'And what was the answer?' said Paulo. 'Tall, dark and handsome?'

  'No idea. I expect they spent the whole time wondering how to ask them.' She gave him a withering smile.

  Paulo had a pair of binoculars around his neck. Now that it was light enough to use them, he put them to his eyes and focused. 'Do you monitor the lions as well as the elephants?' He handed the binoculars to Li.

  Patrick shook his head. 'The lions are monitored by a separate reserve. But they make their own territories and roam all over. Which is good for when we have clients on safari.'