Chapter 186

Bethany was with Taylor, and Miguel tracking the bear. They followed the tracks through the jungle until they found a trail of blood. The sound of shouting and flesh being torn could be heard. Taylor was preparing to order them to retreat when the sound of buzzing came from above, and in response, she pulled Bethany into the bushes. From the sounds not coming to an end they could tell it was a swarm of something big. The only question running through their mind is a swarm of what?

'We shouldn't move from the bushes just yet.' Taylor lifted her fist making sure Miguel knew.

Bethany wasn't sure what they were doing but knew it was smart to stay put. The bear they were tracking was attacked by a feral swarm of honey bees attempting to gather a feast for their queen. Smelling the blood their eternal rival was attracted.

Right now a horrid battle was ensuing between a feral swarm of hornets and honey bees. Each swarm had twenty fighters, but the honey bees were quickly losing ground. With no armor or clothing, there was nothing to protect them from the lethal stingers. Within a minute the ground already had several bodies littered across the ground, and the bees were on the losing end.

Typically when going to war the honey bees would outweigh their lack of strength with numbers. What they were doing was hunt within their territory, and didn't properly prepare for a battle. They never expected the hornets to be expanding closer to their hive. At the current rate, the bees would be wiped out.

Hearing the sounds of screaming, and the scent of blood filling the forest they were terrified at the unknown threat. Miguel poked the edge of his rifle out attempting to see what was conspiring. It was difficult to see the fight, but he noticed the humanoid bodies along the ground.

'Bees?'

Seeing their insect features Miguel switched to thermal to find cold spots. Seeing at least twenty blurs striking against each other as bodies fell Miguel started sweating profusely. The fighting suddenly stopped as they glanced around the jungle.

"Humans..." A bee said while sniffing the air.

They were mortal enemies, but the humans would wipe them both out if possible. With this potential threat, they began gazing through the forest attempting to sense them. Being a male the scent of him drenched in scent was impossible to miss.

"There's a male!" One of the hornets shouted.

With this, the two forces began glaring at each other aggressively once more. Humans were indeed a threat, but it was mating season. With a male nearby even if it was a potential threat it was worth the risk to capture him.

Both of their queens would need mates soon, and not knowing how many men were out there they were rushing to find him first. Miguel was staring down the scope and saw them searching the jungle frantically.

'Why did they stop fighting?'

Seeing the creatures slowly encroaching on their position Miguel signaled the number of enemies, and that they were compromised. Taylor nodded at him as he got next to Bethany. Miguel hurled his flashbang towards the center of the group and grabbed Bethany running towards the others. The blast disoriented their senses as they flew around erratically, and they used the opportunity to getaway. They were almost out of view when a hornet could see three figures fading away.

"They're heading north!"

"Seems like they found us. Warn the other I'll lay cover." Taylor ordered as she turned around.

Seeing several creatures rapidly closing in Taylor took aim. Seeing a woman in their way, and only one male in view they intended to ignore her. If they focused on Taylor one of their enemies could steal their male, and to them providing one for their queen was more important than their life. Taylor wasn't sure if they were truly a threat and aimed for wings dropping two of them from the sky.

"Watch out for the magic!"

Seeing how easily the others dropped they adjusted their tactics. Instead of dashing forward, they swiveled through the trees. With their speed and mobility, it was difficult to hit them. With their changes Taylor was struggling to aim for wings, and seeing them closing in she was forced to aim for lethal shots.

Taylor fired three shots and managed to land shots to the chest, but there were too many for it to matter. She was prepared to be swarmed, but they all dashed right past her. Taylor wasn't sure why they ignored her but gave chase while attempting to dwindle their numbers.

"What's going on?" Ms. Bishop asked.

"We need to get out here right now!" Bethany shouted as they sprinted towards the others.

Miguel turned around to see the incoming force. His first concern was for his CO, but seeing how fast they were coming he couldn't dwell on it. Demitri was preparing to start firing, but Miguel beat him to it.

"Get them out of the jungle now!" Miguel shouted as he walked forward laying a cover fire.

"I can't really run anyway," Brian said taking aim at his side.

Demitri wanted to argue, but seeing everyone staring at them for the direction he couldn't ignore them. Demitri began leading them out with Bethany, and Kenny laying cover. Having an automatic weapon indeed gave him an advantage, but his weapon was designed for close-quarter combat.

'Don't go dying already.' Demitri glanced over his shoulder seeing the hornets swarming.

The way the ferals are speeding around it made it difficult to hit them accurately, but Miguel was adjusting. Seeing the hornets drop Demitri had a relaxed look on his face. From their side, the bees came swarming. Two of the bees swooped towards Denam as Demitri opened fire.

"Keep going!" Demitri shouted

Bethany was firing to help cover everyone, but even under heavy fire, several men were being hauled off. With so many males around, and little weapons they ceased their squabbling to focus on the dwindling attack forces to pick from the rest at their leisure. Two hornets were about to swarm Brian's flank with a bee holding his arm, but Taylor shot them down in time.

"They're only targeting the men." Taylor declared while running past them.

"We need to get to the others," Miguel replied.

Coming from all directions protecting everyone wasn't possible with two people. Several people were snatched up, and anyone who tried to extend their hand to help was met with a stinger through the stomach. The damage it left was a hole the size of a softball, and they immediately began convulsing. Demitri wanted to save the men being taken away, but they were too high in the air. Shooting their captors would only result in their demise.

"There's too many," Denam shouted.

"We can't outrun them either," Zess replied.

"All we can do is hold out," Demitri shouted.

The ferals were circling back for another attack, and they were darting straight towards Demitri's group.