Read SGA-13 Hunt and Run for Free Online

dropped into a crouch, raising his new weapon and gripping it tightly with both hands. “Won’t do you much good, though.”
    A figure stepped from the trees. Ronon stared — he had not heard anyone, had not seen anyone, yet the man moved casually, comfortably, as if he were in no hurry and at no risk. He did keep well enough back that Ronon would not be able to reach him, however. Not a fool, then.
    And not a Wraith, either. The man was human, shorter and more solidly built than Ronon, with skin of a redder hue and short hair the color of a deepening sunset. He wore clothes rather than armor, though the way he moved suggested they were reinforced in strategic locations. At his side were a long knife and a pistol, but his hands were empty.
    “It’ll crush the first Wraith foolish enough to charge me!” Ronon snapped in reply, his words fading to a growl as he thought about the joy he would take in breaking at least one Wraith before they got him. But the stranger shook his head.
    “They’re not stupid enough to get that close,” he answered. “Not right away. They’ll shoot you first, most likely in the leg — bring you to your knees, both so you can’t run and because it amuses them to break their victims first. Then the shoulder — no way you can wield that branch with only one arm, so you’ll drop it. That’ll leave you defenseless.” He shrugged. “Then they can pick you off at their leisure.”
    “You have a gun — give it to me!” Ronon demanded. “With that I can kill several before they can close! Or I’ll wait, lure them in, and then shoot them!”
    The man shook his head again. “They’d still kill you, in the end,” he pointed out. “You might get a few of them, but not enough. Not enough to make a difference.”
    “It would make a difference to me!” Ronon roared back. “They killed my world! They killed my wife! I have nothing left to live for!”
    “I can give you something to live for.”
    Ronon turned his back on him. He was almost out of time, he knew. The Wraith would be here soon. He refused to let himself be distracted.
    “Will you listen?” the stranger called from behind him. “Please?”
    “Go away,” Ronon growled over his shoulder. He hefted his club again. “I have matters to attend to.”
    He heard the stranger sigh. “Fine. We’ll do it the hard way.”
    Before Ronon could wonder what the man had meant, he heard an unmistakable sound. The sound of an energy pistol being fired. Even as the noise registered, his body convulsed, the club flying from his grip as his entire frame shook with pain.
    Then the darkness swarmed in, enveloping Ronon. He tried to fight against it, but it was everywhere, and his world went black. He didn’t even feel the impact when he hit the ground.

Chapter Five
     
    “Drink this.”
    The words shattered the silence, and Ronon blinked reflexively, turning toward the voice. His motion became a wince, however, as flickers of light stabbed beneath his eyelids , and the act of shifting his head sent jolts of pain arcing up from his neck to his temples and back.
    “Easy, easy,” the voice continued. “Just relax. Cup’s right by your mouth. I’ll hold it, you drink.” He recognized the voice now — the man in the forest, the one who had mocked his plans for vengeance.
    The man who had shot him.
    “I’ll kill you,” Ronon managed to whisper. His lips curled in a snarl, and brushed against something smooth, wide, and curved. The cup. The parched agony of his throat betrayed him then, and he felt his lips part slightly, jaw trembling. The man said nothing as he pressed the cup closer and angled it, letting cool water trickle into Ronon’s mouth and down his throat. Ronon gulped it gratefully, and felt his senses waken again as some of the pain eased.
    “I’ll kill you,” he repeated, squinting against the brightness and trying to force his eyes to focus on the man in front of him. “They were coming and you took me away from