Under the helmet, a pair of golden giant eyes appeared, shining with a cold, piercing light that seemed even brighter than the tactical flashlight on my climbing helmet.
As those electric-like eyes locked onto mine, I felt a chill run down my spine. They were so intense that they could scare anyone out of their wits, but they definitely weren't the eyes of a zombie turned from an American pilot.
In that moment, time seemed to slow down. The darkness flickered with uncertain light. I couldn't clearly see what kind of creature those eyes belonged to, but I could tell it was a rare, massive bird of prey. It had a hooked beak clenching half of a green tree lizard, with the other half lying bloody at its feet. It must have flown in through a hole at the other end of the cabin, hiding inside to enjoy its meal, only to be startled by me. The strange tapping sound we heard was likely from it pecking at the lizard.