A/N: Okay, I know I have a lot of stories going on but I really needed to get this out of my head. I hate inspiration. If there's anything that would kill me, it would be inspiration. No joke. Anyway, there's a few things that I'd like to say and also ask for... so please, if you're reading this, you don't even have to review. Send me a message if you want filled with ideas or advice for the plot, don't matter to me. Now, the rating for one, I was a bit confused on. I was raised by parents that cuss like sailors, so I have no clue if this is too much to be considered to be rated T or M. I'll start out with M just to be safe but, if you don't think it's too much then please, let me know! I'd really like to have the appropriate rating for this story.

Yes, I am very aware that the story summery I used is a quote from The Dark Night, but I honestly could not think of anything better to put. I do not take any credit for the summery used. All credit goes to... everyone who participated it writing the script to that movie.

Mike, Sully, and Boo will have big rolls in this story, so don't worry! It's not just centered around Randall though it may seem like that from time to time. I'll try to do my best to revolve around maybe every few chapters. This is my first Monsters Inc. fiction, and I know I still have some improving to do when it comes to writing so again, any advice or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Monsters Inc. I do not own Randall, Boo, Sulley, Mike, Celia, Waternoose, Needleman *gasp for air* or anyone else who is doing as I say right now. They are just being kidnapped... or 'surprise adopted', to do my evil bidding. Anyone else who was not seen in the movie at all, what so ever, belongs to me. If you would like to use any characters I make up, please ask my permission. I'm not a tyrant, if you want to borrow them just give some credit. =)

This had to be the worst day of his entire life… so far. Sure, there had been other bad days during his stay here in Hillbilly Hell, and he had been wrong before when it comes to what was 'The Worst Day of His Life' but this definitely takes the cake. He would much rather be back at home, living in Sullivan's shadow, than go through this routine every day.

He didn't know how long ago the swamp had become a large forested area, or how far he's traveled for that matter. All he knew, was he had to lose these idiots. They had been following him ever since that hag with the shovel realized he wasn't an alligator. He didn't even know what the hell an alligator was until he came across one while running from them!

Randall Boggs, he thought to himself, moving as fast as his exhausted body would allow, if you live through this, be sure that Sullivan and Wazowski will not!

Randall ducked onto all four limbs, crawling under low bushes. When he was clear, he pushed himself up, and continued to make his way deeper into the woods. They had been following him for a few days now. Randall would lose them at night, be too exhausted to run anymore, sleep during the day, and wake up just before they've caught up with him. He had to hand it to them, though, they were pretty good trackers.

Not to mention these guys had home field advantage. He was a stranger to the human world outside of a kid's bedroom. He had no clue how to possibly survive and feared that if he didn't figure out how to adapt soon, he'd run out of time. But adapting was his problem, he just couldn't figure out how to do it. He had lived in a city all of his life, not a forest! Not to mention this one was way different than what his world had to offer. Randall had no clue what to expect!

He slowed down for a second, dropping down on all eights. He was exhausted… and his head hurt. The water here sucks, it's making him sick. His throat hurt, so he can barely talk at all right now. Not to mention, he still had some pretty bruises and sore spots from when he was attacked with a shovel. And all the aches and pains in his body were affecting his ability to blend in with his surroundings. Yep, this was definitely the worst day of his life.

His fronds twitched as he was taking in the sound around him. Dogs barking, followed by hollered yells and whoops from the men currently after him. But he heard something else this time. Something that caused him to turn his head and look behind him, back arched, and attempting to hiss menacingly. The sound came out strangled, and he winced due to the soreness of his throat before shifting his emerald green eyes around the scenery. He couldn't see anything directly, but he could have sworn that he heard something. Then there was a click, like someone cocking their gun.

Without a second thought, he leapt up the nearest tree, scaling all of the branches in a frantic attempt to reach the top.

BANG!

His sudden burst of adrenaline was shattered at the sound of the gun shot, causing him to stumble on his way up. He nearly lost his footing and fell, if he hadn't of grabbed the next branch up to steady himself. Then he was numb, wondering how close he was to getting shot just now.

Not close at all, though, when he realized that he could see what had happened from his safe spot in the tree. All of the rednecks were currently gathered around a mammal they had killed. It was pretty good sized, probably a deer. The men down below were yelling at each other while the animal struggled to get to its feet, failing miserably to make its escape. Randall didn't flinch, nor look away. Better you than me, he thought to the creature, watching as one of the men pointed their gun and put the damn thing out of its misery. They left without another word, leaving their unintentional kill behind.

Randall settled on the branch, laying down on his stomach and settling for sleep. He was too tired to try and climb back down. Maybe if he just let himself fall over and kill himself there, he was pretty high up anyway… no! He was not going to give Sullivan and Wazowski that satisfaction. He was going back to Monstropolis whether he lost all eight limbs over it or not, and he was going to make them pay. They were going to hell, that was for sure.

Tallulah, Louisiana. Population? A little over nine-thousand. Today's weather? Freaking hot! Thirty-five miles out of town was a thick forested area one could easily get lost in… for a few days at least. In the middle of this area sat a house big enough for a family of seven, maybe even more. And inside the house only one person lived.

It was seven in the morning and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Today was a beautiful day in the eyes of Jane Brooks. But it wasn't because of the nice weather, or how cool the water was in comparison to the heat. Today was something every college student in her class was celebrating…

"SPRING BREAK!"

The front door flew open revealing the twenty-one-year-old college student still in her pajamas. Sporting loose blue sweat-pants and a white tank, Jane let out another yell to the world, letting absolutely no one know that she wasn't to go to school for at least a week. She had no neighbors for upwards ten miles, which made it perfect to go swim in the lake and not have to share, so long as she stayed close to home.

Out of breath from her second outburst of excitement, Jane took off from the concrete porch, leaving the front door ajar. She had about a ten second head start into their large yard, before her dog followed suit, chasing the girl. Jane giggled, trying to outrun him but the large mutt had an advantage. A Germen Shepherd, St. Bernard mix tackled her to the ground, attacking her with a storm of slobbery licks.

"Ewwwww," Jane cringed, making a barf noise before shoving the dog off of her. "Ick! Sonic!" she scolded, standing up. Sonic wagged his tail, nowhere near as out of breath as his master, and tackled the girl again. Jane was prepared this time, and easily evaded the playful attack. "Sonic BOOM!" she yelled, and as if on cue, the dog barked up a storm. Long, loud, deep barks that probably traveled a few miles out. Well, he was named Sonic for a reason.

Jane laughed, but then stopped abruptly. She just remembered something…

"I'm low on groceries," she said out loud, looking at Sonic apologetically. The dog, not understanding what she had said, ducked into a playful stance, ready to pounce again. When Jane started to walk away, he attacked, jumping up to get tackle her for a third time. Jane, whom had the dog since she was thirteen, knew very well this was going to happen.

She turned and grabbed his collar, pulling him down into a submissive position on the ground. "No no!" she scolded, holding him down effortlessly. Again, she'd been dealing with him for nine years, and he was still in tip-top shape! Jane had to keep up, in order to keep the dog from getting ahead of himself. Sonic whined, now submitting and no longer playful. Satisfied, Jane let go, and continued the trek back to the house. Better get there before the cat got out. Sonic whined, taking a moment to watch Jane go ahead before getting up and trotting after her.

When Jane got inside she quickly changed into a T-Shirt at least, figuring the sweat pants wouldn't be so bad. She'd just go to the store, stock up for this month so she wouldn't have to go anywhere for spring break, and rent a movie on the way home so she'd have something to do for tonight. Sounded like a good plan to her anyway. Not like she had many friends to join her. It was just her, Sonic, the cat and… well, the bird. Jane shuddered. She hated the bird, but Tony wasn't going to spoil her day yet, so while she had the chance, she snuck by the living room without being detected by the feathered demon. After putting Sonic in the kennel and checking the cat's food and water, she was off to the store.

His back felt so stiff. How long had he slept anyway? Randall stretched his back, popping it while he did so, and stood up on his lower fours while taking a look around. Looked like the sun was setting. Not only that, he felt a hell of a lot better than yesterday. His aches were minimal, his throat didn't hurt as much, and his head didn't hurt at all. Maybe things were going to start looking better for him.

"Testing, testing. One, two, three," he said, out lout to no one other than himself, happy to know that his voice was even better today as well. Today was great! He was close to being one-hundred percent again, and today was warm enough that traveling at night wouldn't be so bad. Randall would make it back to Monstropolis in no time, and he can get back at those bastards that sent him here! But first, he's gonna have to lose these idiots.

The welcoming committee he ran into within the first hour of being in the human world was back. Dogs barked, shoving their noses into the dirt for any traces of their prey. Their owners followed close behind, some doing some tracking of their own. One of them, a boy at the age of twelve, stood close to the biggest dog while fiddling with a leaf he had found. His eyes shifted from one adult to another, before letting his gaze rest on the man to his very right. "Hey dad?" he asked. The man responded, looking down at him with one brow raised. The boy looked down at his leaf and played with it a little while longer, "I know you're tryin' ta teach me how ta hunt 'n all but… isn't this a little much? We've been chasin' this thing for nearly a week now 'n… I kinda wanna go home."

The man snickered, looking away from his son only to watch their dog in the process of tracking. "It aint all 'bout that son," the man replied, resting part of his shot gun against his shoulder while using his free hand to scratch under his hat, "That thing there is probably an alien, or a mutant. If we can sell it off to scientists we may be able to get a cash reward for it! Then we can all get ourselves some nice new huntin' equipment!" he smiled. His son ripped the leaf to shreds, before looking back up at his father and smiling. "Does that mean I'll get my own rifle?" he asked, hopeful.

"You'll even get ta pick it out yerself!" his dad chuckled in reply, giving his son a good ol' pat on the back. Randall hissed quietly, not liking the redneck's plan.

"They're not taking me to no scientist," he thought out loud, before climbing down the tree and taking one good glance at his surroundings. Just one more thing to test. With much success, Randall looked down to see… nothing! Not even himself, or his shadow! He could blend again! Oh this would be a piece of… one of the dogs started barking, taking a running start in his direction.

Oh yeah… dogs can smell.

Randall darted as fast as he could, knowing all they had on him was scent. Those retards couldn't see him at all. This was going to be so much easie- "OW!"

While he was so happy to know he could blend again, Randall didn't notice one of the dogs catching up to him, and taking a bite out of his tale. Damn thing couldn't see him! How would it know to bite where it did?

When Jane parked her truck in the driveway, the sun was beginning to set. Locusts were singing their evening song, frogs croaking out in the distance, crickets were chirping and more importantly, fireflies were dancing. The long line of trees before the sunset was a dark silhouette, and anything still being hit by the sun's rays was almost as shade of red. A few clouds here and there were also colored the warm shade. It was very pretty, Jane had to admit. Yeah, she'd spent a lot of sunsets standing in the very spot she's in now, but not a lot were as clear as this. It was… nice. She wished every day would be like this. That or time would just stop forever and she'd always look out her window to see such a beautiful sight.

Before grabbing any groceries, Jane went over to the garage and punched in the code, so she didn't have trouble trying to do that with a handful of bags. Eh, she might as well let the dog out while she was at it. Some welcome-home company wouldn't hurt, she figured. After Sonic was free of his kennel, he darted past Jane to the open door, stopping on the cool grass to sniff the fresh air. Jane smiled, watching him for a second.

Then his ears perked up. He was more attentive, and growling too. Jane noticed this, before noticing the sounds off in the distance. Dogs barking, men shouting… and then gun shots.

"Oh hell no," she grumbled, storming to the garage and pulling out her double barrel. No one was going to hunt on her property. When her dad lived here, Jane always admired how he handled situations like this. So much so that whenever the time came now and then, she did the same thing. If they were going to hunt on her turf, then they wouldn't mind a game or two then, wouldn't they?

Sonic growled a low growl, baring teeth in the direction of the sound. He didn't move when Jane passed him, stuffing her cell phone in her pocket while leaning the gun on her shoulder. She stopped a moment and looked back at her dog, staring at him with a look similar to his own. Sonic stopped his snarl for a moment to look at his master, awaiting her order.

"Sonic," she called, even though she already had his undivided attention, "Boom."

Again, on cue, the dog let out a loud bark, which faded into a howl, before taking off in the direction of the racket.

Five minutes later she crouched down behind a fallen log, snarling in the direction of the men. There were about four men, and a kid! A KID! What were they doing hunting on her property with a kid? Sonic snarled, and barked loudly, the booms of noise starling all six of their dogs. Looking like a deer caught in headlights, Jane abruptly stood up in attempt to catch her dog by at the least his tail before he took off in the direction of the other canines. The largest, probably the pack leader of the dogs, was the first to confront him. While Sonic was bigger in size, he stood two feet away from the enemy, both growling in each other's direction.

Four guns were heard cocking at the same time, pointing at the new creature. Jane made a choked sound at the back of her throat, before cocking her own gun. Her click alone was louder than theirs, not to mention her gun was bigger. What was up with that? Where the hell were these guys from anyway? Stepping up next to her dog, Jane carefully aimed the gun between the ones holding weapons, ignoring the boy.

"The hell do you think you're doing on my property?" she demanded, Sonic still trying to win the intimidation contest between him and six other dogs.

One of the men lowered his gun, the other three following suit. Still, the unfriendly look on their faces didn't subside. "We're chasin' an alien."

Jane couldn't help but laugh. He cut her off with an angry yell, causing her to tense up and refocus her gun.

"How 'bout you mind yer own business, lil' lady. 'Fore you get hurt. Whatchu doin in the middle of the woods anyway?"

"I live here," she growled, not backing down from the threat, "So why don't you and your kissin' cousins go back home? If there is an alien around here, I'll take care of it myself. In the mean time, I own this land, and therefore you better hightail it. Cops are on their way," she smiled, hoping they don't call her on her bluff. Two of the men took a few steps back, almost ready to turn around. But not Jane. So what if she was still young? She wasn't about to let these guys run around her woods.

"Nice try," the man smiled, taking steps forward to call her on her bluff. Jane gasped, before letting out an audible sound of frustration. She pulled the trigger of the gun, missing him by just a hair but, well, that was the point. If they can't be reasoned with then she might as well just scare 'em off.

"I said get the hell out!" she demanded. The man was frozen, now seeing how serious she was. While grudgingly looking back, he started to turn around, calling his dogs off while he was at it. The growling animals backed off, leaving Sonic there to keep growling. "We'll be back!" the man called. They were running low on supplies anyway.

"When you do, make sure you bring your balls next time," she mumbled, lowering her defense. Sonic did the same, letting out a snort before turning around and heading home. Jane stood and made sure they actually left, before doing the same thing. But when she started to leave she noticed Sonic was still there, sniffing the air. Then he growled again, slowly turning his gaze back towards Jane.

"Damn it," she growled, raising her gun again. When she turned around though, they weren't coming back. Something else was upsetting Sonic, and she had no clue what.

A twig snapped to her left. She pointed the gun and shot, getting the tree instead of whatever was present. If it was unsettling to her dog then it was definitely something worth shooting at. Jane cocked the gun again, trying to focus this time. It took a lot of concentration, but after a moment, could kind of sense where this thing was. It was toying with her, she just knew it! Sonic was barking in random directions, sort of guiding where, whatever this thing was, was going.

Maybe that guy was right, and she was being attacked by that alien now.

But then again she did say she'd take the matter into her own hands so… without further ado, Jane pulled the trigger.

"Argh!"

Soon as the bullet made contact with the creature, it was suddenly visible. Just as the silhouetted figure could be seen, the last of the sun's rays died, leaving only the moon shining high above. It was a very eerie scene to her, really. Everything was highlighted by the moon, only giving some things like trees and leaves and, even the creepy thing standing before her, an outline. The creatures eyes shone as well, reflecting what light it could back at her, making her shudder.

It had to be at least six feet long, at least. Eight legs altogether, while standing on the bottom four, and a really long tail. It looked like a lizard, give or take. But eight limbs? Really? And fronds, too! This wasn't a creature of her world, that was obvious. This thing had to be the alien that guy was talking about.

It stood there stock still, before blinking once and looking down at its wound. The way it was holding one of its shoulders, Jane could tell that she had gotten it pretty good, but not enough to kill it. Still, she was in too much shock herself to make herself cock the gun again. The creature then looked back in her direction, before scoffing loudly, a little disbelievingly, and let out an audible cry. "You shot me!"

It speaks English. Oh my god, it speaks English.

…It freaking speaks English!

"You speak English!" she stated disbelievingly, dropping her gun and falling back. Obviously male, the creature bared rows of sharp teeth at her in an angry hiss. "Yeah, I do. You crazy bitch, you just shot me!"

She didn't know what to say.

Uhm, sorry? I didn't mean to shoot you, it was an accident! Yeah, totally looked like an accident… what the hell is she supposed to say? Jane gulped, now feeling terrible. Wasn't this thing going to attack her? Now that she thought about it, it could have just been curious, not really threatening.

Wow, she's just making herself feel worse by the second. "Look, I'm sorry, I was just very scared," she said, before wincing at the weak tone in her voice. Yeah, now she really sounds stupid. "L-Let me make it up to you, please?"

"Hell no!" it snapped, taking a step back. It turned invisible again for a split second, before crying out in pain and was visible once more. It cursed loudly, before beginning to stumble. Jane went forward, to try to help it. To try. Anything to convince herself she wasn't a horrible person right now.

It fell over, obviously unconscious now. Sonic was at her side, whimpering. His tail tucked between his legs told Jane that he was scared too. "It's okay," she cooed, petting the animal's head before turning to the strange alien. She felt awful… wait! What the hell was she doing? She'd been attending Tallulah Technical College for nearly what… four years? She could do this on her own, she thought. Just take him home, remove the bullet and stitch him up. Not like she hadn't taken a test like this before. Only, this time the patient wasn't a human… and when he woke up he was bound to be unhappy with her.

Jane closed the distance between her and the collapsed figure on the ground. When she was close enough she could easily tell that it had scales. This thing was reptile? One touch was enough to make her think otherwise. It was warm. Warm blooded, then. With a fever too, a rather high one. What the hell?

Picking him up was a pain in the ass. Damn thing weighed a little more than she did! Or so it felt like, anyway. "Sonic!" she snapped, kicking her gun with her foot. "Get that," she mumbled, while stumbling in the direction of the house. The dog, confused, whined. He had no clue what this creature was and whether or not they could trust it. Why was his master taking it back home? Letting out another snort, the mutt lowered its head and bit down on the cold metal of the barrel, dragging it with him towards the house. Thank god she didn't cock it a second time, otherwise he would have refused in fear of accidentally shooting her, or himself for that matter.

A/N: Again, guys, feedback is much appreciated. Please review, and if you can't then that's fine, just let me know what you think! Be nice too, my little heart can't take how nervous I am in posting this... x.x