I do not own anything from this story, other than my community of survivors. Aliens and Predators are owned by 20th Century Fox, certainly not me.
Aliens/Predators vs. Zombies
Earth sat in orbit, a blue marble rich in life, silently waiting for her visitor to pass by. All records indicate that a plethora of suitable hosts live on this planet. The asymmetrical bone shaped ship slowed as it neared the small rock of a planet. Ordinarily, the derelict ship would simply seed a planet with hundreds of eggs allowing drones to take over en masse. This was a special circumstance though, records show that the dominant race of this planet can be dangerous and may be able to surmount an army. So, the decision was made to drop the most treacherous of creatures; a queen Xenomorph. This will allow for a hive to be established and give chance for all the warriors to grow and expand the hive. Their kind needed the upper hand against the vile Yautja; a hidden preservation of the Xenomorphs race could be a huge influence in the age-old battle.
The space jockey depressed a switch causing a resonating click that echoed through the large piloting chamber. Deep inside the ship, another click echoed next to an enormous armored box as a conveyor belt slowly began pulling it to the nearest wall. Gases made their rushed exit as the wall opened up revealing it to be a large door. The box was pulled out into the vacuum of space and begun its descent to Earth. All was being tracked by the space jockey until he came across a glitch in the system. Long range scanners were picking up movement all over the world but the thermal scanners only picked up very small pockets spread out over vast distances. A mere glitch, thought the space jockey, it must only be picking up high density clusters. This would be reported as soon as they returned from this unusual journey. For so long Earth had been documented as a speck in the universe, worthless of attention. Until just recently had notice been given, because ironically the most intelligent of their dominant species had developed a biological weapon capable of destroying a planet. Piquing the curiosity of the planetary seeders, who wished to test the now worthy humans. His attention directed back to following the box represented by a small red dot on a hologram. The box entered the atmosphere with a burst of fiery air and resistance above one of the landmasses. With the dot disappearing into the holographic model of the planet, the space jockey programmed new coordinates into the computer and the derelict left as silently as it came.
"If it is a satellite, it could have some great electronics to harvest, given it survives the burn and impact" Nathan said with a hopeful smile.
Jerry quickly retorted; "Look at its trajectory! It'll be another thirty miles from here until it impacts. Besides, it could just be a meteorite."
"Regardless, it's worth a community vote. Sound the buzzer?" Nathan asked.
Jerry walked to the table laden with scavenged electronics, and after a moment of searching found the intercom of their radio system. All throughout the home, a small light turned on in each room next to the door. This signaled everyone to gather for a community meeting in the living room.
The group met in the grand living room of a once beautiful mansion, now turned into a fully armored fortress. Ten acres of overgrown grass spread around the house before giving way to one hundred acres of woods. The living room was sectioned off to allow for a place to dance, which was attached to a bar, a television area, and the final section was an actual living room area. The bar had mostly empty shot glasses lining the length of it. Twenty people lived here in what has become a small and self-sustaining community. As if following some hidden storyline, the community was truly a microcosm of the world. Each person offering a skill set that allows them all to function without assistance and contact with the world. The house boasts nearly fifty rooms and allows for everyone to have nearly the same accommodations that they would have had before. Gardens were built on an upper-floor porch to provide more than enough vegetables and fruit. Meats are provided local wildlife and game that can be hunted. Jarring and freezing the leftovers in an underground cistern allows them to have food year round. Electricity has been provided by solar panels powering an array of batteries, something so simple causes such security and glad feelings. The fact that the kids can play Call of Duty: Zombies is always worth a guilty laugh when the adults are around the bar.
The unfortunate thing is the group being at the bar indicates that another one of their own has passed. For you see, as much luxury and safety the house provides…it is still in fact, the zombie apocalypse. Although they were seated on a hillside that was nestled in the mountains of West Virginia, they still faced a daily threat of the undead stumbling upon them. Dan was just unlucky; he was an experienced hunter and was under the safe assumption that the wintry months allow more freedom in their movements. Since the body is dead, it can't withstand the cold and zombies are left as black and blue and grotesque frozen statues that are much easier to dispose of. So, he went out with his favorite rifle, and confidence that he would come home with a large deer. What he hadn't considered was the unusually warm day yesterday that left most of the torso of a nightmarish creature thaw. It began crawling when it heard a gunshot.
Dan was finishing the kill of a beautiful deer that would have provided venison jerky for the whole house, when a pain rang out in his leg. Not just any pain, but a searing and shooting pain that is incomparable to any other. Somehow, the upper body of a middle-aged man had crept behind him, sliding through the partially thawed grass made every sound softened. It sank its teeth deeper into another section of his leg, letting blood flow from the original wound. Acting purely on instinct, Dan grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the head of the creature. As he had done dozens, or had it been hundreds of times? He could no longer remember, he pulled the trigger and immediately began the half-mile trek back to the house. He had family to say goodbye to.
Lou had been in the eagle's nest, which was merely a small room on top of the house that allowed for a constant lookout of the nearby area, when he heard the rifle fire. The shot was assuredly Dan taking down what he hoped would be some poultry bird. He was tired of all the jerky and gamey meat, he wanted some turkey just like Thanksg…his thought was cut-off by another shot. Lou picked up his radio and called to Nathan that something was wrong. Dan would never fire twice, the only reason he went out with a rifle was because everyone assumed the undead were frozen.
Nathan and Jerry had made it to the first ridge just in time for Dan to collapse in front of them. They carried him the rest of the way, both exchanging worried glances. Bobby and Erica came bursting out of the well-fortified door frame, screaming and crying hysterically as they went to meet them. Dan recognized them instantly and was reinvigorated enough to stand on his own and do what had to be done.
With a long rasp, he drew in his breath and said "Take care of your mother Bobby; she'll need you to be strong through all this. I love you son." He turned to his wife and just merely embraced her, hugging her and breaking down as he cried something into her shoulder. The only thing the group heard was him sobbing that he loved her as he withdrew from the hug and nodded to Nathan and Jerry. Jerry hugged Erica and grabbed Bobby's hand as he led them inside the house. Nathan paced nervously until they closed the door. Dan spoke first, "I killed it, so you don't have to worry about that…just me." With a sorrowful sigh, Nathan nodded and said that Lou had heard the second shot and we figured as much. Nathan looked at the ground and then up at Dan, both made eye contact for a full minute before Dan sat down and started taking in deep breaths with his eyes closed. "Take care of my family Nathan, thank you and goodbye." With that, Nathan moved behind him and removed his crossbow from his back, it crossed his mind that it may seem gruesome but with more gunfire comes more chance to bring more of the undead in. He knew everyone would agree, especially Dan…the bolt flew from the bow and penetrated his skull.
Liquor was aplenty, but rarely gotten into for rationings sake but he knew that tonight he would be drowned in single malt. Once Jerry comes back outside, they will remove the body and bury it alongside sixteen other markers. Afterwards, if only for the sake of everyone's conscious, they would journey up the mountain tracking Dan's easy to follow blood trail to be sure the bullet did its job and that there are no others. Blood would greet them when they reached the top, a seeping pool that stained the melting snow in a twenty foot radius. Deer, human, and zombie all created a cocktail of death that would be impossible to forget. Once home, the community will come together and drink in memorial of a great man. Not in sorrow but in proud memory of a great hunter, father and husband.
Dan's favorite records were played as drinks were handed out and they all tossed back a shot after a touching toast. Nathan and Jerry continued drinking after everyone else had left; being the two "leaders" put an enormous amount of pressure on them. Seeing a good friend die was never an easy thing to see, no matter how many times they've seen it now. Plus it was nice tossing back drinks with each other, like the old days…hell it was nearly dawn and they still decided to have one more drink, although this time in the eagle's nest. Allowing a magnificent view of the rising sun was always something appreciated by the lookouts, a rule of the house was always to enjoy the little things. The topic of how things have come to be, impossible to avoid, came up and very quickly turned into a debate of who was to blame. Nearly five years have passed since Z-Day and yet they still argued about politics, some things never change. They continued arguing, tongue-in-cheek, until they both ran out of steam and bunkered down on the two couches.
Lou woke them up hours later with promise of relieving them from their "steadfast" watch-out duty and breakfast…only after he gets said breakfast. They groggily lumbered from their couches and shook off the single malt breath and stench that hung about them, sure to get them each in trouble with their respective wives. Stretching his back in an arch, Nathan was looking skyward when he saw something streaking across the sky.
The engine of the ship rumbled throughout every corridor and room, a steady sound that represented a persistent direction but no immediate desire to reach there. There were no orders but to follow the derelict and be sure it's directives are completed. That meant no interactions that would give away the Yautja's distrust of the space jockey and their treaty. That distrust was being validated though, as the coordinates the Arbitrator was following shows that the derelict entered a backwater galaxy that houses maybe a dozen planets used as hunting grounds. Nothing like their usual operations, they neared a planet he knew well, as a dangerous species inhabit it. Oomans, he gruffly spouted to himself as his thoughts wandered to the trophy room where many of their skulls sat. They're more dangerous to themselves but when put in survival situations, the oomans have been known to be very clever. The unusual trajectory had confused the predator but nothing prepared him to see that instead of eggs being dropped…there was only one blip on his radar. He knew what this meant; a queen had been illegally grown in their ship and was being used to colonize the planet as a new hive world. The space jockeys were intentionally destroying an entire planet, this disgusted the Arbitrator. There is no usefulness in this kill; it is merely propagation of a dirty creation. The kill should be about honor and sport; all species hunted by the Yautja deserve that much.
He watched the blip enter the atmosphere and tracked it's trajectory to pinpoint where he should land. Staying cloaked and waiting until the derelict ship left, the Arbitrator allowed the auto-pilot to finish the journey so that he could limber up in the Kehrite. It would be at least a several day journey since he needed to stay out of the radar range of the derelict ship. What could essentially be called a shrine, sat before the Yautja, taking a kneeling position he reached out and grabbed the nearest instrument. As the samurai had a rich tradition of rubbing oils on their battle armaments, so the Yautja each have a unique preparation process for battle. Each bladed instrument was rhythmically sharpened until it could split an ooman hair. The combistaff was methodically extended and withdrawn if only to follow tradition since its reliability is unparalleled. His shoulder cannon was put into place to calibrate it to his vision tracker inside the mask. Both were synced and any remaining accessories like the med kit were stowed into place. Armor was put aside and was ready for the hunt, so the predator began to meditate in front of a large window that allowed him to find his center and prepare mentally. After several hours he rose and knew that some sort of report was due since his direction was surely being tracked.
He decided to avoid a political debate by calling everything in; instead he sent a message to his clan ship detailing a suspicious planetary development perhaps uncharted. With his location, he knew the elders would either accept that or just assume he went for a hunt while following the space jockeys. He dismissed the concern, if what he thought was in that box…he needed to concentrate for the biggest fight of his life. Sure, he had faced many Kiande Amedha before but never a queen; in fact their skulls outnumbered any of the oomans in his trophy room. If he had done so, a pack of at least a dozen high ranking hunters and Arbitrators would be at his call if they knew of a chance to take down a queen. Taking one down in such numbers would be less a challenge, but the thought of taking one down alone was enough to surge the Arbitrator into an intense desire for glory. He would surely be granted anything he asks as well as guaranteed leadership of his clan. A few days are more than enough time for her to establish a hive, but not enough time for an army. He should be able to catch them in an early enough stage and wipe out every one. He made confident strides into the hallway and into the trophy room where he carefully moved each delicate skull around. After a few moments of cautious reorganization, the results were clear front and center. He had cleared a spot for the large crested skull of a Xenomorph queen.
She awoke at the first rattle of her surroundings, she was moving and fast. She didn't know where she was and she didn't sense a single other of her kind. The box began to get warm as, unknowingly she skipped across atmosphere at several thousand miles per hour. It began to get unbearably warm for her and she wasn't sure she would make it out of this inferno, until the box slammed still. The impact was enough to kill most species of any kind...not her, she was strong and designed for this. The jarring hit did effectively demolish the box and her restraints though, and she took in the air that rushed in from this alien planet. There was an immediate recognition of something not right with this ecosystem. Her senses screamed at her to begin a new hive and further her species. Had someone been nearby, they may have almost missed her as the jet black crest raised from her slumber in the night and she began moving. As if not a bulking twenty foot monster, she gracefully stepped from the box and gained an awareness of her surroundings. Then the monster showed her true form and let loose a roar that rattled the trees around her. She wanted this planet to know who it now belonged to. What she didn't realize is how many creatures heard her roar and began searching.
Any suitable hive would have to be near enough to a population that she can easily get hosts, but it also has to be hidden enough to not gain suspicion. Coming across a sewer grate, she figured being underground would be her best bet. Almost immediately, she began the process of creating the nutrient rich linings of a hive wall and within a few hours had reached a large enough crossing that she could call home. Her egg sac wouldn't form for quite a while, but as almost all queens can do, she carries one single egg inside her. It slowly dropped from deep inside her and plopped delicately on the wet floor. A slow hiss escaped the queens dripping mouth as she lowered her head to the egg, as if explaining the situation to the unborn. Just as soon as she had finished, a trigger went off in her mind as she sensed movement, indicating a host for her young one. Tucking herself into a ball and raising to the ceiling, she becomes almost indistinguishable as the bi-pedal creature stumbles closer and closer. She briefly worried that the drone that emerges from this creature might inherit some of its blatant disregard for danger as the undead slumped deeper and deeper into the hive. Seeing the egg-sac's top open was motion that activated an instinct in the undead creature, causing it to run full pace at the egg. Sensing something in its proximity, the facehugger began its journey and made the attack. Jumping full speed at the face of this creature, the young Xenomorph sensed the displaced ecosystem as her mother had hours earlier. It routinely latched itself to the face of its victim as if it had done it before. Instinct driving it's every step; the facehugger began the implantation but suddenly withdrew. This creature had no life to give to an embryo, and it was trying to eat the facehugger. Left with no alternative, the facehugger spit acid at its face to try and incapacitate it. As the acid melted skin, flesh and bone away…it was clear this creature was different because it continued fighting. Luckily enough, a queen's secondary jaw can puncture almost anything, especially the skull of such a soft meat, no matter how different it is. The zombie lay limp on the floor, and gave the two oppositely sized Xenomorphs a conundrum. The facehugger needed a host and quickly or else it would die, so acting on instinct again, the facehugger began a journey to find life. Allowing the queen to finish the hive and begin the process of becoming an egg-layer.
"So, it could be a satellite that, without communication and syncing with ground computers, has deorbited and crashed just a few miles north of here. Jerry thinks it's further but we all know how great he is with directions. It could also just be a meteorite and will just be a big rock. The point is; it's something that should be put to a vote. Should we send a team to investigate?" Nathan paced as he made his point.
Everyone looked nervously at each other, each thinking the same thing…so soon after Dan's death? The danger was always more real after attacks or deaths. One by one, people began raising their hands in support, until it had reached an even split. Bobby stood up and asked if he could go, he would vote in support if they allowed it. No one knew what to say at first, but knowing that his will was steadfast the group decided to let him go. He was old enough to hold his own and perhaps he needed this to get over losing his father, who were they to hold him back. The community decided that the normal scavenger team would be sent, comprising of Lou, Nathan, Jerry and now Bobby. With the solar panels powering an array of batteries, they were able to even have some forms of transportation. They have two, six-wheeled all-terrain vehicles that ran off of a modified battery from their array. Both were packed with gear and weapons as they prepared for a day out in dangerous territory. Each of the team members talked briefly and quietly to their family members, assuredly telling them each that they will be fine. With the gate to the entrance opened, the two ATV's carrying two people each moved out. Bobby and Lou rode forward as point and had Nathan and Jerry bringing up the rear, being out and able to crossbow a few partially frozen corpses made Bobby feel slightly better. Letting each bolt fly gave him an ounce more of courage to fight on without his father. He had shot so many that he slowly begun to get reckless, and reached in front of Lou driving to fire at a well hidden crawler. Being blinded, Lou leaned around to see the road when a flash of movement crossed the deserted road. Swerving wildly to not hit the little animal and damage their vehicle, Lou slid into a bog that was once a landscaped median. Nathan and Jerry pulled up; laughing and yelling something about missing out on having rabbit road kill stew, and now have to instead tow their sorry asses out. Lou had always been a pacifist and ignored the prodding, instead priding himself in saving the life of something that didn't deserve to die. Jerry began to pull line out from their winch and gave himself enough slack to efficiently do the task at hand. Bobby met him at the back of the bogged down vehicle and began to clear the hitch of debris so that they can pull it out. There was a small movement in the bushes next to Bobby and Jerry but all dismissed it as just a critter, Jerry even laughed that it was probably the rabbit coming back to thank Lou. Bobby stood up to take a closer look when a flesh colored spider with a long tail emerged from the bush. Everyone stood shocked and confused except for Jerry who realized that this creature was about to pounce on Bobby. He thought of Erica and Dan and overhearing Dan tell Nathan to watch over his family. That responsibility fell on him too, so he thrust his entire body into Bobby and used his momentum to push him out of the way just as the spider reached his face and everything went dark.
Hunger, lethargy and overall deterioration were leading the facehugger to dire times. It couldn't go much further, so it came to an open space and decided to lay and wait. The strange creatures that tried to eat it moments after birth were everywhere, typically they paid no attention to the facehugger allowing for it to safely travel but now it no longer heard the shuffle and moan. Instead a low hum rose in intensity until he saw two small moving vehicles, each holding two suitable hosts. The life in them called out to it as it darted across the open space hoping to stop them and get a chance at propagation. Sure enough, the first vehicle swung away from it and sunk itself in mud. Skittering to a stop in a bush it patiently waited for the right moment, as two of the hosts made loud noises from afar, two others came closer. Drawing one of its fingers to a branch of the bush, the facehugger set the trap with a quick scrape. The smaller creature quickly stood up and inched closer. With the healthy host mere feet from the bush, the facehugger's senses screamed to implant now, so with a quick movement of its tail it propelled itself into the open and scrunched to launch at the host. Mid-air the target changed, but it mattered not to the facehugger, a healthy host is a healthy host…it had done its job. It felt tugging for a while on both the fingers and tail, but again it mattered not to the facehugger…it had done its job.
Lou and Nathan stood in pure shock for several seconds before scrambling towards their now motionless friend. Bobby was luckily knocked unconscious by Jerry's push, his head cracked against the side of the ATV. Although they knew Bobby would learn of what happened, at least the two adults wouldn't have to deal with that at this moment. They had more important issues at hand, like their friend with some crazy tailed spider attached to his face. The two desperately clawed at the fingers and tail of this monster, but withdrawing after seeing the things tail constrict around Jerry's neck. What was strange was that Jerry was still breathing, so without any other option they loaded their two unconscious friends into the remaining ATV and drove home quickly. Nathan stopped the vehicle further away than necessary to run ahead and warn someone to get Erica out of sight. He knew what would happen if they rode into view with a seemingly dead Bobby. That taken care of, the gates were opened and the community fell upon them to see what happened. Jerry was rushed to their medical room while Bobby was placed in his bed. As mentioned before, the community was truly a microcosm of the world…they had been fortunate enough to come across a nurse named Katy who had nearly cleaned out the inventory of a deserted hospital. Her skills and supplies had kept everyone in health and high hopes, until this day. Nothing in her studies prepared her for some constricting spider creature; she had no means to understand what was happening. The only thing she understood was that his heartbeat was strong, and his breathing was being provided by the creature on his face. After some debate, the decision was made to try and cut it off, despite the fact that it wasn't seemingly harming him. Katy delicately lowered the scalpel to a finger that was tightly wrapped around Jerry's cheek. Before the slice entered deeper than the immediate flesh, an acid burned through the thin metal as if it were ice melting on a stove. The tail constricted tighter and the group was left with no alternative but to wait and see what happens. Lou sat in the corner, contemplating his lifestyle…had he just run over that thing none of this would have ever happened.
The next morning rose and everyone made their way to the kitchen for breakfast only to find Katy and Jerry voraciously eating granola and fruits. Although equally astonished, Katy managed to explain that she had woken up in the middle of the night to a startling sound. The spider had leapt from Jerry and crawled under a table, only to curl up and die. Jerry slept soundly for a few more hours before waking up in a cheery mood but starving for anything and everything. Laughter filled the room as a cheerful breakfast was quickly demolished, and any leftovers were shoveled onto Jerry's plate. Even Bobby was in a good mood, despite everyone's concern. Katy and Nathan were convincingly happy as well, but quietly discussed how this could be. They were lost in thought when Jerry doubled over, coughing and clutching at some invisible pain in his chest.
An embryo slowly drifted down the tubes it now called home, with no directions other than into the center of this host. Its growth was incredible, going from a small bean to a several inch long worm in a mere hour. By the time its cognitive abilities reached awareness, it could already sense its mother. The queen ecstatic to have another of her kind nearby, called out to the small Xenomorph and passed on the instinctual drive. Growth accelerated as did the host's heartbeat, it could hear stifled noises from outside the host and occasional guttural sounds from above. It had almost grown to full size when the instinct took over to exit. The comically small arms began to squirm in conjunction with the tail; and it started biting and moving towards the ribs of Jerry. Pushing against the bones, it understood what had to be done…after backing up an inch or two, it rammed the cage. The rhythmic thumping of the host's heart began beating irregularly fast as the creature rammed the ribs again, breaking three. On the third attempt, the chestburster stayed true to its name. Bursting forth with a fountain of blood and gore, the newborn Xenomorph screeched in defiant freedom. Birthing in a room full of hostiles was unfortunate for the chestburster because it had no time to adapt and was forced to make a dash for the nearest hole in the wall. The silly host creatures didn't even try and stop it as it slid away to safety, allowing it to instantly begin its growth into one of the most deadly creatures known to the universe. Following the walls, the alien made its way deeper into the house before coming across access to a deep cave. This was more than suitable for it to develop and lay a trap, and with its tail already starting to molt, the creature knew it wouldn't be long.
Jerry lay on the floor with an enormous hole in his chest, ribs bent outwards in the most gruesome form anyone had seen…even in the middle of an apocalypse! No one moved, no one spoke, they all simply stared. How do you start, where do you start? All these questions rose in Nathan's head, but he found a way to start by walking over to his friend and closing his eyes. "Goodbye friend" He quietly whispered.
Erica took a different route and began screaming "What the fuck was that? I mean, what the fuck is happening?" Despite it being what everyone else wanted to ask and yell, they all knew there was no place for panic and moved to calm her down. The children were next as they were sequestered away to allow the adults to formulate a plan. That thing was in their house and security couldn't be guaranteed until it was out or dead. Nathan organized several teams to spread throughout the house with the weapons necessary to destroy that monster on sight. As a simple oversight, only one team was sent into the basement that contained the entrance into the long forgotten coal mine. Regardless, Don and Angelo made their way downstairs, oblivious to the danger that lurked ahead. They had the sensibility to stay together though, they had seen enough scary movies and survived the zombies long enough to know that separating meant death. Little did they know what they were up against as they decided the mine would be the best place to start. It was pitch black deep underground, the only light came from the two flashlights in their hands and the two on their helmets. Ground water slowly seeped into the mine, eerily dripping in a rhythm of every ten feet or so. The two inched deeper into the long entrance, unaware that a shadow had just moved behind them. Acting on silent cues, they decided to stop and just listen for any signs of movement. Another hole in the ceiling allowed for water to drip every few seconds on Don's shoulder. The rhythm was comforting, it was assured to never change and something about that really helped Don get through this dark and terrifying experience. He shrugged his shoulders to Angelo who shrugged back until he spun around in response to scraping sounds mere feet from him. The light fell on a dirtied wall that long had become mineral rich from the water seeping into the mine. In the time it took Angelo to spin around, Don immediately became aware of the water no longer dripping on his shoulder. Instead, a long trail of slime dripped in front of his helmet light, giving him a reason to look up into the elongated black tube of an eyeless face of some unknown and nightmarish creature. Looking up was all that he had time for, before the claws dug into his shoulders and he was pulled away at a breakneck speed. He saw Angelo's terrified face and light that followed him into the dark before there was nothing except his cries in the dark. Angelo sprinted out of the entrance and upstairs, hysterical and out of breath…it took him a full five minutes before he could explain what happened.
She had done it; the hive was suitable and could sustain a population capable of taking over this rock of a planet. The room she began laying eggs in was wider than a football field and clearly had a long forgotten use during the days of plumbing. She was so ecstatic she almost didn't sense her kin approaching, but her senses never fail and she greeted the drone with a screech that would terrify anything but their kind. The screech lowered to an approving hiss as the drone dragged a healthy but bloody host inside, the instinct that she passed on to a lowly egg had provided her another chance to further her species. The drone methodically began plastering the host to the wall, triggering the nearest egg to open and begin the cycle again. Don never woke up from being dragged into the dark, he was lucky enough to stay unconscious through everything…even as the chestburster ended his life. The life drained from his face as the queen hissed reveling in her creations; she had two warriors at her disposal. Both would be capable of finding even more hosts, as her species is truly a devastating reproducing machine. The adult drone, without being told, left the hive to go and find more suitable hosts for the dozen or so eggs that patiently waited. The newly born chestburster would require more time in the hive to grow but would soon do the same.
Erica was crying while the women stood around her trying to comfort her, even Sally, Don's wife, was comforting her. The community now needed two burials today, although Don's would only be a marker as a few others in their graveyard were too. Others had been bitten and never found again, leaving the community to bury nothing but memories. Nathan was completing the dark tasks at hand but his mind was in a million different places. Should they be worried of another attack? Do they need to evacuate their fortress that has kept them safe for almost five years? He and two others lowered Jerry into the quickly dug grave and begun filling it with dirt. A small ceremony was held and after the group decided that a community meeting was needed, they also decided that perhaps here was the best place to do so. Although exposed to the undead, at least the undead were predictable and slow monsters…not like this new one. The children and Erica seemed to voice a unanimous vote for leaving the fortress and getting far away from this monster. The more rational of the crew voted for finding the now long-gone creature and killing it. With numbers dropping like flies, the odds were against the hunters and an evacuation plan was drawn up. It was quick and dirty; they would end up leaving behind so much valuable equipment and food being unable to carry everything. Safety was crucial though and preparation had been made long ago for a backup shelter just a couple miles north of their home. It was nearer to the city, thus nearer to the population of undead, but at this point that didn't matter. The wrecked ATV was pulled loose of the swamp and loaded with everything it could carry; batteries, weapons, ammo, and food were loaded into boxes and every pocket on every person was utilized. They left the next dawn after sleeping outside overnight in the patio area, the only place everyone felt safe since it was warmed by a slow burning fire. Fires were rarely allowed but it seems almost every well thought out rule was being broken for the sake of everyone's sanity. The day seemed bright and promising as they avoided main roads and followed the winding hills to their new shelter.
The ship's engine roared as it broke through the atmosphere of the ooman planet, although the auto-pilot was more than capable of landing the craft, the Arbitrator had a personal tradition to land while on a hunt. This allowed him to focus on something beside the hunt, which may sound traitorous to most other Yautja, but once the craft lands his thoughts are reinvigorated tenfold for the hunt. It is almost as if he has a fresh mind for the hunt, after having his thoughts being directed to landing the bulky but invisible ship into a large field. A large panel of the ship cracks open as a walkway lowers to the ground and the predator with all eight feet of its stature and armaments strode onto the alien planet with confidence and a clicking of its tusks. The mask containing his breathing apparatus and electrical connections to his wrist computer sat under his arm, he had another personal tradition to follow. The queen Xenomorph made herself known to this planet with a roar comparable to none other than the Yautja. So in the same fashion, the Arbitrator let loose a roar, opening his mandibles to their widest limit. Neither the queen nor the Yautja understood the meaning of their roar, as at least a dozen zombies nearby had heard the roar and begun searching. The undead lack fear, a roar is merely an invitation. Clicking his mask into place and connecting the gas tubes, he began the hunt.
Dead eyes gazed forward, occasionally glancing at the sounds created by the shuffling of the other undead that also reacted to the hissing and screeches coming from deep within the tunnels. There numbers were nearly a dozen strong, not as if that registered with any of the mob. Their goal was almost as instinctual as the Xenomorphs. Eat and spread. Motion of the useless creatures triggered the senses of both the queen and near adult drone; the queen was locked into position by her egg sac. The immature drone would have to defend its mother here and now. Racing to the entrance of the hive room, the drone stealthily climbed above the door and would start with the last creature in. One by one, the unsuitable hosts shuffled into the room with no clear intent or direction. Movement of eggs triggered their instinctual hunger drive and brought them in further, but a quiet hiss from the queen stopped the latch-happy facehuggers from making a pointless attempt. The last of the shuffling fools made their way past the drone as it dropped to the ground without a sound, a tail whipping instantly through the last zombie's head. The drone screeched in proud display of skill in front of its mother, ordinarily care would be taken so as to reproduce. No life to give embryos, meant no value to the Xenomorphs…allowing pure viciousness to take over. The mob turned to the sound and fearlessly began clamoring for the moving thing. Not sure of how to deal with this tactic, the drone clawed wildly at the approaching crowd but not really accomplishing much as the sheer number of the undead quickly overtook it. Hissing and screeching without stop, the Xenomorph began to feel pressure on its joints, the crowd was pulling at limbs and biting, although the biting was in futility. In fact, the zombies were breaking much of their remaining teeth…essentially sealing their fate, if the queen couldn't withstand them either. Broken teeth and all, the undead were successful in beginning to pull apart the drone when a screech from the entrance and a beautiful smell enticed the zombies to look up from their carnage.
The adult drone had been successful in its hunt and was returning to the hive with a quadruped that huffed in defiance even though its limbs were broken. An immediate sense of urgency rushed through his blood, the queen was calling and in trouble. Making haste, the drone decided that one host was all it could collect for now. It arrived to the hive just in time to see the baby it had left, now almost grown to adulthood, being ripped into several pieces by a mob of undead creatures. Leaving the bleeding creature behind, the Xenomorph jumped to the ceiling and shot its tail into the heads of three zombies. Seeing one begin moving away, the drone realized that it would also need to protect the newfound host. The drone leapt after the hungry creature just in time to puncture its skull with secondary jaws before the host was eaten. What the alien didn't realize was that it had lost focus and heard a warning screech from the queen. Turning around faster than a human ever could wasn't enough to ready it for a mob of over a half dozen zombies that moved to surround and kill. It was over quickly, two zombies lost the tops of their heads from a whipping tail which was then ripped off and discarded. The elongated tube head made almost a hollow pop sound when it was removed from the skeletal frame. Acidic blood had sprayed from each drone and eaten away nearly thirty percent of each zombie, but without any clear effect. The queen was once again without any of her kind, besides the eggs, she was alone. She knew she couldn't fight off the five remaining, at least not attached to the sac, removing herself meant pain and an unaffordable inconvenience. Before she could make a decision, the decision was made for her…the bleating deer was far more enticing than the downtrodden and un-tasty queen. One began biting into the neck and efficiently ended its life, but also started to drag it away from the others…yes, gluttony still exists. The undead creatures took the last chance at propagation from the queen but left her with her life, and eggs. That was more than enough to continue, though she lamented for her lost children; especially the younger, it truly could have made a spectacular praetorian with the viciousness it had. Knowing that sending a facehugger had been fruitful the first time, she woke five eggs with a soft hiss as they awoke and instantly became aware of the situation. They were to feed on any nutrients the hive could provide them now, and then go out into the alien world and find hosts.
It was a small city but a large enough one that the population of undead made the proposition of walking down Main Street a laugh. With a river on the left and a mountain that meant a three day hike around it, to allow for vehicle and people to travel comfortably and safely, the decision was made by Nathan to go through the city. He had a plan though, the sewers allowed for dead ends and surprises but more importantly allowed for travel under the larger crowds of undead. Shuddering at going into such a dark tunnel and worried for their lives, each person hesitated before reluctantly ducking their heads into the tunnel and turned on their respective flashlights. Lou and Nathan were in front as they kept a steady aim forward and into any side tunnels as they walked by. A gasp from behind pulled their attention to their group only to find the entire group looking down. The water that trickled through the sewer was a deep blood red, Erica began to hyperventilate but she was the only one to react. No one else knew what to do, they had stayed on a straight path and could find their way out but they had also come a long way and should have been almost through. Nathan again made the decision to press forward, this time though everyone was to carry a weapon. As they neared a cross section, they could all hear it, the unmistakable eating sounds. Acting on silent cues, two wives immediately gathered the children and circled them for protection's sake. Nathan and Lou crept forward; they needed to know what they were up against before doing anything rash. Inching along the wall, the corner gave way and they saw three or four zombies, easy enough for them to crossbow and move on. Each took aim and let their bolts fly into the heads of two, this caused alarm in the other two but they really only had time to stand and look before another set of bolts did their job. A scream behind them ended their congratulating of each other on a job well done; Whitney, who was Jerry's wife, had defended the children with her life. A zombie had her arm deep in its teeth, but the children had been pushed back in defense by Whitney. With no time to react or think, the other wife that was protecting the children had pulled out her gun and fired into the head of the undead. Everyone was instantly deafened by the echo of a loud shot, but everyone also realized at that moment what a shot meant for them. A dinner bell for the undead everywhere around them echoed through each tunnel of this labyrinth. Coincidentally enough, it had also alerted the Xenomorph queen to their presence, well before she would have sensed them.
"Lou take point, I'm going to bring up the behind. Everyone listen! We need to go and we need to go now…the ATV'S need to lose some weight so that we can all fit on and we need to get out of here." Nathan quickly said as he had already begun unloading the ATV's which barely fit through each tunnel.
Lou had already gone ahead, breaking a cardinal rule of survival situations but he knew he needed to make sure there was a clear path ahead and no undead had begun searching for the gun shot. It began to get more and more humid as he continued, and the walls seemed to get blacker. Continuing to follow the same direction that they had been doing the entire time, Lou came through another cross section into a tunnel that had incredibly strange textures on the floor and wall. It would be a bumpy ride for the ATV but they could still make it, he dismissed the walls as if it were merely a fungus or weed growing wild. A hiss echoed through the tunnel and he probably knew deep down that it indicated trouble, but he dismissed that as well. Years of having to deny his pacifism by shooting into the face of dead children, mothers, and every other once dignified humans had really taken a toll on him. Perhaps denying the growing urgency of trouble should have registered in his head, but he was tired. He knew the exit of this underground hell shouldn't be more than a half mile away. That gave him hope as he trudged on, that hope was dashed though. Dashed is a word that held no weight in comparison to what Lou felt as he walked into a cavernous room covered in the weird black slime. He stumbled down a small hole at the very entrance of it, accidentally giving him a wider view of the room. A small access panel from the street level beamed indirect sunlight directly onto a statue in the center of the room. Only it wasn't a statue, it was a complex, skeletal and moving black monster. Twenty feet tall with a head that was almost as tall as Lou, the creature showed every inch of its nightmarish form to the host that stumbled into her hive. A hiss built into a screech as an egg opened up only ten feet from Lou. Terrified again couldn't do justice to the feeling that was bouncing around Lou's head, he turned and slipped as he crawled hysterically to get away from this monster. From his peripheral vision, he could see something crawl out of the egg and was shocked to the same creature that was latched onto Jerry! There was no time to connect the dots as the facehugger began toward him. He regained composure and found footing as he sprinted away, only having a chance to wave and jump away from the blinding headlights of an ATV. As he fell to the ground, the spider creature had already leapt at him but missed its mark as he dove to the ground and it passed harmlessly by his face. A new host had presented itself though and since it was already in the air, latching to Angelo's face was a breeze. Blinded, Angelo couldn't see the hole that Lou had stumbled down and the ATV crashed into the ditch, and acted as a catapult to the poor survivors. Each person landed a foot or two away from the eggs, several were even knocked unconscious…assuring death. The second ATV had a chance to stop next to Lou who had stood up and took in the chaos. Six people were scrambling through the eggs, but dropping like flies as facehuggers jumped from their egg and took them down. Angelo sat almost pleasantly still behind the wheel of the first ATV still. Lou turned and jumped onto the ATV with Katy, Nathan and the children as they turned around and began to get out of that nightmare room as quickly as possible. Cursed and blessed with insight, Lou contemplated his luck that caused Angelo's death.
Kiande Amedha were near, five of them. He knew they were near, and they knew he was near. He had found five quadrupeds with their ribcages bent outwards and so he clicked a switch to filter through several ranges of light until he found the one that would track Xenomorphs. Doing this brought up a question he had raised to himself earlier, there were no oomans around. None, whatsoever and his thermal vision was almost unneeded…where were all the oomans? This planet had billions, now he could only find heat signatures from small flying creatures and the occasional ground dwelling vermin. He knew the Xenomorphs were near though because he could hear movement, although it was unlike them to announce their presence, this was a different world and perhaps they were underestimating him. Swinging his arm around to grab the combistaff was enough torque for him to whip his body around, extending the spear in one swift motion as he expected hard meat to be surrounding him. There was nothing, only clamor of sticks breaking and leaves being overturned all around him. He couldn't understand it! Then a pain shot through his nerves, something was attacking the predator. A vicious hunter, unmatched in the sport was being hunted by a pack of zombies that delighted in being invisible to this new prey. The pain of having something biting into him was painful but didn't overwhelm him, he found the switch for his visions and cycled through until he saw a crowd of creatures standing around him in a muted color. One was biting into his ankle, but with a swift kick, he broke the neck of the creature and a still snapping mouth rolled away with the head down a small embankment. Clicking his tusks in a puzzled nature, he turned back to the crowd. Now that he could see the slow moving creatures that resembled oomans he made swift work of them and sliced each in half with his wrist blades as they came near. That done, he began to leave when three arms grabbed him; the ooman things were still alive! Becoming a walking blender, the Yautja spun his wristblades in a symmetrical orb around him that sliced and diced anything unlucky enough to be in reach. Satisfied by the gore, the Yautja again began to walk away in triumph when he heard the snapping of jaws. Unable to move, being a stump of what once resembled an ooman, the heads of several of the creatures still gazed at him and bit at the air. Bending lower to the ground to allow for a low trajectory, the predator let fly a disc blade that, in route, cut through every remaining head before it returned politely to his hand. Although this was a Xenomorph hunt, this new game was interesting and a deserving foe. He decided to walk down the embankment and collect the still snapping head of the one who bit him; he placed it inside a bag and slung it on his belt. Resuming the hunt, and ignoring the strange itch in his leg the predator could see a city nearby…the queen is surely there.
The humming of the small battery powered motor was clearly stressed by the amount of weight on the vehicle, but they were making progress and could start to see light at the end of the tunnel. The thought of a pun coming true didn't register to any of them; they were silent as they thought about the family members and friends they saw massacred. The children cried quietly and the few adults left, put on a brave face. Bobby's gaze was a thousand yard stare; he was an orphan now and in the process just went mute. Mentally and physically exhausted, the group was relieved to be out of the hellish tunnels and into the fresh air and sunlight. That relief was extinguished when an eight foot tall humanoid with a metal mask on, materialized feet in front of the ATV. It made a motion to attack when it stopped and looked up; following his gaze the group saw five black skeletal monsters that looked like smaller versions of the big one in the egg room up the tunnel. They had been waiting for them to become vulnerable and would take them back to the hell that waits deep inside. The humanoid launched some kind of ray of energy from its shoulder into the head of one of the black creatures which instantly exploded in a yellow mess. Following the blood, Nathan saw it begin to eat away at the wall. Remembering the scalpel that melted from the spider's blood, seeing the connection he moved the last few people of his community back into the tunnels. At least there they wouldn't be in the middle of a war between two vicious species, now they just have to worry about avoiding the one big one. After making a few turns and heading in a different direction, the group found an access tube that connects to the city streets. It was a large enough room to accommodate the children and an adult as well having an escape to the dangerous streets above from the even more dangerous sewers below. Katy was the obvious choice to stay with the children as Lou and Nathan armed themselves with any remaining weapons. If they didn't come back within an hour, the children were to be taken up to try and reach the bunker. Wordlessly, since care was taken not to frighten the children of their mission, Lou and Nathan knew they had to travel back to the egg room and do their best to stop this new monster. The new monster would only attribute to the assured destruction of their already fragile planet, as if lasting through the zombie apocalypse wasn't enough! The plan was hatched though and off they went…to try and save a zombie ridden world.
The queen reveled in her glory; she had lost all and sent five children on a potential suicide mission. Not only did the children find hosts and called out to her once they could, but other hosts were literally thrown at her. Facehuggers silently laid their embryos deep inside each host lying in the room. She could feel the collective hive-think grow until only four called back to her and in distress. Something was wrong but before she could call them back, she stopped receiving the sense that they were alive all together. Anger rose like a fire inside of her, she was a Xenomorph queen. A beautiful and monstrous being unlike no other! Yet, her hive has been defiled by creature after creature…she would stand for no more. Then two hosts appeared at the door, defiant and bold they walked in carrying inconspicuous and non-dangerous looking objects. She would allow them in; they were already practically surrounded by eggs so it merely meant two more drones for her army. Dropping one of their arms, one of the objects was broken apart on the floor and with a quick flash of light it became an inferno. The vile creatures were murdering her entire hive by fire. The other creature threw the second object at the queen and she was doused in liquid from the hit. Seeing the fire spread, and being incredibly intelligent the queen knew what would happen if the fire reached her. She tore at her waist, to disconnect the egg-laying sac and allow her to escape. She wasn't fast enough, because although she made it out, the fire still spread to her legs and engulfed her. Two humans, who had barely survived the zombie apocalypse for the last five years, now had a fiery and very angry monster headed right for them. Pulling out their weapons, they each fired two handguns at the crest of the looming monster. It was silly and futile, even on fire; the queen could easily withstand a barrage of such small projectiles. Although death was imminent as a twenty foot wall of fire got closer and closer to them, they remained vigilant and poured all of their ammunition into it. They had nothing else, no reason not to die fighting right here and now. Perhaps seeing this courage or a weakened Xenomorph, the Yautja made its move then and fired two plasma bolts into the leg and shoulder of the queen effectively stopping it. He had little trouble with the hard meats out front but the itch in his leg was getting worse, he would have to take a look at it if he survives the battle. Fighting the growing itch, he charged into battle as the now smoking, but smoldering hot queen was waiting. Dozens of times before he had thought about the honor of fighting such a challenge, and now here he was getting that chance. Ducking under a tail and dodging a swipe from her claws, the Yautja extended the combistaff into her leg and into the ground below. Impaled, immobilized again and seeing every egg in her hive bursting from the fire, the queen was filled with something superior to anger…something that made her already acidic blood boil as she finally connected with the Yautja her tail surged with power and flung him a hundred feet before he slammed into a concrete wall. The speed of the throw, the power of impact, and the falling debris that followed; all would have been enough to easily kill a human but not the Yautja. Given, he was a bit shaken up and needed a moment to regain his senses. The humans recognized this and realizing they had a chance to escape turned and ran but Nathan stopped short. Turning to see what was wrong; Lou saw the tail barb first a full foot and a half before seeing Nathan's paled face. Lifted off the ground from a hole in his chest as if the weight of tissue paper, Nathan rasped desperate words to Lou; "Get out…while you…can." So, Lou did, and only turned once he reached the door. He pulled out Dan's rifle and took aim. The monster was drawing Nathan closer but turned him once to untwist its tail giving Nathan a chance to see Lou in the distance, drawing every last ounce of energy he called out for Lou to do it. Before the queen had a chance to savor puncturing the skull of this annoying and destructive creature, the escaping host shot and killed its friend. Denied the kill, the queen went insane and ripped the spear from her leg, threw the lifeless host against a wall into the fire, then began a mad rush to murder the escaping one. Not ten feet from where it began, it was stopped by a spinning disc blade that sliced through her right leg. Already wounded from the spear being in her left leg, she was immobile. She had been raised to kill, breed, and survive. She had destroyed the entire ecosystem of three planets. She was so powerful; her captors had to crate and drug her constantly. She was a proud warrior and mother to thousands. Being such royalty and never having to be humble, the queen scratched and clawed madly at the floor and walls around it. She knew her time was over and couldn't accept it, until two wristblades cleanly swiped through her tail did she realize how close she was to her death. Drawing a reserve of energy that only powers her will, she called out to any and all of her kin in the stars. If they reach it, they will know of this treacherous planet, new species, and yet another encounter with the Yautja…assuring an eventual revenge. Her secondary jaws snap out of desperation and anger, causing the Yautja to rearrange his tusks in a form resembling a smile behind the cold mask. The fire set by the oomans lit the scene beautifully, and he knew that in stories to come…this would be the point where all the sucklings and females would breathlessly listen to. He was triumphant and extended his wristblades to twice their normal length, walking around the queen she tries to track him but loses him once he reaches her crest. Then her proud life is ended as two metal blades slice neatly between her head and shoulders and a cascade of acidic blood pours upon her lifeless skeletal frame. Being careful to avoid the pool of acid, that was already forming a crater of death around the body, the predator realized it was being watched by the remaining ooman. They had weakened the queen with fire and they benefitted greatly from each other in the battle. Nodding to the ooman, he picked up his combistaff and threw it into the wall feet away from the respectable warrior. Lou knew the gesture was a gift and accepted it humbly, pulling it from the wall it was clear that by pressing the button in the middle it extended and withdrew to half and double its size. Lou took the amazing piece of alien technology and left the room for the hunter to retrieve its trophy.
Somehow following the same route they took in, Lou made his way back to the hidden room and reunited with the surviving clan. With a minimal amount of weapons and dwindled numbers, their outlook wasn't good but they knew where they had to go. The shelter was close enough but they decided that a full nights rest would be appropriate before they go. The room they were in had some blankets, and after the most trying days of their lives, some rest was well deserved. When they awoke, Lou climbed the ladder tube up to the manhole and gently tried to push the cover up. It was stuck though, so with the full force of his shoulders and ignoring the possibility of hurting himself he thrust into it and jarred it open. An incredibly brisk rush of cold air swept in and Lou breathed a sigh of relief as they were finally granted some good luck. An overnight storm had swept in and brought one of the few remaining snowfalls of the year. The ground had four of five inches of snow and he could even see some grotesque statues in the distance, completely unmoving. He called the group up and they all enjoyed just simply taking in their freedom from hell. Breathing deeply, Lou looked up and opened his mouth as snowflakes slowly drifted in. He thought he saw a set of glowing eyes above him but just smiled and collecting a few more flakes and looked down at the children and Katy, quoting one of the few rules of their once happy, albeit surviving community; he said "Always enjoy the little things." They all giggled and began heading home, knowing that the last of those black monsters had burned. Although they took their time, they could really take out a big number of the undead statues on their way. Happy to be alive, the group finally made it home and began to rebuild their community.
The Yautja had his cloak activated as he watched the rag-tag group of oomans rise from below. Sitting on top of a building in this infuriating cold, he could see them celebrating life and victory from the battle below. While they walked away they began puncturing the skulls of the statues that he now knew as a formidable opponent. Respecting their courage and fight against such monsters, the Arbitrator knew he would not harm them. For he had very respectable trophies to hang, deactivating the ship's cloak he walked inside the luxurious warmth and disassembled his armaments. Careful not to disturb his now pained leg, he removed everything and picked up the two very oppositely sized bags. The crested skull of a Xenomorph queen fit perfectly in the space he cleared and was a beautiful addition to the already crowded trophy room. Grabbing a jar of sorts from a nearby shelf, he put the end of the smaller bag into the jar and shook out the still chomping head of the strange ooman-like thing. Discarding some smaller skull to place the jar on the trophy wall wasn't even debated, these creatures had wounded him. That was something that only happened once in a hundred years for this Yautja and so proper care was taken for the new trophy. He left the now gloriously full trophy room happy but decided to check on his wound. It was just a small wound but there must have been some infection flowing through his blood. He patched up the wound and decided that a cure for the infection may lie in his new trophy. For now though, there was nothing to be done but have a celebratory C'ntlip, which led to a few more and after gazing at his prizes again, he fell asleep in an inebriated pile on his bed. The strong and proud warrior never woke up though, as his ship guided itself in unfailing direction, the Yautja died in his bed. Most die in battle, some die in honorably killing themselves, a few die of old age, but none die of blood pathogens. This was an unsuitable and unacceptable form of death, the Yautja merely fell asleep and the infected blood began rapidly multiplying before killing off all living cells. Although it was dead, the Yautja raised an hour after it had stopped breathing. It didn't begin breathing again, it just merely stood and gazed. A rattling groan mustered its way through the corridors of the empty ship, coming from the undead Yautja who stood gazing out the window into space as if meditating once again in his ship
This was my first story, but probably not my last. In fact, I've got ideas for two separate sequels for this very story. If I get enough feedback, I'll get them written up. Please give me reviews! Be brutal if necessary, but only if it helps me better the story and my writing.