Okay well Hi everyone. I don't know if people still read this story, but if you do i really appreciate it. This is chapter 2 of my story and i hope you read it. I would love to hear from readers and the second mass is coming in the next chapter for sure!
A Falling Skies Fanfiction
The Things that Come Up and Around to Bite You
I walked across the forest, alone. The sounds of nature surrounded me. The twigs crunched under my feet and snapped with every step I took. It was completely silent except for my labored breathing and the crunch crunch of the leaves and branches.
*snap.
What was that? I whirled around, glancing left and right to locate the sound. The trees stared back at me, unmoving.
*snap. *crunch *snap
My breathing picked up again. Where was it coming from. The sound was so close to me, but I couldn't see anything.
*hisssssssss
An alien! I started running immediately. I couldn't escape. The alien was close behind me. I could hear its breath on the back of my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut quickly then reopened them. This wasn't happening.
Argh. The skitter jumped on my back and I felt searing pain as it's claws dug into the flesh on my back. I let out a scream and I felt myself fall to the ground.
I gasped for air as I shot up straight, from my laying position on the ground. I felt my back, not feeling any blood or scratches. I looked to my left and saw Ashley rubbing her eyes and groggily stretching her arms above her head. I must've woken her up with my thrashing and screams.
Ashley looked at me and I knew she didn't even have to ask. I nodded to her silent question and mumbled, "nightmare."
She nodded towards me and dusted her jeans off as she stood up. She put her hand out for me to grab and I took it and brought myself up to my feet.
It had been several months since Ashley and I founded each other and we've been together ever since. We traveled upwards towards Massachusetts after hearing news of a possible resistance up in the Boston area. It was basically what kept us going in this messed up place of a world now.
"Do you think we should get going?" Ashley asked, slugging her backpack over one shoulder. "Find a new house in the next town over? Running low on food over here."
I looked into my bag and noticed she was right about running out of food and I quickly replied. " Might as well. My back's killing me from all this sleeping on the ground. These branches aren't doing anything for me." I rubbed my back in emphasis.
She chuckled and nodded in agreement. "same here."
I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulders and Ashley and I set out again to find shelter and a place to reside in until our next plan of action.
We were walking for quite some time before we had decided to rest near an abandoned playground. We hadn't come across any aliens so far, except for one close call, but we had waited it out until the aliens decided the area was clear and migrated to the direction we had just came form. Feeling a little childish, I grabbed Ashley's attention.
"Hey," I said, nudging her on the arm making her turn towards me. "Let's go on the swings."
She rolled her eyes at me, but I knew she wanted to go to. We hadn't been to a park in so long.
"Race you there?" Ashley grinned at me, making a small smile form on my face. Before I could say of course, she had already started sprinting.
"Cheater! That's not fair!" I yelled at her back as I quickly sped my pace up so I could catch up. Her back was coming closer and closer as I matched her speed.
"Says the star of the track team." She called back to me over her shoulder, sending me a playful glare.
Ashley had always been athletic. She was on the varsity soccer team while I was on track. Ashley loved soccer, but right before the invasion happened she almost tore her acl and she had been out of practice for months. She had still been recovering during the invasion, but she claims that her leg is fine now. It also didn't help that there wasn't really any team she could join now or doctor, you know since everyone's gone.
We were both nearing the swing set when I saw Ashley letting up on her speed. I started slowing down too, confused. Before I could question her, she sprinted to the swings quickly and beat me.
"I hate you," I mumbled, sitting next to her on the swings, kicking my legs in front of me.
" You gotta do what you gotta do to win." She replied cheekily to me, sticking her tongue out in the process. I rolled my eyes. Did I mention hat Ashley was always competitive. I swear that girl does not know when to quit.
We started swinging, just forgetting about the world around us. Being on these swings in the empty park just brought back memories of what the world was. My mind started to wander back to the past. The soft creaking of the swings under our weight was comforting and the wind was warm. It blew my hair in all directions and for once, I felt free. Free from all the shit happening and free of the impending danger that we encounter everyday.
As if going down the same thinking path as me, Ashley spoke up, "It's weird isn't it." She turned her head at me. "I mean to think we've been on the run for so long and now we are just nonchalantly swinging in a park like a pair of kids."
I chuckled, " Remember that time when we were kids and we were banned from ever coming back to that park?"
Ashley let out a laugh, "How could I not? That day had probably been one of the greatest days of my childhood."
"Those were the good days." I looked back ahead and stared at the horizon of trees that surrounded the area.
"I remember you pushed Ricky down to the ground and kicked him in the stomach!" Ashley started laughing lightly, her face lighting up as she remembered that day.
"Yeah I did!" I started laughing along with her just because of how ridiculous the situation had been all those years ago. "He deserved it though! He punched you in the face. Was I just supposed to let him walk away?"
"No, but you didn't have to traumatize him. I seriously think he has been forever scarred. It's not everyday when an 8 year old boy gets beat up by a seemingly innocent five year old" Grace said, swinging aimlessly.
"Well, clearly not scarred enough since he decided that I would be his new girlfriend in freshman year." I said, rolling my eyes. Ricky had apparently come to the decision that he and I were meant to be and wouldn't stop hounding me with questions to meet up and go out on a date.
"Oh yeah! That was hilarious!" Grace started laughing harder at my expense. "He followed you around like a puppy for months before he finally go the hint. Maybe he was into that sort of thing"
"Stop laughing," I groaned, a little annoyed. "You're one to talk, Ms. I only date assholes and refuse to listen to your dear friend Kristen when she tells you they are not Boyfriend material."
Ashley stopped laughing, "Jerk." She said playfully, "It's not my fault. I just try to see the good in people…"
"You ignore the bad while you're at it though." I sighed.
Ashley had always had issues with guys. It seemed like she always got stuck with the assholes and players. No matter how matter how many times I had told her that she didn't need a boyfriend to be happy, she never really listened. I guess with the absence of her dad she just wanted a male figure in her life.
"It's not your fault though…" I said quietly. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I had. The mood just totally turned sour and neither of us spoke for a little while.
"You're right though. " Ashley looked at me. "But you know, you won't have to worry about me getting hurt again, there's not many people I could choose from now. Maybe some nice guy survived this. Maybe even two-"
Ashley was cut off by the sound of many legs hitting the ground. I looked at Ashley in alarm. We shouldn't have let our guards down. I'm so stupid. We are in the middle of an alien invasion and we just totally let ourselves become targets.
Ashley and I looked at each other and I could see the fear in her eyes. I tried grabbing her arm so that maybe we could try to find some place to hide like under one of the playground slide or in a tube, but it was too late. Two skitters popped out of the forest foliage and their eyes quickly landed on us.
"Fuck," I hurriedly tried to pick my bag off the floor and sling across my back. "Fucking screwed," I muttered, while pulling out two knives and preparing myself to run at a moments notice.
For some reason the aliens hadn't engaged us yet. What are they planning? They were just on the other side of the field, staring at us with their beady eyes. I nudged Ashley with my arm and turned my head left and right in a silent question. She looked at me and then looked left towards the neighborhood. By the time this exchange took place, the aliens finally decided on what they were doing and they started scurrying towards us.
"Run!" Ashley yelled to me, pulling out two large knives for herself and holding one in each hand.
I started running and I didn't look back. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I felt my breathing come out in short raspy breaths. Ashley and I have never been in a situation like this one in the whole time we've been trying to survive. Hiding and moving only when necessary, in order to avoid contact with any alien probably didn't do as much good as we had thought. We are totally unprepared for a situation like this.
I looked to my left and saw Ashley running towards the houses. One alien was chasing her and was rapidly approaching quickly. I spared a glance behind me and saw an ugly yellow and wrinkled face no more than 3 feet behind me. I pumped up my speed and pushed myself to go faster.
"Ahhhhhh," Ashley let out a scream and collapsed on the floor. Ashley was clutching her leg in pain and I cursed to myself. Her leg hadn't been fully healed and she still hadn't made a full recovery. The alien was on her and in my moment of hesitation, I could feel the breath of the alien behind me.
I hastily turned around and thrust my knife into the rough skin of the alien. It didn't puncture it all the way through, but it was enough for it to scream out in pain. The screech that came out of it's mouth almost made me freeze up, but I could hear Ashley's grunts and yells as she tried to deal with the alien on top of her and I took the hilt of the knife and pushed it deeper into the alien. It sunk into what I suppose was it's stomach and fell to the ground in pain.
Not giving a second thought or glance, I ran towards Ashley to try to help. The alien was grabbing on to her and she had managed to stab it in the leg before I got closer to her.
"Ashley!" I yelled. I couldn't lose her. She had been with me thorugh everything and I wasn't going to have her die. Knowing it was a gamble, I grabbed my remaining knife and switched it to my right hand and threw it as hard as I could in the direction of the alien. I guess luck was on my side because it pierced the area where its ear would be and sunk into the skin up to the handle. The alien dropped dead after unleashing it's last dying sounds which made me cringe.
Ashley roughly pushed the dead body of her in fear and disgust and looked at me. I knew she wanted to thank me, but there was no need. She should've known that I wasn't just going to leave her and I know she would do the same thing. I cut her off before she could say anything.
"We need to get out of here now." My eyes shifted around the area not seeing any movement or immediate danger. I looked at Ashley and she was breathing hard and that's when I noticed I was too. The adrenaline wore off and I tried to steady my breath.
"There could be more of them around here let's keep running." Grace said to me.
I nodded and we both got up and started walking away when I stopped and turned back around.
"What are you doing?" Ashley questioned, confusion in her eyes until she saw me approach the body and take out the knives. The knives were hard to take out and I had to hold the aliens head and leg down with my boot before yanking them out. I was just taking the second knife out of the body until I heard Ashley yell out my name frantically.
"Kristen! Behind you!" She yelled to me, to far to try to help me out. I ducked instinctively, but I looked at her for a second too long because when I tried to turn around with the knife gripped firmly in my hand, a searing pain ripped through my back as the skitter I had thought I killed, scraped its claws over me.
I yelled in pain. Tears were coming out of my eyes from the pain and my back felt like it was on fire. The smell of blood lingered in my nose, both mine and the aliens. I was starting to get lightheaded and I could tell that the alien was also just holding on. It's movements were sluggish and it hadn't tried to come after me again, it's body just looming over mine as I turned to face it, despite the pain that ripped through my entire body.
Even when I was about to die, I was stubborn. I wanted to stare my death in it's face. If I was falling from a building I would want to know how long I had before I hit the ground. The pain was making my vision double and I couldn't focus on anything. I should be dead now, shouldn't I. I don't know how long it has been. The alien should've killed me now. I had read up in a medical book that your brain sends out a pheromone when near death that transports your mind elsewhere and time can feel like it has stopped. That's what happens to people in comas. The pain made me numb and I knew I wasn't going to hold on for long. My head was throbbing and I could feel sticky liquid roll down my back. My vision was becoming hazy and the last thing I heard before the pain consumed me, was a gunshot, several male voices and the voice of Ashley screaming my name.
Thanks for reading this! feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments, I'm all ears to everything.
~Music-is-lifexx
