11. Dying Out
The sky turned an orange hue as the flames from the Weyland Yutani complex stretched up into the air.
The four survivors watched their former home and workplace collapse in a red and orange sea of hungry fire. All eyes were wide open, ringed in black and some of them, teary.
Jess collapsed into Mac's chest, weeping over the loss of her friends. Mac stroked her back and gazed at the flames. He swore he could see something moving around within, but that was impossible. Neither of those creatures was fire-proof. He turned away and led the others away. On their way, they passed a boulder, one which Vanessa somehow recognised.
"Shirley!!" Vanessa ran to the boulder, clinging to the hope that one of her squad mates managed to live. Her expectations were not met. She stumbled upon a corpse with only tattered scraps of flesh on it's neck, rather than a head. Blood and possibly brain matter were scattered all over the rock, staining a disgusting brown/red. Vanessa turned away and threw up, inciting the others to feel sick. They held it in while Vanessa emptied her barely filled stomach.
When she was finished vomiting, she grasped her stomach and looked to the others. "I'm hungry."
"Well, it would have been two days since we last ate...but all the food was in the complex." Mac frowned. And there are no ships around, so it will be a long while until we find anything."
"There is one thing we could eat..." Mark scratched frenziedly at his scar.
"Where?" Jess looked around searching for the source of food.
Mark coughed and looked down at what remained of Shirley. The others followed his gaze and Vanessa threw up again.
"Oh my god!! Mark, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Jess stared horrified at Marks proposed meal.
"Look! Four years back, I was trapped in a cave with two other guys. One of them had been shot, but didn't die until we made it in the cave. We had no food and the exits were blocked, so we ate the dead guy. Without doing that, I would not be here right now!" Mark looked to Mac for support.
Mac frowned at Mark, and then at the others, then at the body. "He's right. It is do or die right now. We won't have any food for days or even weeks, we need to do this."
"Mac, no! This is fucking sick!" Jess grabbed him by the hand and tried to drag him away.
"It's survival!" Mac muttered, walking over to the body. "We'll light a few branches, cook her and leave as fast as possible, then we can forget this ever happened, okay?" Mac's gaze bored into Jess like needles.
She opened her mouth to protest, but said nothing. She then looked to the ground and nodded.
"Alright. Mark, take these branches over there. Light them in the fire at the complex, then hurry back." Mark nodded and set off with the dry sticks.
After a hauntingly long two minutes, Mark returned with wooden candles. He threw them to the ground and they burned more. Mac threw the body into the fire and watched the skin go brown. After another sickeningly long silence, Mac stood up and announced. "Dinners ready." The joke was intended to lighten the mood, but did the exact opposite.
Jess sobbed uncontrollably and Vanessa hunched over grasping her stomach, trying to keep the bile in her stomach.
Mark and Mac put out the fire with water from a nearby puddle and then dragged the cooked corpse out. Mac slowly drew out his hunting knife and carved into the flesh of the dead soldier. As chunks of flesh were cut out, a sound similar to toast being cut was all that could be heard. Vanessa clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth.
"This is so gross! So wrong!!"
Mac handed a piece of arm to Jess. She reluctantly took it and stared at the burned skin. Her nose wrinkled at the awful smell. She put it up to her mouth and tensed, her teeth bared. She closed her eyes and bit down. The meat was tough and had to be gnawed to tear off a chunk. Jess made racking sobs as she chewed the human meat.
I...am...eating...a person...
The others tucked in, except for Vanessa, who refused to eat, despite her ravenous hunger. She watched the others as they rummaged though Shirley's body for edible parts. Mac started to pick meat off of one of her hands, as Mark tucked into a slice of thigh. Vanessa emptied her stomach one last time before giving in to her hunger. She crawled to Shirley and with teary eyes said "Sorry...I'm so sorry." She cut off a chunk from her calf and wolfed it down like an animal. Bile rose in her throat as the meat was going down and splashed into her mouth and all over the food. She spat out the mouthful, meat and all. She groaned and lay back against a rock.
"I can't eat it...I...I just can't!"
"Well, one bite is still something." Mac said as he wiped the blood from his face." He got to his feet and gazed at his companions. "We will get going now. We'll find a safer spot and then we rest."
The group stumbled and limped across the barren land, searching for somewhere to rest.
*****
BURNING WRECKAGE
The Weyland Yutani complex was no longer the mighty research centre it used to be. It was a smouldering mess of warped steel and charred, inhuman corpses. The artificial graveyard still echoed with the cries, growls and hisses of the alien species. All were dead...except for one...
One skeletal hand clawed at the bare earth with it's thin, bony fingers. It's claws scraped at the dirt and made little tracks. The dying queen looked around at her dead children. A wave of grief flooded what remained of her body, once mighty, now fragile and broken. Her legs were somewhere else, no longer attached to her. Her back spines were snapped and broken like twigs. One hand was mangled. She roared a sombresome song to her fallen allies and then screamed bloody murder for the ones who escaped.
She could smell them. Four of the cattle had escaped and were moving away slowly. She would enact revenge for her children...she would kill every last one of them!
The queen made a low hiss as she dragged herself out of the pit. She could sense her prey...they were still close. Without any hesitations, she set after them.
*****
The rag tag group marched on for what seemed like hours when all of a sudden, Vanessa fell to her knees, landing on all fours. She stared at the ground, sweat rolling down her forehead. Tears of exhaustion poured down her cheeks and she panted like a dog.
"I...I...I can't...go...any...further..." She wheezed through her raged gasps. She failed to hold herself up and fell on her face.
Mac and the others all sat down and helped Vanessa into a seated position. Her eyeliner was smudged from constant tears and her face make-up was wearing off, revealing her true skin colour underneath. Thankfully, her natural skin colour was still quite pale, so there was not a huge difference. Her straight black hair was a mess, some of it was glued to her face by sweat, the rest of it hung limply around her face, tangled and dirty. Her black uniform was torn, revealing pale flesh beneath.
The others looked similar, with torn clothes, messy hair and multitudes of cuts, grazes and bruises all over. Jess's blonde hair was stained crimson from a cut on her hairline. Her left arm held a large gash which still seeped fluid every now and then.
Mac's beard was crusted with dried blood, not all of it human. His body armour had large gashes and cuts and his uniform was worn, the fabric falling apart. Some of his ribs were broken and a wound on his stomach bled profusely. He bandaged it up with some of the supplies salvaged from the ship.
Mark was covered in slime and blood ever since he exploded out of an aliens innards. The acid wound did not spread too far, but the damage was still severe. Had his wound not been covered, his ribs would be in plain view, as well as his pelvis and some organs. The missing chunk was the size of a large shot put ball. It made it hurt terribly to walk, or bend or do pretty much anything.
The group were all weak, drained and unarmed. They needed rescue, but doubted if it would come. They had seen Kadinsky when he unveiled the plans of creating a super war-machine. The ultimate biological weapon. Fortunately, the evil plan was foiled. Every last one of those k strain aliens was gone. As for the other ones...
"If those creatures were native to this planet...couldn't there be more of them?" Mark asked.
"Not likely." Jess muttered. The number of those things we saw was so high...it would have been the entire population of them. They were performing a territorial battle amongst each other, meaning they would have used every last man to fight for their land." Jess looked at her feet. "Or at least I hope so..."
"Same here." Mac leaned back against a small rock. It was uncomfortable, but not as bad as what he had gone through in the complex.
"Well...we should rest for now. When Vanessa feels better, we will head off again.
The group nodded in agreement and lowered their heads, slowly drifting off into a nightmare-filled sleep.
A few hours later, Vanessa felt something touch her leg. It felt like an organic steel, if it was possible. She knew something was wrong. She slowly opened one eye and looked around. It was so dark that she could not make out anything. She looked up and couldn't even see stars in the sky, or even a moon. There was however, a reflective shine above her. Something splashed onto her face and she spluttered and coughed. A high pitched noise came from very close-by. It was like the sound made by a snake, only more aggressive. In an instant, she knew what was there. Her throat went dry and her heart stopped mid-beat. The darkness around her parted and a glistening set of fangs appeared over her.
"G-g-g-guys..." Vanessa stuttered. The others were still asleep, oblivious to the threat that was crawling around them.
The monstrously huge alien snarled. Something moved within her cage of teeth...a second mouth.
Oh...fuck...someone please wake up!! Someone help me!! Oh no...We didn't bring a gun!! We don't have any weapons!!!
One of the xenomorphs huge hands wrapped around her and lifted her off her feet, so that she dangled helplessly above the ground and under the two sets of jaws. Vanessa made a high pitched squeal which sounded like a tea kettle and the others were startled into consciousness.
"Shit!!" Mac leapt back and stared at the queen. She stared back at him.
Mark fumbled around in the dark for anything remotely useful as a weapon.
Jess whimpered like a scared little dog.
Vanessa cried as the queen tightened her grip until it was suffocating her. She wheezed and coughed as the air was crushed out her lungs. Her eyes squinted from the pain and her head rolled to one side.
"Don't worry, We'll help you!" Mac shouted. He hefted a rock which was similar in size to a brick and hurled it at the monster. The queen roared and swiped at him. Mac rolled away from the large hand as Mark hurled a rock from behind. The queen spun and Mac jabbed her with a large stick. She spun around again and grabbed the stick, snapping it effortlessly. Mac waved his arms as a distraction as Mark shoulder charged her spine. He bounced off of her exoskeleton and barley made her budge. He cursed loudly and grasped his shoulder.
"Guys..." Vanessa gasped. "Shirley...sniper...rifle...get..."
"What?!" Mac yelled. "Who is Shirley?!"
Vanessa pointed a shaky hand at Mac's stomach.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Why did you point to my-" Mac paused. "Oh, I get it! She was that dead marine! Fuck!! Where was she?!" Mac looked around and grasped his hair, almost tearing it out in frustration. The queen hissed and he glared at it. "SHUT UP!!! LET ME THINK!!"
"Hurry!!" Vanessa screamed. She heard bones creak inside of her. She felt something come up her throat and she opened her mouth as a torrent of her own blood gushed out.
Mac looked into the distance and noticed the still glowing embers of the complex. "It was near there!! Nessa, just wait!! I'll be right back!!" Mac ran full tilt back the way they had come. "Mark!! Distract that ugly bitch for a while!"
Mark nodded and picked up another large rock. He smirked confidently, despite being outmatched. "You wanna dance bitch?" The queen cocked her head as if she did not understand. Mark laughed for a short time and grinned at his foe. "Well then...let's dance!"
The queen swung her huge hand and knocked him away before he could do anything. Mark remained still. The queen roared and opened her jaws wide, slowly placing Vanessa inside her cavernous mouth.
Meanwhile, Mac was nearly at the campsite. He was only twenty metres away. He could see the ashes from the campfire and a long piece of metal. He sped up and then dived onto the gun. It was heavy to lift but he still managed. The adrenaline gave him an extra surge of energy and he thundered up the path made by his own footsteps in the loose gravel.
"Hold on...I'm nearly there..."
Back at the fight, the queen spat on her defeated opponent. Mark groaned and tried to move, but failed. Jess was paralysed with fear and would not budge. That left only the queen and her trapped prey, which was now only inches from her huge fangs. Vanessa could smell the rotten stench of death and felt the misty breath of the beast. When she felt the first contact with the queens fangs, she screamed louder than ever before. The smooth fang slid across her cheek as her head slid inside the first set of jaws. The inner mouth quivered and snapped excitedly.
"HELP!!! SAVE ME!!" She wailed as saliva dribbled down her neck. Her shoulder was cut by a fang just by sliding past. If the queen bit down, she would be sliced in half easier than a knife through butter. Her blood dripped down into the queens mouth making her roar hungrily.
*****
Mac could see the queen even though he was far away. He noticed her lifting something into her mouth. It was Vanessa! Mac's eyes widened. He had to act now or she would die. Mac shouldered the rifle and looked down the scope. In the crosshair, he could plainly see the queen, her jaws open wide, fangs dripping with saliva.
"Say cheese mother-fucker!" Mac lined up a clear shot.
His finger tightened on the trigger and sweat poured down his brow.
*****
Vanessa screamed. The inner mouth was only a foot away. At any moment it could shoot out and make her head explode into tiny bloody pieces. Vanessa closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. Last time she looked, she could not see Mac anywhere, she was done for. The queen would eat her and tear the others apart. It was over...all over...
'KA-BOOM'
*****
The queen froze. A shower of dull green flashed past it's face. She could taste it...it was her own blood. She had been attacked, but by what?
She lowered her head and sniffed. The smell of gunpowder was strong. She had been shot by one of the fire sticks the cattle used. She ran a hand over her chest and felt the gaping hole in her torso. Her lower body clung on by tiny strips of flesh which split quickly. She became bifurcated. She screamed out in pain as her organs spilled out around her. Her meal fell out of her mouth and moved away quickly.
Vanessa leapt over the puddle of acid and joined Jess as they both ran to Marks side.
"What happened?!"
"I don't know!"
The queen made light growls and her lips quivered frenziedly, as if she were cold. One hand reached out unsteadily. It spread the fingers out and tried to grab them, despite being three metres too far away. The hand then clenched into a fist and slowly dropped. She screeched loudly and acid poured out of her cavernous mouth, melting her gums and corroding her teeth. If she had eyes, she would be wincing, but fortunately, the hideous creature could not show any expressions remotely human.
Mark was helped into a seated position and the trio stared at the death throes of the once mighty queen.
*****
The queen roared miserably. All her prosects of ruling...of winning the great war...of glorious, brutal victory...all her hopes were smashed apart in front of her. Her mouth snapped open and shut reflexively with each pained breath. Her internal organs spewed forth from the massive wound and the ground around her became a crater as her blood did it's job. She felt the ground around her become weak. It would soon collapse and she would fall under the surface into whatever lay underneath the ground. Her life was quickly fading and the pain was increasing. She screamed to the skies, mourning the loss of her hive, her land, her crown...and now her life.
Defeat was for the weak...so why was she lying here in a pool of her own blood, legless and disembowelled. It made no sense to her. She was supposed to live on, but now...with her death, the xenomorphs would become extinct!
She knew she could not hold on anymore and she lay back, waiting for death to claim her. She had at least conquered the hunters...and the k strain scum. She had caused so much destruction, but even she was surpassed...and by a measly herd of cattle. It was shameful.
*****
The trio winced as the queen gave one last agonised cry. It then went limp, it's mouth open in an eternal scream.
Shaken, Vanessa hugged the others and cried. A few minutes later, Mac returned, holding the large silver rifle in his bloodied hands.
A teary reunion ensued and the group just watched the lifeless corpse until the sun rose.
*****
After a few hours, the group began to move again. They made little ground in the long time they took. By midday, they had only moved a kilometre away from the dead queen. It was clear that they would starve before reaching any more food. Unless they were rescued...they were doomed.
By sunset, the group just watched the sky, waiting for rescue. It was then, that they saw a ship. It was only a small vessel, but it would take them all to safety. It was flying low to the ground for some reason. They all screamed and waved and ran about, they had even lit a fire with some found branches. The ship descended and landed gently near them.
The hatch opened slowly and a hand flopped out.
"You!!" The pilot roared. "You ruined everything!!!" An elderly man crawled up to see them. He was in bad shape and near death, but alive.
"Kadinsky! You bastard!" Mac dashed forward, fists bared.
"No no no...bad little man!" Kadinsky pulled out a pulse rifle and aimed it squarely at the marine. "I'll make you pay for destroying my babies! Pay with your life!!" Mac took another step forward and flinched when the insane doctor pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
The doctor stared at the weapon in disbelief. "What?!"
"There isn't even a clip in there." Mac pointed out. He walked casually up to him and grabbed the man by the throat. Kadinsky shrieked as he was lifted out of the ship. "So...what are you gonna do now?" Mac asked, a wicked smile on his face.
"Please!! I'll do anything!!"
"Fine." Mac dropped him on the ground and kicked him in the face. "Stay here and starve!" Mac allowed the others into the ship and then picked up the empty rifle. "Keep your toy! It might give you some reassurance when you slowly starve. You will suffer just like the poor people you betrayed back there!" Mac threw it at his enemy.
"No! Please!!" Kadinsky tried to stand up, but fell quickly.
"If any of your 'babies' survived...I hope they're hungry for pathetic old men!" Mac stepped into the ship.
"No!!"
"Go fuck yourself!" Mac closed the cabin and sank into the comfortable chairs. Vanessa stared at the controls for a few minutes before starting it up. The ship rose steadily and soon passed through the dense clouds.
"We're going home..." Mac sighed.
"We're finally safe!" Jess hugged Mac and the two laughed. It was the laugh only made when someone survived the impossible. It felt good to do that laugh.
Everyone relaxed and watched the cursed planet get farther and farther away.
Everyone was quiet, but Mark stopped the silence. "Do you hear something?"
A small door behind them slid open and a loud hiss erupted from inside. All eyes fell on the hideous, skeletal insect that stuck it's head into the cabin.
"!!!"
THE END...
Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed the story, I know I did. Thanks to everyone who read this and especially those few who reviewed. I may write another AVP fic later, but I haven't got any ideas at the moment. Anyway, please review, tell me what you thought. Was it good, bad, all right? Whatever you think, say it.