Chapter 48

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

"Hurry! We need an IV in her now!"

Everyone scrambled to get the supplies that S'aha and D'alg demanded. It had been a few hours of no change until A'stea began to convulse and thrash like a mad man. She was still unconscious but her body began to turn for the worse. Her heart was failing and her breaths were labored, struggling to get any air.

"What's happening!?" Fi'ka barges into the room after hearing news of A'stea's decline, rushing to her bedside.

S'aha hissed. "The poison had spread faster than we thought! She's going into shock!"

"Is there anything you can do for her!?"

"We tried to give her some medicine but it's no use." D'alg was frantically moving vials of liquids around. "I tried to find alternatives but they don't work. All I need is the flower."

Fi'ka stood and went to the curtain, roaring. "Bu'at! Come here!"

Not wasting a minute, he comes into the room breathing harshly as if he ran a marathon. But it was due to handling Nu'kha who was acting crazy when he heard of A'stea's condition. He had scratches over the ones already on his face, fresh and oozing blood. "What is it?"

"Do you have any idea where Kaail is!? Any contact at all!?" Fi'ka was starting to feel the strain in her voice. The tugging sensation mixed with the burn spread into her throat.

"I . . . don't know." Bu'at didn't have an answer. He tried many times to get a response for hours but came up with nothing. He shook his head. "I wish I had more."

"That's not good enough! She's dying!"

Fi'ka slammed her fists into a nearby empty table. Here they were . . . waiting for a miracle that might not come. She was losing hope as everyone else, made worse with the tension growing within the hideout. Some Hish began to consider if they should follow the leading members' plans while others kept hope that everything would be alright, mostly from warriors and guards who were still loyal to A'stea. Still, things were getting worse . . . and there was nothing they could do. Fi'ka lowered her head to the table while Bu'at could only watch in shame.

Everything was collapsing around them . . . and dying with her.

And then, a loud commotion was heard from outside the tent. Fi'ka and Bu'at lifted their head in curiosity, listening to what was being said. It wasn't a fight or argument but rather a shock, surprise, and somewhat happy relief.

"Holy pauk!"

"I can't believe it!"

"He made it!"

They heard the outside curtain open, ripping actually. Bu'at went to find out, leaving Fi'ka frozen in her spot. It wasn't long before Bu'at returned with someone following behind. A smile grew on his face.

"He pauking did it." He spoke as if he saw a miracle before him.

Fi'ka tilted her head in confusion before she watched Bu'at being pushed to the side. To her shock and surprise, it was Kaail . . . but barely alive. He had deep gashes and punctures covering every inch of his body. His arm was mangled like a piece of chewed flesh, obvious signs of it being broken from how it was twisted in such an alarming way. His breath was labored and he was swaying back and forth. Fi'ka wondered how he managed to survive in such a condition and even make it here on his own.

"Where's D'alg?" Kaail gasped as he asked Fi'ka.

"He's with A'stea. I can—"

Kaail didn't wait. He pushed her aside roughly and got through the tent, ripping his mask off. The journey back was painful. His body burned and his arm was screaming to be put out if its misery like it had a mind of its own. Still, he didn't stop, even as he got to the healing tent. Nothing was going to stop him. As soon as he stumbled into the room where S'aha and D'alg turned to look at him in shock, his eyes were focused on A'stea.

She was worse than he thought. Her skin was completely pale, drained of blood and life. Her chest quivered, struggling to breathe. To see her like that . . . it was like someone took a piece of his heart and smashed it in front of him.

"Kaail." D'alg rushed to him as he pulled the bundle of flowers from the pouch. His hand shook.

He spoke hoarsely and frantically."Take it . . . This is what you need . . ?"

D'alg takes the flowers, not even answering him as he moves back to the table and gets to work. The lack of an answer didn't help Kaail. He was frozen, watching a nightmare play out before him. His chest tightened, serving to worsen his poor condition.

"Come on, Kaail." Bu'at grabs his arm while Fi'ka gently holds the broken one. "Let's get you treated."

Kaail didn't even register that he was moving towards the exit. His eyes never left A'stea's lifeless body. Everything around him was too much to take. But things got worse just as he was almost escorted out of the room. He heard shouting of urgency back in the room and he turned around in horror as A'stea convulsed yet again.

"Pauk! She's seizing!" S'aha called for another Hish to restrain A'stea. Her body flailed around like a fish out of water. "Get the antidote finished now!"

D'alg moved faster, getting the flowers dissolved in a clear liquid to change into a purple color. There was nothing but chaos in the small room, ignored though by Kaail as he watched A'stea crying out in agony. His body moved of its own accord, reaching to comfort her.

"Kaail." Bu'at tried to stop him but Kaail swatted him away. His mind was too focused on getting to her, urged by his pained heart.

"Kaail!"

Bu'at tried again but received a blow to the face. It didn't matter to Kaail of the pain he felt or he inflicted on others. I can't leave her . . . The thought of her death was popping back and forth in focus, fighting with the memories of her smile and bright self that only he had ever seen. "I . . . can't leave her . . ."

"They'll take care of her." He felt Bu'at grab a hold of his broken hand. A mistake on his part. The pain served to fuel his determination . . . and now his anger. With that, Kaail roared in Bu'at face and rammed him to the ground, giving a quick blow to his friend's stomach. He got back on his feet with strain and walked closer to where A'stea laid, now suffocating to which the urgency of S'aha and D'alg was ramped up.

"Stop him!"

Soon, more Hish guards came through and grabbed whatever part of Kaail they could get a hold of. He thrashed like an uncontrollable beast, swatting two Hish like they were flies. He bit into the arm of another, tasting the warm liquid in his mouth. He clawed the face of a Hish that tried to push himself between him and his destination and causing the male to lose a mandible. Despite exhaustion and pain from fighting back, he moved forward, inching closer to A'stea.

When D'alg saw him coming, he moved quickly. "S'aha! Give the antidote to A'stea! I'll deal with him!"

"You got it!"

Kaail saw him hand a purple vial to S'aha and then grab something from the table next to the bed. He prepared himself for a fight, even if it was D'alg who wasn't exactly the warrior type. He growled and snapped when D'alg came slowly.

"Hold him down!"

On cue, more Hish came in and swarmed Kaail. He tried to fight back but they managed to pin him to the ground, arms and legs extended. He used everything he could to break free, even snapping his mandibles and inner mouth. He was nothing more than a wild beast with only one thing on his mind. I have to get to her! I have to!

But that one bit of hesitation did him in. In an instant, D'alg was right next to him and plunged a sharp needle into the junction of his neck. He hissed as he felt a cold liquid rush through his veins. The effects were immediate, feeling woozy, and tired.

He looked up to D'alg, showing a worried look on his face. "I'm sorry, Kaail. You gave us no choice."

His body lost more and more strength. His vision fading in and out while his arms and legs flopped against the Hish guards. He knew right away that he was drugged since it was done to him many times . . . mostly with D'alg. He became disoriented so much that he felt lightheaded.

"Alright." He barely heard D'alg's voice but couldn't lift his head to see. "Place him on the bed here."

"But he—"

"It's fine. He won't do anything now and he needs treatment."

Kaail felt his body being lifted on the ground and then softly placed on the bed. He tried to growl as they touched him but it wasn't coming out. His voice was even shot . . . from either the drug or his own exhaustion. Someone came to his side and he could barely make out that it was Fi'ka.

"A'st . . . A'ste . . ." He tried to ask her what was going on . . . with A'stea . . . everything.

Fi'ka nodded with a tight smile, more out of worry than easing him. "She's fine now . . . You need to rest and we'll take care of you. Okay?"

As soon as Fi'ka stood up, it gave Kaail a clear view of A'stea next to him. She wasn't convulsing anymore and was laid peacefully. Her breath was still labored but her skin was starting to get pink again. Confirmation that the antidote worked was in S'aha and D'alg's relieved expressions.

"It worked. I can't believe it."

"We barely made it . . . Will she be okay?"

D'alg sighed. "We won't know unless she wakes up. For now, I'll keep monitoring her vitals. Take care of Kaail."

With a nod, S'aha came to his side. Kaail tried to look in her eyes but they were starting to blur and he had to blink a few times. She merely smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. She's out of danger for now. You need to be treated more than her now." She clicked her mandibles as she observed his wounds. "You look like you got out of a meat grinder."

Kaail closed his eyes and shook his head. I don't need to be taken care of. Help A'stea. That thought was the only thing keeping him awake. He watched A'stea breath better now with each minute until it seemed like she was only sleeping. He tried to reach for her, extending his arm across the small gap between their beds. But his body was starting to shut down and his hand shook weakly. He was mere inches from her hand when he faltered.

But then, just as his hand began to drop, S'aha caught it. At first, he was confused as to why she did that until he brought his hand across. She got A'stea's hand and did the same until S'aha helped intertwine their fingers together. Kaail's chest tightened in a sense of joy as S'aha smiles and moves away.

It gave Kaail limited time to access A'stea's condition. Although her hand was mostly cold, he felt some warmth in her fingers and she twitched a little. As much as he wanted to purr . . . to give her comfort, he was losing consciousness. He held on to her hand as long as he possibly could until his eyes closed.

"Kaail . . ."

He heard her weak voice calling his name and his heart leaped in his chest. Does she know I'm here? Although he didn't know the intent behind her calling, he was content. His hand dropped as he fell into a deep sleep, hoping to see her again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[A week later . . .]

Kaail strolled through the tents, carrying a Kee'vas carcass on his back. His minor injuries like the deep gashes were fully healed but his arm was going to take longer. From S'aha's assessment, all of his bones either had a fracture or split into two. He rested for a day or two before he got sick of laying on the bed. He felt best to get out and hunt for met reserves to get out his frustration, much against the advice of D'alg. The good thing is that he had to go back to the facility and take care of other things. S'aha was easier to persuade so he managed to go out but on the condition that he wear a sling. He agreed and has been going out since.

"Another one, Kaail?" Fi'ka saw him coming to the meat tent as he dropped the carcass on the table for another Hish to take.

"Yeah. You never know when you're going to need it . . . since everyone is on edge."

Ever since the incident with A'stea and Kaail, many of the Hish guards were getting rowdy, not liking how things went down when A'stea was dying. He saw the politics within the hideout and so far . . . it was getting worse.

Kaail turned to Fi'ka as she groaned. "Yeah. We'll figure it out. I'm sure everything will work out."

He sighed. "So . . . any news from A'stea?"

As soon as he asked the question, Fi'ka lowered her gaze. It wasn't a good sign. "She's still not speaking with anyone. But she's getting better each day . . . still not at her full self."

Fi'ka sighed deeply, looking at Kaail. "She's still angry with you."

Kaail nodded softly in recognition. "I understand. I just hope . . . that she'll come around."

"I'm sure she will. We have to give her time. When she's like this, it won't be quick."

He clicked his mandibles. "Alright. I have to take care of one thing before turning in for the night. Take care of yourself."

She smiled. "You too."

With that, Kaail made his way out to finish some business . . . one that was far too important to ignore. He went on his way, moving through the tents until reaching the far ones on the edge of the cavern. One tent was opened with Bu'at waiting at the entrance. As soon as they made eye contact, Bu'at came to him.

"Any luck?"

Kaal shook his head. "A'stea's still angry. I can't blame her though."

"Females." Bu'at groaned. "They are fickle things . . . ooman or Hish."

Kaail didn't bother to listen to that last part, not wanting to get angry over some statement like that but it seemed disrespectful to A'stea. Now's not the time to fight.

"Is everyone here?" He watched as Bu'at nodded. "Then let us get this over with."

They entered the tent with several Hish warriors and guards armed to the teeth. They stood up from their seats as soon as Kaail and Bu'at came inside. To Kaail, they seemed nervous around him. Even with mending a broken arm, his presence was intimidating.

"How's everyone doing?" Kaail asked. They just nodded their heads, lowering their eyes in submission.

That's all he needed. "Good. You all know why you're here . . . so lets make this simple."

Kaail steps forward with his chest held high, mandibles spread out a little. "If we're going to fight for our freedom, we need to send a message to everyone. We need as many allies as we possibly need but keep it under wraps until we have a plan. Do you understand?"

Each Hish nodded in approval. The submission in their eyes was replaced with determination and renewed conviction. Kaail had taken days to get to this point and it was time to ramp things up. It was time to gather their forces and begin the journey towards freedom. For himself . . . for his kind . . .

And for A'stea . . . Especially with her. It's the least I can do for her now . . .

Kaail took a deep breath and smiled. "Then lets get to work."

Hi everyone!

What a journey Kaail had . . . and almost didn't make it to save A'stea's life. His devotion and love for her were so strong that he wasn't going to leave her side, even if injured. I mean . . . it took a drug t knock him out and a few Hish to stop him. That tells us how strong he was. And a loving moment when S'aha allowed him to stay close to her. Like Fi'ka, they know what's going on.

But I can't blame A'stea for being angry. They have much to talk about in the later chapter but will they come to terms with one another? Or will they bond never truly recover?

Either way, the Rebellion is on its way to gather more forces with Kaail and Bu'at in charge. Everything is going down . . . it's only a matter of time. Will they succeed?

Find out when Chapter 49 comes tomorrow!

Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, NeverNeverLady, and IanAlphaAxel! They are very important for me and I hope I see more readers posting as well. All opinions are welcomed. I hope you keep on reading! ;)

And thank you for your support. :)

Happy Hunting! :))))