Disclaimer: I don't own Predator or Aliens or AVP of any type, but the plot of this story and any OC characters that show up I do own!
Ok, so no flames please but constructive criticism is welcome! If you want to help by giving a bit of advice on how something can work or flow better then by all means but if you're just going to be mean yeah please don't. If you don't like then just leave and write your own story m'kay?
Alrighty, now I'm just wasting time, so without further ado!
Sins of the Stars
Light So Dim
"Am I just a lost soul blowing in the wind? Or a coward scared to look within? Or do I have a brave heart with a light so dim? Is that who I am?" ~Is That Who I Am, Chris Carmack
Ch. 4
The beating of a heart was muffled but pronounced, followed by the lulling hums of breathing, there was nothing but those two sounds. Everything was dark, everything felt light and warm, safe…
With an aggressive jerk, Mercedes's body heaved upward, eyes flaring open before squeezed tight as she gagged trying to expel whatever was in her stomach, her face dug into the ground. Brown wet soil blew out away from her mouth as she erratically moved her body, stiff and sore, her awareness sending sharp tingles down her the nape of her neck, filling her gut with urgency. While the sounds of her beating heart and breathing were once smoothing, they were now blaring and pain in her chest.
Heaving up her empty stomach, Mercy sense that she was missing something. Jerking a hand to her chest, her heart stopped and the pit of her stomach grew cold, Andy!
Filled with new panic, Mercy willed her jerky movements faster but her limbs felt like lead as if she was drugged or if they been asleep way too long. "A-Andy!" her voice was hoarse, the back of her throat sticking together.
Pushing her head to the ground and digging her feet under her and pushing up, she finally was able to get to her hands and feet, unsteadily and weak. "Andy!" She yelled stronger, with fear now fueling her movements, feeling coming back to her body as she stood upright.
Starting in a weak jog, she looked around her, she was in some type of woods? No, the woods weren't this humid, so a jungle? Why a jungle? Wasn't she on a ship? She frowned shaking her head there were too many unanswered questions! But there was only one important one.
Where was Andy?
Circling the spot, she woke up in, never straying too far out or staying in one spot, calling out for her brother. "Anderson! Please, Andy!" She chocked racing this way and that, tugging and pulling at her hair.
"An—" She stopped short in response to hearing her name? Spinning to the left she was tackled into a hug by a small pair of arms. It was like all the energy had left her, sinking to her knees she buried her face into his neck holding the back of his head.
He was here now in her arms safe; pulling back she cupped his cheeks, "Here let me look at you," Her eyes scanned his face, he had a cut on his brow and a busted lip.
"What the hell happen!" Gasping in confusion, he had a bruise forming on his arm and right shoulder." And where were you? why weren't you with me?" She rattled off questions looking him over, noticing the wire that Ethan had tied them together with was split apart on Andy's end yet still wrapped around him while her part was completely gone.
"I woke up in a tree! And I couldn't get down but Mercy you gotta see this." His words were rushed and he was wiggling away from her touch as she tried to get a better look at the cut on his head.
"In a tree? The hell you get up there!" She struggled to keep a hold of him. "And-Andy hold still!" She snapped.
"No, No Mercy really come, come here and look!" He finally wiggled out of her grasps grabbing her hand in returned and yanking her to her feet. "Come on! You need to see this now!" He urged.
"Ok, ok stop tugging!" She relents to his begging letting the 7-year-old haul her way to whatever was so important. Now that she had Andy with her, the question of where they were, came back to the forefront of her mind again. The last thing she remembers was being on the ship in that strange canister thing, so how in the ever living hell did they get here? In this jungle, or would it be considered the woods? She still didn't know.
"See, See!" The young boy smiled, repeatedly shoved his finger up to the sky.
Apparently, there was no need for her to know.
"Holy…" She gapes in awe. The first thing that caught her eyes was the wonderful colors; blues, pinks, purples, and colors she never knew all wisps across the sky almost like clouds. Next were the two large moons and a sun that had crisscross rings.
The sun was in front of her and the two moons were on either side. The one on the left was a soft blue and the one on the right was a beautiful teal color.
"A pot head would have a field day here." She murmurs while doing a slow spin to get a look at her surrounds.
"It looks like a crayon box threw up," Andy commented after a while which made Mercy snort loudly doing a final spin.
"Well, this is most definably not earth." She mutters the obvious.
"Then what is, this place?" Andy stressed visibly needing to know at this moment in time, like most children.
"Dangerous." Mercy grumbled as she gripped his shoulder pulling him back from the edge and to her body.
"How is it dangerous?" He scoffed rolling his eyes but allowed her to lead them away from the open cliffside.
"Because it's an unknown place, and obviously an alien planet." She sighed, they both stumbling over the foliage of the jungle? "Who knows what's out here, spiders might be big like horses or something, so don't touch anything!" She hissed turning around, jamming her finger at him, just in time for him to snatch his hand back from a strange looking plant.
"Ok, so…what now?" He asked coming up to her and taking her hand.
"Now?" She repeated chewing her lip, that was a good ass question because what now? "Um...water" She said randomly.
"Water?"
"Yes, because water means survival, our body can go a few days without food but water will be our end."
"Until some weird alien predator, decides we're its lunch…"
"Andy!" Mercy gasps. When did he become so morbid?
"Well it's true, you remember Discovery channel?" He wailed waving his arms. "A water source is open grounds for a predator," He crouched down like he was stalking. "They wait until the prey comes for a nice cold drink…then wham!"
He shouts grabbing her arms and yanking on her like a predator catching its prey.
"Argh Anderson!" She yowled before swatting the air, in her attempts to reprimand him.
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No, not yet!"
"Are we there now?"
"Andy! No!"
"What about now?"
"If you ask me are we there yet one more time, I'm going to hurt you!"
"….."
"…."
"…. Have we arrived at our destination?"
"Anderson!" Mercedes yelled as she turned around with her hands on her hips. She was hot and thirsty, her hair was sticking to her, she didn't have the patience to play these games with him.
"What?" He whined, his pale face was flushed and clammy, back on earth they were nearing winter, their long pants and sleeves were insufferable. "I'm tired, I just wanna know when will we get there."
"Andy I don't even know, where there is!" She sighed rubbing her forehead. "I know you're tired, don't you think I am too?"
Seeing the young boy pout, she sighed looking up in irritation.
"Ok, look how about you climb up this tree, all the way up and tell me what you see ok?" She suggests. "That way we can pick a direction to go in."
"Fine..." He droned on like it was just a horrible task.
"Andy." She huffed, she wasn't ready for the pre-teen years, oh god please save her!
"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" He mutters as he climbed up the thick brown trunk, wiggling and stretching his way up until he popped up through the tree's top. "Oh wow I can see everything from up here!"
"Yeah?" She called up shielding her eyes from the sun. "What you see?"
"I see…Um, trees..."
Dropping her head and shoulders Mercedes groans. "What else do you see Andy?!"
"Trees…trees, oh hey look more trees and more, and…"
"…and….and what?" She called uplifting her head up again and shielding her eyes. Waiting for her brother to respond she noticed the sun had yet to move, frowning she sighed as she brought her attention back to Andy.
"Andy…and what? What do you see?"
"…."
"Andy…" She called again, her stomach squeezing with a wave of worry. "Ok, this isn't funny if you're trying to scare me that's it I swear…"
Nothing, not even rustle of leaves.
"Andy, baby say something!"
The sudden rush of sound and scrabbling, had her blinking to see her brother rushing rather clumsily, down the trunk of the tree. She yelps when he slipped and fell the rest of the away, Mercy caught him awkwardly.
He scrambled for purchase, breathing hard and sharp. Mercedes immediately went into protective mode, she gripped him tightly and all but hauled ass away from the tree. She wasn't sure what spooked her brother, it could have been nothing but the fact he was looking back and rushing with her, was enough to spook her into not stopping.
"R-right, turn right!" He stuttered trying to keep up as they stomped from the greenery. "I saw an r-river going this wa-ahhhhhhh."
Mercy and Andy screamed sliding to a stop against the wet greenery, as they heard something heavy landing so close in front of them.
"Back! Back!" She yelled to Andy, shoving him behind her as they both fumbled to back up and get to their feet.
They couldn't see whatever it was directly, but they could see the dust falling around where the sound was heard, with the deep heavy impression on the ground as it stomped closer.
Finally getting to their feet, Mercy shoved Andy into a running start just when the vibration of static revealed, the monsters that hunted them back on earth!
Its hand outstretched in attempts to grab at her, causing her to dodge to the left. Its claws swiped at her arm but grasped the back of her winter vest coat. Screaming as she wiggled out of the vest crashing to the ground with a thud, quickly she flips over to her feet slipping and sliding before gaining traction and taking off in a run.
With a resounded chuff behind her, the thing rushed at her. Mercy whined as she pushed herself faster.
There was a split second panic when she couldn't see Andy, but he soon popped up ahead of her, but he kept looking back with eyes wet with terror. "Don't look back keep running!"
She caught up to Andy, pushing her fingers tip into his back to shove him long, she too felt the claws swap at her back, gripping her shirt.
As luck, or bad she couldn't say which, would have it, the ground under Andy cracked and caved.
His limbs flailing before snatching at her fingers, his weight was enough to drag her down with him. The back of her shirt ripped, earning her a long gash to the right side of her ribs as the other set of claws tried to grip her waist.
The fall was short but far from over as they crashed into a mildew covered slope, they spun and slid down the watery tunnel before it was cut off abruptly.
Andy screamed her name just before hitting a body of water roughly, she followed soon after him nearly swallowing some water in her last effort to gulp in some air.
Breaching the surface with a gasping cough, she slapped at the water looking for her brother. She yelled his name gulping in some more water coughing as she looked around in her panic.
"Mercedes!" A small cough grabbed her attention to see him dog paddling to a set of rock.
Swimming quickly, she grabbed him around the waist and pushed him up on the rocks, before crawling up herself. They both sat there wheezing, as shivers shook their body, they never saw the set of hands that gripped Andy yanking him backward off the rock.
Shouting, Mercy shot off after him and was met with a hand over her mouth, and icy blue eyes.
A woman, about her age, covered in mud and twigs held Andy close with her right hand over his mouth and her leftover Mercy's "Shhh, Ok Shh just shut the fuck up!" She hissed lowly, she was shaking as she spoke. "They'll hear you!"
That stopped Mercy from moving as she strained her ears, the woman looked around with wild eyes before she lets go of Andy bending down and gather up some mud. She then slapped it onto Mercy's arms.
"They can't trace us like this hurry!" She then went to cover herself more.
Panting, Mercy stood there for a second before tugging Andy down and began slathering mud all over him, then herself. The woman held a finger to her lips once they were done, beckoning them to follow her.
Traveling along the rocks, keeping low to the ground she leads them to a crack in the foundation of the rocky ground. Pointing down she wiggled into the cracks. Andy looked to her but Mercy shook her head and motions for him to go in, she was tense on what she might find but right now she had to pick a lesser of two evils.
Thankfully, when Mercy hopped down into the hole, it was only Andy and the woman, there wasn't an ambush waiting for her, just a hole leading to another cave. This one looked to be drier, covered in more dried dead leaves. There was light coming from little holes above them but the mouth of the cave seemed to be further down, where the light didn't reach.
They stood there tense before the woman finally eased down to the ground with a sigh. Takin the queue Mercy and Andy sat down. "Let's wait here for now..."
It seems now that they were still and catching their breath, the scratch on her side gave a twinging throb that sent a wave of nausea to her stomach. She had been sure not to cover the wound in mud, the best she could, but looking at it in the light she didn't do a very good job.
"Shit…" She hissed softly wincing as she poked it a little too hard.
Overhearing Andy crawled away from one of the holes he was peeking out, to her quickly. "Mercy? …you're hurt!"
"I'm fine, it's just s scratch." She reassured.
"That's not a scratch." He looked pale and sick staring at the gash in her side.
Sweeping his hair back and cupping his cheeks she placed a kiss on top of his mud cover hair and held him close. "Enough worrying about me, sleep while you can." She urged him down putting his head on her lap.
"But-."
"No buts, close your eyes."
"But Mercedes-."
"There are no buts besides this one!" She pinches his rump, making him squeal and giggle; hiding the wince when he bumped into her side.
Gah, it just had to be on the dominant side, huh?
"Shh now, lay down and close your eyes." She ran her fingers through his hair as she leans back on the cave's wall. Looking up she saw the woman had already closed her own eyes and appeared to be resting.
Mercy wasn't naïve enough to let her guard down, she didn't know this woman and she was on an alien planet; for all, she knew this woman could be some type alien in disuse or allure to a trap.
Whatever the case, she sighs, I can't fall asleep...
Mercy's eyes flash open, her right arm coming up in a defensive block while leaning in with a left hook to a face.
Ok, Well, that's ch4. I'm sorry about not meeting Mr. Sexy but he's surprisingly playing coy with me, and his personality has taken its own turn, but fear not it's getting closer to our sexy beast to show up, I can safely say the "Offical meeting" will be in Ch. 7, but 5 and 6 will have Yautja, that will appear throughout the story so yeah there's that.
All right, so Thanks to everyone who reviewed you all made me excited so much I that I squeal each time I re-read them, they honestly do make me write faster haha, hopefully, next chapter won't take so long, I know what I what so it soon be soon!
Until Next Chapter!