Chapter 2: Discovery

The trip to Mexico was long and stressful. The anticipation of making first contact to the ship and maybe to those Stargazer dogs was building in my abdomen. I tried everything to diverge my attention to something more constructive while I was on the cargo train. I sharpened my knives, checked for ammo in the gun, inspected my binoculars and had a slice of bread for a snack but didn't finish it.

What seemed like hours in one of the train carts, I finally heard the sound of metal scraping on metal, which indicated that the train had made a stop. I reached my destination. Alright, Anya. This is it.

As soon as the train came to a screeching halt, I jumped out onto the gravel and crouched low through the night while I moved out of the area and onto the dirt road that was nearby. Once I was in the clearing I walked a little ways before I stepped to the side and set my bag down. I pulled out a radio receiver that I snatched from one of the carts that somehow was carrying electronics and such. At first I didn't think it had any value but my instincts told me to hang on to it and I was right.

I was able to pick up white noise at first but as I adjusted the frequency I managed to get an audio conversation of two soldiers and from what they were talking about concerning a ship and aliens, I was on the right track.

I picked up my bag and carried my receiver in one hand as I jogged towards where the frequency was becoming more stable. I stopped and kneeled down when the audio was clear as day.

"I can't believe we're crawling around a jungle to find alien shit or what not. Can't the superiors send someone else more fit for this?"

"Quiet down. We're almost to the crash site and if there's anything extraterrestrial out there, you're gonna spook it and then we'll be in trouble."

A smile formed on my face. Thank you, boys, for the info.

Their words confirmed that it wasn't much farther but I wanted to sneak up on the soldiers so that I could shut them up before they can alert the others. For now, I needed to get a visual on them and trail them until we reached the designation.

It didn't take long for me to track them down. I saw that there was only two of them wandering around, keeping a sharp lookout around themselves. I decided that the best approach was to keep low and stay within the bushes rather than climb up a tree. Besides, it would take a lot of effort to keep up their pace while worrying about finding a branch to jump on. Besides, you call fall and give away your position. Idiot!

Great. Now my mind was yelling at me, which told me that it is best to be on the ground.

While following, they kept themselves entertained by one saying there waa a bear that would wait for unsuspected prey to come along and eat them while they were still alive. One of the soldiers shivered in fear while the other laughed it off. They were crazy idiots.

Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to handle anymore, one of the soldiers shouted, "Hey! We found it. It's just over that hill."

My eyes wandered to where he was talking about and saw something unusual. Lights? Out in the middle of the jungle?

It was strange. At first I thought it was more of Stargazer's men but the two I was following said earlier that they were the first to be sent out. Plus, I didn't think they would put lights out for everyone to see. As far as I was concerned, they wanted to keep it hidden.

The two 'idiots' and I, following behind, climbed up the hill in which I thought would be easy but was slippery due to the mud. Guessed that it rained recently but I didn't complain much. My mind was solely focused on the task at hand. When we finally reached the overwatch of the hill, my eyes widened in shock and my heart raced. It was the ship . . .

It was huge! The massive size of it was equivalent to a football field if not more. The frame of the ship was made of some type of metal but one I've never seen before. The lights that we saw earlier were coming from broken wires that protruded from its sides. From the looks of it, it suffered major damage from the initial crash it took last night. The dome-shaped head of it made it look like it belonged to a space station but then again, it was a extraterrestrial one and Stargazer was very interested in it.

I turned to look at the backs of the soldiers, who were just as surprised as I was and kept talking about silly things again . . .

"We finally made it. I can't believe how big it is. I wonder if something is still alive in there."

The other soldier grunted, "It doesn't matter to us. We need to send a message to Director Traeger about this so our troops can get here quietly."

Oh no . . . The last thing I need is for them to call for backup and have more of their goons out here. It would make things harder for me to sneak into the ship and see for myself what is inside. I needed to take care of them swiftly and quietly.

I took my bag off my back and opened it to retrieve the dual knives. I thought about using the gun but it would make too much noise and would alert any others nearby. With both knives on each hand, I crept up on them, making sure I didn't make a sound. Even if I did, they were so oblivious of their surroundings except for themselves and their radio. I moved closer . . . and closer . . . and closer until I was in arm's reach of them.

"Over. Over. Do you copy? We have located targeted designation and requesting immediate—"

Those were his last words as I pressed the blade of my knife onto his throat and thrust it though to his vertebrae, showing his severed windpipe. Red, crimson blood sprayed all over and dripped down to create a pool. I smelled of iron in the air and warmth covered my hands as the soldier's body fell down on his stomach. He tried to gasp for air but all I heard were his gurgles coming from his mouth. He convulsed for a little bit until he went silent.

The other soldier took a second to realize his partner was dead beside him and he gasped while scrambling to move away from the body. He scanned around frantically to whom attacked him and his eyes fell upon me. I didn't flinch for a second as I knew he needed to die as well.

He tried to reach for the handgun on his side but I thrust my knife into his hand, pinning it to his chest and blood pouring all over his front. He tried to scream but I thrust my other blade down and plunged it into his head. I felt the impact of the knife cutting through flesh and bones cracking in pieces as the final blow was delivered. He jerked his body for a moment before it relaxed and his eyes glazed over, showing no life left in him.

I yanked my knife out from his skull and some of his brain spilled out, making a mess in front and it smelled bad. I didn't care. I just wanted him dead. I took my other knife that was in his abdomen and the upper half of his body slumped backwards and bending his back in an unnatural way. Staring down at the two men, I thought to myself that I wouldn't be able to do this before. How strange it felt at that moment . . .

I went to retrieve my bad I left behind, cleaned my knives on the leaves of the bushed, placed them back inside and walked to the edge of the overwatch on top of the hill. The bodies were already covered well so I didn't bother with them too much. I was only interested in the ship.

I slid down from the overwatch with such quickness and landed on solid ground with a slight thud. Pushing my legs up to a standing position, my eyes peered up towards the ship in front of me. It looked like it was becoming bigger as I approached closer to it and somehow sent chills down my spine. I didn't know why but my body was telling me to stop, turn and run as far as possible. My mind said otherwise.

You need to get your shit together! You have come this far so don't give up!

The chills throughout my body dissipated and new energy flowed through. I needed to see this through and destroy it before Stargazer gets their hands on it.

My steps became shorter as the distance between me and the ship lessened until I finally stopped in front of it. Closer inspection showed that the ship was decorated in weird line symbols all around it. I've seen these before when I was in the labs but I wasn't a professional translator given the limited exposure to it.

I placed my hand on the ship and traced it under my fingertips. It definitely not the metal I'm used to. It seemed stronger and colder than others. I couldn't pin it but I knew that it wasn't from this world.

I moved along the ship, hoping for something to get me inside but no luck. One thing caught my mind was a huge symbol that was different from the others. It has three distinct slashes and making it look like a shuriken. It must be important since it was way bigger than the others, as if it was displayed in a way so everyone would notice it. I was so curious that I went to examine it more. However, a moment later it became the least of my worries.

Next thing I knew, the cocking sound of a rifle filled the air followed by several more. I knew I was being targeted even without the man's voice shouting out, "Don't move. Stay right where you are or we'll shoot."

I was never one to comply with anyone's orders but instinct told me to raise my hands up to show I didn't have weapons in my hands.

"Turn around slowly and you won't get hurt."

I shifted my legs in his direction until my front was facing them and my gaze fell on them.

There were several soldiers lined up in order facing me. It looked to be about a dozen of them, poised to kill at even the slightest signs of aggression on my part. They must have come when their two 'buddies' didn't answer and suspected that someone killed them. It was confirmed when I saw their bodies on the ground behind them.

FUCK!

"Alright. Tell me who you are and why are you here?"

The firmness of their leader's voice indicated that he meant business but I didn't want them to know who I was or why so I just lied, "Sorry. I was hiking along the jungle in search for something to hunt and lost my way. I just happened to stumble across some lights and then I found this."

The leader's face didn't alter except one of his brows raised up in confusion. "You sure? Last I checked this area was restricted from the public and there's no prey around for miles."

He wasn't buying it. I needed to come up with a better one. "I was told otherwise by locals that there was deer and such. Also, there were no signs or fences around the perimeter so I thought it was fair game."

At first, I thought that they finally believed me when the leader's face relaxed, even if it was only slight. However, the others kept their guns pointed at me and their leader turned to one of his subordinates and whispered in his ear. I couldn't make out what they were saying.

After some moments past, the leader turned towards me and looked down . . . but to what?

"Okay. I would have believed you except we have two of our men dead from knife wounds and judging from your appearance, you are the main suspect."

I didn't get what he meant until I looked down and saw my hands covered in blood. I totally forgot to wipe them clean since I was so focused on the ship. One of my greatest flaws was that I never had a good poker face. My coverup blew into pieces and fell towards the cold ground.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

The leader then showed an evil grin when he knew I got caught red handed. "Now, we are gonna take you into custody for the death of two military personnel. Then, we will see if you're still alive after all this."

The soldier's guns raised higher while two others walked from the line with handcuffs. There were planning to capture me. If they did, Stargazer would find out who I was and then more trouble would follow. I don't want to go back to that place. I couldn't let that happen. I needed to escape.

I was poised to kill. If I saw the right moment, I would have struck them all down. I didn't care if I lived. I would rather die than let them take me back to where they tortured me. Never again. . .

However, fate had other plans in store that night. I was confused when the two soldiers stopped dead in their tracks and looked behind me with such terrified faces. It almost looked like they were pulled from reality and into a nightmare.

I didn't dare to turn around, wondering if it was a trap to catch me off guard but then an awful noise stopped my thoughts and fear of the unknown began to sink in my chest.

The noise sounded like hissing, like a snake except it was louder and more menacing. I could hear the sound of claws raking over metal and slithering of a tail following behind. Finally, I convinced myself to turn around and face whatever it was. Looking back, I almost regretted doing so.

It looked like a large, black serpent that was standing on top of the ship. It had four legs that were as long as my legs but with deadly claws that seemed like it could rip anything to shreds. The bony fragments protruding from its back reminded me of a stegosaurus and had like an elongated-shaped piece on its head but what really caught my attention was its face.

There were no eyes but its expression shown by its mouth made it more terrifying. It hissed out the same noise earlier and curled its lips to reveal its teeth, sharpened and ready to bite someone. My fear returned to me but ten fold.

It was a split second before the leader yelled to fire on it. Rain of bullets ricocheted onto the ship in the area of the creature. It leaped out of the way with such agility and with no effort. I lost sight of it when I needed to drop down and cover my head from the deflection of the bullets. All I could make out were shouts, guns firing, the hissing, and then the screams.

There was so much chaos it was hard for me to pay attention to one sound at a time. They were just mixing together.

"Sir, it's too fast! We need to—"

"It's coming! Stand your—"

"Run!"

The soldiers were in a panic and that only told me that the creature was too much for them to handle. More shouts followed suit but then their screams turned into horrible death gurgles. Afterwards, I heard a screeching sound from the creature and it pierced my ears. For a second, I believed I would of lost my hearing but bodies dropping and blood splattering around me told me otherwise. I really wished I didn't have ears but all I could do was cover them.

Soon, it became all too quiet. There was nothing left. I removed my hands from my head and slowly stood up from where I laid during the fight. I saw clearly the destruction that the creature left behind.

There were bodies everywhere. Some were shredded into pieces; others were ripped in half by their torso and their stomachs and intestines were spilling out of them. It wasn't a fight but a massacre.

They stood no chance.

It took me awhile to realize that I'm also in danger. If it can destroy an entire fleet of soldiers, it can kill me easily and without a thought. I needed to find somewhere to hide until I knew I was safe.

I grabbed my bag and took out my gun since there was no use in stealth anymore and I needed better protection. I loaded it and kept it pointed towards the direction I was going. I crept slowly to stay hidden and weaved my way through the bodies around me. I was frantic; my breathing was heavy and my heart was pounding fast. No matter what I tried, it didn't slow down.

Soon a gasping sound ringed in my ears and I raised my gun in fear that it was the creature. I made my way towards the sound to investigate and found the leader, lying in a pool of blood. He looked like hell and I saw why when my eyes lowered towards his stomach. He was grabbing his stomach in his hand, hanging out of him like a tarp. He attempted to keep it inside of himself but it was in vain. The damage was done.

The leader gasped weakly, "Please . . . kill . . . me. I beg . . . of you."

I was stunned. Did he really ask me to kill him? After he tried to take mine?

I huffed, "I'm not going to give you such a request. You wouldn't do the same for me. Just lay there and die."

I turned to walk away but then a rock landed hard on the back of my head. I couldn't believe that he would do that, especially when he was at death's door. I stopped and remained silent while my anger came and grew like a flame.

"You little bitch . . . You're just as merciless . . . as that black creature. You . . . will get . . . what's coming . . . to you. The . . . Xenomorph . . . will have you."

I didn't move but a thought stuck in my head at that moment. A Xenomorph? That is what he called it? He knows of it?

But that thought disappeared when he grinned at me like he struck a nerve in me or won a fight, even though he was about to die. That was the last straw. My anger exploded and there was no controlling it.

I turned in his direction and pointed my gun at his head. I wanted nothing more than to pump him with lead. He just grinned. I wanted him dead.

Just as I was about to pull the trigger, the hissing sound returned but it was right behind me. The leader was distracting me so that the creature could get closer without trouble. My eyes widened when I could feel its breath close to my neck giving me shivers.

Just as it was about to lunge, I jumped to the side and the creature passed me and onto the leader. I was ready for another attack but the screams of the leader rang out while the creature was ripping him apart. Wait. So it was going after him?

I reacted and straightened myself but that got the attention of the creature and it turned to face me. I stole a glimpse of the leader and he was certainly dead. His abdomen was eaten away from the creature no less.

The creature then screeched again and I knew I needed to run so I rotated around and sprinted as fast as I can in the direction of the open area.

It soon followed as I heard its claws run deep into the ground, chasing me. My only thought was to get to safety and I tried to climb the nearest tree. I got up a little way when it slammed onto the truck, shaking the tree with tremendous strength.

I looked up towards the nearest branch and made my way to it but I felt its tail wrap around my ankle and pulled me down. I screamed but I pulled out my gun and fired three shots into its head. It flinched but it only made it more angry and threw me far away from it. I tried to tuck myself in a ball to prevent any major injuries when I landed but it was so fast that I couldn't react and I slammed onto the side of the ship.

I felt cracking of bones and it became difficult for me to breathe. I assumed that some of ribs were broken. I couldn't move a lot and the creature stumbled closer to me with its teeth baring down. I pointed my gun again at it but when I pulled the trigger it wouldn't budge. It must of got jammed during my landing. I grunted and threw it at the creature but it did little to no damage.

The creature inched closer and closer but I pulled out one of my knives and I was ready for it to come at me and make the final kill. Instinct told me to fight. Come on you son of a bitch! I'll take you down with me!

When I anticipated that it would attack, it suddenly stopped and jerked in an unnatural way. I was confused when it began to screech in pain and all of the sudden, its head twisted at a weird angle and dropped towards the ground, taking its last breath.

I was stunned . . . I didn't know why the creature just died in front of me. All these questions that I was asking myself gave me a headache but then something moved in front of me.

It looked like an invisible shadow of some kind but I could see it was huge and probably well over seven feet tall. I wondered if it was one of the soldiers but I've never seen anyone that large and bulky so it couldn't be.

The silhouette came closer and I heard metal coming out and from the faint lining of it, it looked like a pair of blades. All I knew was that it was coming to kill me.

I raised my knife up to it and all I could think about was one thing.

Now what?