Chapter V: Inundation

Our glances were locked, I was a dead man. I try to swallow down the fear as I don't move a muscle, sunk down in the pond up to my mouth, oh yeah, and I was completely exposed.

Naked, nothing to defend myself with, etc. It took all my effort not to start crying like a baby as I thought of the skin being stripped from my skull and my naked body being left there to rot.

Suddenly being defiled by Anubis didn't sound as bad to me as it should have.

This creature stared at me for the longest time before disappearing completely, and somehow that scared me more. Until I realized that it wasn't invisible, it was just using some sort of advanced camouflage. I could see the distorted lines revealing its frame as it stalked closer to the pond, closer to me.

I bite my lip and look up at the overhang above me, praying for my life. Praying for Anubis to come back to fight the thing off. Anything really would've been better for what I assumed this creature had in store for me right now.

I could see the ripples from the water being disturbed as it entered the pond, unfazed as it kept stalking closer to me until it was right in front of me, the only thing separating us a measly bunch of overhanging roots/grass. It removed its camouflage and suddenly rushed forwards, planting its hands on the dirt above ferociously, trying to get a reaction I presume.

I didn't move, I didn't even breathe. I could see it up close now, it had a mask on, some sort of metal, as well as a metal contraption on its shoulder that resembled a cannon. It had a weirdly reptilian looking body, different shades of foliage green covering it. What looked like a fishing net of some sort covered its body.

Kinky.

I mentally shake my head. Cracking jokes in the face of death was a quirk of mine. The strange dreadlock-like hair atop its head draped over its shoulders as it looked down, it seemed like it was scanning for something...me?

Suddenly it stands to its full height, after hearing a stick snap to its right somewhere, it turns its camouflage back on and walks to its right, walking out of the pond without giving me a second glance. Its leg brushed mine on its way out, it hardly noticing.

I sat there quiet as ever until I was certain it was gone, and then some until my muscles finally relaxed and I started breathing normally again.

"What the fuck." I whisper as I start to stand.

Later

I finished pulling the grey sweatpants on and white t-shirt, wincing slightly at the horrendous attire I was forced to wear in this predicament. Sure it was hard to look at and the pants were uncomfortable but at least I wasn't naked.

I'm pretty sure streaking is still illegal in most states anyways.

I'd managed to find a car up aways at the gas station that wasn't occupied by anyone at the moment. This was the small place that I'd gotten my clothing from, I felt bad having to steal a car, but technically I was already a felon.

Although one part of me was telling me that I had nothing to lose, the other was saying that I could still prove my innocence, but doing this would just drag me deeper in the eyes of the law. Before I could make a choice I heard a scuffle coming from inside the store.

I turned away from the car and looked through the window to see the cashier arguing with someone who was blocked by a rack of food items, out of sight. Slowly, I walk to the door, making my way inside the store, the bell that indicated whenever a customer entered or left the store rang over my head, neither of them seemed to notice however.

It was becoming more clear what was happening now as I snuck past some of the racks of small playthings and food and whatnot, I could see through a hole in the metal rack in front of me that the man arguing with the cashier had a gun and was wearing a ski balaclava.

"Empty the register now you old fuck!" The man yells as the cashier just stands there with his hands in the air, obviously he didn't understand a lot of English. He looked foreign as well. Suddenly he looks at me and his eyes widen, pointing at me.

Stupid old man! The man with the gun turns and points at me, a scowl on his face. "Stand up! NOW!" He says and I stand, my hands automatically went to the back of my head as I stand, walking out from behind the rack of items.

The man aims his gun at my chest and suddenly a woman with her own gun walks out from the back room. She speaks into a radio she had on her shoulder. "Target is in our possession, time to move." She says.

My mouth drops. "Millie?" I say, for the woman looked just like my next door neighbor. The next door neighbor who was a robot droid. The next door neighbor I'd plunged a knife into. The woman doesn't answer me, and her jaw just hardens as she aims at me as well now, the man from before walking right up to me, the barrel of his gun practically touching my forehead.

Suddenly I hear the sound of ropes and glance to the left, men had rappelled down the side of the convenience store, side by side in front of the front doors holding automatic weapons and aiming through the windows.

The man behind the register looks at all of this in confusion as he says something in a different language. The woman receives a message from her radio that I couldn't quite make out and she nods to herself seemingly, looking at the ground for a minute as she raises her arm and shoots the cashier without even looking at him.

"NO!" I scream, but it was too late, he was dead with the first shot.

"Hey, shut it ki-" The man in front of me couldn't even finish his sentence before the sound of glass shattering shuts him up, he looks to the side, I don't even glance as I take this moment to my advantage, grabbing his arm with my left hand and grabbing the hand holding the gun with the other.

I twist upwards and hit him in the face with the gun, wrestling it from his grip as I take it and aim at the woman in the corner, starting to aim her gun at me. I shoot her in between her eyes and she falls to her knees, her gun going off as she falls over, the man in front of me, who was clutching his nose with one hand made a move to grab at me but I shoot him in the face and it was over. Inside at least.

I drop the gun, wondering how I'd managed a feat such as that. I'd never shot a gun before in my life, hell I'd never been in a close up combat situation save for some of the things I was taught in my self defense classes but that wasn't for real that was just simulated.

I'd just killed two people without a second glance. Now I look towards the entrance to see what had the 'robber' so entranced. And there it stood, the monster from the pond. The Predator. The two men who'd rappelled down were dead, either of them having two pronged blades shoved through their chests and into the window. The creature stood there staring at me before pulling both hands away from the dead men and suddenly disappeared.

I rush out of the store, past the men hanging there dead to see half of a SWAT team dead at the gas station. I quickly got in the car that had been parked there, a Hyundai, and was so thankful that the keys were in the ignition. I back out of the lot and turn around hitting the gas as I head south.

As I look in my rearview mirror I see a helicopter with a spotlight on the gas station, and suddenly it starts spinning madly, its back rotor having been jammed by something as it descends madly into the gas station, causing a large explosion to occur. One that I could feel from nearly a quarter mile away.

I turn back towards the road and something in the middle of a crossroad makes me hit the brakes and I hit my forehead on the steering wheel.

I pull backwards, holding a hand to my mouth dazed as I see blood on my fingertips. But what had its hands on the dashboard of the car shocked me more.

Anubis.

That same old smirk, somehow having taken a more sadistic curvature to it stares at me from outside the car.

'Hello...darling...' I can hear him from inside the car, for the windows were all opened. His claws dance against the car hood as he slowly stalks towards me, his tail swishing behind him.

I hit the gas, suddenly he's caught on the grill and a bloodcurdling screech is heard, he reaches for me in vain from across the hood.

I almost feel bad.

I stop accelerating, but his body doesn't. He falls off the front of the car and rolls until he's out of the intersection, unmoving.

I pant slightly, clutching at my chest, not knowing why I felt so winded all of a sudden. I was about to regain my composure when I look to the right so see a semi truck barreling towards my car. I had no time to react as it smashed into the side of the Hyundai and I lose consciousness.

I felt weightless. That was until the crushing pain in my chest and head hit. I groan, vision blurred as the light hurt my eyes. I was being dragged by someone, unceremoniously, as they gripped me by my leg whilst dragging me.

I couldn't tell who it was, just by how the morning sun burned my eyes so I couldn't look at them, but eventually I slipped out of consciousness again, and when I awoke I wasn't moving. I heard hissing and growling. Shadows blocked out the sun as they scuffled, I could only hear muffled voices for my ears were ringing so loud.

I slip out of consciousness again and when I wake up, there was a dreadful quiet. Suddenly my hearing comes back and I suddenly smell flesh. Burning flesh. It filled my nostrils and made me gag, I sit up and look around, I was in the middle of a heap of scrap metal, a turnt over gasoline truck and the Hyundai not far behind me.

The vehicles were hardly recognizable. I could tell I was dragged out of the car from the trail of blood that led to it. I slowly stand, smoke filling my nostrils as well, I walk away from the mess of the vehicles to see a warzone. Overturned police vehicles, downed helicopters, dead bodies everywhere. It was a living nightmare. My jaw loosely hangs open halfway as I look around holding my arm. It was bleeding.

Anubis was nowhere in sight, I hadn't the slightest clue what had happened to him. A van with the same logo from down in the sewers was resting on its side. Weyland-Yutani. I knew there was definitely significance at this point. Suddenly, a noise comes from inside the van. I slowly make my way around back, the doors had fallen off and there was a man laying down inside, his right leg was gone.

My hand goes to my mouth as I lean over to the side and throw up, heaving until nothing else would come out. I was beginning to feel slightly malnourished. The man groaned slightly and I gasped, turning back to him.

"O-Oh my god, you're alive?" I say when I see one of his eyes open, the other one was swollen shut. "What…..what the hell happened to you…" I say, looking at him astonished and terrified at the same time.

"There weren't...enough of us...it just kept...killing…" He coughs, blood comes out. "Okay...okay calm down, I'm going to call an ambulance, you're going to be okay...Rick" I say after looking at the name on his badge, trying to reassure him until he raises his gun and I back up slightly, holding my hands out about to open his mouth when suddenly I'm shoved to the side.

I fell through the ground and turned around to see the creature from the woods and the gas station grabbing the man by his neck after a few shots went off from Rick. "No, NO!" I yell, standing up, but it was too late. The creature stabbed its wrist blades into Rick's face, and just like that he died.

As if remembering I were there, it turned its head to the side and tossed Rick's dead body to the ground. It took a few steps towards me, me mimicking it by stepping back until my back was to a police cruiser. It stopped and suddenly three dots forming a triangle lit up on its mask and a sort of laser sight protruded from it, landing right on my forehead.

I stand defiantly, gripping my fists tightly. It may have seemed like I was trying to look intimidating or maintain my composure but in truth I was scared out of my mind. I'd seen what this thing could do to people, how it could tear the flesh from a skeleton like it was a piece of cloth.

"Why are you doing this?" I say, my voice choked slightly. It tilted its head, as if examining me before looking at something above me and hissing,

"s'yuit-de kiande amedha!" the creature hisses, I look over my shoulder to see Anubis crouching on top of the overturned police cruiser. He lets out a death screech and jumps over me, tackling the Predator. He looks over his shoulder as he had the creature pinned to the ground.

"Run!" he hisses in an acidic tone. He didn't have to tell me twice.

I took off, my legs pulling me as fast and far away from the bloody battlefield as they could. I ran down the road, sprinting until I felt like my legs were going to start to bleed. I collapse to my knees, covering my face with my hands as I feel my throat tighten with mourn.

I was getting everyone killed.

If I hadn't ever left Anubis this wouldn't have happened. I could've just let him do whatever sick twisted thing he needed to do and then waited for him to go back to normal. I could've saved countless numbers of lives.

Stop. I tell myself. Those men and women were there to kidnap you, make you pay for a crime you didn't commit. They would've hurt you a lot worse, if anything you were lucky Anubis and that thing were there to stop them.

I knew I was right, there was no way I could've taken out that many armed soldiers on my own, hell, from the way Anubis and that creature looked they were starting to have trouble themselves. But now I was free from them. Free from the mayhem, for now at least.

Now it was time for the real work to begin.

Later

Sarasota, FL 12:04 PM EST

I'd managed to hitchhike my way back home, back to my block where surprisingly there were no cops at my house, just some yellow tape and that was it. I snuck in using a ladder from the garage to go in through my bedroom window, where I grabbed my backpack out of my closet, emptied the school supplies out of it, and started packing it with clothing.

I run to Rachel's room, rummaging through her drawers for money and credit cards. I'd managed to scrape up maybe 400$ from around the house and a few of Rachel's debit cards and credit cards. In the garage Rachel's boyfriend had left his obnoxious Mustang, for they'd taken Rachel's car to go to the airport. Asshole even left his keys in the kitchen.

I get in the car, throwing my bag in the passenger seat, putting the keys in the ignition and driving off the driveway. It was here that I truly started my journey to discover who had put out the warrant for my arrest, and just how Weyland-Yutani played into all of this.

My first stop was the Weyland-Yutani sub-lab in the outskirts of Sarasota, where there were supposed tests being done on non-earthly organisms. Non-earthly was an understatement. If Anubis had been sent from there, I'd most likely find what I wanted.

But unfortunately, when I got there there was nothing to be found. Torn to the ground. I hold my laptop screen with the picture of the building out in front of me, placing it where it should have been on this lot. The building had been completely torn down in less than a week.

My only choice was to head to one of their larger offices in Miami, where a subsidiary of the main headquarters was located, as well as a surplus of different labs focusing on the supposed unearthly research, as well as weapons development branch and oddly enough, a whole laboratory for alien archaeology. I sat in the car on the road outside of the torn down building sighing as I rubbed my temples reading the article on the building on my laptop.

"Alright….Miami it is…" I say and close the laptop.

3 Hours Later

Miami, FL 4:34 PM EST

The drive wasn't the hard part, it was the fact that I knew if any cop pulled me over and asked me for my license he'd recognize me, seeing as how the media was loving me right now, and I'd be handed over to the Feds immediately.

I needed to know what was happening, why I'd been thrown into this mess, how I could have a fluent English conversation with a Xenomorph for fuck sake! I grip the steering wheel. You need to calm down. I tell myself. Get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning. I was beginning to wonder when I'd start to argue with my own conscience.

I manage to find a small motel, in a black hoodie that I'd pulled from my house now, wearing sunglasses and a simple snapback hat as well. I tried to maintain a casual look even though I was undercover, so as not to maintain too much suspicion.

I sign in to the front desk and give her Rachel's credit card, she doesn't seem to acknowledge that a teenage boy was using a 30 year old womans' credit card and gives me the room key, smiling politely.

"Have a nice stay, Rachel." She says and I nod awkwardly, walking to my room. I drop my bag on the floor when I get in, unpacking everything before walking out onto the third floor balcony to look at the view. It wasn't on the waterfront but it had a pretty nice view of Downtown Miami. I smile lightly as I watch the setting sun for a bit and then close the blinds, walking into the bathroom to get into the shower.

About a half hour later I was sitting in bed, on my laptop looking up everything I could about the Weyland-Yutani corporation. It was a pretty reserved company, they didn't openly tell the public what went on behind closed doors, which I suppose was smart but didn't help me in this case.

I decided I'd been up long enough and turned off my laptop, setting it on the table beside me before turning off the light, also on the table besides me, and laying down to sleep.

I awoke around 2 in the morning, the first thing registering was the sound of rain hitting the balcony outside. All was calm until the sound of breathing jolted my eyes back open. Yes, breathing, at least a noise resembling breathing. Strangely regular...it was definitely breathing. I slowly look over my shoulder. There was someone in the bathroom. A blue light was glowing from under the door.

I grab the taser out of my backpack and get out of bed. It was Rachel's, she didn't hide her things very well as one would have figured by now. I silently, slowly walk towards the bathroom. Gulping, I grip the taser tightly and burst into the room to find no one there. Just a strange looking tray with weird glowing blue rocks sitting on the sink.

I don't even bother to figure why they were there and toss the tray in the garbage sighing as I turn around walking out of the room. Suddenly there was a knife being held to my neck. "I'd drop that weapon if I were you." It was a male voice. They didn't have to tell me twice. I drop the taser to the floor, the knife doesn't leave my neck.

"I'm assuming that display in there was to get me out of bed?" I say, and the man behind me chuckles. "Perhaps, although I had in mind to clean up the wounds your serpentine friend inflicted upon me earlier." My eyes widen suddenly and I look down at the wrist of the man. Two rigid wrist blades were being held to my neck. I gasp and he lets go as I push myself away from him, almost not wanting to turn around.

I do however, as I stumble over a chair, my back to the floor now as I scramble backwards. Lighting flashes and I can see the silhouette of the creature from the gas station standing before me. "Y-you…." I breathe. "You can speak English too?" I whisper and it-….he tilts his head.

"English? I know not what you speak of; you are speaking my language, ooman." He retracts his wrist blades, staring down at me as I stand, feeling naked without a weapon. "N-no...that's...that's impossible. I'm speaking English right now, you are too!" Suddenly he rushes forwards and grabs my neck, pushing me up against the wall. I fear for my life again.

"If you do not quiet down pup, I will have to make you. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to know who and where you were taught my language so fluently." The Predator stares me down like he knew one of my most darkest secrets and I grit my teeth.

"Is that the only reason you came here? It would've been more pleasant if you'd bought me dinner first…" A feel a smug grin tug at my lips but before it can plant itself on my face he throws me into the chair across the room, me landing in it perfectly somehow.

He growls, "Stop playing games with me ooman, I was on vacation before you and that detestable hard meat showed up and ruined everything! Now my superiors are questioning why I haven't explained the fact that they're receiving reports of a hard meat running around ravaging the streets of your ooman cities!" I couldn't stop myself from grinning at his infuriated words.

"Sounds like you need a vacation from your vacation." A smug grin colored my face now and the wrist blades of this Predator are suddenly out and he lunges at me, he traps my neck in between the blades as they go through the chair, coming very close to my face.

"I have let you live longer than any ooman I've met thus far, and that is only because you are placed slightly more valuable than any other because of how we can communicate so seamlessly. I am needing to find out why, so unless you tell me, I will kill you and find out for myself." He says slowly, and darkly.

I grit my teeth again, looking down at the blades. I figured I had too much shit to get done to die so I opened my mouth. "You are not the only...otherworldly creature I can speak with. The xenomorph attacked you to allow me to escape….we communicate through telepathy. Well, semi-telepathy. Right now I know as much as you do. All I know is that that same xenomorph was released upon my school and that someone covered it up, and put a warrant out for my arrest," I explain.

"My best guess is that that same someone was concocting some sick experiment on Xenomorph behaviors and we were the collateral damage. Until someone escaped who knew what happened and could expose this person for what they had done. So they're after me now, and their science project." I explain as best I could.

The Predator was silent for a long time before he removed the blades from my neck. "What is your name, ooman?" He asks. I didn't want to tell him at first but it didn't seem like he was too keen to kill me anymore so I spoke up.

"Knox. Knox Ryker." My glance shifts slightly but he nods his head back.

"Ah, N'ahks...pleasure to meet you. My name is ka'Torag-na Halkrath of the Yautja race. In….English, as you call it, that is Lurking Shadow. I have decided to follow you on your journey to discover who has wronged you and what makes you so special, for I believe fate has crossed our paths. I no longer wish to kill you." He puts his hand on my shoulder and shakes slightly. Not sure what that was but I go with it assuming it was some sort of greeting.

"Yeah...that's...reassuring….so, uh...ka-somethingsomething. You mind if I just call you Halkrath? It's not as much of a mouthful and sounds a bit cooler in my opinion." I ask sheepishly.

"You...wish to just call me Shadow? Well...I suppose if it is easier for you to say than there is no harm in it," suddenly there is a knock at the door and Halkrath looks over my shoulder. "were you expecting guests N'ahks?" I look at the door as I hear Miami PD yelling from behind it.

"Well, if by guests you mean SWAT, then yes, but not until a little later. These guys are what you might call fashionably early." I walk to the side of my bed and pick up my backpack, starting to shove all of my things into it.

"SWAT? I have never heard such a term." Halkrath says indifferently as he scans the door. Shot in the dark but I was guessing he saw their weapons and realized their intentions. "Oh…" He says silently.

"Yeah, we should probably go." I say as I put my hoodie on and walk towards the balcony. "Understood, I already have transportation ready for us." Halkrath says and presses a button on a contraption on his wrist and suddenly a small alien ship floating outside the window of my motel room. Talk about invasion of privacy, almost made me wonder how long Halkrath had been there watching me sleep.

"Come!" Halkrath yells as he'd already jumped across, I look over my shoulder once more before jumping up to the railing and leaping to the ship. Halkrath grabs my hand and pulls me up, his other hand going to my back as he ushers me in, a shot going off from his shoulder cannon and into the motel room, blowing it up almost entirely as the windows had completely been blown outward.

Before I knew it I feel the sensation of the ship taking off and flying into the Miami skies, having narrowly escaped the authorities yet again, all I knew is it certainly wouldn't be the last time, and this theme would definitely persist for a while.

To Be Continued…