aliens and frankenstein babies [rory]

Normally I'm a morning person. But as I lay there, listening to the stream trickling away, felt the cold breeze on my face and the bitter cold that ran through my body as my brain acknowledged that my clothes were dripping wet, there was nothing I wanted to do less than open my eyes.

So I didn't.

It was a dream, just a dream, just a dream. The lake flooded while we were asleep in the tent, that's why I'm wet. I bashed my head hard and I imagined it. All of it.

It was just a dream. I counted to one hundred in my head, so still lying against the hard ground, barely breathing. Waiting, hoping that Tommy or Toby would yell something in my ear and make me jump. Then I'd shout at them for being so childish and pretend to be angry at them.

ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred. I slowly peeled my eyes back.

I sucked in a deep breath and sat up, regretting it. I'd been lying on a bed of pebbles without realizing, now that that my body was no longer moulded into them a sharp pain ran through my back, suddenly remembering a more pressing injury. I lifted my hand up to the side of my face and slowly let my finger drag along the gash.

"Ah," I couldn't stop myself from wincing at the contact, it was much deeper than I thought it was. I looked down and could see the blood dried on my wet clothes, I wasn't concerned though. Head wounds always bleed loads, but I think I might need stitches for this cut.

I sucked in another breath before lifting my head up and taking in my surroundings. I'd been prepared for not being where our tent was, but I couldn't help the tear that fell slowly down my cheek. I was not expecting this.

I knew by the sounds I'd awoken to that I was close to a river, I was little more than a meter away which explained my soaking wet clothes. I must have washed onto dry land. This place reminded me of nowhere I'd ever been before and I was scared.

I slowly turned my head searching for anything...anyone. All I caught sight of was my soaking wet bag a little away towards the trees. No sign of Toby...Tommy...Minnie.

Minnie.

"Oh Shit." I breathed. Jane was going to kill Tommy, and then she was going to kill me, and then she'd convince Toby to bury our bodies and pretend we'd moved to Iceland or somewhere crazy.

shitshitshitshitshit.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs and I wept. I wept out of fear and confusion and loneliness and so many other emotions that there weren't even words for. I must have sat there for more than an hour crying on and off, calming myself down, then riling myself back up, struggling to draw breath.

I was all alone, in the middle of nowhere helpless. It was unusual for me to cry, at all, after my dad died I tried my best to stay detached from everything, that was probably why I had such few friends...that and I was strange. All I had was my family.

"Ugh. Pull yourself together you twerp." I muttered quietly to myself. "And stop talking to yourself. You might be an utter loon but you don't have to let anyone else know it"

I sighed sadly before heading towards my rucksack, which was still sopping wet.

'Jokes on you water lady' I thought clearly in my head thinking of the smiling woman in the water and shuddering. No, I can't deal with that right now, I pushed all thoughts of the cave from my mind just till I found the others.

I'd been doing the Duke of Edinburgh scheme for three years now and the first thing our instructor taught us when we go camping is to line our bags with black bin bags in case it rains suddenly.

I pulled my mouth into a half smile in pride letting it drop when the reality of the situation set back in again.

Ok, Plan. Need a plan. Ok. Find the others.

...Well done captain obvious.

Firstly get dressed and then pack everything up and head downstream. My stomach growled loudly in protest.

Ok firstly eat, then get dressed, then pack everything up and head downstream. Easy.

It was too easy pulling out a couple of cereal bars and munching then down quenching my appetite. All I had other than pyjama's packed was a thin cotton dress, longs socks and a jacket.

I hadn't anticipated cold weather, but at least they were dry. I looked around quickly checking no one was there and then laughed to myself quietly. I wish someone was here to see this. Then maybe they'd be able to get me the hell out of here.

I swiftly changed dumping the shorts and T-shirt on the ground. If they come across them then they'll have some idea I'm here I reasoned. Good thinking.

My fingers roamed across a box of matches in my bag, I pocketed them, then the couple of cereal bars that were left grabbing a packet of playing cards, my purse and blanket and set off, abandoning my loyal rucksack along with my clothes sparing a pained glance back.

I walked for hours and hours, with the blanket wrapped tightly round myself, still cold enough to shiver. I stumbled across my torch a couple of miles downstream, thankfully it was nowhere near the water this time. I thought about lots of things as I walked, I wondered where I was mostly, nowhere near home. No way.

I wondered where my family was. I wondered what the time was there was no way to tell with the overcast sky, and why everything seemed to look exactly the same as it had done more than an hour ago. I'd have thought I was walking in circles if I hadn't been keeping a close eye out for the possessions I'd left behind me.

I played with the torch for a while. I'd spent a few minutes yelling and swearing at it for still working, after all we'd been through together. It was in better condition that I was in.

It finally started to get darker and I decided I'd better stop, light a fire and settle down pretty soon, just as the sky started to thunder.

"Thank you very much." I stopped, standing still looking upwards glaring into the sky. I'm glad I'd stopped right then or I might not have heard it, the sound of...something behind me, close.

Toby was my first wild thought. Didn't sound like Toby. I hesitated for a moment before bolting into the dark forest and hiding behind a bolder close enough to see, but hidden from sight behind trees.

I waited for what felt like hours, until I saw them. Ugly things they were. I could almost smell them from where I was hidden fifty feet away. There were more than twenty of them easily, they were short, and...Ugly really was the only word to sum them up. They were repulsive, they were horrifyingly disgustingly awful. I brushed aside insane explanations of aliens and frankenstein babies that ran through my mind.

They huddled around something that one of them was holding leaning in to get a better look...or, no...they weren't...they were smelling a piece of white and red cloth. My piece of white and red cloth. My white...blood-stained T-Shirt...that I'd left all those hours ago up stream. They've followed me all this way. Hunted me. Oh no.

"God No" I breathed watching it be passed round.

Just when I thought my life could get no worse than it had been at precisely that second, it totally did. My near silent outburst had alerted someone...or something the logical part of my brain threw in (I hate you logic) to my presence.

Something that in my haste to hide I had completely overlooked. Idiot. A firm hand, a man's hand wrapped slowly around my mouth from behind and a strong arm pulled me forcefully backwards farther into the trees, resisting my struggling. He made it a few feet before backing himself into a tree.

The first thing that went through my mind was creeper, a thought I'd later live to regret. But not as much as what I was just about to do.

I struggled against him for longer trying to make any noise but his hand and arm were wound around me tightly.

Ugly creatures VS CREEPER, I debated a fraction of a second. The thought of the ugly things ignoring me and killing the rapist justified my actions. I relaxed slightly against the strong man's arms, he loosened his grip slightly.

Sorry buddy, I was bluffing.

I bit hard on the hand that enveloped my mouth, elbowing hard where the gut should be. It let out a grunt of pain but I wanted to make damn sure it couldn't follow me so to add insult to injury I pulled the heavy super-resistant torch out from my pocket and smacked it twice round the face with it, before sprinting back into the clearing along the stream screeching

"CREEPER".

I hesitated a second too long unable to resist getting a better look at the mutants making eye contact with the ugly creatures, they smelt even worse up close, the front one was less than a stone's throw away from me, it looked up at me smiling to reveal a mouth, with very little, all blackened teeth.

"Aw, man..." I moaned. It took a step towards me before I turned and sprinted back in the opposite direction. I only had a few seconds head start but I was quite fit, I could outrun these midgets easily. hm, is midgets the politically correct term? Is it insulting to compare these uggo creatures to midgets?

Damn it concentrate Rory. Right. Run breath, run breath, that's the answer, I could hear metal clanging behind me and heavy breathing and yelps of pain and anger, they weren't the reason I wanted to turn round, because I knew there was fighting behind me and I knew things were dying.

I also heard laughter and enjoyment that was the reason that I wanted to turn round, what kind of sick creature could enjoy killing so much? What kind of sick creature could enjoy chasing an unarmed, defenceless girl around so badly?

"Animals" I breathed. Should have stuck with the creeper.

I could outrun them I told myself one last time, before I heard the gust of wind behind me. It happened so quickly that I got a few more steps in before I collapsed in indescribable agony.

I rolled onto my back looking up at the smiling sadistic son of a toad standing in the distance waving with an empty bow in his other hand.

I glanced down not comprehending the pain that was caused by the arrow still lodged on the inside of my thigh. It must have caught me mid-stride I guessed madly.

Looking up I realized there were still...one,...two...three...four mutants running towards me. I couldn't bring myself to yank it out. I couldn't.

"Run" I ordered myself. I pulled myself to my feet took one stride before falling flat again. It was almost so painful that I wished they'd just kill me now, quickly so I could escape it, and someone was screaming so loudly nearby, it was hurting my head.

It took me a second to realise it was me that was screeching like a banshee. I sucked in deep breaths and whimpered instead rolling onto my back and looking up at the sky.

The clouds were gone and you could see all the stars in the sky now, it really was beautiful. I tried to smile as tears flowed freely down my face. It won't be so bad to die I reminded myself feebly, you'll be with dad again.

I was in so much agony I didn't even hear the creature approaching, didn't even smell it, one second there was sky and the next this green skinned thing with bits of flesh dangling off it and sprouts of hair and evil yellow eyes was leaning over me with a knife leaning down slowly watching me tremble in fear, enjoying it.

My mind flared with more hate than I thought possible.

A thought occurred to me and a small burst of laughter escaped my lips as I put my final thought into action.

Before I had time to blink I'd wrapped my hands around the faithful torch that lay at my side and I smacked this it's face hard enough to leave him moaning, he fell with a thud at my side.

"One nil, ugly" I called feebly towards him, before realizing he was still very conscious and very pissed off. He raised his head slowly next to mine, inches from my face raising his knife high above my stomach ready to bring it down and kill me.

I breathed deeply waiting, the next thing I felt was a sharp stabbing down my arm nearest his, a strangled cry escaped my lips. He'd either missed or decided he'd like to torture me first. I'm guessing the latter.

Don't cry I reminded myself. He wants to see you in pain. Don't give him the satisfaction.