Alright, I LOVE you guys for sticking with me. I honestly don't think writing is a great talent of mine... so having people look forward to the next chapter is amazing!
Here it is, I hope it isn't too short. (I went back to fix some grammar mistakes too...)
The night seemed to pass within minutes. My dreams brought no comfort. All of them had consisted of the queen being taken away, and tortured. One particular vision had been embedded into my mind.
…
"Make sure that creature is restrained!" At first it was blurry. Only blotches here and there, but when I focused on the scene, I was on my side, on what seemed like a stretcher. There were a bunch of white lab coats surrounding a small container. I couldn't tell what was it, until one of them moved aside to reveal the young xenomorph. She struggled under the scientist's hands, and tried to bite at any fingers that neared her mouth.
"No." I wanted to scream, but my voice only came out in a hushed tone. I lifted my arm to reach out, but it wouldn't move. I glanced down to find restraints on my arms and legs.
My heart rate increased tenfold. Confinement was not one of my favorite situations to be in. However, the more I pulled against the straps, the more the leather dug into my wrists.
I glanced over at the scientists and tried to beg for release, but instead, one of them pulled out a syringe and tapped out the air bubbles. "No… Please..." My pleas went unheard. The scientist jabbed the needle into the xenomorph's exoskeleton.
The queen's growls quickly became squeals of terror. Though my voice was no louder than a whisper, my heart felt as though it were screaming. My eyes never left the queen. Her body began thrashing back and forth less and less.
"No!" The vision ended when my voice broke through the invisible volume barrier.
I flew up into a sitting position fast enough that I almost lost my balance. When I realized I was still in my room, my heart rate seemed to settle.
But there was one thing missing that could further calm me down.
...
The bundle in my arms was gone.
My breath hitched as I looked all around me to find the queen. She was nowhere to be found on both the bed and floor.
Come here! I commanded desperately in my head.
I could tell that she was close. It was as if the closer she was, the clearer my thinking was. She seemed to notice my panic, and soothed it with a soft vibrating purr, which I could both hear, and feel. Where are you?
The purring stopped, and another tugging feeling went through my head, urging me to turn around. Resting on the top of the headboard, was the queen. She'd never left me after all.
She had not only gained her black exoskeleton, she also grew to the size of a large dog. There was no way of hiding her now. I'd have to make sure no one else would be in the halls when I moved her. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I didn't want to worry the queen.
Her form slithered down to lie beside me. Her tail curled around my arm, just like she did in the lab the day before. Hey there. I caressed the side of her head, making her croon out in delight. After a few seconds, she rubbed her crest against my hand. I felt a rush of warmth spread through my mind. It's hard to describe in words, but it was like seeing your life long crush from childhood come back. I guess the simplest way to say it is that it was like a wall of love slammed into my head.
I responded by wrapping my arms around her head. I tried to send the same message back. I love you too. The queen let out a few low clicks, which to me sounded like happy ones.
If only I could show my co-workers this. There was no way they'd believe me otherwise. Maybe if I tried to convince them slowly? Try to change their way of thinking…
"All personnel report to cafeteria at this time." The monotone speaker went off. This happened every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'd have loved to stay, but if I didn't show up, they'd come looking for me.
I can't stay here. The queen's clicks turned to whines of displeasure. I know… I hugged her tighter. But it's for the best.
I leaned towards the side of the bed to get up, but her tail didn't release me. Don't worry. I'll come back. I can't let them find out about you. A short growl escaped her throat.
Knowing she was blaming the others for keeping me away, I soothed her by pressing my head against hers. "I'll come back." I said aloud. My voice alone seemed to calm her, but her grip had yet to loosen. They can't stop me.
At that statement, her tail hesitantly fell onto the sheets she lied on.
As I stood up, I felt the stitches sting, but not as badly as before. However, I still winced and held the headboard as support. A small squeal echoed in my ears.
The queen stood on her hind legs and tilted her head at me. Waves of sadness washed over me. If she had eyes, they'd be brimming with tears, silently asking if I was alright.
Before I could reassure her nothing was wrong, she held onto my arm with her own, securing it with her other. Let go.I tugged on my arm away, but she wouldn't budge. "Let me go." I told her sternly.
Although I could tell she was tempted to, she only moved her mouth closer to the skin on my forearm. As she opened her mouth, I wondered what she was doing. My mind immediately went pessimistic. Is it possible she's going to kill me after all?
The thought made me panic. I tried yanking my arm away again, only to fail miserably. She hung her mouth a few inches from my exposed skin, and hesitated for a moment. A rush of calming thoughts flowed through me. It's as if she were reassuring me; telling me it was going to be okay.
Before I could try to convince her to release me, her inner mouth slowly came forward. I awed at it because it's something that's never actually observed. The xenomorph only uses it to make the final kill at a lightning fast speed, but right now, the queen was clearly going against her instinct.
One last wave of calm thoughts were sent before the small mouth bit into my arm. I flinched away at the pain, but the queen didn't show any signs of letting go, in fact, her grip tightened. I strangled whimper escaped me. The queen repositioned her hind legs, and began making a gagging sound. Her mouth quivered before suddenly injecting me with an unknown liquid.
My arm began growing cold as the liquid traveled towards my body. I felt my strength begin to fade. My legs gave out from under me. The queen pulled back as fast as she could when I fell to my knees.
When her teeth released my arm, I immediately covered the wound with my other hand. I shivered the further the fluid moved through me.
The queen brushed against me, sending me silent apologies for whatever she'd done to me. I wanted to shove her away, but I felt as though my blood were freezing underneath my skin, like I was literally becoming a frigid statue.
Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, my heart began burning. I let go of my arm and focused on my chest. I pulled desperately at my clothes to see why the pain had increased.
I barely managed to undo the two top buttons, but it was enough to see the source of the chilling sensation. Right before my eyes, the irritated skin around the stitches began returning to its original color. "W-what…?" I breathed out when the cold receded back to my arm.
"H-how?" The blood in the bite wound started changing green as the holes began healing themselves. After a few more moments, all the stinging and aching was gone. I examined myself. Maybe it was my imagination, but it looked like there was a lighter tinge to my skin. Surely the other scientists would notice?
You… healed me?
The queen took a few steps back, afraid I was mad at her for doing such a thing. I reached my arm out, surprised the stitches didn't start stinging, and held her chin in my palm. It's alright. She gave me a quiet squeak, asking for forgiveness. I'm not angry.
She perked up, making her back fins rattle together. As much as her happiness made me want to stay, I knew I couldn't risk it. I'd be taking no chances of someone finding her.
I'll be back in a few hours.
She whined and sunk lower to the floor. I got to my feet and pulled on a new lab coat, seeing as my last one had blood on it. The queen begged for me to stay at my every step.
The closer I got to the door, the harder it became to stay strong and ignore her. My hand gripped the handle, but her pleas managed to halt my process. I'll never leave you. I promise. I'll come back.
She sat on her haunches and whimpered one last time before I shut the door behind me. Her cries of distress echoed in my head. Thankfully though, they were only in my head. Heaven forbid if someone heard her.
I took a deep breath to try and calm myself, before pushing off the door and making my way to the cafeteria.