Chapter one:

Super 8 Motel
Highway 24, Colorado
October 8th, 2008

Being on the run was really for the birds. Elaina sat huddled on the musty floor of a cheap motel room on Highway 24. Her back was pressed against the mattress of the queen size bed that sat in the center of the room up against the wall. There wasn't much to the room, two queen size beds that were as comfortable as a metal slab, and a dresser with a 32-inch tv, that was a brand she couldn't make out from her spot on the floor. There was a bible in one of the drawers of the nightstands, she knew because she had looked out of habit when she and Lex had first gotten into the room. It was just like any other hotel or motel she had ever stayed in. Maybe not as nice as the bed and breakfast she had stayed in, in Gunnison, but it would do for what they needed right then. Plus, it was cheap.

The one window in the room was across from her and she could see the sun filtering in through the sheer off-white curtains. Tipping her head back, she rested it against the mattress and closed her eyes as the shower kicked on in the room next door, just on the other side of the wall that the two beds rested against. She could hear the pipes rattle within the walls, as water traveled through them, and she could hear, as the showerhead sputtered before spitting out a steady stream of water against the shower wall.

The voices in the room on the other side of their motel room, were muffled, but she could hear them going in and out of their room, the door slamming shut behind them with each pass. She listened for a while, her ears straining to hear anything out of the norm, while she waited.

It felt like that was all she did since surviving the crash and leaving everyone to die back in Gunnison. Wait, watch and listen.

The chill in the air of their room, told her the sun was setting, casting the room in darkness with the lights turned off, and the blinds closed. The motel room she had booked the day before was on the far corner, facing the line of trees. It made for a quick getaway if needed.

The soft breaths coming from the bed above her changed drastically over the next hour, and at first, Elaina thought maybe Lex was waking up. She tipped her head to the side, her eyes opening to let her friend know she had more time to rest, but it became glaringly obvious that that was not the case. There was a slight wheeze to Lex's next exhale, almost like a rattle coming from deep within her lungs.

Frowning at the sound, Elaina shifted around to push herself up onto her hands and knees before twisting to kneel next to the mattress. The last 24 hours had been rough on them both, running from the Police, the Military and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, made life after Gunnison that much more difficult.

Elaina hadn't even heard from or talked to her mom since calling her from the police station back in Gunnison. There was barely any time to stop and rest. Except for tonight, Elaina had forced the issue, and they had managed to scrounge up enough cash between the both of them to pay for the room for one night to at least give them time to wash off the gore of Gunnison and get a decent night's sleep.

"Lex," Elaina called out softly.

There was something haunting to her voice as she spoke into the quiet room, almost as if a part of her was just gone, like it had been left behind in Gunnison. Something she hadn't given herself time to consider before arriving at their motel. Now however, after sitting so long with only her thoughts for company, had given her time to grieve what she had lost. Reaching out with one hand, she touched her friend's shoulder to rouse her from the deep sleep she seemed locked in.

Lex always seemed so tough, and unbreakable. But for the past twenty-four hours, Elaina had noticed the limp in her friend's walk getting worse with each mile they traveled. Then there was the pain etched between her friend's brows that she had tried to hide behind a tired smile. Elaina had tried to ask her what was wrong, and of course Lex had brushed it off as nothing. Nothing more than a twisted ankle. Elaina hadn't argued at the time, wanting to trust her friend to tell her if there was something seriously wrong. Now, she was starting to realize that that had been a mistake.

Elaina wasn't stupid though, watching Lex as her pace slowed more and more, the further they traveled, had shown her even the fierce Lex Woods could get tired. So, she had pushed and whined, complaining about aches and pains herself, until Lex had finally relented in them getting a room. Elaina had stubbornly stood her ground, arguing that Lex take the first shower, and get some sleep. Lex had tried to argue with her, but as of yet, no one has been able to counter Elaina in stubbornness, when she had made up her mind.

And so, Lex had taken the first shower, and Elaina was not surprised when there wasn't any hot water left when she was done. Afterwards, Lex hadn't argued about taking a moment to rest, mostly saying she would just take a small nap. Elaina readily agreed, promising to stay awake to keep an eye out for any trouble, and Lex had quickly fallen asleep despite how uncomfortable the mattress was.

Watching the woman sleeping on the motel bed before her, Elaina knew something was very wrong with her friend. Looking down at her friend's body, in the darkened room, she could see the sheen of sweat coating her dark skin, the slight tremble to her muscles. Swallowing back the rising panic, she reached out and placed the back of her wrist against Lex's sweaty brow, to check on her temperature.

Lex moaned in her sleep at the cool touch of Elaina's skin against her own, and Elaina jerked her hand back as if burned. "Shit you are burning up- Lex wake up!" She reached for her friend again and started to shake her roughly, in hopes of waking her.

Lex's eyes fluttered briefly on another weak moan, but she did not wake, despite the violent prodding.

"Jesus." Panicking now, Elaina scrambled to her feet and didn't even think twice before snatching up the motel phone and dialing nine-one-one.

"Nine-one-one operator. What is your emergency?"

"My friend is really sick. We're- uh we're at the Super 8 on Highway 24," Elaina said as soon as the line picked up. She rattled off the address, before the dispatcher could ask her any questions.

"What is your name?"

"Elli- Look my friend is really sick, and she won't wake up- and she's burning up with a fever- and breathing weird," Elaina interjected quickly before the operator could continue with their line of questions.

"Alright Elli, help is on the way. What room are you in and what side of the building?"

"108 on the North side facing the trees." Elaina looked towards the window as she spoke, and then at the door. Should she wait outside for them, or stay inside? In her blind panic, it didn't even occur to her what a big mistake this was.

"What is your friend's name?"

Elaina hesitated for a moment, her brain stalling when she realized what she was doing. She called the police to her location and gave them her name. She might as well offer themselves up on a silver platter while she was at it.

"Elli are you still there?"

"Uh- Uh-Jane- her name is Jane," she whispered hoarsely. She couldn't hang up or back out now. Already she could hear her friend's breathing getting worse, her trembling getting more pronounced. Lex needed help and damn the consequences.

"Was Jane in an accident, or recently had surgery?"

Elli furrowed her brows and made an annoyed face at the thin air in front of her, as if the dispatcher could see her. "What-no," she snapped in response to the question. Her temper was getting the best of her due to the stressful situation, and she didn't bother to keep her tone in check now. A moment passed and Elaina could hear the clicking of keys as the dispatcher typed up their conversation. Taking a deep breath, it was as her thoughts cleared, that she recalled Lex's excuse for limping earlier came back to her. "Wait- she said she twisted her ankle-" Even as the words left her mouth, the answer didn't seem right.

Elaina looked at the leg she had seen her friend favoring as they traveled just off the highway through the cover of the surrounding forest. It could have happened while they were in Gunnison, or during the helicopter crash, or even while on the run.

"I need you to carefully look, but don't touch. Does her leg look swollen?"

Elaina searched the ankle and was already shaking her head until her eyes lifted further up the woman's leg. The jeans were dark, discoloration coating the length of her calf and even in the dim lighting of the motel room, Elaina could tell that that was not normal.

"Her leg- she cut it the other day," she mumbled as she recalled Warkha nearly slicing Lex's leg off when they had been trying to escape the ship. How long ago had that been? "I don't-"

"How long ago did the injury occur and which leg?"

"I think two days- ago? And it's her right leg."

In the distance, Elaina could faintly hear the sirens as the ambulance made its way down the highway, steadily getting louder as it got closer to the motel. As it pulled into the parking lot, Elaina could make out the neighbors on either side of her room leaving their rooms to gawk at the emergency vehicle.

"Alright Elli, I need you to go outside and direct the paramedics to your room."

Elaina nodded and set the phone down on the stand that the base sat on and grabbed one of the wooden chairs that sat at the small round table next to the window. She went so far as turning on the lights before opening the door as the ambulance parked right outside her door. Shaking her head, she pushed the chair back into place, realizing she had given the operator her room number. She held the door open as two paramedics climbed out of the vehicle. While one approached her, she eyed the other opening the back doors to help a third paramedic to grab the stretcher.

"Elli?" The older man asked as he approached.

"Y-yes." She blinked at his kind smile, feeling far away from the situation as her mind muddled through the frantic thoughts running wild in her head. She was calling too much attention to them. But she kind of had an idea what was wrong now. She'd watched enough doctor shows in her younger years to pick up a thing or two like infection and sepsis, while ogling the cute doctors.

If Lex didn't get medical treatment right away, she would die.

Lex would just have to forgive her for this, later.

Elaina stepped aside to let the three in. She stood there watching as they lifted Lex off the bed and onto the stretcher and strapped her in. She followed in a near panicked daze as they all climbed into the back of the ambulance. Elaina shuffled out of the way as the older man asked her questions and took a seat back near the door to give them room to work. A young woman wearing a paramedic uniform, and name badge that read Heather, took her place in the driver seat up front. She started the engine, and then flipped a switch that triggered a loud wail from the siren. Through the glass, in the darkening sky, she could see the strobing lights of the ambulance coming from up top. Turning her attention to the small window next to her on the back door, she could see the neighbors from the other motel rooms openly gawking and whispering amongst each other. The woman Heather shifted gears, and they started to pull away from the motel parking lot.

Elaina did her best to answer the questions being fired at her from the paramedic seated closest to her. He was taking Lex's vital signs, asking for any medical information she might know about her friend as they made their way down the highway. Elaina answered as honestly as she could, without giving away too much. However, she lost focus on the questions as they hooked Lex up with an IV and an Oxygen mask.

"Oh god, is she going to be, okay?" she asked, cutting the man off, whose name badge said his name was Joe. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a single finger, and he hesitated in answering her question.

"Let's see what the doctor says when they see her at the hospital okay," he said, without really giving her an answer.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the next closest hospital, with Gunnison out of commission, they ended up pulling into the emergency drive through of Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. After Gunnison, Elaina would have rather never visited a hospital ever again. She had barely survived her last visit to one. Between Yautja's and aliens trying to kill her, the rest of the world trying to hunt her down, this should be a cake walk really.

The back doors opened, and the two paramedics helped the woman at the door to unload Lex out the back end of the vehicle. Elaina remained out of the way until they were clear, before following them inside. Through the sliding doors, a doctor and two nurses were there to greet them, and they started wheeling Lex down the hall.

Elaina rushed to keep up but was blocked from venturing further when they crossed through two doors that closed behind them. "I'm sorry miss but you will have to wait in the waiting room until you're called."

Elaina stared at the nurse for a moment, not really seeing her, but hearing her words. Her eyes drifted back to the door just pass the woman's shoulder, as they shut closed behind the doctor and nurses who had taken her friend. She reluctantly agreed with the nurse, and the older woman left her standing there after indicating to the waiting room nearby.

Numbly, Elaina hugged herself as she walked to the room indicated by the nurse. She didn't sit though, but instead paced back and forth as she waited. Her eyes darted out the open windows that faced the front parking lot, and then to the room around her. It was dark outside already; the sun having sunk behind the horizon while they had driven to the hospital.

It seemed like hours passed, while it really had only been thirty minutes, before she was called to answer a few questions about Lex's medical history and insurance. Elaina didn't know if Lex had insurance, and anyway, since she had given a false name, it wasn't like they would have been able to use it. All her answers were as vague as possible, giving Lex the name of Jane Hunter. The name of a girl Elaina had gone to school with, was the best she could come up with on the fly. She also claimed to have left their IDs in their room and no she didn't think her friend had insurance. The injury had been from a hiking accident, no she didn't know what she cut herself on, only that she had fallen and gotten hurt. She ignored the strange looks she received at her answers, it was the best she could come up with on the spot and they would just have to accept it.

Elaina sat in the waiting room a little while later, staring blankly across from her as the TV overhead played some old sitcom on a low volume. She couldn't make out the words but could hear the whispers from the other people waiting to be taken in or waiting for their loved ones around her. One by one, they came and went, and still she sat there. Hours passed.

Anxiety, had her bouncing her knee impatiently. She wasn't sure how long it would be until they were found. Or if anyone was even looking for them. It had only been a day since the crash. Two days since Lex was injured. It all seemed like a lifetime ago though. So much had happened in such a short span of time, she could hardly keep it all straight.

It wasn't until almost three am, that her name was finally called. Elaina stood quickly and approached the doctor who stood at the door waiting for her. He looked at his clip board before looking at her. "You came with Jane in the ambulance, correct?"

Elaina nodded jerkily, feeling her frayed nerves strain under exhaustion and weariness. It had been too long since she ate anything. Too long since she slept. It was a wonder how she could stay upright before the man, as he led her back into the Emergency room.

"Your friend is stable. We managed to get her on antibiotics, and she seems to be responding to the medication well," the man explained as they walked along the brightly lit hallway. They passed several closed doors.

"We had to cut away some of the infection in your friend's leg to prevent gangrene, though. We will have her stay for a few days to watch her recovery, and to watch for sepsis. You can see her for a moment, but she's heavily sedated right now."

Elaina nodded to everything the man said as they stopped outside a room. He gave her a firm look as if assessing her own health and wellbeing, before deciding she was fit to enter further. "Don't be alarmed, but your friend is under some heavy medication, so we have her set up on a ventilator to help her breathe."

Again, Elaina nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak out loud without giving away just how scared she really was. The man opened the door and allowed her to step inside. "I will give you a few minutes," he reminded her. Before closing the door.

Elaina stood there for a moment, her eyes staring at her friend laying in the hospital bed. Between blinks, her friend went from laying there hooked up to machines, her heart monitor beeping steadily, to the horrific scene she came across back in the hospital room in Gunnison. Only instead of some pregnant stranger, it was Lex laying there with her stomach ripped open.

"Lex," she cried out before she could stop herself, her eyes blinking rapidly, and the image faded away into the recesses of her mind.

She breathed out a startled breath and flinched as the monitor beeped loudly in the otherwise silent room. There was a soft rumble from the ventilator, but it was soothing in its continued noise compared to the shrill beep of the machine that tracked her friend's heartbeat.

Elaina staggered forward a few steps, before stopping at the edge of the bed. Lex looked sickly, her dark mocha skin washed out against the bright white sheets and gown they had dressed her in. Her leg was elevated and casted over to keep it stable. She wondered briefly how much of the infection had consumed her friend's leg. Would she be able to walk? Run?

Oh god, would she ever be able to climb again? Lex's passion was climbing and hiking in the wilderness. Braving rough conditions. Despite the horror of Bovetoya Island, she hadn't allowed it to ruin her love for extreme climbing. Elaina would never be able to forgive herself, if Lex lost all that.

Tears filled her eyes, and she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Oh god Lex I'm so sorry," she said on a sob. "This is all my fault. I dragged you into this mess."

Tears fell from her eyes and stained the crisp white bedding that covered her friend. Snot bubbled from her nose as she hiccupped, with a sob choking her, and she wiped at her face. Dropping down into a crouch next to the bed, she buried her face against the rough white blanket. "I don't deserve you, or your friendship. I take you for granted and drag you into my mess, just like my father did on Bovetoya Island." Another sob broke through, cutting off her words as she cried. "I lose everyone I care about, my father, Terminator, Ci'tde, and- oh god I can't lose you too Lex. Please- please get better."

It was selfish, she knew, to beg her friend to not leave her alone in this world. But she couldn't help it. She drowned herself in the despair, begging for anyone who would listen, to not take her friend. A few minutes passed; the doctor having poked his head in for a moment as she grieved and decided to give them a few more minutes alone. After a while, her tears dried up and she stood there beside her friend.

They couldn't stay here. But there was no way she could sneak Lex out now, not in this condition. She would be safe here, right? Under the false name, no one would find her or link them together. She had to be safe here. It was the only hope Elaina had, that whoever was hunting them, would not know who Jane Hunter really was, if they had traced the emergency call.

Thinking over her options, Elaina could only see one that would give Lex the best possible chance to recover. Elaina would have to leave her.

Elaina gripped her friend's hand, and the feeling of the lax limb hanging there, caused her heart to lodge itself in her throat. "And you call me stupid and reckless. God Lex why didn't you tell me." Elaina bit her bottom lip to keep anymore tears at bay. "Get better alright. I'll come find you when its safe, okay."

Her grip tightened for a moment, before releasing it, and letting it rest back on the bed. She backed away a few steps, her eyes taking in her friend's prone form, before finally turning away and slipping out of the room. She walked numbly down the hallway, her mind elsewhere.

No one seemed to bother her as she walked the loop around the ER, passing the empty nurse's station for a second time, before stopping at a vending machine. The hospital seemed awfully empty, and even with how late it was, that was rather unusual. Elaina was trying to work up the nerve to leave Lex behind and make a run for it. It would be safer for Lex if she put some distance between them.

She slipped in a dollar's worth of quarters into the machine and selected a snickers bar. She bent down to retrieve her snack, her stomach growling as the smell of chocolate assaulted her nose when she opened the plastic. It was as she was taking a bite and chewing that a thought crossed her mind.

The nurse's station shouldn't have been empty.

A sharp prick at her neck, had her dropping the half-eaten candy bar in surprise and reaching up to the assaulted spot, as if it would stop whatever liquid was being injected into her system. Immediately, she swayed on her feet, and hands grabbed her, easing her into a wheelchair. She tried to fight the hands that handled her, but whatever they had injected her with seemed to have an immediate effect on her body and it was all rather futile. Regardless, she tried to claw at the hands that lingered on her as they helped her sit down and direct her feet into the stirrups.

"There we go Miss Elli, safe and sound," the woman cooed from behind her, but Elaina couldn't turn her head to see who it was that spoke.

Her body felt heavy, leaving her slumped in the seat. Her eyelids drooped and it took everything she had to open them again. They were moving through the halls of the hospital now, a nurse passing them, didn't pause or hesitate when she glanced their way, but kept on walking.

"Just sleep dear, there is no use fighting it really."

She must have made a sound, causing the woman to laugh softly. "I know, you're not the first one to call me a bitch, and you will probably not be the last."

The wheelchair was rolling towards the heavy doors that lead out of the ER. At least that was something. Maybe they didn't know Lex was here. Whoever this was, might have even been only after her. She could only hope they left Lex alone.

Cold air blasted her face, but she barely felt it against the numbness that had settled over her, leaving her feeling like dead weight. There was a black SUV parked out front and the woman guided the wheelchair right to it.

The door opened to a darkness that terrified Elaina. From within something stirred, and she could have sworn she heard a hiss, but it wasn't possible.

They were dead. They were all dead!

Tears pooled in her eyes, just as her eyelids closed on the shape forming in the doorway.

After that, she only knew darkness.

Revised 3/13/22

Inky out