Tiredly blinking his eyes open, Tomak could see he was instilled in darkness, but with his vision that wasn't an issue. The real problem was his limited movement. He could not only feel a throbbing sensation in his shoulder and leg, but now he was aware of an aching pain in his back and a slight sting emanating from his left mandible.

Overall, he felt weak. The one thing yautja were not.

A growl bubbled forth from his chest as he gently moved his throbbing leg to hang over the side of the pallet, his arm automatically adjusting to support him as he feebly attempted to get up.

Instantly, bright lights flashed into his dilated pupils. On instinct, he jerked himself upright, prepared to fight, but sharp pain shot through his quivering muscles, like a blade churning in his flesh. He roared in agony and rage, then fell backwards onto the soft mattress.

The shadow of his executioner quickly came to stand over him, blocking the light from his eyes. As his own body betrayed him, he waited tensely for his swift demise to come.

In Rae's opinion, the alarm system had worked perfectly!

Just before falling into an exhausted slumber, she managed to get her hands on some fishing line. Then after tying it around his wrists and ankles, she attached them to the light switch. The line was tight enough that with enough movement he would flick the lights on. Of course, for it to work, she had to open up the plate of the light switch and rotate it so the switch itself was upside down. If he moved, the toggle on the wall would flick downward and the luminous gleam of the light fixture would wake her.

And thankfully it did. She watched in fear as the massive alien abruptly sat up, hissing and snarling like a dragon, before delivering a roar that would have jarred her senses had adrenaline not already been rushing through her veins from her abrupt awakening.

He then collapsed on the bedding, like a boulder crashing down on its final resting place. Rae had no doubt the springs in the mattress were crushed from his immense weight, but there were more pressing matters at hand. She was really praying he hadn't impaired the progress she had hoped to achieve in rapid health regeneration. If he had, she wasn't sure she could perform the same stimulated healing she had hours ago. She was limited in her abilities with little control over them. She had doubts of it working on him due to him being, whatever he was, but she was thankful it all worked out in the end.

Running to the bedside, and ignoring the heavy protest of her aching muscles, Rae prepared for the worst. But it was his harsh lion-like eyes that caught her attention more so than his injuries. So full of hatred. It reminded her of someone she knew, someone she never wanted to be reacquainted with again. She forced herself to look away.

In all honesty, she took pity on him. He was either a fugitive of a lab experiment that went terribly wrong or he was not from this world. Either way, he was in an unknown place, injured, and helpless. Well… not completely helpless, she reminded herself. After all, he too inflicted wounds on her as a testimony to that fact.

Anger was a powerful ally. She knew from experience. But she was also aware that given time, that powerful emotion would eventually fatigue you, leaving you alone and broken. But there was something about the way he accepted his fate with dignity that struck her. She could almost tell that as long as he lived, he would not be broken without a fight. Perhaps that's what she liked about him. He was stubborn, much like herself.

As his eyes continued to glare daggers at her, Rae shook her head, "Don't look at me like that," she spoke in a chiding tone. Hoping to impart that she didn't pose a threat, her voice softened tremendously, "If I wanted you dead, I would have left you out there in the cold, not carry your heavy backside up the mountain to perform life-saving surgery on. So, if you could do less glaring, and actually let me assess the extent of your injuries, we might get along better," she insisted. When he didn't move or speak, she sighed. "Please?" she urged, with a slight raise of her eyebrows.

She watched in amusement as he turned his head away with a growl. Was he always so moody?

Thinking she had permission, Rae went to adjust his leg. However, as she did so, he snarled ferociously and snatched her wrist in a vice, unforgiving grip. She cried out as his hold got impossibly tighter, then her eyes grew wide when he hissed inches from her face, "Toucccchhh meee and die."

She tried pulling away from his hot pungent breath, clenching her teeth in outrage. Only after giving his gruff command did he release his hold on her. She roughly tugged her hand away and rubbed at her aching wrist.

The sudden anger, flashing like unbearable heat through her arm made her react. Without thought, Rae extended her arm with her palm facing towards him. The male visibly stiffened, seeing her threatening stance. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she saw a hint of fear in his facial features as her palm began to glow a bright gold. Oddly, seeing his tension felt good, it made her feel powerful, like nothing could hurt her.

But as quickly as the feeling came, it passed. She blinked out of what felt like a horrible daze. Lowering her arm, Rae stumbled backwards, hitting her back against the wall. It was then that she realized what she almost did. Immense guilt washed over her.

Rae dropped to her knees with tears streaming from her eyes, the memories were flooding back, like a swarm of wasps attacking from every angle. The voices of her past were back to haunt her, never giving her peace of mind. Each voice was a sting to the heart, tearing her apart from the inside. "I'm sorry," she spoke through her tears, unsure if she was speaking to the people of her past or the lizard man in the present.

So much pain had been inflicted on those closest to her. There were so many mistakes, too numerous to count. She deserved these nightmares; they were compensation for her betrayal all those years ago. Her heart throbbed with every attack, threatening to drive her into an emotional shipwreck.

Then all of a sudden, there was a sound, a soothing one that she didn't recognize. It seemed to move through the merciless swarm like a protective wave, blocking their blows and nulling the noise in her head. The sound was calming, like a mother's voice to their infant, or the singsong chirping of morning birds in a beautiful forest setting. It took her pain away almost instantly. And when she found herself back in the master bedroom, she found the sound to still be present in reality.

Raising her teary eyes higher, she traced the sound to the last creature on earth she ever expected to take pity on her. The monster that had threatened her just moments ago was purring.

She didn't know why or how, but he was purring for her. She dried her face with her wrist and shakily stood, still making eye contact with the beast before her. When the purring sound ceased, Rae slowly backed away, nodding unknowingly before making a brisk exit, only catching a glimpse of him as the door closed with a soft click.

As dangerous as it was to leave him alone, she had to get away. Her mind needed release. Grabbing her torn jacket and a backpack, she sauntered outside into the winter forest. Her body craved fresh air while her mind filled with confusion and fear. Rae needed to escape her troubled past by filling her mind with other things, like finding answers.

Where did this monster come from? What was he doing here? Why did he try to kill her? Flashbacks and questions threatened to give her a headache, so she trudged through the snow in the direction they were last. Rae sighed hopelessly, realizing no matter how hard she tried, trouble always found her.

The trucks were packed and ready to roll at the Colonel's signal. Each one was filled with water and food for the small community affected. There was no telling the damage until they saw it for themselves.

The driver to one of the last rigs lined up in the parking lot, sighed deeply as he stretched the tight muscles in his lower back from sitting too long. He watched carefully as half a dozen uniformed men ran in two columns, jogging to their assigned transport. One by one they disappeared into the back of the covered vehicles, no doubt briefed on what their mission would entail.

All of them had heard of the reports of an earthquake that didn't act like the standard earthquake. There were no aftershocks, which lead to their suspicions of there being some sort of meteor crash or even a power plant explosion that they were not aware of, but nothing was lighting up over the news. It was a strange case indeed.

Gabriel Brown, the driver, guzzled down some more of his beer, careful to not be noticed by anyone in passing. It had been a long day and, in his opinion, there was no better time to have a drink than now, besides it would take more than a little beer to make him unfit to drive.

Suddenly, the truck shook and groaned, then voices of soldiers filled his ears. It seemed the troops assigned to his rig were ready to go. "About time," he muttered under his breath, starting up the truck as the other vehicles did the same.

The old thing rattled and rolled with a vibrating roar of the engine, before he put it into gear, following the line of trucks ahead of him. In under an hour, they would be at the scene, aiding the public where it was needed and hopefully getting down to the bottom of this mystery.

Gabriel sighed when he heard a heated discussion behind him, followed by a barrage of inappropriate jabs, and then laughter. It appeared he received the younger recruits. "What joy," he grumbled sarcastically, going ahead and taking another well-deserved swig of his beer. It would be a long drive there and back.

It had been an hour now and Rae had no idea where she was being led, but she had faith in her ability. Once when she went camping with Naomi, they had gotten lost after a particularly long and strenuous hike. Together they strived to find a road or a building so they could work their way back to camp. Oddly enough, Rae discovered that when she was tired, her body worked like a compas, detecting nearby energy signatures. Naomi believed she had an incredible sense of direction, which led them to a gas station, but really it was Rae's hidden power that saved them that day.

Today would be no different. At least, that was the hope.

She raised her palm to feel for the warm magnetic pull of the energy source she felt earlier. It must have been close otherwise the pulse would have been too faint to detect had it been miles away. As she neared the mysterious source, she made sure to leave small indicative marks on the trees. She had no intentions of getting lost on the round trip.

Within minutes, the pull of whatever she had been following was stronger than ever, and the sudden sighting of downed trees suggested that whatever it was hadn't originally been there before. Her boots crunched loudly in the snow as she hesitantly approached. She never did consider if there were more of him out there, watching and waiting to finish what big, tall, and ugly started. When Rae finally came to the clearing her mouth parted in disbelief, her brows furrowing with her rising temper.

There was nothing there!

"You have got to be kidding me!" she yelled, kicking an upheaved root in anger. "For once, why can't something go right for me?!"

Rae was so tired and frustrated, for good reason too. She had come here with her friend to escape her sorrows and to find refreshment. Yet so far, she was forced to endure the company of a complete stranger, get kidnapped and almost killed by a reptilian monster, and now here she was shivering in the middle of nowhere without any positive results for her endeavors.

Stomping out of the tree line and into the open, Rae continued to announce her complaints to the world. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" In an angry brisk walk, she continued to yell, "All this just to— Oof!" Rae backpedaled, rubbing her tender forehead with a wide-eyed expression. Just another bruise to add to the list. Shaking off her initial reaction and ignoring her throbbing head, she returned her attention to the vacant space in front of her. Cautious, she shakily reached out with both hands and took a few steps forward, feeling for the object she hit.

When her fingers miraculously disappeared, they immediately touched something cold and metallic, she gasped, retracting her hand to look it over. It was unscathed!

An invisible shield? she wondered as she boldly went to touch it once more. She saw it flicker briefly as her hand vanished a second time. Maybe shield wasn't the right word being that she was able to go right through it, but whatever it was, it reminded her of the same invisible device that concealed her reptilian guest.

Firmly placing both hands against the invisible structure, Rae felt along the sides, curiosity taking full effect. With her hands guiding her, Rae moved along it's cold surface, detecting vertical indentations every few paces.

The same foreign energy she felt from the bomb was present here, she could feel it. She shivered recalling the raw power, his inhuman strength. Both were clearly not from this world.

Is it just like the movies? Is Earth in the path of a hostile race that plans to invade? Could he perhaps be an alien scout, evaluating the level of danger before the others come? Just as her mind was dwindling down that dark path, Rae's leg hit something solid that made her lose balance, sending her sprawling sideways on a hard grated platform!

She groaned, leaning on her battered forearms as she slowed her racing heart. When she opened her eyes and lifted her head, a gasp left her lips. She scrambled to get back up, her brain still not registering what she was seeing.

Standing upright, she continued to blink as if there was something obstructing her eyes. She peered ahead, continually soaking in every exquisite detail. Her mouth parted, as she climbed the ramp, only stopping when she reached the top.

Her eyes widened.

It was a ship alright, a creepy one. As she peeked her head inside, she immediately noticed the cables hanging from the ceiling, their exposed wires sparking in the darkness, only giving her brief glimpses of the interior before going pitch black. She shivered. Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, she took a leap of courage and stepped inside the vessel.

Lights flicked on instantly.

She screamed, almost jumping out of her skin. If something else was living here, it most definitely knew of her presence now. Frozen in place, Rae waited expectantly for that something to jump out and scare her. But nothing did. At least not yet. Perhaps it was waiting for a more opportune moment to strike, or maybe there really wasn't anything at all, just her cruel imagination playing tricks.

With the lights now on, Rae could see things much clearer. The entire interior was metallic, with varying shades of gray, giving the ship a more modern and advanced appearance. But the fog that floated along the floor still gave it that alien touch, reminding her of the danger she could still very well be in. However, as renewed curiosity took further root, her fears slowly nulled into barely audible whispers.

Rae moved about, wafting the fog so it playfully danced around her legs. Her sudden interest led her deeper into the spacious room, where she then noticed crates of all sizes stacked and sorted, with giant cargo nets, like the ones in truck beds, holding them down.

Rae was almost tempted to crack one open but decided otherwise at the disturbing thought of an otherworldly creature jumping out and attacking her. She shuffled away from the potentially dangerous crates, careful to avoid the cables, when suddenly a hidden door slid open with a hiss.

It startled her, but only for a moment. She frowned examining the new entryway. "Motion sensored?" she murmured, praying nothing opened it for her.

As she peered into the next room, she started second guessing herself, "This is crazy. I can't go in there, what if it's booby-trapped?" She bit down on her lip, debating it. This is a one in a lifetime chance to explore an alien spaceship and you are going to chicken out?! Then again, it might end up being the last memory you'll ever have, she argued. Was it worth the risk? The longer Rae stared at the entrance, the clearer her choice was. "Just a quick peek," she decided, entering the wide corridor with careful alertness.

The next room was not far, and it was equal in size, if not larger than the cargo area.

This was obviously the flight deck or whatever aliens called it because on the opposite side of the room was an impressive window that took up the majority of the far wall. It was like a giant windshield.

Stepping out into the vast space, Rae's eyes immediately locked onto a dark chair that sat in front of a long, sleek, panel. Her boots echoed like thunder with every step she took, edging ever closer to the foreign technology. As she neared, she saw the faint shimmer of blue and white lights dancing over its dark surface.

The dark chair placed behind the technological wonder was just massive. There was no other way to describe it. The chair put Captain Kirk's to shame. The alien markings decorating its arm rests looked like it was designed for a king. Even the padding felt deceivingly comfortable as her palm smoothed over the seat. It was undoubtedly the softest leather she had ever felt, with a distinct scaly pattern of whatever creature wore it as a hide.

Taking a moment to truly marvel at the room as a whole, it was beyond anyone's imagination. It seemed so surreal to her! The flashing lights, the cutting-edge technology, the spurts of fog coming out of the floor vents. How many could say they saw the inside of a legit alien spaceship?!

At the time, Rae considered those who claimed they were abducted to be mentally ill and in need of attention to make up such ridiculous lies, but now it was believable.

Returning her attention to what was before her, a smile pulled at the corner of her lips. Her fingers ran down the cold metallic edge of the panel as she examined all the intriguing buttons that screamed to be pushed. On the flat screen above them were holographic images that sparked her curiosity. As jagged lines of an alien language ran across the screen, Rae leaned forward, studying its characters in detail. From past experience, she understood the meaning of some logographic languages, such as Chinese. The characters they used were made up of radicals which gave the word or phrase different meanings. However, Chinese linguistics appeared to be vastly different to what she was seeing here.

Quickly losing interest in deciphering the tricky symbols, Rae stood up and peered over at the large seat next to her. The temptation to sit in it was eating away at her resolve. She bit her lip and after staring at it for a bit, decided it wouldn't hurt.

Now, wanting to sit in it was one thing, but actually getting in it was another. It wasn't as easy as she originally thought as it was meant for someone much taller than herself. Had she known this from the start, she might not have attempted it.

Raising both hands to hold onto the arms, Rae jumped up, not expecting the seat to swivel as she did. As she let go to ready herself again, the side of her thumb accidentally swiped over something hard and cold. In her haste she felt it click from the pressure. Straight after doing so, another door opened with a loud pressurized hiss.

The unexpected sound alarmed Rae as she carefully faced the new entrance with caution. There was no telling if it really was her that opened it, or if it was a mere coincidence.

It seemed her personal tour was not done.

As Rae came to understand, the corridors were much the same, nothing new or scary about them, other than lights flickering on and off on occasion, but her sense of dread was lessening the more she pushed herself to explore.

That was until she discovered the alien's quarters.

When the lights came on Rae froze in terror. For a brief second, she stopped breathing. Surrounding the monster's bed was a wall filled from top to bottom, with pearl white skulls. To her, the hum of the ship was nothing but distant noise that was drowned out by her own heartbeat.

This room was filled with death.

Her eyes frightfully roamed over one skull to the next, their eye sockets although empty, were staring right through her soul. It was clear now that she was dealing with a being that was not only superior but known to other races across the universe as a monster that hunted for sport.

The skulls of beasts he had successfully taken down in the past were as big if not bigger than her! And to think she left him alone with his weapons!

When her eyes traveled to the bed itself, she gagged, covering her mouth with her hand. Human skulls lined the headboard. Rae was trembling in fear and disgust, now realizing that this is where her skull would have likely been placed had she lost that confrontation yesterday.

And yet she still wasn't safe, she had saved that monster's life and put her own in jeopardy once again. "What have I done?" she whispered in dread.

Author's Note

Apologies if updates are a little slow, I promise you it's not writer's block, just an insanely busy schedule. But I will try to be regular about posting. Anyway, I am trying to gauge what all of you are thinking in respects to the story so I can better judge how to go about revealing things to you in future updates. As much as I would like to be able to read minds, I cannot. So please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns! And thanks to everyone that shared their thoughts on the POV matter! Much appreciated ;)