Prey

I awoke to the sound of screaming alarms. Red light bathed my cell as the alarms sounded, the sound grating to my sensitive ears.

Sitting up in my bed I sat on the edge and surveyed my surroundings. My cell door was wide open, the red flashing lights of the alarms in the corridor outside and the heavy thuds of boots ran by erratically. The white walls were a blur as I raced to the doorway to inspect what was going on.

Outside the corridor was in chaos, soldiers running to the right with guns in hand.

"All personnel, report to Hangar Bay 2. All personnel, report to Hangar Bay 2. We have been breached. I repeat. We have been breached." A feminine voice announced over the intercoms throughout the corridor. The soldiers ran faster as they passed, some with clear fear on their faces.

We were being attacked! Was this my chance to get out of here at last? It sure as hell seemed like it!

So much for a military facility being heavily guarded. Ha!

Ducking my head I joined the sea of soldiers. Along the way I took a turn on the left and headed down an empty corridor, the flashing lights messed with my eyes, to my annoyance. This particular corridor was darker, I guessed from not being a critical area, but I could see perfectly fine.

The Weyland-Yutani scientists had done many things to me but for this I was glad. My ocular and auditory senses had increased greatly since I first arrived here. I had hated every moment and now I would be free; if I could navigate my way through the damn maze. Along the way I came across a laundry room where I quickly changed into fatigues but kept my black shoes. I could blend in well enough, at least I hoped.

A deep rumble shook the building followed by a cacophony of screams. Gunfire ticked in the distance.

I needed to get the hell out of here but my curiosity got the better of me. I had to figure out what the hell was going on. My ears picked up on the sounds of war the closer I came to the hangar. These were only sounds I had seen in the movies. It was far scarier in person, though.

The moment I entered I dropped into a fighting stance and kept to the wall as I surveyed the...not battle...but slaughter. Horror filled me as I stepped over mutilated corpses and body parts. My instincts were going nuts, my mind unable to process what the signals were saying.

I could only decipher that something deadly was here and that I should be running, not running towards the danger.

Smoke filled most of the hangar so I barely could see what was going on and who was attacking, slaughtering the soldiers like they were nothing. I vaguely could see a towering figure in the smoke. When soldiers appeared in the smoke, as they tried to take the figure down, they dropped like flies. A body came flying my way but I jumped out of the way, throwing my weight to the left.

What I didn't anticipate was slamming into something hard and metal. The object didn't move as I scrambled away trying to get my bearings, my senses screaming to run. A spine tingling shiver raced through my body as I looked up to see what I had hit.

The smoke cleared enough for visibility to increase. Bullets hit the object and fell to the floor in crumbled bits, the metal acting as armor. It was upon closer inspection that I saw it was armor, black and foreign, similar to greaves. The armor was covered in signs of battle and blood dripped down it onto the floor. A deep guttural growl with chittering interrupted my inspection and forcing me to look up at last.

I backed away hissing and returning my own growl, albeit far less threatening than the beast's that stood a few feet taller than me.

Before me, standing around seven feet tall and some odd inches, was an absolutely shredded beast of a creature. Parts of its body was covered in the black armor covering its dark mottled skin. It's skin was dark green and black, like a natural camouflage but darker and with scales. Various weapons were strapped to its belted waist, two long jagged blades extended from a wrist gauntlet dripping with fresh blood. A few bones and skulls adorned the belt with netting covering the skin of its body that was exposed.

It wore a sinister looking mask with glowing red eyes that were shiny leading to jagged points at the top edge of it where black dreads cascaded down to its shoulders and stopping mid-chest. Various adornments decorated the dreads in different metals that had carved symbols. It's hands were tipped with wicked looking claws and covered partially with gloves. Sitting on its shoulder was a weird futuristic looking gun.

The beast brought a massive burly arm behind itself in an arc. A body thudded to the ground behind it in a bloody heap, those long wrist blades dripping more now.

"What the fuck are you?" I backed away even more as it took a heavy step in my direction, its head cocking to the side. Its dreads fell to the side cascading onto its heavy shoulders.

To me the beast looked like a Rastafarian alien hulk. It was the best I could describe it as it took on an army by itself. Around me soldiers came up one by one trying to fight it, only to meet the same fate as the others, their bodies falling to the bloody concrete floor.

It was a god damn blood bath. I had to get the hell out of dodge.

I fought my way through the waves of soldiers who tried to capture me, their bodies joining the massacre. My nails dripped in blood as I removed myself from the dangerous position I had gotten in.

The beast followed in my wake. It's heavy footsteps were slow and deliberate.

Finally I had made it to the doorway through the thick smoke and gave a final warning growl to the beast. An explosion knocked it off its feet and I took the opportunity to run.

Again I was blending into the crowd of soldiers as I ran. I finally found an exit sign and bolted in the direction of the arrows on the signs. A door appeared at last, the door heavy and yellow. I grabbed a backpack off a rack filled with supplies for a few days in the woods.

I had been observing soldiers sorting through them when they would babysit me, some being stupid enough to show everything in them. They continued to underestimate me but soon wouldn't have to as I was already kicking down the door, the metal groaning as my foot landed square center. I fought my way through the narrow opening.

Hot air blasted me as I raced into the outdoors. The heat felt good against my skin. I hadn't felt it in so long. The scales on my arms welcomed the sun as I tore through the dense woods.

Freedom. At last.

Not for long, though.

I had a bad feeling. Something told me that beast would come after me.

When it had spotted me it hadn't taken its eyes off of me, choosing to take down soldiers without flinching or looking. It was terrifying.

I just wanted to be free. Free to live. Free to feel the sun on my skin.

I was much changed from when I first was captured but I was still a person, a person who wanted to enjoy living. Too bad this game of cat and mouse would set the course for the rest of my extended life.