Snake and I were doing well, having walked for about three or four hours. My legs were now numb, I preferred that other the pain and aching that the constant walking caused them.
Snake was leading me back toward the city, or at least that is what I think he has been doing. More and more we started to stumble across dirt roads and small cabins or shacks built within the forest. Eventually I could see the giant lake in the distance and the surroundings began to look familiar.
"Can you swim?" I asked Snake.
He looked at me and did a very slight nod then pointed his head back to the direction he wanted me to go. I obeyed and walked the way he wanted me to.
I smiled once we made it to the edge of the forest and walked across a large field. It was definitely my city; I could see all the military vehicles still spread out among the streets and all the tall buildings. My parents used to work in one of those buildings.
The memories tried to enter my head, but I shook them out. I ignored the military vehicles, bodies and buildings around me and continued to go where Snake told me to go. The smell was awful. Burned flesh, gas and some pungent smell I had never smelled before. I pinched my nose and hurried to get out of the area.
It was still extremely quiet. It bugged me, but Snake seemed calm so I tried to be like him. "Snake, where are we going anyway?" I asked, looking at him. He kept his head forward and made a low hiss, almost like he thought that it was a stupid question to ask.
'Well it kind of was a stupid question... He can't even talk...' I sighed "Sorry."
I walked past a bunch of human corpses and tried not to look at them. I lowered my head and stared at my feet until I heard Snake growl. I ignored him at first and continued to walk, I still covered my nose to stop the smells.
Snake growled again, louder this time. "What?" I asked him before looking up and seeing two Xenomorphs crawling around the buildings ahead. I let go of my nose and covered my mouth to stop myself from gasping
The Xenomorphs noticed one another and ran over to each other, both making loud growls as the did so. It was strange. One seemed to be crawling on all fours while the other stood upright, back hunched over and tail sliding along the concrete road.
I ran to the side of a nearby building before they noticed me. I crouched and glanced around the corner. "What do we do?" I whispered, hoping Snake would somehow get us out of this problem again.
Snake slithered down my arm and out into the middle of the road, I was about to run and stop him but was scared they would see me. Snake screeched and the two Xenomorphs came running to him, they stared down at him and hissed.
I sat there completely confused at the sight. A little snake talking to two massive fully grown Xenomorphs that were listening to it. Snake growled a few times and the Xenomorphs turned around to leave. The one that was crawling sped off quickly while the standing paused for a moment.
Sssssss. The sound that came out of its throat was enough to send chills down my spine. The Xenomorph then followed the crawling one and eventually they both ran out of sight. That was when I noticed something about Snake, he had darkened in colour. He was a pale colour when I had first found him but now, he was starting to turn grey.
Snake slithered back to me and up my arm. "You are one very magical Snake." I took time to admire his now darker skin, scanning him from his head to his tail. 'Maybe he's going to shed soon? Snakes do that right?'
I decided to wait another few minutes before getting back up on my feet. 'Are snakes able to talk to the Xenomorphs? Or maybe they're also reptiles. Weird.'
I decided to shrug off the odd new colouring and the weird encounter. Instead of walking on the road, I went through backyards and buildings knowing that it was probably safer than being right in the open.
'Well I know for a fact that no one survived the Xenomorph attack here. I wonder if the whole world is under attack by these things... Well... that might get interesting if it was. At least then I wouldn't be the only one alone in the forest talking to a messed-up Snake.'
Every time I took a step it felt like hours were going by, it was beginning to annoy me. I knew for a fact that I was going to need to grab a watch once we found one. 'If only Snake could talk, at least then I would know where we are going and if we are close to it by now.'
Snake bit my shoulder. "Ow!" I glared at him "Knock it off!"
He stared back at me then looked forward. I looked up to see a massive Wal-Mart in front of my face, "Oh... I forgive you for biting me again Snake."
He nuzzled his head against mine and I chuckled. I walked into the store, it was dark, but my eyes quickly adjusted. Before I went to search for anything I did a sweep of the entire place, there were no Xenomorphs or humans around from what I could tell. Once I knew that it was safe I took out my shopping list and looked around.
The store was raided at one point, food was taken, glass was shattered and the guns in the sports section were all gone. There were some spots on the ground where I could see spots of red, I tried to think that it was just red paint instead of blood.
I was looking through the kid's aisle trying to find a good backpack. Snake had slithered down my arm and was next to me, he was looking at all the backpacks too. "See any good ones?" I asked him.
Snake looked side to side for a second then hurried to a black backpack. I ran up to him and stared at the backpack, it was black with three large front pockets and four smaller pockets on the sides. "You like this one?" Snake nodded. "Well okay than, this is my new backpack."
I grabbed it, ripped off the shopping tag and swung it onto my back. I looked back at my list. "Hmm food, we need food."
I walked down some more aisles and looked for food that I knew wouldn't go bad for a long time. Most foods expired in either a couple months or the most, a year. There wasn't much choice either due to most of the food already being taken.
I sighed and looked down at Snake. "Candy seems like a good idea at this moment, nothing here lasts a long time, or it needs to be cooked..."
Snake hissed and I followed him toward the cereal. I grabbed all the kinds that expired in about a year, even the kinds I hated I took. I put the backpack on the ground and shoved some of the cereal into it.
'Okay I got cereal, now I need different kinds of food.' I walked into the meat aisle which seemed to drive Snake insane. He ran into the meat and tore into it. I stared at him with puzzlement then walked away to the other aisles. "You enjoy yourself Snake!" I called out as I stepped into the canned foods aisle.
It took a moment to realize that the smell of the meat was horrid. 'Ew! If he likes rotten meat that's just gross! I guess he has to eat eventually though.' It made me wonder how long time had really passed since the Xenomorphs showed up considering the meat had already gone bad.
I grabbed some canned corn and green peas, looking for the ones that took the longest to expire. I put them into my backpack, looked down at my list and wandered off to the electronics section. I picked up two flashlights and got some extra batteries. Then I started to look around for a decent watch. I found a black one with a silver rim showing a digital display. I looked at the other clocks and watches and assumed that the times were all correct. I wrapped the watch around my wrist and made sure it was snug.
After walking down several wrong aisles, I eventually found three lighters and a pack of matches in the camping section. I put them into the smaller pocket of my backpack and finally went looking for water bottles. "Snake!" I yelled to see if he would hear me. "I'm almost done with the stuff! You better be done eating!"
I walked down an area full of fabric and instantly stopped. I had to feel every single one I saw, ever since I was six years old it had become habit to touch anything that looked soft. Everything felt so good, some were silky and others fluffy, but most were just smooth.
I grabbed a piece of fabric and rubbed my face against it. 'So soft' It reminded me of home and just for a moment, I felt like I was there again in my bed.
"I think I'll take this one. It'll be good for a blanket." I whispered to myself as I lifted the fabric to test how big it was. I wrapped it around my body and tested the warmth. 'Perfect!'
I peered over at the tag: "Fleece – Green." I nodded in approval and folded the fabric before trying to put it in my bag. My backpack was beginning to bulge out now. It wasn't heavy, but it took forever to shove my new blanket into it. I moved a few things around and made sure that the blanket fit inside. Finally, I adjusted the straps of the backpack so that it was comfortable before going on to find water.
'Is this considered stealing?' I thought to myself but ignored the fact that this was kind of stealing. I didn't think it mattered anymore because no one was running the store anyway. 'And this is survival.'
I found a fridge and took five of the water bottles inside, they were warm now since the fridge didn't work anymore. I put them into the pockets of my backpack and decided to sit down to take a small break.
Digging through my bag, I grabbed a box of cereal and took one of the bottles of water. I leaned up against the fridge as I enjoyed the food. 'I have never wanted water this bad before.' My legs still ached but now that I hadn't been running constantly, they were starting to get better.
I spent awhile eating. I wanted to relax as much as possible so my legs could finally get a break, but I knew I had to find Snake. Reluctantly, I packed up what was left of the cereal and water, throwing the box to the side knowing that it was only going to take up space; with a sigh I got up.
Snaaake!" I called as I walked back towards the meat department. No reply. "Snake!" I called again. No reply again, not even a quiet hiss. I sighed and muttered quietly "He probably can't hear me."
As I approached the department, I could already smell the rotten meat and had to pinch my nose. It was even worse than before. There was meat everywhere, most was brown and sloshy on the floor.
I gagged at the sight. I looked around but couldn't see Snake anywhere. "Snake?" I whispered, "Where are you?" I put my backpack on the floor, far away from the disgusting meat. I squinted into the darkness but couldn't see anything, so I grabbed one of the flashlights from the pockets before going to search for Snake.
I flicked the flashlight on and looked around, immediately I noticed an odd shape on the ground that looked almost exactly like Snake. I went up and crouched next to it. It really did look like him, only it was hollow and slightly transparent. I poked it and quickly moved my hand back as it made a crunching sound.
I squinted and stared at the thing. 'Oh! Maybe Snake really did just need to shed.' I got up to look for any other signs of him. As soon as I got up, I heard a noise come from the counter beside me.
I looked at it and stood on the tips of my toes to try and look behind it. I smiled with excitement, "Snake?" I called out to him, leaning forward to try and get a better look. "Is that you?"
What I saw was not Snake but a Xenomorph. It crawled up onto the counter and stared at me. Its claws dangled over the edge of the counter as it leaned forward slightly. Its teeth were bared, and it was hissing.
I stared with shock and backed up quickly before freezing in place. I could feel myself shaking, my bones rattling to the point I felt I was going to fall over. My breathing got rapid and I stumbled back. Tears began to roll down my face the more I stared at the monster.
I remembered my parents and how my mother had been this close to one and killed. I could smell the burning flesh mixing with the rotten meat. I was too scared to even throw up and time seemed to move in slow motion. Snake was gone now or most likely dead and now this creature was looking at me like I was its next meal.
A scream left my throat and I turned to run away. Once I was around the waist high open freezer the Xenomorph immediately screeched and pounced at me. I heard it land on the ground and its claws tapped against the tiled floor beneath it.
I began to sprint as fast as I could but there was nothing in the path of the Xenomorph to stop it.
I looked over my shoulder to see it quickly gaining. It leapt into the air, its claws reaching for me. I yelped and cried with pain as it slammed me into the ground. We slide across the floor for a few feet and I groaned in pain. The Xenomorph was now on top of me, staring into my eyes.
I cried out in horror and thrashed against it, kicking and punching at it has much as I could. The Xenomorph pinned my arms and lowered its head. It hissed and nuzzled its head against mine.
It stopped its nuzzling and stood still, its lips concealing the sharp teeth within. I was panting, terrified and felt uneasy shivers run down my spine. 'Wha- Wha.'
I sniffed and stared at it, unsure what to think. I breathed heavily and said in a shaky voice "Sn... Sna... Snake?"
The Xenomorph nodded and grinned at me. Mixed emotions clouded my mind, I didn't know if I should be angry or happy. "W-What?" I struggled to lift my arms and Snake then got off me. I quickly stood up, still shaking as the adrenaline hadn't worn off. "You were a Xenomorph this whole time?"
He stood on his back legs with his head lowered a bit. He was at least three feet taller then me, he had a rib cage like chest and I could see all the bones which creeped me out.
I wiped my tear-filled eyes and clenched my fists, feeling a surge of anger rush over me. 'He's not like them... don't be mad at him he didn't do anything to you. He helped you remember?' I shook my head. 'Yeah, he's good. He's not a bad one.'
I steadied my breathing and untensed my hands before trying to smile back at him. Snake made a sniffing type sound and tilted his head, teeth still shinning with what would be his smile.
"You're not a Snake anymore," I said, looking from his tail to the top of his head, "So what do I call you now?"