My shoes were covered in mud and my soaking wet clothes were starting to irritate me. Xaez was happily walking on the slippery mud as if it was nothing while I slipped once in a while. A few times I had to grab onto a tree to prevent myself from falling, and once I even had to grab onto him.
I was wishing the rain would stop now, it was nice at first but when it didn't stop after a while I just got angry and frustrated. "Xaez, when are we going to get there?" He ignored me, it was probably the third time I had asked that same question.
Grumbling, I crossed my arms and continued to trudge through the mud. I was happy the wind and lightning had died down but the rain was still going strong. 'Stupid weather.' It was good I finally had other things to think about, mainly how to keep myself warm and try not to whine to Xaez when he didn't listen.
Xaez looked back at me, his head lowered, he didn't seem to mind the rain one bit. I still enjoyed watching the sparkly rain drops drip off his head, it made it look like he was sort of drooling.
"We there yet?" I asked again, putting my cut up hands under my arm pits and shivering slightly. I had lost track of time a while ago, not being able to remember how long we had been walking or how far we had gone, not that it mattered.
Xaez made a snorting-like sound and ended with a low long hiss before turning forward and raising his head up a bit. He stood like that for a moment before lowering it and continued his walking. Just now I began to notice the sound his feet made whenever they hit the mud, a low "flop, flop, flop" sound.
I tested to see if my feet made the same sound only to hear squishing. Frowning, I tried to warm myself and chased after Xaez, who had walked quite a bit farther ahead. He abruptly stopped and I ran right into him, causing me to yelp and an irritated growl from Xaez as he looked at me.
"Sorry..." I said quietly before slowly getting up. Xaez stood where he was for a moment but once I was up he then, quite gracefully, leapt up onto the nearest tree and crawled along it and paused at a branch to peer down at me once again.
I just stared right back, unsure on what to do. He beckoned with his head, which I guess meant for me to follow, and he continued his graceful leaping from tree to tree. Sighing, I watched him as I followed at a steady jog. I didn't want to lose sight of him but the rain was making it difficult when it went into my eyes, I had to squint and find the blur that would be him.
He occasionally screeched when I lost sight of him and when I had to stop to see clearly again, I would just follow the sound of his screeches until I could see him perched up in the trees again.
Xaez had stopped and was standing on his back legs, perked up at his full height, he seemed to be looking at something in the distance and sniffing the air. He then made one of the loudest, fiercest screeches I had ever heard.
I screamed, covering my ears to protect them from the ear-piercing screech. He screeched like that for what felt like forever before he stopped and went back on all fours. Irritated, I removed my hands from my ears and glared at him. 'What was that about?'
He turned his head in my direction and sniffed and growled, he then continued on his way, running straight ahead. Now he wasn't waiting for me either. "Xaez!" I yelled and sprinted after him, always having to wipe the water away from my eyes as I ran. "Wait!"
I had tripped and slipped multiple times in the mud and a few times my pistols had fallen out of my pockets. Panicking, I'd search all over the ground trying to find them and as soon as I did I holstered them and took off in the direction Xaez had been going in. I constantly cried out his name in hopes that he'd come back but he never did.
At one point I thought I had completely lost him because I could no longer hear the trees snapping or creaking from him jumping on them, or seeing his blur anywhere. So I stopped, trying to listen to my surroundings in hopes of hearing him. I was disappointed to only hear the sound of the rain. My eyes began to water and I sat down in the dirt, staring at fallen branches and puddles in front of me.
'He left me?' I thought as my tears threatened to run down my cheeks. 'Why would he just leave like that? Maybe he got tired of me complaining? Or he just doesn't want me around now?' I shook my head, trying to think clearly. 'No, why would he wait for me while I was at that camp just to leave me a day after? He's still here. He's going to come back. He always does... I just have to wait.'
So I did. I sat in the mud, the rain still falling hard and making me shiver. I kept my head down, looking at the dirt as the rain drops hit it and I tried not to think of anything else. I didn't want to think about anything. Every time I did my heart would ache and my head began to throb so bad that I'd grab it and try to resist screaming.
Maybe ten or fifteen minutes later I began to hear a few small screeches from the direction ahead of me. I looked up, curious of if it could be Xaez or just any other Xenomorph. I stood up and walked toward the screech. Keeping my hand near my holster just in case I needed my pistol.
I continued to listen and followed the consistent screeches. At this point, I didn't care if it was just another Xenomorph, I could kill it and continue sitting and waiting for Xaez to return again. 'I really do hope it's just him though.'
As I followed the sounds they became louder and knowing that I was getting closer I began to speed up to a jog. In my right hand my pistol, in the left, my combat knife. It took a few minutes before I knew that the Xenomorph would be in eyes sight. Only problem was, I couldn't see it. It should've been right where I was looking, that was where the screeching was coming from anyway.
But nothing was in sight. "Wha-?" I whispered to myself, that's when the screeching stopped. I stood frozen in place, trembling from fear and from being cold. I tried listening to the sounds around me to see if I could pick up any more hissing or screeching.
There was a furious growl that came from behind and I swung around to see a Xenomorph crawl down the tree that was now right in front of me. There was no markings on it so I immediately aimed my pistol at it.
The Xenomorph made it to the ground and, from all fours, looked up at me with a grin. Slowly it began to hiss at me, its teeth baring and either spittle or rain dripping down its maw. I suddenly found myself hissing back at it, making the exact same sound as it had, but I stopped as soon as I realized what I was doing.
Shaking my head I aimed my pistol directly at the head of the creature just as it seemed to want to pounce on me, its front claws raising from the ground and its back legs tensing as it prepared to leap. I didn't even have a second thought, I shot it, and before it could even do anything it flopped to the ground, lifeless.
I let out a tired and chilled sigh and just stood where I was, watching as the Xenomorphs remains began to dissolve the branches and grass, as its acid blood missed with the puddles of rain. A few minutes later there was another hiss and I turned my head to see Xaez, he was standing and looking at the dead Xenomorph, then back at me.
Unfazed, he beckoned with his head to follow. I scanned the trees before doing as he wanted. This time he actually waited, he walked slowly until I caught up before he started to walk faster again.
"Xaez." I said quietly. He turned his head toward me, continuing his walking as he did so. "Where are we going?" My voice trembled just as my body did, I was freezing. My nose was running and I had goose bumps everywhere.
Xaez growled and looked forward again, picking up his pace as I kept up with him.
It was another 10 minute walk before I finally realized where he was actually taking me. We had both just arrived at the edge of the tree line and right in front of me was a town, what looked like a completely deserted town.
'This was where he was taking me?' I looked over at Xaez then back at all the houses. "Come on!" I yelled and sprinted toward the nearest house, I didn't even care about my own safety at this moment. I was cold, and all I wanted to do was be warm again.
The first house I ran into was in horrible condition. As soon as I burst through the door I could see that it was barely holding onto its hinge. There was a hallway that lead to another door and stairs right in front of me. To the right, a kitchen with brown-stained counters and a broken table laying on the floor, and a wide open fridge. Even from the hallway I could smell the moldy food from within. To the left was a living room. It didn't even have any carpet, just concrete, and there was faded grey wallpaper slowly falling from the concrete walls. Good news was though, that there was a fireplace with an old stack of wood to the side of it.
First thing I did was roam the house, searching for blankets or anything else to keep myself warm with. While I wandered around the house it looked as if it had been set on fire once, some of the wallpaper seemed to be stained black from smoke and in some of the rooms items looked charred and burnt.
For a moment, I wondered what had happened to this house, and when it had been set on fire, but I quickly hid the thought as another shiver ran down my spine. I ravaged through every room, searching for anything that would keep me warm. There was only one bedroom, with a double bed and a pink polka dotted blanket scattered onto it.
I grabbed it and sprinted down the stairs to the living room. I laid the blanket out on the concrete and threw my backpack aside and took off my soaking wet clothes as fast as possible. I gently laid my holster and vest down right next to the blanket.
I had remembered reading or being told that you could get hypothermia if you keep on your wet clothes in the cold. As soon as I took off my clothes, leaving me just in my underwear, I felt a bit better and wrapped myself up in the blanket. It was the best feeling I could ever ask for at this moment.
I sat up against the wall and shook violently but was enjoying the soft blanket. I slowly lifted my hands to look at them and my eyes widened as soon as I saw them. They were as white as snow just as I continued to stare at them I began to feel pain rack up my fingers.
Holding back a cry I quickly put my hands into my armpits. I remembered learning how armpits were one of the warmest parts of your body and so far I believed that completely, as soon as my hands where there I began to feel the warmth and the pain began to subside slightly.
I let out a sigh of relief and continued to sit against the wall, constantly shivering.
Xaez had just crawled into the house, he peered over at me and hissed before going to the living room window that was just across from me. He looked out of it, putting his weight on the end of it with his upper arms, almost like a dog. He stood like that, just staring out the window. After some time passed, maybe twenty minutes or so, Xaez let out a very quiet and menacing growl and crawled out of the house once again.
There was now a puddle that formed on the floor where he had stood, the puddle mixed with the one my clothes had made as well.
Realizing that if I just left my clothes on the ground they wouldn't get dry at all, I stood up and was about to pick them up when the fire place came to mind. I stopped and looked over at it. 'Oh my god, if I had a lighter I could make a fire!' Excited, I ran to my backpack and unzipped it. I dug through everything I had, my food, a flash light, and a few other things. 'Ugh!' There was no lighter.
I put the food over by the blanket and stuffed everything else back into my backpack. I raided the house. Throwing things while I checked under them, took out drawers and opening all the cabinets as I searched for a lighter.
As soon as I found one I smiled so much and tried to get it to work. Sparks would fly but it wouldn't actually make a flame. "Why aren't y-?" I spoke quietly to myself as I held it to my ear and shook it. I couldn't hear any of the inner contents swooshing around so I screamed and tossed it toward the nearest wall. Grumbling of why it would be empty, I continued my search.
There was nothing, no other lighters in sight. Sighing I looked outside the living room window. I had completely forgotten about the coldness as I was angry at the fact there was no working lighter. I stared at the house across from the one I was currently in. 'I could just head over there and look for one? But it's still raining... Whatever...' I walked toward the front door, ready to run out and sprint to the other house. I wasn't afraid of being seen in my underwear because I didn't think anyone else would be in this city.
Cursing under my breath, which was the first time I had ever sworn before, I opened the door and sprinted, making a quick dash to the house across the street. Half way across the road I noticed a foolish mistake. I didn't have my knife or P226.
I was going to stop but decided better of it because having to run back to run across the road again was a waste of time and not worth the cold. I arrived at the door of the house and knocked on it as hard as I could. Putting my ear to it, I listened to any sounds of someone, or something, moving inside. There was no sound so, carefully, I opened the door and stepped inside.
This house was almost identical to the one I had been it, only there were no stairs that led to an upstairs but near the living room there was a door that when I opened it, led to the basement. It was pitch black so I didn't dare go down, instead I stared into it for a few seconds before getting a creepy feeling and slamming the door.
It reminded me of all the times when Roman and I would be in the basement playing some board games and would have to go upstairs for dinner or to go to bed. We were always told to turn off the lights when we were supposed to go up. Every time we turned off the lights I would sprint up the stairs on all fours, always afraid of something about to grab me and pull me back into the darkness. There was one time I had just turned off the lights before running up the stairs, I had looked back into the pitch black basement to make sure there was nothing there, except, I thought I had seen something move. A chill had run down my spine and I freaked out, running straight up the stairs. Ever since then I was petrified to go back into the basement alone and refused to turn off the lights unless someone was with me.
That same chill ran down my spine as I thought about the darkness I had just stared into. Letting out a long, calming breath I turned my attention back to trying to find a lighter.
Turning the house upside down I was able to find three. Two in one of the bedrooms and another in the kitchen. One of the lighters didn't work so I threw it on the ground and tried to get the others to work. There was one with a handle and nozzle that I tried to use first, I couldn't figure it out and guessed that this one had a child block feature I didn't know how to get passed. The other lighter, a typical one that you'd normally see, actually worked.
"Yes!" I yelled. I grabbed the strange nozzled lighter and the one that worked and took off back to the other house. I didn't stop or look around to see if anything was watching me from outside, I just wanted to get to the house.
I opened the door as fast as I could and closed it behind me before running to the fireplace. I set the lighters down and grabbed the old wood and put it into the fireplace. Then I sat there, staring at it. 'I can't light it without paper...' I then scanned the living room for anything I could possibly use to light on fire.
That's when I saw the wallpaper, it was already slightly torn off the wall. "YES!" I yelled and laughed as I jumped as high as I could to grab the loose paper, I tore it off the wall, trying to get as much of the paper as I could. I went along it, ripping off as much as I could until I couldn't reach any or tear anymore off.
I dragged the wallpaper next to the fireplace and grabbed the working lighter. I ignited the lighter and set some of the wallpaper on fire before throwing it into the fireplace with the wood. I sat and watched it, throwing more wallpaper into the pit before the wood finally caught on fire.
It took awhile, but eventually the fire got bigger and I sat, facing the fire, with the blanket around me. I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't, I had to stay awake because if I slept I would have a nightmare or be killed. "Xaez, will you please come back here..." I whispered, I wanted his company more than anything.
My heart was hurting as I remembered Roman and the camp, and I felt pain in my hands which could've been caused from the cold or when I had punched those trees. All I knew was that I was hurting. I just wanted Xaez. I wanted him to be right next to me.
I sighed, staring at the fire, hoping that I'd be warmer soon. 'My clothes!' I stood up quickly, looking for my pile of clothes, it was still where I had left it. I picked everything up, ringed it out as much as I could, and laid them all out in front of the fire. I made sure they were all spread apart so that the heat could dry them easily.
Afterwards, I looked at my backpack, contemplating whether or not I should eat... or more if I could eat. I didn't risk it, knowing that thoughts that lingered in my head might come up, and sat back down by the fire, cocooning myself into the blanket as I did so.
Time went by, not sure how much, but I was sitting and staring at the fire for a very long time, unmoving. Just observing as the flames danced in a mix of yellow, orange and white. I would occasionally add a new piece of wood or more wallpaper when the flames seemed to die. I felt warmer, but felt far too tired to do anything other than just sit and wait.
The front door creaked behind me and then I heard a thud, followed by a hiss. I looked over my shoulder to see the door on the ground and Xaez looking at it before looking at me. 'Well the hinge' broke'. He hissed once more and then let out a loud snarl.
"What?" I asked him, he was looking passed me, at the fire. I looked at him, than the fire, and back "What's wrong?". Xaez snarled again and slowly crawled forward, eying the fire the whole time. He crawled to one of the corners of the room and laid down there, constantly facing the flames as if to make sure it wasn't going to do anything.
I ignored him and faced the fire again, 'At least he came back' . I still wanted to sleep, my eyes felt heavy, I felt as if I wouldn't be able to stand. 'Maybe I should sleep.... Xaez is back... He'll protect me... He always does...' I could feel myself trying to sleep. 'I'm not going t-'
Xaez was right in my face when I woke up, looking down at me. I was lying flat on my back staring at him for a few seconds before getting up onto my knees and looking around. 'I passed out?' That was the only thing on my mind. I couldn't tell how much time had passed but the fire was still going, although it was much smaller. Looking out the window, I could see the rain had stopped and the sun was out.
I looked at Xaez for a moment. I pat his head and then turned and crawled to my clothes that were still by the fire. They were damp but wearable. I put them on, and grabbed my backpack. My holster and vest felt heavier than usual in my arms but I still put them on; it felt as if I had just strapped a brick to my chest and waist.
I attempted to stand but had to grab onto Xaez to help pull myself up. I was still feeling tired and weak, but better than I was before. My first few steps were wobbly and zigzagged but Xaez's tail helped to steady me.
I held onto Xaez as we walked toward the door and exited the house. Looking up at the sky there was the rain clouds in the distance and what looked like more to come. But it didn't look like it'd arrive for at least another hour.
I scanned the area again. Before, I was only focused on getting warm again so I never paid attention to the surroundings until now. There were buildings and houses everywhere, definitely a city, some of the buildings, not many, had black stuff on them.
My mind flashed right back to the time Prone and I were in that tunnel, right before we entered there was that same black goo stuff on the outside. I covered my eyes and shook my head to try and get the thought out of my head. 'NO! Don't remember! Don't remember him, it'll just hurt'. I looked away and up at Xaez. 'Don't remember.'
Xaez looked down at me and let out a quiet hiss and started walking off toward the buildings with the goo. I silently followed him, grabbing onto his tail for support as I continued walking. My legs were sore and aching, but I had to keep going, keep going until we got to where we were going.
I just had a feeling that after this day, I wouldn't need to walk anymore.