AN – An update so soon? Just roll with it! Oh, and by the way, if you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see feel free to speak up. I might just make a plot point out of them! Oh, and you can see now that even after you learn the names of our three main characters, I'll call them by species name, at least, our name for them. For example, you will learn the Predator's name in the coming chapters (via flashback) but when entering his POV I will put PREDATOR because he's a main character and they did it for such characters in the movies.

Chapter 3 - What the...

HUMAN

I quickly put the gun back up after realising that I lowered it. Even with the torch pointing, I still couldn't see much. I've seen strange things in my time, read about strange events, but this? This thing is the universe jumping the shark. I couldn't make out much even WITH the torch pointing at whatever it was, but I could make out some features. It lay down on the floor, breathing slowly. A deep, black exoskeleton of some kind, NO eyes whatsoever, and a large, crest-like head. Well, more like a head inside an exoskeletal crown-like structure. Interestingly, while I was looking up at the head because it was larger than me, but it seemed to be... asleep. Or as asleep as it could look without eyes. Hey, I'm going on guesses here.

Slowly I approached it, not wanting to wake it up; somehow, I figured my weapons weren't going to do jack squat. Another hiss sounded and the creature flinched. I'm guessing again, but it looked like it was having a nightmare. I figured that I would need to get away from this thing. "I knew this was a bad idea. Didn't I say this was a bad idea?" I slowly backed up to the cave opening, not wanting to wake it up. "New plan: Go home, call the military hotline, and bash my head so I forget this entire day."

I then scolded myself for not paying attention to where I was placing my feet, because one of them slipped on a rock, throwing me off balance, and of course I still had my finger on the trigger. Result: A tumbling ex-marine and flying bullets. They ricocheted off the walls and of course, if that didn't wake the monster up, then the bullets falling on its head certainly did.

First, it stirred, and then that steam leak hiss filled the cave again. I climbed to my feet in a hurry, strapping my gun to my back, not like it was gonna help. The alien raised its head and looked in my direction. "Crap." And so I ran out at high speed.

ALIEN

They were everywhere, all around me. Monsters in metal. I couldn't escape no matter how I ran or fought back. They pinned me to the floor, trying to take me back, back to that cold place. The restriction of my freedom these clicking, growling, roaring monsters. Do they not care? Won't they just leave me alone?! I don't want to be hurt, don't want to go back, I don't want to! Please leave me be! Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE! "Crap."

I woke with a start, suddenly relieved to be free from terror. Then, as I rose my head to see what had woke me, I could sense it near me, a little thing. Smaller than the monsters in my dream. It was tiny. Do I dare I say it's adorable by shape? I wanted to try and interact but it ran. "Why? Why is it running?" I stood and ran after it, wanting to thank it for waking me, maybe try and ask for help. I followed it out into the forest, trying to catch it. "Is it something I did? Am I making a bad impression?" I wondered. I suddenly found that it was gone.

I let out a hiss in confusion. My senses expanded in the immediate area, I tried to pick out its form, still hoping to find it, thank it... beg of it?

HUMAN

I lay hidden in the ditch I just climbed down into. No second thought and it somehow seemed like a good idea when I ran past it. Now I've got a potentially dangerous alien creature trying to catch me for supper. I got a good look at those teeth, no way is it a vegetarian! I could hear it hissing from here. Oddly, there was a weird ascending pitch in that hiss, as if it was... worried? Puzzled? Is that possible for this thing? I mean, could it be more intelligent than its appearance gave away?

I had assumed it was smart when I was tracking it, which I have no idea why I thought it was a smart thing to do. Then I figured "Fuck that; this thing's a monster!" but is it? It was having nightmares after al. At least that's what I think. "Why? Why did I have to go looking for trouble?"

That question in my mind was going to have to wait for its answer, because I suddenly heard another hiss. It had to be ridiculously close by... because I could feel breath down my neck. I froze and my joints locked up. I suddenly had a very empty feeling in my stomach, aside from what felt like butterflies flying in there. Another breath went down my spine, along with a horrible, liquid akin to gunk and... Mucous. Slowly, I tilted my head back while trying to ignore the stuff on my back. I hoped it wasn't what I thought it was. Alas, my fears were confirmed as I found my eyes gazing into the half-open maw of the alien.

I had found myself in a very bad situation. Useless weapons, and a ticked off alien creature is looking for a midnight snack. I shot forward in a roll then ran right into the other side of the ditch, and turned to find it advancing on me, having easily stepped down. I started backing down the ravine, not wanting to be pinned on one of the walls. "Stay boy!" I yelled, before noticing an empty space, aside from a tail. "Girl!" I corrected. It kept moving. "Hell, does it even have a gender?!" I tripped and fell on my butt, still shuffling backward as it got closer, right in my face! I closed my eyes, not wanting to see my life end like this. "I wonder if Sally still hates me. What would that woman say if she were here? 'You're an irresponsible, idiotic man!' Yeah, she'd probably say something like that, being my ex and all." My life never flashed before my eyes though, and I felt no pain. I realised why when I opened those eyes...

PREDATOR

"I do have a plethora of suitable construction material, but assembling them can wait." I thought, approaching the stream near my to-be camp. I kneeled down, and raised my hand. I disconnected my mask's ventilation tubes which kept my skin cool. Then, I took it off completely, allowing me to see the world with my own amber eyes. It would be much easier to see with these eyes on my home planet, given their natural adaptation to seeing heat, though I can't do anything about that right now, not without the mask

I set the mask aside and reached down into the stream, drinking the 'water' as the Humans call it. "Does father try to clear my name? What of mother and my love? The spouse I had not chosen lightly... Does she search for me?" The thoughts storm my head while I drink from the stream. I was suddenly interrupted by deep growling, so I raised my head slowly... And came face to face with some kind of animal. Large, brown, covered in fur, oh, and it was baring a mouth full of sharp teeth at me. It growled at me again, so I stood and gave a light chuckle. "Few beings can catch me off guard, well done. Look at you, you're cut-" And then it growled at me much more loudly and suddenly. I was lightly taken aback, but responded in kind with my own much louder deeper growl, almost a roar. That was enough to make it whimper and run away. "Yes, keep running, Zabin! That's right, I'm top predator here." I announced, before reclaiming my mask and going back to my soon-to-be camp to prepare myself for a hunt. I still needed other forms of nourishment after all.

HUMAN

It wasn't doing anything. It was just bending down in front of me with its face inches from mine; I could feel its hot breath blowing my hair behind my head. We stayed there, staring at each other, sizing one another up. It stayed that way for what felt like minutes. Eventually, it lay down in front of me, never taking its non-existent eyes off of mine.

I lay on my behind, watching as it lay down with its head on the floor, and its tail moving back and forth. Yes, I took the time to take in its major features, seeing as it wasn't trying to kill me, and it did indeed have a tail, so I wasn't seeing things earlier. Aside from the head and crest, it was indeed covered in jet black armour. I could see six long, spike-like appendages erupting from its back, and two pairs of arms on its torso. Two large ones, and two smaller ones, both were extending from a carapace that was as thick as the one over its head.

The larger arms were about twice as long as my body, and ended in hands with six fingers, the third one was remarkably longer. The smaller arms were about half the size of the larger ones with four fingers. Well, more like two fingers and two opposable thumbs, rather than one thumb like the hands on the larger arms. Each finger had a claw on the end. I even managed to spy the blade on its tail tip that was akin to a sword, and I swear I could see a second set of teeth inside its mouth.

I decided I'd been on my ass enough and got up, slowly. I don't want to make this thing mad. It still watched me, I'm sure, and like a cobra without eyes it followed me as I stood. I then did something I probably wouldn't have done if I wasn't otherwise scared half to death. "Hi." I said to it, and, oddly, it acknowledged me. By that I mean it tilted its head once I said it. "So... Can you speak?" I asked it. It had to be intelligent, given how it's responding to me, but I guess that doesn't mean it can speak because all it did was hiss and tilt its head again. "Guess not. That's gonna make things difficult."

I was once again shocked when it pushed its head into my body, easily catching me off guard. It rubbed against me like a... I hesitated to do it, but I raised my hand, and slowly... I stroked it. It was a crazy idea, yeah, but something told me it wanted comfort, maybe even love. "You're not a monster after all, are you?" It changed its vocals to light clicking along with the hiss I'd associated with it, and it turned its head in appreciation. Then I noticed it. On its head, the part inside the crest I mean, there was a mark, a scar...

I lightly traced it with my fingers before it turned back to face me. I took note of a near identical scar on the other side of its head. The best I can figure is that someone or something went through her head, something sharp like a sword or a spear. "Her? Did I just think of it as feminine? Suppose I did." For some reason it had that kind of effect on me, it just seemed... female. "So what happened to you, girl?" I asked, partly to myself. "She" shook her head and hissed, as if not wanting to know or desperately trying to remember, it was most likely the second one judging by the scars. She must have suffered memory loss or brain damage or something...

I continued petting her massive head to comfort her, and yeah, I was indeed gonna call it a "her" now. "Poor thing, you're just scared and alone, aren't you?" I couldn't help but give a sympathetic smile. Then I saw how low the moon was getting and checked my watch. 03:47 was what it said the time to be. "Crap, is that the time? Ah, man. Look..." I looked back at the alien. "I've gotta head home. So... look, you go back to the cave and I'll come back in the morning. Uh, later on. I mean..." She tilted her head. "You don't understand anything I'm saying do you?"

I decided to just start walking home. Unfortunately, she started following me. I turned around and held up my hands to stop her. "Whoa there, girl! You can't come home with me; you might end up wrecking the place!" I swear I heard a whimper of protest escape her lips. "I'm serious. Stay." I ordered. Hoping she'd get the message, I started walking again.

She didn't.

About 10 minutes of walking later

"This isn't working" I thought as the alien was still behind me, walking upright surprisingly well. I stopped and turned again. "Look, this isn't going to work. I mean, you're like 30ft tall! You're too big to fit in my home, let alone my life!" She just looked at me oddly. I sighed in frustration, knowing she had no clue what I was saying. "Look... just stay in that cave you were in, and I'll come to you tomorrow. We can talk more then." I turned to walk home again. I hadn't walked ten steps before I heard her following me again.

"Really? How much do I have to stress it so that she gets the message that I don't want her following me home?!"

I turned to see she'd already stopped. "Seriously? Do I have to put this in baby talk or something? Me walky, you go-to-cave-and-sleepy." I put a hand to my chest, then raised made two fingers move back and forth in my other palm, followed by me pointing in the direction I had been walking. Then, I pointed to the otherworldly creature, and pointed in the opposite direction. At last she seemed to have gotten the message. Well, at least the fact that she needs to stop following me, because she lay down and hung her head. "Finally."

And so I slowly turned around and walked home. After about twenty steps I turned around. She hadn't moved. It was odd 'cause I could have sworn I could just feel her following me. I continued walking, and then checked again to see the same thing. Satisfied she wasn't going to follow I went off home, but couldn't help but wonder... "Why do I still feel like I'm being followed?"

AN – Remember what I said: Leave suggestions!