{Kate's POV}
{Three hours before the incident}
"We'll be using maroons for signals due to our distances apart. The green maroon is to indicate success in reaching the checkpoint, the yellow is to indicate contact with alien bodies beyond a team's control and the red is to indicate serious casualties upon encounter with the anomalies." The captain instructed, his eyes a bit downcast as he spoke.
I watched as everyone's eyes dropped when burns mentioned serious casualties and just moved my gaze towards the ground averting them from anyone's stare.
This mission was dangerous and unpredictable and I didn't do well with unpredictable events. As everyone moved away from the captain I reached out to him and tugged the edge of his shirt, pulling away after he responded.
"Yes, Kate" He questioned, seemingly tired but trying to put up a smile to appease my stare.
"Yh, I know this plan seems all perfect and stuff but I seem to be getting this weird vibe that splitting up isn't such a good idea."
"Why?" He questioned yet again, this time with more lively eyes.
"Maybe because we are in the middle of nowhere with no prior knowledge of what resides in this wasteland. I think we should just check out point A then if all goes well, we make our way back home through point B"
"But you suggested the plan yesterday Kate, why the cold feet now?" He was moving closer this time, a smile forming on his face probably because he felt it would help flush my concerns.
"I just think we sho-"
"It's fine, we have abilities and the symbiotes can pierce through their skins. We're pretty much covered in regards to attacks." He assured, cutting me off while resting his hand on my shoulder.
I shaked off his hands.
He wasn't listening to what I was saying and it only made me angrier and more agitated. Ever since we made our way into this desolate planet I had been feeling like someone or something had been watching us and keeping track of our movements and I was really surprised that I was the only one who made this discovery.
Going back was not an option and they weren't going to change their minds about our current plan so I had to just let it slide and tell myself that it was all going to be fine?, Like hell I would.
But sadly though, there was nothing I could do except be at alert at all times, so when the inevitable happened I would at least have a headstart too.
However....
{Presently}
There was no headstart and what I was faced with at the moment was no ordinary scenario. The seven foot tall beast with fangs that surpassed that of any wild animal I had ever come across back on earth, moved it's huge weight hurriedly towards me, eyes bloodied in anger and claws directed to my face making me lose any thoughts of survival.
There was no way this unreasonable creature would want something more than the pound of flesh which he stood over and I was under no obligation to offer up myself for free.
I quickly moved backwards, barely evading it's claws and clenched my symbiote very hard causing it to morph into a bow. I pulled at the taut like cord hurriedly and an arrow shaped on its end before I released it. The monster was jolted back by the propelling force of the arrow and I too was taken aback as to how a single arrow could leave such a gaping hole on this monster.
I watched as it squeaked in pain and shot it a second time before it dropped to the floor lifelessly like a sack of beans. I exhaled deeply and turned my face toward the rest of my crew but before I could even let out a 'thank god' my chest got smashed with so much force I flew to the ground half a mile away.
I wheezed in pain, holding my chest and barely breathing. It was as if needles had been stacked in my ribs as if to prick my lungs everytime I breathed and even keeping my consciousness still was proving very difficult.
Blood escaped my mouth and along with it came excruciating pain that rang throughout the entirety of my upper body.
Was it a negron?? How could it possess so much force?? Did it get my lungs??. As I pondered on those questions, I dreaded the conclusion that came ringing on my mind repeatedly.
'What hit me definitely wasn't a negron'
I looked up and my eyes met the eyes of another being which bore a remarkably close resemblance to a human. He was like a knight cased in steel and he seemed to be leading the horde of monsters and even giving them instructions.
He moved towards me before removing his helmet only to uncover his face, but sadly I couldn't make out any details regarding his appearance seeing as to how I was already falling unconscious at that moment. It all went silent but the intense pain I felt on my chest didn't seem to go away.
Instead it rang on!.
****
By the time I awoke, I was tied to a tree and the pain in my chest was gone, although not completely. It was almost like as if it had reduced drastically even though it seemed like I was going to die from it a while ago. As I mulled over the events of the afternoon, I tried figuring out where I was at the moment and why I was alone.
If there was a tree present and a whole forest of it as a matter of fact, it meant that i had been out for quite a while and had somehow managed to cover so much distance without even remembering how.
Was I carried?? And if I was, by who??, The stranger that struck me, almost killing me??. Everything seemed so obvious but utterly confusing at the moment and while I tried to juggle all those thoughts, I was approached by the very same person who had knocked me out.
He was being accompanied by his congener and I started getting a very dark gloomy feeling from his presence. Even if I used my ability at the moment, I would not be able to evade the both of them. Rather I just had to comply for the time being until I could grasp the entire situation that I found myself in.
It was a strange enough fact that beings other than the negrons existed in this world, and an even stranger fact that they could even control the negrons.
They both stopped halfway through their steps when they noticed I had already regained my consciousness and stared at me like I was some strange being that they could not account for it's origin- truthfully though I was.
'Fair enough'
I watched as they murmured to each other and couldn't make out what their susurrant voices said. I was getting nervous, seeing as to how they were contemplating strongly on something, which in my opinion, could very much involve my death.
"Hey, what exactly are you people and why did you send those creatures to attack us" I yelled, struggling to get out of the binds.
Almost immediately after speaking those words, both entities stared at me with eyes filled with amazement. I couldn't point out what exactly made them so concerned but as they got closer to me and spoke, it all became clear to me.
"You can understand us?" My assailant asked, pointing to himself in a confused fashion.
"Huh??"
I was surprised as to what was happening presently and queried what made them surprised. The fact that I could understand what they were saying?? Or the fact that I even spoke at all??.
"Let's take her to the commander, maybe he'll have some answers"
They both nodded in approval and one of them made to cut my rope, but first the other foe knocked me out, Again!.