The Friend in a Xenomorph

Chapter 45: All a dream?

Dominick's POV

I opened my eyes, everything was fuzzy and blurry. I sat up and took notice to my surroundings. It was my bedroom. Everything was different, there was no Hive resin anywhere, or any of the selfies me and Xylia took.

I looked down at myself and saw something terrible, I lifted my hand, I didn't see a black exoskeleton hand with sharp dagger nails, but instead saw a normal human hand. I got up and looked a bit more around my room, almost tripping because I wasn't used to the Human body anymore.

My eyes caught the Calendar.... It read February 12, 2169, 3 days before my ninth birthday! I started to panic, how could I have gone over 7 years into the past?

I eventually start pacing, before I heard a knock at my door. [Carla]"Dominick? You ok in there? I hear you moving around a bit." I though quickly. [Dominick]''Yeah, just um... Stretching a little to uh, make myself more tired?''

My mom didn't say anything for a moment. [Carla]''Alrighty then, just get back to bed when you're done, ok?'' [Dominick]''Yes Mom.''

My Mom then went back to her room, but I instead opened my window and climbed out and ran for the woods. I ran until I saw the familiar Cave entrance of Xylia's Cave.

Upon entering, I dropped on my knees and started crying...... The hive wasn't there. I leaned against the wall and look around at the Cave, no resin or anything. It didn't even go back that far.

Bummed, I got up and began walking home, I felt something was watching me, but I know a Xenomorph's gaze when I feel it. And it wasn't that, so it had to be something else.

However something about this odd gaze seemed... Familiar. I stopped and looked around, until I spotted a pair of eyes in the tree tops. I was a little freaked out, I stepped back a little in fear. But I then stood still to show bravery.

The figure jumped down at me and landed in front of me.... It was a Predator! But why?

It stared at me, I however didn't look back at it in fear. I instead bared my teeth and clawed my hands, as though still a Xenomorph ready to attack. [??????]''Oh ok? Why do you still do that if you clearly aren't a Xenomorph anymore?'' I stopped and looked at it confused.

[Dominick]''How do you know about that?'' [??????]''Um??? Because um..... Well uh. It's not important is what it is!!'' I raised an eyebrow at him. [Dominick]''So this is a Dream of sorts?'' [??????]''Yes actually. How? No clue, let's just get out of the open before they find me!'' He grabbed my hand and led me through the forest, [Dominick]"Where are we going!?'' [??????]''No time right now! Just follow.'' I nodded and followed.

After a few minutes of running we reached an abandoned cabin. We settled down for a second, but then the questions would come next.

[Dominick]''Alright Predator! Why are you here, and how do you know me!'' The predator sighed. [??????]''Everyone is worried about you, especially Xylia, Everyone thinks you're dead! But turns out you're 'stuck in the past'. NOT! You're not stuck in the past but a computer simulation!''

[Dominick]''Ryders! He did it.'' The Predator turns towards me. [??????]''As we expected! But you are alive, once we get you out of here, we can defeat Carlson and then we all get a happy ending.'' [Dominick]''Once again, who are you? Did Larson and Jenny get your kind to help out?''

[??????]''Yes, but the Slayrogin were gone by the time we got there. Carlson's Station Crashed into the Slayrogin war ship sending it into a blast. Also, your Dad made it out... however he wasn't taken by us however, but anyway you were unaccounted for, but now here you are, strapped to a chair with an odd machine on your head.'' [Dominick]''How do we get back then?''

[??????]"Me?? Easily done as I hacked into the program, as for you? We need to kill the power on this thing from the inside, this is all like a video game. There are those secret areas that them game developers don't want you to see and are key to basic function of the game."

[Dominick]"So what's the game plan then?" [??????]"Hold on, let me just hack something in to help us.... and BAM!" I felt a little weird but then looked down at myself to see I was a Xenomorph again.

[Dominick]"Whoa! Thanks, this will be useful... Although it's weird I can still talk. Do Xenomorph talk?" [??????]"Hush, it's probably a glitch or something, everything is artificial! Come on, let's find this program's X button." I shrugged and just went with it.

We traveled out of the cabin, he was following something on his wrist computer thingy. It was about 15 minutes later that we reached a wall. The boundary! [??????]"Alright, this is the program's limit, we have to go through here!"

[Dominick]"Look, I get we're looking for some X button, but who says it's that way!"

[??????]"Try thinking like this is an actual game, which someone plays, we would be inside the screen, and where do we find the X button? At the top right corner of the screen, so that's where we are headed." [Dominick]"Um, how do we know this is the top right corner?" [??????]"Oh, I checked the codes of the program, The Camera points west, so therefore we head northwest."

[Dominick]"This is a 3D game, if let's say I'm the player, then the edge of the screen would always move away from me! And always in front to the right of where I'm facing." The Predator stopped and grumbled to themselves, [??????]"Yeah, the Camera is behind you, hide here, while I'll go off to find this thing!" I shake my head and cross my arms, clearly frustrated.

He left while I stood here. About 5 minutes later something happened and the sun came up instantly... cheap budget for even a program. Carlson Corp are cheapskates! And Lazy at that! About a few minutes later, The Predator returned.

[??????]"I think we need a new game plan. I didn't find it." [Dominick]"Why? Oh that's right, the 2nd Dimension can't interact with the 3rd dimension, why don't you just use that wrist computer of yours to hack the X button onto the screen, then shrink it to lower it right next to us."

[??????]"Of course it's that simple, duh..... And I thought I was the........ Never mind."