Unpretentious

Chapter Three: Into The Forest

Chapter Three: Into The Forest

The clone rushes in her frantic run, as if she had a specific destination, she dives straight into the woods, careless of the vegetation dense enough to hurt her bare arms and scratch her face.

She hears the creaking sound of the dry leaves disintegrated by her ride, the crack of the branches broken by her moving mass. But all these sounds reach her brain in the form of muffled, distant noises.

"My mother always said there were no monsters, no real ones, but there are", she squeezes her eyelids, proceeding blindly, trying to push away the memory and at the same time holding it, to make it even more concrete, her eyes fill with tears, and the sobs caught her suddenly, preventing her need for air.

Her round visage, the trust on her gaze, illuminated by a faint, orange light, "Here... take this... for luck...", she has no idea how long she has been running away, and her thoughts are so confused that she no longer even knows why or what she is running away from.

The little girl in her arms, red lights flashing around them, cold artificial rain pouring on them, "Burke, it was Burke!", she hits the huge trunk of an oak tree with a shoulder, which overwhelmingly unbalances her, making her swerve sideways, her feet stumble against an unspecified obstacle in the undergrowth and every attempt to keep the balance fails once for all.

Small fingers intertwining with hers through a grate on the floor, a sense of urgency as blinding as the light of the blowtorch that melts metal. She surrenders to the gravity, which drags her with a thud into a sea of dry leaves, rotting bark and damp ground.

A black bracelet, covered in gross slime, held in her hand, the dismay in her soul. She lays there, in a messy pose, panting, without even the strength to roll sideways and free the arm trapped underneath her body. The agony and anger grow with each flash provided by the memory at loose bridle.

The grimace of effort on her small visage, her hair soaked in slimy substance, the pain in her wounded palms as she herself rips the cocoon that imprisons the child, "Grab onto me!", her growing groans echo the painful images that keep invading her mind.

Her slender little body wrapped around her, an unstable platform, the hiss of the creature that stalks them. A hand covering her face, "Close your eyes, baby", she is so overwhelmed that the rustling and creaking of something slowly approaching her in the bushes goes completely unnoticed to her senses.

Her body adheres to something that resembles an enormous armor, her movements are made fluid by her skills in conducting the vehicle. An enormous metal door opens sliding upwards, and the Queen turns towards her as she keeps moving forward, motivated by her maternal instinct, "Get away from her, you bitch!"

And a dull growl.

Subdued.

Circumspect.

Insistent.

Persistent.

Cadenced.

Concrete.

Threatening.

She slowly opens her eyes, finally aware of the real presence, a pair of predator eyes shines in the dark, at a safe distance, a silhouette with shaggy fur is glowed by the moonlight. Curled gums uncover sparkling teeth.

Her animal instinct takes over, fed by the pain and fury caused by memories, the clone moves slowly and sinuously in a crouched and composed posture, she challenges the animal staring right in its eyes.

An inhuman scream erupts from her throat, overpowering the growl of the opponent. It's full of torment, anger and it's heartbreaking.

Big tears start running down along her cheeks, deformed by the grimace of the scream, she sustains the scream as long as she has air in her lungs. Then her voice shatters, turning into a battered sob.

The outburst continues, in an alternation of furious yells and subdued tormented cries.

The wolf retreats into the darkness and disappears in the dense bushes, confused and frightened by that strange animal which at first sight looked like an easy prey, sick or seriously injured.

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Call hastens her run, hurried by the urgency to reach the origin of the cries that come to her ears.

"Ripley!", she screams, hoping to be overheard beyond the green sea.

She locates the track of broken branches and keeps running that way, guided by the shocking sounds that fill the forest. She curses herself for not getting her gun, fearing that her friend could be in serious danger.

At some point she is forced to slow down, so that the noise of her pace does not cover the screams that are now fading, for a moment she is confused, thinking she misinterpreted where they came from, but suddenly she spots her.

She lies on her knees, shaken by violent jolts, the excruciating groans she keeps producing make her feel painful feelings in her chest. The most painful ones she has ever experienced in her whole existence.

"Ripley...", she calls her softly as she approaches.

The woman's hands are furiously clinging the damp ground, her face is scratched, bleeding and lined with tears, a grimace of unspeakable suffering persists on her visage.

She crouches in front of her, moving one hand towards an arm with the contracted muscles. She freeze, noticing more other cuts, blood and dirt on the skin. A thin mist rises lightly from the cuts, illuminated by the moonlight.

"Go away", the two words come out choked.

"What? No!", she looks at her tenderly, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm going to hurt you, go away!", the clone insists.

"C'mon then!", the young woman yells fearless.

"Leave me alone! You don't understand", the hybrid replies raising her voice.

"Then tell me what's going on!", the Auton answers impatiently.

"My wrath, it's out of control...", the woman hisses.

"Oh yeah? Is that why you still aren't jumped at my throat? Squeezing it until you break my neck?", she approaches closer, fearless, offering her the delicate skin under her chin.

The clone stares at her confusedly, she runs her forearm over the tip of her nose, a trail of mucus glistens on her skin.

The girl's hand slips on the ground covered by dry leaves, the tips of her fingers shyly touch those of the figure in front of her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ripley... nor even am I leaving you here", she states reassuring her. She tries to tighten her grip on her trembling skin, the other one escapes the contact, keeping to sob.

"I've sunk my hands into her open chest", Ripley declares in dismay.

The android's forehead contracts, trying to understand the meaning of that sentence, she remains silent, waiting.

"I can still feel the frost in her lifeless little body", she continues, lifting her trembling palms, in sad contemplation. She swallows with anguish and covers her mouth, closing her eyes. A shiver runs through her imposing body, shaking her violently.

Call quickly takes off her jacket and rests it on her friend's shoulders with caring gestures, then shyly dares a hug and when she senses that the woman doesn't react, her grip becomes more firm.

"You did everything you could, and even more, for that little girl", she comforts her, realizing the nature of her despair.

"I don't even remember her name", Ripley adds in a trembling voice. The android gently cradles her, brings her lips close to her ear.

"Her name was Rebecca, but everyone used to call her Newt"

The clone's body finally relaxes in her arms.

After giving her a few more minutes to regain herself, the young woman proposes their return to the Betty and, though reluctantly, Ripley tightens the tiny jacket on her shoulders and accepts the hand that Call's offering.