Sense of Security, Shattered

8.3.5 SW
Evening
East Wombwood > Mobile Research Camp

Barden fell silent, holding his acid damaged glasses between both hands. He glanced briefly at both Grace and Deveraux. The beep continued, the repetitive rhythm of the electronic device seemed to produce an audible echo in the dead silence.

Devereaux made sure to quickly turn off his light. His heart skipped a beat with each blip sound. He prayed it was help on the way instead of that creature returning. Why would it return? Surely, as a predator, it had two bodies to eat. Had it finished them off already and was coming back for more? Were there more like it at its den, and like parenting birds was it gathering as much as possible for its progeny to grow fat upon? Was it intelligent and had a grudge to settle with them? Was it just territorial and aggressively purging it’s claimed area of unwanted pests? He had no answers to these questions and they only posed to swell his dread.

He gripped his ineffective weapon protectively and quietly made his way over to Grace where he could get a better view outside. He was looking in the direction it was last seen leaving.

Not long after reaching his position next to Grace did he see a sudden flash in change of the lights outside as one of the standing utility lights went flying past the window, not completely missing it either. The window cracked and the utility light went out as it crashed against the trailer and fell to the wet forest floor.

Barden shuddered. His blurry eyes turned to the cracked glass, he ran two fingers in a pinching motion across both eyes and tried to correct his vision. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know how well the creature would be able to hear him even if he did speak. He just knew they needed to figure out a way to get out of this shit pronto. His eyes fell to the floor, followed by a gentle shaking of the head.

Another brief moment of silence followed with the exception of the rumbling generator and the faint pipping detector, the latter of which suddenly fell silent as well.

Then, with a deafening crunch, the other standing light fixture was launched against their shelter, scattering shards of glass and metal fragments.

The makeshift projectile, propelled with deadly abandon, hurtled at the trailer, striking the window with a resounding impact. The glass fractured and cracked, while small shards cascaded inward, showering the interior with a dangerous rainfall of debris.

The team's momentary sense of security was destroyed along with the window, replaced by a surge of panic and desperation.

The xenomorph's calculated actions unveiled a new level of adaptability and intelligence, amplifying the terror of their situation. They now realized they were facing a creature capable of, not only brutal physicality, but also of employing unexpected tactics to breach their defenses.

The team was beginning to get the impression that this creature had other intentions besides feeding on them. Was it hunting them for sport? Or did it come for them with some other wicked purpose?

Grace wanted so desperately to flee but the other two were between herself and the door, so she grabbed a stun baton from the cache on the bench nearby and started for the ladder to the roof hatch, almost losing her grip on the rung as she shuddered in terror.

"Grace, what the hell are you doin'?" Barden asked. He flung his head upwards in her direction and watched as she started to climb. He had to remain calm, the thing outside was terrifying, but with a little belief they could get out of this. It looked like Grace had some semblance of a plan and he hoped that Deveraux would have something up his sleeve too. Barden's plan at this point was to cause a distraction and get the hell out of dodge, even if it was alone.

He looked around (as best as he could without his glasses) for something to use. He gathered two things, a flare and the other free stun baton. "I'll be needing this," he quickly whispered to himself. Turning in the direction of Deveraux, watching closely.

“Grace?” Devereaux whispered loudly. Why was he whispering? It was obvious that creature knew they were there. “Grace?”he said loudly the second time. She wasn’t listening, too focused on escaping. But they didn’t have any collaborative plan. And it looked like the predators aim to make them vulnerable and then start to separate them was effective.

He didn’t waste anymore time. He grabbed what was left of the weapons cache and his field pack, fortunately already put in order for travel.

Setting the cache near the foot of the ladder, Devereaux kept his tranquilizer rifle pointed at the window in anticipation of the alien’s spontaneous emergence as he waited for Grace to get out and onto the roof. If the creature was going to make its way inside, he would follow quickly behind her.

Grace's decision to leave solidified Barden's own plans for escape. He saw his chance for the distraction and cracked on a flare and threw it out of the broken window, which then fell down right outside the trailer. Slowly, he backed up and slipped out the door on the opposite side of the trailer, leaving the others behind.

What the team didn’t know was that Hel’s spawn, the Xenomorph drone, already had its vision set on Barden and the blinding flare only served as a momentary diversion. It still had a bit to understand about its environment, even after scouting the perimeter for several minutes. It was only by chance that Hel’s Spawn had missed the traps and triggers that had been set up for it. But now, it jumped through the window as it had intended and smashed into the trailer door that Barden had just closed behind him.

Awaiting the imminent arrival of the creature, Devereaux fired a well placed tranquilizer dart under the thing’s left arm as it fumbled at the door. It pierced the alien’s tough carapace, sending it into a frenzy, it’s acid blood spilling onto the trailer floor and door.

Grace crawled out of the hatch and onto the roof upon which she could still see the streaks of red left behind from Montana and Vail. The crossbow lay nearby as well as Vail's electro-static pistol.

Devereaux shook with fear the moment the alien burst inside the trailer. He was no trained soldier and it caused him to hesitate slightly longer than Montana would have going from ready, aim to fire. Fortune favored his shot and he had struck it once more. This time getting a better idea of what it’s wounds could do, as he noticed the acidic nature of the blood sizzling on nearby metal walls and door.

Barden had bailed on them. Devereaux was not entirely taken by surprise by this. Perhaps it would save his life? If the man had nobly stayed to fend off the communal threat, he would probably have been killed with its entry. Devereaux had not yet seen a way to stand up to this beast in melee combat.

Realizing it would either get through the door and go after the fleeing Barden, or turn around pissed and come after him, Dev needed to keep active. He shielded his eyes briefly as he turned on the lights in the trailer. He was certain the creature could see better in the dark than they could, perhaps it only preferred the dark? Regardless changing from dark to light unexpectedly might give it a moments pause and seconds saved were valuable.

Noticing in his peripheral vision that Grace was up and out now, he threw the cache of weaponry out the window. Perhaps there would be a moment he could get to it later, but now was not the place to fiddle with it. His backpack was already on and he shouldered the rifle, by its strap, in one quick motion as he began trying to climb up and out the hatch leading to the roof. He hoped that is what was happening at least, the entrenching panic was making it harder to think.

Devereuax scrambled up the ladder, fumbling as he did so, but managed to distract Hel’s Spawn long enough to disappear onto the rain soaked roof next to Grace.

Angered and ready to escape the confusing pain inflicted upon it inside the trailer, the Xenomorph knocked the tranquilizer dart from its side and finished crashing its way through the feeble trailer door and out into the center of camp.