First to Rise

—A few days later—

ALITA

Looking at the hanging rabbit in my traps, I sighed, feeling a bit sorry for the creature. I walked over and removed the dead hare before resetting the trap. At least I could feed the alien now… I hope he will eat it.

I don't even know when the last time he ate was. For all I know, Seth and his men have been starving him…

Taking the small kill back to camp, I skinned it with ease and cooked the small critter over a campfire. It's been quiet for the past two days, and I had to check on him a few times just to see if he was still breathing. He would growl every time I opened the door and go back to silence when it was closed again.

I've changed the bandages on his leg three times, earning many growls and snarls in the process. If it wasn't for the fact that I've heard others of his kind speak in an alien language, I might've thought that was his only form of communication.

One of the people from camp made the mistake of coming down into the basement with the beast while I was out. I'm not sure what he was hoping to accomplish, but he left with some bruises and a nasty bite on his arm when I came back. It made me feel lucky that the alien hadn't attacked me again. If he wanted to, he was still capable of inflicting harm, but he seemingly held back not only with me but with others. He knew killing someone would only cause more trouble.

Passing the guards upstairs, I entered the basement, hearing the door behind me creak shut then lock.

I opened the cell door the alien was in, and he shifted, giving out a warning snarl to the person intruding his room. After he realized it was me, his snarl turned into a low growl. He still doesn't like me very much… actually, I don't think he likes anyone here, not that I can blame him.

Stepping inside, I made careful movements and sat in front of him. He watched me like a hawk and sniffed the air, eyeing the food I brought with me. Tearing some meat from the bone with a fork, I brought it up to his mouth. There was no way I was using my fingers to feed him. He very well could bite them off instead of eating the rabbit.

He sniffed again, and his face twisted in disgust as he growled at the food. I sighed and pulled down my mask. Maybe he thinks it's poisoned? I took a bite and hummed in delight at how the meat tasted, even if it was kinda bland from the lack of seasoning.

Getting another piece ready for him, I looked over his features to see that he was clearly disgusted by the fact that I just ate it. He pulled his face away once more, now eyeing the fork like it was a dangerous weapon. This guy is worse than a spoiled child who doesn't want to eat their broccoli.

Sighing, I grabbed the chains holding his arms and loosened them so his arms weren't hanging above his head. This made him pause for a moment, and I waited to see what he would do with this new mobility of his. He rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms and claws, stretching his muscles a bit.

I held the plate of cooked rabbit in my hand, ready to move if he lunged for me. He was only given a little bit of room to use his hands to eat, so I wasn't too worried. He looked at me, and I held out the plate for him to take it. For some reason, this triggered him, and he snarled angrily at the offer.

What is it going to take to get him to eat?! Groaning, I set the plate in front of him and left the room to get a bottle of water. Coming back into the room, I was surprised to see him sitting cross-legged, inspecting the meat. He sniffed it again, that repulsed look made an appearance on his face once more before he reluctantly tore the meat from the bone with his teeth.

I watched curiously as he chewed and swallowed. He paused when he found me standing in the doorway watching. Snapping out of my daze, I walked back over and set down the bottle of water in front of him. He eyed it carefully, then grabbed it with his clawed hand.

He fiddled with the screw cap for a moment before giving up and just tearing the top off with his teeth, spilling some in the process.

He then threw his head back and chugged the entire bottle’s contents. I couldn’t help but watch, mesmerized by the movement of his throat and how he licked his lips before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I wonder if they’re omnivores? The fangs suggest he eats meat, yet he seems so disgusted by the rabbit… He crumpled the water bottle up and discarded it before looking at me.

Coming out of my daze again, I gestured to the food, urging him to eat more. His eyes lingered on me for a moment more before he continued his meal. He obviously didn’t like the taste of rabbit, but he was hungry.

The water that had trailed from his mouth and down his chin while he drank left trails on his dirty skin, showing just how filthy he was.

Getting an idea, I got up and left the cell, closing the door behind me.

Going through the building, I came to the main office to find Seth sitting in a chair at the desk, talking to Lily and three of his men. They were all laughing and having a good time by the looks of it. I stopped at the door, feeling my nerves get the better of me. Something about him just made my stomach twist into knots.

He took notice of me and turned his attention away from the conversation, making everyone go quiet.

“Alix… what can I do for you?” He leaned back in the chair, and all eyes in the room moved to me.

I steeled myself and cleared my throat before speaking. “I want to take the invader out of the cell momentarily.”

This seemed to pique his interest as he slowly sat back up. “What for?” he asked.

“The showers… I want to get him hosed off so he won’t get any infections… I’ll need help from your men, of course, and their supervision…”

The room was silent, and Lily looked at Seth questioningly. He didn’t say a word and mulled over the idea. “You want to bathe the freak?”

“It will help guarantee he lives longer...and besides...he’s stinking up the basement...” I lied.

Seth smiled and chuckled a bit before looking at one of the men in his room. “Alright, get a few people to help him take that savage to the showers. Make sure he doesn’t do anything...”

The man nodded before leaving the room. I relaxed, happy that he agreed, but my anxiety came back tenfold as Seth spoke up again. “Alix, come here for a moment...” Hesitantly, I stepped inside the office.

He stood up from his chair and motioned for me to move closer. Only then did I notice the large duffle bag sitting against the wall. “This is junk we stripped from the freak. Most of it is practically useless or we can’t seem to get it to work... You seem like a smart kid, so if you can find any use for the junk, then you can keep it...if you wanna trade it or sell it, then that’s up to you...” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.

“Really?” I asked in disbelief. He smiled and patted me on the back. “Of course, I have no use for it anyway... Consider it a gift... you will never go hungry and have the full protection of the group while with me. Alright?” He turned away, going back to sit in his chair.

Grabbing the duffel bag, I struggled to pick it up and throw the strap over my shoulder. It was heavier than I expected.

“If you need anything else, you know where to find me!” Seth spoke before puffing his cigarette again. I nodded before making my way out of the room.

Taking the bag back downstairs, I set it by the rest of my stuff. Four of Seth’s men stood by, waiting to help me escort the alien upstairs.

Opening the cell door, he immediately growled and tensed up at the sight of others. They stepped in and unchained him from the wall. They locked the cuffs on his wrists together and, using the chains, led him out of the cell.

He continued to growl and observe, much to my surprise. I had expected him to thrash and fight against us to escape, but he was calm. He occasionally looked at me, and I avoided his gaze to focus on the task at hand.

Taking him up, we led him to the barracks where the showers were. This camp had its own water reservoir, so people could clean off as they pleased. Unfortunately, though, it was strictly cold showers only.

The guards were on edge, keeping a close eye on him with weapons drawn the whole way. As we passed some people in the camp, two of them decided to grab rocks and throw them at the alien. He snarled in turn, ready to run at them, but I quickly blocked his path and sent a glare to the two aggressors.

They backed off and continued on their way, allowing us to go to the shower rooms.

Once we were inside the showers, I walked over to one and turned the knob, letting the water run. I looked to the alien expectantly, and he eyed the shower confused.

Sighing, I removed my glove, pulling my sleeve up some to put my hand under the running showerhead, trying to show him that I wanted him to clean off. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at the shorts he was wearing. It was the only piece of clothing he had on. He started removing them, and seeing that he understood now, I made my way to the other side of the room to grab a towel.

With his hands cuffed, he undressed completely and stepped under the showerhead, snarling a little at the cold water.

Coming back over, I noticed the guards with us suddenly seemed disheartened and were avoiding looking at the prisoner.

Confused, I walked back over to stand beside him, holding the towel. We looked at each other, and as the water washed away the filth and grime from his body, my eyes trailed down until they came across what I assumed was the reason for the guards' sudden discomfort.

My eyes widened at the sight and overall size of his member, and I didn't even realize I was gawking for a moment. I quickly turned away, grabbing my hood to hide my embarrassment as my face flushed red under my mask.

This seemed to spark his interest as the alien eyed me carefully, gauging my reaction. He looked to himself for a moment, then back to me while sniffing the air, his head tilted to the side slightly. But I was set on keeping my eyes away from his body.

Once he was done cleaning off and he dried himself, we led him back to the basement with me at the front. The entire way back, I could feel his eyes burning holes in the back of my head, even up to the point he was chained up again.

Once the guards left, I removed my coat and mask, then grabbed a water bottle. This time, I twisted the cap off first and stepped into the cell. His silver eyes bore into me intently, and I felt a certain unease at the cold stare. A low growl was permanently seated in his chest.

Hesitantly, I loosened his chains once again so he could use his arms. But before I could secure them to the wall to make sure he couldn't just do as he liked, I was grabbed by the back of the shirt. I shrieked as I was pinned to the ground with the alien on top of me, his eyes burning into my own.

I struggled to try and push him off, only to stop as he snarled in my face. I whimpered, turning my head away, scared of him potentially ripping my face off. The snarling died down as he looked me over.

He leaned in, and I tried not to cry as he buried his face in my neck and inhaled my scent. His entire body went rigid, and he pulled away, eyes wide as he looked at me as if in shock.

I watched, helplessly confused, as he stared at me. After a moment, he removed himself from my personal space, and I jumped up to my feet, backing away. He sat there watching me with a strange new look in his eyes, as if he had just discovered something interesting. He leaned back against the wall, resting his arm on one knee. I hadn't even noticed the growling had stopped.

I backed away, quickly leaving the cell and slamming the door shut, locking it as my heart raced in my chest. What the hell was that?!

Trying to catch my breath, I tried to let my mind catch up to the events that just took place, but there was one thing that just chilled me to the bone after he had let me go.

He was smiling...