"Like I said, we'll get to that," the man smirked and once again slipped out of the doorway.

I wanted to ask him more things, get some type of assurance that he wouldn't just leave us to die. But he had already laid out everything he was willing to do, there was not much more that I could have demanded. Still, I was left asking myself how talking to a single other human could change our situation, let alone influence the disposition of the entire camp?

'He will betray us,' the voices of my peers continued, just as they had been voicing their concerns the entire time I was trying to make conversation.

'Maybe, but he is the best chance we have,' I countered.

'What about the ones that went with the agents? Where are they?' I remembered the viper this statement came from. One of the more vocal ones among us, missing one of her fingers and coiled around her torso, she was positioned at the far end of our group.

'Dead, they tricked us,' I theorized.

'Won't they just kill the rest of us?' She seeped her worry into the psionic connection in massive waves.

'Unlikely, they still believe that we don't suspect what they are really up to, we should look to keep it that way,' one of the sectoids advised.

'The camp decides our fate, we should be allowed to defend ourselves in front of them instead of letting some human speak for us," another complained.

'If they are dead...we chose who they killed first,' a viper voiced, her discomfort drenching her words and thoughts.

'I didn't choose anything!' I do not know who said this, but it felt agitated and adamant.

'Everyone of us chose to believe them, we are all at fault,' one of the other vipers tried to calm the increasingly agitated group.

'What about her? She keeps talking to the humans, she should have been more vigilant,' the accusation was clearly aimed at me, judging by the accompanying stare of the sectoid to my left.

"I didn't choose to speak for us, believe me, if anyone else could take over, I would be glad. I am not trained in talking and I am trying everything I can to keep us alive," I burst out in Advent and shot the alien a glare.

'Well, you're doing a shit job at it,' the black eyes of the lanky humanoid met my stare.

'Oh, you want to try it, go ahead!' I hissed and bared my fangs.

'If you all had listened to me when they first attacked, we wouldn't even be in this situation,' the sectoid continued, the mental weight of its voice became heavier. 'Maybe, if I had been the one talking, we would all be still alive and not on the edge of being executed!'

Without giving the aggravated alien a chance to take back what he had just transferred, I shot my tongue between the cage's bars and snapped it around his throat. I yanked the pinkish man against the side of his cage and constricted. I heard him begin to choke, as his weak arms tried to pull away. I didn't plan on pushing this to the point of injury, I just wanted him to 'shut up!'

Suddenly, the purplish tendril, connecting me to each one of the others, turned a bright crimson. Its edges grew sharp corners and thorny ends, as a sudden, high-pitched noise resounded in my head. It echoed off of every one of my thoughts and threatened to burst my skull, filling my mind with discomforting feelings and imagery. One look into the sectoid's void-like eyes confirmed that it was the one attacking me with its psionics.

Again, I didn't actually want to hurt it, but with the increase in pain, so did the familiar taste of my venom rise into my mouth. Everything in my mind was screaming at me to fight, to spit poison into its face, break its fragile neck with my tongue.

Where did this come from?

'Stop, both of you!' Louder than the screeching in my head, came the commanding voice of another sectoid.

I blinked and shook my head, before quickly retracting my tongue and backing off into the corner of my cage. The psionic attack seized simultaneously and the thin alien had something akin to sorrow in its features. Everyone else was also staring at us, concern in their eyes.

'We can't start fighting each other, calm yourselves,' it looked back and forth between us.

'She is doing the best she can, it is not her fault the humans decided to speak to her over you. But being insulted is no reason to attack one another,' one of my sisters interjected.

'Forget it, disconnect me,' I demanded.

I was met with feelings of dismay, but my plea was followed and the purple lines disappeared. Finally, it was quiet again. Despite the fact that I could exchange ideas with others thanks to this connection, I welcomed the solace of being alone in my head. I had spent almost my entire life listening to others, taking commands, and giving up every one of my thoughts through psionics. Now, I just wanted to keep them to myself.

That man, whatever he was called, was nothing short of intriguing. Perhaps it stemmed from a lack of interaction with his kin, maybe it was the circumstances of our situation or even just the way he spoke to and looked at me, but I could not stop my mind from wandering to him. To his words, to his body language, to his eyes, his scent...he was on edge around us, but not for the reasons the other humans were. He wasn't scared of talking to me, he didn't speak down to me like I was some stupid animal. And he wanted to help. Granted, I was not nearly versed enough in human expressions and speech, but even I could tell that he truly wasn't being deceptive. Perhaps he had some personal stake in this, he did mention needing to leave.

Then again, he hadn't actually helped us yet. But the fact that he hadn't told the woman or her subordinates, that I had the ability to free myself, remained. So even if he wasn't truly on our side, he was at least not trying to worsen our case. What would he say to the other humans to try to convince them that they were being misled, that we were deserving of mercy? He seemed to jump at the conclusion that our captors weren't Xcom, and it made sense, but, would the others share his sentiment?

These cages were stronger than I had initially suspected and their locks were massive chunks of stainless metal. With my muzzle removed, I could use my tongue to possibly snatch anything within the room. My tail would have been too thick to do much of anything. The agents carried keys to the locks, but it was unlikely that I could steal one from their belts without alerting them. Attacking with poison spit or psionics would probably end badly after taking out one or two since they would be able to just shoot stationary targets from the safety of the door.

The human was possibly our only real shot at getting out. He was strange, that was a certainty, not harboring distinct hatred, being open to truly listen, was not something we could assume about all humans.

'Do not do anything that would compromise my attempt,' his exact words replayed in my head.

Waiting, again. Sitting in this cage, no matter how fascinating exploring the many new ways of thinking was, was boring. I tasted the air, and found nothing new, I listened for noise outside, but found only the same, everywhere I looked, I only saw familiar visuals. I needed to get out of there. I wanted the forest, as dangerous and unknown as it was, I wanted to see the sun, the moon, the stars, I wanted to feel the wind against my scales; anything, just something new.

But no, I would need to endure it a little longer.

Time passed impossibly slow, the tiny changes in the color of sunlight, that shun through the few windows in golden rays, were the only indication that it was getting late into the afternoon. I wondered if the man had achieved his mission yet. Had he convinced the others of our story, had he simply run off, perhaps he was exiled for wanting to help us. In any way, he hadn't returned and it was getting late. With time, the unease of the group grew, everyone shifting, talking with their muzzles off, before reattaching them at any outside noise.

"We should at least be prepared to fight." I didn't participate in this debate, simply observing my sister arguing with a sectoid.

"And how, if we try anything they will just gun us down," a sectoid dismissed.

"If all of you use your psionics on them, then we could disarm them and grab the keys," she suggested.

"Attacking humans with psionics is a dangerous process. If we were to try and stun or disorientate multiple of them, there is a high chance that they will simply resist it, so unless we focus on one or two altogether, taking this action is ill-advised," another sectoid chimed in.

"So we just sit here until they come back and say that we will be executed. What then? Will you still just go along with it?" The advent tongue we spoke amongst ourselves already carried a certain aggressiveness, but she was extremely confrontational in attitude.

"No, but until that is certain, we cannot risk losing the one chance we do have. Which is letting that man convince them, then proving him right by being non-threatening." The sectoid, in comparison, was calm.

"I still doubt that he didn't just flee, we can't rely on h-"

A single shot, coming from a high-powered rifle interrupted the viper's sentence. Every single one of us turned towards the noise, then looked at one another.

"What was that?" The three-fingered viper on my left was still just as fearful as the entire rest of the day. Luckily, I didn't have to feel her distress anymore.

"Gunfire, sniper rifle of the agents," I recalled the distinct sound, from when they had first shown up.

"Get the muzzle back on, something is happening," a sectoid warned.

Everyone followed the instructions, snapping the seal back around their mouths. But I had an idea. I still wrapped the cable around myself in the manner the agents had done, but only stuck the locking spring halfway back inside, making the entire thing a little looser. Sure, if they had tried to remove my muzzle, they might have noticed something being off, but I had a feeling that the next confrontation would not entail such pleasantries.

The next minutes were filled with tension, no one daring to make a noise, as we tried to listen for anything outside. It took a while, but eventually, I could hear footsteps, humans talking, and smelled their plasma-ridden scent. But there were too many, far too many for a regular visit. But there was something familiar in there, something which I recognized. It was the smell of fresh human blood, and it was right outside.

The doors swung open and a total of seventeen heavily armored men and women entered. They wore the same tactical gear, with heavy patting on the chest and stomach. Weapons weren't directly aimed at us, but they weren't lowered to the ground either, remaining tight in the humans' grips. At the end of the group, emerged the scientist woman. I glanced down and spotted a handgun in a holster on her thigh.

She took a glance around the room, then locked focus on my left side. After a small moment, she stepped into the middle of the room and cleared her voice.

"Hello, as you might have already suspected, the general disposition of the camp is unchanging. A council will hold the final choice over whether or not you will be spared from their own justice. They will hold a vote, in which each present human will get to decide for themselves if they accept to give you your freedom. Now, that does include every one of my agents. I guarantee that we will support your side in this matter, but we will need someone to represent you, a speaker."

I expected to be addressed next since I had already been selected as the representative multiple times. But the woman turned to the viper on the opposite side.

"You, you can speak English, correct?" She turned to the viper.

I was taken aback by the fact that it wasn't me who was being addressed, and judging by the expression of my sister, so was she.

She nodded regardless, though I could see the many signs of uncertain fear in her eyes.

"Good, then we will escort you there. My agents will be stationed nearby, to protect you from any residents that may attempt to attack you. No matter what the vote ends up being, you are not in danger, I promise. Our commander has very clear instructions for this situation and you will be safe." I carefully observed her face while she spoke. Shifting eyes, resolute tone, calm gesturing. Nothing I could truly categorize as being indicative of untruthfulness, or the sort.

No one replied, because no one could.

Two agents approached the viper's cage and I spotted the shiny key, hanging off the side of the belt. The female agents twisted the object back and forth, multiple clicks were heard, then the metal door creaked open. My sister slithered out carefully, her eyes shifting from the humans back to us and particularly me. I didn't need a psionic connection to her to know that she was a frightened mess.

This was wrong, something here didn't fit. And, judging by the distrusting expressions of everyone else, no one was buying it.

I glanced around at the different humans. They were on edge, unsteadily shifting weight between their feet, mindlessly roaming on their weapons, exchanging looks with one another. The viper was restrained and began to be escorted outside.

"I thank you for your cooperation, you will also be fed soon," the scientist promised, then made her exit.

Fifteen of the agents also rotated back out, leaving the female agent and another man behind. My focus left the closing split of the door and snapped to the woman, or particularly, her key. I exchanged looks with the sectoids and my sisters. Even without the transference of thought and intent, I knew they were thinking similar things to me.

The agents outside would hear if anything went down unless it happened instantly and quietly.

"I will restrain the woman, you have to keep the man from acting or shouting," I hissed, knowing that the humans would have no clue as to what we were saying.

"How do we do that?" Came from the side.

"My muzzle is loose enough that I can drop it and use my tongue to pull her in," I explained and eyed the humans, who were conversing in the middle of the room, sitting on chairs.

My sisters paused, then translated, "The sectoids can keep the man from acting, but it will need to be fast."

"Okay, get ready," I lowered my torso low and coiled around myself in a cocoon. Within my created cover, I swiftly undid the lock and peeked between a slit in my tail.

"Now!"

I rose from the floor and pulled my head back. The corkscrew-like way my tongue coiled inside my body allowed it to propel outward at high speeds and a lot of accuracy. My aim was true and my appendage wrapped around the woman's neck. A short gasp was all she managed to get out before I pulled back with all my force. She choked and was promptly lifted from her chair, skidding across the floor, until she ended pressed up against my bars. I grabbed onto her arms and pulled them through, wrapping their own rope around them, while tightening my grip around her throat.

Simultaneously, the sectoids all stared the other man down, their black eyes glistening with purple. The agent immediately went limp and fell over, causing a loud racket as the chair clattered to the ground. Almost immediately, our plan had already basically failed, my plan had already failed.

But there was no going back, no more. I used my tail to grab the key from the agent and tried to insert it into the lock. But, as it turns out, unlocking something which you cannot see clearly, is very difficult. I bumped against the metal multiple times, almost dropped the object, switched to using my hands, finally got it in, and begun to twist in random directions.

The agent against my bars finally went unconscious and I let her sink to the floor, as the other aliens began to panic. Muffled encouragement, warnings, hisses of my sisters, stomping and human voices outside, the clanking sounds of my failing, the millions of horrifying thoughts running through my head. So much noise, I couldn't focus.

-Click-

Finally, my door swung open and I poured out. The first time I had left this cage after an entire day, a long while of not being able to uncoil to full length made itself known in my limbs and joints, but I didn't have time for a hearty stretch right now.

"Quickly!"

"They're coming, she doesn't have time," my sisters had truly entered a panic.

I scrambled to get the key back outside, then sprinted to the nearest cage, that of another viper

"Hurry, go!"

"She won't make it," terror seeped from her voice and into my thoughts.

'I won't make it.'

My fingers felt numb, my mind went blank, heat, mixed with freezing cold showered down my body. We were all going to die. Much like when the man had laid out the fact that we had been deceived, as my world seemed to collapse inward, I couldn't stop the feeling of falling. Like everything within myself just dropped down an infinite spiral, where gravity increased tenfold with each passing second.

My breaths became panting and I failed to insert the key far too many times. Humans began to yell outside, asking what the origin of the noise had been. But I had finally managed to get the object within the lock, then twisted it randomly again.

-Click-

"Quickly, the humans are waking up again!" A sectoid pointed to the stunned human, who was beginning to rub his head.

Her cage door burst open, as the distressed viper immediately slithered past me, going for the awaking human. I would have much rather had her taking care of unlocking the next cages, but that never seemed to cross anyone's mind at that moment.

"We won't make it." Shaky hisses from indistinguishable directions.

I didn't see what the other viper was exactly doing to keep the two guards quiet, only spotting her grabbing the man before I made it to the next cage, that of a sectoid.

And once again, the simple task of unlocking a cage became an impossible series of precise movements. I knew what to do, my body simply didn't obey. The incoherent whirlpool of panicked thoughts and possible realities clouded my eyesight, while my fingers felt thick and stiff. My claws bumped against the metal, the key almost clattered to the ground, my tail swept the floor like an overenthusiastic janitor.

"They will investigate, you have to focus!" The sectoid to my front was leaning against the bars.

The key finally went in.

"What's going on in there?!" Everyone paused at the human voice outside.

The confirmation that we were indeed about to be walked in on sent my heartrate through the roof and straight into my ears. Sounds became muffled and drowned out by the rhythmic thumping. The feeling of endless sinking, an infinite spiral, entrapped my mind in horror. I glanced over my shoulder, then back to the lock, at the face of the sectoid in front of me, and back to the key, which just didn't want to turn.

"Stop, we have to go!" The viper behind me called out in our species' language.

"She's right, if you don't leave, everyone here will die!" Another hiss from my left.

"I can't just..." 'Could I?'

The door creaked.

I took one more breath in.

"What the fuck!" A human man screamed from the entrance.

I spun around and immediately spotted him raising his assault rifle. My sister had restrained the previously unconscious agents and was now facing the man at the door, just as horrified as me. We were about to be shot, I was about to be shot. I didn't want to die, not here, not before I had experienced what this life had to offer. I wanted to live, I needed to live.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The choice wasn't even a conscious decision anymore, just my body reacting off that singular will to survive. I let go of the key and pushed off the ground, ducking behind the nearest piece of cover, which was a big table in the center of the room.

A salvo of MAG rounds flew past my head and hit the far wall behind me, luckily, I had had time to get low enough to the ground and avoided the next spray. My sister had taken cover behind a pillar and looked at me with utter distress.

"They're trying to escape!" The human called out, finalizing the fact that this plan had gone from bad to worse.

I peeked from behind a chair and the agent spotted me, he fired another burst through the wood. I tried to pull away, but one of the bullets grazed my snout. I hissed in pain and my body screamed at me to fight back, to attack, to kill. But, with the human knowing exactly where I was, added with the knowledge that more were coming, made the option of going for one of the weapons or using my biological offenses a death sentence.

I turned to the other aliens, all were agitated but unmoving. At that moment, their best choice was probably to stay passive, considering we were as good as dead. But I wasn't going to give up.

I used my tail to knock over a chair on the opposite end of the table, drawing the agent's attention away for just a second. Using the momentary distraction, I shot up and grabbed whatever was closest on the table: a candlestick. Granted, not the best weapon for the situation, but with few other choices, I threw the metal decor at the human like a throwing knife.

He turned at the last second, trying to level his wild spray with my body, but I had already ducked back down. I didn't see the impact but heard the man begin to gurgle, before collapsing onto the floor.

I rose from my cover and froze for a second. The visual of the human writhing on the floor, clutching at his throat, where the candlestick stuck out. A pool of blood formed beneath his head and I immediately knew that he was fatally injured. I couldn't tear away from the sight, memories of our atrocities from the past kept me locked on the man's death throws.

"Go, go, go! Run, please, go!" Collectively from my sister came frantic hissing, finally ripping me from my vacant stare.

I looked to the other free viper and the next move was decided.

While the human I had attacked finally succumbed to his blood loss, I grabbed his assault rifle and retreated to the back of the building. My sister had snatched another one of the agent's rifles and followed. A window, very high up and quite thin, was our escape route.

"We will come back for you, I promise," I gave one more look to the rest of my squad.

My sister went first, rasing onto her tail and going up the wall until she reached the stained glass. Since noise was no longer a factor, she burst through the panel and pulled herself through. I went quickly after and landed on the rocky ground beneath.

My sister had already coiled low in some grass and I scrambled behind her.

"Where do we go?" She hissed quietly.

"The northern entrance, it is the shortest way out," I recalled how we had entered the camp.

"What about them," she turned her head back.

"They will need to find an excuse, I am sure we can figure something out once we are out of here," I tried to sound reassuring, but my mind was anything but calm.

Nevertheless, she seemed to believe my words. Our next destination was a cluster of buildings further away from the townhall, where we pressed against a wall. I peeked out onto the pathway and saw more agents arriving in groups, fully armed and smelling of agitation. I retreated my head and waited with bated breath until they passed.

"Ok, go," I whispered and rushed to the next piece of cover.

My sister followed closely behind, but she was just a little too slow.

"Hey!" A human cried out and my eyes went wide.

I was already in cover, but my sister wasn't. One of the agents must have heard us and turned around, only to spot a viper trying to rush past them. She threw me a panicked glare, before turning to face the agents with her rifle.

"Go!" She screamed in Advent, directed at me.

I, however, stared in horror, as she unleashed the MAG rounds on full auto. I do not know if she hit anyone, but a cacophony of gunfire came in response. Her body flailed and shook with the impacts of bullets riddled her from tail to snout. She fell backward from the force and orange blood splattered against the ground. The last couple of raspy breaths escaped her lungs, but I knew I was far too late to do anything.

I had to get out of sight.

I slithered out on the other side of the building and went to into the burned-down side of the camp. Over here, I hoped that I wouldn't need to cross any more humans. Banking on the fact that no one would remain in the ashen buildings, I increased my pace. My eyes were locked onto the forest, my thoughts continuously went back to the aliens of my squad, my body only continued to push thanks to adrenaline, while the blood from my snout ran down my cheek. I clutched onto the magnetic rifle for dear life, trying to ignore the scolding voice in my head.

'You just left them, you should have been dead, not her. They will kill them all because you messed up, it is your fault.' Everything in my head was trying to get me to turn around, to help my group, but I pushed on until I reached the edge of the forest.

Once again, everything in my body felt heavy, sluggish, and refused to take precise commands. My vision seemed to be pulled backward through a tiny window, through which I could only make out blurred surroundings. Moving no longer was a choice, simply the one action my tail carried out. I slithered along the pathway aimlessly, bumping against trees and almost toppling over myself.

'They're dead and I'm next, they will kill me, I will be flayed alive, sliced from the tail up, burned on a pyre, drowned, shot, beaten, killed. I will be killed, I don't know where I am and I will die. I will die alone, I will freeze to death or be ripped to shreds by wild animals. Where am I going? Why did I run? Why didn't I listen?...'

A scent, familiar and fresh. My tongue flicked out to discern the particles in the air around me. Blood, human blood, had left a trail along the pathway I was following, along with a line in the dirt, as if something had been dragged through here. But there was also something else that I recognized: the distinct smell of that man. Why was he here? But he wasn't alone, the pheromones of three others lingered on the bushes and in the air. Maybe I should have gone in the other direction, leave the humans to whatever business they were up to. But perhaps the man had betrayed us in the end and now he was trying to get away.

No, I wouldn't let him just get away. The deaths of my squad would not go unavenged, even if it was to be the death of me. Filled with newfound, though misplaced, determination, I slithered more slowly, tracking the footsteps. I made a mental note that only three pairs of tracks were visible, though I couldn't guess why.

The smell grew, along with the moonlight above. It shun in silver tracers through the pinewood canopy, muting the bright and warm colors of the various flowers into a pale blue. Luckily, my vision was well adapted to the darkness around me, though it was still difficult to see into the distance, thanks to the high cover and dense flora. Though I could rely on my sense of smell to carry me forth, as it grew more intense. The sting of plasma now also clung to my senses, confirming that these were agents.

The forest looked to open up a little further ahead and the taste of human blood pointed to the fact that I was close by. Considering I was potentially up against four humans, I chose to approach stealthily. I slowed my otherwise hasty breaths and slithered into the bushes while keeping a few inches off of the ground. Despite the fear of confronting the humans, which made itself known via the heightening of my attention, I was as quiet as I had always been during scouting.

A tinge of recognitional terror struck me, as I entered the bushes, which scratched against my scales. Though, unlike the gnawing teeth of my strange vision, these thorns were far too brittle to pierce my hide. Still, I moved more carefully, also ensuring that I didn't make any noise.

Laughing humans were the first sound to pierce the dense foliage. I flinched at the noise at first but figured them being distracted would help me advance without being noticed. I spotted the outlines of three standing humans, two leaned against trees, one standing in the middle, and another laid on the floor. Even with the low light, I immediately recognized him by scent and stature.

His face was swollen and bloodied, deep crimson ran down the side of his eye and clumped his hair together. His entire body rose and fell periodically, more blood flowed from his lip and, together with more wounds on his left flank, formed into a puddle. He laid still on rough patches of grass, that had recently been trampled. He struggled to keep his eyelids from shutting but was clearly fading in and out of consciousness.

"Hey, guess you could say that he is...still kicking?" The man in the middle turned to his compatriots, who first stared blankly, then yelled out in amusement.

The other two slapped their knees and threw their heads into their necks, letting out a whaling cry of laughter. Whatever the joke was, I didn't get it. But I recognized them, at least the ones in the back. William and Erick, our guards.

Suddenly, an ear-shattering dissonance of gunfire roared out into the night's sky. I turned towards the direction, the humans did too. I didn't need direct confirmation of the reasoning behind this. Immediately, the hope of saving my squad from this fate was shattered into pieces, and waves of dismay rolled over my mind.

'I'm sorry,' I closed my eyes.

"That is so fucking unfair!" One of the humans interrupted my thoughts.

I almost couldn't believe my ears, they were upset.

"Hey, maybe they'll chase one out here and we can take that," an agent in the back argued but was met with disinterest.

'Are they hunting my squad? Is this all just a game to them?' I almost wanted to simply pull the trigger on the group. But that wouldn't have ended too well for me, considering they were heavily armed and on edge.

"You wanna do it now, see if we can maybe catch one or two on the way back?" The other, who now pushed off of the tree, suggested and approached the slumped-over man.

The closest man turned over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."

He pulled out a handgun and approached the beaten human. Despite the severe injuries, he pushed off the ground, a strand of bloody saliva trailing onto the ground, as he rotated to a kneeling position. Once again, it was obvious that he was barely able to keep his mind in order. Slumped shoulders, only one eye opened fully, heavy bruises and wounds all over his body. All in all, I was surprised that he was even still alive. Though this confirmed that he likely didn't betray us, that he was their enemy, and that I had a potential ally here, no matter if he'd survive the night.

I could take out at least one before the others could react, but the rest could dive for cover. Then I would have to deal with a shoot-out, which would stall me in time, perhaps long enough for reinforcements to arrive. If I killed the two in the back, the one currently holding a pistol to the forehead of my helper may shoot out of reaction. But could the human even fight? He looked as if he would fall over dead any second, despite the stubborn glare he shot his to-be-executioner.

I had to act soon, that much was certain. I switched between the humans, trying to discern which one would be the optimal target. The agent in the front only had his pistol out, so he wasn't a danger to me, only for the kneeling man. The one further on the left, who I recognized as the blond William, who had suggested moving out, seemed more aware, his eyes scanning the environment, but passing right over me. The man on the right, the larger Erick, was in the process of stretching, his hand was away from his weapon, he would be the last person I would have to deal with.

Lastly, I tried to assess how much of a help the half-dead man could be. But my view got caught in a series of details which threw me off. He had spotted me, locked his dark green eyes with me. An expression of utter confusion was plastered on his broken feature, but he didn't try to sign the others to my location. Perhaps he knew I was there to possibly help, maybe he just didn't want to alert his captors to me. At that moment, I recognized something off about his posture, about his eyes. Unlike just a few moments ago, his shoulders were straight, there was visible tension in his body, and his eyes were awake and aware. Still, he was not in a position to make the first move, I would have to give him an opportunity.

I made sure that it wasn't an accidental glance, but that he actually paid attention. When I had confirmation via a tiny nod, I quickly glanced to the pistol, then to the far right man, hopefully signaling him that he will need to shoot that agent. My plan was simple, shoot the executioner in the head, kill the agent on the left, who was more likely to retaliate quickly, then have the human either kill the last one or distract him enough for me to shoot again. Although I had never fired a human gun of this design, I knew the safety was off, a magazine was loaded, and my finger was on the trigger.

The agent's finger moved to the pistol's trigger, no more planning.

One last breath in and I took my shot. Two rounds flew from the magnetic propulsion system, cutting through a leaf, which entered, then promptly exited the skull of the agent. With these bullets being designed for armor piercing, they left smaller holes and went clean through the man's helmet and brain, which splattered against the ground, alongside his body.

William and Erick jumped backward slightly and, just as predicted, the William on the left raised his weapon in my general direction. The pistol fell from the first agent's limp hands and the kneeling man caught it mid-air.

I was just about to level my sights with the left agent when I heard two pistol rounds going off.

Within the fraction of time, it took for me to adjust, the human had fired two bullets into William. The first one hit him in the stomach, which had forced the agent's aim to waver. The second one went clean through the throat, blood spurted against the tree.

The left man was still a danger, as his gun rattled off widely, but not in my direction.

The man on the right had finally managed to raise his shotgun, though again, not at me. But he, too, was shot before he could act, this time a direct pistol bullet into his cranium. Erick's body fell backward and slid down the base of the tree.

The uncontrolled spray of magnetic bullets from William's gun made a horizontal sweep across the clearing. I easily dodged below, but the human in the middle had no cover. He instead brought the pistol back on the agent.

Two shots rang out, ending the hailstorm of fully automated fire. One from me, another from the human, I do not know which one hit first.

Though now stopped, William's uncoordinated hail of automatic fire swung over the man in the center. I saw him get hit once directly, with the rest going overtop him slightly, in his upper bicep. He involuntarily clutched the shot wound and yelled out through clenched teeth. Immediately after the last agent's body hit the floor, he also collapsed back to the ground.

I was left stunned, still unable to believe the speed at which that man had acted. Despite his injuries, which surely impaired his vision, the splint on his arm, that I had noticed being there since the previous day would in no doubt have influenced his aim. It was simply impossible.

He groaned in pain on the ground, bringing me back to the very possible reality.

I slithered out of cover, slowly and my weapon lowered. The man had rolled onto his side and rested on his forearm while keeping me in his field of view. He panted in short and snappy breaths, then spat out blood onto the ground.

"Why did you do that?" He spoke during exhales, making his voice sound breathy and exhausted.

"You needed help," I replied shortly, coming to a stop a few meters away.

"Ah, fuck me..." He let his head hang limply from his shoulders.

"Excuse me?" I interjected with wide eyes.

"What? Oh, god, it's an expression, snake," he turned back to me and tried to sit up. I say tried, because he failed halfway, letting out a groan and sinking back to the ground, clutching his side.

"You will die from that," I noted.

"No I won't, I just need a minute," he dismissed, though he was very short on breath.

"We don't have a minute, the gunfire probably alerted the camp," I looked to the south with concern.

"We?" He raised his head from the ground to look at me raising a split open eyebrow.

For a moment, I was shaken in my plan, perhaps I would need to be truly alone. But, even if I made it out of the forest, closer to the cities, I didn't know what to do if I crossed humans. If I had another human with me, however, it might just help my case of being a non-violent alien, despite the three dead humans to my side. "I need your help, I don't know where I would go," I admitted.

"Well, too bad, shouldn't have left the camp," he laid back down.

"You will die from these wounds within the hour, do you think you can survive alone?" I prodded and approached.

Immediately his focus returned and he raised his handgun. I flinched for a second but didn't return the gesture. The strangely familiar visual cemented itself in my mind. "Don't touch me," he lowered the arm again.

"Your lungs are damaged and you are losing a lot of blood. If your wounds aren't treated soon, you will die slowly and painfully," I concluded my assessment.

"You're a doctor now?" He still refused to move.

"No, I know how to kill a human."

"Then you couldn't even do anything about them. See, I don't need you. Now go slither off before the rest get here," his voice was losing strength, his eyelid flinched closed a few times.

"I am not just going to leave you, do you have bandages or something to put pressure onto your wounds?" I glanced around as if there would be a medkit laying about.

"No, I don't. Now leave me alone," he replied in a more energetic, though very annoyed, tone.

"Then why did you even suggest that you would help us?" I didn't relent.

"Because I thought I could prevent this, but it's done now, isn't it?" Again, his voice lacked conviction.

"They attacked us, yes. But I am alive," I paused, upon not seeing a reaction. "Please, I need your help."

He closed his eyes, then shook his head before exhaling for a long time. Finally, he turned to his side and rolled into a crawling position, from which he made his way to the trees. He grabbed onto the bark and rose to unsteady legs, the pistol dropped at the side.

"There is a cache at the western exit, containing medical supplies. If you get me there, I will reconsider helping you," he looked me in the eyes with his one good eye.

Human eyes were so expressive, the pupil widened and closed depending on lighting and mood, while the outer edges were tiny colorful strands. I caught myself staring into his, as he cocked an eyebrow.

"So?" He inquired.

"Yes, but can you walk?" I looked at his legs, his left side was bent in a strange way, though it didn't look broken.

"I'll manage, you just keep a lookout for any more of these fuckers," he spat a mixture of blood next to the agent's body.

The journey would have been short if the man could have walked any faster than at a snail's pace. We cut through the underbrush, me leading the way by a good bit, with the man trailing behind. Not that I particularly minded the silence, which was interrupted by the occasional distant gunfire. With my superior vision, I kept a careful view of our surroundings, but only found small critters and a family of foxes.

A sudden sound behind me caused me to spin my head and turn back to the struggling man, who had just tripped over a branch. He exclaimed another one of those curses and had a clear issue with getting up. I stopped.

"Do you need help?" I prodded, hoping to increase our pace.

"No," he huffed and clenched his teeth, as he straightened his spine.

"You will slow us down," I retorted, then looked him up and down. "How much do you weigh?"

"What?" He wrinkled his face.

"How much do you weigh in earth's metrical units? I could potentially carry you," I explained and motioned to my tail.

He stared at me with utter bewilderment. Over the past minutes, his face had lessened in the swelling and fewer of his wounds bled, making it a little easier to understand facial expressions.

"No fucking way," he shook his head and overemphasized every word.

"How much further until your supplies?" I asked as I let him catch up a little.

"The trail will cross us, it's around there," he nodded forward.

I squinted and spotted the line of rocks and sand about a hundred meters in the distance. No lights, no smells, no voices, safe. We could afford to go slower, something which I didn't mention to the human, suspecting a remark about not needing it to be his response. But I could slow down as well, calm my mind a little and rest with how I could proceed.

Finally, we reached the pathway, though the human took lead and walked past it, to a cross in the trails.

"There," he pointed at a tree. "It's buried there, get everything over here."

I turned to him, but he already had looked away. "I thought you were independent," I remarked and made my way behind the tree.

"Bite your tongue," he retorted.

"Why would I do that?"

I found a rucksack beneath some branches and leaves, next to it lay a smaller human weapon, one that didn't run on magnetics. The design was strangely intricate, with carvings of targets, lined with silver color. It was lighter than the assault rifle in my hand and its entire frame had sections that looked to be separable. The rucksack was heavy and filled in every pocket.

"Oh my fucking god..." The man whispered to himself, not even offering an explanation as to his strange instructions before.

I slithered back onto the track and handed him the backpack and his gun. He squatted down and began rummaging through the inner pockets of the sack. I kept a close eye on the bushes and trees around us but spotted nothing.

He opened a bottle of pills, poured a couple into his hand, and gulped them down. He shot me a glance and rolled his eye before turning his back to me and taking off his shirt in one motion. Part of it got stuck on the dried blood on his flank and he grunted upon lifting his arms above his shoulder. I saw so many scars and fresh wounds, small cuts, old stab wounds, burn marks, entry and exit holes of bullets, bruised skin, red marks, but the most noticeable fresh wound was on his left stomach; a stitched wound had burst open and expanded.

Next, he took out a roll of white bandages and began wrapping them around his lower stomach. He was muscular, with a layer of light fat on his stomach and arms, but he had a very familiar frame. The scars told many stories, despite the layer of red covering a lot of his body.

After two rolls of the sterile cloth were used up, the man concluded the rather random wrapping of his wounds. Again, I wasn't trained in medical assistance, I had simply observed more than a few human wound-patching. Regardless, I didn't speak that particular criticism out loud. He slipped into a different shirt and stuffed the bloody rag into an empty space within the bag.

"Alright, now," he placed the supplies back into the rucksack and rose to his feet. "There is a river further west, that is our destination. The camp has a fishing outpost at the edge, no one will be there, since it is only really used for catching salmon in the fall. After that, you can make it alone and we split up again."

I had slightly different plans, but it would have to do for now.

He struggled to get the backpack off the ground and over his shoulders, but eventually balanced it out and began walking. I followed behind him, keeping a smaller distance from the slower human.

We trekked through bushes, pushed past low-hanging branches, and wandered straight into the direction of the sinking moon. I appreciated the slower pace, as it gave me time to admire all the different and interesting lighting earth's moon could create. I oftentimes looked down onto my scales and found completely new patterns emerging, thanks to the pale blue above.

The human seemed less appreciative of the fascinating environment and wonderous lunar body. He was more concerned with maintaining the already very slow speed we were traveling at. I should definitely have carried him, or at least the backpack. But whenever I offered one of the two, it was immediately shot down, followed by that word, snake.

"I am not a snake," I repeated.

"Then what is your race called?" The man stopped in his tracks.

I thought for a moment, trying to translate my species' name into human words. "I don't think you would understand the name and I don't know what it would translate to," I admitted after a few seconds of staring.

"Until you can tell me otherwise, I have no proof it doesn't just mean huge fucking snake," he dismissed and kept walking.

I was left standing still for a moment, the attitude of this human...

"I know it doesn't mean that," I retorted and caught up.

"Sure," he rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault that you don't speak my language, I speak yours fluently."

"And you know how fucking creepy that is? You don't have anything to do with earth as a planet, but speak perfect English and sound exactly like a human," there was a certain levity in his voice, despite the lack of breath he constantly experienced.

"I was modified by the elders, but my species had the ability to replicate many sounds," I explained.

"Maybe the elders made you look like a snake, then, ever thought about that?" He glanced at me from the side.

"No, my species has always looked like this, the modifications were to adapt our lungs and bodies to earth's gravity and climate."

"Everything about your species looked like this?" He cocked an eyebrow and I noticed his eyes flick downward slightly.

"I...What are you referring to?" I squinted back at him.

"Absolutely nothing," he let out a hearty chuckle and turned back to our pathway.

I wanted to prod a little further but was halted, as the man suddenly clutched his side and sucked in desperate-sounding breaths. He gasped and choked, then collapsed before I had time to react. I rushed to his side and he spat out bile and blood. I had to turn away slightly, as the scent was overwhelming and threatened to send me into a fit of vomiting as well. But this wasn't because he was feeling sick, no, this was very clearly a result of one of his ribs either pushing against or potentially piercing his lung, due to the constrictions of his chest during laughter.

"Ah, fuck!" He cursed in between hollow and raspy inhales.

"Let me help," I demanded and got even closer.

"Fuck off, argh." He clenched his teeth and rolled onto his side, away from me.

I stopped my advance and chose to observe, if he didn't want my help, I would just let him pass out.

"How far are we from the outpost?" Although I was unsure if he could respond to my question, it had a higher chance of getting an answer than my attempts at aid.

"Not...far..." His eyelids flickered and his mouth began to droop. "Ahhhh...shi-"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, as the man finally stopped clinging onto consciousness. His body relaxed and I poked him with my tail for any reaction. When I was certain that he was completely out, I checked his pulse and listened to his breathing. He would live, just not that much longer. In a way, him losing consciousness would help us both survive.

Now that he could no longer protest, I took the backpack off and slung it over my shoulder, then hoisted the man onto the back third of my tail. He was indeed light enough to carry, just as suspected. I wrapped one layer of my tail around his waist, making sure not to constrict his chest or arms, then made quick pace through the forest.

Periodically, he mumbled something in his sleep but didn't wake up.

Eventually, I smelled the scent of running water, then heard the flow of a rapid stream. I hurried past a line of trees and emerged at the edge of a shallow river, that flowed through a small valley, surrounded by stoney hills. A bridge was a little further ahead and I crossed over, spotting a wooden cabin downstream.

The door was unlocked and the inside rather warm. Hooks, fishing lines, and bait hung from the ceiling, a table with chairs, and three beds decorated the interior of a side room. I laid the man down on one of the beds and began to rummage through the rucksack, quickly finding the bag of medical supplies. His breathing was impaired and the left side of his chest rose only halfway. I made sure he was still breathing, then got to work.