Beautiful Creature

Chapter 9

Clare's POV

So last night was awkward. 

          Aphibal had acting odd, almost playful and I guess I let my guard down because of it. I was only able to pull myself out of the gutter by remembering that he killed on a daily bases and would probably attack me the moment I was vulnerable. I was getting too friendly, he was getting too friendly. He's a murdering alien, he's a murdering alien, I kept repeating that in my head hoping that it would stick in my brain. 

          Work had gotten harder from the lack of sleep but nobody, other than Athena and some other workers, seemed to notice. Stacy had noticed too. When she'd asked if something was wrong I just said it was something I was coming down with and that it would pass over soon. She tried to get me to take a day off of work to get better but we couldn't afford to lose the money. 

          The monthly bill was coming up and we couldn't take a chance like that. To be honest, I didn't have this under control, and now with Aphibal being all friendly, it was going to be even hard. I looked up at the clock and saw that I was at my break. I grabbed a sandwich, paying for it at the counter before sitting in one of the many tables. 

          I unwrapped the ham and cheese and was about to take a bite when my phone started to vibrate. I took the bite and picked up the phone. The notification was a news update. "SEAR Has Latched a New Shuttle Colonists" it read in bold black print. I almost choked on my food. Why in the world would SEAR send more colonists to this planet? I clenched my teeth as the dots started to connect. 

They were helping the Xenomorphs. 

          That was the only explanation for this. Our population was dropping because of the Xenomorphs killing us off so they were bringing more in to continue their experiment. I clicked on the article and read through it. There wasn't a hint of suspicion or doubt in the company's decision. They briefly mentioned the disappearances/kidnappings but didn't go too deeply into it. 

           It just said, "SEAR has said that it has heard of the recent kidnappings and killings on this planet and hope to help by sending more colonists. They have faith in our justice system to bring in the killer responsible." I read through multiple other articles hoping to find something, anything that said people were even remote4ly  about SEAR. 

Nothing. 

          Why was everybody so oblivious to the truth but then again, they didn't have a xenomorph barging into their apartment every night. SEAR successes, social status, and net worth might also be contributing to the fact that no one was speaking out. They were scared that something might happen to them. SEAR wasn't above using people. 

But then that leads to the next question, Why?

           Why were they helping the Xenomorphs? Why did they bring them to this planet in the first place? There were just too many questions and not enough answers. I lend back and rubbed my temples trying to calm down the arising headache. An alarm went off on my phone signaling that my break was over. 

           I grabbed my trash and started back to the kitchen. I'd have to see if I could dive deeper into this mystery. 

~~~~****~~~~

          I walked through the door and shivered, rubbing my bare hands together. The snowfall had just started and the frozen season was here. The frozen season was a lot like winter but a lot more extreme. Snow turned to ice within seconds of it falling from the sky, simulating a sort of hail. Ice always coated the streets as well as buildings and you could only drive if you had special tires and vehicles. 

          Blizzards were a common occurrence and they'd caused some major power outages in the past years. I heard someone's loud steps thumping down the stairs. Stacy waved frantically in my direction. She wore a heavy blue sweatshirt and no gloves. I waved back and when she was close enough I said, "You're going to freeze to death." She shrugged, "Haven't died yet. See ya later!" and with that, she walked out the door.

          I wasn't sure why she was so eager to go to work but I guess I could ask her later. I fumbled with the keys and slid it into the hole. I made sure that it was locked behind me so I had no surprise visitors. I popped two hot pockets in the microwave and grabbed my computer from my room. It was an older model and was slower than a snail but it got the job done. By the time it loaded up the ham and cheese hot pockets were done. I sat down on the couch and searched up some conspiracy sites. 

That would probably be the best place to start. 

          The first site was no help and was mostly about some kind of massive alien type creature that they called "the predator". An insect type alien hunting throughout the universe. Crazy talk but not impossible I thought as I remembered Abhipal. The second site had some info about the Company but it was about how they were using some illegal fuel to power their ships. 

          The third site was loading and the clock on the wall struck 10 o'clock, time for coffee. Caffeine was my best friend in the past late nights. Suddenly a new post appeared by a user on a different planet.

All readers please listen to what I have to say I don't have much time before they come for me. The company is lying to us! they have done unspeakable crimes against humanity and I'm not just talking about the fuel to world destruction that they cause. They are experimenting with us. they are experimaenting with human beings for their own uses. I have visaul proof of what I'm saying is true and please if you are the athorityies please come arest me before the Companu does please

          The typing was erratic towards the end as if he was speeding through it not caring for grammar mistakes. The tone used as well was nerve-racking. I scrolled down to the two linked photos. One was a picture of a large contorted image of a human body. Several black spikes piercing through the flesh, blood dripping from every hole. 

          The second was something similar to the first but it had black scales coming out of the skin and the head appeared to have expanded backward. The creature was strapped to a surgery table with metal cuffs, two of which had been broken by the dead creature/human. 

         Then it was gone. The post disappeared for the dash. I trying clicking the back arrow and refreshing the site but the post was gone. That was the closest thing to a true finding of what the Company was in hours of my searching. Another post loaded on to my screen from the official Company user. 

Attention, the horrible pictures and claims that you have witnessed are not true. The photos were photoshopped and posted by a disturbed employee and we plan on handing it so this doesn't happen in the future. Have a good day. 

          "So what have you found?" a deep voice resonated in my head. I whipped around, Abhipal skillfully dodging my hair. I must have missed the bell ringing. "Not much just some random things," I answered honestly. There was no point in lying anymore, we were both in the same boat when it came to wanting answers. I raised a finger, "But I did find one thing that had some very real looking photos and the Company deleted the post only moments after the person posted it so there has to be some truth in it." 

           Abhipal cocked his head, thinking. "What did these pictures show?" he questioned. I told him what they looked like, not going too into detail with some of the more gruesome parts. When I finished he paused before nodding. "Continue in your search then Clare," he said with a slightly curious tone. I turned slowly back to the computer and pulled up the next site. Abhipal's head came to hover over my right shoulder, his breath caressing over my exposed neck skin. 

           My brain screaming at me to run recognizing the presence of an apex predator but I stayed put. He needs you alive, you're safe. He needs you, you're safe. I kept repeating the same phrase over in my head and, eventually, I started to believe it.