What You Never Know (Won't Hurt You?)

What You Never Know (Won’t Hurt You?)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with the Predator movies or AVP, although I would like to. XD They belong to Fox.

It was pitch black outside the library windows…well, except for the party going on three blocks down on “Greek Street”. Pursing my lips, I glared out at the partiers, thinking, ‘It was just Fall Break, why aren’t any of them trying to rush through schoolwork they didn’t do over vacation?’ With a sigh, I returned to my book, Frankenstein. Of course, what else would one read on Halloween night?

Just when the doctor’s creation was about to strike Dr. Frankenstein’s wife, a hand touched my shoulder. Shrieking, I nearly jumped out of my chair as a calming voice asked,

“Mya, what on Earth are you still doing here?”

Turning to the one who practically scared the crap out of me, I looked up to find Mrs. Henderson, one of the campus librarians. I inhaled several times to slow down my rapid heart rate before answering, “I was just reading, Mrs. Henderson.”

“I can see that, dear. It’s what you’re typically doing in the library whenever I find you,” she told me, smiling. “But it’s Halloween, you should be out at a party having fun.”

“But this is fun. I’m not really the party type anyway…too many people doing God knows what, at least in my opinion.”

“Oh, I don’t mean the ‘Greek’ party. Just a get-together where you and friends can wear costumes and eat homemade treats.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the motherly librarian. Mrs. Henderson was one of the best librarians at my university because she always made everyone feel welcome in the central library. Plus she always let me stay later than closing time. However, since it was Halloween, she was going to close the library at 9 p.m., two hours earlier than usual.

“Well…my roommates are at a party, and they’re my closest friends that are in town,” I said, looking back at my book. “Plus, I just love classic ‘horror’ books like Frankenstein and Dracula.”

“All right, I’ll close up the library and let Officer Johnson know that you’ll be leaving in a little while,” Mrs. Henderson smiled, patting my hand. “Just be sure to check for other stragglers, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I nodded, watching her head back to her office. Then, I promptly returned to my book. It was getting too good to stop now.

About half an hour later, I closed the book and stretched my arms into the air. It was time to go and ‘check for stragglers’ though I really doubted anyone would be in the library besides me. I really was a professional bookworm; good thing I was studying for my Master’s in Library Science. ‘Nothing like making a career out of doing what you love,’ I thought, scooting the chair back and getting up.

Replacing the book, I walked around the first floor, checking for anyone else that might be in the library. No one was in the meeting rooms or the video rooms. I moved to the elevator and slowly pressed the B button. Twisting my mouth to the side, I really didn’t like going to the basement level at night…not just because it was Halloween. It was just a creepy place. But I knew I had to get used to it since who knows what sort of library I’d be working at in the future.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped on allowing the doors to slide shut. I reached the basement level, but when the doors slid open, I chickened out. Peeking outside, I called, “Anyone here? If there’s anybody down here, the library is closed!” No one answered, so I felt no need to further explore the level.

Pressing the 2 for the second floor, I felt much more at ease with all the DVDs and VHS tapes. Walking through the rows, I called out to see if anyone was there. I passed by the sci-fi area, noticing that several of the ‘Alien’ films had been checked out…most likely for a monster movie marathon or something like that.

My eyes fell on one that I hadn’t seen in a long while. The caption read “If it bleeds we can kill it.” Snorting, I thought, ‘Yeah right, after losing all your team, Ah-nold. But that’s what you get for messing with someone else’s hunt.’ I had seen all three movies and how could I not appreciate the so-called “villain”? The reasoning behind the destruction he caused was logical unlike ‘slasher’ films with no point to the killing. It was one of the first ‘Sci-Fi horror’ movies I could watch without wanting to fast forward or change the channel.

Shaking my head, I moved back to the elevator and pressed the 3 for the third and final floor of the library. The doors slid open once more, and I strode out into the dark level. After closing time, the only lights on were the ones closest to the elevator on each floor. I moved to one of the rows and called to see if anyone was there.

Then, I stopped in the study area near one of the large windows. Looking out into the darkness, I thought the oak tree was leaning closer to the building. I closed my eyes and slowly opened them, allowing my sight to adjust to the blackness. My brow scrunched up as I saw the tree still leaning…dangerously close.

Suddenly, something large crashed through the window, and I screamed before ducking and covering my head. Shattered glass flew everywhere, and I felt several pieces bounce off my back to land around me. There was another sound…it was like a growl but mixed with a crackling sound like electricity.

A moment passed, and I felt my breathing calm down before raising my head to look around the room. The window was now a large hole in the wall, and several tables had been shoved away from their places by the window. Blinking, I stood and slowly walked to where whatever I saw had landed. There was something lying partially under one of the tables, and I leaned down to examine it. Blue lightning crackled along the body, and I wondered if it had somehow been electrocuted. But there weren’t any power lines on this side of the building, so I dismissed that idea.

Then, my eyes widened as I looked at the huge, human-like body and saw armor spaced along the torso, legs and pelvis. Long, black, almost dreadlock-like hair fanned about his shoulders…his body structure clearly screamed out power and masculinity. A metal mask hid his face. It all seemed too familiar, and I swallowed as I approached his still form.

“If this is some sort of Halloween prank, I’m not laughing and neither will anyone else when I find out who did it,” I whispered to myself, leaning over his torso.

Lightly grasping the mask, it felt real; cold, smooth metal. I tried to lift it up, but I was surprised when it didn’t move. And that was what sent a shiver down my spine. Backing up a few steps, I thought, ‘Oh, God…this can’t be…he’s not…oh, my God!’ I never believed the movies could be real, and they weren’t supposed to be. But lying before me was…it had to be…a Predator, a Yautja.

My eyes darted down when I saw his hand twitch as though clutching something or trying to clench a fist. That’s when I noticed small rivers of green flowing down his forearm and thigh. He’d been wounded, but I didn’t see any glass shards with blood on them. It looked as though he’d either been stabbed or shot.

“Hey! Did you see where it went?” A man’s voice called from outside the window. My head shot up, and I bent down slowly stepping around the huge alien to peek just over the pane. Below on the library lawn was a small group of four men. All of them carried small firearms, and I ducked down when I saw one look up.

“There! It had to have gone inside the building!” A different voice shouted. “Let’s move!”

‘This bunch can’t be that bright if they’re announcing what they’ve seen and what their plans are,’ I thought, rolling my eyes before looking at the Yautja. He was still moving, slowly waking, and I wondered if I should be the one here when he did fully wake up. Shaking my head, I remembered that I hadn’t attacked him; I was virtually defenseless and harmless.

What I also knew was that those men would try to enter the library and that I needed to get the Yautja to safety. My conscience was working overtime if I felt the need to help a being that knew how to handle situations worse than this. Gently, I placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him to wake up faster. “Hey! You need to get up so we can get you out of here!” I hissed to him.

A soft growl rumbled through the massive chest, and he shook his head as he sat up. Then, he faced me directly, his right hand clenched as his wrist blades flew out. Gasping, I held up my hands, calmly saying,

“Please…there’s no need for that. I’m trying to help you.”

Tilting his head to the side in an almost questioning manner, he seemed to relax a little as the blades retracted back. I closed my eyes in relief for a moment before asking, “Can you get up by yourself?”

Apparently, he understood me enough to slowly rise, but he leaned dangerously to the right, favoring his injured leg. I reached out to him slowly and grasped his left arm. Almost immediately, he yanked it out of my hands, growling low in his chest. But that was a mistake as he lost his balance for a moment and sank to one knee.

“You need help,” I told him quietly. “Just let me get you to a safe place.”

He made a clicking sound before nodding, and I wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We rose together, and I led him to the elevator, pressing the B. Swallowing, I thought it ironic that the one place in the library that freaked me out was the place where I could hide him. The doors slid open, and we limped onto the elevator allowing the doors to close.

In the light on the elevator, I was able to examine him even more closely. He was huge, about seven-and-a-half-feet tall with massive shoulders. His skin was almost a creamy sort of green with darker mottled places along his arms and legs. The armor and mask he wore were a dark silver, almost gray color. He was even more impressive, and imposing, than what I expected.

When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, I helped him into the dark basement. I left him leaning against one of the tables so I could go to the first aid kit to see what could help. Opening the kit, I frowned that there was only one roll of gauze, but I grabbed it and half a dozen separate gauze bandages.

Moving back to the Yautja, he watched me as I ripped open the bandages and placed two against the wound on his arm. It seemed as though he understood I was trying to help him since he didn’t move away or try to stop me. I wrapped the cloth gauze around the bandages, tying it tight to hopefully stop any further bleeding. Then, I did the same with the two wounds on his leg, wrapping more gauze around those since they seemed to be the worst. I knew it was only a temporary solution until I could get him to another location, but it would have to do.

Clenching my hands, I brought them to my forehead, thinking, ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, Mya?! You’re helping a seven-and-a-half-foot tall alien who shouldn’t exist!’ Hearing a trilling noise, I looked up to find him staring at me with a slightly perplexed look…at least from what I could tell despite his mask. ‘But he is real…I mean, he’s standing right in front of me.’

With a sigh, I lowered my hands and said, “Wait here until I come back. Please, do not leave this level.”

When he trilled again, I took it as a sign that he was listening, and I went back to the elevator. Pressing the 1, I went up to the first level and, to my lack of surprise, I found the four men standing at the glass doors. One of them rapped against the glass, and I gave him a convincing look of confusion. Walking over to the door, I said,

“Sorry, the library’s closed.”

“We just wanted to check on something on the upper level, miss,” the one who tapped the glass said.

Shrugging my shoulders, I told him, “I would, but the doors are locked and I don’t have a key.”

“Isn’t there a side door or something?” he asked, frowning.

“Forget that! Just let us inside now!” The man standing to the left of the first yelled, baring his teeth at me.

Glaring at them, I said, “I don’t know why you need inside, but I’m sorry. The library is closed.”

“Is there a problem here, gentlemen?” A calm voice said from behind the four. Looking up, I smiled at Officer Johnson as he stared at the men gathered in front of the library. Even though he was an older man, Officer Johnson was built like a brick wall and over six feet tall. He could still intimidate others with a look. “Are these men harassing you, young lady?”

“No, Officer, I think they were just leaving,” I told him, glancing at the first man who spoke to me.

“Uh, yes, sir, we were going,” he agreed, nodding hesitantly. “Come on, men. Let’s move along.”

“But, sir, what about…?” The second man was silenced by the bark of the first.

“We are moving along. Now, move!”

All four turned around and headed down the street away from the library. I hoped they were heading off-campus, and my hopes were confirmed when Officer Johnson said,

“I think I’ll make sure those gentlemen make it safely away from the university. Mya, I trust you’ll be leaving soon?”

“Of course, Officer Johnson. Thanks for your help,” I said, smiling brightly.

“You’re a good girl, Mya, that’s the only reason I allow this. Just make sure to get home safe.”

Waving, I watched him disappear after the four men before sighing and saying, “And the Oscar goes to Mya for her convincing performance of a girl who doesn’t know anything in regards to anyone!” I snorted at my joke before heading back to the elevator and pressing the B.

In the basement, I found the Yautja waiting patiently…or at least as patient as a Yautja could wait. He was looking over something on his right gauntlet, but whatever it was disappeared as he turned to face me. Giving him a small smile, I said,

“The men who were after you are being…escorted away from here. But I don’t think you can stay in the library. They might come looking for you again, and there’s already been enough damage to the building.”

Groaning, I slapped a hand over my eyes wondering what Mrs. Henderson would think once she saw the damage. The library was her pride, her joy! And look at what this…alien did to it. Granted it wasn’t his fault; he was only trying to escape those guys. Just doing what was natural. Inhaling, I knew that even if I told Mrs. Henderson the whole story, she wouldn’t believe it. I’d just have to come up with something later…since I had another more immediate problem on hand.

Removing my hand, I looked at the Yautja once more as he stared at me through the cold eyes of his mask. I sighed and rechecked his bandages, making sure none of them had come loose in the time I was gone. He remained still as I did this, just turning his head to follow my movements. It was a little unnerving being under his scrutiny, but I had brought this on myself.

When I made sure his bandages were still doing their job, I stood in front of him, saying, “I’m going to take you to a safe place. You’re going to have to trust me, and I’m going to trust you. Will you do that…please?”

He tilted his head to the side as though in question, and I almost wanted to giggle since he just looked so…different when he did that. He didn’t seem as threatening…but part of me knew I still needed to be wary of him. I tilted my head to mirror his motion, and he nodded his head slowly.

To my surprise, the Yautja wrapped his left arm around my shoulders, leaning on me as I grasped his arm. I assumed he was trying to trust me, and I didn’t question it as we made our way to the elevator again. We got off at the first level, and slowly walked to the side door. Truthfully, it was slow by Yautja standards since I was taking regular strides to his half-strides.

Outside the library, I looked around, making sure there were no people to see us leave the building. We were kind of hard to miss, but since it was Halloween, I prayed they thought he was just a tall guy in a costume. Walking across campus to the bus stop was no trouble. Most likely everyone on campus was either at the Greek party or asleep in their dorm rooms.

Arriving just as the bus pulled up, I heard a low growl come from the big Yautja’s chest as his body tensed upon seeing the huge vehicle. I gently patted his hand, hoping that would soothe him. He glanced down at me and relaxed just a little until the doors hissed open.

Somehow, his invisibility armor must have been damaged in the crash since it wasn’t activated…either that or he didn’t use it out of trust. But this was the ultimate test since the driver would definitely see him. Biting my lower lip, I helped the Yautja step on the bus which groaned under our combined weight. We took the back seat, and I caught the driver eying my large companion. To my relief, he chuckled, saying,

“That is one amazing costume. Your boyfriend really gets into Halloween, doesn’t he?”

“He does at that, but he’s not my boyfriend,” I answered, exhaling the breath I didn’t notice I was holding.

“Well, you’re holding him awfully close then, aren’t you?” The driver laughed and winked at me.

I gave a small chuckle before glancing at the Yautja. He looked like he was out of it, shaking his head as though trying to clear it. I wondered if his wounds were finally getting to him, but this was no time to check them. It would have to wait until we got to my apartment. ‘Oh, Lord…I’ll have such a time trying to explain him to my roommates,’ I thought with another groan.

Slumping down, I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I was just getting into all sorts of trouble tonight…somehow it made sense that it was Halloween night that gave me such trouble. There was a weight on my shoulder, and I looked up to see the Yautja looking down at me. He clicked softly, and I wondered if he was concerned about me. I tilted my head in much the same way he did, saying quietly, “I’m okay…just tired.”

The bus ride to my apartment complex was very quiet. Considering it was well after dark, I wasn’t really surprised there weren’t anymore passengers than my alien companion and me. Most people avoided the night bus since it went here, there, and yonder. But I was glad to use public transportation when I could especially since it went right by my apartment.

When the driver stopped the bus, I stood and waited to see if the Yautja could stand alone. He did make it to his feet but stumbled a little, steadying his body against one of the seats. I grasped his arm, wrapping it around my shoulders, and we walked down the steps to the sidewalk. Somehow we made it up the stairs to my apartment on the third floor without too much trouble.

Opening the door, I called inside to see if my roommates were back from their party. No one answered, and I hurried my guest into the apartment. Closing and locking the door, I turned to find him limping slowly into the larger area of the living room. He raised a hand to the mask and slowly removed it from his face. Then, he turned towards me, and I saw his fierce visage. Four mandibles crossed over his mouth, and a pair of bright green eyes stared at me. I walked over to him slowly and looked over his wounds. The one on his lower thigh had begun bleeding a little, and small spots of green blood dotted our carpet.

Touching his arm, I motioned for him to follow me into the bathroom across from my bedroom. He entered just behind me, and I showed him where to stand in the tub. At least his blood could be rinsed down the drain in here.

Suddenly, I heard the door being unlocked, and I quickly closed the bathroom door. Then, the telltale sign that my roommates had arrived came.

“Meeeee-yaaaaaa! We’re hooo-oooome!” Cassie’s singsong voice rang through the apartment.

“Ok, that’s fine! I’m in the bathroom; don’t bother to check on me!” I called back, gritting my teeth as I stared at the otherworldly being standing in the tub. He had pulled something from his belt…maybe it was his medical kit? I didn’t know what he was going to do, that is until I saw the tool that looked like pliers. Then, he bent down and tried to shove it into his wounded flesh, drawing a pain-filled growl from him.

“Geez, Mya, if you’re having that much trouble, why don’t you just eat more fiber?” I heard Cassie’s voice from the other side of the bathroom door. Rolling my eyes, I stepped over and grasped the tool, saying,

“Give me that! I can help you get the bullets out.”

A low growl was his reply, but I stood my ground, refusing to let go of the pliers while glaring at him. I tried to growl back, but all that did was surprise him as he tilted his head and trilled in what I assumed was laughter. “Yeah, yeah, shush!” I hushed him, pulling the pliers from his grasp. Moving to one of the wounds on his leg, I tried to position the tool properly. I swallowed as he stopped laughing and stared down at me.

Glancing up at him, I knew this would hurt him and he would most likely growl again if not bellow. But it had to be done, and he seemed to brace his body against the tile wall. With one more moment of hesitation, I shoved the tool inside the wound and felt it hit something. The bullet wasn’t embedded that far, and I pulled apart the pliers to get a grip on the foreign object. All this time, I heard him hissing and growling, and his claws scraped harshly against the wall. Cringing from the awful sound, I gripped the tool with both hands and yanked as hard as I could.

The bullet came out, but the force sent me sprawling back against the counter. My guest released a horrible roar of pain, and I had to cover my ears from the sound.

“Mya, what the hell’s going on in there?” Cassie’s voice asked from outside the door.

“Uh…nothing, Cassie, everything’s fine!” I lied, hoping she’d buy it.

She didn’t. Immediately, the door opened and Cassie marched in, saying, “It doesn’t sound like…no…thing…” My roommate stopped her sentence as her eyes grew wide after seeing what was in the tub. I looked at my roommate from my place on the floor, and the Yautja met her stare. She blinked several times before calling, “Leah!”

“Yes?” My other roommate asked as I heard her come through the living room towards second bathroom. Then, I saw Leah’s slightly shorter frame appear from around Cassie. She looked at Cassie, then me, and then turned to look at what Cassie was staring at.

“What…is that?” Cassie asked outright, backing a little away from the tub only to stop next to Leah.

“Mya, I’d say you’ve gone too far with your fandom,” Leah added, still looking at the huge alien in the spare bathroom. “If you’re going to bring a boyfriend home, you don’t have to put him costume.”

“Guys, he’s not my boyfriend!” I told them, rising to my feet and frowning at them. “And that’s not a costume. He’s the real thing. Look at his wounds! How can you fake that?”

Leah gave me a hard, inspecting look before walking further into the bathroom towards the tub. The Yautja just stood his ground, still holding the wound where I had just removed the bullet. He was bleeding pretty freely, and I opened the cabinet to bring out more bandages. Handing Leah the old bandages covered with his blood, I pressed several against the wound and tied it off again.

“Now, there are two more wounds to take care of.” I turned to face my roommates. “If you don’t want to help me, then just stay out of the bathroom.”

Neither of them moved; Leah still stood next to me holding the bandages with dried green fluorescent blood and Cassie just moved to the doorway. I gave the fresh bandages to Leah and turned back to the Yautja who was still looking around at the three of us. Patting his hand, I said, “It’s all right. They’re my friends…sisters practically, especially when they’re being pains like this.”

“Hey, we didn’t ask you to bring in a two-ton alien,” Cassie stated, sticking her tongue out at me.

“If he were two tons, I couldn’t have helped him up here,” I told her, giving her my ‘freaky look’ as she called it where I just smiled like the Cheshire cat.

“Stop it, Mya!”

“Why don’t you explain what happened from the beginning?” Leah suggested, getting in between Cassie and me.

After pulling out the last two bullets (to which I received two more, powerful roars) and explaining the situation to Leah and Cassie, the three of us settled onto the futon. Our guest, having been bandaged, was inspecting the entirety of the living/dining room. My roommates just stared at him walking around our home, and Cassie asked,

“Can’t you get it to leave, Mya?”

“Cassie, he’s not an ‘it’. And he’s hurt,” I told her, still looking over the rather crudely wrapped wounds. “Besides what about those men who were after him on campus? They might come back.”

“Well…have you ever thought that maybe that’s for the best?” she whispered to me. “He could be dangerous.”

“Of course he’s dangerous, Cassandra, but that doesn’t mean he’d hurt us, right, Mya? We haven’t done anything except help him,” Leah said in my defense. “You know when Mya’s mind is made up, it can’t be changed.”

Gazing at our guest, he tried to open our balcony door, which was locked, and when it didn’t open, he growled. Before he could put more effort into it, I jumped from the futon and grabbed his arm, saying, “Hold on, it’s locked. Don’t pull it off the hinges.” Reaching around him, I twisted the knob and opened the door to walk out on the balcony. He followed me, and I watched him place a clawed hand on the railing and look around the dark sky. There really wasn’t much to see besides the cityscape in the distance. A cluster of trees shielded the complex from the shopping center not two minutes away. I wondered what he was looking for, but I couldn’t really ask him.

A cold wind gusted around the complex, and I shivered a little to get warm. His body shook more, and I could understand why. I mean he was practically naked except for the coverings from his waist down and the armor shielding his shoulders. Turning back to the door, I walked inside and waited until he chose to come with me.

Closing and locking the door, I looked at my roommates and noticed them staring away from me. Turning my head, I saw him slowly sit on the floor, and a sigh made his shoulders slump. He groaned and brought a hand to his head before shaking it, sending his dreadlocks flying about his wide shoulders.

“Is something wrong with him?” Leah asked, standing up and coming over to me.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “He did lose a lot of blood and crashed through the window of a three-story building. Who knows how long he was running to try and escape before that?”

“Whatever, just make sure he doesn’t go where he shouldn’t go in our apartment,” Cassie said, getting up from the futon and heading for her room next to Leah’s.

“Maybe I should get a blanket,” I thought out loud, still watching him take deeper breaths. He seemed exhausted, but I wasn’t sure how I could help him anymore. “That might make him more comfortable.”

“Possibly,” Leah agreed. “Well, I need to get to bed. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning. You should probably get to bed soon, too, Mya. After what you’ve been through today, you’ll need the rest.”

Nodding, I smiled in her direction before Leah walked into her room. Then, I returned to the present matter, which had actually leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed. He looked like he was asleep, so I went to the hall closet and brought out a large, thick blanket. We did tend to keep the apartment cooler during autumn and winter. Draping it over his body, I gently tucked it behind his shoulders and turned off the lamps.

Then, I heard something from his direction and went back to his side. My brow furrowed as I didn’t hear anything at first, but then, there it was again. He was trying to speak; at least that’s what I thought.

“What was that?” I asked him softly.

“Thank…you…” he repeated, his eyes opening and looking right into mine.

“Your…your welcome,” I told him, blinking in surprise that he said anything at all. Then, I thought it would be strange to just call him ‘he’ or ‘him’, so I bit my lower lip and said, “I’m ‘Mya’…what’s your name?”

He slowly blinked and tilted his head to the side as though confused, and I tried to figure out how to ask in another way. Placing a hand on my chest, I said, “Mya.” Then, I pointed at him, asking, “You are…?”

Nodding, he said, “Tor’ac.”

“Tor’ac…sleep well,” I told him as he closed his eyes once more, and his breathing slowed. As I walked into my bedroom, I wondered just what trouble I had brought on my home and my friends. But what was done couldn’t be changed, and I would have to take whatever was brought to me…without regret. I had helped someone who needed help, and I couldn’t regret doing that.


TBC

Author’s Note: I wrote this as a challenge for myself to see if I could get a Predator story up by Halloween. I would like to continue with the story, but I’d like to know what the readers think should happen. Should Tor’ac be joined by his fellow Yautjas immediately or should he spend a little more time in Mya’s home? Comments are welcomed as long as they are constructive. ^_^