literature

Predator's Library

Deviation Actions

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Literature Text

(Sequel to Predator's Acquaintance)


Jack's stomach groaned as he walked down the side walk of a practically deserted Philadelphia during a overcast afternoon. He had checked several food stores since he awoke this morning; and he found his worst fears were coming true. He was running out of food.

He still had a few bottles of water, but he felt sluggish and his stomach continued to vindicate its empty status by groaning and rumbling.

"Scythia has food I bet" Jack mumbled. Scythia was the Predator that he had befriended four weeks earlier. He taught her how to read the English language; and, in exchange, Scythia would not skin him alive. A deal that Jack had little say in the confirmation of. Despite that, Jack found that Scythia was a decent companion once she began to trust him more. They both enjoyed reading, and they were actually almost done with A Tale of Two Cities. It took so long because Jack had to answer the many questions that Scythia asked. Her questions ranged from what certain words meant to human culture. Jack, growing up in the midst of humanity's extinction, had a lot of trouble answer questions that pertained to humans' way of life.

As he was lost in his train of thought, Jack stepped on a piece of paper, and it emitted a loud crumpling sound as he stepped on it. Instinctively, Jack looked down at it and stopped upon seeing that the paper had a large, strange image on it. He picked it up and looked at it. The image was a mess of lines and blocks with certain names for certain lines. Jack scanned the paper until he found something peculiar. There was a name for one of the lines that said "Baker Street". Where had he seen that before?

Jack then walked back down the street was on until he found the answer he was seeking. At the beginning of the street was a old, weathered sign that read "Baker Street". Jack glanced several times back at the piece of paper and then back at the street sign before forming an exciting conclusion.

The paper was a map of Philadelphia.

"Awesome!" Jack laughed excitedly as he took a seat on the sidewalk. He scanned the map, looking for familiar locations. He found the many streets that he had traveled on in the past along with the abandoned apartment building that was his home. He then found other locations that he had not been to before such as a "Independence Hall" and "Liberty Bell"...whatever those places were. Jack sat there looking at the map for several more minutes until he discovered something that made his heart beat fast. 

The map showed where a library was.

Jack's eyes widened and his mouth was agape at the discovery. He had read about libraries before. They were supposed to be buildings what were completely filled with books. Could this library have hundreds of books? Thousands? Millions?! Jack quickly stood up and followed the path he had determined from the map. 

The library appeared to be near the center to the city, an area that Jack rarely visited. 

He continued walking with his mind filled with the fantastic image of large mountains of books piled together, waiting to be read by him.

__________________________________________________

Scythia sat on a building's roof, her legs dangling over the edge. She tore into the slab of cooked meat that she brought with her. She had obtained this meat from a creature called a "deer". As she ate, her mind drifted to the thought of her human companion. Her original plan was to force him to teach her how to read English and then, after learning the language, kill him and make him a trophy. After all, humans were a very rare prize nowadays.

However, she found herself becoming more attached to him by the day. He was calmer and less bloodthirsty than the other males in her tribe, something that she personally liked about him. She also felt some sort of responsibility for him. He told her that he was fourteen years old, and that he had not seen another human being since he was five. Jack had gone nine years without seeing another one of his species, constantly afraid and alone. She felt bad for him, something that she didn't feel for anyone else.

Of course, Jack was not without his faults. Although she had not really challenged him to a fight, she was able to deduce that he was fragile. Then again, perhaps all humans were fragile. Also, it was no mystery to her that he was attracted to her. She was slightly flattered at the fact, but she was not interested in Jack. But, she had to admit that Jack, when backed into a corner, can be clever. He managed to trick her when they first met and actually had the perfect opening to kill her; but he refused to shoot her because he did not want to shed blood. Both an honorable and weak trait.

Scythia's thoughts were interrupted, however, when she heard something walking in the streets below. She looked down to find that it was indeed the human being she was thinking of, Jack. He was looking at some large piece of paper as he was walking down the street. She cocked her head in puzzlement at Jack's presence. He never went this far into the city, at least, since she's known him.

She quickly finished her lunch and put her grey hunting mask on her face. She stood up before leaping down to the street below.

Jack yelped and nearly jumped a foot high in surprise. He quickly turned around to find the nearly seven feet tall Scythia looking down at him.

"Will you stop sneaking up on me like that?!" Jack shrilled, grasping his chest. This was not the first time that Scythia leaped from out of nowhere and landed right behind him. 

"No" Scythia bluntly replied with a smile behind her mask. "Why are you out here? I've never seen you around here before."

Jack noticed that for the past week or so, Scythia's English had gotten better. When he first met her, she was able to speak simple English; but she didn't understand a lot of words and spoke with a strong reptilian hiss due to her heritage. Now, however, she spoke almost just as well as Jack; and she spoke with very much weaker reptilian hiss. In fact, her voice almost sounded sweet; but it still had the mightiness of a hunter and warrior in it.

"I'm looking for something" Jack said with a big grin. Scythia looked at him with a cocked head, puzzled at Jack's smile.

"It better not be another gun" Scythia growled.

"No! No, it's not."

Scythia crossed her arms. Jack could feel her glare behind her mask.

"I promise it's not. I'm actually looking for something that you'll like too" Jack assured her.

Scythia was silent for moment, still looking at him with crossed arms and a suspicious look. But, her stance eventually softened.

"Alright, so what exactly are you looking for?" Scythia asked.

"See this?" Jack showed her the map. "It's a map of the city!"

"You were looking for a map?"

"No, but the map's going to help me find what I'm looking for."

"Spit it out! What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a library!" Jack exclaimed with a big smile. "Do remember what a library is?"

"Isn't that a building...that has books?" Scythia hesitantly answered, rubbing her head in thought as she tried to remember what a library was. Jack didn't respond, but his grin grew even wider.

Scythia was silent for a moment before the realization finally hit her. "It does have books doesn't it!?" Scythia exclaimed joyfully.

"Yes it does!"

Suddenly, Scythia wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, lifting him off of his feet. "This is great! Now we can read all the books that we want!" 

"You're...crushing...me" Jack groaned. 

"Sorry!" Scythia laughed as she released him. Jack was blushing both from the fact that someone he found attractive had hugged him and that he could barely breath within Scythia's grip. "So where is it?"

"Uh, let's see here." Jack looked at the map. "The library is a few more blocks from here. It's right near a place called 'City Hall'." 

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's" Scythia was interrupted by groaning sound of Jack's stomach. Scythia cocked her head at him; and Jack blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I,uh, haven't eaten for a while" Jack explained. 

Scythia instinctively felt the small pouch around her waist. She had eaten most of the meat; but there was still some left. Her heart was divided. A part of her wanted to give him the food. He was a good companion to her; and he was starving. But, another part of wanted to not give Jack any food. To her species, Jack was old enough to hunt by himself and capture his own food. He should work for his daily meat. So, Scythia had an inner conflict between her emotions and her culture. 

But, Jack did find a map that lead to a library. That counts as work doesn't it? And, surely, he deserved some reward for his efforts.

Scythia took out a small piece of and held it out to him. Jack's eyes immediately focused on it and his stomach let out another groan.

"Eat it."

Jack looked up at her surprise. He knew she was a many things, a hunter, a killer, a warrior, but a charitable person? Well, that surprised him. Despite his empty stomach forcing its influence on him, he remained cautious. The last thing he wanted was to be indebted to Scythia.

"It's yours. You don't have to"

"I know; but you need it. Besides, you can't lead me to a library if you die from hunger" Scythia chuckled. Jack looked at her for moment before returning his focus on the small, but delicious looking piece of meat. Jack took it out of her hand cautiously, as if she were going to attack him if he made any sudden movements. With it in his grasp, he bit into the meat. The taste sent him into a frenzy. He wolfed down the meat happily. He had never had meat that tasted so good. He had never eaten anything that tasted so good. 

He was soon done and he let out a pleased sigh. 

"Thanks, Scythia" Jack said as he took a half full water bottle out of his jacket and took a gulp.

Scythia nodded in response. She felt a warm, pleasurable feeling in her chest. She suspected that it was a symptom of performing an act of kindness for her companion. She liked the feeling. But, her mind soon focused on something more important.

"So, let's go find the library."

______________________________________________________________

Rain began to pour as a storm formed. Rain beat against the abandoned buildings of Philadelphia, and the rain would no doubt aid in the growth of the plants that have already broken through the street's concrete. The animals that had taken up residence within the city quickly traveled back to their dens, which were ironically where humans use to sleep and play. 

Jack quickly opened the large entrance door, doused from the rain. Scythia was entered the building right after him and quickly shut the door; she was soaked by the rain as well. 

"Stupid storm, coming out of nowhere" Jack grumbled as he shivered. Thankfully, he was still wearing his dark green jacket; but he was still cold from the rain. Scythia, although just as wet as Jack was, showed little signs of being cold. She glanced at her companion for a moment before looking around the room.

The room was large, with two large desks side by side in the center. There was a sign suspended from the roof that read "Library of Philadelphia." There were benches along the right side of the wall, and two doors on the left wall. Behind the two desks, were very wide and tall double doors.

"I don't see any books" Scythia sighed.

"I think they're behind those doors" Jack said as he began to walk towards the large doubles doors behind the desks.

"Wait."

Jack stopped and looked back at her to find that she was looking at the two separate doors on the left wall. "What's behind those doors?"

"I don't know."

"I'm going to find out" she said as she walked towards one of the doors. Her wrist blade extended out of her gauntlet. She did not expect much trouble; but there were still wild animals that were more predatory than others that lived within the city. The door she was about to open had a sign on it written "Women's Restroom." She cocked her head in puzzlement at the sign. She knew that "women" were female humans, she knew that "rest" meant to sleep, and she knew that "room" was some sort of living space. So, what is a restroom? Was it some sort of sleeping quarters for human females?

She opened the door slowly with a creak. She looked inside.

Nothing but empty stalls. The floor was wet and moldy from past leaks, and there were multiple chips and holes in the walls. The mirrors were either shattered or moldy.  

Not much of of a sleeping quarters in Scythia's eyes. Where were all of the beds? She would need to ask Jack about this later.

She closed the door and glanced back at Jack who was waiting by the double doors. She walked to the other door which read "Men's Restroom." Was this a sleeping quarters for human males? Perhaps it is in better condition.

She opened the door slowly, it creaking from its use after years of dormancy. She peaked inside, her wrist blade ready for combat; but, after looking around the room, it was clear that there were no combatants.

Just bodies.

Scythia was momentarily stunned at the sight. Dozens of human corpses lied strewn through the restroom. Their corpses were old, now looking more like skeletons than bodies. Flies and gnats buzzed around them. The stench was awful. At first, Scythia suspected that these humans had fallen victim to some enemy force. But, there were no signs of battle. There were no bullet holes, no plasma burns, and no spilled blood. It was as if all of these humans just died in there tracks. It was then when Scythia realized what happened. During the war between her species and the humans, her kind unleashed an airborne virus that was extremely lethal towards the humans. Perhaps these humans died near the end of the war, when the virus nearly wiped humanity off of the face of the planet. Perhaps they fled into this room to escape her kind's warriors, only to be killed by a virus they could not see or defend themselves from. There were rotten corpses of men, women, and even...

Scythia closed the door gently, as if her noise would disturb the dead. She walked back to Jack who was waiting by the double doors.

"Find anything?" Jack asked.

Scythia looked at him for a brief moment before simply responding "No."

Jack was slightly suspicious of Scythia's remark; but it was outweighed by his excitement of possibly thousands of books waiting behind the doors.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked as he placed his hands on the door.

"Yes" Scythia asked, excitement evident in her own voice as she too put her hands on the door. At the same time, they pushed open the doors which let out an audible creak. The doors opened, letting them see what was within.

There were aisles and aisles of filled book shelves.

Both Scythia and Jack stared in amazement at their find before glancing at each other. They then sprinted into the room, looking over separate aisles of books like children in a candy store.

The library was a very large room. Jack and Scythia were currently on the second floor of the library. The room was square in shape but had tall books shelves along the sides of the room. In the center of the room was a pile of rubble and some broken desks. There was a large hole in the ceiling of the library which allowed both light and rain to enter the center of the room. From the second floor, Scythia and Jack could see the rubble pile in the middle of the room. However, their attention was more focused on the books that were before them.

"There are so many!" Scythia exclaimed as she grabbed a handful of books.

"I told you it would have plenty of books!" Jack laughed as he too grabbed several books.

Both Scythia and Jack skimmed through the books that were before them, looking for something to catch their interest. Despite their earnestness, it would be near impossible for them to read all of the books today. Scythia realized this before Jack. 

"We won't be able to read all of them today" Scythia stated.

"Well, I don't have to go back to my apartment. Heh, I could probably sleep here tonight!" Jack laughed as he was perusing the books in the aisles.

"You should stay at the a..a..apartment" Scythia said, struggling slightly to pronounce the word "apartment."

"I'll be fine here."

"You need to stay at the apartment."

Jack looked at her, surprised at her persistence.

"What do you mean?"

"Other Yautja (Predators) might hunt here."

"Yautja? You mean your people? I don't think I'm much safer there than here."

"I claimed the area around your apartment as my personal hunting ground. Other Yautja won't trespass there."

"You can do that?"

"When a Yautja is old enough and has proven worthy in the hunt, that Yautja can claim one area for hunting that other Yautja can not trespass on without permission."

"What other places do you own?"

"None. I'm only allowed to have one; and I can't change my choice."

"Wait, you mean that you made your one choice just to protect me?" Jack asked, touched by Scythia's concern.

Scythia was silent for a moment. She, herself, did not understand why she did such a thing. Jack lived within the city where very few Yautja hunted (most hunted in the forest outskirts). Yet, she found herself sacrificing a once in a life time opportunity to protect Jack. He was a valued companion; and he did teach her how to read English. But, was it worth the sacrifice? Was Jack worth it? Not to mention she might have aroused suspicion among those in her tribe. The area around Jack's apartment has very few game worthy of a huntress like her. To those in her tribe, her decision made no sense. Her bearer ( her mother) was especially suspicious of her decision. But, she made her choice over a week ago; and she heard no trouble of it since.

"You're a good tran...transl...what's the word?" Scythia asked. She had come a long way since she had first spoken English; but she still struggled to remember all of the words.

"Translator?"

"Yes, you're a good translator" Scythia stated with a shrug. She did not want to make it seem that her decision was personal; but maybe it was? Jack was a good translator, but she also enjoyed his company.

"Well, I appreciate it."

Scythia replied with a nod before the two fell into a silence for a moment, looking at each other. Jack then turned back to the tall book shelf to look over its contents. He soon spotted a book that grasped his interest; but he was too short to reach it. He stood on the tips of his feet with arms stretch out; but the book was out of his range. He heard laughter as the much taller Scythia reached up and grabbed the book with ease. She didn't give it to him, however.

"S'kakica" Scythia chuckled. 

"What?" Jack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

Scythia chuckled some more before responding "S'kakica. It means short."

Jack grumbled as he tried to snatch the book out of Scythia's hand; but she quickly lift it out of his reach.

"I'm not short!" Jack barked as he tried several times to reach the book, all of which ended in failure. Scythia's chuckling quickly changed into loud laughter.

"You want it? Trade for it." 

Jack grumbled as he looked through the dozens of books that were in the shelves before eventually finding one that he thought looked interesting enough. He presented it to her; and she took it and looked at it for a moment before tossing it over her shoulder.

"Nope" Scythia chuckled. Jack grumbled once more before finding another book, which Scythia rejected also. He gave her another book, she rejected it as well. And another, which suffered the same fate. Jack went through the entire shelf and selected all of the books (that he could reach) one after another and presented them to her. All of which she rejected with a laugh.

"Come on, Scythia!" Jack exclaimed.

"None of the books look as good as this one" Scythia replied with a smile that was hidden behind her hunting mask. 

Jack let out a frustrated sigh before saying "I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can find a books that's as 'glorious' as that one."

"Glorious?"

"It means good or awesome."

"Well, I'll be here when you find one."

Jack sighed as he walked past several aisles of book shelves and then down some stairs which lead to the first floor. Scythia than looked at the cover of the book that Jack sought for. The title simply read "Lord of the Flies." Scythia cocked her head in puzzlement since she did not understand the title's meaning. She looked at it for a moment before wandering in the opposite direction of where Jack went, curious for what other books the library has to offer. She walked past several aisles of book shelves until something caught her attention.

She walked through a aisle, her eyes focusing on the object. She walked towards it and then crouched down beside it. It was a empty food can...

...it was opened recently.

________________________________________

Jack looked over the large book shelf, trying to find a book that would satisfy Scythia's demands. The first floor did not have as many book shelves as the second. He then found something that brought a smile to his face. It was another "Lord of the Flies" book. He snickered at the thought of mocking her for his discovery, but the image of her throwing him across the room in anger quickly removed such thoughts. He then put it in his backpack for safe keeping.

He then felt a cold, metal barrel of an automatic rifle against the back of his neck.

He froze and simply stood where he was, terrified.

"Don't freaking move" a gritty voice growled behind him. Jack did just that. "Guys! I found someone!"

Then, four more men walked out of the shadows with assault rifles in hand. 

"Turn around, slowly."
   
Jack did that and got a good look at the men. All of their clothes were tattered and smeared with dirt; the only exception being the man that was holding him at gunpoint. He was wearing black body armor that had the white label "S.W.A.T." on it; and he was wearing a riot mask with the visor pushed up which allowed Jack to see the man's bearded face.

"He's just a kid, Blake" a man said to the man who was holding Jack at gunpoint. He was black, and his beard and hair had patches of grey indicating his older age which was most likely in his fifties. He wore a dirty, dark blue sweater and torn black pants. 

"Shut up, preacher!" Blake spat back. "How do we know this guys isn't trying to steal our food!?"

"Ain't much left to steal" a man with distinct southern accent stated.

"How do we know he wasn't followed?! How do we know if Predators followed him?! Huh, Brock?!" Blake screamed.

"Then we should leave" the preacher stated.

"And what? End up like Joel and Mary?! No way!"

"I told them that they shouldn't have left" Brock muttered. "Can't believe they left with their five year old kid."

"That was years ago, Blake" the preacher said. "The Predators have probably moved on."

"And what are we going to do about him?!" Blake barked as he poked Jack in the chest with the barrel of his gun. "We got plenty of water; but we haven't eaten for days! We're out of food, preacher!"

"What are you saying?"

Blake glanced several times back and forth between the preacher and Jack before saying "We eat him."

Jack's heart sank to his stomach.

"Eat him?! Are you insane?!" the preached barked with disgust in his voice.

"We don't know this kid; and it's either him or us!" Blake protested, but now it seemed more like he was giving his case to Brock and the other two men rather than the preacher. Brock and the other men looked at each other with frowns on their faces; but they didn't give any audible protests to Blake's suggestion.

"Your sick! You're all sick in the head!"

"I'm done taking orders from you, Fox." Apparently, the preacher's name was Fox. Suddenly, Fox aimed his assault rifle at Blake; but, before he could do anything, Brock shot him in the back. The library echoed with the gunshot, and everyone in the room jolted a little from the sound.

Jack stared out Fox's corpse with wide eyes...and so did everyone else, even Brock. A moment of silent shock passed before Blake turned his attention back to Jack.

"Please! We...we were just looking for books! That's all! I swear!" Jack stammered, tears in his eyes. Blake ignored his plea and aimed his rifle at Jack's head. Jack stared down the barrel in utter fear and shock.

"Wait!" Brock exclaimed as he grabbed Blake's rifle.

"What?! Did you suddenly grow a conscience after killing Fox?!" Blake barked.

Brock ignored Blake and looked at Jack. "You said 'we.' Who else is here?!" Brock asked Jack.

Jack then realized that he had just unintentionally given Scythia's presence away; and he also realized that he, along with his Predator friend, may not make it out of this library in one piece...or alive for that matter.

____________________________________________________________       
 
Scythia, from the second floor, watched the five men confront Jack. When she saw that they had weapons, her first instinct was to lung down and dispatch them with extreme prejudice. But, she managed to stop herself. Jack had been alone for years without contact with from any other of his species. Perhaps, she should leave him be? She had already learned how to read; so, there was no reason for her to keep visiting him. Perhaps, it would be best that they went their separate ways? Still, she found accepting that very difficult; and she did not know why. Was she really so bonded to him as a companion?

Of course her perceptions changed when the other humans started yelling at each other. Although she could understand English, the men were yelling from a distance and talking very fast. Then, she saw one of the men shoot the black skinned human; and Jack began to plead about something with tears in his eyes. Seeing the humans threaten him like they did triggered something to happen within Scythia. Her heart began to race; and a burning feeling was forming within her chest. She was angry. Furious.

"Spread out! Brock, check the first floor! Ramirez and Drake, check the second!" the human in the black body armor barked orders as he grabbed Jack by the collar of his shirt.

Scythia's burning fury subsided momentarily upon seeing two armed humans walking up the stairs towards the second floor, towards her. Despite her attachment to Jack, she could not let her feelings get the better of her. That was one of the first lessons she learned in her training. Once you let your emotions get the better of you, you become reckless. When you become reckless, your prey escapes...or hunts you. 

She hid behind one of the several tall book shelves and pressed a bottom on her gauntlet to activate her cloaking device. But, it only made a soft buzzing noise. She growled as she realized that she was still wet from the rain from outside; and water disrupts her cloaking device. She would need to resort to a more primitive form of stealth.

She poked her head out from the large book shelf to find the two men at the other end of the first floor walking towards her cautiously. They did not see her. She quickly formed an idea and walked toward the empty food can that lead to her discovery of the human presence in the first place. She took the can and quickly threw it down the end of the aisles. The men heard it and quickly ran towards the source of the sound. They were going to run right past Scythia's aisle. Scythia had her back to the book shelf ready to pounce on her target. The first man ran past her aisle, his eyes only looking straight ahead. The second man was right behind him.

She grabbed him.

The second man let out a muffled yelp as Scythia covered his mouth with her hand. She was taller and stronger than the male which allowed her to easily lift him and bring him in the aisle, dropping his rifle in the process. The other man did not notice his comrade's disappearance. 

Her wrist blade extended from her gauntlet; and she stabbed it into his back. The man let out a muffled shriek; and he began thrash in panic. But, Scythia stuck her wrist blade in deeper and held him with an unbreakable grip. Eventually, the life in the man vanished; and she quietly placed his body onto the ground.

Three more remained.

"Did you find anything, Ramirez?!" Blake barked as he still had a firm grasp on Jack's shirt.

"No! Not yet!" Ramirez yelled back as he looked at the empty can. He recognized the can, he had eaten it a few hours earlier. Food was scarce; and he was starving. But, if he shared his discovery of the food can, he would have to share his food with everyone else in the group. That was something he could not allow. However, he noticed that the can was not in the aisle, which is where he ate its contents.

That means...

Ramirez spun around just in time to see Scythia charging at him. Ramirez let out a scream of anger and fear as he fired his weapon; but it was too late. Scythia grabbed his gun, pointing it up so it fired harmlessly into the ceiling, and stabbed him in the chest with her wrist blade. Ramirez let out bloodcurdling shriek before Scythia tossed him over the railing, where he fell to the first floor dead. 

Blake and Brock looked at Ramirez's body in absolute shock before Scythia lunged from the second floor towards Brock. Brock aimed his weapon at her; but she landed on him before he could fire. Brock was forced to the ground, his gun flying a few feet from him. Before Scythia could finish him off, she knew she needed to kill Blake first in order to make sure that Jack was not hurt.

Blake aimed his weapon at her; but she pulled out and swung her whip at him. The whip wrapped around Blake's neck; and Scythia activated one of the special modes on her whip.

There was a horrible cutting sound as spikes extended from the whip's end which was currently wrapped around Blake's neck. Blake made gargling noises as he dropped his rifle and slumped to the ground dying.

Scythia yelped and jumped back upon Brock stabbing her in the leg with a knife. She jumped back with a deep, menacing growl. Brock, however, lunged at his rifle that was lying on the ground a few feet from him and spun around to aim it at her. Scythia froze as she looked down the barrel of Brock's rifle.

"Your kind killed my friends" Brock growled as he stood up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Your kind killed my family, everyone that I knew. I lost everything because of you; and I couldn't stop them, couldn't stop you. I've always wanted to kill one of your kind; but I never got the chance. Not until now."

Scythia tightened the grip around her whip. Brock was too close for her to dodge his rifle. Whatever she was going to do, she would need to do it lightning fast.

A gunshot rang out.

Scythia jolted from the sudden sound and immediately looked at herself to see if she had been hit. She had not; but the same couldn't be said for Brock. Brock's face went from anger to confusion, to shock. Blood began to seep through his shirt; and blood now poured freely from his mouth. He slowly moved his head so that he could see who shot him from behind. Another shot rang out, and Brock was shot again in the back. With a quivering sigh, Brock collapsed dead.

Scythia looked down at Brock's corpse for a moment before looking back up to find Jack holding Blake's rifle, hands and arms shaking. A moment of silence passed between them before Scythia let out a relieved laugh.

"Thank you, Jack. I guess you can be a good hunter after all, even if you're short" she chuckled. But, Jack did respond. He did not even look at her; his eyes were completely focused on Brock's corpse, the blood that was spilling onto the floor.

"Jack?" Scythia asked, now with concern. Was he hurt? No, there were no wounds she could see on him. She walked towards him, and he still didn't look at her. She gently put her hand on his shoulder; and Jack jolted a little as he came out of his trance. "Are you good?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm" Jack was interrupted as he suddenly bent over and vomited. Scythia was now very concerned. There was obviously something wrong with Jack, but what?

"I'm fine" Jack groaned. He stood up and then looked at Scythia. "I found another copy of that book. The book you kept from me. That's good right?" Jack chuckled. "I mean, look at all these books. All of these books. ALL OF THESE BOOKS!" Jack shrilled as he fell to his knees, weeping.

Scythia simply stood there and watched as he wept. Why was Jack acting this way? She knew that when a human cries, it's a sign of sadness. But why was Jack sad? She saved him from being killed; he even saved her! Perhaps, he didn't want the humans to die? Was that it? In her culture, there was a title called Bad Blood. Bad Bloods were Yautja  who no longer hunted but mercilessly slaughtered anything they wanted, including other Yautja. Was that what Jack was afraid of becoming? A Bad Blood?

Jack stood up and dropped the rifle onto the ground. He walked away from Brock's corpse, pass Scythia, and towards the stairs.

"I'm going home" Jack sniffed.

"What about the books?" Scythia asked, remembering how excited he was earlier upon the discovery.

Jack was silent for a moment before responding "I'm not in the mood."

So, Jack left Scythia alone in the library. It was still raining; but he didn't care. He could only see Brock's corpse in his mind.

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It was night; and it was still raining in Philadelphia.

Within his apartment, Jack sat on his mattress. His room was small and was littered with empty food cans, water bottles, and pieces of paper. He took off his beat up black shoes and dark green jacket, placing them together on the floor. He placed his backpack beside the mattress and looked inside to find the "Lord of the Flies" book he had gotten earlier. He took it out and looked at the brown cover. To clear his thoughts, he tried to read the book before he went to sleep. But, it was very dark inside the apartment, making it difficult to read.

He tried as hard as he could to read it, even sticking the book on his face, but it was just too dark. With a frustrated grunt, he threw it across the room where it slammed against the apartment's door.

Five men died today. Five human beings, possibly the last human beings on the planet other than him. They died just because he wanted to get some books from a library. One troubled thought, as it so often does, brought more troubling thoughts upon poor Jack's mind.

Jack began to sob as the thought of him being alone continued to surface in his mind. All of those quiet, lonely nights he had slept through for years. His parents, gone. No friends, no family. He was so isolated, so alone.

As he sobbed, he felt something grab his shoulder.

Jack yelped and looked to his right to find Scythia's face mask right next to him. She had sneaked into his apartment without him even noticing. Jack looked at her for a moment before looking down at his feet, embarrassed that Scythia had seen him in his more vulnerable moments. Despite this embarrassment, tears continued to pour from Jack's eyes.

Scythia looked at him for a moment before wrapping her arm around his shoulders; and then she gently forced him to lie down onto the mattress beside her. Jack was still crying and whimpering, but Scythia then put her finger on his lips. Jack looked at her in momentary confusion as she brought him closer to her until their skin touched each other's. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Was she...snuggling with him?

Jack was shocked at the thought, as he never expected Scythia would ever do something like that with him. However, the day's excitement wore Jack down; and sleep began to creep into Jack's mind. Eventually, Jack fell asleep with soft snoring.

Scythia, however, was awake. She felt a bond with Jack that she had never felt with anyone else before. It was not romantic, but it was strong. It was like how a friend felt for another friend, or a mother felt for her son, or perhaps an older sister for a younger brother. Either way, he was her companion, her friend; and she cared for him. Eventually, Scythia fell asleep with her arms still wrapped around Jack.

Although he may think differently, Jack was most certainly not alone.

THE END

Jack and Scythia stumble upon a exciting discovery; but is it worth the price?

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Well, here it is, a sequel to Predator's Acquaintance. The last one did pretty well, so I thought I would make a sequel.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

And, remember to leave a comment! ^^

Predator's Acquaintance: Predator's Acquaintance
© 2014 - 2024 colaphan
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This almost made me cry.