I scan both ends of the hallway again but nothing has changed.

“Let’s check this door before we move down the hallway.” I tell Dave and Charlie. They both nod so I walk behind the door, placing my shoulder against the hard metal I raise my hand with 3 fingers up. “1,” my ring finger drops, ”2,” my middle finger drops, ”3, GO!” My index finger drops and I pull hard on the handle causing the door to slide into the wall.

Dave rushed in first, sword at the ready, and swept to the left, while Charlie advanced after him, gauss rifle ready, sweeping right. As I bring my long las to my shoulder and ready to enter I hear a pop.

“Hostiles sited! Dave, back me up!” Charlie states over the comms. Processing what Charlie said, I wait and allow Dave to pass me before entering the room and aiming right. Looking down my iron site I barely catch a glimpse of something black before I see Dave get thrown back. Moving my eyes back down the site I see Charlie backup as he fires another shot.

‘Focus idiot!’ For the third time I look back down my site and take in the full horror of the 2 drones attacking us. ‘I can’t breathe. Why can’t I breathe? I need to fight or I’m going to die. I know I need to fight so why can’t I move? What has all the training been for if not this moment? What has the sacrifice of Bill been for?’

“...h..sh.osh. Josh. JOSH!” Charlie’s voice wakes me from my thoughts and I pull the trigger, firing into the mouth of the drone that was bearing down on me. The supercharged las round punched straight through the throat of the drone and cauterized the resulting wound. The drone reared back in pain while I stepped backwards in a panic, causing me to fall.

*POP* A line appeared on the drones head and it fell backwards. I look down and stare at my hands. *POP* *SLICK* I look up from my hands and see Dave pulling his sword out of the chest of the other xenomorph. Charlie walkers over to me and offers me a hand. I look at the hand for a couple of seconds then grit my teeth and take it. With the help of Charlie I stand up. Charlie pats me on the shoulder then walkers over to Dave.

‘I need to pull my shit together. I can’t just let Dave and Charlie save my ass while I stand there frozen in terror like a little bitch.’ Slapping my helmet, I walk over to Dave and Charlie. “Let’s get a move on,” I tell them and walk back out into the hallway.

“So, which way?” Charlie asks as he exits the room.

“We don’t have any information on where to go so let’s just go right.” I answer. While Charlie and I were talking Dave had entered the hallway and we had gotten back into formation. I stepped forward and had my long las at the ready.

We moved forward in silence. Each step seemed like it took us nowhere as we traveled down an endless corridor. My heart thundered in my ear as anticipation gripped my body and mind. Step by step, minute by minute, we walked, step by step, minute by minute. Minutes fell into tens of minutes and still nothing. Cold sweat dripped down my face and back. The clang of our covered feet on the metal rang in my ear. Every breath I took felt harder and harder. ‘Why isn’t anything happening? Why are they not attacking us? Are they just waiting for the right opportunity, stalking our every move?’ My eyes dart around at the well lit hallway and linger on the vents, ducts, wires, and pipes on the ceiling. ‘They must be in the vents.’ I then glance down at the grated floor, ‘or the floor.’ My eyes track the walls, ‘or the walls.’ My eyes glance around erratically, ‘they could be anywhere.’ I grip my long las a bit harder. ‘Fuck, the stress is getting to me. It’s making me paranoid. I need to chill.’ I take a deep breathe. ‘Chill.’ I breath in again.

*clang* The breath I was taking gets caught in my throat and my eyes start darting around erratically again. “Did you hear that,” I ask over the comms with a gulp.

“Affirmative.” Dave answered.

“Yeah.” Charlie responded.

“We’re being hunted.” I state.

“It seems so.” Charlie agrees.

“What do you think it’s waiting for?” I ask Charlie.

“An opportunity.” He answers.

“Like what?” I ask while I scan the hallway left to right.

Then the lights cut out.