AvP:DOOMSDAY

Insane

Luna jolted awake, surrounded by darkness. Panic gripped her as she struggled to breathe, feeling suffocated by the weight pressing down on her. With effort, she began to wiggle, dislodging herself from the debris that surrounded her. Pebbles and dirt fell away as she rose up on all fours, gasping for air as oxygen slowly reached her lungs. She coughed, spitting out sand that had invaded her mouth during her unconsciousness.

Gasping for air, Luna quickly checked herself, ensuring that all her limbs were still intact. Breathing heavily, she looked up at the sky. For the first time in weeks, there were stars twinkling above her. Shock washed over her as she noticed a perfect round hole in the heavy clouds, allowing a glimpse of the clear night sky beyond. Glancing back, she saw that the field had vanished, leaving only a spherical crater in its wake. A shiver ran down her spine as she realized she was dangerously close to its unstable border.

As Luna rose to her feet on shaky legs, she noticed others nearby slowly emerging from the crumbled soil as well. "Rafael!" She screamed searching nervously for him. She heard soldiers groaning all around her. Her heart was beating wildly. She couldn't loose him too. "Rafael!" Her voice carried with the wind.

A mount of dirty started to crumble "Present!" His voice was coarse and tired. She ran to him

"Are you okay?" Luna asked as she kenneled down to help him shake off the dirt. He nodded after a moment. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, enveloping him in a tight embrace hiding her face in the crock of his neck. "Please don't die!" she pleaded.

He encircled her waist tightly. "I won't."  Rafael whispered into her hair.

A shadow loomed upon them. Luna felt the hair on her neck stand up in awareness. Rafael must have sensed it too, because his hold tighten, almost to the point of pain. The tell tale of gun's safety pins being knocked off echoed around her. 

Slowly she moved her head in order to see, the group of humans were surrounded by those mysterious humanoids. Tension was thick in the air. Carefully she try to move away from Rafael. He was reluctant, his hand grabbing the fabric of her dress silently demanding she stayed there. She insisted a little, but his hold never faltered. "Don't." Rafael murmured. Luna frowned but stopped moving.

"Let" a female voice talked from behind her, "Her" a male voice, "Go" a child voice urged. Luna understood that she was listening to pieces of recordings. Rafael hand kept his hold on her waist.

"It's okay." Luna whispered to him. Slowly pushing him away. Slowly she could see Rafael's face, it was contorted in a mix of fear, shock and anger. "It's going to be okay."  He was staring at something behind her. 

With more room to move, she started to turn around. She could see that every human had the same mix of emotions printed on their faces. Still inside Rafael embrace she was able to pivot her body completely.

Standing tall above her was the warrior she had seen earlier, the owner of that familiar roar. With the moonlight shining above them, she could clearly see him now. He had broad shoulders, strong arms, and powerful legs. Towering over seven feet tall, his dark green, almost black skin contrasted with a faded green belly. His armor consisted of a breastplate, shoulder pauldrons, a gladiator-style metallic skirt, leg guards, and greaves with clawed feet, all made from a bluish-silver metal. A metallic mask adorned his face, with bone-like details on its jaw. His head was large, adorned with dreadlocks.

He stared at her, his gaze penetrating. Luna's mind raced with fear, envisioning the multitude of ways he could end her life effortlessly, without even needing his weapons. As he began to crouch down, his dreads swaying with the motion, Rafael's hand clenched a portion of her dress, his own fear palpable.