There were no words that could describe the gut-wrenching horror of seeing that beautiful thing rise from the depths.

The sight was immaculate, something that otherwise would have been alluring, like a siren of myth surfacing from the waters of the deep to sing her enchanting song to ancient sailors. But the connotations that accompanied this siren, the thing that every single one of the scouts knew to be true, stole the breath from their lungs and froze their hearts in their chests. There was, however, one small gleam of light, the sole comforting thought in the throes of this despair which was so minute, so utterly insignificant that under different circumstances it would seem laughable. Of the smallest comforts the assembled could enjoy, the Outsider hadn’t noticed them, her back turned as she began her tread away from the sea. David attributed the most likely reason for this being her eyes still adjusting themselves to see above the water.

It only helped their cause that they were too far away for their scent to carry. As long as they didn’t make a sound she wouldn’t be alerted to their presence. David didn’t even sigh in relief at their miraculous fortune as if even that small infraction may be enough to gain the beautiful creature's attention. He quickly wheeled around, afraid that this new Outsider’s stomping footsteps may have woken the former but, to his desperate consolation, she was still sound asleep.

David gripped his head in his hands as he quickly struggled to formulate a plan. Going forward had been scrapped and now going back the way they came was out. What did that leave them with? Looking around he once again spotted the amusement park, blanketed by a thick temperate forest. If they could make it there, they would be able to wait out the passing dangers. All these thoughts took place within the span of mere seconds.

As his scouts waited for instructions, David quickly motioned towards the trees, miming a running man and spreading his arm over the area. Everyone within sight of him nodded in understanding, taking off for the forest, while a few stayed to repeat the motion to those who hadn’t seen it.

David turned to Alexis and Carmen silently instructing them to increase their search radius and scout out for anything else that might be in the area. He first motioned to Alexis and motioned in an arc to the first Outsider, instructing her to move around the forest from that direction. To Carmen he motioned the way they’d come with the same directions. Both nodded and took off in a silent sprint, as David hoped it’d be enough as he began his own trek towards the amusement park.

However, he felt his own fears were ungrounded considering both women’s capabilities.“It’s why I always work with them.” He reminded himself Carmen’s military background gave the group plenty of benefits but her true strength was her ability to think quickly on her feet. For Alexis, despite only being a former sanitation maintenance worker, her night vision skills were second to none and invaluable during these expeditions. In fact, David doubted they’d have found that Outsider before it was too late without Alexis.

David’s anxiety was still skyrocketing as he headed towards the treeline, stopping behind a particularly wide tree as he kept eyes on the retreating Outsider, making sure she didn’t turn to see their ingress into the forest. The situation was a disaster, the very definition of ‘between a rock and a hard place’. Despite this the scouting party was performing as they had been trained. Neither of the Outsiders were aware they were here and their progress was currently unhindered. As long as they kept this up, silent and stealthy they wouldn’t have to worry -

A yelp pierced the air from the direction of the amusement park. David’s blood ran cold as he saw the Outsider stop moving. Her head ponderously rolled to one side as if she was trying to get a read on the sudden noise. Despite this she still didn’t turn around.

Swearing under his breath, David quickly turned to see if he could identify the source of the sound. He didn’t care if most of these people were scared and green to scouting, having just been ordinary before the Occupation, he had told them repeatedly that no matter what happened never make a sound!

David’s eyes widened as his heart clenched up. Looming above the treeline, with a small wiggling shadow grasped between two fingers, was a third Outsider. Now everything really had gone to shit.

        * * *

Reflexively, Mark’s hands leapt to cover his mouth. He knew better than to make a noise but the sudden pressures on either side of his abdomen as he was abducted from solid ground had taken him completely by surprise. He felt a wave of nausea overtake him as his breath was ripped from his lungs due to the force of acceleration being exerted on his body.

His brain struggled to comprehend the rush of images flashing past, a firm lithe stomach, a pair of breasts as big as a trailer, a gorgeous slender neck, and a pair of youthful, feminine lips. At this point, the ascending coaster ride came to an abrupt halt, rattling every bone in his body.

His gaze shifted upwards trying to make out the rest of the gargantuan visage beyond his peripheral. The Outsider looked strange, but this was mostly just his orientation and her size stretching everything about her out of proportion. Even then Mark could tell the alien woman looked beautiful. She had soft features, a cute button nose, slightly slanted eyes with pupils as big as trash can lids that kept dilating, increasing and decreasing their radius as if trying to focus like a camera lens. Her aquamarine skin had a slight glow about it, not luminescent but shimmering from the light reflecting off her skin, creating a slight ethereal presence in the darkness.

Inexorably his gaze was drawn to that which was directly in front of him. Her thin iridescent lips looked like soft pillowy mattresses from which no harm could be derived. However deep down he knew this was a deception. It was like the old sci-fi movies Mark had watched growing up, when the aliens came down out of their ships, how the hatch would lower in that dramatic way, smoke billowing from the opening to present the new arrival. The bottom lip of this glorious figure unlatched, beginning to give the man a peek inside its grotto full of wonder. An inflow of air rushed past him as the enormous other-worldly woman breathed outwards and he saw the creature lurking within stir from its slumber.

A large purple viper danced lazily out from between those fleshy gates, tenuous and slow. From the seductive pace it was setting Mark figured it would be coming straight for him but was surprised when it began to press down upon the bottom lip causing the cavern to yawn wider.

Without warning he found himself flying through empty air as the lavender basilisk curled downwards, providing a scoop to catch him with. Mark had known where he was headed, knew it as soon as he had felt the pressure on his sides. Nonetheless, he was surprised by the pure wetness that greeted him as he impacted with the lavender beast. His clothes were soaking through faster than he could orient himself, and by the time he had achieved a tenuous balance the entrance to his new prison was closing. The light to the outside world closed and the great thing beneath him sprung into action. He resolved not to make another sound to give the others away.

        * * *

The man, whom David couldn’t even recognize from this distance, was soundly deposited within the alien woman’s mouth. Gazing at her he found himself lost in those features, features so juvenile they looked as if they belonged to someone’s daughter finally leaving for college, not a man-eating alien.

A resounding GLUCK canceled David’s reverie and signaled the end of the man’s life as she swallowed. The passage of the lump in her neck was tortuously slow, painfully reinforcing the fate that might await any number of them. Her eyes were closed in an expression that could only be described as pure bliss; a soft purring noise filled the air. The tone was melodic and beautiful, a song of satisfaction.

The next sound was significantly higher in pitch. A sing-song chirping noise, that came in sputtering trills. It was like the call of a siren, a soft yet resonant sound one could listen to and lose themselves in like the Greek Lotus Eaters, but David knew this harmony was a dirge for the entire scouting party.

The high note call repeated itself, rippling through the air like a chorus of songbirds, overcoming every other sound in the immediate area. David glanced around in panic, his anxiety peaking even further at what his eyes were telling him.

The Outsiders were rousing.