"Seeking Refuge in a Hostile World: A Harrowing Hotel Encounter"

Asher breathed a sigh of relief as the deafening screams of the xenomorphs finally ceased.

He turned to the soldier beside him, beads of sweat still glistening on his forehead, and nodded in agreement as the man said, "Let's move, this place is about to get crowded soon because of the raging fire."

The two of them hustled towards a wounded woman lying helplessly on the ground, and the soldier quickly administered basic medical treatment to her. Time was of the essence, and they knew they had to move quickly.

With a piggyback ride, the soldier carried the injured woman towards a surprisingly intact hotel a few blocks away from the grocery store that was still engulfed in flames.

As they entered the hotel, they quickly found a room on the first floor, hoping it would be a safer spot and faster to escape if the building started to crumble.

Inside the room, the soldier began treating the woman's wounds while Asher stared outside through the darkened windows.

Despite the devastation and destruction, the view outside was eerily captivating in its own way. However, Asher couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness as he ruminated on the life he was living now.

He couldn't shake off the gnawing anxiety he felt about his father, who was out there, somewhere, fighting the same battle.

As they rested and lounged on the couch, Asher mustered up the courage to ask the soldier for his name. To his surprise, he didn't even know it yet. In the heat of battle, survival was the only priority.

In a deep voice, the soldier responded, "Hm? My name, huh? I don't suppose I ever told you. My name is Andrew."

Andrew had a chiseled physique, brown hair, brown eyes, and a buzz cut. His face was slightly intimidating, and he looked like a man in his thirties who had seen the horrors of war.

After Andrew learned that Asher's name was as well the two of them sat in awkward silence for a while until the soldier asked, "Asher, do you feel afraid?"

Asher took a moment to reflect before admitting, "Yeah, I'm scared. My life was normal just a few months ago, and now I'm here, fighting for survival. It's hard to adjust to this kind of life, and I'm afraid of myself, too. I still can't get used to taking a life, even if it's to protect myself or others."

Andrew nodded in understanding and shared his own experiences with taking a life.

He told Asher about the time he hesitated to shoot a man during an ambush in Afghanistan, and how that momentary hesitation had cost the lives of two of his fellow soldiers. "You can't hesitate on a battlefield," Andrew warned, "You will regret it."

The conversation was cut short by the sound of gunfire ringing outside the hotel.

Asher and Andrew began to quickly move the furniture around to create a barricade and propped the door with anything they could find.

The gunshots grew louder and more intense, and they both tensed up, ready for a fight. But to their immense relief, the sound of gunshots soon faded away, replaced by the murmur of voices speaking in Navis, the alien tongue.

Asher and Andrew held their breath and listened carefully. The sound of the Navis grew closer and closer, and they could hear them walking down the hallway.

Their heartbeats grew faster and faster, and they both tensed up, ready to fight for their lives. But to their great relief, the sounds of the Navis began to recede, and they were heading upstairs.

Asher muttered to himself, "There can't be more residents in this hotel, right?" Andrew looked at him with a disgusted expression, knowing all too well that there were likely others seeking shelter here.

Andrew whispered to Asher and the woman to remain quiet and whisper only.

The woman was afraid and asked, shakingly and quietly, "Are we in danger?" Asher was tempted to reply, "No shit," but instead, he smiled and reassured her, "No, it's okay. Just focus on resting."

As he said that, they heard someone scream loudly upstairs, "OH SHIT, SHOOT SHOOT, there are someone insi-" Before the person could finish their sentence, there was a loud bang as someone shot them.

The gunshots continued, firing repeatedly upstairs. Asher and Andrew exchanged worried looks, wondering what was happening upstairs and whether they were truly safe in their room.