||𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏2𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎||
Three days.
She had survived without humans for three days.
Indy couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it, otherwise she'd be admitting that Blink and Seven were right. And, of all things, that was the last thing she hoped to do.
But she was proud! Nature tended to her well, like a mother to her hatchling, aiding the pale hybrid throughout her mystic world. Concealing her from dangers. Directing the indominus around traps, human towns, and hunters. And, while confusion and curiosity often bested Indy's primal urges, she wasn't suffering like most. Deer were abundant here. Rivers were strangely easy to find. Herds of dinosaurs and mammals scurried out of her way, paving roads for her to travel. And nobody challenged her, not even those who claimed dominion in these parts.
It put a small smile on her face. Small, not grand, considering she was still alone.
Dumbfounded most days.
And lost in others.
Even now, Indy didn't feel as connected to freedom as her ancestors. Traversing mountains was a nightmare. The multitude of scents in the forest still stung at her snout. Relieving herself now felt wrong, especially in front of the watchful eyes of tiny creatures who didn't care for privacy like the humans had. And her hunting tactics didn't work for all prey... unfortunately.
A day earlier she had hunted down an armored beaked dinosaur -- brown, loud, annoying, and almost half her size. But her successes became a failure; she didn't know what to do once it submitted to her attacks. It simply laid there under her crushing claw, watching. Some part of her found humor in how long it took, like a human trying to fold a fitted sheet. She'd round her prey over and over, nibbling the jagged tail, the skinny arm, the guarded back, even the neck in hopes to find meat.
She'd mostly just pinch into bone.
And then, when she stepped away to re-observe, the devilish lunk of meat let out a disgusting caterwaul, whacked her in the skull with its clubbed tail, and scrambled off before she could prepare. Indy growled, tasting fresh blood welling up to her tongue, then looked to her left where an idiotic tan-horned creature stood.
At least there was deer, she grunted, snapping her crushing jaw onto the mammal for an instant kill.
She liked the way they crunched.
Tonight, Indy was walking down an foggy street. Step by step, grunt by grunt, her tremors shook the Californian crust, tricking the forest life by the means of an earthquake. Both eyes would trail the yellow stripes marked upon the asphalt and her nares twitched, seeking roadkill and fresh litter spilled on both sides. The Indominus had been lucky; only three times was she forced to hide from incoming cars. Even the food was untouched. Ironic how her departure from humanity still drew her back to their 'great' works. They saved her from the struggle of a hunt, and, even better, nobody would suspect a thing.
That alone was promising.
Still, the further she walked from home, the more anxious she felt. Sure, she had changed, but it wasn't curing the ache in her heart. She missed Seven. She missed her home. Her little cage of safety was irreplaceable -- not even Nature's beauties can convince her otherwise. Where there was shade, there were bugs. Where there were toys, there now laid sticks, rocks, and skunks. And where there was cool, refreshing wind easing her scales, there was hot, sticky air choking her lungs out of her own musk.
Indy sighed. Now the hybrid hoped to find something worthy of her trek into humanity. Something to level the odds with her intuitions.
That's when she found the first sign of life. A literal sign.
"B-E-R-K-L-E-Y," mouthed Indy, reading the partially-lit green plate hovering above the empty road. Her head tilted right, tail wavering from behind. What's a Berkley? Is it food?
She looked back from whence she came, eying the silver road stretching indefinitely into the distance. Her jagged jaws relaxed, claws going limp against her sides, and tail dipping low. It wouldn't make sense to go back after all this walking. She had explored most of her surroundings and learned enough to make a living as she waited for Seven. Why stop now?
And so, she went on.
Those rows of trees soon turned to telephone poles. The sky gaped open, stars suddenly muffled by a distant glow. Even the rolling hills flattened, easing a pathway toward an intensely lit human town. Indy's rumbling steps paused, nares contracting shut out of sheer fright. She didn't expect to be led here of all places!
INGEN was one thing, but an entire town was a death sentence.
She looked to her right and left. The city stretched through the whole forest, blocking any direct route to the nearest safe haven. Even with predatory eyes, she couldn't see a dark spot across the endless stretch of town.
She flared her nostrils. The last car to drive by here was a while ago. Maybe-
No! Indy growled, taking a step back. That's too risky. Humans are night and day creatures. Even a careful creature wouldn't make it halfway across before being spotted and...
Indy swallowed. She didn't want to think about what fate may befall on her. Sneaking through territory that doesn't belong to you wouldn't work well in her favor. Or anyone's for that matter. Her breath hitched. Maybe that should be the last thing on her mind. Maybe this is a sign that here is where her trail ends. Taking another solemn breath of acceptance, the indominus took one last look at the cut off to Nature's world, and turned around to face the fog-
WHOOSH-!
THOOM!
Her vision went red, feet ripped right off the ground. It took a second for Indy's spine to strike pavement before the rest of herself violently collided into the street, sending vicious tremors through every house in her vicinity. Cars were crushed. Sidewalks cracked like fault lines. Light poles went flying, and Indy's tail flailed helplessly, throwing objects in all directions. Blood stained to her teeth, her jaws tightened just as her entire skull slammed straight through a brick wall.
And her world turned dark.
◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥
"..."
THUMP...
Indy's eyes slowly opened, half-lidded and dazed. She was lying in a half-destroyed house -- furniture and debris sprawled out everywhere. A busted water pipe was spraying on her scales, another creating puddles on the carpet of the ruined room. Indy choked out a pained breath, feeling fresh blood ooze down her wounded skull and into her maw. She didn't know what happened.
All Indy knew was that she was hit hard.
THUMP...
But it wasn't human. A vehicle would've made noise before colliding with her hide. As would all of man's machinery. Whatever struck was stalking from behind. Watching her. Threatening her. Scaring her.
Hunting her.
THUMP...
Indy's eyes noticed the puddle shake, the growing ripples of water echoing the vibrations felt beneath her belly. She tried to move, but something was weighing down on her hip, pinning her down. Twisting proved futile; the stoned house she barreled through had collapsed on her. Whatever strength she now held was useless.
THUMP...
Indy's heart started to race. She could hear the creature edging closer and closer, a foul breath drifting into her nares. It's growl made her stomach lurch, a deep menacing sound that would break the soul of any mere mortal. Indy's tail whipped up and down, trying to work momentum into her escape. Nothing.
THUMP... THUMP...
"Rrrr... M-Move..." she begged her body, wriggling harder and harder. She held back her whimper as iron grinded into her spine, a sacrifice that allowed her feet to find its place. Her claws coiled into the wood, tail dipping low in reflex. Another drag later, and Indy finally had the strength to-
Until something suddenly massive shot through the roof.
Something that snapped upon her neck, and squeezed with a blood-curdling crunch.
Indy's eyes bulged. It happened so fast. Blood rushed to her throat, muffling the hybrid's scream as she was ripped out of place to her feet. The teeth sunk deeper, slicing through her muscles with ease and without remorse.
CRACK! C-CRUNCH!
Indy whimpered. Her whole body seized up, tail lashing from behind to show her pain. Whatever held her down wouldn't let go, no matter how hard she fought or slashed its flesh. It crushed harder. Forceful. Squeezing the very life out of her.
Tears soon welled up in her eyes. Indy couldn't take anymore.
While squirming in panic, the powerful force of her enemy suddenly reared its ugly head and threw her body downtown for a second time. Losing control, Indy flopped, her world flipping heads-over-heels, before her ragdoll shredded across the street to a stop.
The humans were aware now.
Buildings had fallen. Fires had blossomed to the surface, staining the fresh air of smoke and death. People were scrambling for cover, dialing for help or a security of some kind. But Indy knew none of that would help protect her from the nightmare edging toward her.
Her injuries were already starting to get the better of her, not enough to kill, but enough to scare her. Coughing blood, the indominus slowly lifted to her feet, ignoring the glowing stains of red marked on her hide. Both eyes focused ahead, watching a massive figure slowly make way through the flames. It looked like a shadow at first -- she cursed the wound on her skull for blocking her eyesight. But once it stepped through the flames, and pinned one foot atop a rolled over truck, Indy's eyes widened.
Her heart stopped.
And her mind snapped into two.
She no longer saw herself holding her ground in Berkley, California; she was elsewhere. Standing tall amidst a wreckage, the world looked almost similar to her current state. The ground was cold, the air was warm. Torn palm trees swayed all around her, back and forth, to and fro, and an empty city burned to her right and left -- void of life, reason, and hope. Looking to her rear, a cage full of water gurgled of hunger, an ominous reminder of a fate bound to come.
This looked just like her nightmares.
Refocusing her attention to her adversary, Indy's reddened eyes flashed a devilish glow. She studied its yellow eyes, the brown and tannish complexion, and every razor sharp fang hidden behind her bloodied lips. And the scent... Indy knew this monster.
Then, this wasn't a nightmare.
In one second, her voice suddenly converged with another, forged from the shatters of a forgotten era. And once the rex made her appearance clear, both past and future hybrids spoke the same hateful snarl.
"You..."