I think I'm dying here.
There's nowhere left to go. Nothing left to do. The walls are closing in fast, and I wasn't sure how long I could avoid death's claws. For as it seems today, nobody had.
I cradle next to my sister -- Nine, breathing slow and cowering beneath a concrete block. Our eyes don't move as we stare across the clearing of the fallen -- indoraptor bodies (and limbs) lying everywhere around us. They weren't moving anymore. Above, the ceiling blared like car sirens, blooming bright ruby lights across the walls and ground. But no human came for us. I doubt anybody would -- they never cared to begin with.
"Aghh! No!"
Our eyes turn, watching that malevolent black shape tear into the underbelly of yet another albino indoraptor, Two, who's screams of pain rocked our bodies to the core. He tried to fight it off, to push himself free, but the figure kept tearing into him, lavishing at the dying carnivore's blood. And, when annoyance got the best of it, the black shape bit into Two's throat, and ripped backward. Crimson sprayed the walls; Two's tail jerked upward in agony. He spluttered once, limbs slumping to the concrete. A tear rolled down his face.
Then he, too, went still.
Nine and I crawled deeper into the leveled corner. Our hearts were thumping so fast we were afraid they'd burst. Stepping off of Two's corpse, the black shadow started making its way to us, a hungry growl seeping past its crimson lips. Even through the haze of blood it knew us by scent, and longed for yet another kill in its arsenal. It could reach us down here. It could kill us.
And it will.
Nine started crying to herself, already knowing what was about to happen. I felt my tears break, too -- we weren't going to survive for long if we fought it. The others had already tried everything -- death damned their luck to the grave. But fear drew my eyes to promise; beyond the trembling raptor, I noticed a broken glass door that one of the indoraptors tried to escape from.
It just needed one last push.
Turning back to Nine, I whimpered my urgency for us to run -- motioning my head to a broken wall.
She nodded shakily, giving me a lick of gratitude on the snout and started drawing forward, breath hitching at the sight of the black monster. Growling at the dark shadow, I flickered my tail to a rock on the ground, and heard it sound just a few meters away.
Loud enough to catch the curiosity of the black shape, and draw him toward it.
Nine took off in a sprint; I followed close behind, skidding over limbs and blood puddles and straight into the man-made forest. She reached the glass gate first, smashing through it and stumbling to the ground. But when she turned to look at me, Nine gasped, and roared.
I spun around, only to watch a massive black shape lunge right into me, knocking me off both claws--
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--And right back into the swamp. The world shook after I fell, a shallow tremor rippling up my spine and to the nibs of my talons. I gasped, helplessly staring into the void of my dear friend, Blink. His claws had pinned me down, and his reddened eyes were empty and dead. He snarled and grinned with devilish intention, fresh drool dribbling down his trembling maw.
I've never seen him look like this before.
Before he could bite my throat, I kicked upward, throwing the hybrid off me, and tail-whipped him back into the thickets. But I only had two seconds to move before Ripper joined the fight -- crashing onto my back and burying my snout into the mud. I started to wriggle free; Ripper sank his claws into my fragile hind scales and violently ripped backward.
"AGH!" An animalistic screech left me, body arching in anguish. A burst of warmth painted over my back, fueling Ripper's lust like nothing else. Back-kicking his skull to the thickets, I leaped back to all fours, and scrambled into the marshlands.
To where, I had no clue.
All this time I've been beside someone. Click, Blink, Ripper, Indy -- they all played a part to fill an emptiness that I had feared for so long. Yes, dependency is a weakness, but, in the confines of war, it became a strength. I lavished in it, despite how many times I've tried to stray away. Many have saved me whenever the world went south. And, in turn, I have saved them.
But nothing is more gut-wrenching when your life is at stake, and you're all alone. When the ones you've trusted look upon you like a prize to slaughter. When all that hope and joy falls to fate, a terrible fate you cannot escape from.
I didn't know where to go. Or what to do. I sprinted into the vastness of this dying marshland world, stumbling into little pockets of mud and water, or diving into deeper realms unaccustomed to my kind. The excited roars of both hybrids behind me only made me run faster, begging the stars to keep them away.
I spent so much time trying to get back to Click. I couldn't let it end here.
Blink suddenly hopped right in front of me, his roar deafening my squeak of horror. I jerked right, soon finding Ripper taking a new position ahead of me, his eyes burning bright with the thrill of the hunt. Both predators stalked me in the dying light of the sun, their silhouettes flickering off the heat wave of the bleeding star.
Nowhere to go, Seven...
A heavy force ran me over, my body flailed head-over-tail to the ground. Blink rounded back to me, only to win three wounds across his face from my claws. Teeth suddenly sank into my spine and threw me into a rock, a sharp bony 'POP' echoing the sky. Toppling to the ground, broken and battered, Ripper's jaws snapped onto my tail, yanking me from the ground and throwing me into the deeper thickets, where I rolled to a stop.
Can't... fight this...
But not everything was hopeless; the wetlands soon offered a helping hand. A flutter of birds from our squander caught the hybrids' attention, allowing me enough time to look down at the mud that squished beneath my talons, and the loose threads of yellow that hovered to my right and left.
Hide.
I rolled into the mud as fast as I could, decorating my ivory scales with dark, brown earth. It stung at my injuries, but I couldn't let that matter. As soon as I heard Ripper approaching, I willed every bit of myself to camouflage, and ducked to the ground.
Now!
"RAGH!" He pounced forward, halting short of his lunge in confusion. He was staring at me, two blood-orange eyes now fixed upon my soul, yet he couldn't tell. His nose said otherwise, but his eyes failed to agree.
I crouched even lower, keeping still as he stared ahead, just inches from my snout. My breath ceased, forcing my camouflage to steady within the thickets, and I sealed my eyes away before the indoraptor could notice. Two puffs of steam trickled onto my nostrils, then a growl, and a roar from the carnivore.
Then silence.
I didn't move. Snorting, Ripper backtracked from the reeds, looking around at his surroundings for the white indoraptor he was once after. Blink trailed from behind, trying to sniff me out.
At least now I have time.
Calm down, calm down. I forced a needed breath. You're not dying here. You just need to think.
You mean, you need me?
My nostrils flared; I almost forgot my inner primal self still in me. She hadn't said much since the city, which I was grateful for. But now, for the first time in my life, I was relieved to have someone to talk to.
Y-Yes. But not to kill.
Rrr... My mind growled. Of course...
They're still themselves, I hissed, watching Ripper graze past my hidden self. The humans did something to them...
I see that. They look like mindless human toddlers...
I-I don't know what to do. I can't fight them together.
Then split them apart, said my mind. Who's the easiest hybrid to fight?
I looked around to Blink and Ripper, swallowing heavily. I didn't have an answer for that. But she did.
Oh wait. None of them! Because you submitted to both of them!
You're not helping.
See why you're useless without Click?
You're useless without me!
Am I?
I silenced my coming growl, coiling my claws to the swamp to keep from lashing out at her. And then a thought came to mind, something that made me gaze up with realization.
You're right. I've surrendered to both of them. But... they haven't won over each other, have they?
Won over each other? That doesn't make much sense, Seven-
I meant fight one another.
Ah... my brain grunted with amusement. I see.
Would it work?
They won't fight willingly. They want you, and you alone.
Yes, but- My eyes looked up, noticing Blink skimming past my nostrils. It was his spiked tail that caught my curiosity. Poisoned thorns. Unless.
Unless?
A single drop of poison can break a man... and two can stop his heart -- Blink said that. I thought to her. His tail spikes, one paralyzed me for a time.
So?
If Blink hits Ripper-
Accidentally?
Yes!
...
What is it?
That could kill him.
Paralysis?
No. Overdose.
Another sharp inhale followed. That was the risk -- Ripper could end up with more than two spikes, enough venom to stop his heart completely. Yes, Blink had struck down most of his enemies with one spike, but an uncontrollable Blink was unpredictable.
I sighed. I have no other choice. Better risking it all than no risk at all.
I noticed Ripper starting to round toward my front, Blink skimming around my hindquarters. I sighed. There was no other way. It's either this, or fighting them both.
Or dying. That's also an option.
Puffing out a breath, I lurched up to two feet, waited for them to reach the perfect position, and broke out of my camouflage.
Ripper and Blink whirled toward me. The indoraptor bellowed first, thundering through the grass toward my skull. I felt a similar tremor coming from behind -- an agitated Blink pounding through the earth, jaws salivating over the promise of fresh meat.
I raised up higher, giving them a bigger target to kill, and snorted.
Sorry about this.
Ripper pounced. I fell. At the same time a rush of wind whipped over my skull, and ended short with a yelp of pain. The Scorpios Rex doubled back in surprise as his co-hunter suddenly plummeted to the ground before him, two jagged black thorns now protruding from his neck artery. It happened so fast -- Ripper didn't have time to stand before the poison engulfed his body. The indoraptor gasped and collapsed, the pain manifesting from terrible to excruciating. He couldn't fight it either -- his limbs seized up, as did his head.
But he wasn't dying. I could see the strength in his eyes; he was going to live.
I think.
That's when I saw his device. It was back on his earhole, spamming that terrible frequency again. A green light flickered on and off, hiding the secret details of who made this. But it was on. It was there.
And it was right out in the open for me to take.
Ignoring my own safety, I whipped my claw to the ground, spraying mud into Blink's unsuspecting eyes, who doubled back into the thickets with a roar of pain. Limping toward my friend, I tore away the device from his ear and crushed it into the mud. Gone. Ripper snapped out of his trance in an instant, groaning aloud as his pupils readjusted to the light. Seeing me first made all the difference, and his hungry heart burst with joy.
"Are you back?" I asked.
"I-" Ripper tried to stand. "I can't move... What happened?!"
"You-" I couldn't finish, stumbling to my right with a groan of pain. He noticed the raptor blood in an instant, eyes wide in astonishment (and a hint of guilt, too).
"Me?"
"N-Not entirely-"
Another ear-splitting howl resounded from behind us; Blink was still rubbing his eyes of the mud I sprayed on him, stomping and stumbling about like a headless animal. His tail lashed and whipped fresh thorns across the marshlands, forcing me to grab Ripper and haul him into the reeds.
"H-How'd they find us?"
"Because stupid humans are too stupid smart," I snarled to Ripper, pulling him around a boulder to hide beside. "They put a tracker in your head!"
Ripper's eyes widened. "Is that why they-"
"It would explain enough..." I winced softly, flexing my shoulder blade back in place with a soft pop. As I growled in pain, Ripper poked his head over the rock, noticing Blink still jerking about, his head now plunging into the swamp water to wash his eyes out (that wouldn't make a difference). His yellow eyes then drew back down, trying to feel for his right claw still subdued by the paralysis venom. Nothing yet.
"How long does Blink's venom last?
"I-I don't know," I rasped. "One thorn lasted a few minutes for me. I don't know about two-"
"Then go," Ripper suddenly growled, catching me off guard. "Get out of here, away from Blink and I. I'll draw him away and give you some time."
"What? No!"
"Seven, they're desperate!" Ripper growled. "They brought me back and sent me to kill you, and now they did the same for Blink. If you keep hiding-"
"I won't leave either of you-"
"You need to! Or else this is never going to stop!"
I heard Blink's vicious roar from ahead of the rock, and started hyperventilating. Ripper looked to the noise, inhaled sharply, then growled at me.
"You're right to go to your 'Click' person. The only way to hide from a human is another human. They won't kill their own unless they have nothing left to lose."
"I doubt that very much, Ripper."
"I have yet to see it happen," he retorted, wavering his tail. "Maybe in war, yes. But we're always the ones who get blood on our claws for their mistakes, not them. Besides, they can't kill a hybrid on their own... and they haven't. So they sent us. We're your weakness."
"I-I can't..." my jaws trembled, "won't... kill you."
"I know that."
I swallowed, refocusing on Ripper's golden eyes, and shuddered. "I can't keep running forever, either."
Ripper bobbed his head solemnly. "But you'll last a little while longer. You'll survive. And that's all that matters, now."
A soft whimper escaped my maw. "A-And Blink?"
Ripper's jaws tightened, eyes sinking low in guilt.
"He died to save the both of us... there must be a way to-!"
A ground-shattering howl suddenly sounded behind the boulder, followed by a spray of swamp mud. Ripper poked his head over the boulder; Blink had freed himself of his eye pain, shrieking and screeching his outrage out across the marshlands. Ripper quickly motioned to me, brushing and nuzzling my scales and torso frantically, much to my surprise.
"What are you-"
"Scent," he growled, finally drawing away and bumping me forward. "It'll throw him off for a time."
"But the venom!"
"It's wearing off..." He growled, flickering his tail again for me to see. "Now go, Seven."
"I..."
"Quick, go!"
I stumbled ahead of him, eying the downed indoraptor, eyes watering. For a split second I saw Two in his place, the dead albino raptor lying on his back, lifeless eyes staring straight at me, begging me to save him. The terrible memory drew me an inch away from Ripper, then another, until I found myself breezing back into the reeds.
I can't...
I heard a high-pitched click echo Ripper's maw and gasped -- Blink quickly lunged after it, thinking it belonged to me. Another memory came about -- Nine was back beside me, sobbing as the dark creature drew to us, unraveling its tongue like a scroll of forbidden evil.
I can't keep...
A raptor-like cry alerted me back. Now I was in the dark forest, still backing away as the noises dispersed into nothing. I could hear Ripper fighting Blink, and smell the blood from the distance I retraced from. A third memory came -- I was bleeding out on the ground, human scientists crawling all over me, trying to stop the massive wound gushing blood from my throat. My eyes lifelessly stared across the floor -- the monster, a black indoraptor with horns, was splayed out on the opposite wall, a shrew of bullets having pierced its hide. Nine was there, too...
Lying upon the floor. Staring at me. Choking on her blood.
I took a breath.
She didn't. And then, her heart stopped.
"Only three survived," a voice called above me. "The one that attacked is dead."
"I know..."
"That last blood sample... What was it?" the man croaked, watching Henry turn his head away in sorrow. "Damn it, what did you put in them!"
"Henry-!"
My claws sank into the ground, holding me back from going any further. I stared at where I just came from, watching the sky turn dark blue, hindering the coming night. I looked behind me into the shadows of the trees -- Click's scent suddenly flowed into my snout, alarming my inner soul.
But, still, I didn't move. My eyes returned back to the marshlands, hearing the soft cracks and howls of two male raptors fighting to the death over my scales. Flexing my muscles reminded me of the current wound on my back and the sore shoulder from earlier, enough to return my nose to Click's scent -- he was right there.
She'll make it! I heard Click's voice again from that night in the desert. She always does. She... always does...
My eyes slammed shut. I wanted to be safe. I wanted to go home. But I couldn't lose one of my own after all they've lost. History is treachery, but here and now... if it has a life worth living...
I can't keep running.
I knew whatever they wanted me for couldn't be good. To go through so much just for one albino indoraptor...
Avoiding my past, avoiding this... nothing would change. I know Ripper warned me but this was my choice.
I started turning my body around. Exhaling sharp, I looked to the forest, inhaling Click's scent once more, and growled.
"I'll make it, Click... just not today."
And bounded back into the marshlands.
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Ripper crumpled to the ground with a hollow thud. His nares were puffing in and out, inhaling all the blood that spilled across his obsidian scales, and exhaling fatigue. His body wouldn't stand to face his adversary. He put up a fight, but it wasn't enough. Now he laid there, waiting for it all to end. Across from him, a damaged Blink limped to all fours and started crawling toward the injured indoraptor, hoping to finally savor a taste of his prey. Upon finding the carnivore motionless, a claw rolled Ripper to his back, and started pressing down onto his ribcage.
The pressure started to grow, forcing Ripper's jaws to open in anguish, fighting for a breath. He could hear a soft echo beneath his scales, sending jolts of fire racing down his body. Ripper slammed his tail onto the ground, crystal tears forming on his eyes from the extreme weight of the massive raptor above him.
Blink started grinning, squeezing harder, seeking joy in Ripper's reaction. The obsidian raptor squealed louder and louder, his tail now stiffening to prepare for the terrible pain yet to come. Until it didn't. The pressure suddenly released when Blink caught something odd sprinting to him at full speed. Something white. Scaly.
It looked just like the-
"RAGH!"
I collided into Blink, crashing with the Scorpios Rex on his back and sank my jaws into his neck. The carnivore shrieked , trying to break free; my pressure grew stronger, drawing blood to my tongue. Holding him tight, my eyes looked over Blink's back and skull, trying to find a similar green radio like Ripper's. But there was nothing there.
Where's his device-?
RIP!
Blink raked my chest, loosening my grip for him to break free. He rolled right and swung his at me; I ducked quickly and head-butted him a few feet back. Blink glared down at his slipping feet, and hissed. He didn't expect to get hit so hard. Ripper, having slumped over to his stomach, weakly peered up from the ground and gasped.
"S-Seven?!"
Slapping my tail to the ground, I roared and clashed into his flurry of talons, claws battered into his scales just as he did mine. Score upon score we fought one another -- wrestling into the mud, bruising muscles, skinning ourselves until we both fell into a limp. I stumbled backwards, wheezing for a time and growled at Blink.
"I'm n-not running away anymore," I called, flashing my bloody fangs at him. "Nobody... is going to make me, and neither are you, Blink!"
Blink's lips twitched, a deep warning growl seeping past his pink tongue. I paced further right, dipping my head low enough to remain a threat.
"I don't want to keep hurting you," I hissed, lashing my tail from behind. "You're stronger than those humans, I know you are!"
It didn't go through as planned. The annoyed carnivore screeched, unveiling his blood-stained fangs, and lurched forward, swinging his front claw for me. I bounded right, opened my jaws and clamped down, slamming his snout into the mud. His hind legs scrambled for the ground as I held on, trying to suffocate him unconscious to make it easier. But that didn't last either -- with a whip of his tail he propelled me skyward, and threw me to the ground.
"Seven, stop!" I heard Ripper cry out through the haze of my eyes. "Stop fighting him, he's going to kill-!"
THOOM!
Blink came from nowhere, jumping ahead of me and darting for my neck. His jaws met me first, clamping down and squeezing as hard as he could until I squealed in pain. Slamming his right foot down, he violently wrung me backward, watching my body skid on the ground, flail upside down, and roll to a stop. I barely had time to recover, Blink's tail lashed at my skull, nearly killing me had I not rolled out of the way. And when I raised up, his weight came crashing down, slamming me to the earth and stabbing into my shoulder. I roared out, wriggling to try and escape. But his claws dug deeper, further, drawing fresh blood to the surface of my scales. Snarling aloud, a freed claw of mine whacked into his cranium, dazing him before my tail whipped upward, cracking at his ribcage and sending him doubling over in pain.
"Awrr..."
Just enough time to reset myself.
He then pounced a third time, my fangs interlocking with his snout through a pained grunt. Blink reeled around, rocking me in every direction until my grip loosened, resetting me right back to his front. Then a fourth; I jumped toward a rock face and pushed into his body, painfully watching Blink fly to the ground in a spray of blood and soil. My claws scrambled for a hold, and I found myself panting before the downed hybrid, eyes still narrowed and fangs still bared. Blink fought labored breaths from the ground, but his eyes remained fixed to me; I could tell he was annoyed at my persistence.
"S-Seven, please..." Ripper whimpered aloud, still unable to get up from his injuries. "J-Just go..."
And, still, I ignored him. Not because he was wrong... I couldn't abandon Blink again. Not after what happened to him.
"I'll w-wake you up," I growled to Blink, coiling my deathly talons to feel his blood. "I promise..."
Promise. Promises don't go very far. I should've known that sooner. But I prevailed through my fierce words, limping toward his flank. Blink did the same, showing me his poisoned tail as a warning for what had yet to come. My bright blue eyes briefly glanced over to Ripper; he was still on the ground, staring in terror for me.
"Rrr..." I felt my jaws trembling, in agreement and resentment to this. Lose or win, I had to prove a point. Or at least try.
Blink lunged first, swinging erratically to shred my scales. I avoided enough to round his body and slash his stomach, hearing Blink howl in return. But I never saw his tail streaking toward me.
A sharp pain erupted at my hip bone. I bounded away before the pain found me, keeping one eye on Blink, and another on myself. My stomach writhed instantaneously.
There was a thorn in me.
Immediately, a nauseous sensation started folding over my body, and the world began to sway to and fro, as if someone was moving two sides of a table high and low. I scrambled for a hold of the earth, snarling at myself as a warmth started to grow inside me.
Can't fall yet. Keep going.
But my body didn't seem to answer. Whatever I tried felt far slower than promised, leading me to miss all my attacks on Blink, and receive every strike known to my own hide. Ripper was forced to watch me plummet to the ground again and again, fighting both my friend and the tar he put inside me. But he couldn't help me in his state, nobody could.
He knew this would happen.
And so did I.
"RAGH!" the Scorpios Rex roared, smashing down into my skull. Flames fell over my vision, and I weakly hobbled away before an upswing shredded up my neck an split the flesh in two. A second-tail swing whipped my the other side of me, stabbing yet another thorn into my scales. I fumbled into an exposed boulder and forced a snarl. I didn't want to show him how terribly hurt I was. Lunging in blindly, my poor torso was shred apart by Blink's wrathful talons, before a tail-slap flung me into the rock. My head slumped over, a single cough spraying blood from my maw.
So tired...
My body started to feel fuzzy. But I couldn't stop. I pushed off the rock face and limped away for distance, unaware that Blink was whipping in a circle, jagged tail zipping along with it.
Preparing for the end.
I heard Ripper scream my name. But I never saw it coming.
An explosion of pain struck my flank. My claws left the floor, tail drifting from behind. It was my skeleton that hit first, rattling the ground and throwing dust and mud in every direction. The fatal crack of a rock echoed my skull, stopping my slide. Blink slammed his claws onto the ground, roaring in victory at his motionless prey.
Everything turned red.
Then there was nothing.