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Tom.
...
Tom, wake up.
...
Tommy.
...
"Tom?!"
It was a cough and a bloodied gag that brought Click back to life. The indoraptor trainer was lying limp upon the overturned roof of his truck, perfectly splayed out if in a direct route to escape. He didn't care for the crackled phone calling his name, or the wealth of burning pain spiking in his lungs. None of that mattered now. Click tilted his head; he was quick to notice his hunter's gun lying in the dirt, a couple feet away. And still loaded, too. Click exhaled weakly. That thing was still out there... he had to have a means to defend himself.
"Tommy, talk to me!"
Hissing aloud, Click weakly dragged his slashed fingers toward the nearest bulge and began to pull himself from the wreckage. His skin lightly bumped against the crusts of glass shards and metal debris, nothing too jagged to stab him, but nothing comfortable to grasp to his heart. He wheezed and groaned, using his bent leg to propel his body a couple feet from the upper window to the passenger side, then through the gaping window on the other end. Click's nails dug into sand, then scarred mud -- easier material to fasten a broken body, like his, to. But this practice wasn't without consequence; he knew his inability to move was costing him his cover. And the blood welling up from his wounds to add to it, which, unfortunately, got Red's attention.
"Oh..."
The towering Ultimasaurus smiled, taking his idle time as he followed his injured prey. Even now, Red was impressed at the creature's plan to kill him, had he not thought of it years before he would've won. But it was a noble effort, to some extent. Red took small, cautionary steps after Click, giving out occasional growls to scare him further -- all a means to drag his death a little longer to sedate his lust. It was worth the trouble after such a long and pointless chase.
Click dragged on, as far as he could manage, gasping in pain as blood formed upon his lips. Something was broken; he could feel it in his chest. Click's fangs grinded into his molars again and again, deep, muffled groans leaving his cracked lips as he pulled toward the gun. Just as he was about to grab it, Red's foot stepped on the hunting rifle, impounding it deep beneath the earth. It was gone... just like that. Click whimpered, weakly rolling to his back to face the grinning hybrid and his morbid red eyes.
There was nothing he could do now.
Red snorted, eying the pesky human who bothered him and rounding his body so a shadow could cast over the trainer's body. The Ultimasaurus wanted his final moments to be of terror, not of mercy. So he salivated and purred, licking his bloodied chops at the prospect of his finest kill. Nothing tasted better than the failure of prey... lying alone in a puddle of his own blood.
Panting, Click's broken fingers trickled down to his side pocket, drawing upon a small pocket knife to defend himself with. He struggled to keep the massive beast in his sights, and hissed in retaliation to its widening smile.
"I'm..." He sputtered weakly, raising the knife to the sky. "Mm... not a-afraid... to d-die..."
Red's grin widened. "Yes you are..."
The theropod lunged; Click squeezed his eyes shut, unleashing one final cry. He heard a crunch. A squeal.
Then silence.
...
...
But he didn't feel anything. Just a whoosh of wind... followed by the sound of torn skin.
Click reopened his eyes; the Ultimasaurus had doubled back in pain, roaring into the stars as blood poured out of his right eye. Moreso, what was left of it; where a white ball once sat now sealed away by two eyelids and one fresh river of red. Confused, Click shifted his body upright to get a better look at his assailant's injury, until a strange white blur zipped past him and pounced into Red's snout. The two creatures wrestled about; Red's feet danced around in frantic confusion until, finally, a claw snagged the small shape off his muzzle and back to the ground where it crashed.
The blur became a shape.
A shape became a saurian body. Click's stomach lurched.
"Oh no... "
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"I'm going to slit your throat for what you did!" I roared before lunging into Red's blind side. I unfurled my claws and stabbed deep beneath his armored flesh, enough to feel the blood pool around my talons. My fangs follows, burying themselves and latching hold to my new target.
Rrrr... I tore into him like a human looking for treasure... before Red's claws found me. Gripping tight around my waving tail, he ripped me clean off his shoulder and right into the ground -- Ow! -- where I rolled to a stop. I shook my head in reflex and groaned -- that hurt more than I thought.
"Well, well..." Red hissed angrily, drawing a bloodied claw from his torn eye, "another misguided project is here to ruin me."
I blinked out of my daze, rolling from the ground to reface the massive theropod. Despite my growls and snarls, my courage sank faster than a rock in the ocean. I completely misjudged how terrifyingly massive this hybrid was, and how intimidating. His bulk, his stature, his hideous red 'eye' and morbid fangs. Even from the ground, I feared fighting him further... but it was already too late to stop it.
"No," Click suddenly cried out. "Seven... g-get out of here!"
"Seven..." Red's tongue flickered playfully at the name, lashing his club-tail from behind. "Ah... you're the pet wrench that turned Indy's gears! Oiling up some... cowardice, beneath her gizzard. I recognize the smell, indoraptor. It has stained my snout ever since I gutted her."
"RAGH!" I charged in again -- I didn't know where, I just chose the nearest pound of flesh to slice. I dodged a swing from his talons and bounded to his hip to sink my claws into. The red hybrid bellowed in pain, neither claws nor fangs close enough to reach me. I clawed and chewed as much as an indoraptor could, slicing his bloodied scales and tearing into his flesh until a sudden foot stomp jolted me clean off his side. Once more, I landed on my side with a hard grunt, but he was faster; a quick swing of his claws struck my poor body sideways, slamming me into the ground. His right claws followed, batting my body head-over-heels, and onto my stomach. The world went dim for a moment, fresh blood beginning to drool from my shredded back. I started to raise up, but not before his foot suddenly stomped on my tail, breaking the bone, and trapping me beneath his shadow.
"Agh! Let-"
"Shut up!" He snapped his maw at me, then rumbled as he drew near. "Shh..."
I cried weakly, trying to kick away -- I couldn't move. So I snarled and slashed in warning to the larger predator. Still no use. Even as I faced my opponent, my emotions were welling over like a waterfall, forcing fresh tears to trickle down my snout in lieu of it all. Red looked me over as I struggled, digging his toe-claws into my back.
"Why do you all care for them so much?" He snarled. "These monsters... ruined us all!"
"The only m-monster standing here today is you," I choked out in pain. "A murderer... of your own kind and theirs. And.... agh... you don't feel the slightest bit s-sorry for it!"
Red squinted his last good eye, his lips slightly twitching as a growl came afoot. "Why should I apologize for doing what I know is right?!"
I whined, still trying to free myself from the growing pain. "This... won't f-fix anything. K-Killing... everything I've ever known... e-everything that made us who we are-"
His toe-talons suddenly started to tighten. I opened my jaws in a silent scream, hearing my tail bones starting to crack again. My claws squeezed into the ground, quills rattling in warning for what was soon to come.
"Our lives would've been better without any of them," Red barked, winning a whimper out of me. "Humans... m-made me kill my own family. It's only fair that I do the same."
"And besides..." He lowered one of his talons, pressing a palm against my back and locking his nails ahead of me, mimicking a cage. I continued to wriggle and kick; but I couldn't slip clean. And, as I laid here in his control, I feared I may never get the chance. "They need to understand what it's like to live the life of a hybrid. To feel every second of our suffering up close and personal. That starts with him. So let me..." He refocused on Click with a growl. "Free you of your burdens."
"NO!" I screeched, slashing his front talon and reaching up to slash his palm. Red snarled in retaliation, turning his torn claws into a fist and hammering down. I felt a burst of pain on my back and felt the ground punch into my body. The ground shook for a second, rattling against the violent tremor.
Then, everything went still. Red withdrew his claw from my back, distasteful of my pathetic whimpers. His massive skull started to lower, slithering close to my half-lidded eyes so his last, ruby eye could stare deep into my soul.
"Now I'm going to warn you... like I warned Indy," whispered the Ultimasaurus. "Stay down... or I'll make sure your death is just as slow as hers."
He snorted, puffing a wave of heat against my scales to dismiss me.
And finally released his grip.
I squeezed my eyes shut, growling at myself to stand up. But my body refused to obey; it was still too stunned to react. I felt the ground-rattling stomps of the hybrid starting to fade and whined, louder and louder, knowing each step taken is a second I could've taken to save Click. And a second to lose him.
Seven...
I raised my head, reopening my eyes to look past the lumbering Ultimasaurus. Click, now resting upon a tree, was looking at me, emotionless in the eyes. His lips formed a circle, just enough to make a soft clicking noise -- three-times -- followed by a whistle.
Go. Run. Home.
"No," I groaned, struggling to stand. I couldn't get far.
'It's okay,' Click mouthed exhaled weakly, making the same noise as the Ultimasaurus drew closer to his broken body. 'Run home...'
I tried to click back. You are my home...
Red's tail wagged excitingly, inhaling the rich aroma of blood dripping from the human. Like before, he puffed out his chest and raised his body high enough to tower over Click. He leisurely knocked over the tree protecting Click, leaving him, once more, in the open of the terrifying beast.
I coiled my claws into the earth, snarling louder. Using what strength I still had, I painfully began to push back to all fours, locking my sights on Click's innocent eyes, and clicked.
I'm not going anywhere again.
"Alright girl," Click exhaled in defeat, then looked up into the deathly eye of the hybrid. Narrowing his eyes, his lips formed once more, and he pushed out one quick click.
Attack.
I bolted toward Red, lunging onto his body before he ever had a chance to turn. He tried to snap me in half; a quick dodge and a push off knocked the hybrid off his balance and onto all fours. He wasn't ready for me to return so soon, and gasped as I lunged into his face, tearing into his snout.
"Little-!" Red roared, trying to rip me off with his talon. I scored several wounds upon the shifty Ultimasaurus, then scrambled upward bound to enact more damage. I swung, bit, and stabbed, enough to turn his spine red with blood.
"AGH! Get off me!" He rammed his body into a tree, nearly crushing me in the process. Snarling, I lunged toward his neck and fastened my fangs into his frail flesh. A freed claw swung low, and slashed clean through the left edge of his throat. It stiffened the hybrid briefly, knowing that I was going for a killing blow, and he scratched harder, trying to catch me off guard. Another lunge made me tear the same spot open, deepening the wound. Two more, I thought with a snarl, securing my body onto the inner cuts of his armor, then I-
I suddenly felt his body lurch, and scrambled for a hold. It took me far too long to realize it sooner; Red was attempting to collapse onto his side, hard enough to firmly detach me from his body. With a howl of hatred, Red let his legs kick out from beneath him and plummeted to his side. One violent thud later, I was knocked right off his back and crashed into the ground, bruising the side of my body, hard. Click gasped from the tremors, helplessly watching me flail from my moment of confidence.
And, with Red now standing above me, my last chance to secure a kill had ended.
I groaned, feeling the ground jolt as the injured Ultimasaurus slowly approached, its footsteps rattling the ground beneath me. A growl of annoyance left its jaws, eying me for a moment before darting forward and snapping onto my poor body. I let out a shrill scream, feeling the ground leave me before the beast threw me. My skeleton cracked the second it struck the nearest tree, a violent ripple impounding my rib cage and tail bone.
"SEVEN!" Click screamed. A burst of blood splattered from my lips before I slumped down, too lifeless to go on. I tried to move before he snagged my tail, ripping me off the ground and slamming me back-first into the earth. Another glob of blood spewed from my maw, which Red tasted with a satisfied purr. He began to lean down, hovering his bloodied jaws above my body for the kill.
"Goodbye, pet," he snarled. The carnivore darted forward with a roar before two black figures suddenly charged into his face. Red cried out, fumbling backwards, but not before one of the creatures clawed out his last freed eye.
"Nobody hurts my mate!" Blink snarled, stabbing three thorns into the, now blinded, Ultimasaurus. Red squealed, thrashing about as he struggled for balance, then stumbled into the electrical grid behind him, crushing the small buildings and wiring a second time in a violent explosion.
*pant-pant!* went Blink's nostrils, clearly out of breath from his mad dash downhill. But that all went away once he found me on the ground, splayed out like a ragdoll. Ripper, the indoraptor who also attacked, sided me worryingly.
"Blink-"
"Is she okay? Seven?!" Blink rushed to me. I whimpered loudly, gripping my ribcage as a dribble of blood slipped from my jaw. I tried to turn and shift around, still stunned from the damages I received, but I couldn't. For the while, I didn't feel any pain, not yet, but I knew something was wrong. And, if it wasn't clear from the blood oozing from my lips, it was clearer from the two hybrids who stared at me with mortified eyes.
"Her ribs... it's out of place..."
"R-Ripper," Blink's spikes started to rattle. "G-Get her out of here."
"So you can kill yourself?"
"I'll can buy us all time-"
"N-No!" I hissed in pain, alerting both males to me. I shakily rolled to my damaged belly so I could face the two. "N-Neither of you is fighting that murderer... b-but me. Rrrr..."
Blink's eyes softened. He looked up to face Ripper, who's spirits had also sunk into sorrow. They knew I was speaking out of spite, ignoring the clearest signs of death in the way of my heart.
"B-Both of you..." I started to roll upward, wincing in pain. "G-Get Click out of here."
"Seven..."
"N-Now, Blink!" I growled, trying to stand, only to collapse back on the ground. As I whimpered, Blink leaned toward my blood-soaked face and started licking, trying to ease me. Ripper turned his head toward the electrical grid, already seeing the structure starting to shake; Red was getting up.
The indoraptor swallowed. "Guys..."
"I'm not letting you do this."
"You don't get to decide this f-for me!" I coughed hard and suddenly spurted a glob of fresh blood. Blink quickly dove underneath my collapsing body, catching me before I fell a second time. His spikes raised in warning; He was afraid for me. And, even as I laid on his back, I could feel it through his quaking heartbeat. Both of us looked to the buckling structure ahead of us, feeling true fear for the first time.
"L-Let me go, Blink."
The Scorpios snarled, fighting back tears. "I'd rather get run over than watch you die a second time!"
"I..." I whimpered, fighting back painful tears as more blood dripped down my jaws. "C-Can't let it... hurt him... hurt you..."
Blink's eyes narrowed. He drew close to my snout, dragging one, loving lick across my cheek before pulling away. "I'm staying..." He looked at the human leaning against the tree stump and snarled. "For the both of you."
A small grin started to cross Ripper's snout. His eyes flashed in agreement, tail and talons twitching in ready for the coming fight. And Click, who, despite hearing clicks, growls, and hisses from the three in the span of a few minutes, could only gasp.
"What the... T-There's more of you?"
Before anything more could be said, an explosion of debris and wires abruptly erupted from the electrical grid, followed by the blinded frame of a red demon from the grave. He lifted his skull to the sky, unleashing an earth-shattering roar to level the hearts of those beneath him.
And render the dawn of one final nightmare.
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TWO MORE! AGHGHGHHGHGHGH!!