Owen finishes tying my button-up shirt around my leg, securing the knots and making sure his belt-tourniquet is secure. The slowing of blood-flow to my leg has luckily numbed the pain a bit, so it's more bearable.
"That's going to have to be good enough for now, until we can get you to a hospital."
I look up at Owen and grab his hand, which is covered in my blood.
"Thank you." He doesn't hesitate to lean forward and press his lips to mine, and I can feel all his fear as he grips my face with his other hand and kisses me like I just died and came back to life. After a few moments he pulls away and tightens his grip on my hand.
"You've got to stop doing that." He breathes out. I give him a quizzical look.
"Doing what?"
He lifts up my left hand so I can see where my fingers used to be.
"Getting hurt, and scaring the shit out of me."
I smile and chuckle.
"I can't make any promises."
Owen just shakes his head and gently kisses my forehead before standing up. He looks down at the three of us.
"What are we going to do now?" Claire asks, now kneeling. Owen looks around, and his eyes land on a ladder. He peers down and looks back at us. His eyes land on me again and he sighs, and I can see the gears turning in his head.
"I don't want to do this, god I don't want to do this, but I think... I have to leave you here."
My eyes widen.
"What?"
"We can't stay here, but you can't walk, let alone run." I open my mouth to fight back, and he kneels down again to get close to me. "I know you are safer here than you are out there. I'm sorry." He looks at Claire, then Maisie, then back to Claire.
"I need you to stay with her." Claire's brows furrow for a moment, as I'm sure she wants to stay with Maisie, but she knows I shouldn't be left alone. She looks at me and nods her head.
"Okay."
Owen looks at me again and kisses me one last time, and fear seeps into my thoughts as this almost feels like a final goodbye.
I don't like that feeling. I don't like it one bit.
"I'll come back, I promise." He instructs Maisie to climb down the ladder and he follows. Right before his head disappears he meets my eyes. "I love you."
Then his head sinks below the floor and he's gone.
—
"I gently bang my head against the wall as Claire paces back and forth, her arms folded and her face twisted into deep thought. My other leg shakes anxiously. I hate sitting here doing nothing.
A faint scream echoes into the small room, and I pause. I look up at Claire to see she's stopped pacing, and she meets my eyes. I wait a few moments, and another faint scream reaches us. My eyes widen in fear.
I start trying to push myself up, using the wall as supports and using my one good leg to push, but Claire starts pushing me back down.
"We need to go help them," I try to reason, but Claire won't listen.
"You need to stay here, your leg is really bad-"
"They need help, they need our help."
"Sadie, you can't put strain on your leg-"
"Claire!" I accidentally shout. I'm suddenly aware that tears have started dripping from my eyes. She pauses and stares at me with concern. My breath picks up as my heart begins to beat faster with panic.
"He needs my help. I know him, he is going to get himself killed." My voice chokes up and it takes everything in my to not start sobbing. "Claire, please."
She opens her mouth to say something but closes it, thinking. She opens it again, and takes a few moments to figure out what to say.
"I...- you need to stay here."
"Then you go, please." I beg her. I allow more tears to fall at the thought of Owen lying dead somewhere because of this monster. I begin to feel frantic. "Claire, he can't die. I don't know what I would do-"
Crashes sound from somewhere upstairs, only furthering my panic.
"Claire, you have to go help them." I stare into her eyes, silently pleading for her to listen to me. "Help him," I whisper. She stares at me for a few moments, but finally nods.
"Okay, I'll find him. But you stay here." I nod frantically as I slowly lower myself back to the ground.
"Thank you."
She just nods as she heads down the ladder and disappears as well.
I allow a few minutes to pass before I take a deep breath and wipe away the tears.
"Okay, you can do this," I whisper to myself. I silently count to three and I grip the wall again, finding grooves and pipes to dig my fingers into. I swing my leg underneath me and push up at the same time I pull on the wall, and I manage to stand upright. I take another deep breath and stare at the ladder. I nod to myself.
You got this.
I take a step forward but my leg gives out immediately, and I just barely catch myself on the wall. I grunt as I grip it like a lifeline.
Okay, can't do that.
I slowly hop over to the ladder, trying to figure out a way down. It takes me about five minutes to get down the ladder that should've taken me five seconds to climb, but I could only use three limbs as opposed to four.
I turn once I reach the first floor and I see a door against the wall inside the display that's slightly cracked open, telling me the other three went that way. I use the wall to support myself as I slowly hop towards the door, eventually going through it.
I find myself in a normal hallway, and I realize I don't have a plan.
I can't walk, let alone run. It takes me five times longer to get anywhere. I don't know where they are, or how to even begin looking for them. The Indoraptor could be anywhere and I'm trapped here like a dumbass because one of my limbs is out of service.
I suddenly become aware how much like prey I am, and I feel small.
I am prey.
I am weak, and injured, and alone, keeping an eye out for danger or my next hiding place, trying to avoid being hunted.
I've been reduced to simple prey.
I take a couple deep breaths as I decide to just make my way back to the museum room. I don't know where anything else is in this giant mansion.
After what feels like an eternity I manage to drag myself into the familiar hallway. I freeze at the large crash that comes from nearby, and I realize it's the sound of shrieking and glass breaking inside the museum room.
Owen.
I try to pick up my pace, desperate to see if he's okay, but it doesn't work. I barely go any faster.
My ears pick up footsteps approaching, slowly at first but they start to increase in speed.
"Sadie?"
I look up and see Zia and Franklin running down the hall towards me. They reach me and stop, taking in my figure. I'm hunched over, leaning against the wall, my leg is bloody and tied up, my face is covered in sweat, tear stains, and probably some blood. I'm just staring at them and panting heavily.
Their eyes widen.
"What happened?!" Zia exclaims, rushing forward to wrap her arms around me in support. I just shake my head, trying to catch my breath before I respond. I'm aware of the dull pain now taking over my leg from the lack of blood flow, which is taking a toll on me.
I lift my hand and point to the double doors.
"In there."
Franklin opens the doors and Zia supports me as I continue to hop into the room, taking it in. There's a gaping hole in the glass ceiling and rain pours from the sky. Broken metal and glass shards lie all over the floor, and atop the large centerpiece skeleton, pierced perfectly on its horns, is the Indoraptor, her body still in death.
I gasp out of relief upon seeing her corpse.
"What the hell?" Zia gasps out, also taking everything in.
"Hey!" A voice shouts from above. My head snaps towards it and I cry out in relief as I see Owen standing above the hole in the ceiling. I meet his eyes and see pain but relief, mirroring mine.
He's okay.
We're all okay.