"All right," Zach called to Gray, who was sitting in the driver's seat, "Turn it over."
The car rumbled to life. "It works!" Gray cheered in excitement.
Natalie and Zach shared a grin as he shut the hood, their earlier conversation not forgotten. Gray crawled into the back seat as Zach began to climb behind the wheel. Before he could, a hand gripped the back of his shirt and pulled him out. "What do you think you're doing?" Natalie asked with a raised brow.
"Driving," Zach said as if it were obvious.
"I thought you failed your driver's test," Gray spoke up, leaning over the front seats to see the two clearer.
Zach looked at Gray over his shoulder, "No...Only the driving part," he turned to Natalie who crossed her arms. Zach half expected her to start tapping her foot. "I passed the theory,"
"Oh, thank God! Because if the jungle is full of anything, it's fucking road signs," Natalie cheered sarcastically before shaking her head at her friend. "I'm driving, moron. With everything else against us, I don't want to be taken out wrapped around a tree." Before Zach could say anything, Natalie stepped around him and climbed in behind the wheel.
Zach huffed but didn't argue further as he climbed into the passenger seat.
The Jeep flew through the jungle as fast as Natalie could drive without risking a crash, following the narrow dirt road she hoped would lead them out of the jungle and not deeper within.
"Damn it!" Natalie's eyes widened at Zach's exclamation, sparing a glance away from the road for a second.
"What? What is it?" she asked, looking into the rearview mirror but she couldn't see anything but trees and shrubbery.
"I left my hoodie," Zach groaned, dropping his head against the headrest of his seat.
Natalie scoffed, "You're not fucking serious?"
"Bad word," Gray spoke up from the back, his hands gripping his seat tightly until his knuckles were turning white.
Natalie muttered an apology to Gray before turning to Zach, "Out of everything, that's what you're worried about,"
Before Zach could reply, Gray yelled out and pointed out the windshield. A few yards ahead of them was a metal fence, the gated chained closed. The brown colour of the metal told Natalie the gate was rusting and weak. At least, she hoped that's what it meant otherwise...
"Hold on tight, okay?" she told them as her foot pressed harder on the gas pedal until she felt is grazing the floor. The boys' eyes widened, quickly grabbing onto whatever they could as Natalie gritted her teeth and braced herself for the impact.
Her neck jutted forward and her arms ached but she didn't care as the Jeep broke through the chain-link fence. She sighed, slowing down only a little as the dirt track turned into a real road. She let out a shaky breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. "You guys okay?"
"Cool!" Gray shouted. Natalie caught him grinning at her from the rearview mirror.
"Jesus, Nat," Zach panted from beside her. "I'm sure we could have opened the gate without... you know,"
Natalie shook her head beside him, her eyes not leaving the road, "Didn't want to risk the stop,"
Zach nodded, "Doesn't matter anyway. We're safe now." he muttered, turning in his seat to smile at Gray as he tried to comfort him. The slight smile on his face disappeared when his eyes drifted over Gray's shoulder. "Go. Go! Go!"
Natalie's eyes widened as her eyes caught the rearview mirror, hundreds of flying dinosaurs were coming there way and close to flying over their heads. Shifting the gears, her foot pressed down on the accelerator as the Jeep shot down the road. Gray yelled for Natalie to drive faster as he kept turning around in fear.
Natalie drove as fast as the Jeep would let her. The sight of a large security wall didn't calm her though, the threat from above not allowing her to relax as they approached safety. Gray and Zach began screaming at the two armed guards patrolling the top of the wall, but the guards just stood and watched the Pteranodons and Pterosaurs closing in on them.
Natalie thought they would never open the gates but at the very last minute, the gate opened. Natalie drove through and didn't stop until she got as close to Main Street as she could. Crowds filled the streets and the three had no choice but to get out and carry on on foot.
The three ran through the crowd, Zach's hand gripping tightly with Natalie's as Gray clung to her arm, the three refusing to let go of each other as they search for shelter. It was utter chaos. People were screaming, children crying as they ran for their lives. The Pteranodons and Pterosaurs which had been chasing them had made it to Main Street. Bodies were torn open on the streets, people pulled into their air as they ran, windows were broken as the dinosaurs crashed into them.
"Stop running!"
Natalie's eyes widened at the familiar accent, pulling Zach to a stop as her eyes landed on their babysitter. Zara rushed to catch up with them, her heels slower her down as she shoved her way passed people. "Don't just stand there!" she yelled out as she moved pasted them.
"You told us to stop," Natalie huffed in annoyance. Zach tugged on her hands, squeezing it in his as he followed after Zara. Natalie's eyes widened, pulling Zach back again but before she could yell out a warning, Zara was picked up into the air. Her screams were piercing as its claws pierced her shoulders. Gray whimpered, clinging to Natalie tighters as they three watched in horror as she was tossed around by Pteranodons like dogs fighting over a toy.
One of the dinosaurs didn't catch her in time and Zara plummetted into the water. They chased after her, trying to pluck her from the water but before they could, the Mosasaurus jumps out of the water and swallowed Zara and the Pteranodon holding onto her.
Natalie was the first to pull himself away, tugging both Zach and Gray towards the closest building.
"Zach, look!" Natalie pointed to a woman with short, bright red hair standing on an overturned vending cart with a dozen armed guards surrounding her, shooting at the Pteranodons and Pterosaurs that flew closer to the ground.
"Its Claire," Zach's eyes widened, reaching for Gray to pulling him faster as the three raced towards Claire as fast as they could. "Aunt Claire! Aunt Claire!" The brothers yelled for their aunt as they got closer.
Natalie felt her curls pushed into her face as a strong gust of air blew them from behind. Sparing a look over her shoulder, she saw a Pterosaur showing off its blood-stained teeth as it's mouth opened to bite down on them. "Down!" Natalie screamed, her arms wrapping around the brothers as she pushed them to the ground with all of her might.
Natalie gasped as she felt claws scrape along her back, the force pushing her to the ground harshly. She heard the Pterosaur crash to the ground not too far from her, killed by the armed guards but her mind didn't process it. She desperately tried to breathe but the air just wouldn't go in. Her heart raced, she got to her knees and desperately attempted to inhale. At the fourth gasp, she felt some air enter her lungs. Not much, but enough to pave the way for a bigger breath the next time.
Zach appeared crouched by her side, his hands finding her cheeks as he looked her over, eyes wide with worry. "You're okay, okay? You're fine, everything's fine. You're just winded," Zach spoke quickly, pulling her to her feet. Natalie nodded weakly and let Zach pull her to her feet.
"Zach!" Gray gaped from beside him and it was only then he saw the back of her shirt torn and stained with blood.
Zach's breath hitched but they didn't have time to do anything about Natalie's injuries. He had to get them to safety, to Claire. Zach shook his head, telling Gray she was fine before pulling the two along again.
Besides Claire a man lay on the ground with a Pterosaur pinning him down, it's snapping jaw missing his face by a whisp. Claire shouted something as she jumped from the cart, picking a gun from the ground and bringing the hilt down on its head. It screeched as it fell off the man but didn't get a chance to attack before she shot round after round into it. Claire panted, pulling the man to his feet. The man didn't miss a second before pressing his lips to hers.
It wasn't until she pulled away from him that Claire saw the three running to her and the man. Claire yelled out once her eyes landed on them, sprinting towards the three teenagers. "Zach! Gray!" she yelled, pulling Gray into a tight hug once she was close enough. "My God! Thank God! Thank God!" Claire's eyes widened even more as she saw Natalie's shirt, the blood from her back spreading to the front of her shirt. "Oh, my God! What happened? Is she okay?"
Natalie nodded with a wince as Zach pulled her closer to his side. "I'm fine. I'm all right."
"Who's that?" Gray asked, looking past Claire at the man she had kissed earlier. His eyes were alert as he held his rifle closer, following the dinosaurs flying above.
Claire stood straight again, her eyes glancing over at the man, "Owen... We work together," she explained, looking away when Zach raised a brow her way.
"Hey," Owen spoke, calling their attention as he nodded his head in the other direction. "We gotta go." Claire pushed the three towards Owen, Zach refusing to let go of Natalie's hand as they ran after Owen.