Whistle~
CRACK!
The brick wall, unable to withstand the repeated, focused impacts, finally shattered. The Stygimoloch burst through into the confinent cell of its neighbors, Owen and Claire.
"Hey! Hey! You! Look at ! Look at !"
Owen clapped his hands rhythmically and loudly, creating enough noise to successfully snag the Stygimoloch's attention.
"Follow ! Follow !"
He crouched low, constantly adjusting his position as he backed toward the iron-barred door of the cell.
The Stygimoloch followed the movent of his body, its head swaying slightly as it shook off the dizzying sensation from smashing through the masonry.
"Okay... that's it."
Owen took a deep breath, bracing himself.
Whistle~
The Stygimoloch, still operating on pure instinct and adrenaline, charged headlong toward the sound, and toward Owen!
Owen reacted instantly, grabbing the overhead bars and hoisting his body into the air.
CLANG—THUD!
The Stygimoloch shot beneath him, slamming into the locked iron gate. The door tore open under the force, and the dinosaur barreled out of the cage, head-butting a tal support pillar. The resonance echoed through the basent. The herbivore skidded to a halt, its eyes finally clearing as it regained its senses.
Once certain the Stygimoloch had cald down, Owen and Claire cautiously stepped out of their cell, watching the creature trot away.
"Don't ntion it," Owen called out softly, a dry bit of humor to break the tension.
Maisie, watching from the shadows, was once again frozen in a daze. Claire turned and spotted her.
Should she run? Absolutely!
"Hey! Wait!"
Claire and Owen gave chase. Maisie scrambled back into the laundry dumbwaiter, reaching to pull the wooden door shut, but she stopped mid-motion when she caught sight of a familiar figure.
"Grandpa!"
At her cry, Lockwood, still in the enclosure with Carlo, stirred slightly. He tried to sit up, but the strength had long since left his limbs.
Claire and Owen slowed to a halt, maintaining a respectful distance to avoid scaring the girl.
"She's Lockwood's granddaughter," Claire whispered to Owen. He nodded subtly and looked at Maisie.
"Hey, kiddo. Why don't you co out of there? We're going to help your grandfather out of that cage."
Maisie sat in the cramped elevator, looking at her grandfather's dire condition. After a mont of hesitation, she nodded.
She stepped out and walked slowly toward Claire and Owen. Together, the three of them approached Carlo's enclosure.
"Do you rember ? I'm Claire. What's your na?" Claire spoke softly, trying to soothe the girl's obvious nerves.
"Maisie... Maisie Lockwood."
"Oh, Maisie. This is my friend, Owen."
Claire introduced him, but Maisie didn't seem surprised, as if she already knew him.
"I've seen you... with the four little Raptors..."
"Oh... Oh, you have? Do you like dinosaurs? I do too. I can tell you all about them later, but right now, we need to figure out how to get your grandfather out of there."
By the ti they reached the front of the cage, a fragile bond of trust had ford.
Carlo watched the three small figures. He shifted closer to the iron bars, his massive head lowering to scrutinize them.
A draft of hot, reptilian breath hit the trio. Looking into the Great Beast's yellow pupils, an instinctive fear welled up within them. Maisie had always loved Carlo, but in this mont, she realized she preferred the Carlo she saw in docuntaries.
"When touring the park, please maintain a safe distance from the dinosaurs. Do not engage in any behavior that might startle them, such as shining bright lights in their eyes or making loud noises..."
Mr. DNA's voice chirped from the television at just the right mont. The key to the small access door was sitting on the table beneath the screen. Owen grabbed it and moved to unlock the gate, but Claire caught his arm.
"Are you ready for this?"
She wasn't stopping him; she was just making sure he was steady.
"Yeah. It's the only way, isn't it?"
"We do it together."
With a groaning screech, the slightly warped tal door scraped against the iron fra and finally swung open.
Owen lowered his center of gravity, keeping his footsteps light as he led the way in. Claire followed close behind, her hand gripping Owen's.
Carlo's massive head tracked their every movent. Maisie stood at the threshold, looking at her dying grandfather and then at Carlo. Steeling her heart, she dashed inside and grabbed Claire's other hand.
"Maisie? What are you doing?!"
To avoid agitating Carlo, Claire's voice was a frantic whisper. Maisie huddled close to her, peeking at the Giga as she whispered back.
"It's okay. He won't hurt us."
Carlo gently shifted his tail, which had been blocking their path. The movent was deliberate, almost like he was "opening a door" for them, though the sheer scale of the limb nearly knocked them over.
Perhaps it was the fearlessness of a child, but seeing that Carlo remained peaceful, Maisie broke into a small run and knelt by her grandfather's side.
"Grandpa... wake up."
Old Lockwood opened his eyes. His vision was a complete blur; he could only identify his visitors by the faint sounds of their voices.
"Haha..."
He let out a sudden, weak chuckle and reached out a trembling hand. Maisie caught it with both of hers.
Feeling sothing in his palm, Maisie pulled her right hand back, while her left continued to hold Lockwood's cold fingers.
It was a photograph of... her? No, she didn't recognize the background at all.
"You... you're just as beautiful... as your mother..."
The voice was ancient, halting, and raspy. The old man was clearly on his last breath. He looked toward the blurred silhouettes of Owen and Claire and continued:
"Thank you..."
Finally, his hand ca to rest on the scales of Carlo's foot. They were coarse, but surprisingly pleasant to the touch. A final warmth surged into his palm, though it couldn't reach his failing heart.
"And thank you..."
Carlo let out a series of low, rhythmic rumbles, a response to the old man that brought a faint, knowing smile to Lockwood's face.
His hand went limp and fell away. Surrounded by warmth and peace, the old Knight took his final breath with a smile, finding his eternal rest among the dinosaurs.
"Grandpa? Wake up! Don't sleep here! Grandpa? Grandpa?!"
Maisie's voice began to tremble. Claire covered her mouth, tears shimring in her eyes.
…
Sniff…
Without warning, Carlo snapped his head up. He tasted the air, scenting for information, and turned his gaze toward the stone ceiling. A nacing growl vibrated in his throat.
It was that scent again. That disgusting, artificial stench.
Noticing Carlo's reaction, the hair on the back of Owen's neck stood on end. It wasn't Carlo he was afraid of, but the reason for the reaction. The last ti he had seen Carlo act this way was...
"Co on. Let's find a proper place for him to rest."
He placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. She looked up at him through her tears, and seeing the absolute gravity in his expression, she imdiately realized sothing was wrong. She wiped her eyes and moved to comfort Maisie.
Owen looked back at Carlo and realized the dinosaur had stopped growling and was now staring directly at him.
Strangely, he felt no fear.
Carlo's massive head tilted toward Lockwood's body, then toward Owen, and finally gestured toward the exit of the cage. The aning was unmistakable.
Get out. Now.
Owen was inwardly stunned by the creature's intelligence. Following Carlo's lead, he helped move Lockwood's body onto a nearby transport cart. He then turned to Claire, who was holding a sobbing Maisie tightly.
"Stay here. I'm going to see what's going on."
Knowing Owen had sensed sothing critical, Claire nodded and continued to hold the girl.
…
"Ladies and gentlen, we have reached the halfway point of our auction tonight. For our discerning buyers, we have prepared a very special presentation..."
"Feast your eyes on... a new product currently in developnt. A synthesis of the best of the past, representing the power of the future."
"Witness, if you will, a creature that fuses two of the most dangerous animals to ever walk the Earth. We call it..."
"The Indoraptor."
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]
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