Hybrids: An Indoraptor Story ✓

A Monster In The Dark

It took me two long hours to escape the facility.

The last bit of the challenge came in the form of a struggle -- one involving me pushing my two-thousand pound body through the tight corridors of an underground vent. Exiting through the normal doors of INGEN proved dangerous for my sake (given all the people and security measures over it's entrance), so I was forced to make things a bit more complicated. I could strangely remember the last time I had to slither through a small vent, though I was much younger at the time and bound to fall victim to feeble distractions. Back then, a simple sound would garner my interests, even if it belonged to a fan or my own thumping tail.

At least now I had a mission to focus upon, a mission for survival.

A mission for Click.

After a few minutes of dragging, pushing, and growling in agitation, my bulged head finally shoved against the inner frame of the vent's exit, bumping the blocked piece onto the grassy grounds outside. Another two pushes later and I, too, had fallen from those dark and gritty chambers and flumped upon the soft soil of the outside world.

I never thought a fall like this could be so fulfilling. To a human this was as equal to that of a pillow, and I cooed in praise over this acute feeling.

Most creatures would celebrate once they've touched the face of freedom. I decided to take this precious moment to enjoy the satisfaction of such freedom.

Surrendering myself to gravity, I took the time to gaze upward, watching the soft white twinkles of a million stars stretch across the horizon. The cold, somber breaths of the ancient world nuzzled against my pale scales, and the soft buzzing clicks of nearby vehicles and bugs rented the familiar atmosphere. Once the aroma of pure air rushed back into my charred lungs, I closed my eyes and exhaled in utter relief.

"Thank the stars... I did it."

Inhaling hard, I gradually rose back up to all fours, gazing toward the emptied vent behind me, then spun to the left toward the massive forest ahead of me. With the lack of artificial light spanning this place, the swarm of pines and oaks blackened the world for me, as if nothing laid beyond the sights and smells that I was offered. Surely it was not a means to be afraid, given I could handle myself being at the top of the food chain, but it still put a sense of fear into my bosom, as if trekking through those shadows would spell doom.

I turned my attention to the southern regions of the facility where a road was built, though not many cars seemed to cross upon it at this time of night. Still, it was bright enough, and with the moon just bright enough to cast a glow, it served me well to follow it, for it may lead to Click.

I took a step in that direction-

SNAP!

And froze.

What was that? I thought.

The single crack of a dry twig forced every quill on my spine to shoot up tall. Now, I was used to telling the sounds of nearby prey, and most cracks, if any, were soft and difficult to fathom. But this noise, this rupture of the air, I found quite loud... too loud to mark it as a small, insignificant animal.

I refocused my attention back to the dark forest, narrowing both eyes as worry festered inside me. For a brief moment I felt the need to pass this threat on as just a reaction, only before a second crack sounded.

SNAP!

It sounded forced. As if it was on... purpose...

I know this was a calling for me. Any creature would follow the sound to distinguish a threat from a trick, just for the safety of a journey. I twitched my ivory tail at the thought, taking one cautious step toward the forest, then paused. Once the silence grew upon me, I took yet another step, clicking my jaws together and crouched low.