Shadows and Hope: An Indoraptor Story ✓

Trapped in the Cage

"Why did he want it alive?"

"I don't know, Chan, but we have it here in the end," said a rough and deep voice. I still had my eyes closed, but I could feel the tension between the two men. "We should have killed him when we first found him," murmured the man named Chan.

"That would have been the best, but the doctor's orders. He needs it for others or something. We can't let him die right now anyway," said the other man, and my heart raced.

The others? I thought. Which others?

"Pfft, as if we need more of these monsters. They should have stopped with the Indominus," spat Chan, and the sound of a gun filled the air. "I agree, but we can't do anything, you know that," Chan wasn't in agreement, and soon the door opened; I knew because I heard the hinges creak. "Chan Hyun, don't," said a raspy voice, and Chan sighed. "Hyunjin, what are you doing here? This place is not for anyone but us," said Chan.

"I don't want to see you die, Chan, so I'm taking you out of here. Sorry Caleb, but he's my leader and best friend. I won't let anything happen to him," said Hyunhjin. Caleb sighed. "Go ahead; I won't stop you," he said.

Chan sighed, "Very well; I value your well-being over my own anyway, Hyunjin. Let's go." The sound of heavy boots on the floor signaled that the men had left. All except one.

I shuddered as he muttered curses occasionally, but I couldn't hold back much longer. I needed to kill to repay him for giving me the means of fear and pain that they had given me. And I wouldn't be merciful.

So when he came near my cage, I opened my eyes, jaws following suit, and snapped his hand. He screamed and tried to free himself, but in doing so, he only broke it.

I gurgled as the limb fell into my throat, blood streaming from my mouth as I happily made my way to the unlocked door. They probably thought I was too deep in sleep to wake up and try to attack them. The metal grate was pushed up as I slowly went out, remembering to do the same in the mansion.

The man pressed his hand against the wall, with only a bloody stump left. "Please..." he whimpered as tears streamed down his face. "I-I have a family..." I studied him for a moment, my thirst for revenge on pause. I never had one, I thought. A family...it was never something for me.

But my urge for mercy would be my downfall. The man suddenly raised his hand towards my snout, sending me back from the shock of the blow. I screamed in pain and tumbled to the side, my wounds pouring out with gushing blood.

I growled and tried to get up, but it was too late before I could escape or kill the man for what he had done; a powerful shock shook the building, and burning pain came as quickly as the sun had burned my scales the first day out in the desert.

Darkness came, and I fell from my grip on the light; it was no longer strong.

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I woke up later and felt my legs creak as I began to stand. The pain was too much, and I groaned again from my scarred stomach. Flames licked around debris, and the sun baked my shells. The heavy reality washed over me. If Chan and Hyunjin had been here, they would be dead. But then again, why did I care about them?

Get up, snarled my thoughts. You haven't sustained any injuries, just shock.

Thanks for the summary, I said to myself but did as it said and dug my claws into the ground, careful of the broken glass shards on the floor.

I'm doing my job, so be grateful I didn't leave you,  hissed my thoughts. I sighed and walked out of the rundown place. Hyunjin and Chan were nowhere to be seen, and I couldn't even smell their scent over this burnt-out base. With cautious limping steps, I moved away from the burned-out dead city, hoping to find out where Wu was hiding.

If only I knew it took more than strength to get there.