Fractured Luck // Owen Grady

•10

Before

Owen drove through the trees until a dead ankylosaurus blocked our path.

In sync, Owen and I exited the car, ordering Claire to stay behind.

Behind the ankylosaurus' giant belly was a gyrosphere, glass shattered, driven into the ground by its side.

I peered through the metal skeleton to look at the seats, which were clear of blood.

"Lauren?" Owen asked quietly.

"They made it out of the gyrosphere," I said, "Don't know how far they went after."

"Should I call Claire?"

"Don't get her hopes up," I said.

Owen stepped forward, his eyes on the bar above my head. He grabbed a knife from the holster on the back of his jeans and pried out a tooth from the Indominus.

"Imagine that thing in your face," I said thoughtfully, "Death by a tooth the size of your hand.."

"Lauren," Owen sighed, shaking his head in disappointment, "Why?"

"Sorry."

"Are they here, or not?" Claire yelled from behind the ankylosaurus, "Lauren? Owen?"

"Claire, shut up," I hissed, "If you don't lower your voice, that dinosaur will be after us too."

Claire's eyes were watching where her high heeled feet stepped as she came around the dinosaur.

"Lauren, I will ask you one last time to watch your.."

I turned to look at her when she stopped talking.

Claire rushed to the gyrosphere, dropping to her knees in the grass. Her trembling hands picked up a shattered phone, mumbling a hopeless, "No, No, No.."

"Oh," I said in a cheerful tone, "They're fine."

Claire snapped her head to me, "How do you know?"

"There's literally footprints in front of your face," I said, tilting my head in awe of her idiocy.

"Two kids, two trails," Owen pointed out for Claire, who lost her skepticism with the proof, "Lauren, take the lead."

Eyes hardening, I looked at Owen for explanation.

"You found them, you follow them," Owen said, "Or.. Maybe this is payback for all those times you refused to let me go skinny dipping in your Jacuzzi."

Teeth clenched, I said, "If I die first, I'm going to kill you."

"You can try," Owen chimed, winking.