Fractured Luck // Owen Grady

•21

Claire and the boys waited for Owen and I to join them on the steps before we pushed through the doors to the Innovation Center.

Sprinting through the building, Claire led, until a crashing noise nearby stopped her.

"Who's checking it out?" I asked in a whisper. I took the silence as a nomination for myself, "Ah, you guys suck."

Stepping carefully, one foot in front of the other slowly, I kept my steps to the door of the Creation Lab silent.

I slowly nudged open the door with my gun.

"They evacuated the Lab," I called, after I'd peaked my head through.

While the others stared into the clear cages of the prehistoric and genetically engineered animals, I watched the two workers put capsules into a crate.

"You're taking the eggs," I pointed out.

"Somebody has to make sure this company has a future."

Although I lowered my gun, I didn't want to.

Hoskins continued, "Imagine the Indominus a fraction of that size. Deadly. Intelligent. Able to hide from the most advanced military technology. A living weapon unlike we've ever seen."

"They aren't your weapons," I said.

"Oh, but they are. That's why they're bred, isn't it?"

"They're bred for public entertainment," Claire corrected.

"Because that's any better," I muttered.

"Millions of years of evolution, what did we learn?" Hoskins asked, "Nature is the gift-- Shit!"

Through the glass beside me crashed a raptor. She passed our huddled group, stepping menacingly towards Hoskins with her teeth bared.

"Hey! Easy! We're on the same side!" Hoskins yelled. Slowly, he inched his hand out to her.

Within the moment of silence, the raptor's hesitation, I knew it wasn't going to end well. I slipped my hands over Gray's eyes, in time for him to miss the raptor biting down on Hoskins' hand.

"Go!" Owen shouted.

The boys' hands pushed on my back, eager to leave the gruesome death scene.

Two steps outside of the room, the raptor leapt through the glass window, blocking our path.

In the midst of spinning around to run the opposite way, I slipped. I held out my hands to catch me on the floor, succeeding in filling my hand with glass shards.

Whatever her reason for the pause, the raptor was struggling to stand.

"Owen!" Zach yelled.

"Zach!" Claire shouted in return, as the two ran back for me.

Owen stepped into the glass without a hesitation. He took my outstretched hand, pulled me across the glass by my knees, then Zach aided in pushing me to my feet.

"I really want to say some thankful note, but that raptor is getting up, so, I think we should go!" I shouted.

The race to run away from a dinosaur started again. Owen and Claire led, followed by the boys, then myself.

The sharp gasps coming from my mouth as I plucked glass from my hand made Zach glance back.

"Shouldn't you seek medical help for that?" he asked.

"I'm a bad ass, I can do it myself."

"She's gaining on us!" Gray yelled.

I looked behind me, finding the raptor less than fifteen feet behind. I pushed my legs faster, my only focus on getting through the doors.

As he ran jumped on the platform in the center of the lobby, Gray pressed a button on a console.

I glanced back at the raptor, who was stretching her neck out as far as she could, anticipating the taste of my skin.

"Watch your step!" Zach yelled.

I snapped my head to the front. Face to face with a roaring Dilophosaurus, I shrieked, my feet coming to a frightened halt.

A second passed, giving me the time to realize it was a projection. Zach grabbed my arm and pulled me through.

The raptor came to a stop, snarling at her competition, forgetting momentarily about the humans.

"Were you really scared--"

"We are never speaking about my fright again," I reprimanded the boys.

Owen and Claire pushed open the doors, holding them out for the boys and I to run through.

I lunged after Gray. My arms wrapped around his shoulders, dragging him to my chest, away from the jaws of the approaching raptor.

Surrounded by two raptors, myself and the other four were pushed together. With another second, the third raptor pushed through the door, the projection fooling her no more.

"Still against putting them down?" I asked, slowly trying to slide my gun into my hands, to not make a sudden movement.

I looked at Owen, finding his gun at my feet, and his hand outstretched toward Blue.

"Put the gun down," Owen said.

"You'll get your hand chomped off," I protested.

"You know that isn't true."

Blue allowed his hand to touch her skin, then let him pry the band from her head.

Giant steps shook the ground, causing the raptors and humans to turn their heads.

Stepping into view, the Indominus ducked its head to look our way.

"Oh, we're dead," I said, my eyes wide, "We're so dead."

"Not so fast," Owen mumbled. He gave a slight whistle.

Loyalty changed, Blue turned and growled at the Indominus. The other two raptors followed her lead.

"The Raptor Daddy has returned," I whispered proudly.

Owen whistled louder the second time. Using that as a signal, the three raptors lunged at the Indominus.

The Indominus was forced to step out of our way, walking in circles, trying to bite off the raptors from its back.

Owen snatched his gun off the ground, starting to shoot at the Indominus.

I tried to swing my gun into my hands, but my hands were grabbed Gray and Zach, trying to tug me along with them.

"Let go," I said, wiggling my hands, "Dudes, not cool, come on!"

"You have to hide with us," Gray begged.

"Lauren, come with us!"

"Lauren, please!"

"Don't leave us!"

"You're so annoying!" I yelled.

I wiggled my hands from theirs and shoved them forward, telling them to run down Main Street until I said to stop. Halfway down, there was a souvenir shack that could conceal them.

I helped Gray crawl across the desk, Zach hopped over it by himself, and Claire made it in on her own.

"Just stay here," I ordered. I pointed at Claire, "Listen to her for once."

"But--" Gray tried.

"If you don't stop protesting, I will feed you to the Indominus myself, Gray Mitchell," I threatened.

"Lauren," Claire gasped.

"Well, he shut up, didn't he?" I asked.

"Lo!"

I glanced at Owen, ensuring he wasn't dead, just in need of my help.

"Gotta go," I said to the boys, "I'll be back."

"Terminator? Was that really necessary?" Claire asked.

"Unintentional!" I defended.