While I'm Alive (An Owen Grady Story)

Chapter Seventeen

A/N:

I am so completely overwhelmed by the response Owen and Rylan have received. This has barely been up a month and we've hit over 5,000 views. That's insane to me! I started this story on whim, and had absolutely no idea it would be so loved. So thank you for that! :D You all are amazing and thanks for always making me smile. 

A few other things...I've accepted my first big girl job today so writing time will be few and far between. Fortunately, I've almost finished this entire story and will be able to continue posting. For those of you who read LILB, though, it will be on hiatus for now. However, I am entering the SYTYCW contest here on Wattpad with a novel I've been working on since March so look for that. If you are a fan of my Daryl Dixon story then you should check that one out. First chapter will be up tomorrow.

Anywho...

We're delving into the movie now so here we go!

BIG HUGS TO ALL OF YOU,

Nikki

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"HE WAS SWEATY, HIS SKIN AND CLOTHES COVERED IN A THIN LAYER OF DIRT. AND HE REEKED OF SOMETHING THAT STRONGLY SMELLED OF GASOLINE."

SONG TO LISTEN TO: NEVER LET YOU GO BY ALEX CLARE

I took the four-wheeler back to the employee garage, making it to work right on time despite the fact that I'd spent more than planned at the raptor's containment unit. The ease Owen had made me feel was quickly vanishing and I suddenly couldn't stop thinking about him standing in the middle of that paddock, surrounded by his four velociraptors. I couldn't get their yellow, slanted eyes out of my head, the cold calculated intelligence within them.

I tried to brush off the anxiety and ignore the sickly feeling in my stomach as I slid behind the bar and clocked in. Thankfully, the restaurant was busy. It was the midst of the lunch rush which helped to take my mind off of things. If I was constantly worrying about Owen and the dangerous possibilities of his job, I'd never get anything done for the rest of forever. I had to remind myself that he was perfectly capable and that he knew what he was doing.

The park seemed more crowded than ever. Outside of Margaritaville, it was a perfect day covered by a cloudless blue sky. Main Street was packed with people, crowds bumping should to shoulder down the midway. Claire was probably celebrating, with numbers these high. I hoped she was out having fun, enjoying the sunshine and the humidity with her two nephews.

I felt less anxious by mid afternoon as the day raced past, hours filled with drink order after drink order. That feeling was shattered, though, when Owen suddenly appeared outside. I stopped what I was doing, an empty margarita glass in my hand, as I watched him weave his way around the tables until he reached the bar. I knew something was wrong immediately by the look on his face. He was sweaty, his skin and clothes covered in a thin layer of dirt. And he reeked of something that smelled strongly of gasoline. Something that tasted a lot like fear gnawed it's way from the pit of my stomach and into my mouth.

"What's wrong?" I asked, the second he had reached the bar.

He shook his head. "We gotta go. Now."

I furrowed my eyebrows with him, looking around at the crowded restaurant. "Now? Owen, I'm in the middle of a shift! We're slammed!"

He rounded the side of the bar and pulled out my bag from the shelf underneath the bar, shoving it into my arms. "I'll explain later, but for right now, I'm not letting you out of my sight."