While I'm Alive (An Owen Grady Story)

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"RELIEF CRASHED OVER ME IN WAVES AS MY EYES SWEPT OVER OWEN, SUDDENLY FEELING DELIRIOUS WITH HAPPINESS THAT HE WAS HERE AND HE WAS ALIVE"

SONG TO LISTEN TO: ALWAYS BY PANAMA

Terror leapt at me as I swiftly took in the horror on his own face. I raced back towards the car, pulling the backdoors open. Zach and Gray looked surprised to see me, but quickly scrambled to my side to help pull me in. The Ingen guy was still shouting hoarsely as he lunged into the back after me. Only he didn't make it. The three of us erupted into our own yells of terror as one of the raptors clawed at him and ripped him back outside. I stumbled backwards, hitting the floor of the van hard.

"Go, Claire! Go!" Zach was screaming, pounding on the divider that led to the cab. I felt the engine roar to life.

I remembered the gun in my hand and raised it shakily. The raptor let out an ear piercing screech as it appeared at the back of the van again. I pulled the trigger but nothing happen. Terror swallowed me up as it tried to claw it's way into the van and Claire stepped on the gas.

The safety!

My fear suddenly made everything feel so much crisp and clear, all of my senses coming alive. I clicked the safety of the gun and pulled the trigger again. I felt the force of the bullet leave the gun and wedge itself into the thick hide of the raptor. It's teeth snapped as it roared in pain before tumbling from the back of the truck. It stumbled and staggered, dazed but alive. We left it in the distance.

Adrenaline hummed beneath my skin, rushing through me like an electric current. Both Gray and Zach were looking at me with wide eyes.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked, leaning back on my elbows as I tried to catch my breath. The back doors of the van swung on their hinges as we drove.

They both nodded just as Claire shouted at us through the tiny divider door that had been slid back open at some point. "Everyone okay?"

"We're fine!" Zach yelled back to his aunt. I carefully pulled myself to my feet, placing one hand on the side of the van as I reached for one of the doors in an attempt to close them. It was inches from my fingertips when, out of nowhere, I was sprawled on my back again. Claire had abruptly jerked the van hard to one side and I could hear her screaming from the cab. Zach scrambled to look in on her when Gray suddenly started pointing and yelling at the top of his tiny lungs.

"Rylan!"

Just as my name left his mouth, I spun around in time as a raptor launched itself towards the van from the pavement. It landed half in the van and half out, and there was an explosion of searing white hot pain coming from my thigh. I let out a scream of pain, kicking at it with my good leg as I felt around the floor for the gun. I felt the cool metal in my hand and aimed it at the raptor and pulled the trigger. It was empty.

"One bullet, Grady!?" I screeched in disbelief. I gritted my teeth through the pain and kicked at the raptor again, it's teeth glistening inches from my leg.

At that moment, Zach and Gray came to my rescue. Somewhere in the back of the van, they'd found a taser stick and were using it to shock the raptor. I managed to somehow push myself towards the back of the van, my head swimming from the pain. I gripped my thigh tightly in both hands, the gun on the floor next to me. Warm blood seeped in-between my fingers and I felt even more dizzy as I glanced down and saw the torn flesh underneath the hem of my shorts. I glanced up as the two brothers let out a loud cheer as the raptor finally fell and fumbled to the pavement and we left it in our dust.