"I won't let you die"
"I don't think that's how it works"
Natalie Parker and Zachary Mitchell were best friends. Upon first meeting them, you would think they hated each other with how much they argued. And they did hate each other at first but now...
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"Zach!" Natalie screamed in terror as the dinosaur hovered over the GyroSphere.
"Go, go, go!" Gray shouts hysterically at his brother as he gripped at Natalie's arm so tightly it felt numb but Natalie hardly noticed. She couldn't breathe. It felt as if someone was choking her. Her heart was racing and her blood rushed to her head, she could hear it pumping through her ears.
Zach, his eyes wide with panic, reached for the gearstick but he wasn't quick enough. The dinosaur turned in her spot as if she was going to walk away and her tail clashed with the GyroSphere. The three screamed in terror as the GyroSphere spun rapidly, only stopping when it collided with a tree. A clawed hand raised into the air before slamming forcefully into the GyroSphere. Its claws pierced through the glass, centimetres from Natalie's face.
Natalie's breathe was trapped in her throat and her ears were ringing as the dinosaur roared, exposing hundreds of sharp teeth stained with blood. Her hand blindly reached for Zach's, their fingers locking tightly together. Its mouth wrapped around the GyroSphere, its teeth piercing the glass as it picked the GyroSphere up before quickly slamming back into the ground. Natalie's neck screamed in pain at the collision, the high back of her chair stopping her neck from snapping from the force. Again, the dinosaur lifted the GyroSphere and slamming it into the ground causing the glass to crack beneath them. It was then Natalie realised it was trying to crack the GyroSphere open.
Natalie flinched as the glass beneath them smashed to pieces as the GyroSphere collided with the ground again. Zach leaned his body over Natalie, pulling her eyes away from the dinosaur's mouth as he quickly unbuckled Gray with shaky hands. He moved to Natalie's, his eyes locking onto hers. "Trust me," he said before unbuckling her and pushing her out of her seat.
The three dropped harshly to the ground, Zach's body covering Natalie's and Gray's as glass rained down around them. As soon as the dinosaur began to lift the GyroSphere again Zach hauled them to their feet and pushed them towards the trees. "Go! Go!"
Tears blinded Natalie as she ran faster than she had ever run before, her heart pounding and her throat rasping for breath. Zach was gripping her hand, pulling her to run faster while Gray ran ahead of them both. Natalie didn't dare look back as she heard the dinosaur roar behind them once it realised they were no longer there. She suppressed a panicked whimper as the ground shook beneath her feet.
"Come on, Nat! Come on! Faster!"
Gray skidded to a stop in front of them and Natalie and Zach quickly understood why. A fifteen-foot drop into a blue river blocked their path, the sounded of the crashing waterfall was like thunder to her ears. Natalie looked over the edge in fear, her stomach twisting and turning inside her.
"We're going to have to jump!" Zach tells them, his voice rising to be heard over the waterfall. Gray nodded his head, his eyes clenched shut before he threw himself over the edge. Natalie screams in fright as Gray plummeted into the water Zach gripped Natalie's hand tight, "On the count of three."
Natalie's body shook as her eyes began to water, her breath becoming faster and faster. "I can't," she whimpered. "I can't, Zach,"
Zach turned to Natalie, his eyes wide, "You can, Natalie! You have to!"
"I can't, Zach! I can't swim! I can't swim," she whimpered in terror.
Zach looked behind them in fear as they could hear the dinosaurs getting closer, just visible through the tree line. His eyes trailed back to the river before looking at Natalie with pursed lips. "I'm sorry," Wide-eyed, Natalie shook her head and tried to pull away from Zach as he wrapped his arms tightly around her body, throwing the pair over the edge.
Natalie didn't even have time to scream as she hit the water. Darkness enveloped her. The water closed in around her, filling her with a deep dread. She held her breath as long as she could, too long in fact. Red and black splotches danced in front of her and she couldn't remember if her eyes were opened or closed.
Natalie furiously beat her legs, desperate to reach the surface. Her entire body is throbbing and her lungs felt as though they had been set on fire. Reaching her hand upwards, she felt cold air hit her skin as it emerged through the water. Her head followed, only for a moment but long enough for her to cry out, "Zach!"
Her head fell back under as a wave hit her. Whenever she managed to push herself to the surface, the water seemed to drag her down. Each chance to breathe became further apart, each breath was shorter than the last. Only long enough to cry for help before she was pulled under again and she couldn't find the energy to fight back up.
The coldness she had felt upon entering the water was completely gone. A desperate hot wave had come over her, warming even her frosted toes. Her heart was beating rapidly in panic. The urgency for air was more apparent than ever. Her limbs slow down, stop and she floats in the current like a doll. She almost couldn't feel the arms wrapped around her as she was slowly pulled upward to the daylight above.
Zach swam furiously to the river bank were Gray was waiting. His eyes were burning as he pulled Natalie's limp body to the muddy ground. He gripped Natalie's cheeks, her skin cold against his hands. "Natalie! Nat! Come on, wake up!"
"She's not breathing!" Zach looked down at Natalie's chest as Gray's words registered in his head. Her chest was still and unmoving.
"No, no, no, no," Zach muttered under his breath as fear, greater than when the dinosaur was chasing them, filled him. He didn't spare a second before his hands pushed against her chest, desperation making him push harder and harder.
Gray was sobbing on his knees as he gripped at Natalie's hand. Zach tried desperately to remember what he had been taught in the CPR class their school had made them do. He rubbed at his eyes, wiping away the tears as he tried to calm his breathing and remember. His touch was gentle as he tipped Natalie's head back and pinched her nose before pressing his lips against her cold ones, blowing air into her lungs.
His hands pushed against her chest, hopelessly trying to get her lungs to work. A minute passed, Gray's sobs were louder and Natalie hadn't moved. Zach growled out as anger and frustration consumed him as he slammed his fists down on her chest, her body jolting at the force. He did it again harder, wincing at the sound of her ribs cracking under his hands.
Natalie's body convulsed as water spurted out of her mouth, coughing and sputtering as Zach quickly moved her onto her side to get the water out. She groaned in pain at the feeling of her aching chest as Zach rubbed her back soothingly.
Natalie looked up at Zach with bloodshot eyes. "The next time you kiss me, I better be conscious,"
