Unforeseen Circumstances

The forest smelt strongly of pine and wild onion as they meandered like hunters through the overgrowth, hacking back the bushes. It was as if they were looking for a missing puzzle piece or a rare and fabled jewel. In truth, they were stalking one of the escaped Velociraptors, another human error that had cost the life of one more park ranger.

"If you find her, please don't shoot her," crackled the radio in her ear.

"I think I know more about her than you do!" she stated angrily, "Remember, I have raised her from an egg," she added in frustration.

He greeted her with his intense dark eyes, boring a hole into her mind. "I know that you have an attachment to these creatures, but you will only ever be prey to them. They will not pause before they have torn you, limb from limb. So, stay sharp. We have a job to do. I intend to return with my body intact."

"Can we stop with the lectures?" she sharply responded, "Just because I'm a woman, it doesn't make me stupid."

A snapped branch made them both freeze on the spot and crouching down, she motioned to him to follow suit. Placing her finger on her lips, signaling to remain quiet, she briefly edged her way forward to try and get a better view of what was ahead.

A tiny reptilian head poked from a broken shell, its brown and beige colored pieces scattered on the ground. Removing the rest of the casing from around the infant, she caused the animal to let out a squeal.

Firmly, he gripped her arm, motioning her back, before whispering, "They don't leave their young alone for too long. We must get out of here."

A sudden realization overcame her, snapping her out of her trance, and she nodded to him in agreement.

Another sound of a breaking twig stopped them acrimoniously in their tracks. "Run," he spoke assertively, continuing, "Don't wait and don't stop." pointing his hand in the direction away from the sound. The sound of his heart raced anxiously in his ears, "Thud, thud, thud." His hand trembled as he focused on how best to manage the situation, he was frustrated at having been caught off-guard; they were supposed to be tracking it, not the other way around.

He took a deep breath to help him regain his composure, realizing it was only one fully grown raptor, not an entire flock. Adrenaline coursed through his body like poison as a deafening roar shattered the relative quiet of the jungle. Mosquitoes pierced his skin, attracted to the day-old sweat emanating from his pores.

*****

Suddenly, a warm liquid began oozing from the gaping wound in her shoulder. The impact was harsh and immediate as she felt the beast’s hot breath on her skin. Ironically, the pain did not follow the convulses that caused her body to tremble. Hanging like a piece of unused driftwood, the remains of her twisted arm, if you could call it that, were visible. Cutting through the panic of the situation, he pulled her to her feet as she ran, her blood pouring from the injury. Blurriness impaired her version as she swatted at the huge leaves that now imprisoned her inside of her hell. Shaking underneath her feet, the harsh earth seemed like nothing more than quicksand. Stumbling, she shrieked as the animal loomed behind her.

“Casandra,” spoke the woman in a trembling plea as the reptilian form stared at her, void of emotion. Cocking its head to one side in contemplation, the prehistoric lizard darted into the dark refuge of the lush jungle. Terrified screams, radiated in her ears as the man beside her was slowly, disembowelled and devoured, piece by gnawed piece.

The bright orange eye reflected all the terrors in her childhood nightmares as the gigantic head lowered towards her face. Snorting in distress, the high-pitched friendly squeal echoed from the prehistoric throat. A sigh of relief coursed through her body as a fleeting glimmer of hope broke through her fate.

A sharp talon ripped through the soft skin of her abdomen causing white hot pain to radiate through every cell of her body. Razor-sharp teeth began slowly gnawing at her insides, speckling the earth with crimson liquid. Numbness overtook her being as her world faded to black.

*****

Drops of warm water dripped from the giant leaves above, genetically modified by the corporation’s need to feed the abominations it created. It felt like Chinese torture as he was stuck motionless in the wilderness of the park.

Noticing his still-shaking hand, he attempted to steady it by grabbing a branch, but it was to no avail. The terror reverberated through his whole body as his mind questioned why he had been stupid enough to take on this job. His cozy office job seemed a light year away from the horror that was unfolding before him.

The loud growls of a helicopter’s engine disturbed his thoughts. “The calvary has arrived,” he mused, uplifted by the sense of hope the mechanical noise brought. His heart sank as he witnessed the sound dissipate into the distance, a heavy sense of defeat made him feel like a lead balloon falling fast from the sky.

He placed his hand into his khaki-colored jacket pocket, retrieving his radio, he pressed the button, “Code Red, position Charlie, Alpha, Beta,” he half whispered into the black and worn device as he felt a sharp pain of jaws clenching around his torso.

Written by Raven and Isabella on December 7, 2023