AN- Hello, ShadowRebirth37 here!! This is my very first Primeval fic, though I have over 15 fics in other sections such as Zoids, Kingdom Hearts and Ecco the Dolphin, so I am in no way a noob, I know what I'm doing. ^-^ Now, I am an American and live in the United States, so that means I don't know a lot about British sayings and such other than 'bloody'. ^^; Sorry if some of the little sayings in here are American instead of British, but I can't type what I don't know, ya know? XP Anyway, I hope you enjoy my fic!! I'm sorry to say updates will be kinda spotty, but my Zoids fics require constant attention. XP
Again, I've seen a few episodes of Primeval here in the States, but I'm still a little new to the series. I've seen the finale of season 2 and bits and pieces of most episodes, but my names are a little spotty at best. I know the main group and such, but other minor characters are a little tough for me.
Please go easy on me guys, I'm trying my best, but with only one episode airing a week and only 3 on the on demand channel, I don't have a lot of opportunities to refresh my memory! I'll try my hardest to keep it as true to the show as possible, but there will be dialogue errors in this 1st chappie because I only got to watch the episode once. Anyway, please enjoy chapter 1- One False Move!!
Disclaimer- Nope, I don't own Primeval, I only own this fic, this storyline, and all that jazz. XP
The front door of the elementary school was busted in; deep slashes in the metal from what appeared to be claws. Stephen had a bad feeling that the Gorgonopsid that they had seen earlier had tracked the young boy who had found Rex, Ben, and was hunting him. He had good reason to be worried, for the Gorgonopsid was the top predator of its time. It was faster, stronger, smarter, stealthier, and better armed than any other predator at the time, making it a real threat now.
He had seen pictures of the creature, and it was one of the most formidable and strange beasts he had ever heard of. It looked, for all the world, like a cross between a Bengal tiger, an Australian saltwater crocodile, a lion and a hippo, displaying the best and most deadly traits of each. Its mouth was bigger than a hippo's, filled with massive predatory fangs and able to snap shut with force comparable to a crocs, its faintly feline body was sturdy and powerfully muscled, giving it great strength, speed and stamina, and its huge paws could easily encompass a basketball, and its claws were nothing to laugh at either, as he had seen, they could carve clean through plate steel. Its body looked like a cat without fur, and even had canine attributes such as the short tail, long muzzle, and large nose. Some even speculated that the beast was endothermic, a primitive warm-blooded mammal, despite its smooth, seemingly scaled skin. It definitely explained how it had managed to survive in the cold, wet forest without much ill effect, but he knew it couldn't be fully warm-blooded; there wasn't enough prey in its desert environment millions of years ago to support such a needy metabolism. Pushing those thoughts away, he started towards the smashed doors, worried that the prehistoric creature could potentially injure or kill someone, or start a panic.
He heard a sudden, deep resonate roar, coming from somewhere in the school, and he knew instantly that it was the Gorgonopsid. Stephen ran into the school, hurrying down the narrow hallway, knowing the Gorgonopsid was somewhere inside. He thanked God school had ended for the day, but he knew that there were probably a few kids and teachers inside. He hurried up the stairs, hearing the scuffing of what sounded like paws on the smooth floor.
Suddenly, he heard screams, followed by a deafening roar. He broke into a run, hoping to reach the beast before it killed an innocent child. He rounded a turn and saw a shadow bolting down another hall, and he knew it had to be the Gorgonopsid. Stephen chased after it, turning the corner, and saw the large beast ramming at a door, panicked screams coming from the other side. He knew he had to do something, and before he realized what he was doing, he reached over and grabbed a textbook from a shelf.
"Hey!! Pick on someone your own size!!" Stephen shouted, throwing the heavy book at the Gorgonopsid, which bounced harmlessly of its strongly muscled body. The huge cat-like creature turned its massive head, its burning yellow eye focusing on him, seeming to glow with hunger and malice. 'Great! Way to go Stephen, you've just got the attention of a super predator and you don't even have a bloody weapon!' he thought, gritting his teeth slightly as the beast began to turn towards him.
The Gorgonopsid stared at him and roared, its huge, powerful jaws opening nearly four feet, more than enough to swallow him whole. Its thick teeth were the largest he had ever seen on a living creature, making a lion's fangs look like a kitten's tooth. It snapped its jaws shut with more than enough power to snap him in half, making a loud clap that echoed off the close walls. Its gleaming gold eyes were zeroed in on him, the black slits like those of a demon. It crouched low, taking a step forward, its massive paw splaying under its immense weight, the large claws twitching in anticipation. The molted tan of its hide would give it perfect desert camouflage, but it worked just fine against the wooden door of the classroom that it had been just moments ago trying to ram through. This beast was probably the most amazing and terrifying animal he had ever seen in his life, he could admire it for hours, but right now it was admiring him, as potential prey.
It roared again and took another step, narrowing its blazing eyes, preparing to pounce. Stephen realized his peril and ran back the way he came, leading it away from whoever was trapped in the classroom. He heard the Gorgonopsid snarl and give chase, bounding after him at astonishing speed for its size.
Stephen realized he wasn't going to be able to outrun the hungry beast, and tried to think up a plan. He ran past a trophy case, and an idea popped into his mind. He skidded to a stop and wheeled around, grabbing the shelf and pushing as hard as he could. The heavy wooden shelf fell across the narrow hall, creating a partial block, but it wouldn't be enough. He knocked over every single one of the shelves he could find in the section of hallway, trying to get as many obstacles between he and the pursuing Gorgonopsid as he possibly could.
Just as he pushed over the last of the shelves, the Gorgonopsid reached the first case. The creature skidded to a stop, looking at the fallen shelves, as if contemplating a plan. Stephen stood from what he believed was a safe distance away, behind the last obstacle, watching the pre-Mesozoic beast growl and snort in annoyance.
A look of horror crossed his face when it started to climb over the shelf, its eyes focused on him again. Not waiting to have the beast breathing down his neck, he turned and made a break for the staircase, praying the creature wouldn't try and follow him down the steep stairs. He heard the loud crashing and smashing as the Gorgonopsid tore his way through the wooden shelves, crushing them as easily as if they were made of cardboard. It roared and charged after him, beginning to close the gap between them.
Stephen jumped down the first flight of stairs, flying down the landing as fast as his legs would carry him. The loud pounding of the beast's feet behind him made him run even faster, bolting down the last grouping of stairs to the ground floor. He saw a shadow flash into his field of view and froze, and a second later a heavy filing cabinet crashed to the floor a mere foot in front of him, crushed like pop can.
The Gorgonopsid roared and began running down the stairs after him, and Stephen bolted around the smashed metal cabinet, trying to get away before it got too close. Hiding in one of the rooms that lined the hallway crossed his mind, and he considered it. 'No, it's too close, and it must have an amazing sense of smell with that massive nose, it'd sniff me out for sure…' he thought, shaking his head to dismiss the thought as he rounded a corner towards, what he hoped, was the main exit.
He skid to a halt, stopped dead in his tracks, for the doors weren't open. He prayed to God that they weren't locked as he ran at them, gripping the opening bar and pushing as hard as he could. To his horror, the door didn't budge- he was trapped, cornered, his back to the wall, with a hungry Gorgonopsid hot on his trail. As if sensing his fear, the trailing beast slowed, its thundering footfalls slowing and quieting, and Stephen hoped maybe he had confused it by making that sharp left.
The soft clicking of the Gorgonopsid's claws on the linoleum floor made him turn slowly, the creature seeming to look for him. Stephen heard the beast stop, listening to its loud breathing as it sniffed the air, closing in on him. He listened to its quiet, padded feet as it drew closer to the hall he was backed into, and stared in horror as its muzzle appeared from around the right corner. The beast's nostrils flared as it sniffed, its snout slowly turning into his hiding place, no doubt smelling him. In a last desperate attempt to escape, he spun around and rammed the door, but all he succeeded in doing was winding himself and alerting the Gorgonopsid to his presence. He put his hands on the opening bar and pushed as hard as he could, putting all his weight into it, but the door didn't move an inch.
Suddenly, a loud roar shook the very air, making him freeze. Stephen slowly turned around, and faced the massive beast that now had him cornered. The Gorgonopsid roared and stalked closer, pushing him back against the locked blue doors. The canine-like creature growled deeply, its long saber-like teeth bared in a feral snarl. It roared loudly, opening its jaws nearly as wide as he was tall. It was so close, Stephen could see the saliva dripping from its teeth; see right back into its hungry throat.
Starting to panic, he looked frantically for a weapon, anything to defend himself and keep those ravenous jaws from reaching him. He saw a pair of fire extinguishers on the wall, and he grabbed for one, yanking it from its fastenings. He pulled the safety pin and aimed it at the snarling creature, waiting for it to get closer. The Gorgonopsid roared and charged, jaws bared and claws aimed for him, and Stephen activated the extinguisher.
The blast of CO2 hit the creature right in its mouth, stopping it dead in its tracks. The Gorgonopsid roared in shock and jumped backwards, obviously distressed by the cold. It shook its head and snarled in annoyance, swatting at the white fog with its massive paw, as if to drive it away. Stephen took a step closer, keeping as much of the gas blowing on the creature as he could, trying to force it back. He dared to get closer, edging nearer, getting within four feet of its snapping jaws.
Suddenly, the extinguisher ran dry, the white fog dissipating, and Stephen's heart stopped. The beast stopped thrashing, staring at him with its glowing golden eyes, seeing he was now defenseless. Stephen stared wide-eyed at the hulking, powerful beast, frozen in total shock and fear, not knowing what to do. The Gorgonopsid narrowed its eyes, and a twisted smirk seemed to cross its muzzle as it took a step closer, thick claws clicking against the floor.
Before he could even blink the beast struck, ramming him through the locked doors and out onto the school grounds with an earth-shaking roar. Stephen was thrown hard to the ground, landing on his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. His vision blurred and everything seemed to slow down, disoriented from the force of the blow. It seemed as though time had stopped, the only thing that he was aware of being the cool grass tickling his face.
In his dazed state, he was unable to hear or react to the heavy footfalls of the Gorgonopsid as the massive beast slowly stalked over to him, seeing him collapsed on the grass. The creature leaned down, sniffing him, nosing him with its huge jaws, as if searching for any signs of life. Without thinking, Stephen moved his hand and groaned, unknowingly showing weakness. He knew he was close to unconsciousness, not even aware of the feeling of the Gorgonopsid's massive paw pushing on his shoulder, the large claws pressing into his skin.
Unaware of the beast hovering over him, Stephen tried to push himself up, moving his leg as he started to get back up. The Gorgonopsid growled deeply, removing its paw from his shoulder and looking down at his leg, sniffing it. Stephen didn't realize its jaws were a mere inch from his vulnerable leg, and he moved it again, still dazed from the impact. The Gorgonopsid snorted and gripped his leg with its massive paw, its large claws sinking into his leg as it pulled him closer, within range of its jaws. Stephen winced as he felt the beast's claws sink into the flesh of his leg, but he was so disoriented from the attack to notice the burning pain or the warm blood dripping down his leg from the wounds.
The Gorgonopsid released his leg, licking some of the crimson blood from its claws, before focusing on him again. It leaned down further, its jaws within inches of his head. Stephen opened his eyes slightly, feeling the hot breath of the creature ruffling his hair as it sniffed him, looking up at the beast, his vision blurry. The Gorgonopsid's powerful jaws opened and closed, a deep growl rumbling from its throat as it lifted its head away for a brief moment. Stephen groaned and closed his eyes, feeling himself losing consciousness.
Just seconds before he lost consciousness, he felt the beast's powerful jaws close around and lift him into the air, the Gorgonopsid dragging him away towards the forest…
AN- I'm such a meany, aren't I? XD I hope you liked it!! Wow… you know, in 15 fics, I've never swore before, another first for me!! XD I'm sorry if it was a little on the short side (well, in my standards it was short; my other fics' chapters usually reach 3 or 4000 words), but I'm very busy with school and my Zoids fics. My Zoids fics are much better quality and plot-wise, but I doubt any of you know what Zoids is. ^^; Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my very first (and most likely not the only) Primeval fic!! Please review and let me know what you thought- what you liked, disliked, loved, hated, or if you saw any errors or have any ideas or suggestions!! I am open to idea; half of my fics have had their storylines altered by a great reader suggestion, so feel free to voice your ideas to me!! Anyway, I will try to get the next chappie up soon!! Thanks for reading and please review!!
~Ibeyla ^^