A movement caught Sienna's eye and she swung her head towards it. A second australovenator stepped into view, its long, sharp claws looking like scyths. Sienna and Ethan stepped back, moving instinctively so they were positioned back to back.
A third theropod stepped forward completing the circle. Sienna braced her legs, preparing to lash out as soon as one got close enough to spray.
The first darted forward.
Rubber squealed over the roaring of an engine. Ruth's car spun, knocking the attacking australovenator into the one on the right. The third now launched itself at this new threat, landing on the roof, tearing at it with its claws. Josh, now visible in the driver's seat, trod on the accelerator. The dinosaurs's claws screeched as they dragged through the roof, its body thrown back off the vehicle before thudding down to the ground. It moved to get up, but collapsed as its leg rocked, then dropped under its weight.
The first theropod lay in a heap out of the way, but the second chased after the car. The car wasn't looking so good at this point with dents down one side and shredded metal peeling up from the roof, but it could still drive. Josh took off - not too fast. Just fast enough that the dinosaur couldn't catch him as it chased him down the street.
"Gash it." They knew that voice. Ethan and Sienna turned to face the hunter. "Dinosaurs make wonderful attack dogs. That is until something else threatens them." He swaggered towards them. "Then they run off to destroy it." Another of the creatures - a predon - followed half a step behind. It almost walked like a man, but had a slight toddle to its gait like a chimpanzee walking on two legs. "Don't believe for a moment that you will be quite so lucky again."
Sienna and Ethan shared a glance. Ethan wished he could signal to her. Let her know what he could hear, but he couldn't afford to alert the hunter.
"This is better, you know. More humane. You two can come peaceably with me now and all the dinosaurs will leave with us. How does that can all be over."
Ethan didn't respond. He was too busy watching for an indication that the hunter could hear what he did. He was sure it would distract the man for just enough time to do something.
The hunter's eyes shot to the air, hunting for the helicopter that he finally heard. Ethan grabbed Sienna's hand and dove for some nearby bushes.
"Stop!" the hunter yelled.
CRACK! The sound of a gunshot exploded in the air. They froze.
"If you force me to target you, you won't live to return to the centre."
A glance at Sienna's determined expression was enough for Ethan. He dove to the side, hoping the sudden movement was too quick for the laser beam to catch.
The noise of the chopper was too loud now to hear if the predon was after him. He turned to look just as it leapt through the air at him.
Some force made it wrench violently forwards before it dropped into a heap.
Ethan looked up to see Audrey sitting in a helicopter still hovering above the ground. She held a high powered rifle and was pointing it towards the hunter.
A woman with a camera on a stick jumped from the helicopter to the ground. She turned, allowing the camera to capture the hunter, the wounded australovenarors and finally, the predon. Ethan sunk back into the bushes, away from the camera.
"...what appears to be some sort of twisted human-dinosaur hybrid. I'm not exactly sure what dINo-gen has been working on, but I can assure you, dear viewers, it's my new mission to find out."
The reporter headed back towards the hunter. She put her camera down for a moment before securing his hands with zip-ties. Her over-the-shoulder glances showed she was being careful that Audrey's rifle always had him in full view.
Once tied, she retrieved her camera and spoke to the hunter. Judging by his scowls and head shaking he didn't seem to like her questions.
The helicopter landed and Audrey climbed out. Keeping an eye and the rifle on the hunter, she approached the wounded dinosaurs. Her craned neck and the swivelling of her head in all directions made it clear that she was looking for something else though. The reporter came up behind her and after a brief conversation that included Audrey giving a slashing signal, turned her camera off.
Ethan took his chance while the camera was off to dash out from the trees.
"Ethan!" Audrey cried, and wrapped him in a warm hug. "You're okay? Where's Sienna?"
"I'm here," Sienna stepped out from her hiding place too and allowed Audrey to absorb her into the hug as well.
"I take it these are the children you rescued?" the reporter asked, raising her camera again.
"No video," Audrey warned. "You know the deal." She released the kids and stepped closer to the other woman. "We'll give you everything you need on dINo-gen to take them down without mentioning the children. After testing their weaponised dinosaurs on a school, you'll have more than enough."
The reporter's eyes lingered over Sienna's legs and Ethan's eyes. The look in her eyes almost matched the australovenator, but she lowered her camera.
"Speaking of the school," the reporter pulled her attention from the kids. "We should head over there and get some footage."
"Let me just secure this guy." Audrey said, nodding towards the hunter. "Then we can take the chopper."
She snapped cuffs around his wrists to replace the ties and took the laser designator from him. Then she manhandled him into the helicopter. This part, she allowed the reporter, who they now knew as Mandy, to film.
"You know," Mandy said once they were all inside with headphones on. "You should let me record your story. That way, you'll have it as insurance. If anything happens to you, I can release it."
"We'd need a very clear contract first,"Audrey told her firmly. "Assuming the kids agree." Weary from their day's excitement, neither kid had paid her any attention.
"Great gashing wound!"
The helicopter trip was less than five minutes long, just enough time that Mandy's exclamation jerked the kids awake.
"The school is a wreck! How'd they take down those trees? They're enormous! Can you find a place to land?" This last was directed towards the pilot who pointed at the school's playing field which was relatively clear of debris.
It wasn't until they were back under the trees and away from the noise of the engine, that they realised this was far from over. There were still dinosaurs doing what they loved most - hunting. They came across a group of compies that were jumping at the trunk of a tree. Audrey quickly used her compy repellant to scatter them, having fresh supplies with her. "You might want to stay where you are for a while yet, though," Audrey called up to the kids who were yelling their thanks down. "There's still a lot to take care of down here."
In the next hour, Audrey showed repeatedly exactly why you wanted a trained guide around. She created safe zones and herded people in and dinosaurs out without harming a single creature. Ethan and Sienna did their part. Having survived in the wilds for days then a full scale dinosaur assault, they were actually very useful. And now that no-one seemed to be controlling the dinosaurs anymore, they were free to roam about. Mostly, they hunted for trapped students. Usually they were easy to spot because there would be a carnivore pacing close by.
A thud behind the third grade courts had the pair running in that direction. Sienna arriving first, pulled up short, Ethan moments behind.
"Tear it up!" Ethan exclaimed, staring adoringly up at the tyrannosaurus rex.
"It's still dangerous, remember," Sienna told him, feeling equally impressed.
"Yeah, but after predons and australovenators, this one's gotta be easy."
There was something to what Ethan was saying. Though they were in full sight of the creature, it hadn't noticed them yet. It was distracted by other prey.
"Tell that to the kids on that bus." They could see half a dozen faces staring out of the window at the beast. With a roar, the tyrannosaurus rex lowered its head to continue its work, trying to open its canned dinner. Its mouth didn't quite reach the distance across the back of the bus, but they heard the pop and crash of the glass breaking in the windows. With a grip on the bus, the t-rex swung its head. The bus dragged along behind.
"You're right. We need to do something. What have we got?"
"Spinosaurus u-" Sienna froze.