Ric

The raptors snarled at us. A few of them clung to the fence, and the others ran the length of the fence. Kayla clutched her little knap sack with one hand, the other stuffed in her pocket. Her face was passive, true Rangeman style.

Ian was mentally biting his nails. He knew something the rest of us didn't.

"We should get out of here, before they find a way around the fence." Ian said, and scaned the fence once more.

I nodded, and looked at Stephanie. Her face was ghostly white. She was standing a few yards away from the rest of us, watching the creatures with everything she had. That's what she did. She put her all into her work, and usually got it all out. And God be damned if she didn't this time.

I jabbed her with my finger, and she turned. Her top teeth had almost sunk completely into her lower lip. I held out my hand, and she grasped it thightly. I pulled her closer, and held her at my side as we trugged into a the jungle.

"You told me not to come." She kept repeating in a hushed tone.

"Shhhhh. Babe." I whipered in her ear, and she calmed down enough to keep walking.

Birds over head scattered when our feet crunched leaves under their trees, and everytime Steph flinched. There were hissing noises comming from every angle. Ian made a sharp turn around an up-rooted tree, and the hissing got louder.

I could tell Stephanie wasn't happy about that by the way she tweaked my hand at an unusual angle. The hissing paused, and another creature started. If you really listened, it was two different animals. Two different dinosaurs.

Ian suddnely stopped, and turned around slowly to look at me. "You have a gun, right?"

That was the one question I didn't want to hear. "Yes." I said and pulled my Glock from the waistband of my pants.

Ian started walking again, making a sharp turn to the right. There was a road, or something, about ten feet across. Just enough space for a land cruiser. The space above us was clear of trees, and it was odd. It looked like something had hit it, and took off all the braches in it's path. I shuddered softly. Whatever was large enough to take off the tops of the trees certainly wasn't on my "to meet" list.

Stephanie seemed to noitce too, and gave a little high pitched squeak. I absentmindedly took her hand in mine, and she blinked away a few tears. I looked at Kayla, who was doing the same. Ian had her hand.

"We should stick to the road. There should be a facility up ahead." Ian said.

"What kind of facility?" Stephanie asked in a shaky voice.

"A safe one. I hope." Ian replied quietly.

There was a Jeep trail, hardly visible from all the plant life that had grown around it, but there were tire tracks cemented into the mud. I could see Kayla's head bobbing up and down in the ferns, and that was about it. There was a trampled trail a little while further, the grass around it blood stained.

A high security fence soon met up with the road. Ian pushed against it, and it held. By this time, we were each trading off the supply backpack. It was shouldered on my right shoulder, the left strap swaying in the wind. The forest was alive, and there were chirping noises coming from every angle.

Something grabbed the free strap and ripped the backpack almost nearly off. I looked up, and in the branches of the tree at my shoulder height was a lizard. It looked harmless, at about two feet tall. I pulled the strap, but the animal had it firmly between its front teeth. I jerked again, and the strap tore. I was sent back onto my ass, and the creature began to hiss. I glanced at Ian, who was hearding Stephanie and Kayla behind him, creating a shield.

"Watch out for the venom." He kept saying.

"The what?" I hollared, and this upset the creature.

Its cheeks fanned out, creating a hexagon shape with skin. It hissed and made a rattling noise. I put some weight on my feet, preparing to bolt once I was upright.

"Its a Dilophosaurus. They shoot venom." Ian yelled, at the very instant the creature shot black venom at me. It hit me in the chin, splattering up my nose and into my mouth.

My lower face began to burn and go numb. Ian kicked a rock, hitting the creature in the upper calf. The hissing stopped, and it's cheeks fell back down. It scurried off into the forest, intimidated by a rock.

"Stay calm. Is it burning?" Ian asked expertly.

"Yes."

"Numb?"

"Gettin' ver'." I spat out.

"Maybe we should pitch camp here or something."

I layed flat on my back, the pain was searing through my whole body now. Stephanie was kneeling next to me, her face mortified at the thought of sitting right here. We were pretty out in the open. Army training told me that wasn't the best thing to do.

"That tree. It should hold." Ian said and got to his feet.

He hoisted Kayla, and she began to scramble up the rest of the way. He did the same for Stephanie, before helping my up. In the twenty minutes it took to get the girls settled in the tree, the pain had reduced to that of a minor hangover.

I was practically shoved up into the tree. Stephanie instantly clung to my shirt, like it was life or death. I let her, it wasn't bothering me and she felt safe. Two birds with one stone.

More comming after the break!