Hello once again, dear readers
This chapter was quite difficult to finish, both due to the size and the end of the semester keeping me from writing. Nevertheless, the semester is now over and I'll have more free time to write, so hopefully the next chapters will come out sooner.
Overall, I'm happy with this one. It's my longest chapter yet and it provides some important developments in the story.
As always, please leave a review, as I love reading them.
Chapter 7: Heart of Darkness
The sun was shinning brightly in the open sky. Its reflection on the ocean surrounding the boat made it almost impossible to keep her eyes open. Nevertheless, Samantha was eager to get the sight of the island. It wouldn't take long now, after a few hours of sailing. It was both hot and humid, the air tasted like salt.
Her heart was pounding with excitement. Her emotions were a mix of fear and wonder. She knew about the dinosaurs, just like everyone else knew after the accident some 20 years ago. There were pictures and even a few short videos from Ingen research files which quickly became very popular. Samantha grew up with those, which in part was why she ended up as a biologist. For many years, the idea of bringing extinct animals to life had been a dream of hers, a way to look into the past with much more detail than just bone-shaped rocks and footprints.
Of course, as Sam grew older, she began to understand the many ethical implications of such experiments. Not only that, but the perverse interest behind them. To bring these dinosaurs back to life into a world where they weren't meant to exist was bad enough (especially considering the possible ecological disaster this could create if some of them got loose), but the worst of all was the way they were treated. They were more like object than living beings, lacking even the most basic animal welfare rights due to the legal loophole they found themselves in. All those implications made her see that old dream on a different light, no more as a window to the past but as an example of pure hubris and arrogance.
"Excited to see the island?" The hard thuds of his boots announced his presence before his voice did.
Turning her gaze away from the open sea, she faced the tall black man next to her. "Aren't we all? Anyone would be excited to see living dinosaurs."
He nodded. "True, but probably from a safe place" Settling down next to her, his eyes turned to watch the horizon. "There's something I need to ask."
"I thought we were past that, Anderson."
"I know, I know," He lifted a palm. "It's just a small precaution."
"Alright, spit it out then."
"Are you familiar with shotguns?"
Sam frowned at his question. She turned to face him once more. "You don't trust them as well?"
He sighed. "They… were not my first choice, I'll admit it, but it's hard to find people with who are willing to go there and keep their mouths shut."
She agreed. This type of job wasn't for anyone. The danger came not only from the animals, but from the risk of getting caught violating the blockade or selling illegal material on the black market. You had to be either very skilled or very stupid to accept, and she guessed the two idiots helping with security weren't the first.
"But still, can you answer the question?"
"I'm familiar enough," she said with a shrug, "Not with those shotguns specifically, but my father had a small farm in the Midwest and took me out to hunt a few times."
"Good," There was a clear weight lifted from his shoulders, "I spoke to Rose, and she knows how to handle firearms too, so if anything goes wrong me or the boys can tell you the details about them."
"Hopefully it won't be necessary, we are only spending a day, two at most, on that place."
"Better safe than sorry."
-x-
Just as the light of the sun was leaving world, Samantha felt as if part of her was gone with it. Once again, she was alone, and the more time it passed the more crushing the feeling of loneliness was to her. Suddenly, she was once again forced to keep all her senses alert for any dangers coming from the surrounding jungle. Once again, she had to keep her shotgun close and think about escape plans and defensive areas. It was amazing how a single day without worry had removed the mindset she had acquired since her first day of survival. This state of mind now felt almost alien.
Nevertheless, she couldn't let her feelings get in the way of her objectives.
As Sam finished setting up her things in the small bedroom, she decided to go back to the lab and make one last sweep to make sure she didn't miss anything. After that, a small meal and a few hours of sleep.
The path leading to the lab was still muddy from yesterday's rain. As darkness quickly set in, fear began to spread through Sam's mind. It was, after all, the most natural of fears. It was what a prey felt every time they left the safety of their nests and homes. Meanwhile, the jungle surrounding her became less and less visible. The once clear trees and bushes became an amalgamation of shadows from where bird calls and other animalistic noises originated.
The long-shattered glass on the frontal side of the lab reflected the moonlight. It was a clear night sky with a full moon, something Samantha was thankful for. She left a small trail of mud on the concrete, as she marched inside the building. Her eyes scanned the familiar hall. Her previous search was concentrated mostly on the ground floor and the laboratory wing, leaving the second floor and the offices as her obvious new target.
As her feet touched the first step leading up, something moved above her.
Sam froze, her breath hitched in her throat and hands moved towards her shotgun. In her panic, she tried to see what was moving. Whatever it was, it was huge, a big mass swinging from side to side, taller than the building she was in.
Was it a predator? There were only a few dinosaurs this tall. Her eyes were frozen in place, trying to figure out what it was. Fear was quickly rising up her spine.
"Wait…" There was something wrong. The shape wasn't right, it had holes and things sticking out of it. It was…
"A tree?" Samantha realized. As her eyes adjusted, she began to make out the branches and leaves moving with the wind. "Fucking great, I got scared because of tree…"
She let out the breath she had been holding and continued to walk up the stairs. Like the ground floor, this one was covered in dust, dirt and growing vines. Decades of neglect and exposure to the elements had made much of it almost unrecognizable. The top of the stairs was a small catwalk that was part of a long corridor that cut through the main building. Sam could go both ways.
Whatever signs might have once indicated what she would find were long gone, so Sam decided to go right, the direction leading towards the labs. She figured there might be more similar facilities this way. Maybe another laboratory, or perhaps a small medical facility? Both would be a wonderful source of useful items.
A quick glance was all she bothered with each room before going inside. She hadn't seen any movement here throughout the day, and she doubted there could be any dangerous dinosaurs using these rooms for shelter.
The corridor itself was pitch black, but she didn't want to waste her precious batteries on her flashlight. Thankfully, each room had a single window that allowed some of the moonlight in. It wasn't much, but she only needed her flashlight to look inside a few lockers and drawers.
Her search didn't come up with much. There were some old clothes she could use, not on herself as they were too damaged from time, but as pieces of cloth for lighting up fires and, in a worst case, patching up wounds. Of course, using decades old cloth to patch an open wound would guarantee an infection, but that was the least of her concerns. An infection could kill her in a few days, but an open wound would do it in few hours or even minutes, depending on the gravity.
The next room she came across was different. Instead of the standard cheap wooden door, this one seemed to have a heavy metal door with an electronic lock. Luckly for Sam, it was open, slightly ajar.
It was dark inside, even darker than the corridor she was in, meaning this room had no windows. She carefully pushed the door open and turned on her flashlight.
Inside was a large metal table with several old monitors. Besides them were metal lockers, some open and others closed. The room itself was very utilitarian, having no carpet on the floor like the others. It was all just plain concrete.
Sam recognized the monitors as the typed used by old security cameras. This was some sort of security room.
She moved inside and looked at the open lockers, shining her flashlight at them.
The open lockers had, understandably, most of their contents missing. She did find, however, a single weapon. It looked like a normal bolt action rifle, but upon closer inspection she realized it was a tranquilizer gun. Looking down, she opened a metal lid and found a box of darts. It made sense to keep these around for whenever they had to bring in the dinosaurs to the lab. However, they were useless to her. Even if the tranquilizer fluid was still working after so many years, it often took several minutes to take effect, by which point she would be dead.
No, her best hope was to find another firearm or more ammunition for her current one.
The next locker was closed. She tried to pull it open, but it was clearly locked. No problem.
Searching her belt, she grabbed a small pry bar. It was one of the most useful tools she had. It had previously allowed her inside locked buildings, vehicles and all kinds of places. They were usually the best places for scavenging, as they weren't looted when the disaster happened.
The metal door shrieked a bit as she forced it open. With a grunt, she put more strength in the tool. The next time pushed, the old rusty lock broke away, allowing the doors to snap open, almost hitting Sam's face in the process.
The air around her was quickly overtaken by dust flying out of the locker. Sam instinctively stepped backwards coughing while waving a hand to disperse the particles. Once most of it had settled, she pointed her flashlight towards the contents inside.
Light revealed a single rusted shotgun similar to hers, a SPAS-12. It was damaged beyond use, which was sad, but not that much of a loss. While it would be excellent to have a backup, she trusted herself to keep her weapon intact. There was also a vest with deep pockets for ammo and accessories, but was once again redundant to Sam, who was using a similar one herself.
Shifting her focus downwards, Sam looked around for some ammunition. It was a long shot, but maybe there was something in a useful state. Opening a metal lid, she saw a small package inside. She grabbed and wiped some of the dust away.
Her eyes widened as she read the small inscription on its surface. It was shotgun ammo, the same type she needed.
Her hands quickly searched for a way to open it. After some fiddling, the top part opened, and she saw the contents. There was a total of six shells. Six standard 12-gauge shots. Not only that, but they looked surprisingly well preserved. The closed doors combined with the packaging must have kept most of the humidity out.
Bringing one of the shells for a closer inspection, she couldn't find any signs of substantial rust. Of course, that didn't mean they worked. She would only know for sure if she attempted to fire them, but it was nice to have a backup in case she used the other eight shells loaded on her shotgun.
The rest of the room didn't have anything of value. Most of its original contents had probably been picked by the staff when they left. There were a few batteries and a radio, but they were damaged beyond use. Still, extra ammunition was a very precious find and gave Sam a bit more reassurance of her situation.
The next room had a couch and what appeared to be an old coffee machine. A rec room most likely. Somewhere like this was of little interest to Sam.
Still, she decided to take a moment for herself. The old couch protested as she sat down. The old moldy material was barely comfortable, but it was enough.
"When did your life get so complicated, Samantha?" She muttered to herself while bringing her face to her hands. "From some happy field research to fighting off dinosaurs and… teaching English to a raptor."
Saying it out loud made it sound even more ridiculous. While it was great to have her mind thinking about something other than basic survival and the anxiety that came with it, it also brought about its own problems. If before she had to bear the weight of knowing how fragile her situation was, now she also had to deal with the possible repercussions of what she had discovered.
Before Chaser, her plans and worries only went as far as this island did. Once she was out, it didn't matter what happened. All possible outcomes, from just going back to her old life to being arrested were both preferable to her current situation. Now, however, she had to figure out what to do with what she knew. Would she be able to just ignore it and pretend it never happened? If she decided to talk about it, what would she say and who would she tell first? How could she reveal what she had witnessed without being labeled insane?
"Ah, fuck this island…" Her gaze shifted to the broken windows on her left. The night was beautiful. The shining light from the full moon was much more impressive than usual due to the lack of artificial light.
Samantha stood there for a few seconds appreciating the view. And that's when she saw it.
A blur of movement, just at the edge of the forest. It was unmistakable. Too big to be a bird or a small mammal. She squinted her eyes trying to figure out what it was.
As the thing moving approached an open area, she got her answer. The moonlight revealed a familiar form of a dinosaur, and for a moment her heart fluttered with happiness.
Then there was another similar shape standing besides it. Then another and another.
Her body froze. Eyes jumped between the similar forms standing beneath the moonlight. Samantha realized with a growing fear there was something different about them. Most of them had no feathers, and the ones who did were nothing like Chaser. Not only that, but they were coming out from the opposite direction Chaser had gone.
It dawned on her that this was most likely a different pack of raptors, and they were coming right towards the lab.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Sam scrambled back, leaving the area touched by the light before the raptors would spot her.
From the shadows, she tried to figure out a plan. The raptors were too close for her to leave by the main entrance, so that was out of question. If she waited too long, they might also pick up her scent in the air, and she had nothing to hide it. Finally, she didn't know how many were out there. She had spotted four, yes, but there could be others somewhere else, hidden from view.
Samantha left the window and moved to the door. She looked outside at the dark corridor for any signs of raptors, finding none. "Maybe I could leave through one of the windows?" She wondered. However, it was too risky. A single raptor was dangerous enough, as her experience with Chaser had shown. If she was caught in the open by an entire pack… there wouldn't be much left by the time they finished.
No. Her best chance was to stay put, hide somewhere, and hope they went away.
It's possible the raptors are not even hunting, maybe they are just passing by for some reason.
She quickly made her way through the corridor. There were no sounds of movement coming from the main hall, but she couldn't be sure. Last thing she wanted was to bump into them by surprise. Instead, Sam pressed herself at the wall just at the edge that opened to the stairs and main hall.
Focusing once again on her hearing, she recognized the familiar ticking sound the raptors made when they walked on hard surfaces. It was the sound of their killing claws and it was getting closer.
The realization made her hold her breath in fear and grip her weapon tight.
As seconds went by, the sounds were now almost below her. In addition, she began to hear the strange barks and vocalizations the raptors did. It was almost if they were… chatting amongst themselves.
It was a strange contrast to the usual cold silence or explosive rage the raptors tended to display when seen by humans.
Now that she thought about it, they were indeed talking with each other. Because of Chaser, Sam knew the raptors were indeed capable of complex communication and had their own language.
Maybe if she listened close enough, she might even be able to pick up a word or two Chaser had thought her. But most likely not, given her very limited vocabulary and the fact these raptors were making sounds much quicker than Chaser did.
This last detail brought about another realization about the male raptor. He really was doing his best to teach her. Having something to compare to, she could understand how slowly and deliberately he had spoken each word of her small vocabulary.
Nevertheless, that was all in the past. Right now, she had to focus on her own survival.
Meanwhile, A quick glance revealed two raptors right next to the stairs, with more probably behind. Samantha didn't like this one bit. They were too close. It was only a matter of time before their very powerful senses of smell picked up her scent. It would be better to back away while she still could.
Slowly, she gave a single step backwards, doing her best to keep as quiet as humanly possible. Luckily for her, the surrounding jungle provided ample sounds to hide her movement. One foot after the other, she backed away into the dark corridor once more. Her shotgun was pointing down, but ready to rise and fire if anything were to appear in front of her. With the raptors beginning to sound ever so further away, she decided to seek refuge inside the security room. The metal door was the only one that was both in good condition and could withstand the raptors, in case they tried to get in. It didn't have any windows, which was problematic as it made her essentially blind to the outside, but it was an acceptable price for extra safety.
As she entered the dark room, her hands delicately griped the metal door and closed it, leaving her in complete darkness.
Now it was a game of waiting. As long as she remained calm and didn't make a sound, the raptors should go away. Unless one of them decided to come here and smelled her out. That last thought made her chuckle "Now that would be really unlucky".
Sam remained there for several minutes, or maybe an hour. She couldn't tell. Her thoughts jumped between the raptors outside and Chaser. The more she thought about him, the more of a puzzle he became, and by extension his species.
How could the original Ingen scientists miss what she had witnessed? Every piece of information they had about raptors placed their intelligence somewhere near canines and dolphins. There was next to nothing suggesting something else. Maybe they just didn't have enough time to work with them?
"Well, none of it matters now," She muttered.
The woman stood up from her sitting position and walked to the metal door. The time she had stayed there and the lack of noise coming from outside had been enough to calm her nerves and assure her that the raptors were most likely gone.
Carefully, she opened the door and peeked outside. It seemed safe, but by now the darkness of the night made it impossible to see further than a few feet. Nevertheless, the lack of sounds and movement was enough to convince her, and so Samantha stepped outside and began to make her way to the stairs.
She regretted her decision just as she was about to reach it.
There was a menacing purr right behind her, and she didn't have to turn around to know what it was. It was a raptor, and it was about to attack.
Without thinking, she threw herself on the ground while turning around and raising her shotgun. The oppressive darkness of the corridor was suddenly eliminated by the blast coming out of her gun. In the split second this happened, the light revealed the terrifying visage of a large female raptor charging at full speed, head held low, and arms outstretched.
The sudden bang of the SPAS-12 going off inside the building sent Samantha's ears ringing. Her head was throbbing and for a moment she lost her focus.
A moment later, the massive body of the female raptor crashed in front of her. She was still moving, and Sam couldn't tell if her shot had hit it or not. For all she knew, the raptor was just as dazed as she was due to the weapon discharge. There was no time to lose.
Ignoring the pain in her ears and the constant throbbing assaulting her skull, the woman clumsily rose to her feet and turned to the staircase next to her, intending to put as much distance as possible between her and the predator behind her. That plan was quickly destroyed when she spotted two other raptors downstairs, looking straight at her. Before the raptors could even snarl at her, Samantha ran further on the catwalk. Meanwhile, the large female that had attacked her was getting back to its feet, looking pissed and ready to tear Sam's guts open.
"Shit!" As she reached the end of the catwalk, there was an angry snarl behind her. Without thinking, Sam dashed inside the first room she came by, practically throwing herself into it. A split of a second later, one of the raptors flew past her, landing a few feet further away.
In front of her was a broken window leading to the roof. Before she could debate going outside or not, the raptor began to force his way inside.
She turned around and aimed her shotgun right at his big head, but before she could pull the trigger, he seemed to realize what she was about to do and pulled his head back. Of course he knew, the raptors were intelligent and probably knew something about guns, just like Chaser did.
At first, Sam frowned at the display of knowledge, realizing now that fighting off raptors wouldn't be the same as a simple animal. That frown, however, quickly turned into a smirk as she realized the raptor had made a terrible mistake.
She pointed her shotgun at the wall besides the doorway, where the raptor was hiding, and pulled the trigger. The drywall used to separate these offices was offered no protection against firearms, especially a slug shell like the one she had loaded. Turns out the raptor didn't know enough about guns to understand penetration and cover, because as soon as the slug smashed through the old drywall, she heard a pained scream from the other side.
Not wasting any time, she ran towards the window and jumped on the roof. A quick glance behind her revealed the large female raptor once again on her tail. Sam considered running off the edge, but it was too risky. It was only a single floor, but it was still high enough to sprain an ankle or break her feet if she didn't land properly. There was no time to make a safe jump, and so she chose to run along the roof and into another small office.
The heavy steps and angry snarls were all Sam needed to know the raptor was gaining up on her. This new room offered no advantages, and she didn't waste time to look carefully. Instead, she sprinted towards the open door, back at the dark corridor that cut through the building like a spine and slammed the old wooden door that was somehow still standing shut behind her, hoping to buy a few more seconds.
In front of her, part of the building had collapsed, leaving a large hole on the floor. Looking down, she saw an old metal table of the cafeteria. It wasn't perfect, but she could use it to go back down. As quickly as she could, Sam got on her knees and went down through the hole. Just before she landed on the table, she heard a massive crash as the female raptor burst through the door she had closed.
The hole was probably too small for the raptor, but she wasn't about to stay to find out. As soon as her eyes spotted the nearest door, Sam climbed down from the table and rushed towards it. As the door closed behind her, she found herself in a small dark kitchen. Most of it was in disarray, covered in rust and scattered. Only minimum light came from the two small windows on the opposite wall. Both of them blocked by metal bars.
Samantha had just trapped herself. "Fuck me!" She looked around, eyes jumping from one side to the other in a vain hope for anything that might be useful. Frustration grew as there was nothing.
Meanwhile, there were raptor barks echoing from other places. With some hesitation, Sam opened the door back to the room with the hole she had used. There were no raptors inside, but she could hear them all around.
Fear and anxiety gripped her mind as she desperately searched for a quick way out. Finding none, her only choice was to find the nearest hallway and figure out what to do. Shaky breaths accompanied the dull thuds of her boots as she moved. Not quite running, but not walking either. Sam knew that running blindly in the dark was a terrible idea, but she was too anxious to keep a slow pace.
While it was impossible to pinpoint the exact place where the raptors were moving, it was easy to guess they were trying to make their way to her level. Therefore, as soon as she spotted a small janitor closet along the way, she went inside and closed the door.
Just as expected, a few seconds later she heard the distinct clicking of a raptor's claws as one of them rushed past her, heading towards the kitchen she had just left.
There was no point in waiting, as the raptors would eventually smell her out. Instead, as soon as the sound had faded, Samantha opened the door and continued moving.
The darkness surrounding her threatened to engulf her vision. Every shadow seemed like a threat; a monster ready to jump at her. The ruined building had become an oppressive prison, from which Sam desperately tried to escape. Each old room felt the same. With her mind dominated by fear, she couldn't muster the attention necessary to figure out what part of the building she had ran to. It was all just a random mix of destroyed furniture and decayed walls.
In her blind rush, Samantha came out at an open area. This new place was mostly empty, with the exception of a few old barrels and large crates. There were garage doors to her right and some rusted machinery to her left. Inside her mind, she concluded it was some sort engineering room, or maybe a just a depot for machinery and fuel, who knows.
Trying to open one of the garage doors was her first instinct. However, before Sam could take a single step towards it, she spotted a large shape coming from the shadows behind her, just before an angry snarl froze her in place.
At that moment, as her rational mind was overwhelmed by fear and adrenaline, her instincts took over.
In a split second, Sam adjusted her legs and brought her shotgun up. At this distance, aiming at the center of mass was just a matter of holding her weapon forward.
With a single pull of the trigger, the angry charge of the big female raptor became a corpse crashing on the floor. A massive wound exploded on the raptor's chest, throwing blood, guts and pieces of bone everywhere. As the body collapsed, it left a trail of blood on the concrete.
While momentarily blinded by the muzzle flash, Samantha quickly recovered and saw the raptor dead at her feet. With her ears still ringing, the woman turned around and analyzed the spacious room in a desperate search for an escape route. The two garage doors were an easy choice, but she could also see a broken window just besides them, from where most of the light from outside was coming from.
With a clear way out, her best plan was to get back to the tiny apartment and hunker down. If the raptors decided to give chase, she could take them down on the narrow entrance to the bedroom. If they didn't, she would wait until sunrise and figure out what to do.
Samantha would never get the chance to try. Before she could climb outside, a new shape appeared on her peripheral vision.
This new foe was silent. It didn't give the angry snarl the female raptor had, and so there little to no warning before it was upon her.
Sam turned around in panic. The new raptor rushed her at an alarming speed. There was barely any time to even settle her eyes on it before it was just a few meters from her. With a spike of fear running trough her body, the woman realized there was no time to aim her shotgun, even if the raptor was right in front of her.
Her eyes stared in terror as the raptors large mouth opened, revealing all those sharp teeth ready to bite down on her.
They clamped down on the first thing that entered its mouth.
With her breath hitched on her throat, Sam could only grunt as she held her shotgun in front of her. The raptor's snout was but a few centimeters from her face, close enough that she could feel its breath and putrid odor coming from its mouth. Its teeth left clear dents on the shotgun, but it wasn't enough to snap it in pieces.
After a small moment of tension, the raptor seemed to realize it hadn't actually bitten the human in front of it. A quick look with those sharp yellow eyes was all it needed to understand what had happened.
A single strong shake was all it took to rip the weapon from Sam's hands and throw it away.
Meanwhile Sam, who had been holding on to the weapon with all the adrenaline pumping through her blood, was also thrown off balance. She stumbled for several steps, trying to balance herself while simultaneously trying to see where her shotgun had end up.
In her panic, she didn't see a second raptor coming from the shadows. It quickly made its way to her and headbutted her in the chest, knocking the air out of her lungs and making her fall flat on her back.
Hands and feet scrambled to move. A scared gasp left her mouth as she desperately tried to put some distance between herself and the two monsters in front of her. Sam could only freeze in sheer terror as her back was pressed against the concrete wall. There was nowhere to run, nothing she could do.
The light coming from the broken window illuminated the two predators. Two male adult raptors, ready to kill her. One of them had blood dripping from a wound near his left shoulder, and Samantha recognized it as the one she had shot through the wall. Was it too much to ask for a killing shot?
They approached her slowly, almost as if enjoying the fear she displayed. Samantha had nothing left to defend herself with. There was a machete on her hip, but it would be useless against two raptors, and she knew it. Their eyes scanned her body with pure hunger.
Once again, she found herself in a hopeless situation. "How pathetic" She thought, "Less than a day and I'm once again about to die…" Her deep fear was mixed with a growing anger, directed at the unfairness of it all. What had she done to deserve this?
Of course, there was no answer to her question, just the sound of shattering glass, as something jumped through the window.
In an instant, the space between the human and the two dinosaurs was engulfed in chaos.
Glass shards flew everywhere as a massive shape jumped into the dark room. This sudden entrance made the two raptors turn around in surprise, while stepping away from the shards flying everywhere.
Meanwhile, Sam was equally surprised and confused.
It was another dinosaur, that much was clear. The dark shape was roughly similar to the two raptors, and in an instant, it was upon them. Before any of them could figure out what happen, the newcomer let out an angry screech and jumped upon the nearest of the two, tackling it with surprising strength and speed.
The room quickly filled with the sounds of two beasts fighting.
From her more distant point of view, she couldn't really see what was happening. They were fighting, that much was obvious, but she couldn't tell what it was. Not that it mattered, for it provided the perfect opportunity to escape.
Her eyes left the two dark shapes fighting briefly, scanning the room for her weapon. She couldn't see it, and she couldn't leave without finding it. That gun was the only defense she had against large predators.
Looking again at the dinosaurs, Sam observed the wounded raptor approaching the duel. Her hand briefly passed over her machete, considering the opportunity. She could probably stab him while he was distracted.
"No, too dangerous," She decided. It was best to get the fuck out of there.
As quietly as she could, the woman got up on her feet and tried to take a few steps away.
However, before she could even move, the two raptors fighting suddenly appeared on the small area illuminated by the moonlight. At that moment, what she saw made her freeze on the spot.
The two raptors fighting were on top of one another. The one bellow trying to push away with bites and kicks, while the other used its weight to keep his opponent pinned.
What really caught Sam's attention were the feathers covering the one on top. More specifically, the lines of white feathers going down his head and along his back.
Those white stripes. She knew them, they were very familiar. This wasn't just any dinosaur, it was…
It was Chaser.
Time froze as realization dawned on Sam. A hurricane of confused emotions assaulted her mind as she began to understand just what was going on.
Self-preservation and escape had been forgotten. She stood there, dumbfounded, unable to believe her eyes.
Like a spell, what had once been a theory, based on superficial evidence and a few ridiculous experiments had now become a fact.
When Samantha first considered the possibility of Chaser having saved her from the dilophosaurus venom and his apparent intelligence, it was just that, a possibility. Even after he had done all he did to make her feel safe. Even after he showed her he could reproduce words and understand their meaning quicker than any bird or creature she knew. Even after he had thought her his own language, his own way of complex communication. Even after all of that, she still wasn't sure if it was acceptable to see him as similarly intelligent to a human. More importantly, Sam was too afraid of see human emotions of compassion and empathy where there were none.
The greatest mistake of any scientist was to let their own ideas and beliefs influence their work. Someone like her was well aware how easy it was so attribute humanity to certain actions and behaviors that actually had none. It was, after all, only natural, as the human mind was trained to identify and sympathize with such things. Therefore, it was imperative to always keep in mind this natural bias when trying to understand animal behavior. As impossible as it was to disassociate from these elements, one should at least be aware of them.
All of those conflicts came crashing down at the sight of Chaser, because now Samantha could see with her own eyes something that a simple animal wouldn't do.
Not only had he come back to her, but he was also fighting to protect her from his own kind. Her, the woman he barely knew for less than a day. The one human he had tried to hunt and kill not that long ago. All because of some small peaceful interactions they had shared.
These actions showed a level of intelligence, empathy and emotional complexity that was far above a simple animal. It was the final piece of evidence Sam needed to convince herself.
Just like that, the crushing fear and despair from loneliness was gone. Sam wasn't alone anymore; she had a friend helping her. Yes, a friend, because how else would she call someone who was willing to risk his life to protect her?
Out on the corner of her vision, Samantha saw the wounded raptor move. Focusing on him, she saw he was no longer facing her. Instead, he was approaching the duo fighting with his head low and claws outstretched. He was getting ready to attack.
As soon as she realized what the raptor was doing, anger surged through her body like a wildfire. She was not going to let him attack her raptor. She was going to help Chaser just like he was doing to her.
Just as the wounded raptor charged against Chaser, Samantha drew her machete and went after him.
Meanwhile, sensing the incoming danger, Chaser had to back away from his position on top of the other raptor. He was able to do it just as the wounded raptor snapped his jaws where his neck had been.
The two raptors snarled at each other, showing their teeth and trying to look intimidating.
At the same time, Sam let out her own cry of anger. Both raptors were taken by surprise, and before the wounded one could even turn his head the machete was already swinging down.
She had aimed at his leg, hoping to both compromise his mobility and prevent him from using his killing claw. The swing, coming from someone with little to no experience in fighting, was far from perfect, but still found its target. The sharp weapon sliced the upper leg, leaving a long bloody cut above the knee.
It wasn't as deep as Sam had hoped, but it was enough to bring out a cry of pain from the already wounded raptor. He stumbled back, now being forced to face two enemies instead of one.
For a small moment, Sam and Chaser looked at each other. There was a silent agreement as they both narrowed their eyes and faced the wounded raptor. Both stood at the ready. She had her bloodied machete pointed forward, while Chaser stood tall with arms outstretched and feathers lifted in a beautiful but intimidating way.
The wounded raptor tried to intimidate them back, showing his teeth and snarling, but it was a losing fight, and he knew it.
He glanced behind him, looking at the other raptor Chaser had taken down. It laid still, covered in wounds from head to tail, with a big chunk of his neck missing and a growing pool of blood beneath. All of that combined with the lack of movement and frozen eyes was more than enough to confirm death.
It was quite obvious he was now in a disadvantageous position.
Realizing there was no point to keep fighting, the wounded raptor gave out an angry bark and dashed away from Sam and Chaser, sprinting away from the room.
Human and raptor both stood on guard, in case this was a ruse or there were more enemies to fight. As seconds turned into minutes, the sounds of the fleeting survivor faded away, leaving the duo alone with the sounds of the jungle coming from outside.
As it became clear she was now safe, Sam began to calm down. The adrenaline rushing through her veins slowly disappeared.
Her hands and legs were shaking. She was tired and her muscles were hurting. Despite her fit body, there was only so much effort under stress she could endure. Fighting for one's life was exhausting, and Sam could feel it all over her body. Drops of sweat dripped down her face and neck, which was irritating.
However, none of that matter. She could complain about physical exertion later. At the moment, her mind only cared about one thing.
After placing the machete back on her belt, Sam turned to Chaser.
He was standing a few feet next to her.
"You… you came back!" She blurted out. Her heart was beating fast, and it wasn't because of the adrenaline. "Ares!"
They both took a single step closer.
Sam noted how Chaser was acting a bit less active than his usual self. It was as if he was wandering what to do. To be honest with herself, she was also a bit at a loss.
Despite the possible dangers, Sam had wished he would've stayed with her. Now that he was back, she didn't know what to do. She glanced away for a bit, feeling a bit awkward.
"So, guess I… you…" Dammit. It was almost like those first hours after she woke up.
Samantha thought about saying something in his language, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember a word. Her mind was going too fast, she couldn't focus.
Luckily for her, Chaser took the lead.
"Sssaamm" Came the word from his mouth. Hearing him speaking her name again made her shiver. It was surreal.
With a bit more courage, Sam approached the raptor. She didn't know if it was okay to look him in the eyes, but she did it anyway. "You saved me again… thanks."
It was simple and he obviously he couldn't understand it, but it mattered to her.
However, part of her was still unsatisfied. He had done so much for her, saved her life twice in less than 24 hours and opened a whole new world of possibilities through his cooperation and willingness to learn.
No, she wanted him to understand how grateful she was for him. However, there was only one way she could think to convey that feeling.
As stupid and risky as it was, she slowly wrapped her arms around his long neck and hugged him.
At first, Chaser was frozen and confused at the gesture, but he quickly realized it was a form of affection. "Soft skins are really weird."