Chapter 10

"I think we can put that one in the victory pile," Conner said with a smile on his face as Cutter drove them both back to the ARC. "No one was killed after all - "

"Yeah, now all we have to do is explain to Lester how we managed to total three government cars in the process," Cutter replied, with a reluctant smile as he pictured Lester's rant from the previous day -

'It may interest you to know Cutter that more money has been spent cleaning up after your messes that it cost to build the ARC in the first place! The next equipment you destroy is coming out of your wages!'

"Well then we'll tell him the next time a T-rex in running around, he can go and be the bate - " Conner began, but he stopped talking abruptly. "Can you hear that?" he added, looking at Cutter in puzzlement.

Cutter strained his ears; and then he heard it . . . it was like someone was screaming quietly in the back of the car. Looking confused, Conner lent over and rummaged around the junk in the back seat, finally pulling out the radio receiver they usually used to keep in touch at anomaly sites. He turned up the volume.

A high pitched scream filled the car, making them both start. The hairs on the back of Cutter's neck stood on end as they listened. The signal went slightly for a moment, but they faintly heard a woman shout 'get off me.'

"Who is this?" Conner asked through the radio.

As the signal returned they heard a lot of shuffling and heavy breathing, someone seemed to be gasping.

"This . . . Jenny Lewis . . . help me," the voice said.

Cutter nearly crashed the car in shock. Conner stared back at him, wide eyes, holding the radio out in front of him as though he was scared of it.

"Jenny?" Conner shouted to the receiver. "Where are you?"

She didn't reply, but suddenly, they heard a man yelling as though in pain; a lot of scrapping and banging and screaming. They also heard a voice - Jenny's voice, he was sure of it - screeching "Sarah, get out of here!"

Cutter stopped the car with a jolt and grabbed the radio off Conner.

"Jenny, what's going on?" he shouted as loud and clear as possible. "Where are you?"

Again, she didn't reply, and only shouts and screams could be heard as though from a great distance away. Without a word to Conner, Cutter started the car again, and made a quick (and rather dangerous) you turn.

"Where are we going?" demanded Conner, looking terrified.

"To Jenny's house," Cutter answered. "It's not far - "

"But they could be anywhere!" Conner insisted sensibly.

"It's worth a try!" Cutter yelled, feeling fear build up inside him - from the sound of those screams, Jenny was in serious danger, and by what they had heard, so was Sarah.


Jenny's senses were returning slowly; the first thing she could feel was pain coming from both her head and her ribs - it was so intense that she almost passed out again. Fighting to stay conscious, she heaved her upper body onto her arms and looked around. She was lying at the bottom of the stairs next to Brookes, who was not moving; his neck was at a very weird angle and a trickle of blood was running down his face from a wound on his head. Sarah was sprawled at the other side of the hall, and seemed to be unconscious. Jenny tried to get to her feet, but the blinding pain in her side wouldn't allow it; therefore, she had to practically crawl over Brookes to get to Sarah to try and rouse her.

"Sarah?" she croaked, shaking her roughly. When she didn't wake up, Jenny slapped her face. "Sarah, come on!"

Her eyes flickered open slowly, but when her eyes focused on Jenny, she sat up alarmingly fast, wincing.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

Jenny turned towards the stairs, and Sarah followed her gaze; they both stared at him for a few moments.

"Is he . . . is he dead?" Sarah gulped.

"I don't know," Jenny breathed back, torn between hoping he was, and not wanting to be responsible for someone death.

"Well, check his pulse!" Sarah urged.

Jenny looked back around at her in disbelief.

"Are you kidding?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at her to show that she was clearly not joking.

"I can barely move!" Jenny insisted truthfully.

"Oh fine, I'll do it!" Sarah sighed, looking as though it was the last thing she wanted to do in the world.

She lent over and pressing two fingers up against his neck. She paused for a few moments, before turning to Jenny and shaking her head.

"Nothing," she whispered, looking horrified and relieved at the same time.

Then, out of nowhere, Brookes's hand grabbed Sarah's wrist, causing both women to scream in shock. They scampered away from him; Jenny getting to her feet, ignoring the agonizing pain in her ribs. Brookes was coming around quickly. Wildly, Jenny looked around for something - anything - to stop him. Her eyes fell on her gigantic mirror hanging on the wall.

"Sarah, help me!" Jenny shouted, grabbing one end of the mirror.

Together, they pulled the mirror down and smashed it on top of Brookes, who was just about to get to his feet. In a split second, he was sprawled on his stomach, moving no more.

Breathing hard, Jenny sunk into a sitting position by sliding down the wall, unable to keep herself on her feet now the adrenaline rush had left her. Sarah leaned over her, looking worried, but Jenny waved away her concern.

"Just get the door open and go and get help," Jenny ordered, the pain in her ribs making it difficult for her to think clearly.

Before Sarah reached the door, however, there was a loud incessant banging on it, making both women start.

"Jenny? Sarah? Are you in there?" Cutter's voice traveled through the door.


Cutter and Conner both banged on Jenny's door; Cutter seemed so desperate to find out that what they had heard on the radio was not right.

"JENNY!" he bellowed, hammering against the wood.

"Nick, we can't get the door open!" Jenny's voice shouted back, sounding muffled. "He's took the key!"

Neither Connor nor Cutter bothered to ask who 'he' was, but Cutter began to ram the door with his shoulder to break it down; when Conner twigged onto what he was trying to do, he mirrored him, and with the combined weight, they managed to force it open. The sight that greeted them was so horrific that Conner gasped and clasped his hands to his mouth.

Jenny was sitting on the glass-covered floor leaning against the wall; her blouse was so torn that it barely covered her up, and her skirt was ripped right up her thigh. Her hair was a mess, and her face, arms and legs were covered in blood, whether her own or someone else's, it was impossible to tell. Sarah was standing over her, also looking bruised and bloodied, but seemed in a much better state than Jenny was. Cutter hurried in to Jenny, who winced in pain as he pulled her into a hug, although she clutched him close none-the-less. After the shock had dissipated, Conner approached Sarah.

"What happened?" he asked in an involuntary high voice as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He . . . he . . ." Sarah began, looking close to tears as she pointed at something. "He attacked us."

Conner followed her finger with his gaze and saw who she was referring to; lying at the bottom on the stairs, unconscious, was a soldier he recognized from the ARC.

"I don't understand," Conner said slowly, looking round at Cutter.

He and Jenny were still embracing, foreheads touching; the latter breathing hard and looking incapable of speech anyway. He heard Cutter whispering something to her gently, before getting up.

"Conner, phone an ambulance and the police," he said in a forced-calm voice. "Now."


Side Note - I decided that most of my stories involve Cutter coming to Jenny's rescue (the whole knight in shining armor thing), but in my opinion, Jenny and Sarah would be able to handle themselves in tight situations without the help of men. So that's why I've written that Cutter came in afterwards :p x