CHAPTER 111
Dr. Conners heard more gunshots all around him, but his mind was already out of the fight. He knew he was about to die. His fingers slipped off the window frame and drug through more glass. He had relinquished himself so much to the notions of his own demise that when the claws of his killer released it took him a moment to realize he may yet live to see another day, or at the very least the next five minutes.
When Bryce looked up he saw one of the locals standing a few feet away with a shotgun in his hand. The Cost Rican smiled, gave a thumbs up, and said, "pretty good!"
Dr. Conners leapt to his feet and looked behind him. The velociraptor was spasming on the ground while bleeding from a hole in the side of its head. Dr. Conners looked back at the local, gave a quick thumbs up, and said, "yeah, pretty good!"
Bryce stepped back through the window and drew his own pistol. He barely had time to look around the chaotic lobby before there was a crash from above.
An air vent in the ceiling came down and flattened the Costa Rican to the floor as there was a velociraptor pouncing down on top of it. Dr. Conners was about to aim his pistol when another velociraptor lunged through the window behind him and tackled him to the ground. Before Bryce even knew he had been attacked again a voice shouted, "¡protege tu cara!"
There was a shotgun blast, and an almost simultaneous explosion as a spray of buckshot ripped through a fire extinguisher on the wall. Dr. Conners felt the velociraptor tumble off his back as a pressurized cloud of billowing white fulminated around him. More guns went off as the two raptors were shot to death. When he got to his feet he saw Humberto helping the local up.
Out of the showers of water Ms. Murdock, Hector, and two of the lab technicians appeared. One of which was Dr. Christopher Ramsey. They were walking backwards and shooting in the direction of more raptors. Dr. Conners, Humberto, and the other local converged with them, and they all aimed their weapons outward while standing back to back.
Ms. Murdock shouted over the noise of the fire alarm, "This is one hell of an ambush."
"You're telling me," Dr. Conners hollered back. "Any bright ideas? They'd be more than welcome right now. Anyone?"
Over all the sounds raptor vocalizations could still be heard. With them people were screaming. Everyone in the circle was straining their ears to try and decipher any piece of what was going on. They were listening with such intent that they were all startled when the radios came on.
Carrie said over the walkie-talkies, "They're all over the building, inside and out! If you can hear me, get to the control room now!"
Dr. Conners and Ms. Murdock nodded at each other.
"It'll work for me," Bryce said.
The group began moving in unison toward the hallway that led to the control room. Everyone's gun barrels were sweeping the lobby diligently. They were starting to veer away from the front face of the building when Dr. Conners heard somebody shouting for help.
"Hold it!" he said.