CHAPTER 266

"Daniel?"

"Seth, what are you doing here?" Daniel kept his head down and refrained from making a suspiciously sudden turn. Instead he took his time and performed a collected side eye over his shoulder. "I told you to go make sure it's safe ahead."

Seth swallowed, "I know. Kyra is taking care of that, and you we're taking a long time, so I came back to see if you needed help."

Seth saw Daniel's mind working. During this moment he became painfully aware of how nervous and rambling he had sounded. Then Daniel demonstrated a rather conspicuous flip in his demeanor. It was no longer stern but light and gracious.

"Good man. Good thinking." Daniel turned to Dr. Conners who seemed none the wiser about his thwarted intentions to kill him. "Can you stand?"

"I don't think I have much of a choice if I want to remain alive."

Bryce started to push himself up with his feet, and Daniel assisted him. Seth came to his side and steadied him. Bryce took several labored breaths and then supported himself as best he could.

"Alright. Let's do this," he whispered.

He and Seth started moving, but Daniel remained where he was. They both stopped and looked at him, realizing at once that he was staring off across the hanger in the direction of the carnotaurs. It did not take Seth and Dr. Conners but a moment to notice what was wrong with the situation. The ambient commotion of the carnotaurs had disappeared, and in its place was an unsettling silence.

Seth and Bryce followed Daniel's gaze into the far shadows of the hanger where the dark figures of Two Face and Hellfire stood. Their attention was not on the roller cabinet anymore. Even from across the hanger their sniffing was audible as they drew in the scent of Dr. Conner's blood soaked back. Their snouts bobbed in the quintessential up and down motion that one makes when smelling the air. More and more their eyes honed in on Dr. Conners, and he was not the least bit ignorant of it.

"Now would be a good time for us to leave," Dr. Conners breathed.

As a group Daniel, Seth, and Bryce side stepped out of the locker room and hugged the border of the hanger. The two carnotaurs watched them intently. Both Hellfire and Two Face glanced at the roller cabinet, and then back at the group of three humans attempting to make a slow and not enticing migration out of the building. The carnotaurs began to growl and wag their tails.

"Easy easy easy." Dr. Conners put up a hand to halt the group.

As they stopped the carnotaurs settled. Hellfire and Two Face licked their chops and waited. They eyed the roller cabinet again, but neither made a move.

"Keep moving," Dr. Conners urged the group on. His voice he kept barely audible. "Slower slower."

The pair of carnotaurs were already showing signs of agitation again. Still, Dr. Conners kept the group moving. As they approached the office Two Face and Hellfire began taking slow steps toward them. Dr. Conners quickly realized that a crawling pace was not going to help them anymore. The carnotaurs were increasing in speed, and the look in their eye said they had made up their mind.

"Go faster." Dr. Conners said. "Go faster. Go faster!"

Seth and Daniel rushed toward the office, and Dr. Conners mustered the mental strength to ignore his pain and keep up with them. As they reached the hole in the wall that led to the office Bryce caught a glimpse of the carnotaurs breaking into a full run to pursue.

He waded through rubble and followed the others into the office where they found Kyra standing at the window.

"Come on!" Seth snatched her sleeve, but she stood like an anchor. Seth almost fell over as his arm yanked back while his feet were running ahead.

"Kyra, come on!" Seth had stopped. Something was wrong. Her eyes were staring out into the foggy night with fright. Seth couldn't fathom what was keeping her there while Hellfire and Two Face were barreling down on them.

Seth looked out toward the airstrip to find that Dr. Conners and Daniel were stopped in their tracks as well.

Now Seth knew that something was very wrong. His eyes focused beyond Dr. Conners and Daniel. Out in the fog there were several figures standing like ghostly shadows. The sight sent chills through Seth's body.

"Raptors."