CHAPTER 270

Daniel ascended the ladder at a furious pace. Above him there was a small metal platform that hung below the ceiling with just enough room to stand up. He reached the top of the ladder, but as he was about to pull himself onto the platform a pair of intense eyes came at him through the shadows. Daniel lost his grip trying to unsling his gun from his shoulder, and he began to fumble away from the ladder.

He might have actually fallen, but a hand grabbed his arm. The eyes belonged to Ms. Murdock. There was a moment where she let him hang in suspense while scowling at him. Daniel stared straight back. There was no fear in his eye, just a look that was almost daring her to release him.

From below, Seth and Kyra were shouting to hurry and move. Ms. Murdock pulled Daniel in past the hand railing, and he stood. They stared at each other, nose to nose, as Kyra and Seth reached the platform. It wasn't until there was a shudder through the metal they stood upon that they broke apart.

Everyone on the platform looked over the rail and saw the two carnotaurs circling the bottom of the ladder. Dianna was about to reach the platform, while Dr. Conners was merely just out of biting height.

"Dad!" Kyra shouted down.

Dianna made it to the platform with Ms. Murdock offering a hand as another shudder quaked through the metal. Kyra shouted again, "Dad, come on!"

Bryce was not climbing. He simply clung to the ladder. Hellfire and Two Face were right below him, snorting and licking their chops. From time to time they would turn and bite at each other or shove one another aside, then one of them would attack the ladder again.

Dianna steadied herself through another shudder and then hissed at Joan, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Keeping out of harms way, which is more than I can say for the rest of you. I happened to be making some necessary observations. Were you aware that the building is entirely surrounded by velociraptors?"

"Until about a minute ago, no, but we've all been a little busy getting our asses kicked around by a couple of carnotaurs. No thanks to you for any help."

"Well, I beg your pardon for handling the situation with any amount of common sense. The rest of you would have just as soon run straight into the mouths of the raptors."

Daniel cut in, "there's no need to be concerned about that one anymore. They're coming straight to us." He pointed.

Dr. Johnson and Ms. Murdock turned. There were four narrow catwalks that branched away from the platform. Two of them followed the walls. The other two snaked across the ceiling into the middle of the room before reaching to the opposite end of the hanger.

Sinister hunching shadows were slinking along the walkway, their shining eyes bobbing in the dark as they approached.

Dianna said, "you've gotta be shitting me."

She leaned over the rail as another shudder rocked the platform. Dr. Conners had only ascended a few more rungs, and he was hugging the ladder for dear life as Hellfire gnawed the metal below him.

Next to Dianna, Kyra was shouting, "come on, Dad! Hurry!"

Dr. Conners let out a groan as he pulled himself up another rung. Hand over hand he climbed higher, with every pull of his arms sending daggers of pain through his back.

Two Face body checked Hellfire away from the ladder and snapped her teeth up at Dr. Conners. Unable to reach him, she kicked at the ladder, hooking her hind talons into the rungs. A deep groan vibrated through the ladder and the metal platform above.

Shaking her head angrily, Hellfire came back at Two Face with a shove and pushed her away from the ladder. As Two Face stumbled aside her talons dragged down on the rungs. The weight of her foot pulling caused the anchors for the ladder to come partially out of the wall.

Dr. Conners was rattled hard, and his feet were dangling free. He cried out in pain as he secured himself back against the rungs.

Above him on the platform Dianna yelled, "Bryce, come on!"

He looked up and saw Dianna's face. Next to her was Kyra waving frantically for him to hurry. Against the pain Bryce climbed onward.

Behind Dr. Johnson there was a clunk followed by a rush of air. She turned her head. Joan had opened a hatch that led to the roof.

"What are you doing Joan?"

As Ms. Murdock pulled herself up through the hatch she said, "Were you actually considering staying here?" She nodded toward the approaching velociraptors and then disappeared up onto the roof.

Daniel, without a word, shrugged in approval and followed promptly after her.

Dianna turned toward the raptors. Indeed, they were closing in. She waved her gun in their direction, but they scarcely seemed to slow. It was very apparent they knew she alone could not fight them all off. Dianna was also painfully aware that they had learned to see human compassion as a weakness to exploit. In this case Dr. Conner's predicament was the leverage.

By now Bryce had noticed the approaching velociraptors as well. "Dianna, just leave! Take Seth and Kyra and go!"

Kyra screamed, "Dad, no!"

Dianna looked down the ladder. Bryce was higher, but he still had a little way to go. She turned to Seth. "You and Kyra go now. Follow Ms. Murdock."

"Mom, you can't be serious."

"Seth, just go." She stabbed her finger at the hatch. "The both of you. Now!"

Kyra said, "I'm not leaving him!"

Dianna shoved her toward the hatch. "We'll be right behind you. Please go."

Seth was already pulling himself up through the hatch. He turned around after he was up on the roof and reached back for Kyra. "Come on!"

She looked at Seth and then back at the top of the ladder.

"Kyra!" Seth yelled.

She turned to him with a whirlwind of fear and worry on her face, and she took his hand.