Post by The Muse on Aug 31, 2009 23:07:55 GMT -5
Title: Where Nobody Knows
Challenge: #4 Crossovers
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jurassic Park.
Characters: Vi, Adelita, Jill, Libby and Claire, Rona.
Summary: Vi and four Slayers from the New York squad investigate possible demonic activity on an uncharted island off the coast of Costa Rica. Set after Time of Your Life.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language and violence.
Disclaimer: Vi, Rona, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jurassic Park are not my creations.
Word Count: 2,999
Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to my editor!
Wind and rain swirled into the hangar as the hatch of the C-130 Hercules Military carrier plane started to open.
Vi shielded her eyes with her arm and pulled her goggles down. She turned to Adelita and motioned for her to ready the rest of the team.
“One more minute!” Vi heard in her helmet radio. She responded with a wave as she stepped closer to the lowering ramp.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as four other Slayers surrounded Vi. She turned and received confirmatory nods from each of them. Vi launched herself out of the plane into the howling storm.
“Why isn’t the South American squad handling this? Or Florida?” Vi asked.
“Sorry, girl. Both are tied up in Northern Africa. An issue with some Abraccian demon lords,” Rona replied, handing Vi the new mission profile.
“I guess that leaves my squad then,” Vi said, taking the file folder and flipping through, “Costa Rica? What’s there?”
“Actually, an island off the coast, to be exact. We’ve received some intel that a group of Ninturian demons are gathering numbers there. Forming an army or something. They’re a hive species, so you and the girls are going in to kill the queen.”
“Let me guess, kill the queen and the hive is finished?” Vi asked.
“You got it. Time is short, so gather your four best girls. You head out in twelve hours…”
The rain whipped at Vi’s face as she and the other four Slayers fell through the air. Occasionally, lightning would crackle in the distance, illuminating the lush green trees of the tropical island below.
Vi waited until the appropriate time and pulled a cord on her vest. A large parachute sprung from her backpack and spread out behind her. She was jerked backwards as the rushing wind caught her parachute and took control.
The storm whipped Vi around violently as she fought to maintain control of her descent onto the island. Vi looked around, locating each of her Slayers as they each struggled in the air. They needed to stay close so they weren’t separated when they landed. Heart racing, Vi veered closer to Libby, fighting against the rain.
A surge of wind whipped her parachute straight down, causing her to drop into a nearby tree. Vi stopped hard as her parachute caught on a branch in the thick canopy of trees.
Catching her breath, Vi activated a glow stick, gauged her distance to the ground, and unhooked her parachute. She fell softly, landing in a low crouch. After making sure she was clear of any threats, she stood, removed her helmet, and made her way into the jungle.
It didn’t take long for the team to find each other. “Okay. Welcome to Isla Nublar. What’s our status?” Vi asked as each Slayer began checking their equipment.
“Weapons and gear are good here,” Adelita said.
“Same,” Claire reported, wiping wet strands of long blonde hair out of her face.
“Ditto,” Jill replied, her green eyes matching the illumination from the glow sticks.
“Oh crap,” Libby stammered, looking up with eyes wide. “Radio equipment is gone.”
Vi turned to her, her short-cropped red hair whipping in front of her face. “What do you mean gone?!”
“The storm…it must have…shit,” Libby said, checking her gear again, hoping the equipment would magically appear.
“Justo lo que necesitábamos!” Adelita yelled.
“English, Ady. English,” Vi replied. She rested a hand on Libby’s shoulder, “It’s okay. The drop ship will be back to pick us up in two days regardless of radio contact, so as long as we stay safe, we’ll be okay.”
Suddenly Claire jumped and turned, looking out into the darkness. “What was that?” She asked, holding her light up.
“What?” Jill asked her, “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Quiet,” Vi said, turning to the jungle and listening for a moment. Soon, she heard a soft rustle in the woods. Pulling a crossbow off her back, she ordered, “Girls, get ready.”
There was another rustle, followed by a low snort. Vi turned to her Slayers and pointed in the direction of the noise. They stood there, with weapons ready, for what felt like hours.
There was a loud shriek behind the Slayers and something moved towards them with blinding speed. Surprised by the movement, the Slayers barely had time to turn before Jill was yanked to the ground and dragged into the jungle.
“Jill!” Vi yelled, her eyes wide. Light was so low, she couldn’t see what was dragging Jill into the jungle, but it was strong and quick. Jill screamed in pain as Adelita jumped towards her, sword raised.
Vi brought her crossbow up and aimed into the darkness. Taking a chance, she fired. There was a loud hiss and Jill suddenly stopped screaming. Whatever had grabbed her was running away, crashing through the foliage. Vi reloaded quickly and ran towards the others. By the time she arrived, Claire was helping Jill sit against a tree. Adelita and Libby crouched low to the ground, scanning the perimeter in case the creature returned looking for more action.
“Are you okay?” Claire asked, pressing a compress to Jill’s shoulder. It was already soaked through with blood.
“Something just nearly ripped off my arm and dragged me through the jungle. I’m dandelions over here,” Jill said through gritted teeth. Vi crouched beside her and looked at the wound. There were four deep claw marks in Jill’s shoulder, made even worse by the force of the dragging.
“This looks bad,” Libby said, joining them, “and that was not a Ninturian demon.”
“I know…” Vi said softly.
“Ninturians are small, yellow and look like worms. Not reptiles,” Adelita stated, her back still turned as she scanned the darkness.
“You saw it?!” Vi asked, standing and moving towards the brunette.
“Sí. Well not completely, but it looked like a giant reptile. Almost like a…dinosaur.” Adelita replied, turning towards them, but keeping her weapon raised.
“A what!? No way!” Claire exclaimed, trying to wrap a thick bandage around Jill’s shoulder.
“Whatever it was, it nearly took one of us down. We aren’t prepared for this,” Vi said, standing and helping Claire lift Jill to her feet.
“Then what do we do?” Adelita demanded angrily. “Radio is out and we’re stuck here for two days.”
Before Vi could respond, the rustling returned, along with a menacing hiss.
“We run. Inland. NOW!” Vi yelled, grabbing Jill by the elbow and taking off into the jungle.
The five Slayers ran through the jungle, Vi and Claire helping Jill move as quickly as possible. Whatever was chasing them was coming fast.
“Look for shelter!” Vi screamed into the darkness.
Her glow stick barely illuminating a path in front of her, Vi continued moving forward with Jill when something slammed into her. She fell to the ground, mud splashing her face as the air was knocked out of her. She lay there for a moment, dazed. Beside her she heard someone struggling in the darkness.
“Jill…” she gasped, reaching for her friend, but she couldn’t find her. Then, she felt two strong hands grab her under her shoulders and lift. She saw Adelita’s brown eyes staring into hers as Vi wiped mud from her own.
“Claire and Libby found some shelter,” Adelita said, pushing Vi forward towards their direction.
“Jill?” Vi asked, already knowing the answer.
“Gone,” Adelita muttered. She and Vi emerged into a clearing. Jungle turned into gravel as Vi took in the large building up ahead. It was white, but old and covered in vegetation. The roof was covered in brown straw and there was an overturned 4x4 in front of the entrance.
Claire and Libby were at the entrance, waving Vi and Adelita forward. Vi noticed the sign: “Jurassic Park Visitor’s Center”
“What the…” Vi said as they reached Libby and Claire. Libby was crying, crouched with her head in her hands.
“You were right, Ady,” Claire said, looking at the sign. ”Dinosaurs.”
Exasperated, Vi wiped sweat and rain from her forehead. “Not demons. Let’s get inside.” Crossbow raised, she pushed open the doors to the Visitor’s Center, the remaining Slayers entering the dark building behind her.
“We’ve got power here,” Claire said, running to a small terminal in the corner.
“See if you can find a map of the facility on there. We need to find a comm room. Libby, secure the lobby. Ady, let’s see if we can find out what the hell this place is,” Vi ordered before moving over to a reception desk with Adelita.
“Check that out,” Adelita said, pointing to a stack of brochures on the desk as she squeezed water out of her long dark hair.
“Jurassic Park…” Vi read on the front before flipping open the brochure, “Welcome to the Lost World. A world 65 million years in the making, Jurassic Park welcomes you to the first ever theme and entertainment park with dinosaurs….”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Libby said from across the lobby as Vi read. ”How did we never hear about this place?”
“Whatever this place was supposed to be, it obviously didn’t work out as planned,” Claire replied, walking over to Vi with a stack of papers in her hand. “Found a map!” Spreading the large map on the desk, she said, “Look here. This place had cages for these dinosaurs, it really was like a zoo. And here is a list of all the species here.”
“This is what was after us,” Adelita stated, pointing at the picture of the dinosaur that had chased them. “Velociraptor. Raptor.”
“What about a comm room?” Vi asked Claire.
Claire shook her head. “Only power on the island was routed to that computer, and something is blocking our access to the system.”
“What?” Vi asked, walking towards the monitor with Claire, Adelita and Libby not far behind.
“Some sort of firewall. I can’t find access to a comm room.”
“Oh, dios mío!” Adelita exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the keyboard. Plastic keys shot out in every direction.
As if in response, there was a vicious snarl down a nearby hallway.
“They’re in here!” Libby yelled, raising her crossbow. Claire gathered up her papers as Adelita held up her sword and a larger combat knife she had tucked in her belt.
“We’re too exposed! Up the stairs!” Vi commanded, turning towards the large stairs in the middle of the lobby. Before Libby could move, something big landed on her back and began slashing into her side with a large raised claw on its foot.
Reacting quickly, Vi whipped around and landed a sharp roundhouse kick to the raptor’s head, causing it to stumble backwards off of Libby.
Adelita jumped on top of the creature, bringing both of her weapons down into its chest. The dinosaur screamed, its snake-like eyes wide as it started to spasm on the floor.
Claire pulled Libby away, slipping in all of the blood. Whether it was Libby’s or the raptors, Vi didn’t know.
Vi started forward to help, but two more of the velociraptors jumped down from the upper balcony, snarling at the Slayers.
Vi launched into the air and somersaulted over one raptor. She landed a hard kick to its back, brought up her crossbow and fired an arrow into its side. It hissed and lurched sideways, confused by the sudden pain.
The other raptor launched itself at Claire and Libby, forcing Claire to roll away from her downed friend as the raptor landed beside Libby.
“No…” Vi began, as she and Adelita lurched towards the raptor, but it was too late. The raptor had already bitten into Libby’s neck, even as Claire whipped her leg around and swept the raptor’s legs out from under it. Libby’s lifeless form fell from the raptor’s mouth.
“Stairs!” Vi yelled and ran up the long flight of stairs, Adelita and Claire close behind. As they emerged at the top, three more raptors joined the one at the bottom of the stairs and charged up the steps after them.
“They’re too fast!” Claire exclaimed, as they rounded a corner.
Vi knew they couldn’t out run the raptors. She started trying doors. Most were locked, but she lucked out when a heavy metal door opened.
“In here!” She yelled, holding the door open. Adelita and Claire ran into what seemed like a reinforced maintenance closet. Vi slammed the door shut and locked it. Claire fell to the ground immediately, pulling a few strands of blood soaked hair from her face.
“Is any of this yours? Are you hurt?” Adelita asked, crouching down by Claire and checking for wounds.
“No,” Claire whispered.
Adelita snapped a few glow sticks to life. The only light in the small closet came from a small window near the ceiling. It had stopped raining, Vi noticed, and there was a full moon peeking it’s way around the storm clouds.
“They can’t get through this door, so we can stay here tonight. Try and find a way off this island.” Vi said, gesturing towards Claire’s map, “We can’t wait two days for HQ to pick us up.”
Morning…
“You know we have to run through the big guy’s territory to get there, right?” Adelita asked Vi, who was staring out the small window outside.
“Yes,” Vi said simply. She stared at a large herd of brachiosaurus that were grazing in a large lake about a half-mile away. She jumped off the shelf she was perched on and looked at Adelita and Claire, saying, “HQ knows something is wrong because we haven’t radioed in a status report. They’ll be looking for us, but it’s too dangerous for us to sit around and wait on this island. If there’s a boat at the docks, we have to take our chances and get to it.”
“Can we do this?” Claire asked shakily, still covered in Libby’s blood.
“I hope so…” Vi said without thinking, her eyes dropping to the floor. She shook her head. That was the old Vi talking. Back when she was just a scared girl. Back before she chose to be strong.
“Yes, we can do this. We’re Slayers.” She nodded at Adelita. The dark haired Slayer jumped up and kicked the window, breaking it. Vi helped Claire up, resting a hand on her bloodied cheek. Claire gave her a reassuring smile before jumping out of the window after Adelita.
Vi followed, launching herself off the floor and through the window. She landed gracefully two stories below. Claire and Adelita already had their crossbows aimed in opposite directions, ready for any attack.
“Run,” Vi ordered.
They took off into the forest, running towards the boat dock on the nearby coast. After a while, the sunlight seemed to explode as they burst out of the jungle into a clearing.
“Stop!” Vi said, but the others didn’t even need a warning. Some creatures were running through the clearing.
“What are they?” Adelita asked, her weapon moving to each one as they passed.
“They won’t hurt us!” Claire said, flipping through the pamphlet. “They’re called gallimimus. They eat plants.”
“We have to keep moving, we’re too exposed out—“ Vi started to say, but a giant roar interrupted her.
At the far end of the clearing, a gigantic creature all three Slayers recognized immediately crashed out of the jungle.
“It’s the Rex! Estamos muertos…” Adelita trailed off as the Tyrannosaurus Rex began running towards them.
“Run! Don’t stop!” Vi yelled. The gallimimus had already run back into the jungle, leaving the Slayers as clear targets.
The Rex roared again, its thunderous footsteps shaking the ground as it ran after the Slayers. Vi knew they were nearing the docks, but they wouldn’t make it unless the Rex was slowed. She heard a stifled cry and a loud WHUMP behind her. She turned, heart racing, and saw Claire lying on the ground. She had tripped and fallen.
“Claire!” Adelita screamed, turning as well.
The Rex was right behind them. It slowed down and bellowed again.
“Ady! Hands!” Vi yelled. Adelita understood what she meant and knelt down to the grown, her two hands cupped together as she faced Vi.
The T-Rex crouched, ready to attack Claire as Vi ran at Adelita. She jumped into Adelita’s hands, leaping into the air with the Slayer’s help. She brought her legs around, ready to plant both of them into the T-Rex’s face, but it was too quick. With barely a jerk of its head, Vi was sent flying backwards into a tree.
Vi fought back the darkness as she crashed to the ground. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand as she saw Adelita jump onto the T-Rex’s back. Vi fell to her knees has her head began swimming, watching as Adelita was thrown aside.
“No…” Vi gasped, watching as Claire reached up towards the Rex. The behemoth paused, studying her, and then lunged forward. Claire began screaming as the Rex picked the Slayer up in its jaws.
“No!” Vi heard Adelita scream. Still dizzy, Vi forced herself to her feet and ran towards Adelita.
“We can’t help her,” Vi sobbed, tears streaming down her face. They ran at full speed into the jungle, hoping the Rex didn't follow in pursuit.
Soon, the boat dock was visible as Vi and Adelita ran down a service road.
“There!” Adelita yelled, running down the old dock. There was a small metal boat at the end, waves gently pushing it underneath the dock. Adelita began untying the ropes anchoring it to the dock. Vi jumped in and picked up two oars that were lying in the bottom. Adelita followed, just as a low rumble emanated from the jungle.
“It’s coming…” Vi breathed. She and Adelita began maneuvering the boat out into the sea.
“What do we do if it comes in the water?” Adelita asked, watching the T-Rex stare at them from the jungle. It let out another roar as they continued rowing out to sea.
“We survive.”
Challenge: #4 Crossovers
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jurassic Park.
Characters: Vi, Adelita, Jill, Libby and Claire, Rona.
Summary: Vi and four Slayers from the New York squad investigate possible demonic activity on an uncharted island off the coast of Costa Rica. Set after Time of Your Life.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language and violence.
Disclaimer: Vi, Rona, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jurassic Park are not my creations.
Word Count: 2,999
Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to my editor!
Wind and rain swirled into the hangar as the hatch of the C-130 Hercules Military carrier plane started to open.
Vi shielded her eyes with her arm and pulled her goggles down. She turned to Adelita and motioned for her to ready the rest of the team.
“One more minute!” Vi heard in her helmet radio. She responded with a wave as she stepped closer to the lowering ramp.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as four other Slayers surrounded Vi. She turned and received confirmatory nods from each of them. Vi launched herself out of the plane into the howling storm.
* * *
“Why isn’t the South American squad handling this? Or Florida?” Vi asked.
“Sorry, girl. Both are tied up in Northern Africa. An issue with some Abraccian demon lords,” Rona replied, handing Vi the new mission profile.
“I guess that leaves my squad then,” Vi said, taking the file folder and flipping through, “Costa Rica? What’s there?”
“Actually, an island off the coast, to be exact. We’ve received some intel that a group of Ninturian demons are gathering numbers there. Forming an army or something. They’re a hive species, so you and the girls are going in to kill the queen.”
“Let me guess, kill the queen and the hive is finished?” Vi asked.
“You got it. Time is short, so gather your four best girls. You head out in twelve hours…”
* * *
The rain whipped at Vi’s face as she and the other four Slayers fell through the air. Occasionally, lightning would crackle in the distance, illuminating the lush green trees of the tropical island below.
Vi waited until the appropriate time and pulled a cord on her vest. A large parachute sprung from her backpack and spread out behind her. She was jerked backwards as the rushing wind caught her parachute and took control.
The storm whipped Vi around violently as she fought to maintain control of her descent onto the island. Vi looked around, locating each of her Slayers as they each struggled in the air. They needed to stay close so they weren’t separated when they landed. Heart racing, Vi veered closer to Libby, fighting against the rain.
A surge of wind whipped her parachute straight down, causing her to drop into a nearby tree. Vi stopped hard as her parachute caught on a branch in the thick canopy of trees.
Catching her breath, Vi activated a glow stick, gauged her distance to the ground, and unhooked her parachute. She fell softly, landing in a low crouch. After making sure she was clear of any threats, she stood, removed her helmet, and made her way into the jungle.
It didn’t take long for the team to find each other. “Okay. Welcome to Isla Nublar. What’s our status?” Vi asked as each Slayer began checking their equipment.
“Weapons and gear are good here,” Adelita said.
“Same,” Claire reported, wiping wet strands of long blonde hair out of her face.
“Ditto,” Jill replied, her green eyes matching the illumination from the glow sticks.
“Oh crap,” Libby stammered, looking up with eyes wide. “Radio equipment is gone.”
Vi turned to her, her short-cropped red hair whipping in front of her face. “What do you mean gone?!”
“The storm…it must have…shit,” Libby said, checking her gear again, hoping the equipment would magically appear.
“Justo lo que necesitábamos!” Adelita yelled.
“English, Ady. English,” Vi replied. She rested a hand on Libby’s shoulder, “It’s okay. The drop ship will be back to pick us up in two days regardless of radio contact, so as long as we stay safe, we’ll be okay.”
Suddenly Claire jumped and turned, looking out into the darkness. “What was that?” She asked, holding her light up.
“What?” Jill asked her, “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Quiet,” Vi said, turning to the jungle and listening for a moment. Soon, she heard a soft rustle in the woods. Pulling a crossbow off her back, she ordered, “Girls, get ready.”
There was another rustle, followed by a low snort. Vi turned to her Slayers and pointed in the direction of the noise. They stood there, with weapons ready, for what felt like hours.
There was a loud shriek behind the Slayers and something moved towards them with blinding speed. Surprised by the movement, the Slayers barely had time to turn before Jill was yanked to the ground and dragged into the jungle.
“Jill!” Vi yelled, her eyes wide. Light was so low, she couldn’t see what was dragging Jill into the jungle, but it was strong and quick. Jill screamed in pain as Adelita jumped towards her, sword raised.
Vi brought her crossbow up and aimed into the darkness. Taking a chance, she fired. There was a loud hiss and Jill suddenly stopped screaming. Whatever had grabbed her was running away, crashing through the foliage. Vi reloaded quickly and ran towards the others. By the time she arrived, Claire was helping Jill sit against a tree. Adelita and Libby crouched low to the ground, scanning the perimeter in case the creature returned looking for more action.
“Are you okay?” Claire asked, pressing a compress to Jill’s shoulder. It was already soaked through with blood.
“Something just nearly ripped off my arm and dragged me through the jungle. I’m dandelions over here,” Jill said through gritted teeth. Vi crouched beside her and looked at the wound. There were four deep claw marks in Jill’s shoulder, made even worse by the force of the dragging.
“This looks bad,” Libby said, joining them, “and that was not a Ninturian demon.”
“I know…” Vi said softly.
“Ninturians are small, yellow and look like worms. Not reptiles,” Adelita stated, her back still turned as she scanned the darkness.
“You saw it?!” Vi asked, standing and moving towards the brunette.
“Sí. Well not completely, but it looked like a giant reptile. Almost like a…dinosaur.” Adelita replied, turning towards them, but keeping her weapon raised.
“A what!? No way!” Claire exclaimed, trying to wrap a thick bandage around Jill’s shoulder.
“Whatever it was, it nearly took one of us down. We aren’t prepared for this,” Vi said, standing and helping Claire lift Jill to her feet.
“Then what do we do?” Adelita demanded angrily. “Radio is out and we’re stuck here for two days.”
Before Vi could respond, the rustling returned, along with a menacing hiss.
“We run. Inland. NOW!” Vi yelled, grabbing Jill by the elbow and taking off into the jungle.
The five Slayers ran through the jungle, Vi and Claire helping Jill move as quickly as possible. Whatever was chasing them was coming fast.
“Look for shelter!” Vi screamed into the darkness.
Her glow stick barely illuminating a path in front of her, Vi continued moving forward with Jill when something slammed into her. She fell to the ground, mud splashing her face as the air was knocked out of her. She lay there for a moment, dazed. Beside her she heard someone struggling in the darkness.
“Jill…” she gasped, reaching for her friend, but she couldn’t find her. Then, she felt two strong hands grab her under her shoulders and lift. She saw Adelita’s brown eyes staring into hers as Vi wiped mud from her own.
“Claire and Libby found some shelter,” Adelita said, pushing Vi forward towards their direction.
“Jill?” Vi asked, already knowing the answer.
“Gone,” Adelita muttered. She and Vi emerged into a clearing. Jungle turned into gravel as Vi took in the large building up ahead. It was white, but old and covered in vegetation. The roof was covered in brown straw and there was an overturned 4x4 in front of the entrance.
Claire and Libby were at the entrance, waving Vi and Adelita forward. Vi noticed the sign: “Jurassic Park Visitor’s Center”
“What the…” Vi said as they reached Libby and Claire. Libby was crying, crouched with her head in her hands.
“You were right, Ady,” Claire said, looking at the sign. ”Dinosaurs.”
Exasperated, Vi wiped sweat and rain from her forehead. “Not demons. Let’s get inside.” Crossbow raised, she pushed open the doors to the Visitor’s Center, the remaining Slayers entering the dark building behind her.
“We’ve got power here,” Claire said, running to a small terminal in the corner.
“See if you can find a map of the facility on there. We need to find a comm room. Libby, secure the lobby. Ady, let’s see if we can find out what the hell this place is,” Vi ordered before moving over to a reception desk with Adelita.
“Check that out,” Adelita said, pointing to a stack of brochures on the desk as she squeezed water out of her long dark hair.
“Jurassic Park…” Vi read on the front before flipping open the brochure, “Welcome to the Lost World. A world 65 million years in the making, Jurassic Park welcomes you to the first ever theme and entertainment park with dinosaurs….”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Libby said from across the lobby as Vi read. ”How did we never hear about this place?”
“Whatever this place was supposed to be, it obviously didn’t work out as planned,” Claire replied, walking over to Vi with a stack of papers in her hand. “Found a map!” Spreading the large map on the desk, she said, “Look here. This place had cages for these dinosaurs, it really was like a zoo. And here is a list of all the species here.”
“This is what was after us,” Adelita stated, pointing at the picture of the dinosaur that had chased them. “Velociraptor. Raptor.”
“What about a comm room?” Vi asked Claire.
Claire shook her head. “Only power on the island was routed to that computer, and something is blocking our access to the system.”
“What?” Vi asked, walking towards the monitor with Claire, Adelita and Libby not far behind.
“Some sort of firewall. I can’t find access to a comm room.”
“Oh, dios mío!” Adelita exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the keyboard. Plastic keys shot out in every direction.
As if in response, there was a vicious snarl down a nearby hallway.
“They’re in here!” Libby yelled, raising her crossbow. Claire gathered up her papers as Adelita held up her sword and a larger combat knife she had tucked in her belt.
“We’re too exposed! Up the stairs!” Vi commanded, turning towards the large stairs in the middle of the lobby. Before Libby could move, something big landed on her back and began slashing into her side with a large raised claw on its foot.
Reacting quickly, Vi whipped around and landed a sharp roundhouse kick to the raptor’s head, causing it to stumble backwards off of Libby.
Adelita jumped on top of the creature, bringing both of her weapons down into its chest. The dinosaur screamed, its snake-like eyes wide as it started to spasm on the floor.
Claire pulled Libby away, slipping in all of the blood. Whether it was Libby’s or the raptors, Vi didn’t know.
Vi started forward to help, but two more of the velociraptors jumped down from the upper balcony, snarling at the Slayers.
Vi launched into the air and somersaulted over one raptor. She landed a hard kick to its back, brought up her crossbow and fired an arrow into its side. It hissed and lurched sideways, confused by the sudden pain.
The other raptor launched itself at Claire and Libby, forcing Claire to roll away from her downed friend as the raptor landed beside Libby.
“No…” Vi began, as she and Adelita lurched towards the raptor, but it was too late. The raptor had already bitten into Libby’s neck, even as Claire whipped her leg around and swept the raptor’s legs out from under it. Libby’s lifeless form fell from the raptor’s mouth.
“Stairs!” Vi yelled and ran up the long flight of stairs, Adelita and Claire close behind. As they emerged at the top, three more raptors joined the one at the bottom of the stairs and charged up the steps after them.
“They’re too fast!” Claire exclaimed, as they rounded a corner.
Vi knew they couldn’t out run the raptors. She started trying doors. Most were locked, but she lucked out when a heavy metal door opened.
“In here!” She yelled, holding the door open. Adelita and Claire ran into what seemed like a reinforced maintenance closet. Vi slammed the door shut and locked it. Claire fell to the ground immediately, pulling a few strands of blood soaked hair from her face.
“Is any of this yours? Are you hurt?” Adelita asked, crouching down by Claire and checking for wounds.
“No,” Claire whispered.
Adelita snapped a few glow sticks to life. The only light in the small closet came from a small window near the ceiling. It had stopped raining, Vi noticed, and there was a full moon peeking it’s way around the storm clouds.
“They can’t get through this door, so we can stay here tonight. Try and find a way off this island.” Vi said, gesturing towards Claire’s map, “We can’t wait two days for HQ to pick us up.”
* * *
Morning…
“You know we have to run through the big guy’s territory to get there, right?” Adelita asked Vi, who was staring out the small window outside.
“Yes,” Vi said simply. She stared at a large herd of brachiosaurus that were grazing in a large lake about a half-mile away. She jumped off the shelf she was perched on and looked at Adelita and Claire, saying, “HQ knows something is wrong because we haven’t radioed in a status report. They’ll be looking for us, but it’s too dangerous for us to sit around and wait on this island. If there’s a boat at the docks, we have to take our chances and get to it.”
“Can we do this?” Claire asked shakily, still covered in Libby’s blood.
“I hope so…” Vi said without thinking, her eyes dropping to the floor. She shook her head. That was the old Vi talking. Back when she was just a scared girl. Back before she chose to be strong.
“Yes, we can do this. We’re Slayers.” She nodded at Adelita. The dark haired Slayer jumped up and kicked the window, breaking it. Vi helped Claire up, resting a hand on her bloodied cheek. Claire gave her a reassuring smile before jumping out of the window after Adelita.
Vi followed, launching herself off the floor and through the window. She landed gracefully two stories below. Claire and Adelita already had their crossbows aimed in opposite directions, ready for any attack.
“Run,” Vi ordered.
They took off into the forest, running towards the boat dock on the nearby coast. After a while, the sunlight seemed to explode as they burst out of the jungle into a clearing.
“Stop!” Vi said, but the others didn’t even need a warning. Some creatures were running through the clearing.
“What are they?” Adelita asked, her weapon moving to each one as they passed.
“They won’t hurt us!” Claire said, flipping through the pamphlet. “They’re called gallimimus. They eat plants.”
“We have to keep moving, we’re too exposed out—“ Vi started to say, but a giant roar interrupted her.
At the far end of the clearing, a gigantic creature all three Slayers recognized immediately crashed out of the jungle.
“It’s the Rex! Estamos muertos…” Adelita trailed off as the Tyrannosaurus Rex began running towards them.
“Run! Don’t stop!” Vi yelled. The gallimimus had already run back into the jungle, leaving the Slayers as clear targets.
The Rex roared again, its thunderous footsteps shaking the ground as it ran after the Slayers. Vi knew they were nearing the docks, but they wouldn’t make it unless the Rex was slowed. She heard a stifled cry and a loud WHUMP behind her. She turned, heart racing, and saw Claire lying on the ground. She had tripped and fallen.
“Claire!” Adelita screamed, turning as well.
The Rex was right behind them. It slowed down and bellowed again.
“Ady! Hands!” Vi yelled. Adelita understood what she meant and knelt down to the grown, her two hands cupped together as she faced Vi.
The T-Rex crouched, ready to attack Claire as Vi ran at Adelita. She jumped into Adelita’s hands, leaping into the air with the Slayer’s help. She brought her legs around, ready to plant both of them into the T-Rex’s face, but it was too quick. With barely a jerk of its head, Vi was sent flying backwards into a tree.
Vi fought back the darkness as she crashed to the ground. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand as she saw Adelita jump onto the T-Rex’s back. Vi fell to her knees has her head began swimming, watching as Adelita was thrown aside.
“No…” Vi gasped, watching as Claire reached up towards the Rex. The behemoth paused, studying her, and then lunged forward. Claire began screaming as the Rex picked the Slayer up in its jaws.
“No!” Vi heard Adelita scream. Still dizzy, Vi forced herself to her feet and ran towards Adelita.
“We can’t help her,” Vi sobbed, tears streaming down her face. They ran at full speed into the jungle, hoping the Rex didn't follow in pursuit.
Soon, the boat dock was visible as Vi and Adelita ran down a service road.
“There!” Adelita yelled, running down the old dock. There was a small metal boat at the end, waves gently pushing it underneath the dock. Adelita began untying the ropes anchoring it to the dock. Vi jumped in and picked up two oars that were lying in the bottom. Adelita followed, just as a low rumble emanated from the jungle.
“It’s coming…” Vi breathed. She and Adelita began maneuvering the boat out into the sea.
“What do we do if it comes in the water?” Adelita asked, watching the T-Rex stare at them from the jungle. It let out another roar as they continued rowing out to sea.
“We survive.”
