Fearless ≫ Zach Mitchell

xiv.

f o u r t e e n

~

Ashton fell forward as the truck lurched into motion, though Zach caught her before she had to the chance to hit the hard, metallic flooring. The back doors swung widely open, leaving the two teenagers an easy prey for the carnivorous Velociraptors.

Behind them, the back window slid open once more, revealing Gray's terrified face. He held up a shaky hand, his fingers pointing behind them as he struggled to form a sentence. Saving the boy from having to explain himself in his state of shock, Ashton turned her gaze to look where he was pointing.

Two Velociraptors emerged from the fog behind them, running at full speed and straight towards the swinging doors of the truck. Their screeches rose above the engine, turning Ashton's blood cold. She recognized the dinosaurs as Delta and Echo, and her chest tightened as she thought about the raptor she loved turning against her. Squeezing her eyes shut in attempt to block out the horrifying scene, Ashton leaned towards Zach, hoping that his warmth and touch would somehow calm her.

The Raptors grew closer to the fleeing truck by the second, due to their long legs and nimble reflexes. Within seconds, they were only feet away from jumping inside the back of the truck, which caused Ashton to realize something. No matter how much she loved the dinosaurs, she had to do whatever she could to protect herself and Zach.

Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, she wriggled out of Zach's grip. Ignoring his protests and attempts to pull her back towards him, Ashton slowly crossed the truck towards silver metallic tanks filled with compressed air. Rolling it towards the middle of the truck, she pushed the tank as hard as she could. It collided with the pavement below them, the impact of the fall causing its surface to bust and strong, compressed air to shoot out of it. The Raptors quickly dodged the tank, though the gas coming from inside it caused Echo to become disoriented. Shaking her head in attempt to clear her vision from the mist, the dinosaur stumbled and fell to the ground, where she lay stunned.

Delta continued to pursue the vehicle, though instead of jumping in the back as Ashton had expected, she ran right past it, approaching the front of the truck. Claire swerved to the side, and Ashton was knocked against the wall by the sudden impact. Zach quickly pulled her back to him before she had the chance to regain her balance, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

Ashton watched as the stunned body of Delta flopped onto the ground beside the van, disappearing into the fog moments later. Though Echo had recovered and continued her hunt, annoyed screeches falling from her snout as she attempted to jump into the vehicle, though missed.

Zach released his grip on her and began fiddling with a taser stick that was attached to the wall. Holding it in front of him, he looked over at Ashton, as if he were silently asking her for help.

"Turn it on!" She urged, feeling a rush of panic as Echo approached the vehicle once more.

"I don't know how!" Zach responded, helplessly fiddling with the weapon. Rolling her eyes, Ashton snatched it from his grip. She noticed a small switch near the end of the stick, and she flipped it on. Almost immediately, cobalt blue bolts of electricity started flickering at the end of the weapon, followed by a series of zapping sounds.

Once again, Echo jumped, this time successfully landing inside the vehicle. Her mouth wide open, the Raptor screeched, clawing her way into the truck. Her golden eyes shined in the darkness, seeming to focus on Ashton- also known as, her prey.

Despite the fact that the dinosaur was now trying to kill her rather than obey her orders, Ashton still despised what she was about to have to do. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the Raptor, gritting her teeth and thrusting the taser forward. The electrified end of the weapon came in contact with Echo's chest, and almost immediately, she began spazzing as bolts of electricity ran through her body. The Raptor fell off the truck and landed on the pavement with a thud, where she lay still- unconscious.

Throwing the taser stick to the side, Ashton let out a long sigh of relief, allowing Zach to pull her towards him once more. She felt his lips come in contact with her temple, and despite the heaviness of her heart, she smiled.

"Did I ever tell you that you're bad ass?" He whispered, his lips brushing against the skin of her ear and causing shivers to run down her spine.

"Are you guys okay back there?" Claire's panicked voice spoke through the open window and the truck swerved to the left as her attention was diverted from the road for a mere second.

"Did you see that?" Zach questioned, breathless as he leaned back against the metallic wall that separated them from the front seat.

"I watched the whole thing!" Gray announced, sticking his head through the tiny window and smiling down at Ashton. "Your girlfriend's a badass, Zach."

Feeling her cheeks heat up in a blush, Ashton opened her mouth to speak, though stopped herself as she heard the sound of another engine revving. Owen appeared out of the fog on his motorcycle, his face twisting into a look of relief as his eyes landed on his niece.

"Owen!" Zach called before Ashton got the chance to do so. Owen nodded once before speeding up alongside the truck. Ashton couldn't help but smile at the sight of her uncle. With Owen there with them, they were safe. They were going to be okay.

~

The truck came to an abrupt halt as Claire pulled onto Main Street. Moments later, before Zach and Ashton had the chance to move, the doors to the vehicle swung open, revealing Gray standing in their place.  The twelve year old waited patiently until the two teenagers were out of the back of the truck, where he tackled Ashton in a tight embrace.

"He's likes me better than you," she teased Zach with a small laugh. The sixteen year old only rolled his eyes at her words, crossing his arms over his chest. Claire and Owen appeared around the corner of the truck, both looking almost impatient.

"We gotta get indoors," Owen insisted, his grip tightening around the gun in his hands. Ashton nodded determinedly, breaking the hug with Gray. He smiled at her before walking over to his aunt, grabbing her hand in his. It was clear that he felt safe around his aunt, and Ashton smiled at that. She felt Zach slip his hand into hers, slowly entwining their fingers before taking off at a jog, following Owen towards the Innovation Center.

As the group neared the dark and abandoned building, a screech cut through the unnerving silence. A familiar, sandy-colored Velociraptor hopped out of complete nowhere, cutting Ashton and Zach off from the rest of the group. Echo lowered herself to the ground, claws extended and mouth agape as she hissed, as if she were challenging them to a fight.

"Run," Zach whispered in her ear, barely giving Ashton any time to register what he said before pulling her in the opposite direction. An angry screech coming from behind them told her that Echo was taking chase. Though surprisingly, the pair were faster than the long-legged Velociraptor. It was almost as if Echo was deliberately letting them escape, as if she were teasing them.

Ashton followed Zach towards Winston's Steak House, the only building on Main Street without large enough windows for a Raptor to leap through. Thankfully, the door was unlocked, and Zach pulled himself and Ashton into the dark building, slamming it shut and locking it before the Raptor had a chance to get inside. Though Echo wasn't giving up without a fight; she banged against the wooden door, her angry screams shaking the brick walls of the building. Though the heavy-duty door (designed for reasons just like the one they were currently in) wasn't giving in. Eventually, the Velociraptor gave up, the sounds of her angry calls fading as she left in search of new prey.

Letting out a huff, Ashton slid down the wall and onto the wooden floor beneath her. Zach slid down beside her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Are we safe now?" She asked almost subconsciously, though she already knew the answer.

"Not yet."