SURVIVORS ↠ ZACH MITCHELL ✔️ [EDITING]

Chapter 25

     As they ran out of the Innovation Centre, Gray slapped one of the screens. Marlo looked back and saw a glance of the hologram occupying the Raptor for just a while longer. Delta leaped to bite at it but the Raptor went straight through it. The doors began to close before she turned forward and ran down the stairs quickly, accidentally running into the back of Zach, they both stumbled slightly trying to regain balance.

     Marlo looked ahead and saw Blue standing in front of them, the doors to the Innovation Centre opened, making them turn their heads to look towards it. The Raptor stepped closer and hissed. To the side another Raptor squawked at them, making the others jump, Marlo kept her gaze on Delta. Owen held his arms out to stop Blue and Echo, she flickered her eyes to the right and saw Delta standing there snapping at them. She copied Owen and held her hands out trying to calm the raptor.

     "That's how it is? Huh?" Owen asked Blue calmly. She growled at him. Gray looked towards them. Owen dropped his gun to the ground, keeping his eyes on Blue. Claire stood there paralyzed. Owen lifted his hand, pausing as Blue growled at him again. She snapped her jaws at him, his hand still moving towards her. "Easy. Easy," he whispered, moving his hands slowly. "Easy." He took off her camera and nodded slightly. "That's it."

     "Easy there, okay? Just take it easy." Marlo soon realized only three were accounted for. "O, why are there only three? Why three? That's not right, there should be four. Owen? Please, tell me where Charlie is. Three? Why? No, no this is wrong," she began to mumble towards the end more to herself in a state of panic.

     That feeling of nausea and pain had returned to her as she tried to choke back the tears, she felt as though her lungs were filling with cement as she waiting for the one answer she didn't want.

     "Where's-"

     "Gone." Owen's voice was strong, yet weak. Loud, yet as quiet as he could go without feeling empty himself.

     The Raptors had become his family as soon as he imprinted on them the day they had hatched. He knew that Marlo loved them as much as he did, they were a pack. His answer was not only for Marlo but for himself. He needed some type of closure about the whole ordeal, he couldn't tell her that he watched as his Raptor was targeted and blown up, he couldn't live with himself even with the simple thought of it.

     Marlo had sucked in a deep breath and nodded to herself, she tried to compose herself as she handled the data Owen had told her. Gone. A pack member was gone. She heard the rippling growl sound of Blue from where she stood, she couldn't peel her eyes away from the Raptor in front of her.

     "Easy now," she whispered and she steadied herself on her feet.

     Her hands were shaking, she couldn't stop them, the pain in her back had returned and there was blood on her hands still. She watched as Echo tilted her head side to side watching Marlo, who was beginning to grow weaker and weaker as the seconds passed.

     "Please," she whimpered out, she couldn't take it anymore, she lowed her head and her body shuddered as she tried to hold back her sobs. She looked up again and Echo was even closer.

     "There you go," she heard Owen calmly speak, she heard the sound of metal hitting the ground and Blue making a light rippled sound. "How are you doing over there, Mars?" Her eyes were still on Echo. "Hey!" Owen's voice grew deeper. "Marlo!" Owen growled at her.

     Words began to drown out, she was losing it. She was slipping away from reality as everything slowed down, Echo had stepped forward again and sniffed her hands before they were pulled away from their position and she was pulled towards warmth.