Clawen ♡ Second Time's the Charm

Chapter 27: All Hell Breaks Loose

She selects the weak and the helpless. One minute her victims are standing there, and the next...

Delta approached Hoskins slowly, her eyes pinpointing his bloody face. Somehow, she was able to detect a sense of antagonism in him. She growled and bared her teeth aggressively. Hoskins let out a series of pitiful cries as he stumbled backwards into a wall. He cringed away from the raptor.

On the other side of the room, Claire fought back a strangled scream. She had instinctively grabbed onto Owen's arm, her fingers squeezing his firm bicep. He held his arms out in front of her protectively. Behind them, Zach and Gray stood frozen in fear. They huddled behind their badass aunt and her badass boyfriend. Are we next to die?

"Easy... easy, boy..." Hoskins was whimpering. He raised a tentative hand in an attempt to pacify Delta. She cocked her head at his gesture and surprisingly stopped in her tracks, giving Hoskins an unhealthy dose of false relief.

"She's listening to him," Gray whispered timidly to Owen, unable to understand Delta's mindset. "Why is she listening to him?"

Owen shook his head at the young boy to silence him before he attracted Delta's attention. However, he was just as worried as Gray, perhaps even more. His heart raced as he could only watch his beloved raptor seemingly obey that wretched man. What are you doing, Delta? Where's your sense of loyalty? His hand found Claire's slender waist and squeezed it gently.

Claire trembled as Delta stretched her head forward at Hoskins. What is she doing? Where is her sense of loyalty? She felt the warmth of Owen's hand, though it barely comforted her. Her heartbeat was like thunder and she grappled blindly at her limited options of escape. There was the open doorway, for one.

Hoskins's hand was now a few mere inches away from Delta's bumpy muzzle. He felt the initial sharp coldness of fear begin to melt away, replaced with a pompous confidence. Delta continued to watch him evenly, calmly.

"I'm on your side," Hoskins breathed slowly, his face in deep concentration. At this, Delta swung her head around to glance at Owen, now unsure.

Owen's heart skipped a beat when he met those dark, fierce eyes. He forced himself not to say anything. Instead, he placed all his trust in her. He stared into her eyes, desperately searching for that familiar twinkle, curious and captivating. It's in there, Delta. It's in you somewhere. Don't let Hoskins fool you. Don't let him take it away from you.

Delta made a low clicking noise in her throat, making everyone in the room except Owen flinch. He recognized the gesture as one of submission. He felt his heart lift when the raptor turned back toward Hoskins and snarled. The sound raised every hair on Claire's body and she clung to Owen tighter. But he half turned to her and whispered a word of reassurance in her ear.

"It'll be alright. She knows what she's doing." His breath kissed the sensitive skin of her ear lobe and she leaned closer to him.

Meanwhile, Hoskins had resumed his whimpering, his hand trembling violently as he continued to extend it in front of him. Delta bared her teeth at him.

She selects the weak and the helpless. One minute her victims are standing there, and the next...

One minute his hand was still there, shaking like a tree in the midst of an earthquake. The next minute, it was gone. Swallowed whole by an abyss of bloody teeth. Blood spattered onto the glass wall, cascading down and leaving red trails. Delta smashed through part of the glass to maul her prey on the other side.

For a split second, Owen recoiled from the gory scene. Then, his instincts kicked in and he dragged Claire toward the open doorway. Delta had spared their lives this time, but when she was finished with Hoskins, all hell could break loose. I need to get my family far away from here and worry about my raptors later. At least they're all still alive.

"Gray, Zach! C'mon!" Claire beckoned her nephews frantically as Owen held his rifle at the ready. They scurried beside her and she grabbed Gray's hand unconsciously. The four of them raced through the Innovation Center. If they could reach the ambulance safely, Claire could drive them to the control room, where they could spend the night.

Owen shoved the heavy doors open and stumbled down the steps. The ambulance had been sloppily parked close by. As soon as the small group reached it, he swung open the ambulance doors at the back. Zach and Gray leaped awkwardly inside, their legs feeling like straw. The doors were slammed securely shut and Owen and Claire climbed into the front.

"Start it up," Owen urged Claire. She fumbled with the keys and let out a sigh of relief when the engine roared to life. We're safe. Without really thinking, she turned and swiftly pressed a kiss to Owen's cheek. His expression was one of surprise, though it faded away quickly. He returned the kiss, his scratchy facial hair scraping her skin gently. Claire blushed and averted her eyes. Focus, Claire. Focus on what's most important.

Suddenly, the Innovation Center doors burst open and Delta appeared. The ambulance lights caught her attention and she headed toward them curiously. Claire moved her foot to the gas pedal in a panic. No, no, no. Stay away from us!

"Wait," Owen said quietly, though he gripped his rifle tightly. Claire hesitated before leaning with a sigh into Owen's shoulder and closing her eyes. My head hurts and I just want everything to be over with. I just want us to be safe. Is that too much to ask for?

Owen watched as Delta stopped a few feet from the ambulance. She let out a faint rumble and dipped her head. When she raised her eyes to meet Owen's, they were no longer full of aggressiveness. Owen winced inwardly, lowering his rifle, remembering the good old days.

Delta, only a mere foot tall. Jumping around a ball ecstatically. Playfully nipping Echo, but avoiding Blue. Chirping at Owen when he tossed her some food. When she was older, she had challenged Blue for leadership of the pack. She had lost, yet she was a leader in her own way. And through it all, she had never lost faith in her alpha.

All of a sudden, Delta began to growl.

Thump.

Owen jerked out of his hazy thoughts. Beside him, Claire uttered a single cry. He immediately placed a finger to her lips. Claire squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that they were too late. There was no chance of escape. She was here already.

Delta spun around to face the Indominus bravely. The large hybrid approached the ambulance malevolently, craning her head down to further examine the scene. She growled at the two humans sitting in the front and raised a claw, prepared to strike. Without warning, Delta let out an infuriated screech. The Indominus drew back with her own enraged roar at Delta's treachery.

With a powerful blow with her sharp claws, she sent the raptor flying through the air. Delta hit one of the walls of the Innovation Center. The impact was strong enough to send her out of consciousness. Owen felt pure rage shoot through his veins. He let out a strangled choke and his hands flew to the door handle. That's my raptor. You don't touch my raptor.

Just then, there was another loud shriek of anger. Fleeting shadows were cast on the walls of the Innovation Center. They took the shape of three raptors. Blue bared her teeth at the Indominus, Charlie and Echo behind her. They had witnessed the attack on their sister. As far as they were concerned, their alliance with the hybrid was severed.

Owen had been right. All hell was about to break loose.
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