Both Galmine and Kacerie were peeking out from behind the curtain, but they ducked back inside as soon as they saw the raptor and I sprinting toward them. They seemed to be frozen with shock, and I wanted to scream a warning to them, but I didn’t want to sacrifice even a tiny bit of oxygen.
If I got there half a second after the raptor, things would be really bad.
But we got there at the same time.
“Ahhhhhgggghhh!” I screamed as I plowed into the raptor. I’d meant to impale him with my spear, but the tip of my weapon had skipped across his hide and gone over his back. I adjusted by bringing my right shoulder into him, and we both smashed through the curtain of the hut like wrecking balls.
Kacerie and Galmine both let out screams when we landed in the center of the hut. Fortunately, my shoulder check had knocked the raptor into the fire, and it screeched as flames began to crawl up its feathers. The dinosaur twisted on his back as if he was a dog trying to scratch his shoulder, but his movements only made the fire crawl up him faster.
“Watch out!” I shouted as it lashed out with its feet. The hut wasn’t nearly big enough for the four of us, and one of its kicks almost sliced Kacerie.
Jinx was a lot smaller than this raptor, but he let out an angry screech and then bit the bigger dino right on his snout. The raptor growled with annoyance and then made a quick snap at my little blue friend. The deinoychus jaws closed over empty air, and my buddy zipped around the campfire so that he could stand next to Galmine.
I still had my spear in my hand, and I pushed the butt of the weapon against the floor so that I could rocket to my feet. Almost as soon as I’d set the weapon to stab into the asshole, it rolled to the side and got its feet on the ground.
I made a lunge over the smoking fire, aimed the tip of my weapon at the neck of the deinonychus, and then shoved my spear down as I landed. My strike was true, and the weapon tore into the side of the creature’s throat as if it was made of wax.
It choked out a soft gurgling sound, turned its hateful eyes toward me, and then coughed out a half gallon of blood as it died.
“Uhh--”
“Wait here!” I interrupted Kacerie as I yanked my spear out of the monster’s neck and dashed out of the hut.
Sheela and Trel had killed one of the other raptors, and I watched the cat-woman drive a spear into the chest of the last one they had been fighting. It collapsed with an angry screech, and I adjusted the direction I was running so that I would head toward the fucker I’d impaled against the wall.
The last living raptor was still thrashing against the spear stuck in the wall, so I stabbed my spear into his neck twice, and his body started to slow. By the fourth stab, he had stopped moving altogether, and his chest made a final death rattle sound.
“Damn,” I gasped as I turned around to survey the damage to the camp.
There was a ton of blood on the grass, and both Sheela and Trel were breathing heavily, but there didn’t appear to be any damage to the hut or Hope’s little corral.
“Are there any more out there?” I shouted to Sheela and Trel.
“I only saw the four trying to climb, and I only had two arrows, that is why I came to get you.” Sheela pointed to the hut, and I turned to see Kacerie and Galmine both poking their heads out. I gestured for them to come toward us as I walked to the center of the camp.
“You two okay?” I asked Trel and Sheela when I reached them.
“Yes, Victor,” Sheela said with a curt nod.
“Trel?” I asked.
“Fine.” The spider-woman shrugged. “But I have to go outside and look at the door. I’m hoping it isn’t damaged.”
“They figured out how to climb it,” I said. “We have to worry about that too.”
“I already have an idea.” Trel’s full red lips curled into a smile, and I could see her vampire looking fangs.
“I figured you would.” I returned her smile, but my legs were starting to shake, and my stomach was spinning. My mind was beginning to come to terms with the fact that I’d somehow Conaned the fuck out of a bunch of raptors, and it was trying to explain to me that I was a dogcatcher from Earth who shouldn’t be here.
“You did well, Victor,” Sheela said as she rested her hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I replied as I took a few long breaths. “Just trying to protect you all.”
“Is it going to be like this every day?” Kacerie whined as she came to stand near us.
“Yes,” I answered her curtly. Then I turned to Sheela. “Check the walls again to make sure that this was the last of them.”
“Yes, Victor,” the cat-woman’s gold-colored eyes glittered, and she dashed toward the wall.
“What kind of answer is that? Yes? Don’t you care that they are attacking us?” Kacerie was pointing her finger at me, and her pretty nose was scrunched up.
“I just spent the last day explaining everything to you,” Trel groaned. “Don’t bug Victor. He has stuff to do.”
“Like the gray woman in the hut?” Kacerie crossed her arms. “Yeah, he’s been doing her for almost a day. I want to go home. Why don’t you all take me home?”
“Her name is Galmine.” Trel’s eyes narrowed. “I told you her name and I explained that we are all stuck here and there is no going home.”
“You did, but he didn’t.” The pink-haired woman pointed at me.
“Ugggggghhh,” Trel moaned. “I can’t deal with this. I’m going to go check the wall on the other side of the camp. Victor, I want to speak with you later.”
“Got it,” I said to the beautiful spider-woman, and she walked away on her human legs.
“So what’s your deal?” Kacerie asked as soon as Trel was out of earshot.
“Sounds like Trel told you what is going on,” I said as I glanced over Kacerie’s shoulder. Galmine was still walking toward us from the hut, and she could probably hear what we were saying.
“So did the fuzzy one, but I’m asking you…”
“Victor,” I reminded her as I saw her searching to remember my name.
“Yeah, that’s it. Sorry. I’m normally good with names. I’m just having a hard time.”
“I get it,” I said as I smiled at her.
“Victor, I brought you your pants and shirt,” Galmine said as she neared us.
“Ahh thanks,” I said as I took the clothes from her and started to put them on.
“Are you going to answer my questions?” Kacerie asked impatiently as I put one of my legs into my pants.
“We are stuck here,” I explained. “We were taken by powerful aliens and dumped on this world. Dinosaurs are trying to eat us, so we have to work together to survive.”
“But when are they going to let us go home?” Kacerie’s eyes were a light pastel blue that contrasted with her pink hair.
“Probably never,” I said as I buttoned my pants.
“But you don’t know for sure?” she asked.
“Victor knows a lot of things,” Galmine said with a gentle smile. “We are alive because he protected us.”
“Look, I don’t want to be here,” Kacerie said to both of us.
“Sorry,” I said with a shrug. “I didn’t put you here. I’ve only been on this world for a month. We are just trying to survive. I’m sure Trel and Sheela explained to you that we could use your help.”
“Clear over here!” Sheela yelled, and I nodded across the camp to her.
“Same over here!” Trel shouted.
“I’m not really interested in helping,” the pink-haired woman continued.
“Then you can leave.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wondered if I had actually said them. It kind of didn’t sound like something I would say, but damn it, I’d just worked my ass off for a solid month to make this camp.
“What?” the woman asked with surprise.
“Yeah, this is our camp. We built it. I also rode out there on Hope to save your life. You haven’t even said thank you.” It was a bit petty since I didn’t really need her thanks, but it would have been nice if she’d said something instead of whining.