The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 75: Do or Die

Original Post Date: Jun 23, 2024

Note: Story starts in Wyvern, Aerial ABC backwards filter and has a Prologue. Last chapter in Titanomyrma, next chapter in Thylacoleo.

~

Samuel’s feet pounded against the soft redwood grass, and he could hear its distorted voice echoing behind him, getting closer and closer. Its feet were swift and quick, with large gaps in between them before another footstep was made. It was definitely making large strides, but Samuel didn’t think looking back was a good idea. No, he KNEW that it wasn’t a good idea.

Samuel spotted a large rock formation ahead, and his heart leaped with relief.

“Thank goodness,” Samuel shouted to himself. As Samuel reached the rocks he instantly began to clamber up it. He reached the top easily, blood stained on his hands and scratches forming along his arms.

Samuel looked down to see the albino Raptor come to a skidding halt. Its eyes were pinned down onto Samuel, never moving away. It tapped its claw on the ground a few times, testing the waters, when it unhinged its mouth again to speak. Its eyes rolled to the back of its head.

“Samuel, why are you scared? It’s me, Nova! Gosh you’re so paranoid sometimes,” the Raptor cawed, “I was only messing with you since it took you so long to get to me… Please come down! I killed a raptor when I was out and about. I thought I should’ve told you sooner, but- I suppose now is the appropriate time since you’re so afraid!”

Samuel began to breathe rapidly. He had no weapons on him, no items, no resources he could use to deter the beast. Nothing. He was alone on a rock and all the Raptor had to do to get to him was to wait for him to come down. He was doomed. Samuel could feel his heart beat against his chest so hard that it began to hurt and ache. Samuel clutched onto his graduation robe tight and gritted his teeth, gripping onto the rock as tightly as he could to make the pain go away. Blood seeped onto the rock, as the Raptor let out a glare.

“COME DOWN FROM THERE, SON!” Samuel’s father’s voice echoed from the Raptor. It jumped up and slashed at Samuel’s hand with its talons. Samuel let out a cry of pain, retracting his hand and holding onto it tightly.

“You’re making me upset, Samuel. You disappoint me sometimes,” Warren’s voice boomed.

With one final leap, the albino Raptor managed to grab onto Samuel’s leg. Samuel let out a plea for help as the albino Raptor dragged Samuel down from the rock and onto the ground.

“HELP ME! SOMEBODY, ANYBODY! HELP!” Samuel cried out. The albino Raptor slammed its foot into Samuel’s body, its talon dangerously close to his neck. The albino Raptor gave a cruel smile to Samuel as it got up close to his face.

“You. Are. A disappointment,” Aurora’s voice echoed from its mouth, “You- Hurt- Us-”

Blood suddenly shot out its mouth and onto Samuel’s face. Samuel looked to the side, disgusted, and his lip quivering. He looked back to see blood dripping from its teeth. Tears began to form at the corner of its eyes.

“You. Killed. Us. Without mercy,” Larry’s voice screamed from within its body, “Even. Though. I. Surrendered.”

The red glow around its body suddenly began to shine brighter, and it let out a howl of pain, stumbling off Samuel’s body. Samuel sat up, his eyes wavering as he began to crawl away as fast as he could.

“What was I thinking running all the way out here?” Samuel asked himself as he looked back to see the albino Raptor convulsing on the ground. Foam began to collect at its mouth as it let out another shriek of pain.

“I should’ve just stayed back at the cabin. I should’ve just run inside to get the others’ help, but NO I have to-”

Samuel’s mind suddenly began to cloud, as the forest was filled with a red fog. He could hear drowned out whispers coming from everyone, all at once, everywhere. None of them had anything good to say about Samuel.

“Samuel? Oh that weirdo? Psh, yeah, I’d leave him behind at any moment,” he could hear Ruby say, “We only keep him around because he’s smart. He’s pretty damn useless. He’s not a super good fighter, and as far as I’m concerned his attribute is useless. I’m surprised he’s not dead yet-”

Andres’ voice echoed louder, “Ahh, him. He’s a special case, ya’ know. I think he’s a bit off. A bit mentally unwell too. I think we should just drop him. He’s like a sociopath, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself…”

“I don’t like people like Samuel,” Tiffany said, “They may be smart but in the end they get everyone but themselves killed. He is the biggest danger of this island and thus must be slain.”

Finally, a familiar figure emerged from the fog. She had a deep tan and long, black, shining hair. She had a frown on her face as she looked down upon Samuel. She clenched her fists tight.

“Oh Samuel. I don’t even recognize you anymore. You’re a monster!” she yelled, “I can’t believe I’m best friends with a FREAK.”

“FREAK, FREAK, FREAK!” everyone screamed in his ears.

Nova raised her boot and shoved it into Samuel’s face, causing his vision to flicker briefly. Blood burst out of his nostrils, as everyone took turns kicking at his body.

“Someone make it stop, SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP!” Samuel cried out.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it stop.”

The unrecognizable voice made Samuel’s eyes widen. Samuel’s head was violently slashed at, and Samuel screamed bloody mary as he could feel his eye swell with blood. A jagged cut was deep across his face that ran from his forehead to his lip, and cut right through his eye.

The red fog quickly faded away, leaving nothing but the albino Raptor to torment him. Samuel sat up from the ground and felt more blood trickle down his face. It just reopened the same scratch the first Raptor and its squad gave him during their rematch.

The albino Raptor’s eyes seemed to be like swirling black masses. It inspected its talons closely, as if it were still getting acclimated, and then looked up at Samuel.

“I hate your kind,” the albino Raptor firmly stated. Samuel stayed silent, “Not you humans, but you monsters. Monsters like you are why I exist. You’ve been putting me through hell ever since you got here, and started hurting people… physically. And emotionally. You could have been a good person, and done the right thing, but you didn’t. You chose to be this way.”

The albino Raptor stepped forward.

“I will make you suffer. So you may feel what I’ve felt. Do you understand?”

The albino Raptor opened its jaws…

PEW!

A stone arrow whizzed through the air and struck the albino Raptor right through the skull. Blood spurted out of its skull, and the swirling black masses instantly faded away, its eyes seemingly returning to normal. The albino Raptor collapsed to the ground, creating a puddle of human and raptor blood on the soft moss.

Samuel looked up to see a woman with red hair with a crossbow walking up to him. Ruby. Samuel looked up in relief and shock.

“Ruby? You… saved me?” Samuel said in wonder. Ruby looked at the dead Raptor and nodded.

“Yes, I did.”

She looked off into the distance, as if she spotted something or heard some commotion. She turned back.

“I heard your pleas. I’ll admit I wasn’t going to help though. I thought you had it all handled at first. You got quite a bit of damage on it even though it had you pinned down. And when it was attacking you, I considered just walking away and pretending that I didn’t see a thing.”

Ruby smiled softly, holding her hand out to Samuel.

“But I changed my mind. One, I don’t think I’d be able to sleep knowing I let someone die on purpose. And two,” Samuel grabbed Ruby’s hand, and she hauled him up, “You’ve proved me wrong.”

“And… what exactly did I prove you wrong about?”

“Your feelings,” Ruby said, “You have them.”

Ruby and Samuel began to walk back home. Samuel clutched onto his hand tightly, which was still bleeding. He didn’t even care much about the wound on his face. He just wanted the pain to go away.

“Me and Neddy had a talk yesterday,” Samuel revealed to her, “And, he said I needed to change. I needed to be a good person.”

“And are you going to be?”

Samuel looked down at the ground, before promptly nodding.

“Yes. I’m going to try my best… No, I AM going to be a good person. Starting now with a sorry. I’m sorry, Ruby. For everything I did. For hurting your friend. And I’m sorry that I never really spoke to you at all. I didn’t really consider you to be very helpful after we found those beacons. I’m really sorry, Ruby.”

Samuel turned back to look at the albino raptor’s corpse. The red haze was gone, and it looked significantly smaller than it seemed to be. Was it all his mind playing tricks on him? Was what it was saying real at the end, or an accumulation of his guilt? He wasn’t sure.

“And that… thing back there. It made me realize how I’ve treated everyone. Even Neddy, the person who’s saved me all those times.”

“I’m glad Neddy had that talk with you. He has that sort of… effect. It’s why I am who I am right now,” Ruby said, turning slightly red. She took her glasses off and rubbed the fog off with her shirt, “Anyway, I heard a pretty brutal fight not too far from here. We should check the aftermath out tomorrow morning.”