Chapter Text
Volcaldera.
Saturday.
A day off from meandering around the company with nothing to do. Sure beats the last place they had me at, but god I can still feel my bones ache from those 5am early pt sessions.
Only 3 years left Anon…and then?
….
We'll…cross that bridge when we get to it maybe…
Just need to get home, back to post and to my house. Lonely little house in a neighborhood, working in a company of strangers, just living the dream. Wouldn't dear old dad be proud? Hmph, sure, the lack of phone calls from him are loud in their answer. The old captain of the army was certainly working hard to get me into the service and now that im here I dont hear dick from the guy.
Maybe I should've taken that offer for Volcano high here years ago.
Oh well. Not getting the past decade of my life back anyways.
Volcaldera was vividly bright at night. Lights cascading across the mossy vine covered buildings reaching to the stars, mimicking the menagerie from the heavens with its own artificial ones. I found myself lost in that sea the past week staring out of my housing windows. Sarge tried reaching out but I usually feigned ignorance with excuses of passing out right after work when I got home. Well, not a full lie really. Most days off work I just busy myself with the usual spattering of random thrilling activities such as gaming till dawn or knocking out until I'm knocked back awake.
Man I should really set an alarm instead of falling off my bed like a damn boulder.
Boulder…fuck I hate thinking of highschool nicknames.
My hands reach into my pockets instinctively. I glimpse out to the city once more, letting it flood my brain instead of the deep wounds of the past.
Think they called this district ‘Little Troodon’ right? Ironic given how sprawling it all is.
Its a bustling street, busy even when it was so late in the evening. Random dinos passing by, out of shops with bags small and large alike in their claws, chit-chatting randomly to their friends and family.
Not sure if they meant for their conversations to be heard so clearly though.
“Oh Becky look! Is that a skinnie?”
“Shhh! Trinity! Like-you can't call them that they'd get offended.”
I scoff out loud while they walk past me. Bit too late for that ladies. Not much can hurt me these days that I haven't already heard myself.
Skinnie, weirdo, push-over, cromedome, boulder-skull, ass-troid face, I-
....
I stop. I don't even register my hands closing, or my eyes. Momentarily I'm just standing around like a dumbass in the middle of a shopping district while everyone around me just walks around the living human lamppost.
Get a grip Anon, you're a NCO for christ sakes.
Pfft, yeah, right.
Like that's gonna change anything, ‘Ay Sargent Anon congrats on ranking up with only 2 years of army career left!’ God what a fucking joke this whole career has been.
What was the point of even joining the army? Of course I know already, I've always known, just wanted to get my old man off my ass finally.
‘College or the military’
‘College or the military’
‘College or the-oh fuck off!
Think we always knew where my bald shut-in ass was going pops if we really had just those two options. Anon the college boy? Not on your life boomer.
I exhale. Forgetting to breathe in the effort of my mental rantings.
After a while, I inhale, then out again. Giving up on that.
Suppose I should get going and not stay frozen waiting for some poor kid to get spooked by the human wearing military fatigues in a public setting, looking like I got the shining from Jack Nicholsaur.
I continued my walk, not caring enough to check if someone had noticed me just now, albeit I hadn't seen another human in this town since I got stationed here. Maybe this place is known for a heavier dino population? Quite a change from Rock Bottom that's for sure.
As one foot goes in front of the other, routine like they drilled into me for two months straight, my walk back to post is notably getting less and less crowded. I find that to be a lot better on my nerves. The noise and bustling of civilians grows more dim, matching the lights of the nearby restaurants and shops. Maybe it was getting closer to closing time?
I flip my phone out. Not shitty yet not some rich-kid device either.
Middleman quality. Just as I prefer it.
“Fuck me” I mutter aloud to myself. “Already 21:30?”
I shove the phone back into my pocket, taking a gander around my own surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. Feeling like my old self a couple weeks back, I was a bit perplexed trying to reason which direction I was going here. Raptor-Christ I really did just go on autopilot a while ago didn't I?
A landmark pointed itself out to my eyes.
‘Moe's!’ it said. Neon red and bold big letters.
Judging by the pizza next to the name, I'm gonna shoot for 500 points for this being a pizzeria. That name is oddly striking to me, so I figured why not try the path where it lie to get home. I started heading to the corner the restaurant sat at, old red brick showing it’s age and some street lights illuminating the grounds nearby. The streets were damn empty here, not even a nasty mugger to greet me even? How rude. Even with the lack of people it never did feel creepy here, the opposite even, it felt warm and welcoming, like one of those midnight boardwalk paintings I'd see in a museum.
If, you know, my lazy ass went to a museum.
I made my way to the shop after a minute of strutting like a soldier should. Right, left, right, left. Clockwork, annoying ass clockwork steps that my subconscious falls back to when I don't pay attention to my own damn feet. Never unlearning that am I? The glass pane presents itself, barely lit inside but a few candles. As I walk past, my eyes wander to the only people I've seen since turning down this street. Sitting on a table by the window, there’s a rare species greeting my vision.
A T-Rex? Huh, not everyday you see one. At least for me I hadn't, most types you see in the army were various subspecies of raptor, parasaurs, hell even…
A Ptero sat there across the table from the rex. She was…admittedly attractive? She looked either bald, or coming up on it. Maybe it was a fashion statement or something? Although one look over at her in general spoke of some kind of druggie issues.
Fuck, Anon why’d you say that stupid shit.
Thank god for the glass or maybe they might've heard your dumbass loud ass mumbling issue, raptor christ knows it’s gotten you in trouble enough for your platoon in BCT.
She looked to be speaking with Rexy across the table, he looked to be old, Italian by the looks of that mustache, probably the owner if i could guess. As I passed by that large window pane, it felt like time slowed to a crawl. Or maybe it was my feet? She, looked to me. Like a fool drawn to a siren’s call upon the seas I dare not turn my head away, she seemed so…lost. Her irises were of warm amber resin, blinding me with their shine even as her expression was marred by a grief I couldn't place. For a split second, my thoughts of going home, crashing out on the couch and gaming till sunrise before sleeping in all damn morning long till I fuse into the furniture we're melted away by the crisp golden hues of light her eyes gave me.
Maybe…maybe i could-
Light.
Pain.
Screams.
….
….
….
….
Am…am I dead?
I'm dead aren't I?
…No? I'm, im not…I..
I feel the earth beneath me, but can't see right away, or hear for that matter. Sounds are just replaced by ringing and sight by blurs. Did i slip on my ass again? Sarge never did let me hear the end of it after the stairs incident, shit maybe this one'll be even wors-
Aarrh-FUCK!
Something stings. Like, everywhere. My face mostly but it condensed into my entire body as a whole. I must've really fucked myself up.
My instincts flare up, and muscles activate, my hands try to grip something to pull myself up from the ground. I push up, strength built from constant PT sessions that I groaned over doing apparently doing wonders now. Shakily, but certainly, I get back on my feet, steadying my stance with wobbling feet that corrected themselves. My hands rub away the confusion baked into my eyes as the picture of the world around me becomes clearer.
Oh god…the building is on fire??
Not just aflame but, blown apart too? Shards of glass and pieces of brick decades older than me were thrown across the streets. I could finally hear my breathing labored as my brain could recognize the reality around me.
Shit, I need to call someone, anyone, my hand immediately shoots into my pocket for my phone when-
I hear something, faint but I know I hear it.
“Heellppp!” It was like the loudest whisper of a voice, I could just hear the strength in the speaker become weaker just by the sounds of it.
Wait.
Shit.
Shit-shit-shit-FUCK-FUCK.
There was still someone in there. That's right, that ptero and Rex were in there!
I-....shouldnt I wait for an ambulance?
No you dumbass! They'll die in there before some ambulance gets here!
Fuck me conscious I just wanted to game tonight on my pc…
…
I clench my fists, trying to compose myself in the way I had for years now since my shitty highschool days. In, and out. In, and out.
…
The flecks of ash and heatwave from the fire steal away any regrets I could even muster.
If I didn't go in there and at least try, those two souls are dead. Raptor-Christ help me if that won't haunt me for the rest of my life.
I pick my heavy feet up, feeling a sharp pain upon my arm moving that my brain quickly forgets about, the heat grew with each passing step away from safety, leaving such guilting luxury behind me. The former beautifully made brick pizzeria now lay in tatters, whatever the hell happened to blow it to shit did a damn good job. Random bricks scattered across the sidewalk, the window I saw the dinos in was just obliterated outwards, wooden beams, flame and smoke were blinding and blocking my view inside. Better try the door then.
I make it to the entrance, the smoke would get worse the more I stayed here I knew, so I have to make every second count. And fast.
Fuck me standing.
Door handle, metal. Might not be a good idea to touch. Fuck it then.
I get into a good quarterback stance before charging into the entrance with all the strength i could muster.
A snap of wood? Shit okay.
And here I figured I was a fatass. I mean spiritually I guess I still am, I ran and did push-ups till I puked most of the time at those PT sessions with sarge, yet I honestly didn't think of myself as the toughest cookie in the company.
Another then. I take a step back, deep breath, and…
BANG!
My weight gives into the door, and I fall into the pizzeria proper. Fuck me the pain in my arm just felt worse after that.
“Fuck-me…h-hello!?” I call out. Not realizing till I heard my own voice croaking out that it sounded weaker than before, whether it be a result of the smoke inhalation or something happening in the chaos of whatever blew this place up I can't tell. Thankfully it isn't too bad, so I try it once more.
“H-hey! HEY! ANYONE IN HERE!” i force another shout out of my tired lungs. Mind fighting body to keep going and not back down just yet. Picking myself off the ground with a huff, I suddenly heard something through the crackling of fire surrounding me.
“HELLO!” I shout again, desperate to know if I came too late or not.
…
Nothing.
…
Goddammit Anon you fuck-up, you were right there and-
“...please…”
What?
I know im not fucking crazy, even if im inhaling a dangerous amount of smoke in the air currently. The minutes pass by like agony. Please, please give me another sign.
And then, I heard that sound once more.
“...heelllppp…pleaseee..”
I try to trace it, my eyes darting around like that one carfe junkie that got kicked out of my last unit. Raptor-Christ he was a mess, always filthy and staying in his room.
Fuck. No, nono Anon no distractions.
Wait.
…
A feather?
That's a lot of feathers actually.
A set of half burnt wood and charred ceiling tiles had but a lonely feather to landmark itself as more special than any other mess in here. A diamond in the rough. Bingo.
A cough escapes my lungs, rough and flavored with the bitter air around me. Fuck im running out of time here!
I rush as fast as the pain in my leg would let me, grasping at whatever I could amongst the pile. Wood beams small and large, pieces of ceiling cracked and frayed tossed both tossed aside immediately, thrown to a corner I couldn't give less a shit about. It took only a minute of digging before I saw her.
That ptero from the window. Raptor jesus she looked rough, burns on her forehead, what little hair that grew from her mostly bald head was singed and bright with deadly embers. I kept digging, and out from the dust came one of the biggest carnivore men I'd ever seen. This guy's head alone could probably eat Sarge whole! Speaking of head, his wasn't in the best of shape either I noticed. Cuts and scraps, bleeding a lot by the looks of it, fuck its like he took the brunt of the impact from above. My hands kept prying debris from dino, separating the two consistently more and more. Fuck-me this dude really did take the brunt of that shitshow earlier, his body lay across the ptero girl's, small arms limp but seemingly cradling her.
“..nnhhrmprr”
A pained groan escaped the girl on the ground, shocking me to action.
“Ho-fuck you're alive!”
My hands reach out on instinct alone, taking up her arms as she gasped out in pain at the pressure. Ok, just like they taught you Anon.
Taking up her armpits, I try to carefully yank her out from the pile and t-rex both, as gracefully as I can possibly do so, she slides out with a cry of strained torment. I can't even imagine what's been broken that im not aware of.
Once I get her out, her small frame is clinged to my own, her arm brought out and around my neck as I try to hurriedly get comfortable enough and try walking outta here. Her feet drag behind on the hot floor, can’t even tell if she's awake or passing out at this point.
I push myself forward, thankfully her body didn't weigh too much. And any alarm bells I might have had in this particular situation did not make themselves known, a double-net positive and ill take it graciously. Albeit the latter is definitely due to the adrenaline rushing through my blood right now, im too pumped on brain nonsense to functionally care about touching a woman in any capacity. I just need to get her safe for the moment.
After a good 2 minutes of steps, I make it back outside to the place I'd woken up to before, letting her off my body support and gently setting her down to the pavement.
Seemed I didn't need to call the ambulance afterall. I look around, a crowd already steadily forming, phones being called and voices running rampant from dinos of a dozen or so different species. What they said I couldn't make out if I tried, my head was spinning still from being in there and my lungs greedily took in the air fresh outside. I only knew that of every call being made, ONE of them just had to be a damn paramedic.
I gather up myself, memory striking my skull with the force of a giant gong. There's still one more.
My legs begin to move, but a feint hand stops me. There's no strength in such claws on my pant-leg, but my muscles stiffened nonetheless.
“Please…Moe….savv-” before she could even finish the third word, she was out like a light. Her eyes were closed before I could even see them.
Moe? That's gotta be the rex still in there. Not for long if I can help it.
“I'll be back okay? Holdup till I get…Moe.”
I rushed back in, but another blast paused me.
BOOM!
The vibrations rebounded in my damn bones, was that a second one here?? Or a new one somewhere else???
Fuck this, I need to get in there faster.
I rushed forwards once more, practically screaming at my legs to get going lest I be too late. One step, two step…PT always haunting me at the worst times…
The mess of splinters and twisted metal that was once a door was long past me as I entered the restaurant, sprinting inside before coming to a halt once more in front of that now recognizable sized pile of rubble. It was worse In here now, the smoke ungodly, blotting out any outside light or freedom I was once apart of. Freedom? Did I ever even have that in my life?
Whatever the case, prioritize the victim currently trapped under his own wrecked pizza joint newly promoted sergeant-thinks-a-lot.
I see the Rex before me on the floor, still as banged up as ever, and soon worse if I can't get him outta here. My hands move fast to grip and throw each piece of rubbish holding the poor rex under. It takes some prying for some, and even more heavy lifting for others, but I finally manage to get enough of him out to leverage my arms underneath. Never thought my training would ever be used in a serious situation here.
Hooking my arms under his own, I take what remains in my upper body and slowly heave away at him, pulling his limp weight back towards me and out from the biggest of rubbish crushing him. No sounds come from the old looking dino, not even muffled, I try to push that worry deep down for the present before me.
I grunt hard, giving it one final pull with my legs bent and joining in the motion, before the big tyrant lizard came out completely, and the bullshit atop him gave way to the new space beneath.
“R-ra..huhff..jesus..” I huffed out in-between breaths, taking in the burnt atmosphere choking us both out.
A fallen timber lit aflame caught me aware of my surroundings once more, landing merely an inch close to my leg in a lucky draw, the small reprieve would have to wait till i get the hell out of here.
“A-h-alright buddy, let's get you outta here.” My body leans down to-
“Hhhhhollyfuckyoureheavierthanithought-”
…nevermind.
More wood beams collapse, the snapping of ages-old lumber turned to deadly ash-ridden killing trunks making themselves known.
I look down at the old man beneath me.
He was aged, tired, bloodied, battered, bruised…..and he'd perish here and now if left be.
…
A breath comes in…
…
A breath comes out…
My mind blanks out for a second, but before I knew what happened I already felt the mass of dino weight upon my back, legs now screamed at me for the pain they felt below. A groan of something escaped me, maybe annoyance? Whatever I felt, it was irrelevant.
I'm not leaving without Moe.
With a slow crawl of legs moving forwards, the pressure of a perhaps 300 pound tyranosauroid on my back was all that I could focus on in that moment, even as the building continued to dwindle in stability.
One foot forward, second foot forward.
It was a rhythm I followed, something familiar, something to ground myself when things felt unbearable.
Before I knew it, the front door was ahead of me…and blinding lights too.
For a moment I figured I died and carried this poor old dino bastard's soul with me to the afterlife like some peacable grim reaper.
But no, im not about to think of the afterlife just yet.
“Hey!-HEY! WE GOT A LIVE ONE OVER HERE!”
The vision became more clear as the hell behind me was gone, replaced by bright lights, sirens, LOTS of sirens and the small group earlier turned to a crowd thst encircled the immediate area around the pizzeria. Things flooded into my brain now, cops directing traffic and civilians(Jesus did I just say that?), firefighters already storming behind me into the place of the damned I just left, and paramedics. Thank god.
One came over to me, a raptor fella with some purple spots on a blue body, attending to the girl I dragged to safety earlier. She seemed ok from this angle, thank you Raptor Christ.
“Hey-hey, you okay guy? Jesus. Mikey we got a skinnie here with glass shards embedded in ‘em!”
Skinnie? The fuck did you…wait what glass?
Pardoning my obvious confusion, two extras came over to carefully trade me out with the massive dino on my back. A small relief filled me as nothing now weighed me down. However, that comment didnt sit well with me.
“Yo, uh..Doc, what'd you say about glass again?”
The velociraptor-i think at least, please dont EO me if you're hearing this Drill Sarge-looked at me puzzled.
“Buddy, human, do you not feel that shit at all right now?? Christ we definitely need to check you in with the others.”
The others…THE OTHERS!
“They'll be fine, we're running diagnostics right now and driving them to Volcaldera hospital ASAP. You're coming too with that nasty mug of yours all wrecked up by the blast probably.”
My hand motioned up to my face, purely instinctual but as the new sharp additions made themselves known I jerked back in a mix of pain and shock.
“Ah-shit!” I muttered.
“Bet that shit hurts dont it? C'mon skinnie let's get you checked up at the hospital, you can just hop into the back of the ambulance with the girl.”
He motions a hand to help be around, but I decline, and simply follow to the back of the red and white vehicle, barely acknowledging the crowd of on-lookers, screaming something I can't quite decipher there and then behind the lines of police dinos…but I think one of them said..
“Hero”?
An ambulance ride? How quaint. And with only myself to keep occupied, given the only other people here were either in the front speeding through traffic lights or…the one in the back, with me.
The burnt up ptero girl was strapped up on a medical bed, breathing through a tube fed mask giving her life saving oxygen. She was out like a light, monitors beeping rhythmically to her erratic heart-motions.
I was left to wonder in the silence….
What the fuck have i gotten into??
Raptor christ if thou art in heaven please explain this calamity ive inexplicably gotten into?
….
….silence. Figures, never was the church type so of course he won’t answer right away.
My face sinks into my palms, held up on knees tapping incessantly while my brain tries to pick up on the events of the past hour or so all at once.
A groan escaped me…taking on a passing idea I took a hand to where my phone was and pulled it out. Curiosity satiated, it was like 11:34pm.
How am I gonna explain this shit to Sarge?
"Yes, uh, Drill Sarge it came to my attention that i was involved in a random as fuck kitchen grease trap bomb going off and had to rush in to save the occupants inside."
Real believable huh? Anon, the lazy neat who just barely met the qualifications for NCO status had the balls to save someone?
Suppose i should just take the few minutes i have for some shut-eye after the workout i already put my body through. I feel pretty tired now but that morning rest after is gonna be a bitch to wake up to. I then let the sleepiness wash over me as my last look in the living world was her.
I'm not very religious but….I'm really hoping this girl pulls through.
The ride didn't take long, just about 10 minutes given the speed at which the ambulance sped through with, the attempt at some minor napping was a complete wash after the second heavy thud we ran over. Can't say I didn't try to get some rest after what I put my body through tonight, albeit the attempt ended in me just being awake with my eyes closed.
…
A loud break. We parked.
…
As the sounds of paramedics rushing out of their doors hit my ears i looked back at the winged burnt saurian on the stretcher. God my heart hasn't sank like this since that accident at boot camp years back. It’s like she wore a permanent mask of anguish, baked in from that flaming baptism earlier.
Jesus Non, the fuck kinda analogy is that?
The doors swung open before my mind registered them, more than the two medics i’d seen earlier were now here as well, all talking amongst each other faster than my fucked head could process at that moment. They were certainly thorough though, with a dash of unlatching pieces and instruments the stretcher and it’s occupant were out of the vehicle and out into the open air once more.
A dino came to me quickly, same guy i reckoned who escorted me into this emergency speeder earlier, motioning me to move towards him.
I'm not that fucked up guy….
…mostly at least…
“C’mon pal-out the back and into the hospital here, gotta get you checked up.”
“Is-she?-” the words spat outta me before I knew it.
“That girl’ll be okay for now I think, she’s gonna be getting treatment ASAP in the emergency wing.”
I nod. Guess I'm here aint I? Alright, lead the way buddy.
He let me move on my own though his eyes gave me the impression he had to be a foot near me at all times so I didn't fall face-first into the floor and possibly bury these shards even deeper in my thick headed skull. Thanks papa-Mous i guess.
Me and the medic followed close behind where the ptero was being rolled ahead, passing by through the doors and into the hospital proper.
As we walked in, no more than 5 steps and there came the sight of another dino, standing in a fancy dress shirt and pants by the front desk, absentmindedly checking out a clipboard until the party I came in with interrupted his thoughts.
He turned up and froze, a dead eyed stare that almost scarily reminded me of myself. Before I could ask aloud if I was the first human he’d ever seen, I realized too late it wasn't me his gaze was unnerved at.
“FANG! Oh my god FANG?!”