"Arsenal," Luca murmured, giving Nagato a look before scanning the rest of the hallway. All the rooms were exactly the same, with doors on the 'left' side of the hallway, but one of them had something different. Moving to take a quick look, he gestured toward the middle door; the noise from the other side of the metal door diminished as they moved away.

  It shouldn’t be used to moving yet, Luca thought, wanting to hold onto some hope. We still have a chance.

  A guttural screech, not made by a human throat but also not by any of the dinosaurs he’d already heard, echoed through the air, sending a shiver down his spine.

  Luca grimaced as they slipped into the room, closing the door softly. He only heard a distant echo now; apparently, the walls here had soundproofing. It wasn’t the best, but it meant the creature wouldn’t hear them very well either—or so he wanted to think. At the end of the room, practically empty, they found a wooden door leading to a utility room with three doors, one on each wall. Identical.

  This time, he wasn’t entirely sure which one to take. "Mark that one, please," he whispered to his companion, pointing to the one they’d just come through. It was for a simple reason—the entire layout there made it almost impossible to tell which door led back to where they’d come from. It was a deliberately confusing design.

  While Nagato scribbled on the wood, Luca approached the door on the right and peeked inside. It was another similar room—very similar—but less empty than the one they’d passed through, with a glass door at the end. He closed it and went to the next one, finding something similar.

  Nagato approached the last one and gestured to him, moving his flashlight up and down.

  It was what they were looking for—the armory, with metal shelves covered by glass. The joy vanished instantly. Only two lonely revolvers remained in different spots, with a box of ammunition forgotten near one of them.

  "Is this all...?" Nagato frowned.

  "Seems like it," Luca murmured, stepping closer to the first shelf to grab the ammunition box and then the revolver. It was lighter than it looked, and when he opened it, he noticed the chamber was empty. There was only room for six bullets, which wasn’t much either. The box had exactly that amount.

  As he loaded the revolver, Nagato approached, the beam of his flashlight nearly blinding Luca. "Here’s the other one," Nagato said, his voice low but lacking enthusiasm. "But it only has three bullets."

  Luca looked up, his expression calm but focused. "How’s your aim?"

  "Did two years of shooting," Nagato replied, with some pride.

  "Then we’ll swap," Luca said, extending the revolver he’d just loaded. "This one has six."

  Nagato hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if trying to decipher Luca’s intentions. "That’s oddly generous of you."

  Luca exhaled softly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I’ve got twelve years of shooting practice. I can do more with three bullets than you could with twelve."

  Nagato’s eyes widened, a flicker of surprise breaking through his grim expression. "How old are you again?" he asked, taking the revolver and handing his over to Luca, giving him a look that said he wasn’t entirely sure Luca was telling the truth.

  This guy, Luca thought, suppressing a sigh and a smile. Not only was he a chatterbox, but he was also distrustful.

  Feeling somewhat confident now that they could defend themselves—Nagato especially—they left the armory and stepped back into the room, taking the marked door (why was there a doodle of a cat? Everyone knew dogs were better) and cautiously returning to the empty room. They even kept the flashlight pointed downward.

  They didn’t hear anything, so they approached the exit, and Luca pushed the door slightly. As he did, a guttural, alien noise reached their ears, a sound that was almost human but twisted, forced, as if whatever was making it was struggling to mimic something it didn’t understand.

  It was horrible. Luca wanted to rip his ears off. But more importantly, it was coming from one of the rooms further ahead. Peering into the darkness, he spotted shards of glass a few meters away and knew that if they didn’t move, they’d be next.

  He gestured to Nagato, and the guy slipped out, quickly heading to the other side of the hallway. Luca closed the door softly and followed, hearing footsteps accompanied by the drag of a tail against the floor. Judging by the noise, its steps were uneven, unstable, backing up Luca’s theory that it was still learning to use its body.

  Nagato reached the hallway exit before Luca, who was forced to abandon all caution when he heard the crunch of glass underfoot and the guttural sound of the creature. He twisted his body as he ran, pressing the band on his arm, and reached the open door, slipping through before closing it as quickly as possible.

  A mission he’d never read about. Joy.

  The creature slammed into the metal door, and the screech of its claws against the surface made Luca shudder as he backed away, noticing that Nagato was already halfway across the walkway. However, his eyes caught something below among the leaves—an animal looking up, tracking the guy’s movements. Nagato hadn’t reached the end when something leaped toward one of the sides, crashing into the metal mesh.

  "Shit!" Nagato fired two shots at the animal—but they bounced harmlessly off its skin.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Luca hurried over to stop him from wasting more ammunition and was attacked—or rather, attempted to be attacked—from the other side of the mesh. He pressed his band instantly, being rewarded with a second notification.

  What the hell, Luca thought as they both sprinted across the walkway, leaving behind the noises of the creatures as they reached the last metal door, not even bothering to close it carefully this time. The slam echoed in the air. And soon, the impact of the creatures against the glass followed, desperately trying to reach them. There were three or more.

  As they climbed the stairs, Luca heard the sound of metal breaking, but it all disappeared when they reached the top and closed the door. Literally. All noise was extinguished, leaving only the sound of their panting breaths. He could swear he could hear his own heart pounding in his chest, eager to leave that place.

  "What the hell was all that?" Nagato, pale, questioned as they moved toward the office at the start. "Aren’t the damn ones outside enough?" he hissed, his frown hiding the fear in his trembling grip on the flashlight.

  Luca sighed, regaining control of his breathing. "We need to leave." They didn’t know if any of the creatures would manage to climb up and escape, but he didn’t want to be there to find out. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go."

  "That damn manual didn’t say anything about this—it didn’t say anything about the exhibits either—"

  "The exhibits?" Luca asked to distract him, glancing around. They were already in the office, and it looked the same as they’d left it.

  "The main mission," the other man grumbled reluctantly, "I had to take pictures of each of the seven giant raptors, but the only way was to participate in the damn exhibit," he shuddered, rubbing his arms without letting go of the flashlight or the revolver.

  "Sounds terrible." He leaned against the wall, resting for a moment. "Did you manage to get them all?"

  "Of course. It was one by one, but I did it."

  Luca let out a murmur of congratulations, feeling tired. But it wasn’t a good time for a nap.

  "You should go to the garden," he advised, his voice barely a whisper. "I’ll go to the Administration Building."

  "...What’s the difference?"

  "The building is like a maze, and there are probably more creatures like these. The garden—I’m sure the lever is at the fountain statue."

  Nagato didn’t say anything for a moment.

  Luca rubbed his eyes before opening them.

  "Will the bullets work on the others—the normal ones?" Nagato asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

  "Yes," Luca held his own revolver, thoughtful. "But I doubt they’ll do much against the bigger ones unless you aim for the brain."

  "When I’m about to be eaten, you mean?"

  He smiled. "What other time than then?"

  Nagato snorted.

  "Shall we?" Luca pushed off the wall, turning toward the exit. "We can’t stay here much longer."

  Not very happy but knowing it was true, Nagato followed him outside. Everything was dark and quiet, with only the distant echo of the storm.

  Luca took the lead, keeping his revolver ready, his eyes scanning the shadows as they moved cautiously along the wall toward the nearest exit. Just as they were about to leave the mezzanine, a series of high-pitched screeches echoed from the exhibit side. The sound was unmistakable: Orkoraptors.

  Apparently, they were about to confirm whether the bullets worked on these or not.

  He gestured to Nagato in the direction of the sound, pressing his back against the wall and moving even more cautiously. The sound of their footsteps was fainter than he’d thought—maybe because he was barefoot.

  A second later, a figure larger than a human peeked around the corner of the wall, its vertical orange eyes glowing in the dim light. Nagato made a small choking sound. The Orkoraptor opened its mouth to let out a screech, but Luca was faster. He fired, the bullet piercing its skull.

  The creature collapsed to the ground without a sound.

  Nagato gasped, his eyes wide. "Holy shit, are you SWAT or something?"

  "No," Luca replied dryly, his brow furrowing. The Orkoraptor’s body lay motionless on the ground, but the danger was far from over. He could already hear the faint screeches of others in the distance, their calls growing more insistent. If the group surrounded them, they’d be more than dead. "We need to hurry."

  But Nagato hesitated, his expression conflicted. "What if—what if we don’t split up?" he proposed after a moment. His voice was reluctant, but when Luca turned to him, there was a flicker of desperation in his eyes. "I’ll give you the gun back. There’s no way I can make a shot like that."

  Luca felt a surge of irritation that he fiercely pushed down. They weren’t empty words—the gun would be more useful in his hands. And if Nagato died along the way, Luca would have to handle the lever anyway—and he’d have his name on the long list of people who didn’t survive.

  "Fine," he said after a brief pause. He extended his hand, and Nagato handed over the revolver without argument. "We’ll go to the building together. If we run into the big ones, the T. Rex only sees movement, the Spino is slow, and—" he pressed his lips together, thinking about the weaknesses of the others. They weren’t exactly weaknesses. "Maybe you should roll in the mud," he murmured.

  Nagato’s footsteps faltered. "...You’re joking... right?"

  Luca didn’t respond, making a sharp gesture with his head for him to follow, and continued moving toward the exit. He had six bullets in total, so there was only one for each Orkoraptor—not the best-case scenario, even with his aim. But it could save them. Besides, in the worst case, he still had his ace.

  Finally, they reached the exit and peeked outside.

  It was raining—light but persistent—and Luca was sure there were fewer lights than he remembered. But the Administration Building was still visible since they just had to follow the asphalt path there. If he squinted, he could make out the doors. But they couldn’t go straight through the open space.

  Luca pointed to the garden across the way—one of the four with its own lake, and Nagato nodded. Both of them crossed the street quickly, enveloped in the murmur of the rain. He didn’t lower his guard for a single moment. The stillness felt deceptive, like the calm before the storm.

  While they were still crossing, Luca’s sharp eyes caught movement ahead—a giant shadow moving near the side of the building. He reacted instantly, grabbing Nagato’s arm and pulling him into the bushes. They crouched just as the ground began to tremble slightly, an unmistakable sign that what he’d seen wasn’t a trick of his mind.

  Seconds later, a long bellow echoed through the humid air.

  Fantastic.

  Something told him that even emptying both revolvers wouldn’t be enough.

  The predator revealed itself moments later, its massive form gleaming under the faint lights. It was the Carnotaurus—Gladiator. Its scales shimmered in the rain, and its bull-like horns gave it an almost mythical appearance. But there was nothing mythical about the danger it posed.

  No, Luca thought, six bullets aren’t enough.