Read Online Z. Raptor by Steve Cole - Free Book Online Page B

Are there other groups hiding out here?”
    â€œSome, maybe.”
    â€œYou don’t know?”
    Harm looked at him oddly. “No. Hiding is the name of the game here. A smaller crowd attracts less attention from the raptors, makes you harder to hunt.” She weighed the oar in her hands. “’Cause round here, you never know what’s going to be coming after you.”
    Suddenly she brought the oar down hard on the side of the boat, missing Adam’s fingers by millimeters. He snatched his hand away, stared at her. “What the—?”
    She leaned forward aggressively. “You just got here last night, you get chased by two king-sized dinosaurs about to chow down on your butt and when I save you, all you wanna know is how many people on the island. Are you a spy or something, working for them?”
    â€œNo!” Adam protested. “No way!” Harm swung the oar again. The flat side hit his acid-burned shoulder, and he cried out in pain. “I didn’t talk about the dinosaurs because I probably know more about them than you do. And how do I know you’re not working for Geneflow?”
    Harm stared. “You know about them?”
    â€œToo much,” Adam told her shakily. “I know they’re turning dinosaurs into living weapons. I’m only here now because of the video begging for help to come here.”
    She held the oar still raised. “Video?”
    â€œIt was made by a woman called Lisa—and a Z. raptor.”
    Adam was gratified by the startled reaction on Harm’s gaunt face.
    â€œSo Loner wasn’t lying,” she said. “He really did know how to get word outside.”
    â€œYou know Lisa?”
    â€œShe’s part of the group,” said Harm. “It was her camera they used to shoot the movie. She’s been like a mom to me.”
    â€œAnd what about Loner?”
    â€œWe haven’t seen him for days.” Harm looked troubled. “I guess he could be dead. He was always afraid the other raptors would find out he’s been helping the humans.”
    â€œWhy has he helped you?”
    She shrugged. “He says we’re all outsiders. We need to stick together. And without his protection . . .”
    â€œIt’s possible there’s a little more protection coming,” said Adam. “On that ship there was an FBI agent, a doctor, a whole bunch of hunters and hard men—”
    â€œFBI?” Harm’s eyes grew wider. “And hunters? So there were weapons onboard?”
    â€œA whole crateful. But I don’t know what happened to them. I saw footprints on the shore. I think some of the men may have made it. Unless the raptors got them.”
    Harm hardly seemed to be listening any longer, though at least she put down her oar. “If we could only get our hands on real weapons . . .”
    â€œHow many people does Geneflow have here?” asked Adam.
    â€œI don’t know. We never see them. Only Loner’s seen inside their base. It’s hidden away underneath the military ruins—ruins in the middle of the Vel camp.”
    â€œVel?”
    â€œVelociraptor, I mean. Like Loner.” She rubbed her eyes. “There’s two kinds of raptor here on the island, and they hate each other’s guts. Vels are smaller and fast. Brutes are big and dumb—they’re the ones who were chasing you. Killers.”
    Adam raised his eyebrows. “And the velociraptors aren’t?”
    â€œSometimes they kill. But mostly they catch people, keep them locked up, make them do stuff.” She started rowing, rangy muscles bunching and gliding on her skinny arms. “Loner says they make them slaves or something.”
    â€œLoner’s really helping you?”
    â€œHe’s not like the other Vels. He’s smarter, you know? A better talker.” She shrugged. “Maybe that’s why he’s tried to look out for us.”
    Adam put his head in his