Isle of Teeth - Chapter 8 – The Facility

By mid-afternoon, the swamp gave way to firmer ground. The air lightened, though the weight of fear still clung to the group. Every roar in the distance reminded them that the island was alive with predators.

Victor strode at the front, his confidence unshaken. “Just over this ridge,” he promised. “My facility lies beyond.”

When they crested the hill, the jungle fell away to reveal a massive compound nestled in a valley. High fences topped with steel wiring encircled a cluster of reinforced buildings. Communication towers stabbed skyward, their red lights blinking faintly through the haze.

For the first time since arriving, hope stirred in Eliza’s chest. “Finally,” she breathed. “Civilization.”

But as they descended the slope, unease returned. The front gate hung twisted, the fencing buckled inward as though struck by a battering ram. Panels of steel bent outward like torn paper.

Daniel raised his pistol instinctively. “Something got out.”

Inside, the compound was eerily silent. The courtyard, once paved smooth, was cracked and overgrown with weeds. Vehicles lay rusting where they had been abandoned. One jeep was flipped on its side, claw marks raked deep into its frame.

Claire filmed everything, her voice a trembling whisper. “It’s like… like they left in a hurry.”

Eliza knelt beside the jeep, tracing the gouges. “Not left,” she said grimly. “They were driven out.”

Victor’s expression tightened but quickly smoothed into his usual smile. “A temporary setback. The systems may be offline, but the core equipment should still function.”

They entered the main building, their footsteps echoing in the vast corridors. Glass panels were shattered, lab benches overturned, papers scattered like leaves. Ortega picked up a fossilized bone fragment from the floor—snapped in half, streaked with something dark.

The generator room lay in ruins. Cables were shredded, the backup system ripped apart as though by claws.

“Looks secure, all right,” Marcus muttered. “A real five-star resort.”

Victor ignored him, striding to a central console. He tapped furiously at the cracked screen, muttering. “If I can just re-establish the uplink…”

Eliza joined him, scanning the system logs. “Victor, these records—these aren’t just animals you cloned. You engineered them. Spliced genes, accelerated growth cycles, weaponized traits.”

Victor glanced at her, irritation flashing. “Adaptations. Enhancements to ensure their survival. Nature is brutal, Doctor Grant. I merely gave it a nudge.”

Daniel’s voice was steel. “You built killing machines.”

Before Victor could retort, a sound echoed through the facility—low, guttural, and close.

Claire raised her camera, hands shaking. “What was that?”

The group froze, straining to listen. A scraping along the corridor. The faint click of talons on concrete.

Eliza’s blood ran cold. “Raptors.”

The shadows shifted at the far end of the hall. Yellow eyes gleamed in the dark, one pair, then another, then half a dozen more.

Marcus swore under his breath. “Looks like they’ve already checked in.”

The raptors hissed, spreading out, cutting off the exits.

And then, as one, they advanced.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model