On the way, Rick helps Tripp and the group escape from Burke, preventing Burke from ramming them off the road and later stealing a large truck to block the road to prevent further pursuit. Terravex gives chase up the mountain and the group escapes. At the dealership, the creatures take control of the modified trucks, and the group make their escape up the mountain leading to the tunnels. Jim helps the group by stealing the Terravex truck on which Creech's parents are loaded. They modify the trucks for Creech's parents to control. Jim decides to help Tripp and Meredith rescue the creatures. Creech is captured, and Tripp and Meredith are taken to Tenneson. When they arrive, they find Creech's parents, but are attacked by Terravex workers. When Creech gets the sense something bad will happen to the other creatures, he heads to Terravex headquarters where other creatures are being held captive. They escape by jumping over a MRL local with an EMD MP15DC lead train, and camping at a hunting cabin. Tripp, Meredith and Creech are chased by Burke and his team along with Rick. Tripp and Meredith escape in the truck with Creech. Tripp and Meredith go see Tripp's father Wade to seek help, but Wade sells Tripp out to Burke. He decides to protect the company's image by drilling poison into a hole leading to the underwater tunnels, and by sending hired mercenary Burke to kill their captured creatures, to the objection of Jim, as he finds the monsters have significant intelligence and emotions, as well as a hive mind intelligence that allows both of the captured specimens to learn what was taught to one. Meanwhile, Tenneson is still concerned about the incident at the drilling rig, since similar experiments have revealed the existence of other creatures. The truck acts as a 'wheelchair' for Creech to operate. Tripp modifies the truck to give Creech more control as a makeshift engine. He befriends him, names him Creech, and promises to help him get home. The next day, Tripp, discovers that the creature feeds on oil, and has taken shelter in the hood of his truck. One night, Tripp encounters the escaped creature in the junkyard and captures it, but the creature escapes before he can seek authorities. The truck doesn't have a working drivetrain. Meanwhile, high school senior Tripp Coley has taken up a job at a junkyard, where he builds a pickup truck in hopes of being able to leave his town. Two are captured by Terravex, but one of them escapes. The operation releases three subterranean creatures from an underground water system and destroys the drilling rig. Terravex Oil is in the midst of a fracking operation in North Dakota, overseen by CEO Reece Tenneson and geologist Jim Dowd.