The storm was bearing down on us, like a big, wet monster trying to tear our boat to shreds. Lightning penetrated the dark night like an explosion, followed by an enormous crash of angry thunder.
Who knew Costa Rican seas had such vicious weather?
The crew members shouted something at me, but I could barely hear them over this beast of a storm. Maybe they wanted me to get below deck, so that's where I went.
Or rather, where I tried to go.
A colossal wave struck the ship's portside, almost capsizing the boat. I would have drowned in the ocean if I hadn't grabbed the railing in time. Why did I even volunteer for this? I thought, my entire body drenched from rain. Struggling to reach the door, another crash of thunder almost snapped my eardrums in half. Was… was nineteen years old too young to die?
For the Pacific Ocean, it wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
The last thing I remembered was our boat riding up to some ominous-looking rocks in the water, with some sort of silhouetted landmark in the distance. The hull screeched as if in pain as it collided with the rocks, sending men and debris alike down into the dark depths. A wave, almost resembling a watery hand, snatched me from the railing to join the others…
…
I slowly opened my eye and instantly slammed it shut as sunlight intruded my line of sight. My brain felt like it was on fire. Groaning, I pressed a hand to my forehead as I slowly sat up, blinking water out of my blue eyes. My memory was hazy. Could I remember…? Yeah. Noah. My name was Noah. I was sent here on some sort of mission. They said I had the expertise. What was it, something involving search-and-rescue? Recon? At least I remembered what year it was: 2017.
I pushed the thought away while brushing sand out of my brown hair. I'd figure that out later. Right now, I had to find out where I was. Looking around, I saw that I was on some sort of beach, with the ocean calmer than I remember. It must be morning, due to the angle from the sun. The boat I was on was here, too, washed up onto the beach.
Okay, first order of business: search the wreck for anything useful… and people.
Hoisting myself up, I heard some sort of chittering noise. I turned to see some sort of chicken-sized lizard cocking its head at me curiously. It was bipedal and green, had a tail and front claws on tiny forearms. It hopped forward a bit, chittering again.
"Shoo," I said, waving my arm at the animal. "Get outta here." The creature jumped back and chirped before skittering away across the sand. Turning my attention back to the boat, I noticed numerous holes in the hull, some larger than the rest. Seaweed had been draped across the railing, and bodies… bodies of the crew were scattered on the deck and beach, staining the sand with blood. "Hello?!" I called out, approaching the boat and climbing on board! "Hello?! Anyone there? Anybody still alive?"
I waited for a response. Nothing. The crew was dead, and I was the only survivor. Instincts told me to grieve later, and search the boat for supplies, food, anything. So, I went around the deck, opening any hatch or door I could find.
The captain's log was soaked, but I managed to find something of use. The book said that our destination was somewhere near the archipelago known as "Las Cinco Muertes", or "The Five Deaths" in Spanish. Our target island was called "Isla Nublar", which I was not familiar with. It also stated that we were there to salvage anything left after the "incident". But what incident?
After leaving the boat with a bag of food and supplies and walking up the beach, a staircase came into view with some sort of monorail station. They were covered in vines and leaves, as if abandoned. I took off my life jacket, useless now that it was shredded, and my eyes rested on a sign covered in foliage. I knelt down and began to wipe off the leaves, itching to know what it said.
As soon as I brushed away the last vine, the sign showed a white dinosaur skull, neck and forearms surrounded by blue. There was also a message written in white below it.
It read "Welcome to Jurassic World."