I seemed to wake up as soon as I passed out. The cracked window was bloodstained and there was a searing pain in my head. "Oh God, no." I whispered as the Alpha Trike charged and slammed the car into the tree. "DADDY!" Jess screamed and sobbed for Gerry. "Jess, calm down! Worrying will only make it worse! Now do what I tell you, okay? Calm down, wipe those tears away. We'll be fine. Rip off that edge on the wheel, Jess.." I whispered hoarsely. Jess nodded and scrambled for the notch at the wheel, shouting, "It won't come off!" She turned around for my guidance and gasped, her hands flying over her mouth. "Your head!" She murmured. My vision blurred and I collapsed back in the seat. "Just do what I tell you, okay? Relax, and rip that edge off. Pull the wires, quick!" I whispered, my breaths short and shallow.
Jess nodded and took a deep breath, and ducked her hand out and ripped it off effortlessly. She tugged at the wires desperately and at last, after what seemed like an eternity, snapped. The wailing of the horn subsided. "Thank you Lord." I whispered in relief out loud, and glanced at Nima. Jess leaned over and hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Jordyn." She whispered. Blood trickled down the side of my forehead and I smiled weakly. A small puddle of blood formed on my seat, so I moved away from it. "Dios, por favor salvame…" Nima murmured in Spanish. Suddenly the tiny pool of blood on my seat trembled for a moment and stopped. "Am I hallucinating, or was that real?" I said slowly. Jess froze, and her eyes widened. She looked out one of the windows and yelled, "Oh my God! DAD! ALICE!"
I slowly moved over to the window on the right, but I couldn't see anything. My vision blurred and I sat back, dizzy. "What is it?" I said hoarsely. "I think.. I think it's a Tyrannosaur." Jess whispered in horror.
My eyes slowly widened and I quickly moved over to the seat. I saw Gerry weaving his way out of the gate, but Alice was still unconscious. I then saw the reddish-brown giant moving towards us – towards the Alpha Trike – then it stopped. I instinctively covered my ears as the T-Rex's mighty roar rang in my ears, as if I didn't have a big enough headache. It stomped towards us faster, and I realized that if Gerry didn't get out from under the gate fast enough, he'd be crushed.
"GERRY!" I shouted shrilly. Gerry finally ducked out from under the gate and pelted to where Alice was, getting away unscathed, but pretty shaken. Had he been delayed for even a moment, he'd be as good as dead.
"Daddy!" Jess cried as the Tyrannosaur roared at the Alpha Triceratops and charged. "Jess! Stay with Jordyn!" Gerry shouted. The Trike backed into the car, crushing a little bit. I gasped and ducked back. The Trike rammed into the T-Rex and they surged into battle. I searched desperately for Gerry and I saw Alice slung on his back, running away from the fighting beasts. I stood up shakily on the seat and poked my torso through the opening. "Come on!" I yelled, despite my exhaustion. I pulled Jess out and we ducked near the tree root. "Okay, they're not fighting by the shed, so—" Gerry started. "Okay!" Jess nodded and ran towards the shed. "Jess!" I ran after her, barely dodging the Trike's tail. The Tyrannosaur spotted me and roared, and started to come after me.
I realized I could duck and dodge and save myself, or save Jess from being squished by its foot. I trusted my instincts and ran after Jess, tackling her and knocking her into the wall of a rock. I half-expected to be dead, but I still persisted. "You saved me." Jess murmured in surprise. "Yeah, yeah, come on! We have to go!" I put my arm around her shoulder and limped into the shed. The T-Rex almost chased us but the Triceratops charged into it, instantly upsetting the T-Rex again. They went back to their brawl and I spotted Alice, Gerry and Nima.
Alice had apparently awoken, and Gerry had Nima on his back. "Hurry!" Jess yelled to them as the T-Rex started charging at the Trike. They seemed 10,000 miles away but within an instant they dashed into the shed with us. I slammed the door closed and turned around with my back on it, taking in deep breaths and letting out shallow ones.
"Jess." Gerry pulled his daughter into a hug. Nima was sleeping. Alice was sitting with one of her hands in her hair as if she were in shock, but her eyes and face were blank. "Jordyn. Thank you so much. You saved my daughter." Gerry grasped my hand and shook it gratefully, and I pulled him into a hug. "Don't mention it." I smiled weakly. As I pulled away, he looked at my forehead. "I'm no people doctor, but I'm gonna get that checked out now. We can clean it up and bandage it at the Visitor's Center tomorrow." He motioned me over to sit down so he could clean up my wound. I sighed gratefully and sat down without question.
As the long evening pulled into night, I heard Jess yawn, "You know how I wanted to see the dinosaurs fight? That was awesome." She smiled sleepily. Alice rolled her eyes, "I missed out on it, you lucky idiots." Jess giggled. "Jess, you get some rest, okay? You too, Alice. You were knocked out pretty hard." Gerry advised. Alice stared at him coldly, "I know how to take care of myself," Her Boston accent sharp.
Gerry raised and lowered a brow quickly, and shook his head, turning back to my wound. "I think you're good for now. It'll keep away infections, for the night at least." I nodded gratefully to him. "Thanks." I yawned, and turned over to Nima. I sat next to her and sat down, closing my eyes to end a day that seemed like an entire lifetime stretched through.
I slowly opened my eyes, and almost right after I did, ever muscle and joint in my body ached. "Ugh…" I sat up and forced myself to stretch. "Mm." I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. There was no sign of Gerry or Jess. I felt my heart race and my mind bubble with anxiety. I stood up and looked at the door. It was open a tiny crack. Slowly, I opened it the rest of the way and relaxed to see Jess and Gerry standing there. "Who do you think won?" I heard Jess ask absently.
I walked over and laughed, "I think we won." Gerry turned around in surprise. "Sleep well?" He asked. I shook my head with a smile. "I slept about as well as a dinosaur could last in present-day." Jess and Gerry laughed. "What would be your preferred mode of transportation?" Gerry asked nobody in particular. I said in a snooty voice, "I'd prefer a smooth, black, exxxx-pensive limousine with a large selection of wine and vodkas in built-in mini fridges." Jess giggled uncontrollably. "Well, we're certainly not gonna take the car, and we can't walk without running into a dino or walking for a whole day, so that leaves us with few options." Gerry shrugged.
Suddenly on the railing in front of rattled, and a tour guide car rolled in. "I think someone knows we're here. That means we're not alone." Gerry said slowly. "I'll get Alice." I shrugged, and Gerry and I went inside to get the rest of our little 'team'.
As we climbed into the car, I got into the 'driver's seat', despite the motorized car being driven by a computer system. "If you're listening, we need to get to the visitor's center." Gerry spoke into the little speakerphone that was on the divider between the passenger's and driver's seat. I sat back with a sigh and closed my eyes, jumping ever so slightly as the car started moving. "God, I hope this'll all be over soon." I muttered.
As the car slowly drove down the rails, Nima awoke. "Que haces qui? Es peligroso!" She spoke to Jess. Jess rose her brows. "Huh?" I turned around. "She said, 'What are you doing here? It's dangerous'." I nodded. "Wait, what's wrong with her eyes?" Alice grumbled. Nima's eyes were bloodshot, and her pupils were gray and shaky. Gerry turned around and tried to comfort her, but Nima exclaimed, "Bastardo! Moriras pr tus pecados!"
Gerry turned to me, his eyes filled with worry. "What'd she say?" I winced and said, "She called you a bastard, and said you'll die for your sins." Gerry shook it off. "She's going into shock and hallucinating." Nima reached her arms out and whispered, "Mariquita! Angelito mio…" Jess furrowed her brows. "She says I'm her angel…" I rose my brows. "Nima, despierta. Usted esta alucinando." I said to her, but she ignored me. "No sabes cuanto he esperado…" She whispered to Jess. "Jess, tell her this: 'Used necesita el descanso.'" Jess repeated my words and Nima sat back with a sigh. "Jordyn, how do you know so much Spanish?" Jess asked, her eyes wide. I winked, "Stay in school, kid."
I opened my eyes to hear a shrill voice say, "Welcome to our last stop! Remember to visit the gift shop on your way out!" Jess shook her head. "That's messed up." Gerry picked up Nima and carried her inside. Alice, Jess and I followed, tired, aching, hungry, and most of all, terrified. Why can't Willy be here? I thought bitterly, remembering my ex, William Hoce. I used to hold his hand when I was scared. And then I found he was cheating on me. Ass.
"Hello? Can somebody help us, please?" Gerry shouted. "The hell happened?" Alice growled, looking at this place. "It's like a bunch of T-Rexes came and played hide-and-seek with the Velociraptors." She commented. Gerry ignored her and set Nima down by the wall. Suddenly a loud white noise with some inaudible speech rang from a T-Rex skull. "Seriously, messed up!" Jess shook her head. "Let me connect to the channel." Gerry reached inside and started fiddling with the radio. He muttered something into the radio, and turned around. "Jess, I need you to get the darts from the car. If you see or hear anything, come straight back." He ordered. Jess nodded and went outside.
"Tranq darts, huh? Wouldn't that kill her?" I rose a brow. Gerry shrugged. "My thoughts exactly. Can you stay down here and wait for Jess? You seem close to her already." He laughed. "Sure." I smiled. "Alice, help me take Nima up, please." Alice grunted and said, "Will do."
As they went up, I heard a loud bang. I moved from the pillar I was waiting by. "Jordyn, what'd you do this ti- HOLY SHIT!" I heard Alice yell. I turned around to where she was pointing and standing there was none other than the Tyrannosaurus Rex that caused so much agony not even a day earlier.
Jess ran in, shouting happily, "Dad, I got the darts!" "JESS, MOVE!" Gerry cried. The T-Rex roared and snapped at him. "Jess! Come here!" I shouted, but as I ran towards her, the tail of the dinosaur knocked her down and the darts went flying. "Jess!" I cried and ran after her, forgetting my own safety. "Come on, sweetheart." I urged her, and we ran behind a pillar. "DON'T MOVE! IT CAN ONLY SEE YOU WHEN YOU MOVE!" Alice shouted. The Tyrannosaur moved its head down next to us, and I froze. Jess breathed in and out sharply. "Just relax. We'll be fine." I assured her, though I wasn't even sure myself.
Jess sighed and nodded slightly as the Rex moved away. "Dad! I can get the darts!" Jess exclaimed. "NO! Just get out of here!" Gerry yelled. "I'm not leaving you!" Jess cried, her voice hoarse. "Jess, let me get the darts." I smiled sadly at her. "No, you can't! You're hurt, and the Rex is too close! You're my friend." Jess whispered, a tear forming in one of her eyes. I rubbed her eye, "Hey, wipe away those tears. We'll be fine." I hugged her. I took a raggedy breath and darted to one of the pillars, the t Rex following me but not seeing me completely.
"Gerry! Try to get it away from me!" I heard a few boxes fall. "I can't get a direct hit!" He hissed. Lights flashed in my brain. I moved to the next pillar and shouted, "Now!" I heard the T-Rex wail angrily and turn around, snapping at its back. "Jess! Go upstairs! NOW!" Alice shouted. I ran for the darts and swiped them up quickly, and dashed for the stairs. "Hurry!" Jess sobbed. I felt the hot breathing of the beast behind me as it chased me up the stairs. As I approached the top, the stairs gave way underneath the prehistoric monster's 7-ton-weight and fell. I leapt as far as I could and managed to land on my feet at the very edge of the staircase.
I ran to Nima. As Gerry put in the drop, I tensed. Her discolored sclera faded to black and I relaxed. "The window. Come on." Alice gritted her teeth and nodded to an opening. "Nima, come on." I slung her arm around my shoulder and I jumped over the platforms . As we climbed onto the roof, Jess stood up to long, and as the Rex rampaged, she tumbled off of the roof. "DAD!" She cried, hanging on desperately. "Jess!" He gasped and ran to his daughter. Gerry grasped her arm but Jess slipped through, landing on another platform.
I leapt down with Gerry down to the ground. "Jess, let go!" I cried. "I can't – I'm stuck!" She sobbed. "Jess, let go! We'll catch you!" Gerry shouted. "Everything will be fine." I assured her. "I'm going to count to three, okay? One—" Gerry was interrupted as the T-Rex smashed the door, sending us both flying. I landed harshly against the car but I instantly forgot the searing sensation to see Jess dangling right above the snarling jaws of a prehistoric animal that never should have been allowed at the fingertips of man.
DAYUMMM! I mean, uh, this is Bubblebu with you, for a particularly INTENSE chapter of The Touch of Fear! So, Jordyn survived her mini-concussion, and she's formed a strong friendship bond with Jess. But Jess can't keep herself out of trouble, can she!? Stay tuned for more!
