Chapter 7
People Don't Just Vanish
"God damn, you're heavy," Josh groaned. "Maybe you should, I don't know, go on a diet. Even better idea! Don't pass out and make Spencer and I carry you."
Eric sat up. He didn't speak at first, recollecting his thoughts. They were escaping the compound, heading west to a small airstrip. They group was attacked by velociraptors, and then he passed out. After he put everything back into perspective, he observed his surroundings. The moon was high in the sky, stars burning brightly. With no nearby lighting, the night was beautiful. He looked around him. Jungle, but then again, when was it not. Jack was still restrained, leaning against a tree with his wrists bound in rope. He stood up and sighed, "Sorry Josh, but you weren't attacked by a velociraptor. At least you had a gun," Josh just shrugged. Eric continued, "How long was I out? Must've been awhile… wasn't the sun still setting?" Spencer nodded, "I'd say an hour or two. Even carrying you we covered maybe two miles." Eric then remembered Alex. He looked around, but he couldn't find him.
"Josh? Jessica? Where is Alex?" Eric asked, beginning to sweat again. Jessica calmly hopped off the stump she was sitting on, "He's just over there. We patched him up with what we had. Minor scratches. The raptor was pretty young, if it had been an adult you two would've most certainly dead."
"Oh, well, thanks I guess,"
"Don't mention it,"
"He's conscious right? I can go talk to him?"
Jessica laughed, "C'mon Eric, his shirt is ripped and he got scraped up a little. He didn't have surgery done."
Eric rolled his eyes in response to her comment and walked over to where Alex was sitting. His chest was wrapped in gauze, but he looked fine otherwise. Eric knelt down beside him, "Hey, thanks Alex. I probably wouldn't be talking to you right now if it weren't for that claw." Alex looked up. He was admiring the very claw he saved Eric with. Alex just shrugged, "It just felt necessary. And how would I explain to my dad this whole adventure without you?" He grinned sheepishly. Eric chuckled and held out his hand. Alex stood up and they both walked back to the rest of the group. "So how much farther?" Alex asked. Josh got everyone on their feet before answering.
"Let's see… Spence? How far have we walked?"
Spencer looked up, thinking. "I'd say about eleven miles. We covered a lot of ground before the, uh… incident."
Now Josh began to think, "Jess, you said this walk would take twelve hours, right?"
Jessica nodded, "I'm pretty sure. But that's a guess. I never expected to walk back."
"Do you think that might be a little exaggerated?"
"Maybe. I haven't seen anything to give us any direction. All I know is to head west."
"Well I think if we double-time it, and avoid any incidents, we could make it there by this afternoon. Anyone know what time it is now?"
Jessica looked down at her digital watch. It was a nice watch, real survivalist stuff. She glanced at it for a second before speaking, "two o'clock in the morning. And we're still heading west." Josh nodded, "Let's start moving then."
It was about six when the sun cracked on the horizon to the East. The walk through the jungle was dull, nothing but the sound of exotic birds and the squish of mud for the longest time. Eric got uneasy. He hadn't heard anything announcing the presence of a dinosaur, but this island was full of them. Where were all of them? The group stopped abruptly. Alex, dwindling at the back of the group as usual, spoke up, "Why'd we stop Josh?" Josh turned to face the group, "We're halfway there. We've reach the old Iguanodon Inn."
A large building loomed in front of them. It might've once been a gorgeous structure, surrounded by gorgeous, exotic jungle. But time had destroyed this architectural marvel. Vines broke through windows, sections of wall had crumbled away completely, and the once intricate woodwork that graced the entryway was gone, and the door lay on the cracked stairs. Echoes could be heard deep within. Small animals must've been rooting around, claiming the old hotel as their territory. The walkway to the crumbling entryway was shattered, and mangled plants struggled past the old concrete. The empty inn was frightening to all of them. They quickly moved on, leaving the darkened history behind them.
Suddenly, the forest disappeared completely around them. The group looked around to see exactly where they were. Jessica found it first, "I think I know where we are." Hammond was a luxurious man, so of course his island hotel needed to have the entertainment aspect. They had stumbled across the resorts old golf course. Jessica walked up the fairway to the flag jutting out of the earth atop the hill. She laughed quietly and thought to herself, "I knew golf was an old man's sport." Josh motioned her back down, "This is no time for a game of golf, Jess. We should keep moving. There's a road up there a ways. We should follow it westward; better than getting tangled in the undergrowth."
The road wasn't quite what they expected, but the path ahead was still relatively clear. Compsognathus scattered into the jungle as they walked by. The muddy path that was once a rode squished beneath their feet. Eric sighed again, back to the uneasy quietness. He briefly thought of home again, what he would do after this ordeal. He was on an island infested with dinosaurs once, and he thought that'd never happen again. But here he was. He adjusted his pack and kept moving.
With an intersection in sight, and the sun almost in the center of the sky, Josh realized something. He looked around his waist, the rope was missing. He spun around to face the group. "Where is Jack?"
Everyone immediately searched the area. There was no trace. Jessica began inspecting the ground. It may have been a road, but it was still mud and dirt, and if there was mud and dirt, there would be tracks. Eric threw his hands up, "Well? Where did he go? He was tied to you, Josh. People don't just vanish,"
Josh shot him a venomous look, "Do I need to remind you what island we're on? It would scare me if no one vanished." Jessica then hailed the group, "Found them. The trail backtracks… should we waste the time going to get him?" Josh shook his head, "I planned on bringing the son of a bitch back to the states and taking care of him myself, but alone on this island? He'll get what he deserves. Let's keep going."
Jack panted hard as he ran. After freeing himself back at the intersection when they stopped to plan their route, he bolted north. He had seen the maps before they left their fortified visitors center. The West dock was on the north-western tip of the island. Maybe if he hurried, stayed calm, and remained aware of the things around him, he could make it. Sweat poured down his face. Humid jungle, escapee, monstrous predators… Jack stopped cold. Something was pounding the earth. Jack looked down, sweat drenching every square inch of him. A mud puddle rippled over and over again, faster and faster. He slowly looked forward. The beast was enormous. It stopped walking and stood in front of him. Thirty feet away, the dinosaur locked eyes and gave Jack a deathly stare. Jack could see it thinking, planning.
When they first got to the island, Jack had inspected the freezer units where the DNA was held. He knew what this dinosaur was. Hammond apparently had one growing in the hatchery before the park went to shit. The label was "Metriacanthosaurus," but Jack had done his research. A screw up with the names; this monster analyzing it's next move was Yangchuanosaurus, the largest predator of Jurassic China. It's head ended in a ridge of bony horns, almost like Ceratosaurus. It's nostrils flared, venting steam, smelling Jack's scent. Jack shuddered. He could tell it would act soon. Jack looked around. He was in thick jungle. Maybe, just maybe, he could run through the jungle and get away. The Yangchuanosaurus lunged.
The roar thundered across the island. Eric looked in the direction of the roar. "What the hell was that?" he whispered to himself, "that didn't sound like T. rex…" Josh turned, walking backward to keep pace but address the group, "Yangchuanosaurus, an eventual placement to the park. Looks like one was growing up when the park was being built. Maybe we should raise our guards. There are plenty more carnivores that were in eventual placement." Alex stopped dwindling behind the group, clinging right behind Eric.
Alex was plunged deep in thought. He reviewed every one of his dad's stories about this island, and about Site B. All those stories he was skeptical to believe. All those stories that seemed so preposterous were now part of his life now. Eric grabbed his hand, "Alex! You're falling behind again. We're picking up the pace to get to the airfield. We don't have much time, remember? Keep close, okay? We'll keep you safe."
A south at the intersection and a short walk later, the airfield was in sight. Josh turned to Jessica, "What's the time?" Jessica glanced at her watch, "just past 11:00. We gotta hurry." The group pressed on faster. They didn't have too much time left before the island was engulfed in flame.
