I really can't apologise enough for not updating in months. I really wanted to but my motivation was here and there and I started college which has taken up a lot of my time. But I finally managed to get this written and even though it isn't as thoroughly edited as I want it to be, I really wanted to get this update posted. I promise this fic will be finished before the end of the year and I do have a rough draft of the epilogue (next chapter) written up, so it shouldn't be a long wait - but don't hold me to that.
Claire had accepted the fact that she was going to die today. She'd been in a fluctuating state of accepting it, coming to accept it and denying it. But now that she was stood in the promenade of the park with the Indominus Rex standing a few feet in front of her, she had now fully accepted that she would die.
Claire didn't necessarily think about dying that much. In the past she had, when she had been younger and when she had first found out that she was pregnant with Zach. The reaction of her father, now brother in law and her peers around her had made her think of the worst things possible but she had gotten through that. She had gotten through it because it was a teen pregnancy and it was nothing compared to what she was facing now.
(Granted, when she was sixteen and pregnant, she would never have imagined that she would be the director of a park that's main attraction was real live dinosaurs.)
The ground shook from the power of the dinosaur, from the way she would lift her feet and place them back down on the ground. She was getting ready to charge, Claire knew the basic instincts of any animal, including the dinosaurs, but she'd never see it in action. She knew she was going to die. She had been running from this fate all day, narrowly missing opportunity after opportunity to finally kick the bucket and now that she had finally gotten all of her unfinished business out of the way, there was no reason why she couldn't die right here and now.
Except, there was one thing that was stopping her from quite accepting this fate as much as she wanted to. Well, three things technically. Those three things just so happened to be her nephew, his clammy hand gripped tightly in hers, her would be boyfriend if they got off of this god forsaken island, and her son. She wasn't willing to allow any of the to die and she had a sinking suspicion that neither of them would allow her to die – or maybe just Owen and Zach since Gray might have been to young to comprehend everything right now.
She knew this to be true when Owen backed up until there was very little space between them and her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest she thought it was going to broke through her sternum and ribs. She couldn't think of a way out of this and she doubted that Owen knew a way out this too. They had spent all day coming up with on the fly plans that when it came to the crucial moment, they had exhausted their resources and Claire would never have put the responsibility on the young boys, who were stationed just slightly behind her, to come up with a way to save them all. They needed a miracle.
The Indominus let out a sound that was similar to gibberish and it seemed as though she were talking to the raptors that surrounded them. Claire wasn't sure what was going on but she was smart enough to make the connection that the two breeds of dinosaur were conversing in some way. That seemed to be the case because moments after the Indominus said her piece, Blue turned to look back at Owen, her own garbled mess of noise leaving her massive jaws and then, Claire got that miracle she so desperately needed.
The quick succession of things that happened after that were all too fast and far too destructive for Claire, or anyone, to comprehend until they were all safely off the island.
Blue turned back to the Indominus. She spoke again but whatever she said, seemed to upset the Indominus, who let out a powerful roar and slammed her huge hand against Blue. The smaller dinosaur went flying through the air, smacking into the exterior of a nearby building. She slumped down onto the ground, laying limp. The other two raptors didn't take too kindly to their beta being harmed in such a way, as well as a threat to their alpha, and let out their own roars, a sound that was a mix of distress and rage, before they lunged at the Indominus. They charged at her, climbing up her body and gnawing harshly at her back. The Indominus didn't take too kindly to this, naturally, and began to struggle against her attackers, attempting to throw them off.
But there was no time to wait around and watch this happen, they four of them stood in the middle of the danger zone, so Claire pushed Gray towards his pseudo brother and then she was shoving both of the boys in one direction. They broke into a run and Claire glanced behind her to make sure Owen was with them. He hesitated only to grab the rifle he'd discarded on the ground before he joined them. Claire didn't know what his plan was but the look on his face suggested that he had one – his expression was steely with traces of despair, the same look he'd given her when she had told him they wouldn't work.
The Indominus' tail swung around in the air, stirring a breeze that wasn't there, and Claire was relieved to find that they were out of the danger zone, the tip of her razor like tail whipping throw the air and narrowly missing them. Their destination was a small gift booth that was made of steel and, hopefully, would be enough to protect them from the fight happening only a few feet from them. More relief began to flood Claire's gut when she saw Gray get in, followed by Zach. They were safe.
But as she began to climb in, she noticed that Owen's plan was to be a god damn martyr and now really wasn't the time to go back to his NAVY roots. Claire wanted to scream at him, to tell him to get his handsome ass to safety but it wouldn't work. She knew Owen, he was stubborn and the only reason he wasn't with them now, was because he was trying to protect his raptors. As Claire tumbled into the booth, she heard gunshots fill the air and her flinches were involuntary. Owen was going to get himself killed and that made the relief in her gut evaporate as soon as it had formed. She hated him, she hated that he thought that he had to do this.
She hated him but she didn't, she loved him.
Despite the danger, Claire stayed close to the counter, looking out at the fight, her eyes on Owen as he pressed himself against the amber display that honoured the creation of the very beasts that were now trying to kill them. She didn't want to watch this, but she had to.
"24, 50..."
Claire looked over her shoulder when she heard Gray's whispers. She was momentarily lost in the way he pressed himself against Zach and she briefly, very briefly, wondered if Zach had told him but now really wasn't the time.
"We need more." Gray announced, as if everyone was supposed to know what he meant.
For a moment, Claire was lost in the way that both herself and Zach gave Gray the exact same incredulous look.
"More what?" she asked.
"Teeth." Gray said then. "We need more teeth."
And then, an idea so insane that she might as well have been sanctioned formed in Claire's mind. She had no idea where it had come from, perhaps the fact that there had been many reports of dinosaurs that had gotten loose but there was one that hadn't. One with more teeth, one that could save them.
She got up then, going to the emergency kit that every booth was supplied with and grabbed the two flares and the walkie talkie that was located in them. She didn't know what she was doing but her body compelled her to move and when the lives of three people she loved dearly was at risk, she was willing enough to go through with this insane plan. It called for leaving the boys alone but if it worked out, then that wouldn't be a big problem.
"Okay, so," she said, breathlessly relaying a futile instruction. "Just stay here. It's gonna be fine."
She didn't believe that but she had to say it. She was a mother, and mothers always did and said the right thing to make sure their children were okay. She was a mother, so this plan seemed like a good idea because it would save her son's life. She was a mother, so she was going to risk her life to make sure her son got to live his.
She only hesitated very briefly before she was climbing out of the booth and running in the direction she needed to go in. As she ran, she heard a few echoing gunshots followed by some more chaos that was drowned out by the blood in her ears and the only other sound she could focus on at the moment; her heels hitting against the ground.
(And because she hadn't had enough insane thoughts lately, she made a fucking joke to herself about how she would be able to skip leg day for the next few weeks.)
Claire was still running as she lifted the walkie talkie, it was manually set to the right station and began to talk into it.
"Lowery, are you still there?" she demanded, praying with all her might that he was.
"Where are you?" Lowery asked, voice drowning in worry.
"I need you to open Paddock Nine." Claire said, not bothering with the pleasantries. Now wasn't the time for it.
"Paddock Nine?" Lowery asked her, his voice betraying the fact that he thought she had lost her mind and with what she was doing, she might as well have. "Are you kidding?"
Claire slowed her run to a stop as she reached the thick metal doors of Paddock Nine. She stopped dead, looking at it and then turning her head in the direction she had come from when she heard a low roar. She didn't want to think about what the Indominus was doing and if she was, potentially, risking the lives of the people she loved. She channelled that worry into something else.
"Dammit Lowery," she snapped. "Be a man and do something for once in your life."
She turned her head then, to stare directly into the camera that watched over the gate of Paddock Nine. She wasn't sure how, but Claire knew that Lowery would be looking at her and he would be making some remark over her choice in words – Claire knew he was a sucker for Vivian and he was too chicken to even ask her out.
Just as she suspected, Lowery opened the Paddock, a loud alarm buzzing signalled her to the fact that the doors would be opening and she would have to brace herself for it. She was panicking, having an anxiety attack in the middle of a chaotic dinosaur fight but right now, her feelings were taking a back seat to what was happening. The gate began to open, agonisingly slowly and when it was about half way open, Claire got one of her two flares and ignited it. The surrounding area and herself were bathed in a red light, sparks and heat flying off of the end of the flare.
There was massive thuds that were actually footprints and they gave way to two beady eyes formed in the darkness and soon enough, the Tyrannosaurus Rex emerged from the darkness like the Queen she was. For a moment, they shared eye contact, or Claire assumed they did, it was hard to tell.
She began to move backwards, slowly at first, and as soon as the Tyrannosaurus' head poked through the gate, Claire turned on her heel (ha) and began to run. The adrenaline in her system gave her enough power and strength to break into a full on sprint, back in the way she had come. The flare was still held tightly in her hand, it was the thing that was guiding the Tyrannosaurus in the direction Claire needed her to go in. The loud roar and gust of hot air told her that it was working.
And Claire ran for her life. She ran as fast as she could, with the dinosaur behind her the entire time, until she was back out onto the promenade and she couldn't see Owen, only a lack of raptors and the Indominus attacking the place she had assumed would be safe. But the Indominus had finally found a foe to beat her and Claire launched the flare at her, the small red stick smacking against her scaly side.
Claire threw herself to safety as the Tyrannosaurus broke through the spinosaurus model that was supposed to be scenic but just felt like a joke now. Fake bone fragments scattered around Claire as she took the small lapse in activity to catch her breath. The Tyrannosaurus stood over her, almost in a protective manner, and Claire felt a surge of pride in herself. Through the chaos, she somehow managed to find Owen and despite the distance, their eyes met. And it was that moment that she realised that, yeah, she did love him.
There was a sharing of roars between the two dinosaurs, a scrappy newbie and a seasoned old timer, and it was an invitation to fight. The Tyrannosaurus wasn't taking too kindly to another being trying to take over her island. There was only one way that this could end; death but Claire wasn't sure just whose death that would be.
They launched themselves at each other and Claire knew she had to get out of the fray. As the dinosaurs began to scratch and bite at each other's throats, Claire dragged herself from the middle of the promenade, fear striking up within her as she heard and felt a large thud only a foot behind her. The fight was happening right behind her, sparks of electricity raining down from the broken light fixtures. There was a surge of adrenaline within Claire as she managed to pull herself behind the fossil statue that adorned the street. It was safe enough here.
Her eyes were, very briefly, glued to the fight as she watched the Tyrannosaurus be overpowered by the Indominus until she was on the ground. The Indominus clamped her jaws around the Tyrannosaurus with just enough strength to drag her across the ground but not kill her. It was then that Claire's attention was diverted to the direction the Indominus was headed in and -
The Indominus and Tyrannosaurus crashed through the steel booth that was supposed to keep her three boys safe but it didn't. Sparks flew once more and for a brief moment, Claire couldn't see any of them until she did. She was locking eyes again with Owen and she decided then that they were getting off this damn island. She wouldn't let anyone die tonight.
Someone screamed the word run and it took Claire a few seconds to realise that it was her but she didn't have the time to comprehend what she had done because Owen was ushering the boys out of danger zone and towards her. Too much time had passed since the four of them had grouped together and Claire felt relieved when they were – but she didn't let this feeling linger, she couldn't let her guard down that easily.
She was right in doing so, because she watched in horror as the Indominus slammed the Tyrannosaurus onto the ground, both of them bloodied. She pressed a large clawed hand onto the Tyrannosaurus, preparing for her final blow. If she landed it, they were all done for, and Claire hadn't gotten over accepting death just so she could actually die. She wasn't going to. She had a life off of this island, she had a man she loved, and a boy she intended to make amends with. She was getting off this island and having the family she had always wanted for herself. If she had to raise heaven and hell to do so, then she would.
To her astonishment, and to everyone else's, a much higher pitched sounded filled the silence that had followed the Indominus' apparent victory. Claire's eyes left the two large dinosaurs only to land on one she had thought was long dead; Blue. The raptor was announcing her presence before she charged, sprinting her way into the fight against the Indominus.
But before Claire could get the chance to savour the small victory, she realised they had to move. Nowhere was truly save, so she reached over and tugged on Owen's arm and he knew exactly what she meant without either of them having to say a word. It was funny how things worked, how good they were as a unit as the four of them moved from their previous perch, and Owen and Claire silently guided the run. If Claire could have savoured it, she would have found herself liking the way Owen's hand very lightly brushed against the small of her back as he pushed her forward.
They were forced to stop once, but only because Blue came tumbling through the window of the building they had bolted into for safety. Once the momentary danger was gone, they were on the move again, stopping just outside of what was the building's porch. The fight was still going on in front of them but it didn't last for much longer.
With the combined effort of the Tyrannosaurus and Blue, the Indominus found herself back into a corner. The corner being the broken safety fence that blocked off the mosasaurus pool from the park visitors – that seemed redundant now. And before her very eyes, Claire say an unlikely ally join the fight in the form of the mosasaurus herself. She breached herself just so she could latch her large jaws around the neck of the Indominus. There was a very brief struggle before the mosasaurus quickly gained the upper hand and dragged the hybrid dinosaur to the bottom of her pool.
And it really didn't hit Claire that it was over but it was.
Despite that, she remained where she was, with her boys, as the Tyrannosaurus turned to look at Blue and there must have been a brief moment of possibly hostility before the Tyrannosaurus turned around and walked away, effectively ending any and all fighting for the night. Blue turned to look at them then and Owen walked a few steps forward. He didn't say anything to Blue, he just shook his head, and then she too ran off, to do god knows what.
But that was the moment that Claire realised that it was over. Relief and exhaustion flooded every ounce of her body but that didn't stop her from following Owen as he drifted after Blue. She followed him until he came to a stop and she stopped beside him. For a brief, delirious moment, all she could focus on was her own beating heart and his warmth.
"We did it." she said, in disbelief.
Owen turned his head to look at her, green eyes full of both despair and relief. She matched his disposition.
"What?" he asked and Claire couldn't help but smile a little.
"We survived."
