It had been a long day for Owen. He'd been working as a dinosaur exorcist for two years now and there had never been anything like today. It was Saturday, which was typically the busiest day of the week for Owen because of all the special events that took place that day. Today he had exorcised two different weddings back-to-back, taking a four hour shift each. The second wedding shift had ended at 7:00 pm. While the business was not uncommon, the remarkable thing about that warm summer day was Owen had actually been needed. There were attacks. At both parties.
Dinosaur attacks were often few and far between. Owen was surprised, almost shaken, that two happened the same day. They weren't very big attacks, the unidentified dinosaurs were aggressive but manageable and had not caused much of a fuss at the receptions. But still, two attacks in one day. Maybe Owen was paranoid because of the recent discovery that Blue was living practically in his back yard and that she was a mother, but he felt that the creatures were multiplying; breeding. That could mean disaster. An almost-apocalyptic fate for humanity. And the only thing Owen could do about it was hope to God he was mistaken. But he wasn't often mistaken.
Owen breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled his truck into the cabin's driveway. Home at last. He put his phone on silent so no one could get ahold of him so he could have a couple hours' peace.
It was nearly half-past eight by the time he finally walked through the door, so the family had already eaten dinner. Owen grabbed some cold, fried chicken and a handful of chips. He then plopped down on the couch, kicked off his boots, and put his feet up.
"I saved you a plate,'' Claire called from where she was washing the dishes.
"I saw it,'' Owen hollered back. "It was salad. There is no way in hell I'm eating that for dinner.''
Claire gave an exasperated sigh. She set down the dishes and dried her hands. She made her way to the couch and curled up next to her husband. He gave her a greasy kiss. Claire wrinkled her nose, but said nothing. After several more moments of silence though, she felt compelled to speak. "So work was rough today?''
"How'd you figure that?'' Owen grunted.
"Oh, it wasn't hard.'' A smiled touched Claire's lips. "You're quiet, cranky, and eating a cold dinner.''
"Hmm.''
"Are you okay?'' Claire asked, now serious.
Owen nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Crazy day, you know?"
Claire rest her head on his shoulder. "Sorry, babe."
"Where're our kids at?''
"Maisie?''
"Yes, Maisie, and the boys.''
Claire smirked. "Oh, so now they are all our kids?''
"Might as well be,'' muttered Owen.
That was. . . true. Claire continuously hoped that her sister, Karen, the Mitchell boys mother, would pull herself together and raise her children right. But that didn't appear to be happening any time soon. And the boys were growing up. Soon it would be too late for their relationship with their parents to heal. Could Owen and Claire adopt Zach and Gray? Or at least they could live with them permanently? The thought kept creeping back into Claire's mind. Karen loved her boys, yes, but not enough. She didn't love them enough to stay with them. She dumped them at Claire's house on short notice so she could go to Europe with her random boyfriend. The worst part was Zach and Gray knew; they knew their mother didn't care enough. She didn't love them anymore than she loved herself. It hurt the boys, Claire knew. They covered it up well. . . at least the emotional side of it. Now the emotional pain Zach felt and hid was causing him physical pain that he could not hide.
"They're in Maisie's loft.''
Despite the thoughts that swarmed Claire's mind, nothing else was spoken on the matter. Owen turned the tv on. Claire's thoughts wandered far off as Owen flipped through the channels. But she snapped back into reality as soon as the News started playing. Owen stiffened beside her. Projected onto the screen was a large picture of Blue. Why would Blue be on the News? Claire's stomach pitched. Owen quickly turned the volume up so they could here what the reporter was saying.
The reporter was young and a little too eager to be sharing important news, thought Claire. She had curly, short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She had large golden hoop earrings. Every couple words she would toss her head in excitement causing her hair to bob and her earrings to jingle distractingly. Claire took this in quickly, then preceded to forget it just as quickly because of the words that flowed from the reporter's droll little mouth. ". . . resources say the velociraptor escaped Jurassic World along with a dozen other species of dangerous beasts known as dinosaurs. However, this particular raptor—Blue is her name—has been said to be the last of her kind, a rogue and a loner.
"No one had seen her for quite some time, leading some to believe she had died out. This was proven to be untrue as Blue made a surprise appearance at a young boy's birthday party near Scottsdale, Arizona. Here's the boy's father.'' The News cut to a flustered, middle-aged man being interviewed.
Owen turned the tv down again. "What kind of bullshit do they think this is? Blue, in Arizona! She's in our fricking backyard with four babies. Recheck your resources, lady.''
The tv cut back to the reporter. "As many are aware, velociraptors are one of—if the most—aggressive dinosaurs recreated in Jurassic World. Now that Blue has been sighted, civilians are growing increasingly concerned for the wellbeing of them and their children. With that being said, the government has officially issued a statement declaring that if anyone should see Blue, to report it immediately. The US Military has been sent to track her down and kill her for the safety of all American citizens—"
The screen went black. That was all Owen could take. He turned it off. He and Claire sat in silence for several moments, neither able to speak. Blue was being hunted. They were going to kill her.
"She never harmed anyone,'' Owen finally said. "They're hunting Blue just to hunt her. She's no threat, never has been. Whatever Mr. Arizona saw at his kid's party was some other creature, that's a fact. And even if it had been Blue, no one was hurt in any way. It's a complete injustice to her. She. Did. Nothing." Owen's fists her clenched so hard on his knees that his knuckles were white.
Claire rubbed his thigh comfortingly. "I know, babe.''
"Even if they find her, they will never catch her. They couldn't before. They won't now. She and her babies are safe, for the time being,'' Owen reasoned, though didn't relax.
"They think they have a lead on her whereabouts too,'' added Claire. "They'll have thoroughly searched Arizona before they even try anywhere else.''
But Owen shook his head. "The government's not like that. They keep tabs on anyone who might be of use to them. They know where we live. They know our involvement with Blue and the Park. It won't be long before someone in uniform shows up at our door and demands for my help to find her.''
"What will you do then?'' Asked Claire quietly.
"Draw them as far away as possible.''
"Is that really a good long-term solution?''
Owen shrugged. "This'll blow over. Give it a month or two. Everyone will forget and move on. Until then, we keep Blue and her family with us and safe. No one can know she's here.''
Claire nodded.
"As long as she is on our property, she's safe. Our biggest problem will be keeping her here. And quiet. I think I'll stay home from work for a couple weeks. We really can't draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Besides, if it gets out we have dinosaurs living on our property real estate will declare it 'too dangerous' and we'll have to move. I worked too damn hard on this cabin to move.''
Claire nodded again, understanding. They really didn't have much of a choice. They could not let anyone harm Blue and her babies. They could not let anyone know of the babies existence.
"What's going on?"
Owen and Claire spun around. Maisie and the boys were standing at the bottom of the loft ladder. They all wore confused expressions. Claire grimaced. She had wanted to keep this all a secret from the kids. At least Maisie and Gray. Zach probably would have found out anyway.
"When did you kids get here?" Owen asked gruffly.
"I live here,'' snapped Maisie irritably.
"Watch your tone of voice!" Owen snapped back.
Zach and Gray winced uncomfortably. Used to as they were to their own family fighting, seeing others' was awkward. Especially when it was extended family. Claire noticed their discomfort and tried changing the topic. "What were you doing upstairs?''
Gray opened his mouth to answer, but Maisie cut in. "What were you and Owen talking about?''
Claire sighed. She glanced at Owen, whose face was hard-set. "None of you business.''
"It is my business,'' Maisie argued. "I was the one who found Blue! And you're talking about her. Something's wrong and you won't tell me!''
Inwardly Claire swore. The kids heard too much. No point denying anything now. She glanced at Owen who, although obviously displeased, nodded in approval. "You better sit down.''
Owen said nothing while Claire explained everything. The kids listened quietly, not once interrupting her. Maisie's eyebrows knit in concern. Gray played with a small hole in his jeans, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Zach frowned.
"So what are we going to do about it?'' Maisie asked, her voice hard with determination. "We can't just let the damn government kill Blue! She's done nothing—"
"I know,'' said Owen grudgingly.
Silence settled in again.
"So?'' Maisie prompted.
"So what?'' Owen growled.
"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT BLUE?!" Maisie yelled, jumping to her feet. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET HER DIE, ARE WE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—?''
"Maisie, calm down—"
"BUT—"
"I GET IT!'' Owen yelled back.
They glared at each other for several moments before Owen laced his fingers and crossed his legs.
"You do realize, that I care about this just as much as you?" He said quietly. "In fact, I care more. More than you will ever know. So no, I'm not about to let the goddamn officials kill Blue.'' He stood up. "Everyone grab your jackets. We're going to go see my raptor.''
Everyone silently obeyed. Maisie's face was flushed from anger and embarrassment. Claire considered saying something to improve her mood, but decided against it. She had lashed out to her father. Claire would punish her later though. Right now everyone was just anxious to get to Blue and her babies. Once her safety was reassured they would figure everything else out.
Owen's gait was almost twice as long as everyone else's. That and his fast pace equaled to his other four family members jogging after him. Claire fought to keep her breathing steady. She knew Owen was just anxious to get to Blue as soon as possible, but she couldn't help wishing he would calm down. There was no way Blue was in danger. At least not from the government, not yet. It could be easily figured Owen finally had a good excuse to see his dangerous friend and that was why he was in such a rush, but Claire didn't like that idea either.
No one had been to see the velociraptors since last week, when Blue attacked Owen. Maisie had been longing to see them as well. Claire was just unsure about the whole matter. All she wanted was for her family to be safe, including Zach and Gray. She felt it would be very hard to keep protecting them if they were all involved with dinosaurs and a mild rebellion against the government again.
Owen somehow found the clearing where the nest was without any direction from Maisie or Gray, which was quite remarkable considering he had only been there twice. Everyone but Owen doubled-over to catch their breath upon arrival in the clearing. Owen's eyes narrowed. Still gasping, Claire looked around. She instantly noted something was not right. Now wrong, just not right. The clearing felt empty. And besides the labored breathing, quiet. Far too quiet.
"Owen?''
Claire's husband held a finger up, motioning for silence. His hawk-eyes scanned the clearing for signs of danger. There were none visible. But still. . . .
"Where are they?'' Gray murmured.
That was it! The raptors—every single one—had vanished.
"Ah shit.'' Owen kicked at the ground like an angry toddler.
Maisie raced over to the empty nest. Gray and Zach were close behind.
"The bedding is still warm,'' called Maisie.
Owen narrowed his eyes, but didn't go to the nest. He was still skimming the perimeter of the clearing. He appeared to be looking for something. Something that either wasn't there or wasn't visible.
Gray straightened up from where he was crouched by the nest. "Blue?'' He yelled. "Bluuuuuuuuee!"
"Blue!'' Maisie called. "Where are you, girl?''
Claire and Zach joined in. Owen stayed silent.
"Blue!''
"Adaela!"
"Scarlett!''
"Blue? Come on out!"
"Max!''
"Winky!"
"Blue!"
"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you!''
"Adaela!"
"Guys,'' Owen snapped suddenly. "Shut up.''
Claire, Maisie, Zach, and Gray all were quiet. The only noise was a soft rustling in the trees. And then they heard it. A growl.
"What was—ahh!'' Gray's sentence was interrupted by him losing his balance and falling on his butt. He hurriedly jumped to his feet. The ground shook hard again, but this time he didn't fall.
Claire's muscles tensed. Another growl. The ground shook harder. For several moments Claire thought the tremor in the ground was an earthquake, not what she had initially feared. But then it stopped. Everything stopped. The low growl halted. The leaves stilled. The hairs on the back of Claire's neck prickled.
"Don't anyone move.'' Owen.
They all froze.
From Claire's vantage point she saw Owen clearly. Their eyes met. Once he was certain he had her full attention, he lifted his gaze to a spot in the trees willing her to do the same. A cry leapt to her throat, but she bit it back. Staring at them, partially hidden by the treetops, was a dinosaur. And it was not happy to see them.
Owen communicated in silence. Claire understood. They stood still. Luckily the kids had the sense and nerves to do the same. Owen locked eyes with the beast. Like sharks, most carnivorous dinosaurs liked to catch their prey off-guard. The longer Owen held its gaze the longer it would hold off from eating them. . . At least that was their hope.
Claire moved as slowly as possible until she was facing Maisie and Gray. Zach saw her too, although he was closer to Owen than his brother and cousin. "Stay calm,'' mouthed Claire. "It's alright.'' The first part was probably unnecessary. All three kids had been exposed to terrifying situations like this. They were all calm and ready to take any instructions the adults gave them. And ready to run like hell if necessary.
Wishing she had something more reassuring to tell her daughter and nephews, Claire glance helplessly back at Owen. He was still staring at the dinosaur, who was still staring back. Claire was not sure how long they would remain like that. It couldn't be too long. They would have to act soon and they'd have to act fast. But what would they do? Claire's hands were growing clammy. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Then Owen moved. Slowly. Impossibly slowly. Still keeping eye-contact with the dinosaur, he reached into his jean pocket. He carefully pulled something out. It was small, easily held between to fingers. It was Blue's clicker, Claire realized. Owen started moving his fingers in a slight, but quick movement. The clicks, though not loud, reverberated thought the entire clearing. The dinosaur's eyes narrowed. Owen kept clicking. Claire held her breath. Come on, Blue!
The dinosaurs suddenly burst through the trees it was partially covered by. The Gradys and Mitchell boys all jumped back in surprise. Maisie screamed.
"Scatter!'' Owen yelled.
They all broke off running in different directions. The beast roared, making Claire's eardrums grind painfully. It jumped into the clearing hissing and spitting.
"Okay, stop!''
Claire skidded to a stop. Everyone else also stopped. The five of them now stood at different points of the clearing, like a star. The dinosaur was in the middle. It was one of those freakish hybrids Wu helped make. The ones that were nearly all auctioned off at Lockwood Manor before they broke away. This one looked something like a spinosaurus, and even a bit like the Indoraptor. It was tall and had a crest running down it's back, but not like the one of a fullblood spinosaurus. It was a menacing black.
Owen started clicking again. His face was hardset. The dinosaur was confused by the change of positions. But when the clicking started, it turned to Owen again. It growled and moved towards him. Owen kept on clicking. Claire started to panic. She caught her husband's eye, "stop,'' she mouthed. He shook his head. And kept clicking.
The dinosaur was closing in on Owen. Blue was not coming. Claire started yelling, followed by Maisie and the boys, desperately trying to divert the beast's attention from Owen. It was no use.
With a roar, the hybrid charged. Owen threw himself out of the way, but the end of its tail caught him in the chest, forcing him hard into a tree. He fell to the ground, winded. Claire screamed. The dinosaur snapped its jaws. Owen narrowly missed decapitation by rolling to one side. He stumbled to his feet, trying to catch his breath.
Claire started sobbing. After all the shit they'd been through, this was not the way Owen Grady was going to die. She started running as fast as she could to where he was doubled-over with death literally looming right above him waiting to take the killing blow. Claire knew she wasn't going to make it. She was still halfway across the clearing. Zach saw what she was attempting to do. He saw it wouldn't work. He was still the closest. Only a couple yards away. He could make it.
Claire staggered to a stop. Gray cried, "No!'' Zach was sprinting towards Owen. He slammed into him as hard as he could, causing both their bodies to crash into the dirt. Just in time too; the dinosaur's long claws missed his throat by just a hairsbreadth.
Gasping, struggling to breathe from adrenaline and fear, Owen and Zach clambered around, trying to stand. The enraged dinosaur took this moment of confusion to strike. It snapped it's jaws clamping down on Zach's left foreleg. There was an audible snap. Zach gave a brief cry of shock and pain before he was dragged off the ground. Gray was yelling, Maisie was crying, Owen was still disoriented, and Claire helplessly watched the scene play out before her. The hybrid held Zach in the air by his broken leg. It shook him roughly several times before tossing him to the ground.
The dinosaur started closing in on him.
Zach didn't get up.