Jurassic Island

Chapter 10 – Between A Truck And A Long Fall

Kate kept her breathing steady as her feet pounded against the hard ground. She had run cross-country in high school, and had always been a good runner. Her mom had attributed it was because of her long legs. Kate was inclined to agree.

She followed the dirt path through the densely packed foliage, trying to keep her mind clear and focused on the task at hand. The last couple of minutes had been truly terrifying. Kate was ashamed. She had been in so much awe of the sheer power of this place that she forgot to respect it. And now that power was out, and a prehistoric predator was on the loose. There was a part of her that just wanted to turn around and run back to Castle.

The tyrannosaur had doubled back not long ago, forcing Kate to conceal herself in the thick shrubs along the side of the pathway as she watched the fearsome beast lumber back in the direction she had come. And though she was fiercely worried for her husband—Castle was always first in her thoughts—Kate had to carry on. She couldn't just abandon Sally and Todd. Besides, even if he hadn't always followed her directions when he had been shadowing her, Castle was no fool. She had to trust that he could take care of himself. She respected him. She loved him. She believed in him.

Even so, Kate couldn't help but worry. A Tyrannosaurus Rex was a whole lot different than the usual assortment of villains she and Castle had dealt with over the years.

Rushing out into a clearing, Kate came to a stuttering halt as she stared in horrified disbelief at what once was the restroom. Bloody gore was everywhere. The thick palms that had been used to create a thatched roof were smeared in crimson blood, and other bodily viscera. She swallowed heavily as she took in the scene, pausing for a brief moment, as she often did when approaching a crime scene, to honor the victim.

"Kate!"

It was Sally calling her name. Kate snapped out of her ruminations, and maneuvered around the debris until she found the blonde woman huddled over her battered fiancé. Todd was lying flat on his back, groaning in pain, his right leg clearly broken.

"What do we do?" Sally asked frantically, tears leaking down her face.

Falling back onto her training, Kate instructed Sally to removed Todd's belt while she found a splintered plant they could use as a splint. Using the plank and the belt, Kate made a makeshift tourniquet. Todd let out an agonizing whimper when she tightened the belt around his thigh.

"That should do until we get you some proper medical treatment," Kate said, her focusing shifting back to the chaos around them. Her eyes landed on the bloody palms and what remained of a man. "What—?"

"That guy… the one with the kids," Sally interrupted before she could finish her question. "The T-Rex charged Todd, knocking him against that tree, and went… went smashing into the restroom. The building… it… it just crumbled. And there he was, just sitting there on a toilet, exposed and vulnerable." Sally shook her head, more tears flowing down her face, unable to say anymore.

Kate simply nodded, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on the other woman's shoulder, not requiring anything more to be said to know what had happened. Those poor kids.

Sniffling, Sally wiped at her nose. "What should we do?"

Kate opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, an ear-splitting roar echoed in the distance, followed by the terrible sound of metal scratching across concrete. If it wasn't for Sally and Todd, Kate would have immediately jumped up and ran back down the path to the main road. But she couldn't. These two needed looking after, especially Todd. Gritting her teeth, and trying her best to stifle the all-consuming concern that was flooding her system, wanting to seize control of her whole body, Kate bent down and wrapped her fingers around one of Todd's arms.

"I need you to help me," Kate hissed out to Sally. "We need to move him."

"Is that wise? I mean… his leg's broken."

Todd groaned, arching his neck up off the ground. "Do what she says, babe," he asserted through clenched teeth, fighting the pain. "We're sitting ducks here."

Sally gave a quick nod of her head, and rushed around to Todd's other side, shifting his arm over her shoulder, and helping Kate lift him off the ground. Todd leaned heavily on them, needing their support to stand. He breathed through his nose, and glared ahead.

"Remind me to ask for a refund when we get back."

XXX

Castle took a deep breath, steeling up his courage, as he started his climb up the tree. Needless to say, it had been a while since he had climbed a tree, but luckily for him, it was a good climbing tree. Its branches were thick and regularly spaced. The rain had finally started to taper off, making it easier for him to sure up his grip and find his footing. He was certainly fitter than he was a year ago, and he had Kate to thank for that. She was, after all, nearly ten years his junior, so he had to take care of himself if he wanted to keep up with her.

Checking his footing, Castle glanced up at the beaming headlights, trying to judge the distance. It was a long climb. But he was moving at a good pace. Keeping his breathing steady, and forcing himself to concentrate on the task at hand—and not on what could be happening with Beckett—Castle slowly ascended up the side of the tree, staying as close to the trunk as possible. One branch was rotted and nearly snapped under his weight, but fortunately, he had already been moving on to the next foothold.

He twisted his torso, and reached up for the next branch, heaving himself further up the tree. The car had crashed in the upper most reaches of the tree, tangled in broken branches and vines. He planted his foot on a branch and heaved himself up, ignoring the twinge of pain in his right knee. He gritted his teeth. He'd never live that damn skiing accident down. It was his own damn fault, really. He had been trying to impress Beckett, when, in fact, there had been no need to do so. Though, he had enjoyed the benefits of having his gorgeous then-girlfriend now wife—it still felt so amazing to say that—take care of him, and sneakily throw him an awesome surprise birthday party in the process.

Yep. She was pretty extraordinary. And he was one lucky guy.

Finally, after what felt like an exhaustive climb, Castle reached the battered SUV's level, on the driver's side, five or six feet to one side of it. The car was in rough shape. The Tyrannosaurus Rex had crushed most of the top. And the front was completely smashed. The front wheels were driven solidly into the thick branch that thankfully still supported the bulk of the car's weight, holding it in place.

Shifting himself in the branches alongside the car, Castle craned his neck to peer inside. "Charlie? Charlie?" he called out, but got no response. Castle curled his fingers around the branch above him and gently inched closer to the suspended car. This time he was close enough to see inside.

Charlie was huddled one the floor of the passenger side, frightened, hugging his knees to his chest. Castle could hear his sniffling, and watched as Charlie wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. The car creaked as Castle shifted closer, placing a tentative hand on the busted door. Charlie looked up at him with a tear and blood-streaked face, a splattering of mud matting his hair.

"Who… who are you?" his voice was barely audible.

"Rick Castle," Castle introduced himself. "My wife and I were in the other car."

"Zoe?" Charlie asked, his voice still soft.

"She's fine," Castle assured the boy. "Zoe's fine. She's waiting for us back down on the ground."

"You… you're not going to leave us?" he asked, clearly traumatized. "Like Mike?"

"No," Castle shook his head, again cursing these kids' stepfather. "I won't. I'm here to help. And I'm not going to leave you."

Charlie nodded and went quiet again. "I… I threw up," he admitted mutely.

"That's okay," Castle reassured him, moving closer, gently opening the driver's side door. The whole car groaned at the shift, but thankfully remained still. Castle eased his head and torso through the opening, his eyes darting all over the interior, taking in the damage, and extended his hand towards the boy. "Listen, give me your hand."

Charlie remained seated, and didn't move, except to drop his eyes to the floor. The boy looked ashamed, and Castle sighed.

"I won't tell anybody you threw up," Castle told him, hoping that that would ease the boy's mind. "Just give me your hand, okay?" He reached out for him again.

Charlie finally moved, stretching out his arm, but they were still about a foot apart. Castle crawled further through the door. He groped around for a handhold. His fingers latch onto the steering wheel for support, and he pulled himself further into the car. As he moved, the wheel unexpectedly turned, almost causing him to slip. The car frame creaked and shifted, the snapping of a branch or two sounding out amongst the drip of leftover droplets of rain bouncing down through the tree's leaves.

Castle's heart nearly jumped up into his throat when the car shifted, and he now had to work at suppressing the panicky thumping in his chest and ears as he stretched out his hand for the young boy. Charlie reached out, accepting his proffered hand. Slowly, Castle guided Charlie crawl across the dashboard and steering wheel. He ducked out of the car, moving cautiously slow as he listened to the metal groan with the shift of weight.

Ducking out first, Castle established a firm grip on a branch above his head, shifting his weight to keep balance, as he directed Charlie through the battered doorframe. The boy stood up awkwardly on the inside of the door, and Castle held onto him, getting an arm securely around his waist as he pulled him off the wreckage and onto a thick branch besides him. He waited until Charlie had found his footing and was grabbing onto another branch before beginning the climb down.

Castle risked a glance down, and immediately had to look away. Okay, this was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Climbing up was one thing, but climbing back down was going to be something else entirely. He was not really afraid of heights, yet even he could not deny that if either one of them slipped, it would be a long way down.

Turning his focus back on Charlie, he tried to put all the worse case scenarios out of his mind. Sometimes it didn't help being a bestselling author. With some slow guidance, and a lot of patience, Castle was able to maneuver them down a couple of feet, before they had to stop.

"See…," Castle hedged, glancing at Charlie. "Just one branch at a time. It's not so bad, right?"

"Yes it is."

Castle placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's just like coming out of a tree house. Did your dad ever build you a tree house, Charlie?"

"No," the boy frowned.

"Me too," Castle sighed, momentarily thinking back to his own childhood and the lack of a father. He wondered how much different he would have been if Jackson Hunt or Anderson Cross—or whatever his real name was—had actually been a part of his life. Shaking his head, he decided a long time ago he was better off. He didn't need a father. He had Kate, Alexis, and his mother. That was all the family he needed. Well… and whatever additions he and Kate made to that list in the future.

"Mike was never really into doing that sort of stuff," Charlie continued, seemingly needing to talk to cover up his nervousness. Castle could relate to that. "He only spends time with Zoe and me because my mom tells him too."

Castle nodded absently. "Okay, well, the main thing about climbing is never… never look down. Never."

Of course, once he told him not to look down, Charlie did just that. "This is impossible," he protested, voice wavering with fear. "How am I going… I can't make it, Mr. Castle. This is… it's about fifty feet."

"Well, I'm going to help you with your footing," Castle said, squeezing the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "We'll go nice and slow, one branch at a time."

"What if the car falls?"

"It's not going to fall."

Just then, the car groaned, weighing down on the thick branch holding it up. The branch sagged in their direction, and the headlights flash down blindly on them. Castle squinted as he glared up at the car, his breath leaving his lungs in disbelief.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath as the branch creaked and groan under the pressure. He turned back to Charlie. "Go, Charlie. Go. Go!"

The boy's eyes widen in terror, but he did as he was told. They begin climbing down, as fast as they could, while the big branch that had been supporting the car creaked, soundly close to snapping in two, ready to give away at any second. Adrenaline pumped through Castle's veins, and he urged Charlie on. His heart thumped loudly in his ears as he frantically glanced around, looking for some space along the tree where they could move out of the path of the soon to be oncoming car. But there wasn't any. The other half of the tree was brittle and dry. It only seemed like this one side had sturdy branches that would support their weight.

Castle arched his neck up to glance at the car, just in time to witness the branch break. Disintegrated would be a better word. It literally shattered into thousands of splinters. And the car came straight at them, knocking out and snapping smaller limbs as it fell.

"Oh, shit," Castle cursed. "Faster! Faster! Go!"

And they did, but certainly not with the grace of experienced climbers. Oh no. Letting go of the branch they'd been holding on to, both Castle and Charlie fall, thudding into another branch a few feet further down the tree. The car crashed down, smacking violently into the branch they had just vacated. Mercifully it stopped there.

"Move, move, move!"

Finding their balance, Castle helped Charlie back to his feet, and then the two of them continued down the tree as fast as they could move. It was obvious from the start that neither were very good climbers. Truth be told, Castle was amazed they'd managed to outrun the car so far. They continue half climbing, half falling down the tree, small branches and twigs snapping into their faces, shoulders bumping against thicker branches, frantically just trying like hell to get out of the way.

Soaked from the rain, they move clumsily. At one point Castle almost slipped on a resin-covered branch, but Charlie managed to grab the sleeve of his shirt. It was just enough to steady him. Above them, the second branch splintered, cracking loudly. With a groan, the SUV smashed and crashed down through a network of thinner branches, headed right for them. It hit an open space and went into free fall.

"Not good," Castle huffed out, losing focus for a split second, and nearly stepping into thin air. He ducked his head down, and squeezed his fingers around another branch, closing his eyes as the car tumbled down towards them, preparing himself for the end.

But then, by some miracle, the car stopped again, this time slamming into a thick branch just above him with a resounding thud. Castle blinked his eyes in astonishment, utterly mystified by the fact he was still alive. Flirting his gaze up, he found himself eyeball to eyeball with the front grill.

However, the new branch started to creak almost immediately.

"Mr. Castle!" Charlie shouted urgently, snapping Castle out of his stupor.

He moved quickly, slapping his hands against the closest branches for support as he vaulted downward. His movements were inelegant, and if this had been an Olympic gymnastic competition, he would no doubt get a zero. But survival outweighed the beauty of form.

Castle checked on their progress, letting out a breath of hope at the sight of the jungle floor. They could make it. He encouraged Charlie on, leaping from one branch to the next, the car bashing its way through right behind them. Castle grabbed Charlie's arm as they maneuver around a tightly pack group of branches.

"We can make it if we jump?"

"What!? Are you crazy?" Charlie shrieked.

"Just jump!" he ordered, securing his hold on the boy, and together the two jump the remaining seven feet to the ground, hitting it hard. Castle tugged on Charlie's shirt to haul him up off the muddy ground. The car came crashing down, the front grill ramming down hard against the base of the tree. They only had a few seconds to move, and Castle did his best to get them away. The car started to tip, gravity and momentum pulling it forward.

"Duck!" Castle shouted, grabbing Charlie and pulling him to his chest, balling himself up on top of the boy to try and protect him. He closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.

And then the Explorer came crashing down on them.

Blinking his eyes open, Castle was startled to discover that they were inside the car. His brow furrowed in confusion, until he realized that they had been saved by the fact that the tyrannosaur had destroy the curved glass rooftop when it had attacked the car earlier.

"Well," Charlie panted, shifting beside him. "We're back in the car, again."

Castle chuckled, and quipped back, "At least we're out of the tree."

XXX

Robert Muldoon punched it, slamming his foot down hard on the accelerator. The jeep's engine growled as he pushed it to its limits. These gas-powered jeeps weren't really designed for this sort of thing, but Jurassic Park was currently in crisis mode. Before he left the Visitor Center, he had instructed Wallace and the other drivers to start evacuating all the guests staying in those luxury camper trailers set up along the edge of the Vista View Ridge. With the power out, those people were in extreme danger.

The rain had finally let up and the visibility was greatly improved. He turned the wheel sharply, and the jeep slid on the mud, but the tires kept their traction, the vehicle only skidding a couple of inches as he drove it around the curve in the service road. Shifting gears, Muldoon pulled out of the turn faster than he began it. He was almost there, just under a quarter of a mile and he would reach the tyrannosaur paddock.

He took the next bend in the service road, and the jeep swung out into the main road. Muldoon slammed the breaks as he reached his intended destination. He pulled the clutch back, and let the jeep run on idle, as he gripped the window shield's frame and tugged himself up into a standing position. His jaw dropped as he took in the horrific scene before him.

The paddock's fence was in ruins, sliced down the middle, cables hung loose like vines along the edges of the gaping hole, still swaying. One pillar had been completely bent and toppled over, having collapsed along the center of the road, destroying the electric track. And worse of all… besides the scattering of some glass and metal debris, one of the Explorers was missing.