Family: A Jurassic Park Fanfiction
Staring across the river to the baryonyx paddock, Benicio was thankful that his first perimeter inspection was with the much smaller dinosaur. He could never remember how to pronounce "dilophosaurus"– it always came out as "dialphosphorus" - so he referred to them as Dillies. Much easier to remember, and much less intimidating. The other workers referred to them as Dilos or Spitters, but Benicio found that laughing at a silly name was more effective at calming his nerves. But he would never speak that name out loud to anyone. Now that he had arrived at the dinosaurs' paddock, however, the nickname was giving him little comfort knowing there was a chance that he might encounter one in person.
Benicio knew that the perimeter alarm tended to go off accidentally when anything got too close to the 8-foot fence, and it was very routine for InGen workers to go out and check it. In the week that he had worked there, he had seen many people go without any hiccups… well, other than that one incident he had heard about during a raptor transfer, but nothing since then. Benicio's biggest concern was the venom the Dillies spit out to incapacitate their prey. He had seen videos of feedings and felt sorry for whatever poor animal was thrown in with the 10-foot beasts. Thankfully, there was a moat to accompany the fence, keeping guests far enough away – roughly 15 metres – from the spit. Unfortunately, that was exclusively for guests. As an InGen employee, Benicio and his supervisor would have to get as close as they could to examine the fence. Now, getting ready to approach the "breached" area – which he kept reminding himself was not a real breach, but a false alarm to err on the side of caution – and donning the protective gear, he asked himself why he took this job in the first place, although he knew the answer all too well.
Two months before he had started this job, Benicio Salazar had married his childhood sweetheart, Guadalupe. The couple had known each other since primary school, but lost touch when Benicio dropped out halfway through his first year of secondary. His family was never very wealthy, and they lived off selling fish at the market. His older brother had gotten married and left their home in Costa Rica to go work somewhere in the mainland, so the second eldest Salazar had to step up for his family. It was many years later, when he was 20 years old, that Benicio saw Guadalupe in the market. He had forgotten how beautiful she was, with her golden skin, emerald eyes, and auburn hair. And when their eyes met and he saw her excited smile, he knew he had already fallen for her. After that the two had begun to see each other, and they ended up falling in love. Anyone could see why he would love her, but only those who knew Benicio could understand how Guadalupe could be so madly in love with him. Especially beside her, he was by no means attractive, although he certainly was not unpleasant to look at. He was very plain and had nothing special about his looks. Guadalupe admired him for his work ethic and determination. She also knew how much he valued his family, and she has always wanted to have a good family.
Four years after reconnecting, the couple got married. Benicio was able to follow in the footsteps of his older brother; he no longer had to work for his family, since he had his own to wake care of now. He soon learned, however, how difficult it was to find work on the poor island. He managed odd jobs to keep him and his wife afloat, but he soon received news that would change his life forever. Guadalupe was pregnant. Overjoyed that they would have a family and concerned as to how he would provide, Benicio immediately set out to find himself a job. One day, he saw a white man in a suit at the local market. He knew white men this well-dressed were either touring celebrities or businessmen. When he approached the older gentleman, Benicio heard not only that he was a businessman, but one looking for employees. He approached and listened to the man's speech. He could work near home, the conditions sounded good compared to every other job he'd had, and he did not require any special education. Benicio immediately signed up for the job.
Two weeks later, he had finished signing some very detailed confidentiality documents and other consent forms, and he learned he would be getting enough money to not only support his new family, but his old one as well. Ecstatic at this opportunity, Benicio said goodbye to his wife. She was sceptical about her husband leaving, although she knew it would only be for a couple of weeks at a time. He waved goodbye to his love from the cargo ship that was bringing him to the private Isla Nublar, and it was only after his home was out of sight that he noticed the smell of animals, both alive and dead, and wondered what exactly he had signed up for.
Benicio noticed that his hands were shaking even as he removed the protective gear. The perimeter fence inspection had gone off without a hitch and, more importantly, without a dinosaur sighting. Returning back towards the company vehicle, he heard rustling from the Baryonyx paddock, and reminded himself that he was lucky that he did not have to deal with those big lizards. His supervisor, James Wolfe, had patted him on the back and congratulated him on his first outing. Wolfe, who was twice Benicio's age, had been one of the first to come to the island and had trained many rookies during their first encounters. Benicio was surprised at how likeable the older white man was. He assumed his gentle smile that gave his deep brown eyes crow's feet must help, but it was more than that. His demeanor was very comforting - almost fatherly. Maybe grandfatherly, Benicio thought as he noted his greying hair. Wolfe had assured him that they would be back inside within an hour, which was good since a storm had started. The dark clouds had been present as soon as they had arrived, although neither man thought much of it due to their experience with Costa Rican weather. Even as the storm took a dramatic turn, both men continued to load their vehicle without much thought to the hammering downpour and the wild gale.
Once they were ready to return, Wolfe was preparing to make the routine call to inform the control center of their intent to move. As he turned on the radio, he heard nothing but static. After a couple of attempts to make contact, Wolfe had decided to just drive back, knowing the vehicles had trackers and that no one would scold him with his seniority. As the car jerked forwards, he heard the new employee let out a heavy sigh. He had seen that look before in many rookies, and he always took pity on them. Having three kids of his own, he knew what it was like when children were exposed to the stresses of real life for the first time (although he admited that none of his kids had experienced this kind of stress). His youngest daughter was slightly younger than Benicio, so he was compelled to comfort him. As the two talked on the ride back, Wolfe learned of the couple's first step towards parenthood, which explained why the hardworking husband would have had to pick up a job working for InGen. Wanting to offer some insight into life as a father, Wolfe pulled out a picture of his family, trying not to feel old as he mentioned that his youngest daughter is almost the same age as the young man. As he started to tell a story about the challenges of having a baby, he noticed that he was having a hard time speaking over the rain. This thought caused his eyes to focus on the road ahead, where he noticed a tree has fallen. Wolfe's eyes widened and he could feel his skin crawl as he pondered the idea of the dinosaurs escaping the paddock, although he knew that could never happen what with all the redundancies the park had installed. At least, that's what he was thinking as a tall shadow leapt in front of the car, causing Wolfe to steer to car off the road and into the nearby forest.
Benicio had not been in a car many times before, and now he had decided that he would happily walk or bike anywhere. He didn't even know how the car had crashed in the first place; he was admiring Wolfe's family, daydreaming about what his own would become. The older man had assured him that it was an internal vehicle problem, which explained why the car would not start again. Regardless, the crash had been frightening, and Benicio found that walking back was very bittersweet; he was no longer in the vehicle, but the storm was still raging.
Benicio had another concern in the back of his mind: Wolfe had grabbed a handgun from the car's glovebox, along with a radio and some ponchos. Benicio remembered explicit rules preventing firearms - especially ones with live ammunition. Wolfe informed him that supervisors could carry an arm as a precaution but considering how even transporters were only allowed to use electric cattle prods, he could not help but feel as though his supervisor was hiding something.
His train of thought was derailed when he heard a thunderous roar in the distance. The two men stopped moving, only to notice the trees shifting, clearing a path for something. They could feel the ground tremble as though an entire heard of elephants were charging towards them… or running from something else. Either way, Benicio had no intention of finding out. He ran into the opposing forest, with Wolfe hesitating to follow for long enough to see three stegosauruses running from the baryonyx. Racing to catch the younger man, Wolfe felt his heart sink as he wondered how any of this could be happening.
Pausing to catch their breath, Wolfe was thankful that they had arrived at the herbivore section of the park. This meant there would be only one fence and one moat: the one keeping the dinosaurs out of the human traffic areas. If they could arrive there, they could enter the control center - where everything should be safe – and they would be given directives. Even with all of his years of training, Wolfe was not prepared for this. There was one complication that made his stomach churn: since the baryonyx got out, the other carnivores most likely would have as well, and it doesn't take a paleontologist to tell you that those hungry monsters would head straight for the very section they were in. Benicio, he realized, would be of little help as well. Benicio had not been around long enough to know any of the behaviours and patterns of the dinosaurs, including their eating habits. Seeing any dinosaur would send him over the edge. Hoping to get back as quickly as possible, the two InGen employees began walking towards the control center.
Benicio was impressed by Wolfe's composure in this situation. He was almost paralyzed by fear. He figured it must be Wolfe's fatherly instincts; Wolfe must have wanted to return to his family, or maybe Benicio reminded him of his own children. Regardless, he was thankful to not be alone out here, and he now understood why the supervisor was carrying a weapon. However, he did not believe the handgun would help much on any of the larger creatures.
Benicio felt a surge of hope as he saw his mentor enter a clearing and, pulling off the hood of his poncho, smile triumphantly, pointing out the tip of a building with his handgun. Finally, the control center was within view.
Benicio looked up at Wolfe to see the grizzled man smiling down at him. Behind that smile, the Benicio saw a shapeless black projectile flying towards Wolfe's head, and Benicio could only close his eyes before he heard the ear-piercing shriek of his supervisor. As he looked back up, he saw Wolfe doubled over, howling in agony. The screams were almost blocking out the searing sound of the venom, like bacon on a pan. The smell of burning flesh and venom were pungent and filled the air. Benicio knew only one thing could have caused this. As he looked around in a panic, he felt his skin blanche and he froze as he saw it: a Dillie, creeping out from the dense tropical forest.
The funny nickname no longer served its calming purpose. The monster stood to their left atop a rock… no that wasn't right. Upon closer inspection, Benicio saw it was level to them. It was twice as tall as him, and its imposing size was never made noticeable until now, as it stood only ten feet away. Its legs looked powerful; there was no question that it could close the gap in an instant. This made the methodical stalking all the more unnerving and bone-chilling. Its arms were topped with long claws, which appeared to be covered in blood, and some other unknown, more solid material. Benicio realized with a shock this could only be organs – human organs, judging by their size.
The Dillie lunged its head downwards and let out a shrill screech, with frills snapping out in a terrifying display. Ironically, the sight reminded Benicio of home. He thought of the local frilled lizards, and how he and his wife had to chase them out of their house.
He snapped back to reality when he saw the blood-soaked teeth of the Dillie. It had undeniably just had a taste of a new food, and Benicio knew it was looking for more. He felt something touch his arm and looked over to see Wolfe waving the gun, telling him to take it. Benicio felt the cold steel send a chill through his body as he held the gun. He had never handled one before. Benicio tried to take aim at the dinosaur. His arm would not stop shaking, he could hardly even hold it up. His strength was leaving him, but he had to try to shoot. As he squeezed the trigger, the kick from the gun caused the bullet to miss entirely and the intended target barely even flinched. Benicio thought of his family as he tried to steel himself for another shot. With a war cry he proceeded to unload the entire magazine and managed to land a bullet in the leg of the creature. It bellowed with rage, its frills flew out and rattled as it started its approach; the bullet had done nothing. Panicked, Benicio thought of his wife and their unborn child, thinking to himself that he would give anything to see his family once more.
A dark, unforgiveable thought crept across his mind as he saw the picture of Wolfe and his family in his mind. He had already been hit with the venom and had lived a long life with his family. Benicio saw no reason for both of them to die and he wanted the chance to be a father. He lunged and forcefully grabbed his supervisor, whose face twisted with pain and fear – Benicio couldn't tell if it was from the venom or the betrayal – as he was thrown towards the approaching predator. Benicio stood still for a moment as he saw the other father's neck bitten by large fangs. A claw tore through his chest like a warm knife through butter. Benicio ran towards the control center, tears rolling down his face, praying for forgiveness and hoping that Wolfe would be enough to distract the Dillie. Above all, he was wishing he could see his Guadalupe once more.
Weak, nauseous, and remorseful, Benicio approached the edge of the forest. The fence had been taken down, presumably by some of the bigger dinosaurs. The control center was so close. All it would take was one more sprint and he would be inside before he knew it. He closed his eyes and caught his breath, preparing himself to run as fast as he could to the nearest entrance. As he opened his eyes to decide where that was, he felt his resolve crumble. Four other dinosaurs were running towards the center, clearly on the hunt. The final safe haven on the island was filled with predatory pack hunters. Benicio knew he could never get inside safely; these dinosaurs were smaller than that had killed Wolfe – he kept telling himself that it was the dinosaur that had killed him – but they were still taller than he was, and certainly much faster. They moved faster than anything he had seen, and almost seemed coordinated in their efforts as they tried to enter the building to catch whatever they were chasing. Based on the stories he had heard, he could only assume these were raptors.
Trying not to panic, Benicio thought of where else he could go. He remembered that the vehicle hangar was near here, and there was certainly something there he could use to drive somewhere safe. At the very least, he could hide in the vehicle. He would try to stay in the brush for the short walk to hide himself somewhat from any other dinosaurs he encountered.
He slowly turned to start his trek, but as he started to walk off, he noticed the piercing gaze too late. A raptor had been stalking him all along. A juvenile raptor, based on its size. It stood deeper in the forest than he, and before he could make a move or a sound, it was on top of him, slashing across his neck. Benicio felt the blood enter his windpipe, gagging him and preventing any breathing. He felt another slice cut across his traps, across his chest, and out through his abdomen, pulling his intestines out as the claw left his body. He tried to scream, but no sound could escape him, other than a gargling noise followed by blood spattering out of his mouth. This seemed to have caught the dinosaur's attention, as it stopped attacking to smell the man's face. Benicio could see it peering at him with its cold calculating eyes. It bared its teeth in front of him, and he closed his eyes, thinking one last time of his family and praying for forgiveness as he heard the last thing he would ever hear - a blood-curdling growl followed by immense pain in his head, and finally, the snapping of his skull.