It didn't take long before the downpour started. It began with the wind. What was first nothing but a light breeze quickly lit the river with rage. The clouds gathered overhead, black and full, and with one deafening crack the storm was upon them. The group did their best to remain dry, though the cabin was small and the windows had long been shattered. Amy was absolutely soaked to the bone, her shredded clothes doing nothing against the pelting rain, even with Billy's jacket and the huddled bodies on either side of her. Amy's body shook terribly as she wrapped her arms around herself, though the barge would suddenly bounce to one side and she would have to steady herself, fighting against the slick floors and pushing bodies. Paul and Alan hardly noticed when they would bump into her side or even the storm at all. The two men were currently struggling over the satellite phone, their hands slipping over the slicked object as they argued over what they should do.
"Turn off the power!" Paul shouted over the downpour. "You've got juice for maybe one call. Whatever you do, don't call the U.S. Embassy! They won't do a damn thing." While the men discussed who they should call, Eric caught Amy's eye. The kid pushed his way past the arguing adults and out into the open of the deck, seemingly not to care for the rain. Feeling suffocated in the cabin herself, Amy pushed between Paul and Amanda and followed. After all, the cabin was doing nothing to shield her from the storm and the men were beginning to give her a headache.
Amy trailed after the young boy to the front of the barge. He was leaning over the edge, watching the river pass underneath and the harsh raindrops that splattered on top the surface. Mimicking him, Amy crossed her arms against the railing and leaned over as well. However, the sight of the black liquid below made her feel queasy, the memories of her near watery death beginning to resurface. Amy moaned lightly at the thought and she leaned back.
"Are you alright, Dr. Young?" Eric questioned curiously.
She forced a smile. "I'm fine, Eric. You know, you can still call me Amy."
Eric nodded with a soft smile of his own, then his gentle face changed to contemplative as he returned his sight out to the dark, raging water below. "You seem sad."
Amy swallowed, not sure how to respond at first. Normally, she was rather good at keeping her true emotions in check when she needed to. She must not have been doing a very good job at that for Eric to notice so plainly. Still smiling, Amy managed to give a simple answer. "I am sad, but that's okay. People get sad sometimes." It may not have been the most perfect response, though she wasn't sure how open she could be about such a topic, especially with a kid that wasn't her own.
He seemed to take her words well enough. His brow furrowed lightly as though he were in deep thought as he watched the passing shadows of the treeline, though he did not speak again for a long time. Amy was almost thankful for this as it gave way to a possible change in topic, however, the kid was too quick. Her mouth parted to speak, yet Eric suddenly peered up at her with a new, almost mischievous look. "Can I tell you something, Amy?" After a small pause, she gave the boy a small nod to continue. "My parents have been fighting for a long time. When they were still together, they would find something new to argue about every day."
"So, not much has changed," she huffed absentmindedly, then immediately recoiled from what she had said. "Sorry."
"It's alright. They do fight a lot, but they seem happier than they have been in a while." Amy looked at the child curiously, her brow raised, though her confused look did not deter the boy. "I don't know if they'll ever admit it, but I know they still love each other."
"Well, Eric, sometimes that isn't enough," she said carefully. It wasn't exactly her place to say such a thing, but Amy understood what it was like to be a young child hoping your parents would realize they still loved each other and eventually get back together. Her parents had never divorced, though there was still the child-like hope that they would somehow love again. And yet, that normally wasn't the case. She would not completely crush Eric's wishes, but she knew that some grounding of reality now may help him better understand later. "Adults are complicated. Especially with love."
The boy only smiled. "Maybe, but I think it just depends on what kind of love it is."
That made Amy pause. Her mind rang with words similar to those she had spoken many years ago to Alan. And yet, when she thought about that small moment shared, it did not make her sad. Instead, she felt rather uplifted - placid, almost. Amy nibbled on her bottom lip, then she chuckled softly and shook her head. "You know what, kid? You sure are mature for your age." Amy wrapped her arm around his shoulders and brought the kid into a hug, to which he beamed brightly at.
Amy sighed and she rested her chin against his head, her heart beginning to ache at the lingering thought of Alan. Then, the woman was filled with a sudden determination and she held the boy tighter. Eventually, everything would work out. They had to. She would fix things between them and keep them fixed. She can't let him go; it won't end like this, for she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone before. For the first time in her life, Amy was completely honest with herself. She loved Alan and she was foolish for pushing him away for as long as she had. She could only hope it wasn't too late for him.
Suddenly, Eric pulled from her grasp and pointed at the water. "Look at that!" he insisted. Confused, Amy followed his gesture and peered over the railing edge and into the river. Just below the surface, Amy could see flashes of silver.
"What the Hell?" she mumbled, her eyes scrunching in a startled confusion at what she was seeing.
"Hey guys!" Eric shouted over his shoulder. "Come here, look at this!" Alan and Paul were fast at their sides, searching for what had captured the woman and child's attention.
"Bonitos," Alan confirmed, his eyes squinting against the rain.
"Something must have spooked them," Eric concluded.
Instantly, Alan acted and began to bark orders. "Get the engine going, Mr. Kirby! Amy, search the boxes for anything useful."
"Alan, what's wrong?" Amy dared to ask, though Alan shook his head.
"I don't know, but I don't like this. Something feels off."
The group crowded back into the broken cabin, Amanda at the wheel and Paul at the motor. While the Kirbys worked on getting the engine started back up, Amy fell to her knees at a stack of boxes next to the cabinets and she began to search through whatever her hands landed upon. To her right, Alan brought out the satellite phone from his pocket and began to dial. "Who are you calling?" Amy questioned loudly, her voice almost drowned by the storm and the revving of the boat's throttle.
"I'm calling Ellie," Alan told her and he brought the phone up to his ear. "Pick up, pick up," he mumbled, begging for the woman to answer. After a few seconds, Alan's eyes widened in excitement. "Ellie..! Charlie?" Amy felt her heart skip uncomfortably at the familiar voice of Ellie's young son on the other side of the phone. Where was Ellie? "Charlie, take the phone to Mommy now! Take the phone to Mommy! It's the- it's the Dinosaur Man! Listen to me, Charlie!"
Amy's hands threw open the multitude of boxes desperately in her growing apprehension. There was a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach that grew with every passing second. Alan was right; something was wrong. There was nothing in the boxes. Everything had been long cleared out. Amy's breathing was beginning to shallow and she quickly brushed soaking strands of hair from her eyes as she searched through the wet darkness for anything else that might help them. Her eyes first landed on the large metal cage in the center of the barge, then to the broken down crane towards the back. There might have been tools inside the crane, though she wasn't sure if she should risk the possibility of the doors being locked. There was a flash of lightning and Amy's attention was brought back to the cage. There was something inside. Lightning struck again and Amy could make out a lone box. "There's a box inside the cage! I'll go check it out," she informed Alan, who only gave her a curt nod as he continued to beg for Ellie.
"Charlie? Are you taking the phone to Mom? Charlie-"
There was a sudden harsh thud and the boat jerked, sending everyone hard to their knees. Amy lifted herself up on unsteady arms, her eyes blinking rapidly against the rain to see what they had hit, only to see the head of the Spinosaurus emerge from the depths of the river, a cascade of water bellowing from its hungry jaws as it let out a thunderous roar. The group scrambled back to their feet and raced toward the front of the boat just as the Spinosaurus slammed its face against the cabin, sending bits of metal and glass flying in all directions. Amy gasped and shielded her face as her back was sprayed with the mixture of shards, the weight of the rumbling deck causing her to fall again. There was no time to recover as she was dragged back to her feet and pushed forward, directly into the cage along with Amanda and Eric. Alan and Paul returned to the gate and they slammed it shut.
With a monstrous bellow, the Spinosaurus struggled to climb onto the far end of the boat, causing the front end to lift. The cage began to slide over the wet floorboards and right towards the dinosaur. All the humans could do was scream. Then, the dinosaur slipped and fell back into the water and the boat slammed down, jostling the cage and the humans within with a great watery surge. Amy could hardly make heads or tails of what was happening through the dark storm and constant thrashing of the Spinosaurus's attempts to reach them. All she could do was helplessly get tossed around and crushed inside the cage as the group tumbled over one another much like ragdolls in a bin. They were thrown about and rolled over, their heads spinning as the Spinosaurus continued its ravage assault.
The smell of burning gasoline filled Amy's nostrils just as the cage finally came to a sudden stop. Just then, the Spinosaurus reached with its enormously long claws and slammed down on either side of the cage, trying to crush it. Amy's shrill scream mixed with Amanda's as they scurried to the opposite side of the cage, desperate to get as far away from the monster as possible. The Spinosaurus gave a hefty yank and the cage slid forward, closer and closer towards ravenous jaws and the edge of the boat.
"Look in the box! Find a weapon!" Alan cried out. Only then did Amy remember the box inside the cage. She found it instantly and snatched up what must have been a toolbox. She ripped it open by its rusted hinges, sending odd objects scattering to the floor. Amy dropped down to her knees and she ran her hands across the objects, going on their shape alone to decipher what they might be. Screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, nothing was useful. Then her eyes landed on a gun. She picked up the weapon, her fingers trembling terribly as her eyes worked to figure what kind of gun it was. Lightning flashed and she saw orange. It was a flare gun. "Where's the phone?" Alan yelled out just as the phone began to ring again. Her attention shifted from the flare and towards the direction of the annoying jingle. It was close. The group piled against opposite edges of the cage, their arms scraping against the floors in search of the phone they couldn't exactly pinpoint. "Get the phone!"
"There!" Paul pointed. The phone was on the edge of the railing, teetering dangerously from either falling back onboard or into the river. Instantly all arms were clawing for the object, though the Spinosaurus shifted her weight and the phone slid down the length of the boat and out of reach.
"Verdammt!" Amy yelled and slammed her fist against the floor. Then, the Spino shifted again and the phone started back their way, falling right into Alan's hands. As quickly as he could possibly manage, Alan forced down the answer button and he flung the phone back to his ear.
"Ellie-" he started, though another jerk of the cage stopped his words. With a harsh crack, the railing snapped apart and the cage tumbled into the river. Amy screamed as the biting, freezing water swarmed around her thighs, quickly sloshing and growing deeper with every passing second. "Ellie, listen to me!" Alan tried again, one hand one the phone and the other clutching the top of the cage, lifting himself from the water. Amy did the same. Her fingers wrapped around the overhead bars tightly and she pulled herself as close to the top as she could. The water was already at her breast. "The river! Site B, the river!"
The water was at her neck. Amy took in an enormous gulp of air and she held her breath. Then, there was darkness. Amy shook and pulled on the walls of the cage in a pathetic search of the gate. Nothing would give, and she was already running out of air. The cage sunk deeper and deeper into the depths, sending a flurry of bubbles flying back to the surface. Amy followed them with her eyes, trying to keep a mental note of which direction to swim. Then, she saw the Spinosaurus's nose dip into the water, followed by her thick claws as it dug for them. The tip of one of her claws hit the cage, causing it to spin and the gate flew open. Amy saw a body slip through the opening and she pushed to follow just as the cage spun again, one side nicking her injured shoulder and causing her to moan in sudden pain, releasing some of her remaining air. Amy's eyes flew open and she searched for the opening again, though her heart dropped. The exit was smashed into the thick mud, thoroughly sealed off. Thankfully, though, with the length of the cage positioned up, the opposite end had emerged from the water. Amy swam, her lungs aching with a deep fire as she raced for air.
Her head broke the surface, quickly followed by Alan, Amanda, and Eric. The four clutched themselves to the top of the cage as they gasped and coughed, struggling to breathe. Then the Spinosaurus dove her hand through the bars, sending them back down. The Spinosaurus had torn an opening just big enough for her claw. Through her thrashing, Amy felt something sharp hit her side and she gasped, the air forced from her throat and back to the surface. Overhead, the dinosaur continued to dig inside the cage, thrashing the people hard either against the cage walls and deeper into the river. Amy's head emerged just enough to allow her to capture another breath, then she was thrown back under. Her eyes stung as she searched through the writhing for any form of an escape, though the only thing she could make out against the black, struggling forms and mass of bubbles was red.
Seemingly without warning, the Spinosaurus withdrew from its attack. The four all scrambled back to the surface as the Spinosaurus marched back towards the barge, her attention drawn to something else. They did not dwell on this sudden change, though. Alan dragged himself through the small, broken hole in the cage, where he then began to help out first Amanda, then Eric, and finally Amy. Once everyone was out of the cage, the small group dove back into the water and began to swim towards the edge and away from the ravenous predator. All except Amy, who did not move; the distant sound of Paul's yelling freezing her to the spot. She couldn't stop herself from looking.
Paul was on the boat. He had scaled up the broken crane, waving and taunting the beast just out of reach of its claws, though it was to no avail. The boat was sinking and the Spinosaurus was getting closer and closer to capturing him. Amy thought fast, her mind racing for a plan. She couldn't leave him like that. She needed to help Paul. That's when she remembered the toolbox and the flare gun that had fallen from it. It must still be in the cage. Amy did not allow herself to second guess, nor did she give herself a second to back down. The woman stood, sucked in a deep inhale of air, then dove back into the water, her legs kicking and sending her deep into the waking darkness.
Amy kept her hands on the cage as she guided herself down, making sure not to drift away. She did not slow until her hands finally touched rock. Then, she began to search. She could make out the toolbox and a few tools, but no gun. Where's the gun, where's the gun? Her fingers scraped the ground, kicking up a mix of mud and blood that blurred her vision. Just when she could no longer see and her chest felt close to bursting, she found it. Amy snatched the weapon within her sturdy fist and she kicked away from the riverbed, propelling her back to the surface.
Once Amy was back to the top, she started to swim towards the shore where Alan, Amanda, and Eric stood. She could hear Alan yelling at her, though she could not make out any proper words. Alan going ignored, Amy continued to swim forward a few more feet before finally stopping. She turned back to the barge where Paul was now dangling feet first above the Spinosaurus's parted jaws. Amy took just long enough to make sure there were shells in the chamber before she flicked the safety off and took aim. All she had to do was derail the Spinosaurus's attention, just long enough for Paul to get away. Amy brought the sights to the dinosaur's head, right about where its eyes should be. Her arms tensed, she sucked in a breath, and once her aim was steady, she fired.
The bright purple flare shot out and smacked against the side of the Spinosuarus's face, snuffing out instantly. Amy fired again. This time, the flare was undershot. It dropped to the water just a few feet short of the Spinosaurus. However, the second the flare touched the surface, the water erupted into a violent burst of flames. Only then did Amy recall the smell of gasoline and she gasped, horrified. Amy could do nothing as the monster roared in pain, the fire surrounding her and licking unforgivingly around its chest and face. The Spinosaurus reared to flee the flames, though in doing so, her tail slammed against the crane, sending both metal and Paul into the fire.
Finally, Amy was able to take her eyes off of the carnage and she returned to swimming for the shore, choking sobs breaking past her lips as the heartbreaking cries of Amanda and Eric filled the air. Amy's feet met stone and she was able to walk, though her legs felt like jelly and she stumbled. Just before she fell back into the water, Alan darted forward and caught her by the arm and he helped her the rest of the way out of the water. The Spinosaurus continued to thrash and flail within the flames, screeching painfully before finally stepping onto the opposite shore and retreating back into the forest.
Once she was out of the water, Amy collapsed to her hands and knees. Alan dropped to a crouch and he held her, cradling her as she sobbed through coughs filled with river water. Amanda and Eric continued to scream for Paul, their voices as sharp as talons against Amy's pounding skull. "I'm sorry," the woman whimpered. "Mein Gott, what have I done?" Amy's hands formed fist and she slammed them against the ground. She did this again and again, pounding the rocks until they were splattered with blood and Alan had to stop her.
"Paul, you jerk!" Amanda wailed into the rain. Amy shied away from the blonde's cries and into Alan's chest. Her fingers gripped the sleeves of his shirt and she buried her face into his neck as another sob wracked through her. "You can't leave me like this!"
"I'm not going anywhere!" The sudden voice of Paul took them all by surprise. The four all went utterly silent as all eyes landed on Paul. He was absolutely drenched and obviously exhausted, but he was alive. Amanda and Eric shot forward, the two encasing Paul within a tight embrace. The Kirby family hugged one another and they cried, the pure relief heavy in their sobs. Amy could only stare wide eyed at the three, her heart having stopped as she processed that he truly had not died.
"Jesus Christ," she mumbled not so subtly, bringing the Kirbys attention to her. Amy only shook her head in stunned bewilderment, her lips quivering as she fought for the right words. "I thought I killed you!" she finally gasped.
At first, no one said a thing. Then, a smirk broke through Paul and he began to walk towards her and Alan. "As much as I know you want to," Paul said with an outstretched hand, "you'll have to try harder than that." Finally, Amy smiled as well, and when she took Paul's hand he drug her back to her feet and pulled her into a hug, which she wholeheartedly accepted. However, she grimaced as she felt a sudden sharp pinch in her side.
Forcing her smile to remain, Amy pulled away from Paul as he repeatedly patted her shoulder and spoke words of gratefulness. Amy pretended to hear him, and she would nod and laugh when appropriate, though her mind was now elsewhere. When she was sure no one was their attention was no longer on her, Amy peered down to her side where she only just realized was hot and sticky. She pulled open her jacket while her fingers lifted her shirt. There, just below her rib cage, was a deep, puncture-like wound, undoubtedly from one of the razor sharp tips of the Spinosaurus's talons. The wound seeped dark red blood which leaked against the thin fabric of her tank top. The sight made Amy's mind go blank and her body turned cold and numb. Without a word, Amy fixed her shirt and she pressed her jacket over the wound with her arm, concealing her injury.