Author's Note: Holy COW, ya'll! I can't believe the feedback I've been getting from the "Hiatus Resurrection" update I posted. I am so thrilled to be back, and even more excited to know that so many of my OG readers are ready to dive head first into this story again. I never imagined anyone would remember, or care about this story, but I was definitely wrong. I am so blessed beyond measure to have all of you! THANK YOU.

I'm attempting to pick up where I left off all those years ago, so please bear with me as I try to reacquaint myself. If I've missed any details or glossed over anything important, please hold me accountable and get in my face. I appreciate it so much! I need all the help I can get, haha! Please, review, favorite, and alert - more to come! Ya'll are great.

- M.

Forty-Eight

"Marianne? Marianne!?"

The panicked breath over her ear and soft tugging on her arm jerked Marianne from her sleep, causing her to start awake in the passenger seat of the SUV. In an attempt to reacquaint herself with the world she glanced around the perimeter of the vehicle, finding that they were still parked in the jungle clearing, Owen having not yet returned from his scouting.

Her mouth was dry, and Marianne turned to face Sophie, who had tear stains on her cheeks, as well as a paleness to her face that left her looking both exhausted and frightened. The absence of Owen only confirmed that the little girl had woken up alone and frightened in the middle of the jungle, two things which Marianne tried to force from her own mind as she took the girl in a reassuring embrace.

"Sophie, it's okay," she said quietly, rubbing the girls back softly, "I'm right here. I fell asleep, it's alright," The girl pulled away, a look of relief softening her wrinkled brow as she seated herself on the SUV's console, wiping at her eyes. Marianne moved aside a curl from her face, Sophie looking out the windows, presumably for any sign of her uncle.

Not entirely sure what to say, Marianne stretched her neck softly, eyes scanning the foliage for any sign of Owen's return. She glanced down at her watch, remembering that Owen had told her to leave after three minutes if he hadn't returned – her wristwatch confirmed that it had been longer than three minutes, more like fifteen, and her heart leapt into her throat nervously. A pinch of fear clawed at her heart, which spun against her ribcage sorely, making it difficult to breathe evenly.

Sophie said nothing beside her, just breathed, both of their chests rising and falling uneasily. It was sweltering in the SUV, the heavy humidity making it hard to think clearly through the grogginess of exhaustion. Marianne wiped at her upper lip, which was beaded with sweat, and tucked the loose curls hanging about her face behind her ears, trying hard to not gag from the smell of sweat, car chemicals, and body emanating from her. Wiping her hand nervously on her thighs, she gnawed her lower lip apprehensively, and glanced out her window again.

No sign of Owen. Just still jungle foliage all around them. Closing her eyes for only a moment, she gently knocked her head back and forth on the seat's headrest, contemplating what to do. She couldn't leave him out there alone, practically defenseless, with no way to return to the park after them. The defiance echoed across her head, her stomach churning at the way he'd looked at her insistently. Then, glancing at Sophie, she knew that Owen had commissioned her with the welfare of his niece, not just her own life. He'd never forgive her if something happened to Sophie – she'd never forgive herself.

Marianne battled with the decision carefully, before releasing a heavy, burdened sigh that was shaky. She reached across the console to the steering column, flicked the keys forward, and the engine hummed to life quietly. Immediately the AC kicked on, and Sophie turned to look at what she'd done, the radio now lit up with life in the center of the dash. She looked at Marianne, busying her hand with the small button on her shirt.

"Alright," Marianne started, busying her hands together on her lap, "Owen isn't back yet." Her observation wasn't necessarily directed to the little girl, but was mostly outward processing, weighing the options which hadn't stopped needling through her head. She moved across the console clumsily, dropped into the driver's seat of the SUV, feeling very much the part of the stranger in Owen's absence.

She wrapped her hands carefully around the steering wheel, trying to calm her breathing and the trembling in her arms when she glanced over at Sophie, who had moved into the passenger's seat. Marianne's hands carefully glided over the wheel upwards and down, trying to bring herself to move the vehicle from park and get her boyfriend's niece back to the safety of the park. Nausea swept over her at the thought of Owen returning to find them gone.

Swallowing a thickness in her mouth that she didn't remember, she rubbed her face with her hands, trying to overcome her defiance. To herself, she muttered, "He wanted us to leave if he wasn't back in three minutes…" while giving the jungle another hopeful glance around them.

To her right, horror painted the little girl's face as she shrieked defiantly, every inch of her shaking with rage. Her face exploded with hot color, and Marianne lunged to clap a hand over her mouth, the entire car reverberating with her noise. The girl began to pant heavily, though she was quiet, and Marianne carefully removed her hand from her mouth and took the girl's shoulders in her hands, pinning her with a look of concern.

"Sophie," Marianne said pointedly, though with an edge of concern, "what's wrong? Did you see –" she looked around the clearing fearfully, hoping the girl hadn't roused the return of the Indominous – or something else.

She was sobbing all over again, an anger passing through her eyes that Marianne wasn't sure the girl had previously possessed. "We're not leaving him out there!" She pointed through the windshield, arm trembling with anger. "You can't leave him, I won't let you!" Her words dropped into sobbing, her nose beginning to run while her chin quivered. She sat defiantly, arms crossed over her chest, her brow wrinkled with a horrible frown.

Guilt swept over Marianne as she looked at Owen's niece, realizing it was no easy thing for her either, to abandon her uncle in a jungle where there was danger at every turn. Sinking back into the seat, Marianne nodded, closing her eyes as she released a slow sigh. While Owen would never forgive her if she didn't leave; Sophie would never forgive her if they did.

She just there for a long moment, relishing in the blasting AC of the SUV, which was now the only noise in the vehicle's cabin. Leaning to rest her head on the cool glass of the window, Marianne drifted a look at the gearstick again, the burden of responsibility rising in her chest. With another glance at her watch, she realized it had been another five minutes. Setting her jaw, she sat up, reached for the gearstick, and glanced over her shoulder before popping the SUV into reverse.

Sophie began to sob again, her voice cracking. "No, no, you can't –" she reached to try combating Marianne's hand away from the gearshift, and Marianne gripped it with white knuckles, pinning Sophie with a stern, stony look of regret pulling onto her face. Sophie's teary eyes stared up at her, sniffling.

"We have to do this, Sophie," she tried to muster an ounce of courage, but it was immensely difficult, knowing what it would mean. "He told me to take you to the park, so that's what we're going to –"

"—what's that?" The girl's attention followed to where Marianne's had trailed to the rear-view, which caught the movement of foliage behind their vehicle. She froze, her heart clenching, ice racing across her skin. Every hair on her body stood at attention, her heart battering against her rib-cage heavily.

The ground was shaking, jostling the keys in the ignition, and Sophie began to whimper, sniffling hard as she turned to climb out of the passenger's seat. Leaning over the bench of the rear seat, Marianne watched her grip the leather, unable to move for a moment as her eyes fluttered closed, fear dropping a heavy rock into her chest. For a moment she feared she'd throw up, but she didn't, instead finding it immensely difficult to breathe.

Behind them, the trees began to dance overhead as the Indominous thrashed through the jungle, startling birds and the serenity of their quiet haven. Closer and closer the trees began to dance chaotically, until the snapping of branches was so close they could hear them.

Owen, Owen no…

Her hand trembled on the gearstick for only a brief moment, and Marianne threw the vehicle into drive, about to take her foot off the brake. She stopped, however, when a flash of color dashed into the clearing, drawing her attention outside the vehicle. Her mouth hung slack, Sophie pressing against the backseat window, screaming in joy.

Hope and relief burst into her chest, Owen stumbling out of the wall of foliage directly to her left, fear etched into his features as he angled to the SUV, arms pumping to reach the car. He waved his hand at them, screaming for them to go, before throwing himself at the vehicle. Gripping the luggage rack above them, he beat the glass of Marianne's window with his palm, sweat pouring down his face as he hollered at her to get moving.

"Go, Marianne – go, go go!" He waved her forward, then scrambled onto the roof of the car, Marianne hearing his weight across the roof as he navigated across.

Nodding to herself, she slammed her foot on the accelerator, shaking with fear and relief, the vehicle lurching forward before spinning its wheels on the jungle floor. Fishtailing, it propelled forward just enough, before Marianne caught a glance in the rear-view, their previous spot now exploding with life as trees splintered to the earth, foliage in every direction, the reptilian skin of a thick-bodied carnivore tearing out of the jungle fully, bellowing in rage as it watched their getaway.

Marianne screamed, veered the truck left, cutting a path through the jungle, vehicle bouncing as it did so. Already somewhat cleared, Marianne had no time to register why as Sophie clipped herself into a seat, clinging to her seat-belt as she screamed for Owen, who Marianne could hear was still struggling on the roof.

One look in the mirror told her their assailant was not the Indominous, but instead a huge Allosaurus, powerful legs carrying it swiftly across the jungle, gaining on them steadily. The SUV bounced and the engine screeched as she continually pushed the accelerator to the floor, the RPMs dipping red every other moment. Her heart was battering her rib-cage painfully, Marianne desperately trying to navigate over the jungle floor, and she screamed when shattering glass from the passenger window sprayed across the dash, Owen managing to drop himself expertly into the passenger seat with his knife at hand.

"Owen!" Relief was audible in her voice, but it was lost almost immediately when she screamed again, the vehicle plowing right through the thick arm of a low-hanging branch. The vehicle stalled, rocked sideways, and she felt it teetering on two wheels before crashing back to the ground again. Her foot lifted off the accelerator to compensate for the accident, the windshield all but gone from the car.

"Don't stop!" Was the only thing he bellowed. He threw himself over the console, dropping the vehicle into a lower gear, before grabbing her leg and forcefully shoving it back onto the accelerator. Legs flailing in the air, he cemented her foot, his weight bearing down on her leg.

Screaming in surprise, Marianne braced against the backseat, arms fully extended as they gripped the wheel. She swerved to miss a thick tree, the vehicle bouncing and rocking back and forth, and a look in the rear-view told her the carnivore was almost to them, its mouth open and dripping with thick beads of saliva, teeth stained with ragged pieces of flesh and what appeared to be blood. The black expanse of its throat reminded Marianne of the Indominous, fear curdling her blood.

Sophie was steadily screaming in the backseat, reaching for Owen, her sobs echoing throughout the cabin of the vehicle even as the Allosaurus roared again in rage. Owen managed to right himself in the seat, bracing against the door, his breathing ragged. So relieved to see him, Marianne could find no other words, just painful breaths as she clenched her jaw.

It was difficult to see through the spider-web of cracks across the windshield, though Marianne guessed it was divine intervention guiding the vehicle more than it was her own ability. Jerking the wheel right, she attempted to bypass a patch of thick trees, though instead the tires caught the other direction, sending the vehicle spinning madly out of control. She flailed helplessly in her seat with momentum from the spin, hands bouncing off the wheel as they careened, the outside world nothing but a blur of color.

They hit something large, the vehicle exploding into deafening crashes, and the jarring crack of vehicle. Without warning and by some unforeseen horror of science, the SUV directly split in two, the back half of it containing Sophie falling away, Marianne and Owen jarring to an abrupt stop. Her head cracked against the steering wheel and she saw nothing but black spots, pain erupting in her skull and down her neck. The world was suddenly blurred, nothing but pain visibly clear.

The faint screams of a child were drowned out by the roar of the approaching Allosaurus, and Marianne could faintly make out the giant foot of the animal fall to the ground outside her window, shaking the earth as it did. She tried to blink away the fuzzy image, but couldn't shake the unsteadiness.

Marianne was almost unmoving, moaning painfully when she felt Owen's hands on her, shaking her awake from her groggy, dreamy state. He was breathing raggedly, panic lacing each pull of air as he sat her back in the seat, strongly patting her cheek to rouse her. His puffs of breath danced over her cheek, almost like a tender memory, though he smelled horribly of gas, sweat, and body.

"C'mon, baby, look at me," he said weakly, watching the world outside their vehicle, the large foot of the Allosaurus still. Somewhere in her mind, Marianne could feel the animal's breath over their car, the stink of it hovering, waiting for any signs of life. He grabbed her face in his hand, and she lolled her head side to side to look at him. "Marianne," his voice was cracking urgently, "you have to wake up,"

He squeezed her face in his hand tighter, and somewhere, her mind pulled back into reality, vision beginning to balance as Owen pulled her toward him. He crushed her to his chest, holding her there, his quaking breath trying to even with each haggard rise of his chest. Marianne swallowed, her throat raw from screaming, and she pulled away a little to look up at him.

She opened her mouth to speak put he shook his head, placing his finger to her lips. She mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry,' and he shook his head as if to forget about the thought. They trembled there, together, Marianne's head falling back to his chest, only to feel the rapidity of his heart, scared in his chest. Her eyes fluttered closed, her body buzzing from head to toe with adrenaline.

The animal grunted, and with a snort, the glass fogged with the animals stinking breath. Its nostrils hovered over the driver's door window, flaring as it tried to determine scent, before it lowered its face even more to peer a scanning eye into the broken cabin of the SUV, unaware the back end of the vehicle was missing. Its eye scanned carefully, watching and waiting, Marianne clutching Owen tighter than she bad before, muscles beginning to tremble under the stress.

The dinosaur gave an investigative nudge of its nose, which rattled the vehicle. Marianne squeaked as Owen braced against the dash and seat, glaring at the animal. Thankfully, it hadn't seemed to noticed their movement, instead rising to look away. For a brief moment it seemed to hover, scanning the air, before it ultimately gave up and plodded away, the jungle snapping and moving as it left.

Dumbfounded, neither of them moved for a moment, uncertain if the mercy was real or a dream. When the Allosaurus didn't return, Marianne fell back into her seat and Owen scrambled from his, hurling himself over the console and staggering to bolt for the other half of the vehicle that had skidded away from them. Marianne managed her way out of the vehicle, stumbling along on uneasy legs, watching Owen take the corner of a huge tree that had severed their vehicle in two. There was a simpering, sniffling cry as Marianne moved around the tree, finding that Owen was working Sophie out of her seat-belt, where she was hanging upside down from where the vehicle had stopped in a grove of ferns.

He pulled the girl away to his chest, holding her there on the jungle floor, shoulders trembling as she cried into his chest again. Marianne dropped to the ground beside them, swallowing thickly, unable to cry but unsure if she could trust herself to speak. After a moment of just sitting there, watching Owen hold his niece, he finally set the girl on her feet and took her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. He gave the little girl a lopsided smile, his breathing finally stable.

Owen gave out a reassuring sigh. "You alright, Soph?"

She nodded slowly, a glossy look over face, but managed a small, "Yeah, I'm okay," before she looked at Marianne. She turned from her uncle, walked the few paces to her, and wrapped little arms around Marianne's middle. She buried her face in Marianne's belly, and didn't move. Marianne just held her, looking over to Owen.

It took him a few moments to gather his bearings, but he adjusted the strap of his Marlin over his shoulder again, standing. Running his dirt-caked fingers through his hair, he checked their surroundings, then peered up at the canopy of trees overhead, Marianne's attention following him. He must've been able to determine the sun's position, because he looked back at her, and gestured in the direction they needed to move.

"Let's get out of here before that thing comes back," he said quickly, taking Marianne by the elbow and ushering her from the clearing. "I don't want to chance her coming back to check things out. We're upwind, but I don't know where the other one is not to be worried."

She nodded, following after him hurriedly, Sophie's hand in her own. "Do you think ACU has been able to do anything?" she said softly, glancing around the area with darting looks of worry. Owen just shook his head, hustling through the foliage, batting away fronds and plants as they moved.

"I don't know," he gave her an uneasy look. "But I'm more worried about where that thing is than I am about monitoring ACU's progress," swinging effortlessly over a downed log, he turned, gestured for Marianne to hand him Sophie, and she complied. He held her on his hip, offering a hand to help her over.

Marianne managed over the log swiftly, dropping to the earth beside him. They pressed on, silently, listening to the movement of the jungle around them. The screech of monkeys, accompanied with the flapping of birds and rustle of wind was eerie so far into the tropical island, and Marianne willed herself to focus on the strong gait of Owen's pace, his broad shoulders cutting through the plant life of the wild around them.

. . .

Zach had been cutting a path through the jungle for what felt like hours, his legs wobbling and uneasy as he did so. His heart hadn't stopped hammering against his ribs, and his throat felt raw, though every muscle buzzed with adrenaline and energy. Hyper aware, he jumped at every sound the world around them made, ever aware of Gray's strong, white-knuckled grip on his arm.

They hadn't heard the dinosaur since it had chased them to the lagoon, and Zach was more than thankful. He'd dropped onto the shore after their swim like a dead fish, sobbing and praising God for their survival. He didn't remember ever praying or acknowledging God before, but Zach would spend the rest of his days counting his blessings and thanking the Almighty for sparing him and his brother from the jaws of death.

The jungle had seemed to thin out for a while now, the traces of what had once been a trail evident on the floor of the foliage. They had passed by some overgrown ruins, coupled by some crumbling landscaping, as well as other signs of now-forgotten civilization. Zach hadn't said much of anything to acknowledge the traces of a lost world, but Gray had started to notice, looking around the area as they passed more and more structures, now climbing a set of cement stairs that were cracking with overgrowth growing through.

Suddenly, Gray's small voice was beside him. "This is the old park," he murmured, his voice cracking with strain and exhaustion. He squeezed Zach's hand tighter, but he didn't care, the numbness in his limbs seeming more permanent than anything. They stopped at the top of the staircase, the looming building before them stretching up the encroaching jungle, shadowed by the past and hidden history.

"Yeah, it is," Zach confirmed, brow wrinkling in surprise. He was tired and unsure if the building was safe, but it had to have been better than the world out here beneath the canopy of trees, surrounded by the threat of death. Something in his stomach stirred, and he felt nausea sweep over him, before clutching Gray's hand with a tight squeeze, pulling him forward.

"Do you think it's safe?" Gray asked cautiously as they approached the entrance, adjacent as plant life thrust through its doors and cracking foundation.

They eased inside, the world dark for only a moment as their eyes adjusted, only finding a gaping hole in the ceiling dropping sunlight into the expanse of what had once been an epic lobby. Stopping, he peered down at his younger brother, wondering how exactly they'd managed upon this haven, tucked so quietly into the back of the island. Wondering how they'd ever gotten to this moment. He couldn't remember anything other than his brother's trusting confidence now, or the screaming terror that had stolen his innocence any hour before.

Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, Zach nodded. "It should be," he answered quietly. "Let's see if there's anything here that can help us get back," was all he said, guiding his brother through the brokenness of what had once been Jurassic Park.

. . .

Unnerved and uncertain of her ability to stand, Claire sat at one of the empty Control Room stations, tablet at hand. She stared at the flatlining vitals in her hands, the headshots of ACU team members now the only a memory of her coworkers. They blinked lifelessly, reading nothing, until she couldn't look at the photos anymore. She numbly set the tablet aside, tears falling freely down her face.

The fact that the Indominous was still making its way to the park didn't really occur to her as much as the reality of what was happening did. These things – assets – were running free, demolishing so much more than publicity, threatening the control she had worked so long and hard for. Fear churned through her stomach, her heart thunking against her rib cage mercilessly, mind swimming with the screams of the ACU team as the Allosaurus had ravaged them unexpectedly, without warning.

She felt a soft hand on her arm, jerking her from her mindless trance. Registering that the presence belong to that of Lillian Wu, she wiped at her teary eyes and straightened, brushing her trembling hands over the front of her blouse. Lillian's hand was still on her arm gently, her eyes sympathetic and waiting, as Claire stood. Lillian stood with her, the woman's comforting presence off putting but not entirely unwelcome.

"Claire," she said softly, "are you alright? You really should sit back down, just for a moment," her voice was calm and collected as she pressed a tablet and files to her chest with her other arm, her bright lab coat a sterile white despite the chaos of the unfolding afternoon.

Claire shot her a look, brow rose over her eye in speculation. "I'm fine, Doctor," she addressed the woman by professional title, shaking her shoulders to loosen the tension from them. "Has there been any word on my nephews?" Thoughts of Grey and Zach hadn't stopped swirling through her mind, though she'd tried to suppress her panic beneath an aura of cool.

Lillian offered her a sympathetic look of grief. "I'm afraid I haven't heard," and she looked back to Henry, who was chattering on with Masrani rapidly, gesturing wildly with his hands. There was sweat beading on his brow, he'd shed his suit jacket and lab coat, and his sleeves were rolled up. Masrani, however, hadn't dropped a stitch of clothing, though he dabbed his brow with a handkerchief, attempting to be distinguished.

Claire swallowed thickly, attempting to quell the nervousness in her voice. She tried to ignore the sweat falling between her shoulder blades, or the uneasy wobble of her legs as she attempted to make her way back to the main console, her feet throbbing in her heels. Picking up her phone, she checked it for messages, finding there were 70 missed calls, 25 text messages, and 13 new emails all demanding her attention.

Lillian had followed her, glancing between Claire and her phone at hand. She could see the question on the woman's face, of what to do now; what the next step was with ACU's failure. Claire, running drills and protocol through her brain on a loop, wasn't exactly sure what the situation demanded, which was a first for her.

She had a feeling today would hold many firsts for her, and that they were only just beginning.