Merry Christmas everyone! For anyone who doesn't celebrate the holiday, happy December 25th and a very Happy New Year! Likely won't be updating again for a few weeks, busy most of this week and will be feeling sorry for myself next week, dental appointment for a tooth removal on NYE and guess what two of my biggest phobias are? Dentists and needles! Fun.
"How do we get past that thing?" Kenji asked as they looked out of the foyer windows to see the T-Rex pacing nearby. Fortunately for the kids, it had yet to notice them.
"I'm not sure. We can't outrun it, but it does work based on movement." Darius explained. "Maybe if we're careful about it, we can get past it and into the jungle."
"What if it sees us?" Sammy asked.
"I'm not sure. If it sees us, I'm not sure what we can do against it." Darius admitted. "We've got no weapons, it can outrun us and it's jaws are wide enough to swallow us basically whole."
"How do we do this then?" Yas asked.
"We've got to go slow. Don't make any sudden moves. Make little to no noise when we can." Darius tells them all.
"We know how to keep silent." Ben informed him with a determined look.
"Well, let's go outsmart a T-Rex I guess." Brooklynn said as they crept over to the doors, slowly opening them, they saw that the T-Rex was now poking its head further down the road, roaring as it took long sniffs of the area.
"It can smell us." Kenji moaned softly.
"It can smell where we were." Darius whispered. "If we move steadily, we can be away before it thinks to head back over this way."
As they sneaked further towards the now open gates, and the relative safety of the beyond, they didn't notice the crushed plastic cup on the floor before them, Sammy stepping on it, a crinkling sound ringing out as they looked between each other in horror.
Looking over towards the Rex, they saw it pull its head into the air and turn, before noticing them.
"What do we do?" Yas asked.
"Stay completely still." Darius told them. "If we do, it might not come over still."
"What do you mean, completely still? It will kill us, Darius!" Kenji protested out of the corner of his mouth.
"If you move, it definitely will. If we stay still, it might ignore us."
Bumpy decided at that very moment to give off a growl and begin plodding away again, despite Ben pleading with Bumpy to stop and the T-Rex gave a roar.
"RUN!" Darius yelled, as they all began to sprint, the T-Rex roaring again before beginning to chase them, the ground shaking with every thud as it raced after them.
It was fast, but with little distance to cover for them, they managed to race through the remains of the gates and beyond, everyone rushing to either side and crouching down as the T-Rex followed, charging past them with another roar as it raced towards the treeline, determined to hunt them down. As it passed, Darius gestured to the others that they needed to head back inside their compound.
Heading back inside, they raced back towards the theatre, moving inside again.
"What do we do now?" Ben asked.
"We wait. Chances are the T-Rex won't return here, at least not right away. Once we're sure it's headed elsewhere, we make a break for the jungle. You said you had a way to help us with resources further inland?" Darius asked, turning to Ben again.
"Oh, yeah. Me and Bumpy, we made a little nest for ourselves. The ruins of the old park aren't too far away, maybe a day on foot? It's not the best, and the technology is all from the 90's, even if most of it doesn't work, but it's better than nothing, it's still reasonably together and has shelter from the outside, and more importantly, other dinosaurs."
"What are we waiting for?" Brooklynn asked. "A chance to unbox the secrets of the old park? It'll make a great interview piece one day when we're rescued."
"Do you think we will be? Rescued, that is?" Sammy asked hesitantly. "We've been here for a few months now, and nobody has come back here."
"I'm sure they're on their way for us as we speak." Yas tried to reassure Sammy. "For now though, let's head to the old park."
/
"Roxie, what is the plan this time?" Dave asked as they met up once again outside the US Embassy in Costa Rica.
"Same as before really, tell them we need to get a boat back to the island, just ask for a few men, a few guns, and go. We know that the worst dinos are gone, it shouldn't be too dangerous to get back and find the kids. They're alive, I know it."
"I'm with you, but what can we say to convince them this time? They've ignored us every time before, they even threatened to deport us last time."
"We remind them of who the kids are and what saving them will do for their careers. Especially focus on Yas, Kenji and Brooklynn, Saving those kids, that's a ticket upwards politically." Roxie informed Dave. "We just need to appeal to their own egos."
"Are you sure that'll work?" Dave asked, dubious.
"Well, political advancement promises should work, if not, we can always say how Kenji's father will bankroll it and we can use the positive press to attack them in particular, ending any political advancement. They'll help us, I know they will." Roxie told him. "Let me talk though, you might be the US citizen out of the two of us but I get the point across better."
"Can't argue with that." Dave agreed with her and let her lead on as they headed to the Embassy once again.
/
"So, where is the old park?" Brooklynn asked, sliding up to Darius as they walked through the dense jungle, keeping an eye out for any dinosaurs.
"It's a bit further ahead. Honestly, I never thought I'd get to see it. Doctor Grant, a hero of mine, he was the one who had to fight through the dinosaurs and escape and save the others who were with him from the dinosaurs."
"Wow, a top ten place for you eh, Dino-Nerd?" Brooklynn teased him, bumping his shoulder gently.
"Who knows, maybe they'll be some old video recorders for you to vlog with, Superstar." Darius joked back to her.
"Don't even joke about that, I'd kill to be able to make a video now just something like my old normal life. Especially if we could broadcast it out. Wait, do you think the old park will have any communications?" Brooklynn asked, suddenly perking up.
"I'd like to think it did, but with how old anything would be, and the events that happened at the park at the time, I really don't think so." Darius admitted sadly.
"Guys!" Ben called from up ahead. "We're here!"
Approaching through the foliage ahead of them, they all looked up to see a vine covered building up ahead, heading up the stairs, then walked into a giant antechamber, with a fading banner lying by their feet.
"When dinosaurs ruled the world. Huh." Kenji said at the sight of it.
"Where do we go?" Sammy asked Ben. "You know the place."
"There should be some food over in the kitchens." Ben said, leading them all towards the kitchens, as they entered it, they split up, heading to ransack anything left in the cupboards. As they searched, they all suddenly froze.
"Guys, do you hear that?" Ben asked, terror in his voice.
"That's a cry for help." Darius whispered. "Raptors."