CHAPTER SIX:
The Terror Coaster
The three friends left the Visitor Center well fed and happy, except for Tim who was still thinking about the caged animal he had seen. That claw.he just couldn't get it out of his mind. It was so real, and probably was real. He sighed. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was just a lizard.
Yeah, right, he thought to himself. A lizard big enough to escape a cage, almost. He shuddered. All he could think about was something going wrong on the trip. He had been annoyed when Lex had been nervous about coming back to the island, but now that he felt like that and she didn't, he realized how nerve-racking the feeling actually was. He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair and tried to shake the feeling of dread in his stomach. The tight knot stayed there until they got back into the jeeps and buckled up.
"That was pleasant," Dr. Grant said, patting his stomach. "I haven't eaten that, well since, well, I can't even remember how long it has been."
Lex smiled.
"I had a great time, and you know I don't know why I was so worried to begin with. Everything's so nice here."
Tim shot her an annoyed glance.
"If by everything you mean James."
Lex shot him a grin.
"He was..." Her features relaxed and her eyes went out of focus for a minute. "Nice. Really."
Her daydreams and fantasies of James were jerked to a halt as the cars started moving. Tim stared out his window as the Visitor Center disappeared into the trees behind them.
The voice on the radio came on again.
"You are now leaving the Visitor Center. The jeeps will be bringing you to one of our more popular sections, the rides section. There you will find a wide variety of rides including our famous roller coaster - one of a kind. The largest coaster, not to mention the longest, this coaster features many different kinds of experiences including an enormous amount of airtime and a wide range of g-forces. This ride is a must-ride thrill here at Jurassic Park."
The jeeps rode on for a little while longer before they came to a sort of toll booth one would see on a highway. It was had a bamboo roof and a young boy about the age of nineteen was sitting in it.
He looked up from his book, probably the latest Harry Potter novel, and smiled at them. He showed a row of nice white teeth and opened the window.
"Welcome to the Amusement Center here at Jurassic Park," he said, taking a large roll of red tickets down from a shelf behind him. "Here you will find many different amusement park-like rides, including our soon-to- be famous coaster, The Tyrannosaurus. It's the longest in the world, and one of a kind. We've designed it to let you experience many different sensations while riding, including a vertical drop and three different corkscrew and loops. You should each receive five tickets, because there are five rides as of now in the park. My personal favorite is the Haunted Mansion, but you'll be the one to decide."
The boy handed Dr. Grant the tickets through the window.
"Thanks," Dr. Grant said as he divided the tickets out between the three of them. The jeeps passed by the toll booth and continued into the forest. Trees passed slowly as the jeep made its way along the track. "This is so cool," Tim said, his hands on the dash board. "I guess," Dr. Grant said slowly. He didn't like roller coasters and didn't like the thought of riding The Tyrannosaurus. Suddenly, a set of green tracks came out of the foliage to their right. Tim pressed his palms up against the window and watched as the car slowed to a stop beside the track. The voice on the radio came back on. "The track you see to your right is part of our world famous coaster, The Tyrannosaurus. This world class roller coaster is the longest and largest in the world. It made its world premier on June 14th. Since then, this coaster has been set atop the world's best coasters list. We will get the train to come by your vehicle momentarily." There was a moment of silence. "Well, what do you -" Tim never got a chance to finish his sentence because just then the ground began to shake. Tim felt the leather seat vibrate slightly underneath him.
Then, with a roar, a seven-car train came shooting up the tracks to their right, shaking and rumbling until it finally passed by their jeep. Tim let out a breath of air that he had been holding while the train shot past them.
The jeep began to move once again. Lex brushed her hair out of her face. "That was a rush, and I haven't even ridden on it yet."
The jeeps rode on until all the trees ended and a large clearing with tarred roads appeared out of the forest. They were at the Amusement Center.
It was nicer than Tim had dreamed it would be. Tiny box-like huts were set up everywhere selling things. He spotted a hut selling shaved ice, and longed to jump out and spend what little pocket money he had on it.
"Welcome to the Amusement Center," the radio voice said. "Please remain seated until the jeep comes to a complete stop."
With a screech of brakes, the jeeps stopped.
Tim leaped out of the jeep as fast as he could and jumped into the air; fist raised high with a whoop.
"Whoa, settle down there Tim!" Dr. Grant said with a chuckle. "We haven't even been on a ride yet!"
"So?! Who cares! This place is awesome even if you don't ride anything!"
Lex got out and smiled.
"You have to admit," she said looking around. "This place rocks."
She pointed to a sign directing people to different rides.
"Would you look at some of these rides?"
Her eyes scanned up and down the sign. Pieces of jagged wood pointed them towards different rides.
"Check out the names! The Tyrannosaurus, that one looks cool even without the name! Oh, gross!"
She pointed to a ride that had a painting of people on a circular tube-raft screaming as a Tyrannosaurus Rex head lunged out at them.
"The Old Park? Is that supposed to be like a reenactment of our first...experience with Jurassic Park?"
Dr. Grant shook his head.
"Some people will do anything for money." He muttered to himself. He fixed his hat and turned to face one of the rides. "Well, which one should we ride first?"
Lex smiled slightly. "The Tyrannosaurus, definitely!"
Tim smiled too.
"Yeah, let's go!"
He started to make a run for the ride's entrance, but they all stopped in their tracks as they heard a snap in the trees behind The Tyrannosaurus.
Lex let out a gasp of horror as she saw a robotic Tyrannosaurus head come up out of the trees and close it's jaws on what looked to be a person.
She hid her face in Dr. Grant's chest, and he put a hand on her shoulder as he and Tim looked on. The sound of screams came from the direction of the robotic head, and then, after chomping on the body for a while, the head lowered back down into the trees.
"Oh, sick -" Lex said as she almost started to cry. She had just forgotten about the original park minutes before and then she had to be reminded of it once again. It was as if they couldn't escape the past.
"That was - disturbing," Tim said slowly, remembering the lawyer who had gotten eaten in front of them by a Tyrannosaurus.
"It's okay, Lex," Dr. Grant reassured her. "It was fake,"
"I don't care," Lex said softly into his chest. "I - don't think I want to go on The Tyrannosaurus now."
"What?!" Tim said in a shocked voice.
"I don't want to go on that ride."
Tim shot her an annoyed glare.
"Just because of a little robotic head, you won't go on the coolest roller coaster in the world?"
She didn't reply, rather, she sobbed silently into Dr. Grant's chest.
Tim shot her a fake smile, and then turned to go to the ride's entrance.
"Well, then," he said as he started to walk towards the ride. "Dr. Grant and I will go on it without you, then."
"I don't think I want to go on it either," Dr. Grant said, causing Tim to screech to a halt.
"What?" he said as he spun around to face them.
"You heard me. I don't want to leave Lex alone here."
"But there's nobody else here!"
Dr. Grant nodded.
"Exactly." He replied. "I'll sit here on this bench with her while you go on the ride."
Tim made an exasperated sound and turned to go off toward the ride. He stomped off angrily.
"Fine," he called over his shoulder. "I'll have fun by myself!"
He crossed over a rope bridge, not caring how dangerous it looked, and began weaving in and out of the line towards the ride. He groaned. He would be all alone on a scary roller coaster. Not that he was complaining or anything. But, he hated being by himself on rides. What fun was it if he was the only person on the world's greatest roller coaster?
Finally, he made it to the station.
Tim ripped off one of the red tickets and shoved it into the ticket- collecting machine angrily.
The cars were lined up in a row, and Tim made sure to go to the very back of the train. He sat angrily in the back seat and gave a shocked cry as the safety harnesses lowered automatically. He grasped it with both hands, his knuckles white.
"Welcome to The Tyrannosaurus." A voice said out of a loudspeaker built into the sides of the car. "Please remain seated while the ride is in motion. The safety harnesses are automatic, and will remain locked until the ride returns to the station. In the event of an emergency, please remain seated. The harnesses will remain locked and will only unlock when safety personnel get to the train. Have a good ride, and enjoy the rest of your day here at Jurassic Park."
The ride jerked into motion and started off by going down a steep hill. Tim would have been laughing if he had someone to laugh with. He sat, holding the harness, frowning.
The train then began a long ascend to the top of the first and steepest hill. He would have enjoyed this as well if he had someone to be nervous with.
Then, the train came over the top and began to drop down the vertical hill, down straight into a tunnel leading under ground.
Tim smiled slightly as he was enveloped in darkness. He heard roars from all around him as the train sped down the track. Okay, he thought. This is getting kind of fun.
He saw a blast of light, and he was out of the tunnel, and saw that the car was careening down the track. He laughed as a Tyrannosaurus head lurched out at him as he rushed past.
This wasn't so bad.
But then, things got creepy.
The car suddenly screeched to a halt and Tim felt himself pushed against the safety harness. The brakes screeched in his ears and he looked around as the cars sat dead on the track. Was this some part of the ride?
A voice coming from the loudspeaker answered his thoughts.
"We are experiencing some technical difficulties at this time. Please remain seated while we sort this out. You may be seated for 15 minutes, so please do not attempt to leave the vehicle. We will be sending personnel to allow you off the ride momentarily."
Tim groaned.
Why did the world hate him? Was this because he wasn't sympathetic towards his sister?
He hit his fists against the safety harness.
He would have been happy to be sitting on a broken down roller coaster if he knew what was happening to Lex and Dr. Grant at that moment.
The three friends left the Visitor Center well fed and happy, except for Tim who was still thinking about the caged animal he had seen. That claw.he just couldn't get it out of his mind. It was so real, and probably was real. He sighed. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was just a lizard.
Yeah, right, he thought to himself. A lizard big enough to escape a cage, almost. He shuddered. All he could think about was something going wrong on the trip. He had been annoyed when Lex had been nervous about coming back to the island, but now that he felt like that and she didn't, he realized how nerve-racking the feeling actually was. He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair and tried to shake the feeling of dread in his stomach. The tight knot stayed there until they got back into the jeeps and buckled up.
"That was pleasant," Dr. Grant said, patting his stomach. "I haven't eaten that, well since, well, I can't even remember how long it has been."
Lex smiled.
"I had a great time, and you know I don't know why I was so worried to begin with. Everything's so nice here."
Tim shot her an annoyed glance.
"If by everything you mean James."
Lex shot him a grin.
"He was..." Her features relaxed and her eyes went out of focus for a minute. "Nice. Really."
Her daydreams and fantasies of James were jerked to a halt as the cars started moving. Tim stared out his window as the Visitor Center disappeared into the trees behind them.
The voice on the radio came on again.
"You are now leaving the Visitor Center. The jeeps will be bringing you to one of our more popular sections, the rides section. There you will find a wide variety of rides including our famous roller coaster - one of a kind. The largest coaster, not to mention the longest, this coaster features many different kinds of experiences including an enormous amount of airtime and a wide range of g-forces. This ride is a must-ride thrill here at Jurassic Park."
The jeeps rode on for a little while longer before they came to a sort of toll booth one would see on a highway. It was had a bamboo roof and a young boy about the age of nineteen was sitting in it.
He looked up from his book, probably the latest Harry Potter novel, and smiled at them. He showed a row of nice white teeth and opened the window.
"Welcome to the Amusement Center here at Jurassic Park," he said, taking a large roll of red tickets down from a shelf behind him. "Here you will find many different amusement park-like rides, including our soon-to- be famous coaster, The Tyrannosaurus. It's the longest in the world, and one of a kind. We've designed it to let you experience many different sensations while riding, including a vertical drop and three different corkscrew and loops. You should each receive five tickets, because there are five rides as of now in the park. My personal favorite is the Haunted Mansion, but you'll be the one to decide."
The boy handed Dr. Grant the tickets through the window.
"Thanks," Dr. Grant said as he divided the tickets out between the three of them. The jeeps passed by the toll booth and continued into the forest. Trees passed slowly as the jeep made its way along the track. "This is so cool," Tim said, his hands on the dash board. "I guess," Dr. Grant said slowly. He didn't like roller coasters and didn't like the thought of riding The Tyrannosaurus. Suddenly, a set of green tracks came out of the foliage to their right. Tim pressed his palms up against the window and watched as the car slowed to a stop beside the track. The voice on the radio came back on. "The track you see to your right is part of our world famous coaster, The Tyrannosaurus. This world class roller coaster is the longest and largest in the world. It made its world premier on June 14th. Since then, this coaster has been set atop the world's best coasters list. We will get the train to come by your vehicle momentarily." There was a moment of silence. "Well, what do you -" Tim never got a chance to finish his sentence because just then the ground began to shake. Tim felt the leather seat vibrate slightly underneath him.
Then, with a roar, a seven-car train came shooting up the tracks to their right, shaking and rumbling until it finally passed by their jeep. Tim let out a breath of air that he had been holding while the train shot past them.
The jeep began to move once again. Lex brushed her hair out of her face. "That was a rush, and I haven't even ridden on it yet."
The jeeps rode on until all the trees ended and a large clearing with tarred roads appeared out of the forest. They were at the Amusement Center.
It was nicer than Tim had dreamed it would be. Tiny box-like huts were set up everywhere selling things. He spotted a hut selling shaved ice, and longed to jump out and spend what little pocket money he had on it.
"Welcome to the Amusement Center," the radio voice said. "Please remain seated until the jeep comes to a complete stop."
With a screech of brakes, the jeeps stopped.
Tim leaped out of the jeep as fast as he could and jumped into the air; fist raised high with a whoop.
"Whoa, settle down there Tim!" Dr. Grant said with a chuckle. "We haven't even been on a ride yet!"
"So?! Who cares! This place is awesome even if you don't ride anything!"
Lex got out and smiled.
"You have to admit," she said looking around. "This place rocks."
She pointed to a sign directing people to different rides.
"Would you look at some of these rides?"
Her eyes scanned up and down the sign. Pieces of jagged wood pointed them towards different rides.
"Check out the names! The Tyrannosaurus, that one looks cool even without the name! Oh, gross!"
She pointed to a ride that had a painting of people on a circular tube-raft screaming as a Tyrannosaurus Rex head lunged out at them.
"The Old Park? Is that supposed to be like a reenactment of our first...experience with Jurassic Park?"
Dr. Grant shook his head.
"Some people will do anything for money." He muttered to himself. He fixed his hat and turned to face one of the rides. "Well, which one should we ride first?"
Lex smiled slightly. "The Tyrannosaurus, definitely!"
Tim smiled too.
"Yeah, let's go!"
He started to make a run for the ride's entrance, but they all stopped in their tracks as they heard a snap in the trees behind The Tyrannosaurus.
Lex let out a gasp of horror as she saw a robotic Tyrannosaurus head come up out of the trees and close it's jaws on what looked to be a person.
She hid her face in Dr. Grant's chest, and he put a hand on her shoulder as he and Tim looked on. The sound of screams came from the direction of the robotic head, and then, after chomping on the body for a while, the head lowered back down into the trees.
"Oh, sick -" Lex said as she almost started to cry. She had just forgotten about the original park minutes before and then she had to be reminded of it once again. It was as if they couldn't escape the past.
"That was - disturbing," Tim said slowly, remembering the lawyer who had gotten eaten in front of them by a Tyrannosaurus.
"It's okay, Lex," Dr. Grant reassured her. "It was fake,"
"I don't care," Lex said softly into his chest. "I - don't think I want to go on The Tyrannosaurus now."
"What?!" Tim said in a shocked voice.
"I don't want to go on that ride."
Tim shot her an annoyed glare.
"Just because of a little robotic head, you won't go on the coolest roller coaster in the world?"
She didn't reply, rather, she sobbed silently into Dr. Grant's chest.
Tim shot her a fake smile, and then turned to go to the ride's entrance.
"Well, then," he said as he started to walk towards the ride. "Dr. Grant and I will go on it without you, then."
"I don't think I want to go on it either," Dr. Grant said, causing Tim to screech to a halt.
"What?" he said as he spun around to face them.
"You heard me. I don't want to leave Lex alone here."
"But there's nobody else here!"
Dr. Grant nodded.
"Exactly." He replied. "I'll sit here on this bench with her while you go on the ride."
Tim made an exasperated sound and turned to go off toward the ride. He stomped off angrily.
"Fine," he called over his shoulder. "I'll have fun by myself!"
He crossed over a rope bridge, not caring how dangerous it looked, and began weaving in and out of the line towards the ride. He groaned. He would be all alone on a scary roller coaster. Not that he was complaining or anything. But, he hated being by himself on rides. What fun was it if he was the only person on the world's greatest roller coaster?
Finally, he made it to the station.
Tim ripped off one of the red tickets and shoved it into the ticket- collecting machine angrily.
The cars were lined up in a row, and Tim made sure to go to the very back of the train. He sat angrily in the back seat and gave a shocked cry as the safety harnesses lowered automatically. He grasped it with both hands, his knuckles white.
"Welcome to The Tyrannosaurus." A voice said out of a loudspeaker built into the sides of the car. "Please remain seated while the ride is in motion. The safety harnesses are automatic, and will remain locked until the ride returns to the station. In the event of an emergency, please remain seated. The harnesses will remain locked and will only unlock when safety personnel get to the train. Have a good ride, and enjoy the rest of your day here at Jurassic Park."
The ride jerked into motion and started off by going down a steep hill. Tim would have been laughing if he had someone to laugh with. He sat, holding the harness, frowning.
The train then began a long ascend to the top of the first and steepest hill. He would have enjoyed this as well if he had someone to be nervous with.
Then, the train came over the top and began to drop down the vertical hill, down straight into a tunnel leading under ground.
Tim smiled slightly as he was enveloped in darkness. He heard roars from all around him as the train sped down the track. Okay, he thought. This is getting kind of fun.
He saw a blast of light, and he was out of the tunnel, and saw that the car was careening down the track. He laughed as a Tyrannosaurus head lurched out at him as he rushed past.
This wasn't so bad.
But then, things got creepy.
The car suddenly screeched to a halt and Tim felt himself pushed against the safety harness. The brakes screeched in his ears and he looked around as the cars sat dead on the track. Was this some part of the ride?
A voice coming from the loudspeaker answered his thoughts.
"We are experiencing some technical difficulties at this time. Please remain seated while we sort this out. You may be seated for 15 minutes, so please do not attempt to leave the vehicle. We will be sending personnel to allow you off the ride momentarily."
Tim groaned.
Why did the world hate him? Was this because he wasn't sympathetic towards his sister?
He hit his fists against the safety harness.
He would have been happy to be sitting on a broken down roller coaster if he knew what was happening to Lex and Dr. Grant at that moment.
