CHAPTER 4 The Mode of Transmission

The Mode of Transmission.This describes how microorganisms are transmitted from one person or place to another. This could be via someone's hands, on an object, through the air or bodily fluid contact.

Owen woke up in Claire's apartment early the following morning. He looked over at Claire, who was still sleeping peacefully. He smiled and brushed some of the hair from her face. He loved watching her and he didn't get the opportunity often. Usually Claire was up first, but today he had an early morning training session. A bunch of his friends were coming to watch and they had talked to Karen about bringing Gray along as well. He wanted it done early so he could spend the rest of the day with Claire and her family.

Then a thought crossed his mind. He wanted Claire to be his family. If he was being honest with himself, she already was in his eyes. He never imagined in a million years he would ever think that way. He'd had a hard family life growing up and joined the Navy as soon as he turned eighteen. He met Sam, who really became his brother. And then Barry. He never thought he needed more than that. And then he landed on this island and met her.

He leaned down, kissing the top of her head and inhaling her scent. It was insane to him how easily he fell for her. And she drove him crazy with want all the time. He thought about how much teasing went on through the day yesterday and how it worked out last night.

Flashback

They'd made it to the elevator in Claire's building after leaving the bar and the doors were closed before Claire was pushing Owen against the wall. Owen in return grasped her face and pulled her in to kiss her hard. As the elevator made it's way up to her floor, his hands moved from her face to her ass as they dueled for control. He hiked her skirt up in order to get at more skin when he came to a realization and tore himself away.

"You went commando?" he asked, the thought sending all of his blood to his cock.

She leaned up to whisper seductively in his ear, "All day." She moved down and began nibbling on his neck.

"Fuuuck..." he groaned. He thought about everywhere he'd been with her that day and how easy his access could have been. She looked up at him smiling, knowing what he was thinking about. He leaned down to capture her lips again.

The elevator finally dinged and she pulled back, taking his hand and almost dragging him to her apartment. They'd made it in the door before he was pulling her to him again. He kicked the door closed and, still holding her, picked her up and ran to the bedroom. Claire was giggling the whole time. She knew she had pushed some buttons.

They landed with a bounce as the back of Claire's knees hit the bed. They were both laughing as they collapsed with Owen on top. He began kissing her neck and collarbone wildly as she gasped and giggled. He reached behind and found the zipper to her dress, pulling it down. Claire arched her back to give him more room while simultaneously putting more pressure on his crotch.

He pulled her dress down, exposing her breast and cupping them while taking her lips again. His tongue begged entry as he kneaded her breast and squeezed her nipple. She moaned out loudly. The events of the day left her beyond turned on.

"You know how many times I was wet today, just thinking about you?" she whispered in his ear.

"God baby..." he thought of her lack of underwear all day and how she must have been soaking. He was so hard he was about to explode.

She began undoing the buttons of his shirt until he could fling it off. She then reached for his belt, "I had to finally take care of it in my shower after dinner. I started to come from the car vibrations on the way home."

"Fuck Claire.."

She sat up and captured his nipple in her mouth. Owen was trying to concentrate and help her with the belt, but couldn't focus.

She pushed him back so he could rid himself of his pants and he went to climb back on top before she stopped him with her high heel clad foot. She pulled her dress down far enough for him to grab it and pull it the rest of the way off. Her shoes stayed on as he held her leg and began kissing up the inside, until he bent down and attached his lips to her center. She threw her head back in a deep moan as his tongue entered her, finding her clit and sending her over the edge. She was writhing as she grabbed the top of his head and held on, her legs over his shoulders. She couldn't stop the force of the orgasm that hit her as she cried out, "Oh god...Owen!...oohhhh..." He continued to lick her until he had consumed all evidence of her orgasm. He returned to his spot above her and leaned down, allowing her to taste herself on his lips.

Her chest was still heaving as she looked deeply in his eyes and his control was gone. He kissed her hard as he slid his boxers down and kicked them off. He grabbed the condom he'd left on the bed and sat up to rip it open, rolling it on as he captured her lips again. He didn't hesitate long before finding her entrance and thrusting hard inside her.

She groaned in ecstasy as his length filled her, "Oh god...ummmm..." she moaned as she arched her back and wrapped one leg around him.

"Shit, baby, I'm gonna come so hard already...I've been building all day and you've been such a tease..." he panted in her ear.

"It was worth it if it got you this wild.." she said breathlessly as he pumped in and out of her fast, "Fuck...Owen...god..."

"Claire...baby..." he huffed, "Yeeessss.." he dropped his head in the crook of her neck, "Fuuuuuuuuccckkkk!" he cried out as he finally came, collapsing on top of her and rolling off, panting hard.

Claire was breathing heavily and smiling, "Having to defend you from other women was a bit of a turn on. We should see what happens with the reverse." She grinned.

"Aren't we possessive?" he laughed rolling over and kissing her.

She reached up and caressed his face, "Mine."

"Think we can last longer in round two?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"I'm up for trying!" she giggled as he rolled over her again, laughing the whole time.

End of Flashback

Owen had to resist the urge to wake her up with another round. He needed to go pick up Gray at the hotel and get through the morning. He would have nothing but time with her later. But he took his time getting up. He memorized everything about her. He was going to tell her how he felt today. Come hell or high water. He looked at the clock and then at her, one last time, before finally getting up for the day.

It was 8am when Claire pulled in to the garage out back of the Innovation Center. She had to go in for a few hours to cover for some meetings Simon had in the morning. Then she was off for the next four days. She saw the typical early arrivals pulling in behind her or already there. Many were the day shift lab techs coming in for work. They were gathered in a circle chatting before they went in. Claire waved at them as she headed toward the staff elevator from the garage up to the Control Room.

The control room was abuzz with it's normal activity. They were getting ready to open for the day while staff all over were coming in to work. Attractions were opening and the guests were making their way down Main Street. It was a beautiful day out and the lines were already forming. She smiled as it was looking to be a good day.

"Hey Lowery, I'll be in my office. I'm only here for a little while this morning, then Simon is coming in."

"Got it, boss." he responded.

Claire was in her office catching up on emails when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw who was calling.

"I really missed you this morning." she answered, suggestively.

"Well then, I'll never leave the bed again." he grinned on the other end.

She smiled, "I like this plan. How's it going? How's Gray?"

"Kid's got a lot of energy." he chuckled, looking over at Gray, who was chatting animatedly with Barry and Sam. "But we're having a ton of fun. I let him help me prep the rats."

"Owen!" Claire replied, horrified.

"What?! He asked!" he defended.

"Ugh.." she groaned. "Well, I'm waiting for Simon, then I can get out of here and come meet you guys. Maybe the three of us can go out if Karen and Zach still want to sleep."

"I like that idea." he smiled. "I've gotta go. I've gotta go do my training session. I wound up with 20 of the guys who still managed to get up this morning despite the amount of alcohol consumed last night. Including Sam!" he laughed.

"Go give 'em a show. I'll see you soon."

He briefly hesitated. "Bye, baby." She hung up.

He wanted to say it. He needed to say it, but couldn't get out of his own way. Three words were not that difficult.

As the day began for the other staff in the park, the lab techs that were chatting in the garage were coming in to check on the results of the experiment.

"I hope they saw some improvement." one tech said. They entered the glass doors to the "display" lab. This was the heavily staged front room where the tourists were allowed.

"Still, the other possibilities of what has been discovered are kind of exciting." another tech spoke.

There were six of them walking toward the doors of the back lab. One of them ran their badge over the door locks and they all entered. There was a collective of gasps and screams. The site in front of them was vomit inducing. The pure white floor was stained red and there were what appeared to be body parts spread across the floor.

They could hear noises around the corner getting louder. It sounded like growling.

One of the techs loudly whispered, "Asset out of containment?" The others just looked panicked.

"We need to go!" one of them shouted.

"GRRRAWWRRR! RAAWWRR! ARRRGHH!

As they turned to exit the room, the dead lab techs descended on them. They were too fast and couldn't fight them off. The door had closed again and moments later the remains of six new figures quickly rose and began growling and moaning with the others, clawing at the door.

On the other side of that door were a dozen more lab workers coming in to work...

Claire had stepped out into control room to check on the status of things.

"How are we looking?" she asked.

"Head count, 19,560 and no emergency calls yet." Vivian replied.

"Eh, the day's just starting. We haven't even opened the water park yet." Lowery added. "And it's the weekend. You know how that...goes...what the fuck?!" he shouted looking at his screen and they could hear screaming and loud growling coming through the audio feed. "Claire! You need to see this!" he said, sounding panicked. He hit a few buttons and the video he was watching went up on the center main screen.

"What the hell am I watching, Lowery?" The scene in front of her was gory and horrifying. The bloodcurdling sounds broadcasting through the speakers in the room were mixing with screams coming from inside the room and it was deafening . Was this a joke?

"The video feed from downstairs right now, Claire!"

The whole room was starting to panic when they saw the video feed in front of them. A mass of people who seemed out of control were running through the lobby attacking people like rabid animals. They were jumping on anybody standing and before you could blink there were half a dozen people gathered around the fallen body.

It looked like they were eating them. They were watching as people were torn apart like wishbones. The screaming was rapidly getting quieter and the growling was getting louder and moving out doors.

"Oh my god, they're moving to the street!" Lowery shouted.

"Holy shit...Lowery..." he heard her say. She saw the impossible. The fallen bodies that were all over the floor of the Innovation Center were getting up. Some started moving fast immediately. Others that appeared in rougher shape got up almost unnaturally and followed the first group out.

"We need to lock down the entire park. Get everyone in secure shelters now! I'll contact ACU. Priority one is human life." Claire started barking orders and the room was in full action. Claire grabbed her radio, "It's Dearing. I need all available ACU units, armed with both lethal and non-lethal on Main Street NOW! Outside the Innovation Center!" She was terrified. The video feed didn't need to be in color for Claire to realize there had been a massacre downstairs.

"Claire, It's Hamada. What's happening?" The ACU chief responded.

"Hamada, I can't explain it. Lowery will send you video. Hurry." she released the talk button. She couldn't put any words to what she was seeing.

"Waiting on updates and we are on the move now." Hamada answered.

"Lowery, get all the Main Street cameras up!" Claire demanded. This was rapidly descending into a nightmare. As soon as Lowery sent the necessary video to ACU, he shifted all available screens to the Main Street feeds.

They watched as the horde of rabid people rushed the crowds around Main Street and the massacre continued faster than anyone could grasp. Soon the fallen were getting up and joining the attacks.

"Claire, there are thousands of people still out in the open right now! The ferry just dropped another 3000 who are on route by monorail!" Lowery informed her.

"Call the ferry back and send the rail run back around. Get them off this island. If we can get anyone else off with them, do it. Start getting survivors to the docks. Tell response teams to use the tunnels." she ordered. She thought of her family. Owen, Karen and the boys were out there while she was in the most protected part of the park.

As if her mind was read, her phone rang. Karen was calling. "Claire?! What's going on?! We just got notified that the hotel was locking down for our safety! Gray's out there somewhere with Owen! What is happening?!" She was in a total panic at this point.

"Is Zach with you?" Claire asked before answering any of Karen's questions.

"Yes! He's right here! What is it, Claire?!" Karen was shouting now.

"We have a dangerous situation on Main Street right now. Not dinosaurs. You are safer in the hotel for now. I'm going to come and get you and bring you guys here. Then we'll get off the island." Claire said as flatly as she could.

"Oh my god, what is so dangerous?! Please tell me!" Karen begged.

Claire really didn't want Karen and Zach to worry about it until they needed to, but Karen would never let it go and she needed to call Owen.

"People are dying, Karen. A lot of them. And then they're coming back..." she said, still having a hard time saying out loud.

"Are you being serious?" Karen said, her voice now low.

"Yes. I am."

"Fuck, Claire!" Karen yelled.

"I'm coming to get you and I need to call Owen and check on him and Gray." she said firmly.

"We'll be ready. Get here quick..." Karen was terrified. "Claire, please be careful."

"Don't open that door for anyone but me or Owen. Do not leave that room unless you absolutely have to. Got it?"

"Yes."

"I'll see you soon, big sister."

"I love you, baby sister."

"I love you too." And she hung up. She turned back to Lowery, "Where are we?"

"Lockdown commencing. We're moving as many as we can back to the hotel and into shelter. We're monitoring for any outbreaks within those shelters. ACU is three minutes out from red zone. The ferry and monorail are both returning to the dock. Claire, I can't get a guarantee of anymore ferries. Word is spreading and video is hitting social media." Lowery replied, concerned that emergency transport may not be available. They'd be left to slaughter at this rate.

"Keep pushing. We'll do whatever they want. Get us transports. Call the Navy! There's a bunch of their guys on the island! Try anything Lowery!" She was getting hysterical. Lowery nodded and got back on the phone.

Once things were moving again, she took out her phone and frantically tried to call Owen. The phone rang once and went to voicemail. "Come on.." She tried dialing Barry. Same thing. One ring and voicemail. "Dammit they must be in training." Owen always kept his phone off so there were no distractions when he was working with the raptors. She grabbed her radio, hoping Barry at least had that.

"Claire to Barry! Claire to raptor paddock!" She prayed he didn't turn the radio off.

Meanwhile at the raptor compound...

"Okay assholes. Sorry Gray. Don't tell your mom I swore. Anyway, this is going to be the one time in you life you need to do what you're told. I'm the only one allowed up here while we're in session. Stay down there and stay quiet. I'll let you know if you can make noise. I need their attention only on me and I need to watch them." Owen was going through the instructions with his twenty or so friends who wanted to join him this morning. The rest stayed back at the hotel to sleep off their hangovers and pregame for tonight.

"I just want to see you manage four women at once!" Sam shouted from the group. Owen smirked and acted like he was going to throw a dead rat him.

"Like I said, you're an asshole." he chuckled. The only time Owen remembered having this much fun during a training session was the first time he brought Claire up a few months ago. He did bring her all the way up with him, but she was the exception to his rule. Mostly because he wanted her up there next to him.

"Gray, you stay here with Barry. He'll bring you up in a little bit."

"Got it, Owen." Gray nodded. Owen smiled at him and rubbed the top of his head.

He made his way up to the upper catwalk with his bucket. He could see the raptors circling below. They were anxious to get going, looking like they really wanted to play.

"PPHHFFTTT!" Owen whistled, then clicked his clicker, "Eyes up!" He was getting in the zone and focusing on Blue's eyes first. As long as he had her, he had the pack.

"Claire to Barry! Claire to raptor paddock!" Barry's radio on his hip went off. Barry looked apologetically at Owen. They always turned their phones off for training, but the radio staying on was mandatory in the event of an emergency. Owen paused, frowning in concern and looking at Barry as he answered his radio. The raptors were screeching, anxiously awaiting their food.

"Go ahead Claire." Barry finally responded. The minute he heard her name, Owen was racing down the stairs.

"Barry! We're in trouble! Something is happening inside the park and I need to talk to Owen now! I'm gonna have Lowery send you video." Claire spit out quickly.

"Got it!" Barry replied. He saw Owen approaching him, "Call Claire now!"

He got his phone out to turn it on. It was taking a while to boot up and he wanted to throw it at something. A matter of moments later Owen was calling her phone, "Claire, baby, what's going on?!" The anxiety was clear in his voice.

"Owen," she said, sounding very afraid. "I don't know what to do...there's something.." she was interrupted by Barry shouting.

"Merde! Owen! You need to see this!" Barry hollered over to him. Sam was close by and went up to Barry's side to see what was on the video.

"Hold on." Owen said to her, "Barry! What is it?!" He stood next to him to see what he was yelling about. Barry replayed the video, his face still shell-shocked from the first viewing. As Owen watched, he wanted to vomit. They were seeing human beings basically turning into mindless animals in real time.

"Dude, is this a joke? Are we watching actual zombies right now?!" Sam asked, alarmed.

"Gray! Over here with me!" he shouted. Owen was now panicking. That video was inside the Innovation Center. "Baby, I need to get to you now!" Barry replayed the video for some of the others and people began running around and getting weapons. Some were prepping vehicles. Gray ran up to him, looking very concerned.

"ACU is responding now. I need to monitor them and then I need to get to my family. It's worse than what you've seen." Claire responded and he could hear the quiver in her voice. She was crying.

"Claire, please, lock the control room and I will get there! " His only focus being his girlfriend who was in serious potential danger.

"Tell Hamada to use lethals." He heard her say, probably to Lowery. She sounded defeated. This was bad. "I've got to get to Karen and Zach. Please keep Gray safe, Owen. He's the baby. I can use the tunnels for now. They're fully locked down." She watched the video feed again and the attacking group grew even larger with every kill.

"Claire, please wait for me to get there!" He was desperate. He needed to protect her and he was too far away. He was already moving to grab his weapons, keeping Gray at his side, as everyone around him did the same, including the couple dozen Navy guys who were there with him.

"Owen...I love you." That stopped him in his tracks. It was finally the first time either of them had said it. His chest constricted and he felt the full weight of it. He'd wanted to tell her for so long and now they were in danger. Now it was said with the worry of never seeing each other again."You make my life better." He could hear her voice getting firmer. "ACU is on the offensive. I've got to go, baby. I need to do my job right now." He knew he couldn't stop her, so he just needed to get to her fast.

"Claire, I love you too." He heard a sob on the other end of the line.

"I'll see you soon." With that she hung up. He felt himself choking up hard. He needed to breathe. He knew she had to protect as much life as possible, so he wasn't going to distract her. He took a deep breath. He focused on what was necessary right now. He took on immediate commander made.

"I need some of you to stay here and monitor the paddock. We still need to maintain security with all animals as much as we can. If it becomes life or death, life comes first no matter what. Got it?" They all agreed. "The rest, be armed with lethals and protect yourself from attack at all costs. That seems to be how this is spreading. At least based on appearances. Don't go solo anywhere. We'll start at the gate, but if we can't get through, we'll move to the tunnel access in the old park." They had intentionally not added the raptor compound to the tunnel system for fear of the animals getting loose and finding their way down there.

"I've sent everyone the video file. Spread it to everyone you know. Get familiar and get numb. We need to get in there and help or we may all be dead." Barry said.

"Claire said ACU is on the offensive now. Let's move!" He hopped in a Jeep with Barry, Sam and Gray. This was not a time for the exposure of the motorcycle. And he needed to protect Claire's nephew at all costs.

With that, all available additional help was on route to the park as fast as they could.

Claire was watching as the teams of ACU were attacking the horde without making a big dent. They were finding that shots to the head kept them down. Anything else was useless. Except for annihilation. She kept the audio on so she could respond faster.

It wasn't sounding good.

"Updates Hamada!" she called.

"My guys are starting to fall, Claire! The mass is getting too big!" Hamada responded, panicked.

"I need you to move all your troops to rooftops. Get them out of the line of fire now! Fire from above. Consider anyone out lost or on their own." she ordered.

"Understood! The horde seems to be starting to move north away from Main Street, out toward the jungle. There are hundreds still scattered around the streets right now that we have been taking down." Hamada replied.

Claire was trying not to breakdown. Thousands of people dead in almost minutes. And it wasn't a dinosaur. How the fuck should we have planned for this, she thought. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "If you feel secure to do so, send scouts to follow. Or by air. We need to monitor the movements if they turn back around. Spread the word to all outpost positions."

"Understood." and the radio went quiet. No more time for back and forth.

"Claire! We checked all the interior cameras. It started late last night in the lab. As soon as day shift came in it was let loose! I've got a play by play!"

She went over and watched the sped up video as it went through the series of events last night.

"Whatever was in that chamber caused this.." she concluded.

Word had finally reached Simon, who rapidly ended his video meeting and made his way to the control room. He needed to assess the situation. The room was loud and frantic. People were responding to calls and monitoring video simultaneously. Most hadn't even noticed that Simon had entered the room.

"Sir, you need to find shelter immediately. There is no one available to help you."

"Ma'am. I understand you're children are frightened, but locked in you're room is the safest place you can be right now."

"Sir, the situation is still active. We cannot discuss refunds at this time."

Many more conversations going on around him were similar. Simon looked over at Claire who was down to the front frantically trying to watch every screen.

"Where are we on lock down?" she asked Lowery.

"All warnings have gone out and most have found shelter and locked up the buildings. Hotel was locked down. Tunnel access only. But Claire, this thing spread fast. We're looking at thousands who were out and couldn't get to a shelter. An asset out of containment couldn't have caused that much damage that fast." Lowery said honestly. This was about as bad as it could get.

"Claire.." Simon finally spoke as he realized this situation was disastrous and no where near over. She turned and walked over to him.

"Lowery, We need a moment. Keep me updated." Lowery nodded at her and she turned to Simon. "Let's go to my office." She turned and went in her office. Closing the door behind her, she took a deep, shuddering breath.

"This is what it's looking like, isn't it?" Simon asked seriously.

Claire couldn't even say the word. It felt insane. This entire situation was insane. "Yes, we think it is. It started in this building Simon. We rolled it back on the interior cameras. It came out of the lab from an incident last night. As soon as the day team came in, they were let loose. I have a team right now just working on finding out what this is, but it looks to be passed by bite." she finished.

Simon looked at her for a moment and then took out his phone, dialing a number. "Henry, where are you?" He got a response. "Get into the control room and meet me in Claire's office immediately." He hung up without waiting for a response. "He was in the conference room with investors. He's on his way." Simon was despondent. Thousands were clearly dead. And it may have come out of his lab.

"Simon..." Claire got his attention quietly. "I need to go get my sister and my nephew. I need them with me. I can't focus here knowing they're out there. Or Owen. They're my family, Simon. Owen is coming and he has Gray, but my sister needs me..." she stopped, turning to look out the window. She was starting to sob. Everyone that meant anything to her were out in the danger as she sat in a fortress.

"Claire, are you crazy? You can't go out there!" Simon was dismayed at the thought of Claire putting herself in that kind of danger.

"I wasn't asking Simon." She turned to look at him. "I'm letting you know. You have this under your control with Lowery and no one else would dare leave the safety of this room. You can get to the bottom of this better than I can. You have leverage." She looked off again in the distance. " I need to get my family and I can use the tunnels for now. Honestly, I can't help but think if this is my time, I want to be with them or fighting for them." she said to him plainly. The situation was terrifying without many options out of it. She knew they would all be fighting soon. "Lowery can't get more transports. People are seeing the videos online. We may get closed off to prevent this from reaching the mainland."

Simon stood there with his arms crossed. He looked at her deep in thought before he finally spoke, "One condition. You take three ACU with you."

"Simon, that's not..."

"Up for debate. I will not allow you to go out there anywhere alone. And Owen would never forgive me. I will manage everything here." he said, knowingly.

"Fine, but I'm going armed." she responded.

"Wouldn't expect otherwise."

"Good."

He finally relaxed his stance and walked toward her, pulling he into a hug. "Be careful. Please." he said, pulling back to look at her.

"Keep me updated." He nodded and went to leave the office. He paused in the door.

"Claire?" he called to her and she looked up. "You're not wrong. I would do the same." She nodded and he left.

Claire went to her office closet and found her emergency gear. It was pants and boots as opposed to her business outfit. Better for her to help on the ground and move fast. Once she changed, she stepped out in the office and many looked at her strangely. She was a little shorter than they were used to, not being in high heels. Simon was speaking to three ACU members who were standing by the elevator. They approached her and handed her the rifle she needed and the ammo carrier. The staff around the room watched in fascination as they had never scene Claire like this.

"I need a quick moment of attention. I am going on a run. Simon is taking over for me. I will have my radio on me, as well as my phone, but I will be in the tunnels, so radio is the best shot. Keep me in the loop, especially if we go sideways. Lowery, a moment." she nodded at him, indicating to come over.

"What's do you need?"

"I need you to be my eyes and ears. I'm going underground to the hotel to get my sister and nephew. I need to know if there are any coming for me. I'm assuming it's mostly clear right now as it's all been locked down." she said.

"It's not guaranteed, but it should be. We have been moving a few groups through there to get them to safe locations. And we have had some stray dinosaurs get down there, so be mindful." He paused for a moment, "Let me give you an earpiece. They have a higher range for ACU members. I can also track your location and your vitals." Lowery offered. "You can stay live with me the whole time."

"Let's do it." she agreed.

He went to a closet in the back and came back out with a small earpiece, handing it to Claire. She put it right over her ear and it registered as a new user. "I'll put you fully in the system as soon as you leave."

"If Owen reaches out, tell him to bring Gray right here. Do not come after me until Gray is safe. I know you can't stop him, but I want my nephew secure first." she requested.

"I will make sure he gets the message."

"Thanks Lowery."

She turned to walk toward the elevator to leave with the unit. Simon stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and simply nodded at her. She returned the gestured and stepped away. She turned as she entered the elevator and the doors closed.

Owen and his team made their way to the East gate as fast as they could. Barry had tried calling the outpost but got no response. They may have been part of the team called in to the park. Sam was navigating and Barry was in the back with Gray.

"How're you doing, buddy?" he asked the boy.

"I'm a little scared." he said quietly.

Barry wrapped an arm around him, "We all are, my friend, we all are."

Gray simply nodded. "Owen, are my mom and brother okay? Is my aunt okay?"

The question made Owen tense immediately. He was worried sick about Claire and the others. His heart was screaming at him to go barging in after her. But he had her nephew and she was capable of surviving if she needed to. He was just stronger with her.

"Your aunt is the bravest, strongest person I know and she will protect your mom and brother. I promise you, Gray. And I'm gonna protect you. And we will go find them and get you home safe. Deal?" he offered, hoping it would calm the boys fears a little.

"Deal."

Owen smiled at him in the rear view. "You're a brave kid, you know that?"

"Coming up on the gate now, Owen." Sam informed him.

As they got closer they could see a couple of guards at the tower. They turned when they heard the gravel under multiple vehicles. Owen stopped outside the gate and could here a raucous of noise coming from the other side. The guard leaned down to speak closer so he could be heard.

"Don't want to come this way, Owen!" he shouted. "There's hundreds of 'em all over the field right now! They've taken down a few of the dinosaurs to nothing! The others ran off!"

"We'll try another way! Watch yourselves! Are the dinosaurs getting up?"

"Nothing left to get up in our view!"

"Keep an eye out! Let us know!" It had crossed Owen's mind about the affects of the bites on the animals. That would cause a whole other wave of terror. "Keep taking them out!"

"Like shooting fish in a barrel right now! But they move fast, man! Really fast!"

"Thanks for the heads up!" With that he got back in the jeep and grabbed his radio. "Looks like Plan B fellas."

"West Gate?" Barry asked.

"No, I think our only way in is through the tunnels." That was the last thing he said for a while as he pressed his foot on the gas.