Author's Note: This is my first posted FanFiction. I hope you like it. Please read and review. I welcome the feedback.
Prologue: One Fateful Night
The four-wheeler hit the small hole with a loud bang and lurch that nearly unseated its two riders. Fifteen year old April Grady and her younger sister; ten year old Juniper Grady. Juniper was tightly squeezing April who was driving the small motorized vehicle. April's attention was focused on six things: her father, the four raptors running beside him, and her sister. She felt a little resentment at his forcing her and Juniper to come along but understood that he felt they were safest with him.
April heard Barry shout something to her father and the caravan came to a halt.
"Stay close." April said to her sister who promptly snapped to her side.
They took up position behind a log a little behind and to the right of Owen. It all quiet except for the growling of the raptors as the ACU officers huddled low in the surrounding grass. Distantly thuds could heard followed by the snapping of twig. With loud thundering footsteps the Indominus Rex emerged from the trees. Immediately several tiny dots of red light appeared as ACU took careful aim at the beast.
April sensed rather than felt Juniper trembling beside her. April slowly put a comforting arm around her sister as the Indominus began to communicate with the Raptors.
"Something's wrong." Barry muttered "They're communicating."
"I know why they wouldn't tell us what it was made of." Owen said causing April to glance at him.
"Why?" Barry breathed
Owen turned to look at April. Matching pairs of eyes looked at each other for a moment before their owners looked back at the super predator.
"That thing is part Raptor." He finished seriously.
April looked from the white hybrid to the Raptors and back again. She supposed she could see minor similarities between the two carnivores. "What now?," she thought. The thought had barely left her mind when ACU began firing. April instinctively pushed Juniper down shouting
"Junny stay down!"
Juniper did as told while April stood up readied her weapon and fired it at the albino meat eater. There was a whooshing sound as one of the ACU squad members fired his bazooka. His missile made contact with the super predator and exploded knocking the creature back. Flames flickered to life on the trees nearest the explosion. The Indominus rose and stomped off into the jungle roaring as it did. The raptors darted into the trees after the monstrous hybrid.
"Watch your six!" Dad yelled in warning "Raptors have a new alpha!"
"Junny, watch our six." April commanded
"I'll do my best!" Juniper responded giving a mock salute.
April chuckled and shook her said slightly. Even in the scariest situations Juniper still cracked jokes. That was something April admired in her younger sister. They moved slowly through the trees peering through the darkness hardly daring to breath. A large shape flew out the darkness by April and knocked the girl over. April expected claws instead she heard a low growl. She looked up and saw that what had leapt on her was in fact Echo. The Raptor opened its jaws and gave a low growl. A single sticky and dirty drop of the dinosaur's saliva landed in her cheek. She could see Juniper, back against a tree unsure of what to do but clearly frightened. Unable to move from under Echo April closed her eyes and waited for the end to come. Her life began to flash before her eyes and a single tear rolled down the right side of her face. The tear shed for the fact that her sister would be alone. Poor Juniper would be subject to watching her sister be killed but hopefully get away.
"Please let my sister live." April pleaded silently.
There was a familiar chirping before she felt the weight on top of her body vanish. April opened her eyes in time to see Echo streak off into the jungle in the direction of the ACU officers. April sat slowly up her eyes focused on the spot where Echo had just vanished. Why hadn't the raptor attacked? Had Echo recognized her and deemed her not a threat?
April slowly stood up and stumbled back a little as Juniper crashed into her in a tight embrace. April returned the gesture with a small smile, her mind still focused on the events that had just transpired.
Suddenly the air was full of yells and gunshots with the occasional raptor call mixed in.
"I take it that's our cue to get some transportation out of the jungle?" Juniper asked once again displaying her knack for being able to make light any situation.
"Definitely." April agreed quickly checking herself over.
Apart from her gray button-up being torn in several places, a few aches and cuts. She seemed alright. At least her jeans were still intact.
"Let's go!" She said loudly before grabbing Juniper's hand and almost dragging her back to where the vehicles had been parked.
When they arrived, the remaining ACU unit members were already taking the vehicles. April quickly pulled Juniper along and climbed into the ACU transport truck. She took a seat and Juniper sat down beside her. The seats around them filled quickly and before the back was full the truck took off through the jungle.
"You alright miss Grady?" One of the men asked a look of concern on his burly features.
In response April extended her right arm where Echo's claw had given her a four inch cut.
"The name's Sim" he said as extracted a medic kit from a compartment in the side of the truck. He opened the kit and thumbed through the contents before pulling out a small bottle and some wipes. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. As April took the cloth from the ACU officer she took a good look at him. Sim had a large pointed nose and blue eyes. A gold ring winked merrily from his left ring finger and a light fuzz dusted his broad chin.
"This is gonna hurt so, you should put that in your mouth." He looked at Juniper "Do you think you could be a big girl and hold your sister's hand?"
Juniper nodded and took April's freehand in both of hers after April had stuffed the cloth into her mouth.
"Ready?" Sim asked
April nodded and Sim began to clean the wound. April let out a heavily muffled scream and began crushing Juniper's hand with her own. Juniper winced slightly but made no attempt to remove her hand. April arm felt like it was on fire and the flames were burning her unceasingly. After a few minutes the pain subsided and April loosened the death grip she had had on Juniper. April took a deep shuddering breath.
"Now what?" She asked as Juniper flexed her aching fingers.
Sim smiled "Well fortunately it's not deep so we just put a bandage on and it should be fine."
This caught April off guard.
"Wait what?" She asked as Sim placed a large pad on the wound and started to wrap it with gauze.
She'd definitely expected more but decided that she should be happy with how mild her plight was. She sat in silence as he wrapped the wound. Sim paused whenever the truck hit a large bump. After a few minutes he sat back and let April look at his handiwork.
A small thank you was all she managed before a loud roar right outside shook the truck. Sim peered through a window.
"It's the Hybrid." He announced before sliding the small door that separated the back from the cab.
"Make for the southern docks hard and fast. Try to the lose the thing on the way." He barked at the driver before turning to the group with him. "Buckle up people, we're in for some major turbulence!"
April buckled Juniper in first before moving to buckle herself in. She turned to Sim
"Why the southern docks?" She asked as the buckle went in with a click.
"The ferry leaves from there, miss Grady." He answered simply, "You'd like to get off the island, yes?"
April looked at Juniper. Leaving would mean abandoning their home and the raptors but it would mean they lived. She looked back at Sim a fierce look in her blue eyes.
"Yes, I would."
Sim opened his mouth to continue the conversation but was forced to stall as something crashed into the side of the truck sending it up on two wheels before the large vehicle slammed back down on all four wheels.
"The Indominus is trying to capsize our ride." Sim said in disbelief as he ran his hand through his sand colored hair nervously.
The Indominus hit the truck again and the came to an abrupt halt as it smashed into a tree with a loud bang. The super predator hit the truck and tipped it over. April's head rammed painfully into the side of the truck and stars winked into existence before her gaze. She shook her head to clear it as the men started to flee the toppled vehicle.
"Sim, wait!" April shouted, unbuckling herself she turned to Juniper to find her sister unconscious most likely from when the Indominus Rex had violently rolled the truck onto it's side. Sim returned to her side and helped unbuckle Juniper easily picking her up bridle style as the screams of the fleeing men reached their ears followed by the roar of the Indominus. Was it her imagination or were the screams becoming quieter and the Indominus' roars getting further away.
"We can still make the docks if we hurry." Sim said urgently but still exiting slowly and carefully. He looked around and gave a sad chuckle.
April glanced up at him eyebrows raised.
"What's so funny?"
"I really shouldn't laugh but the idiots that ran out freed us of the Indominus." He responded "But I'll probably never get to thank them for it."
April sighed, then scooped up a fallen ACU tablet and logged in using her credentials. She activated the map and looked at it carefully.
"Looks like clear jungle from hear to the docks." She informed Sim before picking up an abandoned rifle and slinging it over her left shoulder. Finally she grabbed a small backpack and slid the tablet inside. She stepped out of the destroyed transport and stretched grimacing slightly at the myriad aches throughout her body.
"Ready?" She asked the ACU officer. He nodded.
Then as one they ran into the jungle each silently praying they would make to the ferry in time. Running through the jungle was exhausting but they didn't stop. Only after Juniper woke up did they pause to check on her. Sim reported that she was fine but slightly dazed. April slipped the tablet out of the backpack and turned it on. Immediately a single red in their vicinity caught her attention.
"We've got company coming from ten o'clock." she said hand Sim the tablet
"I concur." he agreed handing the tablet to Juniper, "Keep this safe okay?"
April and Sim simultaneously readied their weapons as they began to move again. April in the lead with Juniper behind her and Sim bringing up the rear.
"Junny, how close is the dot to us?" April asked
"One hundred yards at our ten." Juniper answered, promptly.
They ran on in silence for a few minutes before Juniper called out
"Eighty yards and closing at our ten!"
At least we know it's not the Indominus April thought. The albino dino had clawed its implant out.
"Sixty yards and closing at our ten!" Juniper updated
April raised a fist and the trio came to a halt. April and Sim took up a protective stance in front of Juniper whose gaze kept jumping from the jungle to the tablet in her hands. It was eerily quiet as they waited.
"Forty yards." Juniper whispered
Slowly they heard muffled thuds getting closer. A roar ripped through silence making all three jump simultaneously. April could hear Juniper whimpering behind slightly her as the thuds neared.
"Twenty yards."
"This is wasting valuable time." Sim hissed to the two females.
April opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by a loud roar. She focused on the sound picturing different dinosaurs with her mind's eye. Unfortunately all were carnivorous and based on the sounds of the steps something large. Her mind wandered through the possibilities. There was Rexy the tyrannosaurus rex, a ceratosaurus, a carnotaurus, baryonyx, and giganotosaurus. Baryonyx was too small and the giganotosaurus along with Rexy were much too large. That left the ceratosaurus and the carnotaurus. As if he had been listening to her thoughts Sim suddenly spoke.
"I would say a medium sized predator like ceratosaurus or carnotaurus."
"Should we risk trying to sneak around it?" April asked
Sim considered for a moment before turning to Juniper "What say you?"
"I just want to get off the island and back to my father." Juniper said between whimpers.
April could tell Sim hadn't been expecting a response like that and felt the corners of her mouth twitched upward. Her eyes found Juniper's emerald green ones and she winked at her sister who responded with a tiny smile.
"Well if we want to make the southern docks in time then we should try to slip by." Sim said looking from one Grady girl to the other "If we are discovered then we run."
April nodded her agreement shortly followed by Juniper. April looked again at Juniper.
"How close now?" she whispered
"Ten yards and it's still at our ten." Juniper answered softly.
Sim took the tablet from Juniper and started into the jungle. April took Juniper's hand in hers and led her silently after Sim. They crept along slowly hardly daring to speak let alone breath. They came to a clearing and started around it as a carnotaurus stepped into the clearing. The predator paused and looked around as if it sensed prey nearby. They inched their way around the clearing until they were behind the carnivore. Then with the sound like a gunshot a twig snapped under Juniper's right foot.
"Sorry." she whispered before letting out a small shriek as the carnotaurus roared and started to run toward them.
"Run!" Sim yelled, abandoning all pretense of stealth.
Juniper let out a scream as April dragged her along behind her. The carnotaurus paused before pursuing the two girls sensing they were more vulnerable than the lone man.
And of course, it comes after us April thought slightly bemused.
The meat eater was gaining on the two girls. April knew that it was only a matter of time before it caught them. Then quite suddenly something Juniper had told her a few weeks ago floated to the forefront of her mind.
"Carnivores like the carnotaurus can't take sharp turns."
Praying that Juniper was right April turned suddenly to the right as the carnivorous dinosaur snapped at them. It tried to stop but only succeeded in tumbling to the ground. Allowing the girls sufficient time to vanish into the jungle. April turned to the left and soon they were once again behind Sim; who, had slowed to a fast walk.
"The carnotaurus seems to be heading off, " he informed the girls when they had caught up. "and there isn't anything near us so it should be smooth sailing from here."
April glanced up at the sky which was beginning to lighten. They didn't have much time if they were to make the ferry. By the time they reached the trees that surrounded the dock the sun had risen farther into the sky casting a golden light of the scene before them.
April sank to her knees as tears welled up in her eyes. Beside her, Sim had hung his head. Only Juniper continued to look at the empty dock in front of them. They had missed the ferry. They were stuck on Isla Nublar.
Juniper turned to her sister.
"What now?"
April was saved the trouble of answering by the sound of static near her leg. Her radio was crackling– it could only mean one thing. Dad was trying to contact her. She unclipped the radio from her belt and hit the answer button.
"Hello, Dad?" she said, trying and nearly failing to keep her voice steady.
"April, thank goodness you're alright." he said sounding relieved "How's Juniper?"
"She fine too."
"Where are you?" His words were slightly distorted by the static
"Dad, there's no easy way to tell you this but we're still on the island."
"What?" his next few words were unintelligible as the static cover his voice.
April attempted to talk to him but received no response. She deduced that either they were too far apart or the connection wasn't very good for one of them.
Abruptly the radio went silent. April hooked the radio back onto her belt before turning toward Juniper.
"We survive, Junny."
April straightened up and put an arm around her sister.
"Where to?" Sim asked
"Our bungalow." Juniper replied.
Sim nodded and followed the two sisters into the jungle. April's words still ringing in their ears 'We survive.'