The Raptor Nest
The group examined the nest.
"These are really big raptor eggs," said Paul, "how do you know what species it is, Dr. Grant?"
"Um, I researched them. And fossils. So I'm saying that these eggs are raptor eggs."
"How long would they take to hatch out?" asked Amanda.
"About a few weeks or so," said Grant.
"How long ago would they be laid?" said Paul.
"Two or three weeks," said Grant, "not that long."
The entire group gasped in amazement.
"We should get moving," said Grant, "come on."
And Grant, Paul, Amanda, Mullins and Udesky walked off into the forest.
Billy and Simone stayed back to examine the raptor eggs a little bit more.
"Simone," said Billy, "let's take a few snap shots of this nest."
"I've got an even better idea," said Simone.
"What?" said Billy.
Simone took another look at the eggs and grinned at Billy
"Paul, what's a raptor?" Amanda asked.
"I don't know, Amanda," said Paul.
"A Velociraptor is a bird of prey," said Grant, "and if we come across one, we might live."
"Well, that's good," said Paul.
"But you've never came across just one," said Grant and looked back to find both his associates missing.
"Wait! Where's Billy? Where's Simone?"
They all stopped.
"Wait here," he ordered to the others and ran off to find them.
"Billy! Simone!"
They walked up to him.
"Alan, we're right here," said Billy.
"What were you doing?" he asked worriedly.
"We were snapshotting the nest," said Simone.
"Don't ever do that again," said Grant in relief.
"Okay," said Billy.
"Sorry, Alan," said Simone.
Grant looked back at them and said "if I lose you guys, it's just me and the damn tourists."
The three of them went to join the others and the group continued on through the jungle.
Paul walked on next to Mullins with Udesky right behind them.
"So you're not a mercenary, right?" he asked.
"I never said I was," said Mullins.
"What are you then?"
"I'm a Military Attache. The only reason why your US Embassy suggested me was because I was only thought to be a mercenary with my hunting skills so I hired my own team. And Udesky here ain't a mercenary either. Right, Udesky?
"I never said I was," said Udesky.
"What are you then?" said Paul.
"I'm a booking agent. The other guy got sick and couldn't come so I replaced him."
"Then why are you a part of this team?"
"I was the one in the team who makes reservations for our game hunting trips."
"Interesting," said Paul.
And they walked off with the others through the jungle.
Raptors
The hours passed and the group was much fatigued once they reached a ridge and saw an old abandoned building in the distance.
"I bet there's a very good chance that Miles and Eric are in there," said Paul.
"You do?" said Amanda.
"I bet my bottom dollar."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's The Four Seasons," joked Udesky.
He and Mullins shared a laugh as they ran downhill.
The group reached the abandoned building and walked inside.
A cat-like rushed past them outside.
"Miles! Eric!" shouted Paul.
"Shhh, Paul," whispered Amanda.
Billy and Simone checked the telephones.
"They're all broken," said Billy.
"That's odd," said Simone.
"Probably nothing in this compound could be working," said Grant, "I can tell of how old it looks."
"So can I," said Simone.
The group walked upstairs and spotted two vending machines.
"Anyone got change?" said Paul, bringing out his wallet, "I only got a buck ten."
Billy sighed and kicked open one of the vending machines with his foot.
He snatched up several snack packets and passed them around to everyone.
Paul tried to kick open the other vending machine but it wouldn't bust.
So he snatched a snack packet from the broken-open vending machine and joined the others.
The group walked down the metal stairs and walked around the area.
"Is this how you make dinosaurs?" said Amanda.
"No," said Grant, "this is how you play god."
"Okay if Simone and I take pictures?" said Billy.
Grant nodded.
Billy and Simone took out their cameras and took snapshots of things around the compound.
Amanda was passing a large cylindrical tank with half-formed embryos floating in formaldehyde.
Finally she reached a gigantic magnified Velociraptor head floating in the tank.
Something about the specimen caught Amanda's attention.
She bent forward and got very close to the glass.
She peered right into the eyes of the raptor.
The raptor lunged at her, implying that it was real.
Amanda screamed
The raptor couldn't get between the closely spaced tanks.
Amanda ran.
"Amanda!" shouted Paul.
Amanda finally caught up with Paul and threw her arms around him.
"Back out! Move!" shouted Grant.
As the group races through the lab the raptor found a larger gap between the tanks and got free.
Paul led the way, checking the door for possible escape routes or hiding places.
The raptor was only twenty-feet behind.
It rounded a corner and bolted after them.
Paul ducked in the closest door.
"In here!" he said.
The group slammed the door behind them as they ran in.
There were several rows of oversized steel cages which were apparently used for containing young dinosaurs.
Many of the cage doors were standing open.
The group raced down a lone aisle.
Close behind them, the raptor burst into the room and roared.
As the Raptor gained ground, Billy and Udesky ran into one of the open cages and slammed the door behind them.
Grant, Paul, Amanda and Mullins ducked into another open cage.
Before they can swing the cage door shut behind them, the raptor slammed into it and drove the door into the cage.
They were forced back against a chain-like wall and were trapped in a small triangle space by the advancing door.
The angry raptor is now inches away through the cage door.
Then suddenly, the raptor looked up.
It eagerly raptor climbed up the chain-like door.
Amanda grabbed the door and nods to the others with an idea in mind.
"Push!" she shouted.
They pushed hard on the cage door, swinging it.
The raptor swung right through the opening of the cage.
The door went right to the ceiling.
Amanda slid the door's bolt through the chain like wall and temporarily trapped the raptor.
The raptor struggled desperately.
It growled and snarled but the cage door seemed to be holding.
As everyone rushed back to the door, the raptor began to make a low moan.
As the others headde for the door, Grant lingered a step, listening to the raptor's simple melodic cry.
It had the same tones as came from the fossil Billy and Simone presented to him at the dig site.
"She's calling for help," he gasped.
"Come on, come on," said Paul, pulling Grant away.
The group exited the rear of the lab building and found themselves in a large equipment yard.
The call of the raptor was still audible as they headed for the tree line.
The group stopped when they heard rustling.
"What was that?" gasped Amanda.
"I don't know," said Amanda.
Suddenly, a dinosaur emerged from the bushes and held down Mullins.
He screamed.
Udesky ran over to help him.
"Gimme your hand," he said.
"No," shouted Mullins and handed the shotgun over to Udesky screaming in pain, "RUUUUNNN!"
Udesky snatched up the shotgun and watched in horror as the dinosaur pulled Mullins inside the bushes.
The group continued to run.
"What was that thing?" said Amanda.
"Carnotaurus Sastrei," said Grant.
And the group ran out on the fields.
Responding to the growls, a herd of grazing Hadrosaurs suddenly fleed across the open space
Billy dropped his lucky pack.
Simone pulled him through the stampede.
Grant picked up Billy's bag and continued to run.
In the distance behind the herd, there was a pack of raptors, obviously alerted by their companion's call.
They emerged from the jungle and came their way.
"Head for the trees!" shouted Grant.
The Trap
The raptor pack moved into the hunting formation.
One alpha-male, slightly larger than the others, led the charge up the middle.
Paul climbed up a tree and helped Amanda up the canopy.
Billy and Simone ran through the jungle while Grant ran in his own direction.
Udesky ran through the jungle and stopped when he heard hissing.
"Who's there?" he said, pointing his shotgun around.
There was no reply.
Instead, a raptor snuck up on him and pushed him down.
Udesky was overwhelmed and dropped his shotgun.
His scream echoed through the jungle.
"Udesky," said Billy when he heard his scream.
Udesky crawled through the ground.
The raptor that knocked him down injected its claws in his back.
He screamed louder in pain.
"Mr. Roby!" shouted Billy as he saw Paul and Amanda up in the canopy.
"Billy! Simone!" called Paul.
"Is Alan with you?" said Simone.
"No," said Paul.
"Nowhere to be seen," said Amanda.
Billy and Simone climbed up the tree into the canopy.
"We heard Udesky's scream," said Simone.
"So did we," said Paul, "any sign of him?"
"Right there," said Billy and pointed to Udesky's broken body next to the tree.
"Oh my god," said Paul.
"Mr. Udesky! Mr. Udesky!" shouted Amanda.
Udesky stood still as the raptor that attacked him and two others stood behind him.
"He's dead," said Billy.
Then Udesky's arm moved.
"Oh my god. Not he's not," said Amanda and was going to run down to help him.
"Wait, Amanda. No," said Paul.
But it was too late.
Amanda dangled dangerously from the ground and the three raptors jumped at her.
She screamed and wailed.
Billy and Simone pulled her up and helped her back up into the canopy.
Paul put his arm around her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes. Thanks, Paul. Much appreciated," sighed Amanda.
"They set a trap," gasped Billy, "they actually set a trap."
The raptors looked up to see that their plan to lure the others down wasn't working.
Another raptor call echoed from the jungle.
Two of the raptors ran off to join their pack.
The third raptor lifted up and Udesky's neck and snapped it before dropping it back down and running off to join the rest of the pack.
Amanda backed away against Paul's arm.
Simone did the same to Billy.
"What do we do now?" said Paul.
"Take refuge here for safety I guess," said Amanda.
"Great," said Paul.
"Excellent," said Amanda.
"Safe plan," said Simone.
And the four remained in the tree canopy for the rest of the day.
Grant
Grant ran through the jungle all own his own.
Billy's lucky pack was strapped around his arm.
Suddenly, a group of raptors circled him and snarled.
They closed slowly in on him like they wanted something from him.
"What is it?" he said to them, "what is it you want? What are you looking for?"
The raptors just continued to snarl at him.
Suddenly, a round figure dropped onto the ground and a cloud of white smoke rose out, scaring the raptors away.
Grant coughed loudly.
Two figures carried him through and out of the smoke.
Grant coughed loudly.
"Wait!" he shouted, "wait! Wait!"
But the two figures didn't reply.
They just carried him on through and out of the jungle.
They pulled him in with them into a huge water truck where Grant suddenly lost consciousness.
The two figures loomed over as he fell asleep.
"Sir, are you okay?"
"Sir, sir."
But Grant was sleeping away by the time they spoke up.