Jurassic World: Return to Isla Nublar – Chapter 47: Helpless Victims
A/N: Alright Jurassic Park fans, get ready for another exciting chapter! As the title suggests, we'll be seeing some predators in this chapter, and I think you'll all REALLY appreciate which ones are making an appearance! Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Jurassic Park except the very characters I've made up.
The forest was dark and eerie. This fact didn't help that Eric's jeep had been stationary for several tens of minutes. They had to stop because Eric was having the hardest time trying to find the right road that led back to the Visitor Center. It was 7:15 p.m. when they finally got moving again.
"Are you sure you're going the right way?" Kelly asked him.
"Yep, I'm positive," Eric said. "We passed through another gate that led out of the park, and we should be heading toward the Visitor Center."
As the jeep followed the bend in the road, they noticed that they were heading straight for a great cliff with a beautiful waterfall sending tons of water down to feed a large pond beneath it. In front of the pond was a slab of gray concrete with a big white "H" on it – it was a dead end. The waterfall was beautifully lit in the moonlight.
"Wow, it's amazing," Kailey breathed as the jeep came to a stop.
"Wow, we're lost," Kelly said, sarcastically.
Eric frowned. "Oh, this isn't the Visitor Center, is it?"
Lex gasped. "I remember this place – this is the helipad where we arrived and left the island by helicopter."
Tim smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's right. It is. It looks so different at night. Looks kind of spooky and beautiful at the same time."
Eric hit his head on the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off. "Drat . . . I thought for sure we were on the right track."
"Never mind," Stanley said, "just get the Global Positioning System out so we can have a look."
"You can just call it GPS, you know." He took it out and showed it to Stanley and Kelly. "OK, so if we're here . . . that means I either took a wrong turn here . . . or possibly here."
Kelly shook her head. "No, see right here? You went left when you should have kept going straight for a couple more miles."
"But we already crossed the river."
"No, that was a creek. The river on the map we're supposed to cross is much bigger than the creek . . ."
Squished in the backseat, everyone else was getting impatient. Levine drummed his fingers on the car door. "You know what, I'm getting out."
"OK," Eric said, "but stay close to the jeep. Carnivores could be anywhere, especially at night!"
Everyone except Eric, Kelly and Stanley hurried out of the jeep. Kailey led Tim over to a secluded spot near the pond so they could look up at the waterfall. She got her camera out and took some pictures. "It's really breathtaking. Look at this view!" she said.
Tim nodded. "Yeah, it is breathtaking. Kind of reminds me of the time I went to Hawaii with my family when I was a kid."
After she was finished taking pictures, she wrapped her right arm around Tim, and Tim did the same with his left arm to Kailey. He thought that she was looking exquisitely beautiful tonight; the moonlight giving her eyes a whitish shimmer. She giggled.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"'Cause you're beautiful." He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek.
Kailey grinned. "You're not getting away with that," she whispered. Her feminine hand brushed along Tim's chin and she reached up as she kissed him on the lips. Tim began hugging her tighter as the intensity of the kiss increased.
The soldiers scanned the area for signs of dinosaur life while Levine leaned against their jeep. Lex went over to him and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"I'm thinking about the Ceratosaurus we saw earlier."
"What about them?"
"Well, I was thinking about how they hunted as a group to bring down the Brachiosaurus."
Lex cocked one of her eyebrows. "I'm sure you're thinking about more than that. Go on."
"See, there's no evidence that they hunted in packs to bring down sauropods back in the Jurassic. The predators that most likely hunted sauropods were Allosaurus and Torvosaurus and other large Jurassic predators, definitely not ceratosaurs. Now, as far as we know, since the Metriacanthosaurus weren't integrated into the park before the incident, the only other predator large enough to take on a sauropod – a weaker one, of course – would be Tyrannosaurus, but they mainly hunt ceratopsians and hadrosaurs. This got me thinking that, considering all the differences between the InGen dinosaurs and the extinct ones, maybe either that frog DNA Dr. Sorkin's been talking about has changed the dinosaurs' behavior or . . . they're adapting to fill a particular niche that's not being filled otherwise."
Lex grinned. "So basically you're saying, that the Ceratosaurus might be changing their behavior to fill a niche that wouldn't be filled otherwise? The niche of bringing down sauropods?"
"Weak and young sauropods specifically, but that's precisely it! Isn't it fascinating? The prospect of a species changing its behavior – in only a couple of decades – to exploit a food opportunity. Of course, Ceratosaurus isn't as well-suited for bringing down even sickly or young sauropods like Allosaurus, but they do the best they can do." Levine sighed and stared at the waterfall. "This island is an amazing place, where dinosaurs, without the intervention of man, have adapted to a unique ecosystem and have thrived. It's just amazing to think about."
Lex nodded. "Yes, it is. It's even more amazing that, just about a week ago, most of us didn't know this island still existed. Speaking of which, while we're sitting here . . ."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Levine asked. He got his laptop out and after turning it on, he scrolled through the list of emails until he found one that was unread.
"'May 27, 1993
Dear Hammond,
I'm still astonished just how much has happened over the past week or so. It's been hectic here at the park. The only way I can seem to get away from it is to spend some time at the DNA Project #1 laboratories. All everyone wants to talk about right now is the Big One. It gets rather irritating. As you know, after we released the Big One into the Velociraptor paddock, she violently took over the pack and killed the other raptors, save two individuals. Muldoon and Harding still have no clue as to what drove her to this level, but they believe she simply wanted to become leader of the pack and was forced to fight until she'd killed the previous leader and most of her associates. I'm just glad we've already bred several Velociraptor nublarensis on Sorna to ship to Nublar as soon as possible. Also, you might already be aware that the Big One had her subordinates attack the fences to test them. As if they weren't deadly enough already, the Big One has made her fellow pack-mates more inclined to escape and Muldoon's observed them testing the fences . . . systematically. He was beginning to fear that if they escape, we don't take all the necessary precautions, which, I'm sure you remember, is why we decided to temporarily place them in the Velociraptor Holding Pen. I'm glad you thought about that ahead of time, just in case the raptors hadn't settled down.
Now what happened last Friday, I found it quite nerve-wracking, personally. I know you've been already told about the raptor attack that just happened, but I'll go into detail from my perspective, as I was one of the men watching the entire event: it was a little chilly that night (which is kind of bizarre considering we're on a tropical island), and the first raptor, Big One (Muldoon and the others wanted to get her out of the way) was being loaded into the Holding Pen when, as Jeffery, the gate keeper, was opening the gate so the raptor could be released, she shook her transportation cage and Jeffery fell down to ground level. I watched with anticipation as the Big One grabbed Jeffery's legs and hauled him into the cage to kill him. Muldoon and the other rangers fought hard to tranquilize and shock the dinosaur with cattle prods, but we still lost him. Peter Ludlow and your bloodsucking lawyer, Donald Gennaro have been talking constantly about how much the death would cost the company. I think Gennaro said that the family of that worker filed a $20,000,000 lawsuit! That's crazy! Of course, I'm sure you're already well aware of how much this will cost the company. Gennaro and Ludlow seem set on telling me and Muldoon all the side-effects of the raptor attack for some reason. I have no idea why, since I have nothing to do with how it's going to be funded. All I know is that Ed Regis is going to have a tricky time creating a cover story for the incident! Also, as you expected, construction has pretty much grind to a halt around here, save some of the work being done on the Visitor Center, Safari Lodge, Bone Shaker ride and Marine Facility. I'm unsure how long this will last, hopefully not long. I'm just glad my operations don't have to be shut down.
Anyway, on a lighter note, you'll be happy to know that the three Velociraptors are now in their Holding Pen and have caused no more fatalities to date. Muldoon and his assistants have been keeping a close eye on those beasts. Also, the process of transferring the five additional raptors to the park to replace the ones Big One killed was completed this morning. The new batch is being kept in some quarantine pens near Laura's field laboratory. Dr. Sorkin is managing the operation, which is good for me, because I'm really busy around here. Phew! Speaking of Dr. Sorkin, she tells me that the Troodon population – both the ones that were being genetically engineered on Site B and her batch on Nublar – have been put down. I'm glad about this, because we know that if they were to ever get out, they might cause more trouble than the Velociraptors.
The work on the Marine Facility is nearing completion. Of course, all the finishing touches won't be ready for the public until Phase B, but it's nonetheless ready for its first creatures. Despite common belief among paleontologists, my research on mosasaurs leads me to believe that they did not lay eggs like most reptiles, including dinosaurs, do. Instead, they give birth to live young like some species of snakes, ichthyosaurs and most mammals. Knowing this, the Site B facility has used some of the breeding tanks to bring back to life a few mosasaurs. To my surprise, the first mosasaur embryo was viable! I've (reluctantly) let Laura Sorkin in on what we're doing concerning the Marine Facility. I was shocked she didn't have this long list of complaints regarding how we were constructing the habitat for the mosasaur; she just hoped that the mosasaur habitat was big enough to keep the creature happy and healthy. The mosasaur species we've created is Tylosaurus prodiger, and she's growing fast! In fact, by the time you read this, she will have outgrown her breeding tank and we'll transport her to her new home. I think she'll like it. The new marine specialists you hired will be coming to the park this Tuesday. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they learn that they won't be taking care of whales, dolphins and sharks! We've also started mass producing fish to feed our mosasaur; I think we'll need it later on.
In other news, our specimens for DNA Project #1 are doing wonderful. The Carnotaurus are especially interesting. They have the amazing ability to blend in to almost any poorly lit environment, sort of like a chameleon. They like to stalk their prey in camouflage mode before revealing themselves and striking without warning. We'll be keeping a good watch on these specimens to ensure they don't escape, otherwise, they could cause major trouble. This leads me to the Anurognathus specimens we've cloned. Their aggression hasn't toned down at all. In fact, I think it's increased. They're really anxious to escape their miniature aviary. A strange set of events happened the other day: some of my assistants claimed to have seen some small pterosaurs that looked strikingly similar to Anurognathus. I have checked the aviary myself and confirmed no holes or other escape routes. They must have seen a bat or something. Let's hope word of escaped Anurognathus doesn't get out. That could cause unnecessary panic.
Jurassic Park is nearing completion alright, but it's getting extremely hectic around here with all these creatures. Rexy went on rampage earlier, for example, and if it weren't for Muldoon, she might have broken out. I believe her feeder wasn't working properly so there were no goats to feed Rexy. This might have been the cause of her rampage. Arnold tells me that we have all the problems of a major theme park and a major zoo . . . and most of the rides aren't online yet! I know things are and will continue to be tough right now (especially with this lawsuit and the investors getting anxious), but I have confidence that once the park opens next year, things will finally fall into place and we'll have the greatest theme park ever created! I'm sure you have things to discuss with Ludlow and Gennaro, so I'll chat with you later.
Sincerely, Henry Wu.'"
Levine silently closed his computer and returned it to his backpack. "Wow," he breathed. "There was a lot of stuff going on! It sounds like pandemonium!"
"Or equilibrium," Lex said. "Ian uses that word to describe the park in his book."
"Apparently, they just suffered through the infamous raptor attack that happened just before you came to the park and I betcha that this is around the time Hammond's going to ask for Grant, Ellie and Malcolm to visit the park. He was so sure that it was safe."
"Yeah, he mainly considered the raptor attack just one of those things that happened. If you think about it, Jurassic Park isn't the first park to have a fatality like that . . . just not from dinosaurs. And it was also kind of interesting when Wu thought that Dr. Sorkin had the Troodon euthanized."
"I bet the Anurognathus were getting out, considering everything that was going wrong at the time. It's really interesting when you take a deep look into what happened behind the scenes at Jurassic Park."
Kelly pointed to the map on the GPS. "See here? That isn't a creek, it's a service road."
"Then why is it blue?" Eric asked.
Stanley said, "It is a different shade of blue, see?"
Eric nodded his head. "OK, so let me get this straight: from here, we're supposed to go back the way we came until the road splits into two. Then, we'll take a left and keep on the same road until we go through some more wired fencing. Then we take a left before finally reaching the Visitor Center. Right?" Stanley and Kelly nodded their heads in agreement. "Alright then, let everyone know that we're ready to get out of here!"
The soldiers continued to search throughout the Visitor Center. They'd searched through every room – the Cretaceous Cafe, the hatchery, the Living Fossils exhibition, you name it – for what seemed like countless times. Yet, they found no clues of Biosyn. However, Lester ordered them to search each part of the building one more time, just to make sure they didn't miss anything.
A trio of soldiers entered the Control Room, one of which was leading and named Parker. The other two soldiers were named Paul and Ross. The Control Room was extremely dark, as there were no windows leading directly outside. However, there was a smashed window that led to the ride narrated by Mr. DNA. The flashlights attached to the top of their rifles pierced into the darkness. It was 7:40 p.m. For the last half an hour or so Parker had heard strange, eerie-sounding clicking noises and could have sworn he also heard something running about in the darkness.
Parker sighed. There's nothing in here. I bet Lester would think differently about us continuing this search if he were the one doing the searching.
He said to the others, "Alright, one more sweep of this room and then we're going to evacuate the Visitor Center." The other soldiers nodded.
Something dashed through the dark room. Parker glanced from his right to his left, trying to get a visual. He turned to Paul and asked, "Did you get a visual on whatever that was?"
"Negative," Paul answered.
Parker scanned the room again . . . and this time his eyes met another pair of eyes glaring at him from underneath a nearby desk. The eyes glowed bright yellow. Strange . . . Parker thought. He shined the flashlight in the creature's direction, but before he could get a good look at it, the creature vanished. The mystical-sounding clicking sound came again, this time loud enough for everyone to hear it.
Something ran in the dark. Ross suddenly screamed and dropped to the floor. Paul and Parker quickly looked in his direction and barely saw an unidentified creature with a long tail dash out of sight. The fallen soldier moaned in pain. Paul and Parker quickly rushed over to him.
"What happened?" Parker said.
"I've . . . I've . . ." the soldier was unable to finish his sentence immediately and Parker saw that his leg had been grisly ripped by several sharp objects – from a creature. His leg muscles were now exposed and bloody. Something was in the room with them.
"He's been hurt pretty bad," said Paul. "We need to get him some medical attention as quickly as . . . ah!"
Paul let out a scream as a bizarre creature with glowing eyes attacked him too and pulled him by the arm onto his back. He dropped his gun and was quickly being dragged away by the creature.
"Hey!" Parker exclaimed as he shined the light at the beast. The dinosaur was already biting into Paul's neck with the sharp teeth of a theropod. Upon being shown the bright light, the dinosaur backed down and returned to the shadows. Oh no, I can't take care of both men. I need to call for backup.
Speedily, Parker reached for his radio when suddenly another animal leaped for him to attack! Not thinking, he lunged the radio in the dinosaur's direction and bonked the creature on the head. The animal snarled upon landing on the floor and dashed away. When Parker looked around the Control Room, he saw dozens of glowing eyes appear. He gasped. These creatures were all around him. Stalking. Waiting in the darkness. They'd seriously injured one of his fellow soldiers and killed another. They were now after him.
He'd heard all about how Velociraptors attacked; each member of the pack hunted cooperatively with the other raptors as they'd outsmart and corner the prey after a near silent stalk. Unfortunately, Parker couldn't begin to think what these creatures would do to him. Sure, he had a tranquilizer gun, but this wouldn't do him much good if every time he used his flashlight to aim at the creature, they'd dodge.
Parker glanced over at Paul's body – he wasn't going to make it, as the dinosaur had already bitten through his neck and killed him quickly. Ross on the other hand . . . he had a good sporting chance. So Parker quickly grasped his friend's arm and pulled him up so he could rest on Parker's shoulder.
"The wolves . . ." Ross whispered, his lips thick and his eyelids shivering. "They're coming for us . . . rescue . . . the momo duck . . ." Yeah, he's losing it!
"Come on, Ross, stay with me here," Parker encouraged. His eyes were cast toward the dozens of dinosaur eyes glowing around him. With his friend hanging on his shoulder, Parker slowly backed out of the room. The dinosaurs snarled and cackled, their calls seeming terrifying and mysterious at the same time. Then, as he reached the middle of the room, one of the dinosaurs made a loud elk-like bugling sound and darted forward. Parker was quick to action!
He dropped Ross and swung his gun at the creature like a bat. It hit and the animal skidded to the side, its claws scraping the carpet. Then another dinosaur came from Parker's left and he swung his gun again. This time the dinosaur dodged. It cackled at Parker before leaping to attack. The animal landed on him but he quickly pushed it off, but not before its hand claws scratched across his face, leaving three horizontal claw marks. Then the first animal that attacked him leaped onto a nearby table behind him.
Now Parker was able to get a good look at the agile dinosaur: it was raptor-like in shape, but slightly smaller and below its yellow-glowing eyes was a tooth-lined maw and a red throat and stomach. The creature's claws on its hands were dagger-like. The legs were slimy and loaded with strong muscles and one claw on each foot was enlarged and shaped like a sickle. A deadly predator.
Parker screamed in fright as the dinosaur growled and leaped for its prey. However this is when Parker yanked a boxy computer off of a nearby desk and lunged it at the predator. The dinosaur yelped in surprise as the computer knocked it to the ground as its screen shattered in zillions of tiny crystal-like pieces and the rest of the computer collapsed on itself. The dinosaur got from underneath the computer and ran back into the darkness. Unfortunately, the noise made the animals grow more excited and dozens of pairs of glowing eyes started racing towards Parker!
Yanking Ross off the floor, Parker raced out of the Control Room with his gun in hand, randomly shooting at the attackers.
Parker raced down the hallway as the dinosaurs chased after him. Screams could be heard from elsewhere in the Visitor Center, suggesting more soldiers were suffering the same fate as Paul. I've just got to race down the hall, climb down the rope ladder (they'd set up a rope ladder to be able to get to and from upstairs quicker) and get to the trailer.
While he ran, he met up with four other soldiers who ran out of another room.
"They're everywhere!" a soldier named Dave yelled. "We've got to evacuate the building!"
Dave assisted Parker with carrying Ross, but the dinosaurs behind them were getting closer. Suddenly one leaped up from behind and sank its teeth into a soldier named Richard. Richard screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. The other soldiers couldn't help him because no sooner had they looked back did more dinosaurs reach Richard and began to fiercely tear him apart while he was still alive.
"Must . . . get . . . to the . . . Zoey Farm . . ." Ross muttered softly. "Get me . . . over . . . the . . . rain . . . bow."
Lester had followed one of the soldiers into the kitchen of the Visitor Center, and they too had begun hearing the strange sounds Parker had. In the dark room, Lester and the soldier looked around as they also heard the sounds of screaming soldiers, who were being mercilessly attacked by strange creatures.
"We need to get out of here, sir," the soldier said.
"Yes, once we get outside, immediately call an evacuation of the entire building. There are creatures in here and we don't need any more lives being lost. We've lost too many as it is."
"Yes sir Mr. . . . ah!" the soldier dropped behind a counter and an animal snarl sounded. Lester turned to face the source of the noise as the soldier's screaming abruptly stopped. The blood-covered jaws of the assassin appeared above the counter with glowing eyes. Lester gasped when his eyes met those of the killer. The dinosaur bugled, like an elk, and ducked beneath the counter before running off in a different direction. Lester quickly went over to where the downed soldier was and saw the damage that had been done. This soldier was probably another goner.
I've got to get outside so we can get this building evacuated, Lester thought. As he turned around, he heard the snarling sound again. He took a good look around the kitchen, but was unsuccessful in finding the creature responsible. Slowly, he grasped the gun the fallen soldier was holding in his own hands . . . just in time too! The attack came quickly from behind. The lethal dinosaur rushed toward Lester, screeching from the top of its lungs. Lester cocked the gun and fired at the predator.
A dart smacked into the animal's thigh and after emitting a squeal, it fell to the ground. Lester took a good look at the creature: it was similar in appearance to a raptor, but different in many (already-mentioned) ways. Also, the reptile's size was smaller than that of the other individuals in the building: this must have been a juvenile.
Lester brushed back his hair with his fingers and nodded at the predator, now sound asleep. "Serves you right, you little creep." The predator groaned quietly in its daze. The dart wouldn't keep it like this for long and there were more dinosaurs in the Visitor Center, so he needed to get outside and get the place evacuated.
That's when he noticed the "dead" soldier's arm move slightly. His eyes slowly opened – he was injured, but still very much alive!
Lester grimaced and reluctantly grabbed the soldier's arm. "Come on you," Lester said as he began to hall him out of the building while supporting him on his shoulder.
The soldiers poured out of the building in droves like a swarm of ants out of a flooding anthill. Hammond was being careful to count each one. Despite his age, he had a pretty good memory.
Something's going on in there, he thought. Using his cane, he walked over to a pair of soldiers who had rescued a soldier with a bite wound on his leg. It was red and already swelling. Compsognathus flocks watched the soldiers exit the Center from the edge of the pond. As Hammond got closer, he saw that one of the soldiers had three claw marks on his cheek.
"What happened?" Hammond inquired.
"There's dinosaurs in there," Parker answered. "Droves of them!"
"What do they look like?"
"They're a little smaller than raptors and have bright glowing eyes, but they're otherwise very similar to Velociraptor."
Hammond nodded, understandingly. Before continuing, he noticed a Lexico paramedic rushing out of the trailer they brought to start tending to wounded soldiers. Parker and Dave sat Ross down on a foldout chair just outside the trailer. "They're called Troodon," Hammond answered quietly. "Troodon pectinodon, some of the most vicious dinosaurs InGen ever brought back from extinction."
After finishing his sentence, he walked over to the paramedic. Unfortunately, there was only one paramedic (the others were on the USS Mars), so she was quite busy.
"How are we looking?" Hammond asked.
The paramedic shook her head. "They weren't doing to well. I'm getting them all bandaged up, but these bite wounds seem to be infected, despite having just been bit. The patients are delirious."
"Yes. The perpetrators are Troodon, and their venomous."
The paramedic nodded her head. "Well, it's a good thing I've got antivenin."
A moment later, Lester rushed out of the Visitor Center with yet another wounded solder. "How many, Hammond?" he asked, knowing he'd been counting.
"Uh, 20, and several are injured."
"So we've lost four men?"
"Yes, I'm afraid."
Lester gave the soldier he was assisting over to the paramedic, brushed the wrinkles out of his expensive suit and brushed his hair back. "Well this is just wonderful, isn't it?" he said sarcastically.
"Were you attacked?"
"Yes, but I shot one of the animals with a tranq dart. I'm profoundly regretting signing those papers from the Costa Rica Department of Biological Preserves telling us that we can't kill the dinosaurs unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Well, this is a reserve . . . sort of."
"Some reserve."
More bugles came from the Visitor Center and pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the entrance – their glares casting fear into the hearts of whoever saw them.
"Oh bother . . ." Lester started to say.
Suddenly, trilling, cackling and hissing sounds started to come, not only from the Visitor Center, but the jungle as well. At the sound, the flock of Compsognathus fled from the scene. Everyone heard the sounds and started looking around the area, trying to find the source of the noise. This was when dozens and dozens and dozens of more glowing eyes appeared in the low foliage. This was a huge pack of Troodon and they were probably hungry for prey . . .
One of the Troodon began striding forward and Parker grabbed his flashlight and shined it in its face. The animal squealed and recoiled, but Parker knew that even if they turned on all the lights they had on, they wouldn't be able to hold off the attacking dinosaurs for long. The glowing eyes betrayed the Troodon as they began to stalk closer to the humans.
"Everybody into the trailer!" Lester cried. "We're evacuating this area immediately!"
Everyone – soldiers, Lester, Hammond and the paramedic rushed into the trailer. The Troodon pack charged forward. The animals were quite fast as they sprinted toward their desired prey. Their snarls and hisses made them extra terrifying.
Lester hurried everyone into the trailer and he hurriedly shut the door. The Troodon cackled and snarled at the vehicle from outside, but there was no way for them to get in. One of the soldiers quickly got behind the wheel and skillfully drove the trailer out of the clearing and back into the jungle; he was heading back to the North Dock. Other soldiers were driving the jeep they'd brought here, along with the other jeeps intended for use by the research team.
"So, did you find any evidence that Biosyn was in the Visitor Center?" Hammond asked.
"Not really," Lester said. "One of the soldiers found that a grate leading to a ventilation shaft was loose, but it was probably from our research team."
"Where are we heading now?"
"Back to the North Dock. It's too dangerous to stay at the Visitor Center. Too many men were seriously injured. We'll have to get someone to notify Eric's group and the teams searching for Malcolm's group where we're headed."
"I do hope Malcolm's team is alright," Hammond whispered.
The Malcolm's, Grant, Dr. Sorkin, Taylor and the soldiers sat in the building near the power box. The light posts were still on outside, but the music had since been turned off. The mobile trailer wasn't much different from other mobile trailers, and it had a small kitchen, a small bedroom, a small dining area, a small living room . . . everything was pretty petite.
"How long are we going to be in here?" Taylor asked.
"We don't know," Grant told her. His fedora was now held tightly in his hands. "We have to wait and hope that the Lexico soldiers are looking for us."
"But they won't see us from in here."
"No, but the lights are still on outside."
"And it's way too dangerous out there," Ryan added. He stood in a nearby corner, arms crossed and looking as serious as possible. He pulled a pack of gum out of his pocket, unwrapped a piece, stuck it in his mouth and began to chew. "We're barely survived those carnosaurs."
"Carnotarus," Sarah corrected.
"Whatever. The lights and noise may have scared them away, but who's to say the same will be true of tyrannosaurs and raptors. There's no way we're going out there now."
"Raptors and tyrannosaurs don't know fear," said Malcolm.
"Sure they do, hon," Sarah said. "No matter how ferocious a dinosaur – or any animal – is, they know fear, they must. An animal that knows no fear is a dead animal. Animals have to know when it's unsafe for them in their current situation and when they must use their instincts to survive. Once lions and tigers and other large cats learn that human beings are easy targets and loose fear of them, it only works out for the cats in the short run. Many are eventually shot and killed. The same is true in situations without humans: even the largest carnivore in its region knows fear, even if they hardly feel it."
"She's right," Dr. Sorkin agreed.
Sarah turned to Ryan. "So how did you make it?"
"What do you mean?" Ryan said.
"When the carnotaur came in the laboratory, you stayed behind and–"
"Oh that. It was simple really, terrifying all the same, but still simple." He removed his machete from his belt and held it in the light, revealing that it was covered in faint blood stains. "It tried to eat me, but I was able to defend myself. It opened its mouth to engulf me and I used this on its gums. You should have seen the look on that dinosaur's face."
"Was he scared?" said Taylor.
"You'd think. But no. It turned out that I just made it even madder, so when it was recovering from its wound, I got up and happened to spy some bug spray on the desk and as he tried to attack again, I sprayed him in the face."
Taylor laughed. "That had to sting."
Grant stood up and stretched. "Well, it's 8:05 p.m. It's too dark to do anything about our rescue tonight, so I suggest that we get some sleep. We should be safe in here."
"Agreed," Dr. Sorkin said. She yawned. "Some sleep will do us all some good."
A/N: I was really, really tempted to continue this chapter, but after seeing how many words I had in here, I reluctantly decided against it. I think the Troodon were a really nice touch too. We're getting really close to the final chapters! I can't wait to show them to you guys. Remember, if you have any ideas for the ending, be sure to let me know, because I could really use the advice. If you haven't already, favorite, follow and review on this story and be sure to check out Chapter 48! R&r!