Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.

7. One Monster of a Problem

"You can do all of that on a computer?" Gwyn pressed, eyes wide. Lex had just been explaining her love for computers and gadgetry; she had pridefully let slip that she knew a couple of hacker tricks, and had gone into detail about what it was she could do. She nodded enthusiastically before clutching to the seat as the car rocked over uneven ground.

"Yup! It's really easy once you practice it a couple of times; and once you get code memorized, you can do so much more!" Lex gushed. Gwyn murmured a 'wow,' and grabbed the handle just above the door as the car continued to bounce along the path.

"Hacking is illegal, young lady," said the lawyer in the front seat. Gennaro, who had taken to sitting in the driver's seat, turned around to give the twelve year-old a stern and pointed look. Lex threw up her hands in innocence.

"I'm not hacking into anything! I just know a couple of tricks!" she defended, voice pitching up.

"Being interested in the skills such criminals have can lead down a slippery slope. Before you know it, you will be hacking into things for fun."

"But we're only, what, around ten? We're too young to make life choices like that," Gwyn drawled innocently, mirroring the words he'd said to them back by the triceratops. Gennaro seemed to bite back what would likely be a terribly bitter comment, and turned to face front. Gwyn could hear him mutter 'children are impossible to deal with' as he slouched sideways. With a roll of her eyes, Gwyn turned her attention back to Lex. "I think it's really impressive you can do all that."

Lex beamed happily and raised her chin a little bit with pride.

"Well I think it's cool that you dig up dinosaur bones," Tim said from between the two girls.

"I haven't really done much digging," Gwyn admitted as the car rocked once more before gliding onto fully paved road. It would seem they were back on the main road. "I'm good at what I do, when I'm allowed to do it; but my dad thinks I'm still too young to do a lot of work… just before we came here, I helped uncover a raptor claw. It was pretty cool!" Tim stared at her wide eyed, mouth falling into an open-mouthed grin.

It was then, before Tim could make any excited inquiries, that the car came to a gentle stop. Gennaro raised his hands away from the covered steering wheel, as though he was worried he had done something to stop the remotely controlled vehicle.

"Why did we stop?" Lex asked. She leaned forward to peer into the front seat, eyes locked on the interactive screen in the dash. It had gone dark.

"I don't know…" Gennaro trailed off. He reached for the radio used to call back to the control room and tried to get in contact with Hammond. "Hello?" A hiss of static was his reply. "Can anyone hear me?"

The next few minutes were comprised of trying to figure out how to fix the radio. When it became clear that the storm had likely knocked out communications, and that it was probably also to blame for their sudden stop. Alan had swung by to check in, informing the lawyer that their radio was out, as well. The exchange was short and informative, and it wasn't long before his blue shirted back was disappearing into the rain streaked night. Gwyn, who was seated on the far right of the backseat, peered through the window and into the darkness. They had stalled right outside the t-rex paddock, and their car was once again perfectly lined up for them to see the goat. It was bleating and drenched in rain, but otherwise seemed unperturbed by the flashing lightning and crashing thunder. Gwyn turned her attention up towards the sky, watching as the sudden flashes of light silhouetted the electric fence against the stormy clouds. Her brows suddenly pinched together as she noticed a lack of twinkling orange lights.

"Hey… weren't the lights on the fence flashing earlier?" she asked, flattening her cheek against the window.

"They probably rerouted the power to somewhere more important," Gennaro reasoned in a mildly exasperated sigh. "Like getting the cars to move again…"

Tim climbed into the front seat and then disappeared as he ducked down in front of the passenger seat, rummaging around beneath it. Lex began to fan herself with the hat, as the last refreshing breath of the air conditioning began to fade away. Gwyn leaned her head back and stared up through the fiberglass that made up most of the roof. The rain that was coming down was heavy and splattered loudly when it hit solid surfaces. It was the kind of storm you didn't want to be caught out in, for fear of getting absolutely soaked. It was also the type of storm that made you feel cozy. The car might have been quiet, as conversation stalled, but the pattering rain was a comforting sound. Gwyn shut her eyes and just listened as the music of the rain blended with the crashing of the thunder. She was startled out of this restful state fairly quickly, though, as Tim loudly shouted 'boo' from the passenger's seat. A gasp ripped its way from Gwyn's throat and she jumped; Lex's reaction mimicked hers. The thrumming of Gwyn's startled heart could be felt unpleasantly in her throat. Tim was grinning at them with some sort of headgear perched atop his head, which he removed as Lex glared at him. When it was clear that the boy's prank was nothing nefarious, Gwyn relaxed and let out a relieved sigh.

"Hey, where did you find that?" Gennaro asked accusatorily.

"In a box under the seat," he replied.

"Are they heavy?"

"Yeah!"
"Then they're expensive, put them back."

Gennaro then shut his eyes and leaned his head back, exasperation tensing up his shoulders. Tim blatantly disregarded the order, much to Gwyn's amusement, and put the goggles back on. He climbed back into the back seat, situating himself between Gwyn and Lex once more. His sister hit him over the head with her hat, brows pinched together.

"Don't scare me!" she reprimanded.

Tim proceeded to worm his way into the space between the back seat and the back window. Gwyn dodged to the side when one of his feet nearly swung straight into her left eye. He lay sprawled across the shelf, legs kicked up in the air, and there were a few whirring sounds as he switched the goggles on. "Oh, cool! Night vision!"

With a faint smile playing across her face, Gwyn turned her attention to the window once more. Her gaze remained unfocused while her mind drifted back to the triceratops. She had been beautiful. Even sedated and sick, she had been absolutely phenomenal. And to have been able to touch the dinosaur! It was an absolute dream come true. Gwyn made note of a rumble that disrupted her thoughts. It had shaken the glass of the window, and caused her to lift her head away from the glass in contemplation. When it didn't happen again, she returned to resting her forehead against the cool, rain-streaked glass. It must have been a shock of distant thunder. A moment later, though, it happened again. The glass trembled and Gwyn could have sworn she felt it in her chest, like a firework going off.

"Did you hear that?" Tim asked. He had twisted around and sat forward, his small hand having stilled his sister's waving cap.

"Yeah…" Gwyn murmured, cautiously lifting her head away from the window. She placed a hand on her chest, where she had felt the rumble. Tim slipped back onto the seat, brows furrowed and mouth hanging open. He hung over the back of the passenger's seat, eyes intently focused on two small plastic cups of water on the dashboard. "What are you looking at?" Tim pointed at the water with an adamant finger, eyes wide. Gwyn craned her head forward and curiously watched as well. A pause of silence, a flash of lightning.

Thud.

The water rippled inside the glass as the thud occurred again. Gwyn's lips parted as she realized that it hadn't been a rumble of thunder; it was something making a hard, forceful impact with the ground. That was why the water was rippling and the windows were shaking.

Thud.

Ripple.

Thud.

Ripple.

The thudding became more regular, the space between each one even. Gennaro's head quirked up as it became stronger. Louder. The car started to tremble and the reflection in the rearview mirror shook. Gwyn sat forward, one hand having taken hold of the passenger's seat in front of her. Just like the thudding outside, Gwyn's heart started to beat harder. Louder. Anxiety started to well up in her throat instinctively as her shoulders tensed.

"Maybe it's just… the power trying to come back on…" Gennaro murmured, eyes fixed on the shaking rearview.

"I… don't think so, Mr. Gennaro…" Gwyn replied in a whisper. Part of her had a painful sneaking suspicion of what it could be, but another part of her vehemently denied what the other part wanted to believe.

"What is that?" Lex tossed in, as the car trembled once again.

Tim launched himself back onto the shelf behind the back seat, goggles dutifully placed on his head. He twisted round so he was laying completely across the shelf and peering through the window on Gwyn's side of the car. Said girl turned her attention back out the window, and she felt her body stiffen. The goat was gone. The chain that had been linked to the collar around its neck swung freely and violently; the image was haunting in the flickering light. It was clear that the goat had not broken free of its own accord––it had been taken from its platform forcefully. And the only thing that could have done that…

"Where's the goat?" Lex continued, voice pitching up.

There was a terrible thud as something landed on the roof. Simultaneously, everyone looked up and discovered that the object that had struck their car had been a goat's leg. The flesh was torn, tendons splayed out, and the fur was bloody. Blood began to pool and, mixed with the rain, streaked across the fiberglass. Lex and Gennaro rocketed backwards as shocked gasps ripped through their mouths. Gwyn, however, tensely turned back to the window and saw two large, clawed fingers pulling down at one of the metal cords on the fence. In a dreadful flush of irony, it had pulled down at the sign that registered that the fence was supposed to be charged with ten-thousand volts of electricity. It would seem, however, it no longer held such power. The claws disappeared, letting the cord twang back into place like a piece of string.

With eyelashes fluttering, Gwyn slowly tilted her head back to look up. Her jaw dropped as she saw a massive, leather-skinned head rear back, rising above the treetops. Its jaw was ajar and bared, not only deadly sharp teeth, but the rest of the unlucky goat. Gwyn watched as the tyrannosaurus-rex threw its head back and devoured the goat practically whole. It then turned its sights towards the fence and the car that sat just beyond it, mouth permanently curved in an almost smug smile. Its teeth, forever visible, were yellowed and bloody. Its eyes, half-lidded and watchful. If Gwyn had seen the tyrannosaurus earlier, in broad, shining daylight while the fences were up and running, it might have been exciting. Instead, a pure, unadulterated, instinctual wash of terror washed through Gwyn's body; it made her muscles tense and her stomach seize.

"Jesus!" hissed out Gennaro. Gwyn then heard a sound that made her stomach drop. The sound of a car door opening. Turning her head, she watched as Gennaro pushed himself out of the car and started to run. Dread began to build in her stomach as the humid air from outside wafted in from the open driver's side door.

"He left us! He left us…" Lex started to murmur.

There was another loud thud and a series of twanging sounds as, somewhere just behind the car, the metal cords of the fence were ripped away like string. Directly beside them, the fence creaked and squealed and began to buckle inwards, bending towards the car. The three still inside began to breath rapidly, panic gripping them.

"Dr. Grant…" Lex exhaled, as though it would summon Alan immediately. Gwyn twisted around in her seat to look back at her father's car, her braid whipping round and smacking her cheek. Her hands gripped the back of the seat so hard her knuckles turned white. It was from that vantage point that she watched the tyrannosaurus-rex bite at the unelectrified cables and pull at them, clamping its massive jaw down and snapping them like wire-cutters. A high-pitched, fearful squeak fled her mouth as the dinosaur stepped over the cement divider, through the now exposed spot in the fence, and onto the road. Then, it turned tits head towards the first car, jaw peaking open in what Gwyn registered as anticipation. It then bent forward, stretching its head and neck out, and let out a terrible screeching roar that rattled the windows. It roared a second time, as though proclaiming its freedom.

The tyrannosaurus then lumbered forward, between the two cars, the ground shaking violently. Gwyn, stunned, simply sat there staring through the rain dotted window. Beside her, Lex pulled the shelf Tim had been perched on aside, exposing supply boxes in the trunk. She wrenched one open and pulled out the first thing she found––an industrial flashlight. With the shock beginning to ware off, Gwyn frantically smacked Lex repeatedly with the back of her hand.

"Don't move," she hissed. "It'll see you if move, stay still!" Lex, frightened by Gwyn's sudden touch, accidently flicked the light on. "Turn it off!" Gwyn's voice had practically become a squeal as she and Lex fought to try and find its off switch. Tim frantically repeated Gwyn's request to turn off the light, as the tyrannosaurus began to lumber towards their car. Finally, the light was switched off, but it was too late. The massive dinosaur loomed over their car, a low rumble in its throat as it surveyed the air above them. "Don't move, don't move, don't move…" Gwyn repeated like a mantra, her voice breathy and quiet.

There was a thud as Tim bravely shut the driver's side door.

Unfortunately, the sound had caught the tyrannosaurus' attention, and its head sharply turned downwards towards the car. It leaned forward so its muzzle was a mere foot away from the doors, its near constant snarling reverberating in their chests. They all took Gwyn's advice and remained as still as they possibly could, watching wide-eyed as the dinosaur cased its potential source of food. They could hear its hefty sniffing, as its sights roamed from the back door to the front. To the roof, back to the doors. Lex carefully clicked the light back on and pointed it towards the window, clearly hoping the beam of light would point the predator in the direction of the jungle opposite them. However, the tyrannosaurus simply bent lower and turned its head so it could peer into the car. Its golden eye entered the light beam and the pupil dilated, leaving its gaze beady and terrifying. It then backed away in the slightest and opened its jaw in order to roar.

The sound was absolutely deafening. Gwyn clamped both hands over her ears, only to find that it didn't help any. It was the kind of loud that first made you go momentarily deaf before your ears started to ring. It made your head hurt like you had a migraine. Gwyn clamped her eyes shut and tried to block it out to no avail. Once the roar ceased, all three children scrambled to the far side of the car, pressing themselves against the doors. It was then the tyrannosaurus-rex began to nudge the car with its nose, causing it to rock off two of its wheels and fall back to the ground. It was then that true terror took hold, and all of them started screaming.

There was a mad scramble as Tim launched into the back seat and began to fight with Lex over turning off the flashlight once more. Gwyn threw her own arms into the fray, fingers stretching towards the off-switch. Their panicked voices were a mash as they fought over how to turn the thing off. Then, they realized that the dinosaur's face was no longer blocking out the side windows. They stilled. Simultaneously, the three looked up through the fiberglass roof just in time to see the tyrannosaurus' muzzle rocketing down towards them.

Gwyn screamed as loud as she had ever screamed as the fiberglass was shoved out of place. Her hands shot up along with Tim and Lex's as they futilely attempted to push back against the glass. Their feet soon joined the effort of trying to keep the fiberglass as a shield between them and the dinosaur, screaming in terror all the while. Gwyn felt tears streak from her eyes as the tyrannosaurus roared and opened its gaping maw; it forced its jaws through the open roof and snapped at them, trying to snatch them up between its deadly teeth. The hot breath it exhaled on them smelled of rancid meat and fresh blood. It did not relent its attack as its jaws uselessly snapped against the glass, squeaking against rain water. Gwyn found herself making eye-contact with its hungry golden eyes, and suddenly everything felt cold.

She thought, then, that this was how she would die. Gwyn Grant, daughter of renowned paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant would be eaten alive by a tyrannosaurus-rex on an island just off Costa Rica. It would both be the most painful experience of her life, and the last experience of her life. It would be what nightmares were made of––teeth piercing flesh and cutting through bone as though it was made of putty. She would be alive enough to feel the agony before she was greeted by death on a wave of rancid breath; and with that morbid thought in her head, Gwyn let out another heart-rending scream.

Gwyn's fingers, wrists, and ankles ached with the effort of pushing up against the fiberglass. Her screams intermingled with those of Lex and Tim, who were trying just as hard to stave off their attacker. With its mouth still wedged in the car, the tyrannosaurus-rex roared yet again; and the three shouted right back. Her lungs burned and her throat ached. She didn't know how much longer they would be able to push back. Their only saving grace was that the dinosaur couldn't fit its whole mouth into the car. They were just out of reach… but even just out of reach wasn't safe.

Like a prayer being answered, the toothy maw was removed from the car, leaving rain to pour onto the fiberglass shield. Gwyn panted as their moment of terror ended, her lungs desperate for air; then, she screamed as their nightmare continued. The tyrannosaurus was throwing its head into the side of the car, rocking it back onto two wheels. The second time it did this, the car teetered and then the world was thrown off kilter. The car was promptly flipped upside down, all of the real glass shattering upon impact. All of the air left Gwyn's body as she was thrown from the floor to the roof of the car, her stomach hitting the ground. Before she could even scramble to her hands and knees, the car jostled and shook. The hood was ground into the ground, and some of the underside was torn away by deadly teeth. There as a pop and a hiss as one of the tires was destroyed. Gwyn finally managed to pull herself towards the now glassless back window, crying out as metal grated and bent above her. The car began to twist from side-to-side like some sort of theme park ride, as the tyrannosaurus pulled at the tires.

It was cruel to have escape so close, but so very far away. Even with the glass shattered and gone, they could not escape through the former windows; the tyrannosaurus would see them and take chase in an instant. The spatter of rain and the smell of mud was a tease. Gwyn, on Lex's right side, clamped a bloody hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her cries. Another deafening roar pierced the air, and there was a terrible grating sound as weight was pressed down on the back of the car. The supports between the body and roof of the car crumpled, and the whole of the ruined vehicle was pushed into the muddy ground. The sludge flowed in through the windows and began to pool around them; it soaked their clothes and painted their skin as they became buried up to their elbows in the soppy dirt.

"Hey!"

Gwyn felt her heart skip at the sound of the familiar voice; she pressed her cheek to the muddy ground so she could peer through what remained of the back window. She saw her father, stood outside his car, bathed in a fine rest mist. In his hand he clutched a flare, which sparked and hissed, lighting up the rain around him in vivid shades of ruby red. With tears in her eyes, she watched Alan wave the flare to the right, then the left. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the flare to the right. The ground shook as the tyrannosaurus followed the tossed flare, abandoning the car. Gwyn heard more shouting.

"Ian, freeze!" Alan shouted.

"Get the kids!"

"Get rid of the flare!"

"Get the kids!"

The shaking of the ground lessened as the tyrannosaurus-rex tromped away, interested in something new. In the shelter of the crushed car, Gwyn, Lex, and Tim were all whimpering and shaking, too scared to move. The mud outside squelched with fast approaching human footsteps; and then Gwyn saw her father's face peering at them through the sliver of space between the car and the ground.

"Dad!" she exclaimed tearfully. Alan, looking simultaneously terrified and relieved, reached a hand into the car and grabbed hold of his daughter's hand. Gwyn scrambled to start squeezing herself out of the car, sobs occasionally shaking from her body. Her arms and face were muddy and bloody, making her incredibly slippery. It was an asset for trying to squeeze out of the car, but it was a fallback because it was hard for Alan to keep a firm hold on her. Even so, he grabbed hold of her arms and helped her wiggle free of their crushed prison.

"I'm stuck! The seat's on my feet!" cried Tim.

"I'll get you next! You're okay!" Alan comforted as he aided Gwyn in completely extracting herself from the car. Once she was free, he bent back over to see how he could help Tim and Lex.

Gwyn, rising up on wobbly knees, looked up and spotted the tyrannosaurus-rex looming over a destroyed building. It was tossing its head back, as it had done with the goat, and nauseating terror grumbled in her stomach. She couldn't help it––she screamed. A moment later, Alan's hand was clamped over her mouth, and she was pulled back against his chest as he leaned them back against the car. Her chest heaved as she was silenced, and she continued to tremble despite her father's warm, comforting presence.

"Shh! Don't move!" he whispered. "He can't see us if we don't move!"

The massive dinosaur had turned around and made to approach the crushed car again, its foot sinking into the mud with a disgusting squelch. Gwyn felt her jaw began to shake as the tyrannosaur leaned forward and began to sniff at the side of the car. Its nose swept past her and Alan, and she felt his hand tighten around her shoulder. A forceful exhale of breath from the creature knocked the hat from Alan's head. Gwyn scrunched her eyes shut, again fearing that it was truly the end. Her heart beat so hard and fast it almost hurt. Clearly enraged, the tyrannosaurus flung its head into what remained of the hood of the car, sending it spinning. Alan and Gwyn were flung to the ground, grunting as they hit the ground. The two Grants scrambled to stay hidden behind the wreck of a car, and inside, the two Murphys struggled to stay silent. Gwyn felt Alan grab a fist full of her shirt, keeping her close as they followed the turning car. When it came to a stop, he hauled her into his side tightly, and she fisted her dirtied hands in his shirt. Her heart was pounding, her fingers was tingling, and she felt terribly nauseous.

The car then swung around again, the trunk slamming into the cement barrier at the base of the mostly destroyed fence. Lex and Tim screamed as they were sent reeling again, and Gwyn had thrown herself back against the barrier when Alan braced his hands on the side of the car. A mixture of rain, mud, blood, and tears streaked down Gwyn's face, and she fought off the urge to start sobbing uncontrollably. The tyrannosaurus-rex continued to snarl and growl on the other side of the car. The car shifted again, and Alan pulled Gwyn to his side as it inched towards the barrier, threatening to crush them. Alan then leapt onto the cement ledge, and Gwyn scrambled to follow suit. Her quaking legs threatened to send her spilling over the drop on the other side of the fence.

"Dad, what do we do!?" she exclaimed, arms thrown out for balance. The car was shoved up against the cement wall, and she screamed as the hood nearly made contact with her knees. Alan shouted in fear and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her out of harm's way. Gwyn let her father pull her arms around his neck as he dropped to his knees. He grabbed hold of a snapped fence cord that dangled over the edge of the cement wall, and Gwyn immediately knew what he was going to do. She quickly clambered onto his back, clinging to him tightly as he started to carefully begin their descent.

When they were a good ten or so feet down, Alan stopped, bracing his knees against the wet cement. Gwyn squinted up into the rain, which was suddenly illuminated by headlights. The tyrannosaurus-rex had managed to knock the car onto the cement ledge, and it was teetering precariously. A gasp ripped from her throat, and she clung to her father even tighter.

"Gwyn! Gwyn, I need you to grab that wire!" Alan shouted, nodding to a second wire draping over the wall to their right. He ran a few steps to the right and Gwyn shot an arm out, fingers outstretched. When she was unable to grab it, Alan repeated the motion, this time with a little more momentum. Again, it was just out of reach. Sidling as far to the left as he could, Alan then ran to the right, his toes scraping against the cement. Gwyn made a strangled sound as she grabbed hold of the wire. Alan held them there and Gwyn gripped tight to the wire, face contorted in a look of concentration. Above them, the car toppled over the the wall and then whooshed past the Grants in a rush of rain and quick-moving metal. It crashed into the trees below them, branches cracking and groaning.

Above them, the tyrannosaurus-rex roared into the rainy evening. Gwyn hid her face in Alan's shoulder and scrunched her eyes shut like it might completely block out the horror show happening around her. Everything started to shake as the dinosaur tromped away, the thuds becoming more and more distant. Whilst the predator exited the scene, Alan started to descend, cautiously scaling down the wall with only the aid of his muddy shoes and the rain-slick metal cord. Gwyn remained perfectly still, arms and legs curled around her father, and tried not to cry. Her body was quaking. Her heart was hammering. Her mind was racing. That morning the park had seemed like a dream come true; and now, hours later, they were living in a nightmare.

Afterword: I'm excited to finally get this chapter up! The nightmare begins… and things are only gonna get so much worse. I had a blast writing the arrival of Rexy and all of the chaos that ensues her entering the story.

Review replies!

Evaline101: I hope that you enjoyed the chapter just like you enjoyed the last one! Thanks again!

PhAnToM1212: Thank you! I really love writing this story, and I'm glad that you enjoy reading it; I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

NicoleR85: I'm glad that you've enjoyed the newer content! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; and thanks again!

SoleFaith: Your review made my day! I always take special care with this story, because Gwyn in this story is different than the Gwyn in Damnable Place––she's younger and she's experiencing all of this for the first time, and she's the precursor to what Gwyn is in DP. So I'm very, very happy that you enjoy this story just as much as the other! I hope that you, too, are having a lovely June! Thanks again!

Guest: Thank you! I'm happy that you enjoyed Gwyn interacting with Lex and Tim, both of whom I actually find incredibly difficult to write. I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

Guest 2: The action begins! And there is much in store for young Gwyn, so much that makes her who she is when she meets Owen. Especially the inevitable kitchen scene, which is gonna be quite the moment! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!

The girl with no life: I recently went to Disney World for the first time, and when my friend and I were on the safari at Animal Kingdom, I was like 'this is like Jurassic Park, keep your eyes peeled for raptors.' I'm glad that I'm not the only one who will go to places like zoos and make nerdy references like that! The craziness has only just begun! I hope you enjoyed reading the craziness unfold; thanks again!

David4Nudist: I hope that you enjoyed reading Gwyn's reaction to Rexy entering the scene; it was a blast to write and figure out the logistics of. Thanks again!

And thank you to those who have added this story to their follows/favorites; it means a lot!

And that's it for now! Up next we'll get some night-time trekking through the woods and some father-daughter bonding time, which is gonna be so feelsy. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

~Mary