Jurassic Park: The Broken Lives Saga by Dinohunter55
Chapter 5: The Perilous Beach
The light of dawn cast the long shadows of trees through the window and over Silver Claw where he lay. He was awake and had been for several hours now but he was pinned in place by the sleeping human. Night terrors had seen her crawling off of the couch where she had laid down for the night and settling in against him instead. He disliked it but tolerated it. All his life, he had slept alone. Now he dared not move lest he wake her.
Amanda told him of her dream while groggy and rubbing his side. It seemed to him to be simply reliving a memory with some exaggerated details. She was on a yacht with her family and friends. It was supposed to be a celebration of her eighteenth birthday, the time she would be considered an adult by humans. Silver Claw mused on that idea but did not know why humans felt the need to celebrate a particular day. He was nearly an adult himself but there would not have been any celebrations only added responsibilities to the pack.
It was night when they reached the island and settled down in a bay nearby so that in the morning they could celebrate properly on the beach. Silver Claw realized that he knew this part. He and Sophia had been playing on the roof of the building that night and saw the yacht going by but did not know what it was. An elder had hurried them back to the nest and forbid them from leaving. A few pack members left during the night and came back bloodied from a kill. The next morning Sophia convinced him to break the rules and they played their game, probably saving them from the initial spinosaurus attack.
Amanda spoke about how she was talking with her mother at the bow of the yacht when the spinosaurus attacked her. She was tossed into the water and that was when she woke from the dream gasping for air.
He understood her pain. It was part of the reason why he tolerated her sleeping on him. She had not stirred since falling asleep on him. His presence calmed her mind it seemed. Initially, it took him a while to sleep again after she laid on him but he managed it.
He watched her chest gently rise and fall. Her mouth would slacken for a little bit and then she would snore once then shut it. She shifted then stirred. Her eyes opened and her blue met his crimson.
"Morning," Amanda whispered.
Silver Claw stood up, letting her head slide off his soft belly to the floor.
Amanda laughed.
The room was of average size. It had a desk with three chairs, book shelves, and the couch. The windows faced north and looked out at the nearby fence and jungle beyond. Silver Claw thought he saw something move in the trees though could not be sure but he did hear something much closer over the last hour.
Amanda sat up and rubber her eyes. Her stomach rumbled. "I hope this place has some food," Amanda said. "I didn't get to look around before you found me."
Silver Claw was hungry too and for the briefest of moments, he wondered what human tasted like. He dismissed the idea. It was too late for that now. He might as well have a look outside.
Silver Claw left the room and turned the corner. He passed the room where he found Amanda and headed outside. The air was cool and damp. It smelled of rich earth and grass. He wandered the grass until he heard rustling.
A hedge grew along the wall of the building. A branch moved. Silver Claw lowered himself and readied his claws.
The beaked and toothed head of a caudipteryx peered out. It made a short shrill cry. A second appeared and then a third holding a dead rat. Silver Claw froze. They had not seen him yet. The first emerged, the male and largest. Two females followed him. All were less than a meter long.
The male made a shrill rattling cry as it rustled dirty brown feathers. The females responded with a softer cooing. Silver Claw pounced. The females fled but the male stood his ground. A vibrant fan of red tail feathers startled Silver Claw and he faltered in his attack. The male threw out his arms and great eyes stared back at Silver Claw. He took a step back. The male fled towards a nearby drainage pipe.
The females were through as Silver Claw regained his composure and charged the male. The display did not work a second time and Silver Claw broke its neck with a savage head shake. He held the caudipteryx by the neck and carried it triumphantly into the main lobby. He settled down and began plucking a mouthful of feathers out at time so he could get to the tender meat within.
Amanda heard the attack and took several deep breaths. Her savior had just found something to eat. Now she would have to do the same.
She wandered the halls until she came to the kitchen. It was larger than she expected and like fed a lot of people during its time. It had a large double door fridge, large gas stove, and even a walk-in freezer. She checked the fridge and gaged, slamming the door shut. Of course it was rotten. She felt stupid for even looking.
The cupboards were next. Several boxes of opened cereal were far past saving and even a few of the unopened ones as well but eventually she discovered one that was safe. She shoveled handfuls of dry cereal into her mouth and wept with relief. It was a little stale but otherwise edible. She found a few packaged nut bars and stuffed them in her pocket for later. In a pantry she mistook for a cleaning closet at first, she found some plastic water bottles and drank one down. It tasted odd but she did not care.
She moved the safe stuff into the pantry and dared a look in the walk-in freezer. She regretted that too and shut the door.
Her belly somewhat sated but feeling a slight sugar high coming on, Amanda wandered the halls again to walk it off. She found a large open room with plenty of monitors. A sky light let her see the room clearly and she spotted a binder on one of the tables.
The cover was dark and dusty. She brushed it off to reveal the name written in faded metallic sharpie, Dinosaur Guide. That was a funny thing to have on a tropical island and wondered if it belonged to someone's kid. She flipped it open. There was a list of dinosaur names inserted into a plastic sleeve. A few she recognized from her older brother whose passion was dinosaurs before it turned to the military and he enlisted.
Three tabs divided the binder, green, yellow, and red. She turned the first tab. A color photograph of someone holding a dinosaur called a Microceratops filled the top of the page. It looked really realistic. Details about size, differences of sex, diet, estimated population, and disposition filled the rest of the page and reverse. Amanda kept going until she flipped to the yellow tab. She saw a familiar green lizard, compsognathus. She had run into them while fleeing the massive creature with the sail. They were definitely real.
He heart dropped. She read the details. It was venomous but usually did not attack as long as it was not approached but might in large groups. It was listed as a scavenger. There was a detailed description of the symptoms related to the venom on the reverse side.
Amanda quickly flipped to the cover and read the title again. She flipped back to the compsognathus. It was a photograph of the real thing. Dinosaurs were real! Of course she knew they were real but they were dead, extinct. How were they alive on this island? What were the people doing on this island and why was it abandoned?
She flipped the next few pages quickly until she reached the red tab. She stopped and thought about the animal that had saved her. It was a predator that much she knew. She turned the page and saw a photograph of a tyrannosaurus rex. It was massive and easily three times her height or more.
"Oh god," Amanda whispered.
She turned the next page and saw her rescuer. It was a velociraptor, version 1.0, and marked as one of the most dangerous of all…
Silver Claw finished eating and stashed the remains behind the main desk. He was not about to share with the human, that was going too far with such a small kill, and he would get hungry later. He then wandered the halls until he found the room where he had left the human. She was gone. Probably exploring the building, Silver Claw knew it well enough already. He wandered into the room where he found her originally.
Through the window, the sea stretched unbroken to the horizon. He wondered where it ended. Maybe the human knew since she traveled around on a yacht. Silver Claw looked through the outside door and down at the swamp below. The canopy was thick and where it broke he could see the brackish pools. They were not safe to drink.
Silver Claw did not like the swamp. It was easy to tangle in roots and vines or get stuck in thick mud. The biting insects were the worst in there. He was glad it was the edge of his territory and not somewhere the pack traveled often, though that fact allowed some carnivores to thrive in the velociraptor's absence.
Where the sea met island but before it turned to swamp, a long white sand beach stretched until it met rocky outcrops to either side of the bay. He enjoyed the sand. It was warm or cool depending on where he lay but got too hot to walk on at times. The sea was good for a cooling swim but not good to drink he learned the hard way. A few larger rock outcrops in the bay broke the larger waves before they reached the beach.
On one, he spotted movement. It was green with a sprinkling of purple on top. Silver Claw had good eyesight but making out details at this distance was difficult. The creature started pacing on the top of the rock. It walked on two legs.
It was another human!
Amanda heard the running and saw a blue shape run past the door. It stopped and returned to stare in at her with a bloodied grin. Her heart raced and she closed the binder. It was the velociraptor that had saved her but now her opinion of the creature had shifted slightly. It was extremely dangerous according to the binder and she did not want to upset it. How close had she come to pushing it too far since meeting?
The velociraptor walked up to her and circled. Amanda's breathing quickened slightly. It nudged her forward. He, she now knew it was a male from the pictures and information, wanted her to go somewhere. She followed the directions given to her but was too nervous to speak.
He lead her down the halls and then into the room where they first met. Clearly he knew the building well. Amanda stopped at the doorway leading out to the walkway overhanging the cliff. He stopped directing her.
Amanda gave a nervous chuckle. "Is this where you wanted me?"
The velociraptor nodded.
Amanda looked at the open air and the long drop to the ground far below. "It's a nice view but I don't think I want to go outside."
The velociraptor looked out at the ocean. Amanda turned her head. He moved around her and set his head beside hers, warm blood from his lips smeared Amanda's cheek. She wanted to wretch. It forced her head back. She dared not resist.
She guested that it wanted her to look at something in particular but did not know what. Then she saw movement on the rock. It was hard to make out the details but she recognized the purple blur even from a distance.
"Ellie?" Amanda whispered. "Is that another human on the rock?"
The velociraptor nodded enthusiastically this time.
"Ellie!" Amanda yelled. She stepped out onto the walkway and waver her arms. "Ellie, I'm over here!"
Amanda's heart soared but she quickly realized that she was too far for Ellie to hear her. She turned and ran along the path she had taken when she escaped the velociraptor. She knew a way down. It was not far from the building. She just had to…
The velociraptor leapt in front of her and hissed. He had his claws raised and teeth bore. Amanda froze. Her eyes went wide with fear. Blind hunting instinct filled the velociraptor's eyes. His pupils contracted.
"I'm sorry," Amanda said as tears fell.
The velociraptor stopped, shook his head and looked at her. The instinctive urge was gone. The quills atop his head flattened. He approached her.
Amanda reached out a trembling hand and touched his snout. He made a soft sound that felt like an apology.
"I shouldn't have run," Amanda said. Her mind swirled with thought. She did not pay as much attention in her biology classes as she should have but that statement sounded right. "I'm sorry. I'm going to go help that person. I think it's my friend Ellie. Will you help me?"
The velociraptor paused for a while but then nodded slowly.
She wanted to hug him but held back, instead simply saying, "Thank you."
Amanda moved around the velociraptor and did not run. She reached the gates and passed through the first. At the second, she paused. She was leaving the safety of the compound and that troubled her. It looked clear. The velociraptor pushed past her and looked back quizzically.
"I'm just nervous," Amanda said. She turned north and followed the outside of the fence towards the cliff. This got another odd look from the velociraptor. "I know a way down this way. I used it to get up here after I was attacked."
The velociraptor followed her.
Amanda reached the cliff then followed it. She already saw her target. A water pumping station like those she saw during a trip to Lake Mead in Nevada reached over the cliff and ran a series of pipes down to a large pond below. A spiral walkway followed the pipes until they reached the ground. She had used that to get up the cliff during the night of the attack.
The jungle grew close to the cliffs but an overgrown path remained where gravel still kept the majority of shoots from springing up. A low shin-high grass managed to however. The path broke from the cliff and entered the jungle soon enough as it approached the gully. A narrow metal bridge crossed the span. The velociraptor hesitated but eventually followed. It was sturdy enough despite the rust.
The pumping station was not too large, only about the size of a small single car garage. Amanda did not bother looking inside. She had done so during the night. It was filled with pipes and not much else. It had provided a place of safety until the morning came however.
The spiraling stair was another matter. Amanda held the inner railing as she started down. It was a while before the velociraptor joined her. Metal creaked and groaned underfoot and only now in the light did Amanda see that some of the facets fixing the structure to the cliff were broken loose.
The wind gently swayed the structure.
"We're almost down," Amanda said as much to reassure herself as the reassure the velociraptor. He appeared calm.
Amanda watched the distant rock disappear behind the canopy as she reached the ground. She could not see the figure on it anymore. Her legs trembled a little. The pipes disappeared into a dark green soup nearby.
"We made it down," Amanda rested a hand on the velociraptor. It did not shy away from the act. Maybe the binder was wrong, at least about this one.
They followed the edge of the pond and then slipped into the dense swamp. Frogs and insects were plentiful, unfortunately so were the mosquitoes. She nearly stepped on a snake coiled in the tangle of roots. A mock strike made her jump back. The velociraptor avoided getting close to it and she figured she probably should as well. It was likely venomous. A hooting drifted towards them on the warm air.
"I didn't know there were owls here," Amanda smiled.
The velociraptor shook his head and looked concerned.
"Oh," Amanda said and spoke no more.
The swamp gave way to white sand beach. Amanda wanted to run ahead but eyed the velociraptor warily. She dragged her feet to get rid of the clinging muck until her shoes were clean enough. She would have to find more in the building though. Wetness permeated the shoes and so would the smell.
She saw the rock clearly but did not see Ellie. She moved to the shore where gentle swells broke against the beach. "Ellie!" Amanda called out. "Ellie, where are you?"
The velociraptor hissed and shook his head.
"I need to get her attention," Amanda protested.
The velociraptor said something in its harsh language of growls, hisses and chirps. He looked back at the swamp and scanned the trees.
Amanda got the meaning clear enough. "Fine but we need to get closer so she can see me."
The velociraptor said something else and then nodded.
Amanda headed towards the nearest rocky outcrop. They followed the sheer face around until they reached a long fissure. It was wide enough for Amanda to slip through but the velociraptor could not. Instead, he leapt onto the outcropping and followed her from above. He made it look easy.
Amanda made it through and stood looking at the rock. Where was Ellie? Amanda heard a moaning. She looked around frantically and found a shape crawled partially from the sea.
"Ellie!" Amanda cried and rushed to her side. She pulled Ellie out of the water and rolled her over.
Her friend was a few shades redder with cracked dry lips and several bruises. Amanda gently touched her cheek. She was hot to the touch. Her chest moved.
"Oh thank god," Amanda sighed, "You're breathing."
Ellie opened her green eyes. Initially they stared off into nothing but after a moment, they focused on Amanda. "Amanda?" Ellie managed a hoarse whisper and smiled.
Amanda took Ellie's hand in her own, feeling the rough edges of broken nails. "I'm here Ellie. You're safe."
Ellie closed her eyes for a while. "I'm tired… and thirsty."
"We'll get you back to the building. I have some water and food there." Amanda promised. She cursed herself inwardly for not thinking to grab water before she left. She thought better than offering the dry bars from her pocket though.
"We?" Ellie opened her eyes and looked at Amanda and then around. Her eyes lingered on something and went wide. Ellie screamed.
Amanda covered Ellie's mouth as fast as she could. The velociraptor hissed. "No, no, no," Amanda said. "He's friendly!"
Ellie's scream turned into sobbing.
"He saved my life at the risk of his own." Amanda looked at the velociraptor. "He won't hurt you. Right?"
The velociraptor crouched on the outcropping nearby like a scaly gargoyle. No wonder Ellie screamed. It looked over Ellie for a little while and then nodded slowly.
"See," Amanda said. "He understands English. Did you see him nod?"
"I'm scared," Ellie whispered. "I saw monsters like it eat people."
"What?" Amanda looked at the velociraptor who shook his head. "It wasn't him."
"It looked like him." Ellie sat up and brushed the tears and grit from her eyes with the long sleeve of her green pajamas.
"It wasn't," Amanda assured her but did not know if she fully believed it herself. She considered his slain pack and winced at the thought. Those ones might have.
Amanda helped brush loose gravel from Ellie's short purple hair. With a lick of her finger, she wiped a smudge of black from Ellie's swollen nose just above the nose ring through her right nostril. They had been friends since they were small children. Ellie stepped up to a bully picking on Amanda and they had been close ever since, nearly sisters and inseparable.
Amanda was glad she was alive.
The velociraptor chittered to get Amanda's attention. He gesture his head back towards the building until she understood him. Then his gaze fell on the trees beyond the outcrop.
"We need to get going," Amanda said and helped Ellie to her feet.
"Where?" Ellie asked. Her gaze fell wearily on the velociraptor. "What is it?"
"He's a velociraptor, a dinosaur. I'll explain later." Amanda said noting the increasing agitation in the velociraptor. She pointed at the building atop the cliffs. "Up there is a building. It's safe."
Ellie teetered and clearly could not run in this state. She leaned heavily on Amanda for support. The fissure was slow going but they reached the other side and the velociraptor greeted them, urging them on faster.
"She's hurt," Amanda said. "She can't run."
The velociraptor looked her in the eyes and then looked Ellie up and down. It turned and faced the trees. A hooting came from the trees. It was closer than before.
"Something's coming," Amanda whispered.
Ellie started to cry.
The velociraptor nodded. He then started running and disappeared into the trees.
Amanda stood alone with Ellie. Did it leave her to die? Amanda looked around for somewhere to hide but found none. Ellie could not climb a tree in her state. Beyond the canopy, the cliff loomed. Amanda dragged Ellie in the direction and shushed her when she tried to speak.
The swamp quickly surrounded them. The sucking mud slowed an already slow progress. Amanda just needed to get Ellie to the stairs then they could get away from whatever was lurking in the trees. A scream erupted from the swamp not far off. It was the velociraptor. A rattling hiss replied. She heard a wailing from something as it died.
Amanda's heart raced. Ellie seemed to get a boost of energy. They hurried onward. The pond came into view and the long stair up. They climbed. It was fast at first but then slowed. Turn after turn, they climbed. Over halfway up Amanda was short of breath. Ellie dropped and sat on the metal as an uncontrolled sob broke free at last.
"I can't do it," whined Ellie. "I can't!"
"Yes you can," Amanda said but sank beside Ellie. She wrapped an arm around Ellie. A wet cold permeated her pajamas. "We can make it. It's not much further up." Amanda gestured at the top of the cliff still some ways above them.
A bark drew Amanda's eyes down. She saw the velociraptor run past the stairs and keep going. Five dinosaurs chased it. They had a mottled brown, green, and yellow mix. Several had large frills extended and rattling intensely. She needed to read that binder carefully when she got back, the whole thing. She watched the velociraptor follow the cliff where the ground was solid and free of mud. She saw too a black oily substance clinging to his side. He disappeared from sight.
"See," Amanda whispered. "He's friendly and led them away from us."
Ellie's sobs eased but she said nothing.
Amanda waited a little while longer and the eased Ellie to her feet. They climbed the remained stairs and then rested in the confined shelter of the pumping station. As the noon heat grew too much for them in the confined space, Amanda encouraged Ellie out and down the path. A compsognathus started trailing them and then a second appeared. Soon there were three.
Silver Claw lost the dilophosaurus along the cliff face. He was much faster than them on the solid ground compared to the swamp. The place where one spit on him burned a little however. He had to get it off. He turned to go through the swamp where it was thinner as the cliff reached out and nearly touched the sea. On the beach, Silver Claw ran to the water and rolled in the surf, allowing the wet grit to scrap his scales clean of the potent venom and the water to immediately rinse it away.
He continued until a fin broke the surface nearby and then fled to shore. He watched a shark disappear beneath the surface. It was a little too close for his liking but he turned and looked about. The humans were safely up the stair, of that he was sure. He just hoped that they would be quiet through the jungle on their way back to the building.
Silver Claw decided not to take the stair and instead followed the cliff around the point. It turned into a long valley, one he was familiar with and which connected with his nest. They used this route to reach the swamp but he hoped that it would not be necessary again. The jungle grew dense and he heard a lone mamenchisaurus wading through the canopy.
Where the cliff ended, Silver Claw found the road. It was not far from the shed that he and Amanda had used to escape the tunnels. He turned onto it and followed it back along the top of the cliff. It curved along several points as it climbed steadily. It was tiring and he kept a reserve of strength just in case something attacked him.
As he neared the building, Silver Claw heard a scream. It was Amanda. He drew on the reserves and raced ahead. He rounded the corner and saw a swarm of compsognathus around the humans. Amanda booted one away that got too close. They were at the gate but could not get inside with the tiny creatures snapping at them.
Silver Claw shrieked.
The compsognathus turned their heads as one and then fled. Silver Claw did not pursuit them. Instead, he looked the humans up and down. Neither had bite marks. That was good.
"Thank you," Amanda panted.
Ellie just trembled.
They went inside and settled down for the day. Amanda and Ellie talked back and forth over the events of the past few days while they ate and drank. Ellie slept most of the day after that. Silver Claw ate the rest of his kill and then patrolled the compound. By sunset, the three were on the roof and watched the stars come out before a light rain fell over the island.