RUN ➳ ZACH MITCHELL

seven

"Do you think it's still out there?" Zach asked as he crouched beside Rory. His hand was currently wrapped around a wrench, prying the car battery from the destroyed ACU vehicle the three had come across early, although his gaze was cast towards his younger brother.

When he saw the fear in Gray's eyes, Zach immediately regretted his words. Zach backtracked, and added to his previous statement, "I mean, I know for a fact it isn't out there, alright? We're totally safe." Gray sent him a weak smile as Rory watched the 2's interaction carefully.

"Here; take this," Zach continues, placing the large battery into his sibling's arms. "You're stronger than me." Rory lips tugged upward, her heart warming at the sweetness of the moment, and turned her head to the ground.

The group trudged back through the thick jungle and to the welcome center. Rory hopped into the driver's seat of the old Jurassic Park vehicle, and waited for Zach's word to start it.

Zach cranked the metal tool a few times, before scratching his nose and calling out, "Alright! Turn it over."

Rory obliged, and the car started with a loud purr of its engine, causing the teenagers faces to crack into large grins. Rory threw her head back in relief, as Zach shut the hood and walked over to her side. Rory beamed at the boy, throwing her thin arms tightly around his neck. Zach hugged back, his teeth showing as his smile widened.

"It works!" Gray cheered.

The Mitchell brothers climbed in on either side of the blonde girl, and Rory moved into the center. Out of the blue Gray asked, "I thought you failed your divers test?"

"No . . ." Zach said slyly. "Well, only the driving part."

Rory rolled her eyes, slightly regretting hugging him, because she knew their lives were going to be put on the line yet again thanks to the brunette's lack of driving skills.

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Rory let out a loud genuine laugh as Zach stepped on the gas, blowing the Jeep and them right through a old rusted fence with Danger 10,000 Volts signs attached. Zach and Gray whooped at the reckless driving, glancing at the other with wide smiles.

Zach exhaled. "Okay, that's it. We're safe now."

Gray gulped, staring into the review mirror. His brother had spoken to soon. Eyes widening in horror, Gray yelled, "Go, go, go!" His hand slapped Rory's arm in panic.

Zach glanced behind them, letting out an "oh, shit" before switching the stick shift, increasing the car's miles per hour ability to 80. Rory's face had visibly paled as the carnivorous Pterodactyls descended toward them.

Gray screamed into Rory's ear as the trio sped down the dirt trail. Seeing Gate 5, Rory grunted in relief, waving her hands in the air and yelled, "Hey! Over here." Following her example, Gray halfway stood up and swung his arms.

"Open the gates!" the teens demanded frantically at the two guards on watch.

The skinny male on top of the gateway, glanced towards his partner, and uttered, "Well, that's a first."

An animal screech got the bulky men's attention, and the two looked up concurrently. The yelling coming from the kids below faded into the background as the guards stared in terror at the creatures. The more heavier one of the duo quickly scrambled towards a lever on the roof, opening the gates just in time for juveniles.

Rory fleetingly unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the Wrangler behind Zach. "Come on," Zach yelled, placing a hand on the small of his companion's backs, and guided them out into the chaotic storm of civilians.

"Rory!" a feminine voice called out, causing the blonde to turn around.

"Zara," Rory called back. "That's your aunts assistant," she explained to the siblings. "She'll be able to lead us to Claire."

"Oh, Aurora. We've been lookin-" Zara cut herself off with a scream of pain, as a Pterodactyl snatched the ebony haired lady from the ground.

"No," choked out Rory, lunging forward, only to be held back by Zach. Her hazel eyes widened in trepidation, watching the woman she'd often get coffee's with at the amusement parks café be bounced around between the animals as a snack.

Finally breaching Zach's tight grasp around her, Rory jolted forward, following the airborne Zara. Zach growled in utter annoyance at her, but chased after the girl that was playing with his heart.

Gray clung to his older brother, as the 3 stopped outside of the Mosasaurs' tank, which they'd just seen Zara get dropped into.

Rory let out a snivel and her hand covered her mouth, as three more dinosaurs dived in after her. One held her up out of the water ready to fly away, when Mo erupted from the water's surface easily snapping her jaws around Claire's ex-assistant and the Pterodactyl.

Rory twisted on her heel, now facing the Mitchell siblings, and said the obvious: "She's dead."

Rory anxiously ran her hand forcefully through her curls, repeating what she had just stated. "She's dead."

Zach sympathetically rested a hand on her shoulder, as the girl looked at him sadly. "Let's go," Zach spoke quietly, not wanting to sound to pushy, but wanting to get the girl back to reality.

Rory understood and took a minute to run her hands through her wild curls, taking in a deep breath. She straightened up, allowing Gray to grab her hand. "This way." Rory grunted, leading them back towards the front of the park, and hopefully to Owen or Claire.