Jump | Zach Mitchell

thirty-six

AT first I think that I'm hallucinating. There's no way that Owen just put his weapon on the ground when we're surrounded by three bloodthirsty Velociraptors, right?

Everyone goes still as he straightens. Zach's hand touches my back, searching for reassurance. I can hear his heavy breathing, feel it as he exhales shakily against my ear.

"Owen..." Gray whimpers. Claire's hand finds his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"It's okay." Her voice is teary. "He knows what he's doing."

We fall silent when we see him extend his right hand out to the Raptor closest to him. "Easy," he softly chides when the creature snaps. "Easy," he whispers again when his palm descends on its cheek.

The dinosaur becomes very still. Owen's hand drifts up to the cameras strapped to its head from earlier. Swiftly, he unhooks the clip holding it in place. The straps fall to the ground, and the Velociraptor shakes its head slightly.

"That's it." Owen's words are breathy.

The ground shakes suddenly, causing us all to lean against one another. It trembles again and again, almost like a giant is walking-

The Indominous.

I find Zach's hand and give it a tight squeeze, pretty positive that I might've just disturbed his blood flow. When he clenches my fingers back in just as tight of a grip, I know that he's thinking what I'm thinking.

Sure enough, the Indominous Rex rounds the corner, mouth open in a disgusting grin. It growls and groans as it comes closer. The Raptors stand their ground. Owen doesn't tell us to move, so we remain in place.

The Indominous stops in front of the Raptor in front of us, letting out a roar in its face.

The Velociraptor stands its ground. In fact, it takes a defensive position in front of our small huddle.

...almost like it's protecting us.

In one swipe of its arms, the Indominous knocks the lead Velociraptor aside, sending it crashing into a building. It lays on the ground, dazed.

This pisses the other two Raptors off, and they begin to roar back at the Indominous. Owen whistles sharply, and the two tiny predators spring into action. They charge the Indominous, leaping onto its back and tearing at its flesh.

This is our chance. Owen waves for us to follow him, and we sprint past the Indominous, taking advantage of it being distracted.

"In there!" He directs, motioning for us to take cover in a gift shop. He ducks behind a large model of an amber-preserved mosquito, firing his gun at the Indominous to help his Raptors.

Zach helps me hop through the hole in the display window, and we scramble to the back. I don't know where Claire has gone, and it unnerves me.

Gray hisses for us from a dark corner, surrounded by clothes and stuffed animals. We sit beside him, panting.

I'm gasping, unable to make myself breathe quietly as I struggle for air. My side is throbbing; it feels like it is on fire. The bandage has slid down to my hips, the icepack long gone. I must've dropped in while we were running.

"Easy, Jonelle." Zach's arm comes around my shoulder, puzzle-piecing our bodies together. "You're all right. Just breathe."

A rack of t-shirts a few feet away rustle, and the three of us tense.

A head of red hair appears, and we all relax. "Are you guys okay?" Claire asks as she shuffles along the floor, crouching by the window to see what's going on.

"Yeah, totally fine," Zach answers for all of us. He leans his head back against the shelves behind us, exhaling deeply.

Gray is muttering to himself rapidly. "We need more," he finally says.

Claire turns to him, confused. "More what?"

"Teeth!" He insists. "We need more teeth!"

"Teeth," she whispers back. Then she's moving, breaking open the first-aid kit on the while and rifling through its contents. "No flare. Why is there no flare?"

"I've got a flare," Gray says. He reaches into his survivor pouch and produces a long red stick. "Here."

She takes it gratefully, turning it over in her hands. "Okay, so just..." She gulps. "Just wait here. Everything's going to be fine."

Then she throws her legs over the display case and launches her body out the broken window.

---

THERE'S lots of shattering glass and loud pops.

Suddenly, a dark shape leaps into the giftshop. I start to scream, but Zach's hand comes over my mouth. "It's okay," he pants into my hair. "It's just Owen."

He's right. Owen moves like a cat, on all fours with his haunches rolling steadily. His eyes are feral. He perches beside Gray and motions for us to stay silent.

The Raptors must've lost. A large shadow falls over the giftshop, and its owner soon shows its face. The Indominous tests the air, cocking its head from side to side. Trying to find us.

Gray twitches. It's not a large movement, but the Indominous Rex picks it up.

Roaring loudly, it shoves its face as far as it can into the display window. Gray and I scream, pulling our legs in as close as we can as the dinosaur snaps its hungry jaws.

It turns its head to the side, able to come closer. It swipes a claw inside, and it manages to take hold of Gray's survivor pouch. He slides across the floor. Owen reaches out and tugs him back, but the Indominous is strong and its nail is still hooked around the fanny bag.

I unbuckle the small plastic fastening and the bag flies across the room. The Indominous bellows in anger, obviously not pleased with its snack escaping its clutches.

The ground is shaking, and at first I think it's because of the Indominous Rex's temper tantrum.

Then I see something bright red arch in the dark, the light smacking into the dinosaur's side. The Indominous straightens, letting its displeasure at being struct known.

"The flare," Gray whispers. I'm surprised he can speak after what he just went through.

There's another roar, but it doesn't belong to the Indominous.

"Oh my God," Owen says. "She got the T-Rex."