eradication - zach mitchell *1/3 of eradication series*

Chapter 11

 "Be careful!" Zach warned, looking behind me with worried eyes as we climbed up the slippery slope. He watched as I took each step, making me roll my eyes at his over protectiveness.

"I've done this before!" I exclaimed. "I've climbed up and down slippier and steeper. I've done a lot of this before. I can do it my-." My heart dropped as my foot misplaced, falling forwards. I heard a crack. "Shi-shoot." I corrected myself from swearing as a pain filled my ankle. You failure. Luckily, Zach caught me...while laughing his butt off. Gray also took this opportunity to snicker.

"Just hold my hand." Zach sighed after his fit, his eyes meeting mine as we still dried off from the jump. I felt a scorching pain in my ankle and when trying to walk on that ankle, I felt myself ready to fall.

"I think I got a fracture." I groaned. Zach nodded slightly, trying to think of an idea. "It's fine. You guys run ahead." I motioned towards them.

"No, here." Zach grabbed my hand, and helped me up while Gray ran ahead.

We soon found ourselves in a jungle, Gray in a sprint while Zach and I walked. All you could hear was the sound of our feet meeting the ground and the deep pants from Gray. My mouth started to become dry, making me feel worse than I already was.

"Crap." I got out from Zach's grip and hopped over towards Gray, who was holding a destroyed white helmet. Each hop I took, it felt like something strikes me from my leg to my stomach. "It was here." I started. "It's gone now." I gently took it from the deep breathing Gray, but Zach harshly took it during the exchange.

We started looking around, after hearing a roar.

"You're sure he's not here anymore?" Zach asked me.

"The person who owned that hat..." I started. "Isn't here anymore." I bent down, as much as I could and put my hand in the print on the ground, as I know my uncle would. I just know my uncle would be coming to save us. I just knew it. I didn't want him too though. I want to make sure he was safe. The mud that contained the engraving of the hybrid's print wasn't as deep the print earlier when it stepped in it less than thirty minutes. "And this has been starting to cover up." I looked around, spotting dead dinosaurs all over this place. "One thing I can say," I sighed. "It's not hunting to eat."

"What do you mean?" Gray asked me, curiously.

"It's hunting for sport." I explained. "Look, he didn't eat those dinosaurs." I pointed towards the dinosaurs around the area.

"Why would he do that?" Gray seemed confused.

"You know how there are big game hunters?" I tried to explain and he nodded. "Imagine every dinosaur out here that isn't the hybrid and every one of us – we are the game. We're their goal. He, or she wants to see how many they can kill without getting caught or killed."

"Wait, stay here." Zach instructed – interrupting my observations, holding both Gray and I back. Gray followed anyway, trying to take a hold of his older brothers hand. I carefully limped, following them to a broken down golf cart. While Gray and I were busting the door, Zach seemed fazed by something on the side mirror. He let out a smirk, before motioning for us to follow him. Gray held his hand, while Zach held his other hand out for me. I gratefully took it, limping over to him. Gray immediately changed sides, and held my other hand, putting it on his shoulder.

There was a door.

A large metal door with grates.

As we inched closer, stranger noises started producing – such as a bird I don't remember the name of. Gray and I were now following Zach, and knowing that Gray has been scared, I took his hand and squeezed it.

Somehow, the door still opened without a problem – except for that ear cringing creak.

"Wow." They both awed, but I immediately remembered this place from all the legends. I remembered the stories of the green grass and the vines, from the jungle that is obviously overgrown. I remember hearing about the dome, with the open ceilings. My uncle loved the story about this place, despising how it ended. He did believe in Ian Malcolm's tall tale, and never failed to tell me his story. I guess Jurassic World is no different. We started walking on the dirt path, in complete silence – my hand still holding Gray's. I started to try to ignore the pain, as I remember my uncle once told me that the pain exists in your head. Zach spotted something in the ground and picked it up. It was a bone. A dinosaur's bone. I'm not sure if it was real or fake, from the lack of light. He dusted it off, and then looked down, revealing a banner. I smiled to myself.

"I know where we are," I sighed, somewhat happily.

"Where are we?" Gray quickly inquired.
"Jurassic Park."