Hide (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)

Chapter 4

"Hey, who's this?" I gesture to the man. He holds out his hand towards me.

"General Wheatley. Lockwood has me here to make sure the whole rescue op goes smoothly. And you are?"

I shake his hand.

"Sadie Jackson." A low rumble erupts from the volcano, and we all turn towards it.

"It's about to get a whole lot hotter," Owen states, and I watch with dread as more smoke pours out of the top.

I turn towards everyone else as I hear shouting. I look around and notice a bunch of men starting to pile into large trucks, getting ready to go.

"Alright, we're moving out! Let's go!" Wheatley leads us to another truck and we all pile in. I take a seat next to Owen and he grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. We start moving after another few minutes, the bumpy ride definitely waking me up more. I silently rest my head on Owen's shoulder as he gently strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. The ride is silent for a while as we all wonder what's coming.

The trucks stop after about thirty minutes. I lift my head from Owen's shoulder and glance out the window to see metal gates. I turn back around as the pungent smell of bug spray fills the truck, and I see Franklin soaking his skin with the spray. I scrunch my face as the smell gets stronger. He notices me staring at the bottle and holds it up.

"Bug spray?" I shake my head.

"No, thanks." He shrugs and puts it back in his bag, looking between us.

"The T-Rex would be dead by now, right?"

I feel a pang in stomach at the thought. I can see Owen and Claire glance at me, but I just stare at the ground.

"No, it would be impossible to estimate the max life span of a clone in a completely different environment," Zia explains. For some reason, it bothers me that Bella is called a clone. She's still a living creature, an animal.

"S-so she'd be dead by now, right?"

I inhale sharply and stare at Franklin.

"She better not be." He looks at me, confused.

"Why would her being dead be a bad thing?"

I take a deep breath, trying not to get angry.

"Because she's my dinosaur, so if she's dead, I'm going to be pissed."

He hesitates.

"By 'your dinosaur,' you mean-?"

"I mean I raised her, I trained her, I spent almost every waking moment with her. She's my dinosaur. And her name is Bella."

I can see shock and fear register in his eyes.

"You people are crazy," he mutters, looking between me and Owen. I sit back in my seat and focus on the ground again as the gate opens, and the trucks start moving.

I watch out the window as we break free from the trees and enter the main plaza. My heart swells at all the dilapidated store fronts we pass by, nostalgia filling me.

"Bad memories?" Wheatley's voice pipes up. I turn away from the window and meet the eyes of Owen, knowing he feels the same way I do.

"Some are good," he says, continuing to stare at me. His response puts a small smile on my face, knowing he's talking about all the time we spent together on this island.

The trucks begin to slow down in front of the lab, coming to a stop in the middle of the plaza. It's when they stop completely that we hear a boom come from nearby. I instantly recognize it as footsteps.

"What was that?" Franklin asks, and I can tell he's getting nervous. He looks out the window behind him. "Was it the T-Rex?"

My hopes rise for a moment, but I count the time between each step, realizing the animal is stepping too slow to be Bella. It's much larger.

"It's not her," I say, and I can't mask the sadness in my voice. "Her footsteps are much more frequent than that. This is something bigger."

"I have to see this." We all turn to Zia as she rushes outside the truck. Wheatley follows, shouting about how it isn't safe. The rest of us are quick to follow, eager to see which dino it is.

I watch the trees as they sway back and forth, revealing a giant Brachiosaurus slowly making its way past the lab. I gasp as it walks so close to us. I feel Owen slip his hand into mine, and I lean into his side. The dinosaur leans down to grab some leaves from a tree before she continues past us. I can't help the smile that blooms on my face. I miss this. Owen looks down at me and must know what I'm thinking, as he squeezes my hand and gives me a sad smile.

We both turn around as we hear Franklin clearing his throat behind us, I'm guessing trying to get our attention. He gestures towards the truck.

"Can we-?"

I sigh sadly, a part of me not wanting to leave the plaza, but I know we need to continue this mission. You're here to save them, you'll get a whole load of dinosaurs in a little while.

Reluctantly we all get back in the truck and continue the long drive to the control center.