Jurassic Fear

Owen Grady

What a glorious day to be up a ladder and building a house. The sun is shining, the trees are swaying slightly in the breeze, and there isn't another human for miles. Life is perfect ... sort of. The only downside to this life is that I miss Lottie. This wooden frame was supposed to be our dream home. Instead, I will be living in it on my own. No Lottie. No Ian. No Anthony. Nada. It's just me, myself, and I.

I carry on working on the porch roof as the morning turns to the afternoon. It's hard work building a house from scratch, but I have the plans Lottie, and I drew up, and they are perfect down to the last detail.

"Hey, Owen." A soft voice calls from behind me.
Claire. I don't turn around; hopefully, she will take the hint and leave me alone.
"Owen!" She shouts louder this time.
I stop working.
"Oh, boy." I mutter, turning around to face her.
"Hi." She mumbles timidly.
"Back for more, huh?" I smirk.
"Can I buy you a beer?"
"Did you bring 'em, or do we gotta, like, go somewhere?" I snicker.
She rolls her eyes and turns her back to me as she heads towards the car. I climb down the ladder with a soft sigh and unclip my tool belt. I can't say no to a beer.

I slide into a booth at the back of the bar, and Claire sits opposite me, placing two beers on the table. It's strange being with Claire like this. Usually, she is yelling at me for something I did wrong. But sitting here opposite Claire in such a casual place makes me realise how friendly we used to be before she got promoted at Jurassic World. I wonder if she's spoken to Lottie.

"Owen?" She questions, frowning slightly. "Are you listening?"
"Yeah, you're talking about how you're saving the world." I shrug, taking a sip of my beer.
"Well, I'm trying, at least. You can't just run away from everything, Owen, or everyone." She glares at me sternly.
"I'm not running away from anyone." I huff.
"Oh, that's why you're building a house in the middle of nowhere and haven't talked to Lottie."
"Hey, I haven't spoken to Lottie for a valid number of reasons."
Claire rubs her temples, exasperated.
"Owen ... stop. This is not why we are here, okay?"
"Yeah, I know why we're here. Lockwood's little flunky called me. Rescue op. Save the dinosaurs from an island that's about to explode – what could go wrong?"
"I'm going." She whispers.
I roll my eyes. "Don't."
"I don't have a choice." She shrugs.
"What?" I scoff. "Of course, you have a choice."
"So, what, I should just build my own cabin, play pool, and drink beer all day while these dinosaurs go extinct?" She mocks, anger seeping into her voice.
"Yeah." I state matter of factly.

Claire's blue-green eyes stare into mine, and I know what card she's about to play.
"Blue is alive."
I nearly choke on my beer.
"Jesus, Claire."
"You raised her, Owen. You spent years of your life working with her. That's how you met and fell in love with Lottie. You're just gonna let her die?"
"Well, yeah." I say with as little emotion as I can muster.
She stares at me in disbelief.
"If Lottie were by your side, your answer would be different. I know that for a fact." She leans forward slightly. "If you don't go, Lottie will. You know how badly the island affected her. She lost the father of her children there, and she's been picking up the pieces ever since." Claire sighs softly. "Come on, you're a better man than ... you think you are."
I shake my head slightly.
"You should write fortune cookies."
Claire exhales in annoyance.
"Forget it, I ... there's a charter flight leaving tomorrow morning." She begins to collect her things and slides out of the booth. "You're on the manifest. I just wanted to let you know."
I watch as Claire storms away and out of the bar.

I stare down morosely at the bottle of beer in my hands as I think about what Claire just said. Why does she think I should risk my life just to save Lottie's? I mean, of course, I would. I still love her. But we promised each other that neither of us would go back to the island. No matter what. Not after what happened there.
I take my wallet out of my back pocket and open it to the picture of Lottie and me. I smile to myself as the memories flood into my brain. She looks so happy here. Her black hair is slightly longer than it usually is, and she's got her arms around my neck as she rests on my back. Her smile is huge as she looks at the camera, but I'm staring at her. I remember this day like it only happened yesterday. We were travelling around and decided to stop at Ruby Beach in Washington. It was amazing. Ian and Anthony went kayaking while Lottie and I stayed on the beach. Tears prick at my eyes, but I don't let them fall as I stand up and walk out of the bar.

It's too dark to carry on building by the time I get back. Instead, I take out my laptop and pull up an old video from when the raptors were babies. Lottie is the first thing I see as the camera focuses. I chuckle as my eyes land on the blue streaks in her hair. She thought that dying her hair to match Blue's markings would help with bonding. I guess it worked. I watch the video in silence as Lottie and I attempt to train the raptors. I remember the first time Blue communicated with the others and showed discipline. Lottie and I were so amazed; it's all we talked about for months.

My phone beeps, and I open the message from Claire. She's sent me the address for the airfield. Maybe I should go. I take a deep breath and press the back button on my phone. Lottie's name is under Claire's, seen as though she's the only person who has messaged me. I press her name to bring up her old messages.

Hey, Owen. The boys miss you. So, do I. Can we meet up? We all want to meet with you. Hope you're okay xx
Received 2 years ago

Hey, Owen. The boys and I are in Washington. They wanted to go to Ruby Beach again. They want me to go kayaking with them this time! Help!!! Hope you're okay. Maybe we can see each other soon xx
Received 2 years ago

Owen. It's Lottie. Are you okay? Please text back. Boys are worried x
Received 2 years ago

Owen, hope you're okay. Boys and I have settled down. Meet soon? Lottie x
Received 1 year ago

Hi. Anthony wanted me to message you, even though there's no point. This probably isn't even your number anymore. He's applied to study Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford. He wanted to thank you for taking him to the open event. Lottie.
Received 6 months ago

I guess this isn't your number anymore. So, I'll delete it. Just wanted to try one more time.
Received 3 months ago

I shake my head as my thumb hovers over the delete button, but I can't bring myself to do it. She deserves so much better than this. All I want to do I pick up the phone and call her. Even just to hear her voice. I slam my phone on the table and stand up. It's time to get my shit together, and I mean figuratively and literally.