It was a hot and humid day on Isla Nublar. The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds to obstruct the view of a glorious blue sky. Jeff Thomas didn’t care about the sunshine and the light breeze. He was too busy running for his life. He could hear the heavy footfalls of his pursuer crashing through the forest behind him. It was definitely gaining on him!
When he could feel its hot breath on the back of his neck he dove behind a massive tree on his right, allowing his pursuer to thunder past him. He quickly scrambled to his feet and started climbing the tree, sheer panic hastening his ascent. As he settled onto a branch, a tremendous weight smashed into the tree below him. The tree shook violently but remained upright. He looked down into the cold reptilian eyes of the Carnotaurus dinosaur as it stood beneath his branch glaring up at him.
While nowhere as large as the Tyrannosaur housed in another paddock on the island, the Carnotaurus was still a formidable predator. Standing at just over 3 meters tall and weighing 1.3 tons it was a brutal killing machine. He settled back against the rough bark to catch his breath as the Carnotaurus started circling the tree trying to find a way to reach him.
The news that Simon Masrani, owner of Jurassic World, had crashed his helicopter into the Pterosaur aviary had reached him only an hour before his manic rush from the Carnotaurus. As a junior mechanic for the park, he was busy repairing a static display at the park resort when the news came over his walkie talkie. He stood listening to the report in disbelief when someone yelled a warning from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see a large flock of Pterosaurs bearing down on the resort. He started running down the street, yelling at visitors to find shelter. But it was too late.
The massive predatory birds swooped down, snatching people as they were fleeing. Thomas himself was briefly lifted off the ground by large talons but the Pterosaur didn’t have a good grip on him and he managed to wriggle free. Dropping to the ground he ducked into a narrow alley between two buildings and kept running. Survival was his only objective and he ran without concern for his surroundings. His mad dash took him away from the resort and through a large grassy field bordering a forest. A towering fence blocked his path but he noticed a small gate set in the fence and yanked it open. So desperate was he that he failed to read any of the warning signs plastered across the gate.
He kept running deeper into the forest until his muscles burned and he fell to the ground exhausted. He managed to crawl to a nearby tree and sat with his back against it, trying to catch his breath. For a while he sat slumped against the tree with his eyes closed until his breathing had returned to normal. Only then did he open his eyes and take stock of his surroundings. He was still trying to recall the route he had taken when he noticed a large silhouette a short distance away. It wasn’t moving and he couldn’t quite make out what it was in the dim light of the forest. A chill ran down his spine as the shape finally took form in his mind. It looked like a small Tyrannosaurus with short bull-like horns protruding from its skull above its eyes. A Carnotaurus! He got slowly to his feet, hoping it had not seen him in the low light. It roared loudly and rushed at him and he turned and ran, dodging through the trees.
Now he sat in the tree looking down at the Carnotaurus stomping around looking for a way to reach him. It bumped the tree a few more times, hoping to dislodge him from his perch. After what seemed like an eternity it gave a huff of frustration and moved off into the forest. Above the sound of the Carnotaurus stomping away he could still faintly hear the screams from the resort. Apparently the Pterosaurs hadn’t finished feasting yet. Because the Carnotaurus was still in the area, he didn’t want to climb down unless he had to, but he knew that he needed to find water and a way to reach the Control Room. Gradually the light faded and he decided to risk climbing down. Using a small penlight torch and a compass he started heading in the direction of the Control Room.
Twice he had to quickly douse the light and duck behind a tree as he saw the Carnotaurus roaming through the forest. For hours he trudged on in the dark, playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek with the predator, but eventually he seemed to have moved out of its territory and the sightings grew less frequent. After another few hours of walking he came to a stream and fell down on its bank, drinking thirstily. It was only after he had slaked his thirst that he realized that in his face down position he would have been easy prey for any of the predators in the area. Resolving to be more cautious he once more moved off into the night.
It was close to dawn when he figured that he was nearing the control room. Rounding a large boulder he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Towering over him a short distance away stood Rexy, the park’s resident Tyrannosaurus. She was looking right at him! He knew that he had no way of outrunning her, not while she was that close! But instead of charging at him, she just stood there, contemplating him with her cold reptilian gaze. After a few heart-stopping moment she gave a low growl and stomped off. It is only then that he noticed that she was injured and limping slightly. The exhausting trudge through the forest and his encounter with Rexy had drained Thomas and he sought another tree in which to rest.
Sunlight shining onto his face woke Thomas from a fitful sleep and he realized that from his position he could see the Control Room in the distance. Scrambling down the tree he resumed his trek, energized now that he knew his destination was not far off. He was still a short distance from the Control Room when he saw Rexy lumber onto the raised helipad next to the building and bellow her dominance into the morning sky. Keeping to the tree-line to avoid being spotted he finally reached the Control Room entrance. The door was slightly ajar and he closed it behind him as he entered. It seemed like a large group of people had been vacated in a hurry. There were papers strewn everywhere and some of the plants had been knocked over. He was making his way to the Main Control Center when he heard a low hiss behind him. He turned quickly and saw Blue, one of the park’s Velociraptors, rushing at him. He had no time to scream as she leapt on him and his world went black.
–END–
