8

399 12 0
                                    

Ian shifted to face her on the rock they were still sitting on. "I fear you're too concussed to know exactly what you're saying, Miss Mayfield."

She didn't answer.

Ian took off his sunglasses. He was usually so good at self-control and keeping it to flirting. But this woman was standing (sitting) in front of him telling him she wanted him. Was that what she was saying? It wasn't very clear. But he knew one thing; he wasn't ever going to forget Aria Mayfield.

"Let's get moving again, Aria." He looked away. There was no way he was getting flustered, that wasn't a thing that happened to Ian Malcolm. Not until now.

The sun was fully risen by now, and the two hadn't made much progress towards the visitor center. They had to keep stopping to sit down. Both were in a cold sweat, trying not to look as much in pain as they were. But every poorly-concealed grimace or sharp inhale gave it all away.

The two were lying on the ground when they heard it. Aria sat up quickly in fear, before recognizing the sound as a car rather than a dinosaur. She grabbed Ian's arm. "Oh, Ian, someone's here for us! Get up." She stood to the best of her ability and dragged him up with her.

Ellie and Robert Muldoon drove into sight and Aria could've wept in relief. She called out for one of them to help herself and Ian into the car, as they could hardly move.

"Remind me to thank John for a lovely weekend." Ian muttered as they were lifted into the back of the Jeep.

Ellie immediately left them, running around and calling out for the kids.

"Ellie," Aria croaked. "They're not here."

"I've seen a lot of animal attacks. People just disappear. No blood, no trace. That's just the way it happens." Muldoon said solemnly. There was no telling if Grant or the kids were safe, together, or even alive.

Ellie noticed the second car that lay destroyed on the ground, off the cliff. She and Muldoon went down to look around it, and took their sweet time.

Aria and Ian were lounging in the back of the Jeep, not daring to think about their conversation that morning. Well, not daring to talk about it. Aria did a fair bit of thinking about it. Which was why when his arm came to rest behind her shoulders, she laid her head on his chest. If they were going to be sitting here for hours, they may as well get comfortable.

The sun was down before Ellie and Muldoon returned.

Aria stiffened up at a distant shaking. "Ian?" She murmured, not really looking for an answer. He took her hand in his.

"It's a, uh, impact tremor, is what it is." He responded just as quietly. Both of them knew that Aria knew what it was, but his confirmation helped either way. "We're fairly alarmed up here!" He called down to the other two.

A deafening roar that came from the distance. "Guys..." Aria trailed off quietly. The ground shook with the T-Rex's stomps. "Guys!" This time, she shouted.

Finally, Ellie and Muldoon returned. "We gotta move, we gotta go!" Aria and Ian called out for them to hurry.

The booms of the dinosaur's stomps were getting louder. Closer. Faster. "Go! What the Hell are you waiting for?" Aria shouted.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex burst through the jungle, roaring with all her might. She was gaining on the slow-moving Jeep, which Muldoon was driving in a panic.

"Must go faster!" Ian called out, leaning back as if that would save him from the T-Rex's teeth. "Fifth gear! Here it comes, stand on it! Fifth, go!"

All of them were facing backwards, paying attention only to the dinosaur just feet away from them. Aria squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face into Ian's neck. She didn't want to have to see it when the dinosaur killed her.

"DOWN!" Muldoon yelled. A broken tree branch had appeared in the road, almost taking off all of their heads. The T-Rex burst through it, giving Muldoon the time to shout at Ian about the gear shift that he had knocked into neutral.

The T-Rex went in for her final blow. Aria gripped Ian's hand tight and waited. Muldoon gunned it, narrowly avoiding all of their deaths.

Everyone sat in silence for a few seconds, too afraid to even speak. Ian leaned in to mutter in Aria's ear: "Think they'll have that on the tour?"

She shoved his head away, pretending to be unimpressed by the joke. He saw right through her facade.

A few minutes later, they reached the visitor center. Ellie and Muldoon helped the injured two out of the car and into the control room.

Ellie helped Aria lay down on her stomach on some table they'd cleared off. The tables that she and Ian were placed on were just close enough for the two to look at each other.

Aria was losing the adrenaline she'd gotten from the chase and was crashing fast. As soon as Ellie gave her a shot of morphine, she was out.

The last thing she felt before passing out was Ian's hand gently taking hers as Ellie put him under as well.

eeeeheheeehe short chapter sowwy

man destroys god || i. malcolmWhere stories live. Discover now