JURASSIC NATION

Walking

It had been days. Maybe weeks since Malcolm saw the ghost. As much as he hated her existence, he found himself wanting her to come back. He made a companion during this wicked time. Right now, he could not see himself living another 24 hours. He was stuck in a small building inside an enormous bird cage on an island off the coast of San Diego. Even if he did try to escape, his limp would be a liability. He could not outrun the black demon.
"Demons and ghosts... Now I am going mad." He muttered to himself. He had developed a habit of talking to himself frequently and it worried him that he actually might be going crazy. Before, indeed he was alone but he had the ghost. Now she was gone. He didn't know when she would come back but by the works of God, he prayed she would.
"Lord. God. Don't kill her. Maybe later but not now. I need her." His voice was faint. He was positioned in a concrete bed. The room was incredibly stale, the mattress at least 40 years old. The wooden floor had a beige rug on it covered in a layer of dust. The bed was positioned opposite a large window that let in light from the east. Outside the view was serene. Branches twisted and turned and framed the valley below and the ocean that stretched out. He was trapped in an old, luxurious treehouse built for guests in the time of John Hammond but now abandoned.
To his right, there was a kitchenette. Everything inside was an open plan design. Beyond that, a petit lounge and a trap door that the ghost sealed shut. Obviously, she didn't want him to leave, Malcolm thought. Next to the trapdoor, facing the window was his desk. The famous desk which he shot his video. He desperately hoped that the video got to someone before the ghost smashed it. Obviously, she didn't want him to have that either.
There was a pile of tinned goods and fruit that was just starting to show signs of rot on the table. She brought it for him before she left. She this and she that. She was driving him mad. Not that he was in loved with her, but now more than ever, he missed her silence. He missed Sarah who was waiting for him in California. He missed Kelly. He missed everyone.
He remembered running for his life. Raptors screaming after him into the woods. He ran. He found this hide away and climbed. His leg had always been a hassle. The T-Rex still haunts his dreams from Jurassic World. It is like he could still feel its jaws gnawing his gashing flesh. But it is just old trauma that held him back. He climbed into the nook of the tree, where a ladder was encased into the wood. He climbed like no other, suddenly his primal instincts kicked in and he became nimble and strong. If only his leg wasn't holding him back. But, the second he thought he reached the door, the ladder crumbled under him. He hung onto the rim of the square frame of the trapdoor above him. He could hear the screeches coming in closer. His palms sweated. He could not hold on any longer. Until...
"Ugh." He said to himself. How he hated getting flashbacks from memories he didn't want. Slowly, he inched his body out of the bed. He managed to balance on his stiff feet. Then, shuffled forward to the table to see what food there is left to salvage.

"Where are we going?" Grey was bored out of his mind. He had been confidently walking for at least a mile now.
"Somewhere." Zach said sarcastically as he led the march through the forest floor.
"Who put you in charge?" Grey whined.
"I did. I am the oldest."
"Well, I am the smartest."
"This isn't helping anybody to fight!" Maisie stopped them mid walk. "We decided to find shelter whilst heading in home's direction. From what we can see, there has not been shelter for miles. It's no use complaining."
"What do you suggest?" Zach rubbed his brows with his hand, not baring the situation anymore.
A crack of a branch in a tree made everyone pause. Hairs slowly prickled up as their eyes grew wide and the looked around. Nobody dared to move a muscle. A shrill turkey sound came from the deep of the woods, where the forestry was too overgrown to wade through. An instinctive 'run' came from all of them, but nobody said it. Then came the rumbling. Each step became louder and louder. A thud that made glass shake. Then, from behind Maisie, a tall creature perked its skinny neck up. On top was a bird head with a definite beak.
Zach carefully leaned over to Grey. "What is it?" He whispered.
"Therizinosaurus" Grey replied.
"Dangerous?"
Zach saw his brother nod. Greys eyes never let go of the beast's head that protruded from the jungle. Then, a single tear fell from his eye. Zach noticed and gulped.
This thing blinked and then tilted its long neck in a hunting stance. It crept forward. Its powerful hind legs ripping the bushes from the ground. It had nails that looked like swords. Its body was partially covered in feathers, otherwise thick scaly skin and scars. It was very curious in Maisie. It sniffed her hair. As it did so, it's nostrils flared as if it smelled its juicy lunch being served. It opened its mouth wide and slowly lowered it over her. By then, Zach and Grey were silenced. They could not stay, but could not leave her. They saw her face turn red and scrunch up as the creature's mouth began to cover it.
A whistle. A sharp, high-pitched whistle echoed. The Therizinosaurus lost interest in Maisie and perked its head up straight. Standing upright, it towered over them. Its head blocked out the sun from the tree top canopy. It looked around in confusion. Then, a rustle came from a nearby tree. A person jumped and landed directly on to the monster's head. The creature violently shook and kicked. It reared and bucked like a rodeo. It swung its neck back and forth. Maisie, Grey and Zach scrammed for dear life. They sprinted and heard the creature moaning and whining. They came across a patch of boulders and quickly hid behind them. Maisie stopped and looked back, Grey noticed and furiously said "What are you doing?"
"It's her." Maisie said in awe.
Grey hunched up next to Maisie and saw for himself. A weird girl, with distinctive white hair was doing a rodeo show with the dinosaur. She clung onto the back of its head and was jabbing into its eye. Blood squirted, staining her already dirty clothes. The dinosaur did one final leap and flanged her off. She landed with a cold thud. The dinosaur wailed and took off, running in the opposite direction. She lay there, then moved her arm to prop herself up. She slowly rose, by this time Zach had stopped running and turned around to see what the teenagers were gawking at.
The girl stretched herself out, rolling her shoulder blades and flexing her long fingers. She then examined her hand. Her middle and index fingernails of her left hand were broken. Sawed off. Chipped and blunt, slightly bleeding. With her thumb she felt her finger tips. She seemed a bit too curious with the softness of her fingers.
"Let's go." Zach said.
"Wait. What is she?" Grey said with inquisitively.
As soon as they started whispering, her head snapped. She looked in their direction with beady eyes. All of them ducked behind the boulders.
"I don't think she's dangerous." Maisie thought out loud. She bravely peeped over the rock, but nothing was there. It was just as barren as when they arrived.
"Ok, now she's gone, now, let's go." Zach enthusiastically concluded. He quickly turned around and took a fast-paced leap forward when he hit something hard. A body. A figure. A person. White hair. Her. He was faced to face with her, noses were inches away. He stumbled back out of shock. His eyes wide. She was right there. Her face, a pale white with tiny speckled pebbly textured skin. Her bridge of her nose thick and wide, like that of a lion. Eyes shimmering gold and outlined with a natural black mascara. She had a strikingly weird sense of beauty to her. A beauty that would be found in a cheetah just as its about to chase a buck, or a leopard sleeping on a tree peacefully. It was a beauty all of them had seen before – a beauty found in Blue.
"It's you." Maisie said. She knew what Wu said. They used her own DNA to create her. She was like a sister. "You aren't gonna hurt us, are you?" Maisie said slowly. She took a step forward.
"Careful." Zach warned.
"Yeah, right. You practically hugged her and you telling me to be careful." Maisie quickly snapped. She was right though. Zach had had a full-on collision with the girl, except their faces. By now, she merely stood in a harmless stance. The squirts of blood had dried on her arms and face. All that was moving was her eyes. They darted back and forth between dialogue.
Grey interrupted the dispute between Zach and Maisie. "So, you're not going to hurt us?" He asked the girl.
The girl stood there, starring at him. Everyone was tense for an answer. She could feel it. She knew all the attention was on her. She felt the pressure of being watched. Her eyes stayed still on Grey. She slightly shook her head from side to side but was disturbed.
"What was that? A yes, a, no?" Zach said. The girl's attention was elsewhere. Her ears pricked this way and that individually, like that of a horse. She listened to the hush harmony. She felt the breeze pick up and the wind hustled through the trees. A flood of new and exciting smells ventured up her nose. Her eyes looked up towards the trees dancing. She had never experienced the openness like this. Everything was so fresh and new. A new sense had developed in her – a love for nature. Or maybe just fascination. Or maybe love.
"Can you take us somewhere safe for tonight?" Maisie persisted to ask her. Suddenly the awe expression dropped off the girl's face. And she looked at Maisie with that same blank expression. Once again, glancing at all of them, she had a definite nod indicating to follow her. She leapt swiftly from boulder to boulder down a hill.
"See, she does understand." Maisie said to no-one in particular. Zach had boiling emotions inside him. How could she be so ignorant? How stupid can she be? How is she this supposed, fantastic Maisie Lockwood that has this amazing biology when clearly has no brain? But most importantly, why should they trust that freak?
Zach reluctantly followed. He then caught glances of flashbacks. He was so close to her. Their eyes met. She was a complete weirdo, a mutant, yet if he thought about it closely, all she tried to do was help. She fixed Grey's leg somehow. He remembered her dragging him out of the car when the earthquake happened. Now, she just attacked a four-storey tall dinosaur for them.
So instead he merely said, "Why do you understand her so well?"
Maisie sighed. She had a lot of explaining to do.