Jurassic Park 3: "Return To Chaos"

Part 3: Survival

Back at the crash site, I unzipped my bag, pulled out my vest, and slipped it on, feeling more at ease with my equipment. The satellite phone still wouldn't connect, but I sheathed my knife in its holster on my belt and made my way over to Alan and Billy.

Udesky had managed to salvage most of his gear, while Paul and Amanda were off to the side, awkwardly changing into fresh clothes, sharing a brief, uncomfortable glance. Billy was focused, crouched down, snapping photos of the massive footprints left behind by the Spinosaurus.

"How would you classify it, Billy?" Alan asked, brushing off his hat before settling it back on his head and squatting beside him.

Billy considered for a moment. "Well, it's definitely a super-predator. Maybe a Suchomimus?" he ventured, studying the prints. "That snout..."

Alan shook his head. "No. Think bigger," he said, keeping it deliberately vague.

"Baryonyx?" Billy guessed again.

Alan allowed a small grin. "Not with that sail," he replied, then turned toward me. "What do you think, Mike? Care to make a guess?"

I cracked my knuckles and smirked. "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus," I said confidently.

Alan produced a large, jagged tooth. "Good choice," he said, handing it to me.

Billy eyed the tooth curiously. "I don't remember that species being on InGen's list," he remarked.

"That's because it wasn't," Alan said, his eyes scanning the area thoughtfully. "Makes you wonder what else they were hiding."

Over by the plane, the three of us couldn't help but notice Paul struggling to get his bag on. It caught our attention, especially after all his big talk about daring adventures. Billy, ever the curious one, decided to get to the bottom of it.

"So, Mr. Kirby, tell me," Billy began as he approached, a knowing look on his face. "When you climbed K2, did you base camp at 25,000 or 30,000 feet?"

Paul finally managed to adjust his bag correctly and answered with a bit too much confidence. "30,000 feet. We were pretty close to the top."

Billy smirked. "You were about 1,000 feet above the summit, actually," he said, catching Paul in his lie.

Paul hesitated, his face growing tense. "No, that's... that's a common mistake," he stammered, scrambling to save face.

Alan, always direct, stepped in. "There's no such thing as Kirby Enterprises, is there?" he asked, staring Paul down.

Paul gulped, his guilt plain on his face. "It's Kirby Tile Plus," he finally admitted, his voice quieter. "The 'plus' is for bathroom fixtures. We're in the Westgate Shopping Center... Enid, Oklahoma."

I clenched my fist, trying to keep my composure. "I don't suppose that check you wrote us is any good," I said, barely holding back my frustration.

Paul held up his hands defensively. "I will pay you the money I owe you, I swear."

That was it—I snapped. Grabbing Paul by his shirt, I yanked him close, raising my fist, my temper barely restrained. "I could be at home right now with my pregnant wife, helping her," I growled, my voice low with anger. "But here I am, on a fool's errand." I shoved him backward, and Udesky caught him, preventing him from falling.

Alan, cool as ever, pulled off his jacket and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Here we are, in the worst place imaginable," he said with biting sarcasm. "And we're not even getting paid."

As we marched through the jungle, Amanda wouldn't stop calling out for Eric, her voice echoing through the trees. Alan, clearly annoyed, told her to keep quiet. Then, predictably, Paul and Amanda started arguing, their bickering wearing on all of us.