Jurassic World, left behind

Grandma?

"I ought a call you something." James said aloud. He was talking to the half ton animal that had been following him around for the past day and a half. The thing was like a dog, if dogs followed you around until there was danger and then bolt like the devil is was on their heels.

James had found a way into one of the security rooms of the main hut thing, which he now knew to be the 'innovative center', and had set up a hammock he stole from the aquatic park. It was a nice room, the door was at least the width of his fist, and he doubted anything could get through that in a hurry when he closed it and locked it.

"What about Tracy?" The name was greeted with a glare. "Come on, it could be a guy or a girls name." The baby triceratops was having none of it. It continued to munch on the pile of tree branches and various plant life that James had gathered for it and placed in one corner of the security office. If looks could kill, James thought. He sat and stared thoughtfully at the triceratops for a little while longer. It tired of the plants and stood to wonder contentedly around the room.

It must be used to being coped up inside, James thought, being one of the ride animals they must have a barn somewhere. That would explain why it had followed him so readily into the medium sized room and made itself at home in the corner. It hadn't even left when he set down his stuff and went back outside to gather more food. He had even left the door wide open, just in case it wanted to move on. Once it was evident it was not leaving, James had brought back food for the triceratops on his final trip as the sun set.

Since the electricity was out, James was forced to use a combination of his flashlight and his phone. He had attempted to call his parents, but soon realized that the electricity had been running the cellphone towers too. He should have guessed. All he could use it for now was light, and maybe some gaming. James doubted he would have time for gaming while he was trying to survive. He needed to stay alert, and more importantly, alive.

Speaking of alive, James said to himself as he felt his stomach grumble at him grumpily. It had been patient with him, but now that he was sitting down it felt the need to remind him that there was such a thing as hunger.

James took out a snickers bar and opened the wrapper. At the crinkle of plastic, the triceratops perked up, trotted over to James and placed its heavy head on James midsection, causing the hammock to rock precariously.

"Ack! Settle down will ya!" James tried to push the triceratops' head gently away with his free hand, but it was like trying to move a very stuborn boulder. James set the snickers bar next to him, and tried to push it away with both hands, but as soon as he set the snickers bar down the triceratops snatched it up and quickly waddled away to its corner. It plopped down contentedly and munched on the snickers bar, pieces of the wrapper falling out of its mouth and onto the ground.

"That can't be good for your digestive system." James commented. The triceratops snorted, as if the treat was worth the trouble of digestion problems. James considered the dinosaur in front of him, munching away happily on the candy bar. James pulled out one of the sandwiches he had collected and began to munch on it.

"I've got it!" he said, spraying crumbs everywhere, "Snickers." The triceratops looked up expectantly. "That is what I am going to call you, from now on. Snickers."

Snickers snorted again, only this time it seemed as if the triceratops was saying, "Took you long enough."

James rolled his eyes at the beast. He would never be able to get in the last word, it seemed.

_____

Knock knock knock!

James woke with a start from the sudden noise coming from the door. He clicked on his flashlight and looked over to see the form of Snickers shift in the corner and let out a slight fart. Must have hit his leg against the wall, Dumb dinosaur, James thought, and began to go back to sleep when the noise came again.

Knock knock knock!

James was fully awake now and realized that the sound had come from his left, in the direction of the door. He was tempted to call out, 'who is it', but thinking that it could be a predator on the other side...

Knock knock knock

Snickers snorted and heaved himself up onto his feet. He did not look happy.

"Whoever woke me had better do some serious explaining." He seemed to say. He looked accusingly at James. James just shrugged and pointed to the door. There came a slight shuffling noise, and the knocking came again.

Knock knock knock

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Snickers glared at James, hurtling the question in his direction. "The sooner you look the sooner we can get back to sleep." James was indignant.

"You lazy-" the knocks came again, more frantic this time.

knocknocknocknocknocknock

"Okay! I'm coming!" James stood up, and stumbled a bit. His feet had fallen asleep. Mumbling about dinosaurs that go bump in the night and their mothers, James shuffled over to the door fighting the pins and needles attacking his feet as feeling returned to them. Cautiously, James moved the chairs that he had stuffed behind the door to keep anything from opening the door. He placed them so that he could open the door a crack, but so that if anything tried to get in, the chairs would stop it from opening any more.

He saw the last thing he was expecting to see.

"Hello dear, I was wondering if you could let me in. I have had a terrible time trying to fight off the mosquitoes and was wondering if i could catch a few minutes of shut eye here." It was an old woman. Not so old that she needed a walker, but to James she looked ancient. Her hair was white, and the shirt with little purple flowers that she tucked into khaki pants she wore up to her waist did not help dispute the fact that this woman had lived through many decades.

She was still standing, waiting to be invited in. James finally found his voice.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Oh I watched you hole yourself up in here for the night. I myself had chosen to sleep up there," Here she pointed to a point on the ceiling where he could see a few ropes still dangling. "I hung my hammock that I took from the pool area up there. I thought it was high enough that the Tyrannosaurus Rex wouldn't get me."

James stared in awe at the height of the ropes, wondering how a woman of her stature could get up there.

"Did you bring your hammock down with you?"

"Oh yes, its right here." She patted a bundle under her arms. James was surprised he hadn't noticed it before, as the boards that held the rope together looked to be almost as long as this lady was tall.

"I guess you can come in."

"Oh thank you young man!" She smiled at him, showing teeth that were stained yellow. Probably from cigarettes, James thought.

"Hold on a few moments." He moved back into the room a ways and stacked the chairs from the door a little to allow the lady enough room to maneuver her way into the room. She slid through the gap with an ease and grace that belied her years. Once she was in, he moved the chairs back into position, securing them in for the night.

"I must thank you again for allowing me to sleep he- goodness gracious!" She started when Snickers did his signature whuffle grunt from the corner.

"She sure is loud." He seemed to say. James sent a withering glance to the dinosaur in the corner and turned back to the new arrival.

"This is Snickers." He gestured to the triceratops in the corner, who rolled over so that his back was too them. "You actually woke us up when you came knocking on the door."

"Terribly sorry about that, I promise to fall asleep quickly once I set up the hammock." She moved to find a place to string it up but James moved to stop her.

"Here, allow me." He took the hammock from her and moved deeper into the room, past his hammock and to a section where he could tie the strings to a section of lockers that were bolted to the wall. It took him a few minutes to get the thick chords to go through some of the holes, but once it was tied and he gave it a few experimental tugs, he knew it was not coming down without cutting it.

"There you are, now, if you don't mind," James yawned and stretched, then smacked his lips together "I'm off to bed." And he clambered up into his own hammock, and drifted asleep listening to the light snores of Snickers, and the light breathing of his new fellow survivor.