Stay Alive (Completed) [Owen Grady/ Jurassic World]

Chapter 14: Stay Alive

"You're mad," Barry muttered though his gaze was locked on the road ahead. "Mad!" He exclaimed and I caught glimpse of his pale knuckles. Heaving a sigh, I shifted to find a more comfortable behind my friend as he drove us both to Rexy's paddock.

"Desperate situation requires desperate measures," I countered grimly and winced when I rubbed my wounds by accident. The dried blood on my back felt stiff and gross. 

"Are you sure about this?" Barry's voice was barely audible in the wind. 

"We have no other options," I replied and Barry was silent. He knew I was right. The two of us drove in the dead of the night, my mind was occupied with nothing but my plan in store for Rexy.

The paddock was sleeping in dark silence. I headed towards the massive windows, which looked out to the enclosure that Rexy lived in. Astonishment glinted in Barry's eyes as the man stepped besides me, his breath moisturising the glass while he placed a hand upon the smooth surface. "Stacey," he whispered, as if the lightest movement would break the harmony singing in the atmosphere, "I cannot risk your life. It's too dangerous-"

I stopped him by placing my hand upon his. Arching an eyebrow, Barry frowned at me in confusion. His features was emphasised by the moonlight leaked from behind jungle of trees in Rexy's enclosure. "Have faith in me, Barry. I know what I am capable of. Most important of all, I am his trainer."

Barry let me go at my last few words. With determination, I walked over to the metal door that would lead me to Rexy. My heart was kicking away in my chest when I turned the door knob. I might be imagining it, but somehow, the wind had felt softer once I was out in the opening, where I belonged.

The scent of trees and creatures filled my nostrils. I closed the metal door behind me. The lock fell in place with a click. The bushes rustled, and I could imagine Rexy's enormous figure hovering behind the veils of plants.

When I peaked at the observation deck, there was nobody. I heaved a sigh in relief, grateful that Barry had left according to our plan. He would meet me at the main resort. It wasn't safe for him to be with Rexy, when I didn't know if my boy was capable of leaving Barry alone.

The ground shook. Lifting my chin, I knew Rexy was near. Blowing out a slow whistle, I didn't even flinch where the T-Rex fully emerged from behind the towering trees. They fell back and swayed aside, as if a path had to be made for the king of all kinds. 

Those yellow slits focused on me, and I watched them dilated before concentrating again. Its head tilted as it considered my presence. As an instinct, I held up my hands and reached towards him. "Hi, boy," I greeted, my voice was strong with grave confidence. The dinosaur purred and stepped forwards. As per usual, one might have a heart attack if they were watching this, but for me, I knew Rexy would mean no harm to me. Its head lowered towards me until its chin was touching my palm. Lightly, as if he didn't want to crush me, Rexy locked gaze with me while his head was in my palm. His whole kingly body bent as he tried to examine me. 

"How are you?" I asked softly, even though I knew time was running out. If anything was to happen tonight, I didn't want to regret not spending my time with my baby boy properly. "I'm going to ask for something, Rexy. Even though I don't like the thought of it, I have no other choice. People are dying," I stopped myself before my voice cracked. Strangely, I felt like Rexy had the intelligence of a being. Its eyes settled on me as I tried to conceal the despairs in my eyes.

I scratched his chin roughly, like how he used to love when he was only a baby T-Rex. Then, tentatively, I did something that no trainer should have ever done:

I turned my back towards the T-Rex.

I could feel its breath tickling my back as I walked towards the back of the enclosure. There, the massive pair of gate stood with its feet dug deep in the soil. It wasn't hard to find the system pad. I placed a palm upon the screen to identity myself. Then, I selected the option of releasing the T-Rex.