Jump | Zach Mitchell

thirty-one

THERE'S a change of plans. Claire explains the reasoning on the way there, with Owen interjecting every now and then to throw in a bout of sarcasm and cuss words. 

Owen works in the Raptor Paddock, where Jurassic World houses the Velociraptors. He is studying their behavioral patterns due to a hypothesis that they can be trained like bloodhounds.

Owen is considered the 'Alpha' of the pack. He works closely with the Raptors, to the point that they listen to and trust him.

There's this guy, Hoskins, that wants to take advantage of the Raptors and possibly enlist them in military use. He's trying to stir encouragement for his dream by using the Raptors now to track down the Indominous Rex.

That's why we're not going back to the control room. Owen needs to be with his Raptors and stop Hoskins from doing 'something really fucking stupid.'

By the time we reach the Raptor Paddock, the sun has set. The area's large metal walls are illuminated by floodlights that remind me of a football stadium.

My head fell onto Zach's shoulder some time during Owen's rant about dumbasses. I drift in and out of consciousness, wanting so bad to sleep but not able to get relaxed. My side throbs too much.

Needing comfort, my arms loop around one of Zach's, hugging it against my chest. He looks down at me and then smiles. His hand grips my thigh and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"You okay?" He whispers against my hair when Owen parks.

"Yeah," I say softly. "I just have a headache."

I'm not lying; my head does hurt. I'm just... not telling the full truth.

He kisses my forehead. "I'm sorry."

Owen doesn't even bother to shut off the engine. "Stay here," he orders. His tone doesn't leave room for us to argue. He throws open the door and storms out. Claire follows after her, but she shuts her door.

A stout man with short grey hair approaches the Jeep. He says something to Owen, who rears back and punches his square in the face. The three of us gasp.

Well, that went well.

---

CLAIRE comes to get us after ten minutes.

"Well?" Zach asks impatiently.

"The plan is on. The Raptors are going to be used to find the Indominous."

Gray hangs his head. Zach rubs over his mouth. I take a deep breath – both out of the desperate need for air and out of exasperation at the situation. Those Velociraptors are too tiny to go up against the Indominous Rex. This Hoskins dick needs to butt the fuck out of Owen's pack.

It feels like I can't get enough air. I move away from Zach to lean back against the headrest, struggling to breathe evenly.

Claire misinterprets my desperation. "Oh, sweetheart, it's okay. Owen's going to follow them. He's trained them well; he knows what he's doing."

"I know," I choke out.

"Then why are you breathing like that?" Zach laughs. "You sound like you want to murder someone."

"It's a little stuffy in here," I claim. "Can we... can we walk around?"

"Sure! They're going to need this Jeep anyway." She moves aside so we can step out. As much as I prefer lying still, maybe movement will help me be able to breathe better.

I can see people moving in the distance, but then they start to blur. This time it's not from tears.

I'm not getting enough oxygen to my brain.

I try to take a deeper breath, but it hurts, like something heavy is pressing down on my side to keep it from rising.

"Let's... go over there." I stagger towards the bright lights. I can see a fence. Maybe I can lean against it.

"Good idea! I need to go get us another vehicle. Stay with Owen," Claire says before disappearing.

We approach the Raptor Cage to see four tiny yet powerful dinosaurs held in place by massive pieces of metal. They're all outfitted in special tracking equipment.

"Owen!" Gray calls when we get close enough. "Are they safe?" He nods his head towards the Raptors.

I sag against the metal railings, thankful to finally have something to support me. It feels better this way, when I'm hunched over. It puts just the right amount of pressure on my injured side.

At the same time, though, it makes it a little harder to breathe. I have to go back and forth between the benefit of breathing and the benefit of having pain relief.

"No, they're not," Owen tells us honestly. His mouth is pressed into a thin line, expression pinched from stress.

Zach leans in next to me. "What are their names?" He asks curiously.

"Well..." Owen turns to the Raptors. "You got Charlie, there's Echo, that's Delta..." He turns fully now, pointing to a Raptor that he had been paying special attention to when we first approached. "...and this one's called Blue." He turns to us proudly. "She's the Beta."

Zach nudges my hip, causing me to nearly fall over. "Pretty cool, right?"

"..." I open my mouth but all I do is embarrassingly gasp for air. I quickly nod my head, agreeing with Zach's statement.

Owen raises an eyebrow. "Are you all right?"

"She's fine," Zach answers for me. "Headache."

"I want to hear her say it," Owen says. He turns back to me, looking over my condition. "It sounds like you're having trouble breathing."

I force a smile onto my face. "I'm fine," I rasp out.

"Uh huh." He doesn't buy it. His eyes go to the scrapes on my arm, just beginning to scab over. "How'd you get that?"

"Earlier... in front of the Innovation Center... when we were running... a dinosaur fell... out of the sky... hit me... threw me into some tables." I have to keep pausing to draw in breaths, otherwise my voice winks out like a candle in the wind. "Fell off and skidded on the ground."

Owen nods. "You were thrown into some tables?"

I nod. "I'm fine-"

"Lift up your shirt."

The three of us stare at him incredulously.

"What?" Zach's voice is dangerously low.

Owen doesn't wait. He reaches through the bars and pulls my shirt up, revealing my ribs.

Sure enough, the side that's giving me trouble is covered in a massive purple mark.

Gray gasps. "Jonelle-"

"That's what I thought." Owen lets the clothing drop back into place. He glances down at his watch. "Yeah, I got time." He pushes the gate open, causing Zach and Gray to hurry out of the way. "Come on. Let's get you fixed up before you pass out."