《Jurassic Park: Post-Extinction》 Guanacaste Mar¨ªa walked down the hallway, the floorboards creaking under her shoes. She peeked into one of the children¡¯s rooms¡ªshe liked to check in on all of them before she left. She checked her watch. It was almost 11:00. I have to get home, she thought as she neared Alejandra¡¯s room. Mar¨ªa liked Alejandra¡ªshe was her favourite child here at Hogar Infantil Guanacaste. She gently pushed open Alejandra¡¯s door and heard a snuffling and grunting sound. She must be snoring, Mar¨ªa thought, though she had never heard Alejandra snore before. BANG! Mar¨ªa jumped, then exhaled in relief¡ªit was just the wind slamming the shutters against the window. Then, she heard the snuffling again. Her brow furrowed as she opened the door wider. The bed sheets lay on the floor, torn open and stained with a dark, foamy substance. A sense of unease crept over her as she scanned the dimly lit room. In the moonlight, she saw it¡ªan animal. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A peculiar-looking thing, she thought. It was long and slender, hairless with grey skin that gleamed faintly in the dark. Faint blue spots ran along its spine, and rows of sharp grey quills bristled down its back and legs. Its narrow, pointed snout hovered over something as it chewed, green eyes glowing eerily. It had something in its jaws. Mar¨ªa squinted. At first, it looked like a snake or a tube. Then, she followed the creature¡¯s gaze down to the floor. And she saw her. Alejandra lay motionless, her hand bloodied, a dark pool spreading around her. The animal stood near her leg, stepping on the ¡°tube¡± as it pulled and chewed. Realization hit Mar¨ªa like ice in her veins. It wasn¡¯t a tube. It was Alejandra. The animal had torn her open. It was eating her. Her eyes darted to Alejandra¡¯s hand. The skin was torn, deep punctures marring the flesh. The wound was strange¡ªtoo clean, too precise. No signs of a struggle. No defensive wounds. The bed was undisturbed, the sheets simply pushed aside. Alejandra¡¯s leg twitched. The creature noticed. With a nimble leap, it landed on her chest, claws digging into her flesh. Its snout darted down, jaws clamping around her throat. There was no thrashing, no gurgled cry¡ªjust a sudden, final stillness. The animal lifted its head. Its jaws dripped with blood and foamy saliva. Mar¨ªa screamed. Approach The small, grey private helicopter burst through the clouds. Its tail read ¡°RYJ84.¡± ¡°Jesus, that¡¯s loud!¡± Mike Wilson shouted as the helicopter descended toward the Juan Santamar¨ªa helipad. He had never seen a helicopter up close. Its far too windy to be doing this, he thought as it landed. ¡°S¨ª, se?or, helicopters are loud,¡± one of the workers said, leading Mike toward the aircraft. He pressed his head down and kept his own head low as well. As the worker shut the helicopter door, Mike looked out toward where he thought the ocean was. He was going to Isla Nublar¡ªthe island of clouds. It had been four years since the events on that island, but he was still nervous. The island is empty. You''ll be fine. Just write the story and leave! His boss had told him. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He was a reporter for The New York Times, covering a story on Isla Nublar. Mike was a tall, brown-haired man with a small beard. His glasses sat crooked on his face¡ªhe hadn¡¯t fixed them since boarding the helicopter. Now, as they flew west over the open ocean, he took off his New York Yankees cap and stared out the window, watching the ships far below. He wasn¡¯t sure all the dinosaurs had been eradicated in the bombing of the island. What if some had found shelter underground or something? But he had to do this story. If he did, he¡¯d be famous. No one had set foot on the island since 1993, and he was going to be the first. ¡°Excuse me, pilot, how much longer until we get to the island?¡± he asked over the headset on the seat next to him. ¡°About 30 more minutes, se?or,¡± the pilot said. The helicopter jolted slightly. Mike gripped the armrest, telling himself it was just the wind. Then, the cabin shuddered again, more forcefully this time. He glanced at the pilot, who seemed unfazed. Just turbulence, Mike reassured himself. Then, the whole cabin shook violently. ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± Mike shouted. ¡°Just a bit of turbulence, friend!¡± the pilot replied. ¡°Only 15 more minutes until we¡¯re there!¡± Mike exhaled and turned back toward the window, but his grip on the armrest remained tight. Arrival As Mike continued to stare out the window, an immense wall of fog came up before him. ¡°Uh, pilot, what in the world is that?¡± Mike said as he stared, mouth agape, at the fog wall. ¡°Welcome to Isla Nublar, my friend!¡± the pilot exclaimed. The helicopter entered the fog suddenly. Mike heard beeping and alarms coming from the cockpit, and the helicopter began to shake. ¡°Pilot, is everything okay up there? What the hell is happening?!¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°No need to worry, sir. The fog is just messing with the equipment!¡± the pilot said over the cacophony of beeps and alarms. Mike grabbed the arms of his seat and tightened his seatbelt. He turned to look out the window, and he was awestruck. In front of him was an island, dense, green foliage poking up everywhere and burnt forest in small patches. He thought he saw the head of a massive dinosaur, but when he blinked again, he only saw trees. The pilot came over the headset, ¡°I am looking for a place to land, amigos. Hold on tight!¡± As Mike watched out of the window, the helicopter circled, looking for a place to set down. He saw rubble of former buildings and other objects like fences and metal pipes. ¡°I have found a patch of concrete. I¡¯m landing it now,¡± the pilot said as the helicopter banked sharply to line up with the makeshift landing pad. As they were coming closer to the ground, Mike saw small animals, green with brown stripes, scamper away from the pad. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± he said, knowing full well that he had just seen a dinosaur. I guess they haven''t all gone extinct, Mike thought, as the rails scraped against the pad and the rotors slowly turned off. First Impressions The door to the helicopter slid open as Mike stepped out onto the concrete. He grabbed his camera, notepad, and pen and began to snap pictures. ¡°Damn!¡± he thought out loud, ¡°I forgot to take pictures while we were flying!¡± The pilot stepped out behind him. ¡°Do not worry, se?or, you will get your pictures on the way back,¡± he said as he looked around. ¡°I guess I will have to,¡± Mike muttered. Suddenly, something moved in the brush! Mike zoomed in with his camera to see what it was. At first, he couldn¡¯t see anything, but then he saw the animal¡¯s tail move. It was a small thing, about the size of a chicken, looking like the ones he saw on the pad before they landed. He quickly took a picture before the animal hopped away. The pilot took out a small revolver and started to load it. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Woah! What¡¯s that for?¡± Mike said, surprised. ¡°It is for the animals if they try to attack,¡± the pilot said as he continued loading the rounds into the gun. Mike and the pilot trekked through the undergrowth, looking at an old map of the island. ¡°Not much further until we reach what¡¯s left of the visitors¡¯ center,¡± Mike said. ¡°Ah, good sir, I am getting tired,¡± the pilot panted as they walked. Mike looked over at the pilot. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me sir, just call me Mike. And what should I call you?¡± The pilot said, ¡°I am called Jos¨¦.¡± ¡°Alright, Jos¨¦, let¡¯s keep on moving.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before they saw the crumpled building. Its roof was caved in, and the glass windows and doors were broken. Mike stepped over the glass and onto the building. They saw a small desk with computers on it, light falling down onto them from the caved-in roof. ¡°Let¡¯s have a rest here, Jos¨¦, and then we¡¯ll look around some more,¡± Mike said as he took pictures of the abandoned building. Jos¨¦ opened his backpack and took out two canteens filled with water and two granola bars. ¡°Here, Mike, I have water and granola bars for us,¡± he said as he sat down in one of the dusty office chairs. Mike walked over and took a canteen and granola bar. ¡°Thanks, Jos¨¦,¡± he said as he unscrewed the cap of his canteen.