Alan awakened at dawn the next morning feeling wonderfully refreshed and invigorated, in spite of his makeshift bed on the sofa. The warm bath the night before had helped to relax him, and that, accompanied with exhaustion from the interrupted sleep the previous night and the long hike to the airplane, had all contributed to a deep and restful slumber. But there was more, and a smile came to his lips as he thought about his conversation with Ellie before retiring last night. The honesty and sincerity of their conversation and the declaration of love he had given and received had rejuvenated him in ways that nothing else could have. The value of Ellie�s presence in his life superceded everything else.
Tossing back the sheet, he sat up on the edge of the sofa and yawned, running his fingers through his fine textured hair as he waited for the drowsiness to fade away. Finally, he stood up and stretched, cringing when his back popped, then picked up the clean clothes he had placed on the coffee table, and dressed.
After another tremendously satisfying stretch, he trudged slowly up the stairs. As he passed the bedroom, he went to Ellie�s cubical and quietly pulled the curtain aside just a crack, and verified that she was still sleeping soundly. Dropping the curtain back into place, allowing her to sleep a while longer, he went into the bathroom to shave and wash his face. The cold water drove away the last lingering threads of drowsiness. Thankfully, there was no need for the morning jolt in the shower stall, so when his tasks were complete, he went downstairs and put on a pot of coffee.
While he waited for the coffee to brew, he leaned back against the countertop, and his thoughts drifted to the remains of the three men that lay nearby, exposed to predators. The phone call could come at any time that the lost hikers had been found, and that a chopper would be sent to pick up the girl. He would need to be ready and have the remains at hand when they arrived. He did not want to risk additional loss of life by including others in the collection process, and that meant he would have to do it himself, for the island was not forgiving of humans who did not respect the wildlife.
He drew a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh of dread. This was not a task he looked forward to. And there was yet another task that needed to be dealt with: Getting to the coast to tag the winged creatures that remained a viable threat to civilization. He would need to telephone John Hammond to learn the status of the tranquilizer darts.
Behind him, he heard the stream of brewed coffee begin to pour into the glass bowl, and he opened the cabinet door and withdrew a coffee cup. He was just pouring his first cup when Ellie stumbled into the kitchen. He noticed that her sleepy eyes seemed to brighten a bit when she saw him.
�Good morning,� he said as he fetched a second cup from the cabinet, and poured some for her as well.
�Tory�s still asleep,� she said with a yawn as she approached him. �I can�t believe I slept so well last night, after everything that happened the night before!�
He put the pot back on the warmer, and turned to face her again, but neither picked up their cups. �I slept well, too. I guess we were all exhausted.� He spread his arms in a welcoming manner, and then wrapped them tightly around her when she moved into them. �So, we have a few minutes to ourselves?� he asked with a smile.
�Mm-hmm,� she murmured.
�Good.� He pressed his lips against hers in a good morning kiss that lingered a while, savoring the contact. Finally, he pulled back and smiled. �I�ve missed waking up to that every morning.�
�Me too,� she agreed. �And we don�t have to deny ourselves anymore,� she added. �I�m glad everything is out in the open now, so that we won�t lose any more time.�
�I�m glad too,� he agreed. He planted one more kiss on her forehead, then reached for his coffee cup.
The tasks he needed to do that day were apparently on her mind as well, for she asked, �So, are you going to collect the remains today, or wait?�
�Before you came down, I was just thinking that I need to get that over with so we can be ready when they find those lost hikers. Scavengers will have already scattered the bones, and if I wait any longer, I may not find all of them.�
�I wish you didn�t have to go back there by yourself,� she said, glumly. �I�ll worry the whole time you�re gone.�
With a gentle smile, he placed his hand on the side of her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. �I know you will, but remember, I survived alone on this island for a long time. I�ll take the gun and the prod, and I�ll keep my eyes peeled. It�ll be okay.�
�I would feel a lot better if there was some way I could keep an eye out for you. If we could find some kind of a noise maker, I could watch from the deck with the binoculars and let you know if I see anything suspicious lurking around nearby. That would give you more time to respond to danger.�
�Yeah, it would,� he agreed. �But we don�t have any kind of a whistle or a bell or anything else I can think of that would carry the distance.�
After several moments of thoughtful deliberation, Ellie opened the compartment under the preparation table and withdrew a couple of stainless steel sauce pans. Gently, she banged the bottoms together to test the sound, then exchanged glances with him. �I think I can put enough force behind this to get your attention.�
�Okay.� He placed his coffee cup on the countertop.
�You�re going now?�
�If you must know the truth, I�d rather do this before I eat anything,� he told her, meaningfully. �You have no idea what condition those bodies are in.�
Together, they went down the hallway to the foyer, where Alan had hung his backpack on the coat rack. He unzipped it and removed the binoculars from inside it.
�I have a flashlight in my top dresser drawer,� he told her. �Would you mind getting it for me? I�m sure I�d wake her up.�
�Okay.�
They went back upstairs, and Alan waited in the corridor with the two pans while Ellie quietly slipped through the curtain on Alan�s cubical, and very quietly opened the dresser drawer and pulled out the flashlight. As she turned toward the door again, she paused to gaze at the child, verifying that she was still sleeping soundly. The slow steady breathing indicated that she was still fast asleep. She left as quietly as she had entered, and then she and Alan proceeded to the rooftop deck.
They moved to the railing nearest the research center, where he placed the binoculars around her neck by its strap. �Here�s what I want you to do. While I�m gathering the remains, scan the perimeter of the grounds with these,� he said, grasping the binoculars. �If you spot anything, bang the pans to get my attention. When I look this way, use the flashlight to signal what the predator is. We�ll make up a code. I should be able to hear an adult Rex coming, but if you should spot a young one, give one flash, then pause, then confirm with another flash.�
She nodded. �One flash, a pause, and then another flash.�
�If you see raptors, give two flashes, a pause, then repeat as before.�
�Two flashes for raptors,� she repeated.
�There is no doubt that I would hear the impact tremor of the Spinosaurus, but there are other carnivores on the island, like Ceratosaurus, but I�ve only seen it once since I�ve been here, so I doubt if there are any in the area. Use three flashes for all other species. After you�ve identified the species for me, use the flashlight to tell me what direction they�re coming from. Use a standard clock format; twelve o�clock, straight up, will tell me that as I am facing you, there is one directly behind me. Three o�clock is your right, my left; and so on.�
�Got it.�
She lifted the binoculars to her eyes, testing the focus and her ability to see through the tree tops toward the research center grounds. She immediately shook her head, discouraged by the lack of visibility.
�This is no good. There are too many trees in the way. I can see splashes of color on the vehicles through the treetops, but there is no way I could see anything approaching you on this side of the research building. I can see up the slope where we saw the flashlights the other night, and a portion of the ground in front of it stretching out toward the far tree line, but the tree line behind the Center is hidden from my view by the height of the building. There is no way I could see anything approaching your position in that section. I need to get higher to see over it.�
As one, they turned toward the awning that covered the trap door, each one thinking the same thing; they had stood on top of it once before, when Alan had discovered the return of the sauropods to the area following their terrifying encounter with the Spinosaurus.
�That should add another eight or nine feet of height for you,� Alan said.
He had left the aluminum ladder securely tied to the railing after his previous use of it to prevent it blowing away in a storm, so he untied it and propped it up against the awning, placing the bottom of it against one of the tables, and he used the rope to lash it firmly to the table leg, which was bolted to the deck, to prevent it from slipping. When it was secure, he climbed up the ladder with Ellie right behind him, and they looked out across the lush landscape.
�I can�t get over how beautiful it is here,� Ellie commented as she gazed over the tree tops toward the research facility. �So beautiful, and yet so savage. Such a contradiction.� She lifted the binoculars to her eyes again, and nodded her satisfaction with the result. �Yes, I can see a narrow strip of ground behind the research building, just inside the treeline. I should be able to see anything coming out of the trees from there.�
�Okay, good. Now, the pilot is located a short distance inside the trees over there,� he said, pointing toward the slope. �You won�t be able to see me in there, so I�ll get him first. The other two are in the open right over there.� He pointed again to a position between the building and the slope.
�I don�t see them,� Ellie said.
�Bring the binoculars up just a bit,� he told her, placing his hand under her elbow and gently pushing up. �They are about twenty feet from the trees on the far side. See that dark patch of ground?�
She nodded, moving the binoculars to a patch of grass that was darker in color than the surrounding grass. Scattered inside the patch were lumps of matter, presumably torn clothing and bones, but it was not difficult to identify the cause of the dark grass. Ellie lowered the binoculars to look grimly at him. �Blood.�
�I�m afraid so.�
�It looks like a feeding frenzy,� she added. �Bones are scattered everywhere.�
�Yeah, I know,� he agreed. He saw the worried look in her eyes, and said, �Now, don�t go worrying, okay? I have you to be my eyes, and I trust you to take care of me. It�s going to be just fine. I�m going to go out in the yard and wait for you to give me the all-clear to advance.�
�Okay.�
With a reassuring smile, he backed down the ladder, and trotted down the stairs to the second floor and moved down the corridor toward the staircase, but as he passed the dormitory he paused, thinking about the child inside. It would not do for her to wake up and start calling to Ellie while she was occupied, so he slipped into the room and parted the curtain with his hand to verify that the child was still sound asleep. Satisfied that she would probably sleep a while longer, he went down to the first floor and proceeded to the kitchen, where he pulled three large garbage bags from the box under the sinks. He shook his head slowly, thinking it a terribly impersonal way to transport the remains, but he had nothing else in which to contain them.
With the bags in hand, he stopped in the office and located a black marker, and wrote the name Tate on one of the bags, for he was the only man he could positively identify. Next, he withdrew a pair of latex gloves from the box he kept on one of the shelves, and then unlocked the desk drawer to get the pistol. He tucked it into the front pocket of his jeans as he made his way back to the front door.
Once outside, he stepped away from the building and looked up at the deck where he could see Ellie scanning the research area with the binoculars. After a thorough inspection, she lifted her hand to give the okay sign. He waved to acknowledge the gesture, and moved into the trees once again, feeling a great deal more confident with Ellie scanning the tree line for him.
As he entered the grove of trees, he rested his hand on the handle of the pistol that protruded from his pocket, ready to draw it if needed. He knew the research area was clear, for he had heard no warning sign from Ellie, but he paused to observe the scene that stretched out before him anyway. With the scent from the bodies in the air, he would exercise extra caution as he approached them.
Finally, he left the protection of the trees and walked up the slope toward the pilot�s remains. Halfway up, he turned toward Ellie, and saw that she was dutifully scanning the area all around him with the binoculars. She spotted him instantly, and waved to acknowledge his presence.
God love her, he thought to himself as he waved back. Turning again, he continued up the slope and into the trees, keeping a wary eye on the foliage on both sides of him.
When he reached the scene of the first attack, Alan paused to observe it for several moments. The compies had effectively stripped the bones of every bit of flesh and sinew, and scattered them over a greater area than previously. Many of the bones had been broken to get to the marrow, and the skull had been crushed.
Grimly, he withdrew the pair of latex gloves from his pocket and put them on, then he opened the plastic bag labeled �Tate�. Maintaining his watchfulness, he approached the remains and squatted down to pick up one of the femurs, turning it in his hands to examine it. Small teeth marks were plainly visible on the long thigh bone where the compies had gnawed away the flesh. It was placed inside the plastic bag, and he reached for the other femur, which was still connected by cartilage to the tibia, and bore similar markings as the first. Holding the bag open farther to receive the larger pieces, he slipped them inside.
Picking up ancient fossilized bones, or even bones that had been weathered for several years, was a very different task than gathering fresh bones that had been a living, breathing human being only 36 hours ago, and Alan felt his stomach tighten in revulsion as he picked up the shattered skull, minus the mandible. He was not surprised to find that the skull was empty, its eyeless sockets staring back at him as if in horror. His stomach rolled alarmingly, threatening to rebel against the visual stimulation, and he knew he was about to gag.
Quickly, he placed the skull inside the bag with the other bones he had collected, and stood up to move away for several moments, turning his back on the grisly scene. Leaning his hand against a nearby tree, he inhaled deep, shaky breaths until the tightness in his stomach began to subside. When he was under control again, he turned around to face the remains again.
Okay, Grant, you can do this, he told himself, encouragingly.
Returning to the remains, he squatted down again and began picking up the remaining bones. The mandible was first, and his natural curiosity could not resist pausing to examine the teeth. They were in fair condition, and contained several silver fillings and one tooth had a gold crown.
Some of the smaller bones, such as those of the fingers and toes and pieces of the shattered skull, were missing, and he knew they had been ingested by the carnivores and were therefore beyond recovery. The boots were nearby, and he felt his resolve weaken a bit at the thought of picking them up, knowing that the feet might still be inside, but he was a man of principle, and he knew he must complete the task fully. Taking a deep, soul cleansing breath, he picked up one of the boots, and his scientist�s mind could not resist looking inside. What he saw almost made him gag again. The compies had gnawed as far inside the boot as they could reach, but the foot was firmly wedged inside, and they had been unable to remove all the flesh from deep inside it. He could see teeth marks on the boots, indicating that the diminutive dinosaurs had attempted to breach the footwear, but the tough tanned leather had not yielded. He placed the boot inside the bag with the bones, and resisted the urge to look inside the other boot as it joined its mate. A few scraps of bloodied clothing were scattered about the area, so he gathered them as well and placed them inside the bag with the rest of the remains, therefore cleaning the area as thoroughly as he could of any traces of the human intruders.
One down and two to go.
He glanced at his watch. He was taking too long. Ellie would soon start to worry. Quickly, his eyes scanned the bloodstained grass, searching for additional bones, but was relieved to see that he had collected all that were available, so he tied the bag closed with a nylon zip-tie, and walked swiftly back to the research yard.
As expected, Ellie was watching for him, and he noticed a distinct slump of relief in her posture when she saw him. Now that he was safely back in the open, she shifted her attention to the tree line that surrounded the yard.
Alan walked down the slope again, and proceeded to the area where the two other smugglers had met their fate. He drew a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh as he gazed at the scattered bones and the bloodstained grass.
The bodies had fallen about ten feet apart, with enough distance between them that even with the bones scattered as they were, he knew he should be able to keep them separated. Apparently, one man had been taken down first and the other had continued to run until he, too, had been brought down by the raptors.
Opening one of the bags, he went to work on the nearest body. Like that of the pilot, the skulls of both men had been crushed, but this time, he worked more quickly. The skulls and mandibles were placed inside each respective bag without pausing to examine them. The arm and leg bones were collected, as were the ribs and spines, all of them inserted in the bags without delay.
Standing up at last, he scanned the ground for any remaining items, then withdrew the nylon ties from his pocket.
As he was closing the last bag with the nylon tie, he heard the alarming clatter of Ellie�s pans banging together. Looking toward the dormitory roof, he saw the flashlight giving the signal: two flashes, a pause, and then two more flashes. Raptors! Using the flashlight, she gave him the two o�clock location signal.
Looking over his left shoulder, he saw a young raptor standing just out of the tree line behind the research building. It had heard the clatter made my Ellie�s pots, and was gazing toward her, apparently unable to determine the source of the unfamiliar noise. Finally, it turned toward the man and watched him curiously.
Remembering the peculiar behavior of the raptors the night of the attack on the smugglers, Alan kept a wary eye trained on the young dinosaur as he slowly picked up the three bags, which were made rather heavy by the bones of three adult males, hoping it would leave him alone. It observed him for several moments, until he started moving toward the dormitory again, and then it crouched slightly and began to follow, its attitude a definite posture of aggression, but for the moment, it gave no sign of attack.
Carrying one bag in his left hand and two in his right, Alan kept his attention riveted on the raptor. He did not want to shoot unless absolutely necessary, but he was prepared to defend himself. It continued to stalk him at a pace that matched his own.
The urgent banging of the pots caught his attention again, and he looked up at Ellie. Disregarding the identifying signal, she pointed the flashlight straight up, indicating that one was directly behind him. He felt his pulse step up a notch as he looked over his shoulder again and saw two more raptors approaching from behind. He instantly knew that this was the trio of raptors that he had often referred to as �the renegades�, the three juvenile troublemakers that had broken from the main pack. As he watched, one of the two behind him broke into an attack run. The other two followed its lead.
�Shit!� Alan breathed.
Dropping the bags, he pulled the pistol from his pocket, removed the safety, and pointed at the nearest raptor. Fighting down the panic that was rising inside him, he sighted carefully on the nearest raptor and squeezed the trigger.
The raptor shrieked in pain and surprise as the bullet struck it mid-body, and it crashed to the ground, skidding several yards on the dewy grass. It kicked its hind leg in apparent agony, while its two companions reacted to its strange behavior by stopping to investigate. Sniffing the fallen raptor, they smelled the blood that was flowing from the wound in its torso.
Grasping the bags again, Alan began to run as fast as he could, but was slowed by the weight of the bags that he was dragging behind him. As he entered the grove of trees, he glanced over his shoulder. The other two raptors were looking after him with uncertainty, apparently understanding that he had somehow caused the demise of their pack-mate.
From the top of the deck awning, Ellie had watched in horror as Alan was forced to shoot the raptor, and with her binoculars had observed the demeanor of the remaining two as they stopped at the side of their pack-mate. She knew that Tory had most likely been awakened by the banging of the pans and the report of the gun, but her primary concern at that moment was getting Alan safely back inside the building.
As she watched Alan running toward the grove of trees, Ellie found herself mentally encouraging him to drop the bags, reasoning that he could run faster without them and they could be collected later, but Alan apparently had no intention of surrendering the bags of remains.
Drop the bags, Alan! screamed the voice in her head. Drop the damn bags!
Alan was desperately curious to see how they would react to the dying raptor, but he did not wait around to find out. His safety was priority, so he went into the trees, still dragging the bags. They bounced off tree trunks and snagged in the shrubs, all the while slowing down his flight, but after experiencing the personal horror of picking up the remains, he refused to leave them behind, knowing that scavengers would rip open the bags. He did not want to have to pick them up again.
As he disappeared from her view in the trees, Ellie ran to the aluminum ladder and hurried down it so fast that she lost her footing and crashed to the deck. Oblivious to the pain of her fall, she ran down the stairs to the second floor, where she could hear Tory calling to her in panic from her bed.
�It�s okay, Tory!� she shouted as she ran past the room. �Stay there!�
�What�s happening?� the child asked, fearfully.
�Just stay there! I�ll come back up for you in a few minutes.�
�Ellie!�
Ellie ignored the frantic pleas from the child and pounded down the stairs. She was at the front door in a matter of moments, and fumbled the key out of her pocket with trembling hands and taking care not to drop it, she inserted it in the lock. She pushed it open and stepped onto the concrete stoop just as Alan emerged from the grove of trees, still dragging the plastic bags behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder, and was relieved to see that the raptors were not following, but he did not slow his pace. Ellie was standing at the door waiting for him, and he could hear her shouting to him:
�Drop the bags!� she screamed. �Just drop them!�
To her dismay, he did not drop them, but instead continued to struggle with their weight as he ran toward her. She could see that he was growing exhausted from the effort, but he ignored her suggestion.
She pushed the door open wider for him when he reached it, and he tossed the three bags inside first, then pushed her inside. Lastly, he entered the foyer and pulled the bars closed behind him, then stood leaning against it, gasping for breath.
�Alan,� Ellie�s voice was strangely calm and quiet in the aftermath of such a terrifying event. �Why the hell didn�t you drop the bags?�
Alan began to laugh, a surprising reaction in Ellie�s opinion. �I thought about it, but you have no idea what I went through to pick up those bones, and I had no intention of leaving them behind. Irrational, perhaps,� he admitted. �But I wasn�t going to give them up, no matter what.�
�That�s crazy!� she retorted. �What the hell were you thinking? Those bones aren�t worth your life!�
�I know. I told you, it was an irrational response, but I just couldn�t help myself.� He drew her into his arms for a comforting embrace, and she could feel his heart pounding against her breast, and his chest heaved as he struggled to recapture his breath.
After a few moments, he remembered his curiosity about the three raptors, so he pushed her away and lifted the binocular strap over her head. Leaving the bags on the floor in the foyer, he trotted up the stairs.
Ellie�s eyes lingered briefly on the lumpy bags, now badly beaten and snagged in places, knowing what was inside them, then she hurried up the stairs after Alan.
�Where are you going?� she asked as she caught up to him on the stairs.
He glanced over his shoulder at her. �I want to see how they react to their fallen companion.�
At the top of the stairs, they saw Tory standing in the doorway of the dormitory room, still dressed in Ellie�s tee shirt, and clutching her doll in her arms. �What�s happening?�
�Oh, it�s okay, honey. Everything is all right,� Ellie told her, soothingly.
�I heard noises.�
�I know. I banged a couple of pans together, that�s all. Nothing to worry about. Do you want to go back to bed?�
�No.�
�Alan and I are going up of the roof for a few minutes, but I want you to stay down here, okay?� She glanced at Alan, who was starting up the stairs to the roof. She desperately wanted to join him. Placing her hands on Tory�s shoulders, she suggested, �Tell you what. Why don�t you go on to the bathroom and wash your face and get dressed, then I�ll come and get you and we can make some breakfast, okay?�
The child nodded. �Okay.� She knew that something was going on, but also knew that the adults weren�t going to tell her what it was, so she padded down the corridor in her bare feet and went into the bathroom.
In agitation, Ellie blew at a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead, then started up the steps after Alan.
He was not on the deck, so she knew he was on top of the awning, so she climbed up after him. He stood with the binoculars pressed to his eyes, observing the two raptors who lingered beside their fallen comrade. Curiously, they nudged it with their muzzles, as if urging it to get up. The fallen animal made one final attempt to get up, then fell back and lay still.
Finally, the two raptors turned and walked away, leaving the body of their companion behind.
�Fascinating,� Alan muttered. �I rather thought they might eat him. Apparently, raptors aren�t cannibalistic to their own species.�
�Are they the three juveniles we saw when I first got here?� she asked.
�Mm-hmm. And now there are two of them. I probably should have just killed them all, and ridded the island of their menace,� he added, thoughtfully. He lowered the binoculars. �The scavengers will have another feast.� He turned to face her. �Did I hear Tory calling you before?�
�Yes. I sent her into the bathroom to wash her face and get dressed. I�m afraid we scared her with all the commotion.�
Alan nodded. �Yeah. I was hoping we could do this without incident, but obviously on this island anything can and does happen. Ellie,� he added as she turned toward the ladder. She stopped and turned to face him again. �Thanks for warning me. You saved my life again.�
She reached up and gently caressed his cheek with her fingertips, managing a weak smile, then she turned and climbed back down the ladder. Her hip was beginning to throb where she had fallen, but she knew it was only a minor contusion that would heal quickly.
Alan turned back toward the research grounds and lifted the binoculars again. The two surviving raptors walked back toward the bloodied grass where the two victims had lain before, and paused to sniff at the blood on the ground, before entering the trees again in the same vicinity in which they had emerged.
Alan lowered the binoculars and returned to the ladder and started back down. There was nothing else to see. The compies would eventually arrive to clean up the dead raptor, but it was a scene he had witnessed before, and felt no need to see it again.
Go to Chapter 29