Jurassic Park III (Norminah)

Chp. 7: An Unexpected Find

Climbing higher in a tree, Normani found herself just a few feet above a growing pack of raptors. She scaled one branch, then the next, before finally reaching a perch that the dinosaurs couldn't jump to. The entire pack was now standing still, just watching her. In the center, the alpha male let out a sort of bark-like sound. Responding to the cry, the other raptors called back. As terrified as she was, Normani couldn't help but be fascinated by their communication. Like a hellish bird song, there was a rhythm to their conversation – a structure. They were clearly talking about something specific. The ebony was able to mimic their patterns under her breath.

"What does that mean?" she asked quietly. "What are you saying?"

She was so ready to ditch Billy's heavy camera bag. It was keeping her from moving as quickly possible. But she knew if she did away with it, she wouldn't hear the end of it from Billy. So, against her better judgement, she kept it close to her. After looking back down onto the ground, she found that the raptors were nowhere in sight. After waiting a few moments, she slowly made her descend to a small hiding spot by one of the tree's roots. She hid behind it to collect herself. Thinking she was ready to move forward, she peered up, only for one of the raptors to roar in her face. She shrieked before leaping back, surrounded by most of the pack.

This was the first time that the ebony had no idea what to do. There was no way she could outsmart the most intelligent species to ever exist. Preparing herself to make a run for it, a small canister landed near her feet, immediately spraying out a thick cloud of oily fog. It was the first of five that landed in the same area, creating a thick cloud. It wasn't just smoke that erupted from the small canisters. It was something far more caustic. It caused the raptors to shriek in agony as Normani went into a coughing fit, doing her best to cover her nose and mouth.

Pack mentality took over, and after the first ten raptors took off running, so did the rest, some tripping over their feet blindly. After observing the predators' behavior, Normani concluded that the smoke coming out of the canisters might have been dino-tear gas. Whatever it was, wasn't good for humans either. Normani's eyes immediately began to burn from the vapor as she squinted to see through the fog. She soon spotted a human figure at the edge of the smoke.

"Come on!" they said. "They won't be gone long!"

A small, dirty hand grabbed her arm, pulling her along before she was running at full speed. Her eyes still swollen from the gas, Normani stumbled, barely able to see as the other person pulled her along. It was only now that she could identify her rescuer – Micah. A lot about him had changed in the last eight weeks. Aside from being the filthiest child Normani had ever seen, the boy's hair had grown by increasing amounts. Above physical appearance, there was something primal that came out in him – something wild. He was far different than the young boy she saw playing frisbee with his uncle.

They continued running until they came upon a part of the InGen compound. On the far side of it was a tipped over truck. Micah pulled its hatch open. It proved to be his hiding place. The door opened partly before the boy motioned for Normani to follow. The ebony squeezed in the bunker sideways, finding the space to be a very tight fit. It was lit by a small battery-powered lantern. Normani had determined that this was where he had been hiding all this time. The minute she sat down, Micah kept a lookout at the door to make sure they lost the dinosaurs. This thirteen-year-old boy became astonishingly efficient at staying alive.

"Thanks..." Normani said, still recovering from her coughing fit, "...thanks a lot, Micah."

Micah turned back to her in shock.

"You know who I am?" he asked.

Normani smiled at the innocence that still graced his voice.

"I do," she said. "Your parents brought me all the way out here to look for you."