RUN ➳ ZACH MITCHELL

three

"There!" yelled Gray, signaling at the herd of dinosaurs running towards them. Startled, the two teens beside him jump apart, snapping out of their trance.

The blonde haired boy giggled saying, "I mean, if you guys weren't too into what you were doing." Rory screwed her eyes shut in embarrassment, and Zach pushed Gray's head to the side mumbling his signature "shut up".

Snickering, Gray looked back at the huge variety of Triceratops, Ankylosauruses, and Brontosauruses in utter amazement. More than 50 of them, so close that if that glass on the gyrosphere wasn't there, you could touch them.

"Oh man," Zach breathed out, before brightly smiling. Rory grinned. Even though she worked with these once-extinct creatures every day, they never ever ceased to amaze her.

The trio were soon ripped from their paradise as a mechanical voice said, "Due to technical difficulties, all our exhibits are now closed. Please disembark all rides and return to the resort."

Gray glanced at Zach and Rory, his face deflating from its previous state of bliss. He let out a sigh, and Rory grimaced at the child's unhappy state.

"No, come on," Zach said. "We can stay out for a couple more minutes." Gray looked at Rory, who was currently staring at Zach, shaking her head.

"But, they said it was closed," Gray made a half hearted gesture to the screen that was now blinking Ride Closed.

"Yeah, let's head back now, Zach," Rory firmly stated, only to have her suggestion be completely ignored.

"Aunt Claire gave us these special wrist bands, right? We're VIP, dude. Come on. It'll be fun," Zach squinted, before using the controls to propel them forward.

Zach's leg vibrated against Rory's causing the 2 of them to look down at his phone simultaneously. Zach's large hand reached to grab it, brushing against Rory's hip in the process. The blonde flushed, still not over what had happened between them less then ten minutes ago.

"Hey, Claire," Zach greeted loudly.

"Zach; thank God! Is Gray and Aurora with you?" Claire sighed in relief.

Zach smirked at Claire using Rory's full name before replying, "Yeah. But I can't really hear you. We're in the- the hamster ball."

"Gyrosphere," corrected Rory, quietly, tracing an imaginary image on the glass.

"Okay, Zach- I need you to-" Zach pulled the phone away from his ear, and shrugged as it lost service.

"Hm," he mumbled, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

Rory didn't put up much of a fight about staying out after that. If Claire really wanted them to do something, she would have called again by now. But when Zach wanted to go even further "off road," that was where she tried to draw the line. Key word: tried.

"No. No way," Rory said, reaching over to grab onto Zach's hand that was controlling the ride. Zach laughed, and easily held her off.

"What happened here?" Zach wondered.

"It's the old park," Rory explained. "Now let's turn around."

"Yeah, they told us to go back," Gray says, seconding that option.

"You know, I'm just worried you're not getting the full Jurassic World experience," Zach said. He glanced smugly towards a cross Rory, before placing a finger to his lips and saying "Shhh," taking them in through the gates.

"No, no. Bad idea, bad idea," Gray kept repeating, as the forest became denser around them.

"Great idea," soothed Zach.