Smoke (currently under editing)

6 · After Hours

"Dinosaur eats man; woman inherits the earth." - Dr. Ellie Sattler, Jurassic Park (1993)

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I walked the boys to the Park's hotel, watching as the evening lights flickered on. Gray trudged along next to me, barely keeping his eyes open. I guess the day had really worn him out. It was already getting dark, and since Dearing hadn't contacted any of us, I convinced the boys to explore the Park some more before heading back to the hotel. While Gray was disappointed by the news about his Aunt, I had a feeling the Zach was used to it.

"Come on," I said, looking down at Gray. "The hotel's right there, bud. You can do it."

"I don't wanna." Gray mumbled, stopping and looking up at me with sleepy eyes.

"Fine," I sighed, "Up you go, kid."

I swung Gray over my shoulder in a swift movement, and despite being exhausted, I swear I heard the boy laugh quietly. I glanced over at Zach, who chuckled slightly, a small smile creeping onto his face. As we reached the hotel's doors, he quickly opened one, holding it open for me. We made our way through the lobby and shuffled into the elevator, where I shifted Gray's position from my shoulder to my arms.

"Do you want me to carry him?" Zach asked, motioning to his already sleeping brother.

"Nah, it's fine." I replied, shrugging.

We stood in silence until we reached the boys' floor, where the elevator doors dinged open. Zach and I hurried out of the elevator, making space for a large family waiting outside. I smiled politely as I passed, following Zach to the boys' hotel room. As he opened the door, I walked inside, setting Gray down on one of the beds. I smiled to myself, ruffling the boy's hair, and covering him in the bed's heavy blankets. Zach set Gray's shoes at the end of the bed, smiling at his sleeping brother.

"Thanks for the help." He said, smiling slightly. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem." I replied, smiling back as I brushed back a few loose strands of hair. "You know, I really should get going. I usually feed Mist around 8:30, and I have a feeling that she's gonna be pissed that I'm late."

"Speaking of Mist," Zach said, following me to the door. "Didn't you say you were going to let us meet her?"

"Tomorrow." I replied, trailing off as I glanced over to his sleeping brother. "Promise."

Zach nodded, almost seeming disappointed as I shoved my hands into my back pockets. "In case you need anything." I said, pulling out a small piece of paper and handing it to the boy. As Zach examined it, I started to walk back to the elevator, a smile on my face as I waved. "See you tomorrow!"

Zach waved back, standing at the doorway for a few seconds before walking back into his room. I slipped into the elevator, still smiling like an idiot as I pressed the 'lobby' button. I froze, the smile fading off my face as I stared at myself in the shiny metal doors of the elevator.

"It's official," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "I think I've finally lost it."

I stepped out into the lobby, hurrying to get outside. I sighed, shaking myself out of my thoughts, and began walking back to the raptor paddock.

❂ ❂ ❂

I walked into the raptor paddock, cursing under my breath with every step I took. My feet hurt like hell; like the ground was knives and nails, not cement.

"Hey, Iz." Owen called out, his voice cheerful and cocky. "How was your day? See any cute boys?"

"Go to hell, Owen." I hissed, ignoring his laughter as I grabbed Mist's food bucket and slipped into her paddock. I was used to his comments, and found it easier to just ignore them or shout one back.

Mist tried to stick her muzzle through the gate as she saw me, attempting to catch my attention, but I shook my head. "Not tonight, Misty." I muttered, throwing the bucket's contents into the raptor's cage. As much as I wanted to spend some time with the raptor, I was way too tired to even clean the cage. I refilled her water bucket and trudged up the nearby stairs.

While the other raptors' paddock had the Overlook Bridge, I had traded it out for a room above Mist. It wasn't much, and the size reminded me of a treehouse, but it was good enough for the days I was too tired to trudge back to my actual living quarters. I yawned, pushing open the door and immediately collapsing onto the bed. Kicking off my boots, I rolled onto my side, falling into a restless sleep.