Muldoon was tense. He pulled the Jeep over onto a cliff overlooking the river. “I was afraid this would happen.”
Ellie slammed her radio against the dashboard. “I can’t get through to Grant. Something’s wrong. I’m gonna try Hammond.” The radio crackled to life immediately.
“My dear Dr. Sattler!” Hammond crackled over the radio. “How are my Gallimimus doing?”
“Put the island into lockdown. Wild raptors, alpha predators, are running free in the park.”
A moment of silence. “Surely not…”
“We don’t have time to discuss this right now. Find Alan and warn him. Anyone out in the park is in danger.”
“Where could the raptors have come from?” Hammond asked in utter confusion.
Malcolm interjected “I’m afraid I’ve been warning of this exact outcome since the start. We’re approaching the cliff edge of the fractal dragon curve now.”
“How do you mean?” Ellie challenged him. “How could your models have predicted this?”
“It’s quite simple. Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse. All it takes -”
Malcolm was interrupted by a bloodcurdling roar coming from behind them.
Ellie turned to Muldoon “When we passed through those gates, where did we end up?”
“The Baryonyx Paddock.” he replied.
A Baryonyx emerged from the trees, and let out another roar at the Jeep. It blocked the slope back up to the road, trapping the vehicle against the cliffs.
“Oh boy. This looks like a territorial display.” Ellie said under her breath. The Baryonyx was enraged the intruder didn’t back off. It charged, ramming the Jeep towards the edge of the cliff. Muldoon slammed on the brakes, but it was no use.
The Jeep begun sliding off the edge. Muldoon braced for impact, holding his gun case close to his chest. Malcolm gulped. “Boy I do hate being right all of the time.”
“IAN!” Ellie screamed as the Jeep tumbled off the cliff and into the rushing waters below. The Baryonyx let our a primal roar in triumph as it watched the vehicle and its occupants get swept away downstream.
