The hot Costa Rican sun beat down over the group as they trekked across the plains. “If it gets any hotter, I’m going to die,” Jeremy moaned. “Suck it up,” Susan replied, rolling her eyes. This heat was nothing like what she had to endure when she had been in South America last year, researching Jaguars. And on top of the heat, there had been the insects. Mesquitos that were three inches long. She shuddered. The big cats had been amazing, and she had revolutionized field work tactics on that trip, but then there had been those insects. When Jeremy had called her and and invited her to join the group here, she had been reluctant. It was a good cause, but the last thing she wanted was to endure more giant tropical mesquitos. “Hey, look over there!” Cooper called out suddently. Everybody looked where he was pointing. Buried in the tall grass was something red, something man made. Nick squinted. “It looks like a jeep,” he said.

The group rushed forward. Sure enough, it was an InGen survey jeep. Two of the wheel had been torn off, and the hood was dented as if something very heavy had sat on it. The entire vehicle was so caked with mud that it was difficult to see its original color. “Check it out!” said Jeremy, pulling a large box from the back seat. He flipped it open. Inside were cans of soup and beans, candy bars, and soda bottles. “Looks like they were prepared for a long stay,” Dr. Frost remarked. “Do you think the food is still fresh?” asked Baselton. “I’d assume so,” Susan said, “canned and bottled food can last for decades without going really bad. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a candy bar could be fresh after a century, with all those preservatives they put in them”. Cautiously, Jeremy peeled back the wrapper of a Milkey Way. “Looks okay,” he said, then took a bite. He gave a thumbs up sign, then shoved the candy bar in his mouth, chewing hungrily. The rest of the group looked at each other. None of them knew how long they were going to be stuck here, and they would have to eat. Reluctantly, everyone grabbed some food and started to eat.

Dr. Frost wandered away toward a clump of ferns with his bag of potato chips. Suddently, the ferns moved and a brown form sprung out from the undergrowth. Dr. Frost cried out, nearly losing his balance. He stood back up and looked at the animal that had startled him. It was a bipedal theropod, about five feet long, although most of it was tail. It had just captured a beetle, and was eating it quickly, paying no attention to Dr. Frost. Its arms were folded back in a bird-like position. In fact, the entire body of the creature was covered in thin layer of feathers. Glancing at the large, hooked claws on the animals’ feet, Dr. Frost knew what kind of animal this was. “Velociraptor,” he whispered.

The Velociraptor glanced up at him, staring at him with huge, buldging eyes. Nick had wandered over to see what the commontion was about. “It’s a Velociraptor,” Dr. Frost told him. Nick frowned. “No it isn’t,” he said. “What do you mean?” Dr. Frost inquired, “Of coarse it is!” Nick shook his head. “When I was here before, we had a run in with some Velociraptors. They were about six feet high, ten feet long. Pack hunters that lived for the hunt, killing when they weren’t even hungry, just for the thrill of it. That little furball is no Velociraptor.” Dr. Frost shook his head. “You must have been mistaken,” he said, “Because this is a Velociraptor!” At that moment, a dark form exploded from the trees. It let out a shrill shriek as it pounced on the smaller animal, pinning it to the ground. Nick turned to Dr. Frost. “That’s a Velociraptor,” he said.

The attacker fit Nick’s description perfectly. Ten feet long and brown in color, with thick black stripes running down its back, like a tiger. Its eyes were a vivid green, and behind them one could easily tell there was a thought process going on. This animal were very, very smart. The raptor had not yet noticed the two men. It picked up its now dead victim, and tore it in half. It hissed, then stood up too its full height, scanning the area. It sniffed the air. The raptor knew that something was watching him. “Run, as fast as you can!” Nick called out suddently. He tore off, back toward the group, Dr. Frost right behind him. The raptor snarled and sped off after them. “Run! Run!” Nick screamed. At that moment, four other raptors burst from the trees, all hissing and snarling savagely. Everybody ran, bolting across the plains as fast as they could.

One of the raptors stepped forward. It was red in color and had a crest of short quills atop its head, signaling that it was the leader of this group. The raptor let out a series of clicks, and then the predators dived forward after the fleeing humans. Straight ahead was a 20 foot high, heavily armoured fence. “Over the fence!” Baselton called, “It means that buildings are close by!” Everybody followed him, scrambling under the thick iron bars. The raptors were on the fence in the instant. They beat there heavy bodies against it, howling and shrieking at the humans. As Baselton stepped away from the fence, the lead raptor stuck its claw through, which came in contact with the man’s back. Baselton cried out as the predetor’s claws raked across his back. Susan turned to see hot blood splatter on the grass. She dove forward and pulled Baselton out of the way.

She helped him limp away from the fence as the raptors shrieked and screamed behind them. Up ahead, the rest of the group had stopped, waiting for Susan and Baselton. “How bad is it?” asked Jeremy. “Pretty bad,” said Susan, “The wound is very deep. If we don’t do something soon, he’s going to die”. Nick pointed forward. “The lab complex is right over this hill,” he said, “There is probably some medical equiptment left behind. Silently, the group climbed over the rise. Standing before them were three buildings. “Our new home,” said Cooper.