"Mr. Grant, please answer my questions!"

"I already told you no, now disappear"

"Mr. Grant, I'm asking you please"

"And I already told you I don't know anything! Now leave me alone!"

For almost half an hour the chief of the forest rangers had been pestering Alan for an explanation of what had happened last night. However, Alan could not give any. Also because even he was shocked by what he had seen. He had already told him that he didn't know anything, but the man wasn't willing to give up. "Bullshit! Clearly you're hiding something. Birds that attack a caravan? Velociraptors that stops cars? What were you doing around here, huh?"

"We were just studying the birds"

"I've had enough of you scientists. You come up with a worse thing every time. Tell me right now what's going on, otherwise..."

"Or what? Will you arrest me? We both know you can't. You have no evidence against me"

"We'll inspect your caravan then!"

"Go ahead. When you want, come with a warrant. You won't find anything"

Alan went into his trailer and closed the door behind him. He just heard the head of forest ranger yell: "It doesn't end here, Grant" but he completely ignored it. He didn't care. He headed for the fridge and his eyes immediately fell on a bottle of whisky.

Alan didn't handle alcohol well, he'd learned that the hard way. However, Billy had bought that bottle anyway. He said it was for 'big occasions'. After three years, the two men had barely emptied a quarter of the bottle.

Normally Alan would never have opened it just for himself, but now he urgently needed it. He poured himself a full glass and downed it in one gulp. Then he collapsed into a chair, one of the few intact things left in his trailer.

He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. Hours had passed by now, but still every time he opened his eyes he saw birds and dinosaurs intent on tearing apart his self-propelled laboratory. And to slaughter Billy.

Trying to distract himself, he turned on the phone. He hadn't looked at it since the night before. When the screen brightened, he saw several notifications highlighting missed calls.

He went to check. Many people had called him, but what immediately caught his eye were Ian Malcolm's three missed calls.

Alan didn't want to hear Ian's voice. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach. But at that moment he urgently needed to distract himself. So, he hit 'play' and listened to the recording.

Ian's petulant voice came promptly from the other end of the phone. "Hey, Alan… I heard what happened. I wanted to let you know I'm sorry about Billy. I can't imagine what you're going through. I know I'm probably not the best person to talk about this but… if you need a friend, I'm here. Call me back as soon as you feel like it, okay?"

Alan snorted. Oddly he was almost tempted to laugh. Incredibly, it was only during tragedies that he was able to respect Ian Malcolm: the annoying and womanizing rock star gave way to a mature and responsible man. He listened to the second recording. "Alan, it's been three hours now... you haven't called me yet, so I assume you're still in the hospital, or maybe you're at the police station, or maybe you've found a way more pleasant than me to distract yourself, I don't know if I explain, heh heh... sorry. I didn't mean to... ah, what an idiot. I'm really an asshole"

And promptly Alan was disillusioned. No, apparently Ian Malcolm could get on his nerves even during tragedies. And apparently he understood it too. Reluctantly, he turned on the latest recording. "Alan, sorry for the last call just now... you know I'm an idiot. It wasn't my intention to be ironic this time, I swear. I really want to help you, I'm not kidding. Call me back, okay? I'll wait"

Mh. No, maybe he was a little mature. Just a little.

Alan looked at his cell phone thinking about what Ian had said. Call Professor Malcolm? Maybe it wasn't even a bad idea. He knew he'd regret it right away, but… he wouldn't have minded talking to a friend.

He had to think about it. He went back to scrolling through the list of missed calls, and suddenly a name caught his attention.

Ellie Sattler.

Alan's heart stopped for a moment. With a trembling finger, he pressed 'play'.

"Alan..."

Alan immediately turned off the recording as soon as he heard his name. That voice. How long has it been since he heard it? Years... too many years. He wasn't ready to hear it again. Maybe he would never be ready.

He had to try. He restarted the recording. "Alan, sorry, I'm just checking in now. I just found out what happened, and… oh, God… I'm so sorry for Billy, and for you. I know you were fond of that boy. I know I'm not the person more suitable, but please, I'd like to talk about it. Call me back as soon as you can"

Registration ended. Alan stared at the screen of his cell phone, unable to comprehend what he wanted to do.

Did he want to call her back? Yes. He absolutely wanted it. He hadn't seen her in years, and under any other circumstances he probably would have rushed to her immediately. But he knew Ellie would ask questions, and Alan wouldn't be able to lie to her. And if she had known what Alan was working on, she surely would have wanted to partecipate. She would have put herself in danger.

"No" Alan finally decided, canceling the call. "I don't want to involve her"

That tragedy had made him realize one thing: everything was becoming too dangerous. He didn't know what was happening to the animals, but it was clear that now annoying them could lead to serious consequences. He couldn't let another person he loved get hurt, absolutely not Ellie. He would have met her another time, when the situation wasn't so dangerous anymore.

He went back to looking at the missed calls. Most came from longtime friends, or from the group he currently attended. He got two calls from Mitch Morgan, one from Sarah Hardy, and even one from John Hammond.

While he was still scrolling through the list, the phone rang. Someone was calling him. A name appeared on the screen: Jocelyne Jersey.

Alan let the phone ring for a few seconds. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, but he knew he couldn't avoid that conversation forever. Might as well get rid of the annoyance now. So he answered the call and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Jocelyne's voice came from the other side. "Hi, Alan. I heard what happened to me. How's Billy?"

The man sighed. "He's not life threatening, but otherwise... the doctors aren't sure. He's in a coma right now. They're monitoring him... areas of his brain may have atrophied from blood loss. They fear he may have brain problems. And even if there aren't any such complications, it's sure he won't be able to walk when he wakes up. If he ever wakes up"

"I'm sorry. Were the family members informed?"

"Oh yeah. They told me to stay away from Billy from now on. They hold me responsible for what happened. I don't blame them"

"You know they just want someone to blame. You're not to blame"

"Perhaps, but I can't deny that it was I who involved Billy in this situation. I should have sent him home at the first sign of danger. And I shouldn't have left him alone"

Jocelyne was silent for a moment, then said, "Alan… if you want to back out now, that's fine. I'll still send you the money I promised anyway. I understand that after what happened…"

"Are you kidding, miss Jersey?" Alan's tone hardened. "Do you have any idea what I saw last night? Birds of all species working together. Velociraptors setting up strategy to stop cars. Moros intrepidus standing guard and warning the other animals of the arrival of the human reinforcements. I personally witnessed behavior that anyone would call mythological. And now you ask me if I want to back out?"

Alan clenched his fists. "I MUST continue. It's no longer a choice, it's a duty. I can no longer deny the truth: something is changing the animals and they are becoming dangerous. Any person who comes in contact with them is now in danger. I can't pull myself back, not without the knowledge that I may have left who knows how many people to be torn apart by those beasts. I have to carry on, for Billy and for everyone else. It's not a negotiable choice."

Jocelyne was silent for a few moments. Alan knew that the girl was probably considering whether to insist or not. She finally replied: "Okay, if you want to continue I agree. But you can't stay there"

"Sorry?"

"We still don't know if Robert Oz's theories are correct, but it's clear that now any dinosaur in the Montain sees you as a threat. I'm pretty sure they'll wait until you're alone to attack again. So if you want to continue, you have to go away from there"

Alan weighed those words. Indeed, the girl was right. To remain alone in that desolate place was a considerable risk. He didn't like the idea of leaving Billy, but after all the hospital was guarded and consequently a safe place, and furthermore even if he stayed he couldn't have stayed with him twenty-four hours a day, always assuming that his pupil's family allowed him to visit him. So, at the moment, the wisest choice was to decamp. "Okay. I'll pack my things right away"

"I'll book you a flight to Sakia, in the Confederate States of Vinland. That's where Mitch, Robert and Jamie are. They're using the data you sent them to test our assumptions" Jocelyne said. "You could join them. Your contribution would be helpful"

Alan nodded. "Yes, I really think I will do as you said" he said.

"Then I'll leave you alone. I'll email you the plane ticket and flight schedule. And Alan..." Jocelyne's voice faltered for a moment. "... I'm sorry for Billy, I really am, but now I have to ask you to keep a clear head. Your priority now is to make yourself safe and then find out if what happened to him can happen to others. So, don't waste your time, take only the bare essentials, stay always in crowded places and make sure you always have a weapon with you"

"Okay, okay. I wasn't born yesterday, miss Jersey. I can take care of myself" Alan answered, closing the call peevishly. Seriously, who did that girl think she was, his mother?

He started to gather her things, when suddenly he noticed a detail. A feather had just fallen behind the window of the trailer. Alan checked immediately, but when he did the feather was already gone, but he noticed out of the corner of his eye some bushes moving nearby and a small furrow just made in the ground, as if someone had dragged the feather away.

Alan's blood froze. He knew that now birds could make themselves invisible. They were probably watching him and one of them had dropped a feather, and it had taken care to hide the evidence immediately.

Suddenly Jocelyne's advice didn't seem to him so far-fetched anymore. He quickly gathered the few essential things and then got into the car headed for the city.