Claire watched in horror as Ellie began to crackle with dark energy. Elkay tried to hold back the worried Stegoceratops, but she had her heart set on apologizing. She stood her ground valiantly, feeling her heart hammering in her chest.
"Ellie! There's something I have to say!"
Elkay grabbed her by the tail.
"You stupid cow! You're not supposed to run towards danger!"
Claire yanked her thagomizer out of her grasp, ignoring the comment.
"Ellie, I'm sorry for what I did. It's completely my fault! Let me make it up to you!"
Elkay squeaked.
"Claire, this isn't a missed dinner date. You can't reason with her."
"Please, Ellie," she continued, "Don't let it take you. I know I screwed up, but it's not worth it to throw your life away because of me. You're strong enough to fight it. I know you are. Please, come back to me."
Ellie paused, and for a moment, Claire's heart fluttered with hope. Her plea, while not eloquent in the slightest, might be enough to prevent another breakdown. But the dark angel spread her wings suddenly, and a beam of dark electricity shot towards Claire. Elkay grabbed her and dove out of the way in the nick of time.
"Claire, I know you want to make things better, but the last time Ellie went darkwings, she crushed my skull, so we should maybe rethink our tactics."
Another bolt came crackling through the sky, and once again, Elkay leapt to the side with Claire in her paws. She batted her wings and carried her away, but the dinosaur reached for Ellie helplessly, like a child being snatched from her mother.
"Wait! Don't fly away! I need to talk to her."
"She's going to kill you, honey. We'll come back when she's feeling less murderous, okay?"
Claire was not happy with this arrangement. She gave a distressed moo and chomped down on Elkay's finger. When the dragon dropped her, howling in pain, she fluttered her plates and changed direction. She did not make it very far before her muscles seized up, and she tumbled to the ground like a wounded bird. Her head hit a branch on the way down. Hard. Her ears started ringing. In her double-vision, she could see Ellie flying into the distance. Was she trying to flee? If so, Claire might never get a chance to say what was on her mind.
"Meu!"
She let out a feeble moo, which she was sure Ellie couldn't hear. Still, she couldn't let her get away.
"MOO!" she declared, more firmly this time.
Ellie continued to soar into the distance, but when she reached Mount Sibo, she stopped in midair and hovered over the peak. There was a tense silence before she made her next move. When the earth began to shake, Claire decided it would be a good idea to stand . . . and run. There was a terrible screeching sound as the mountain began to spit glowing chunks of white-hot rocks, which made parabolas of smoke in the sky. Claire realized that one such stone was going to land near her, and did not know the direction she needed to run in order to escape it. She ended up standing in place as the rock slammed into the ground nearby, shooting dust through the air and making her fall over once more. Claire's ears rang louder than ever, but this time, the world around her was muted. She could hear the dull collisions of many more volcanic rocks. The noise made her head ache, though she perceived the sound as a distant echo, like the vibration of canoes rubbing against each other underwater. It was all so distant, so insignificant.
But when a glowing circle began to grow in the sky, Claire realized that if she did not move, she would end up as a pile of ash.
With a fearful trumpet, she reared up on her hind legs and leapt into the jungle, driven by primal, saurian fear. Her legs pumped rhythmically in a kind of harmony that would have been beautiful if she was not running for her life. As she crossed the island, several more fireballs collided with the earth, not close enough to hit her, but close enough to give her a fright. She was lucky to avoid direct impact, but that didn't stop her from feeling the heat. The whole jungle was getting hot, actually, and fiery patches of land became increasingly frequent as she traveled. At this rate, the island would be more soot than vegetation by the time she reached the shore, which she decided was her new destination.
On her way to the beach, Claire was joined by many dinosaurs, and a few people as well. The latter fell behind, and were soon out of sight, though she didn't turn to confirm their disappearance. Those who matched Claire's speed seemed just as panicked as she was, and briefly, she wondered if they knew that she had caused this whole mess. Obviously, she wasn't about to stop and ask.
She tensed up a little as a Gallimimus passed her, shrieking in a terrible dinosaur-wail. As the distance between them neared a yard or so, a flaming rock slammed into him, and Claire had to adjust her course to avoid the smoking crater. She considered stopping to see if there was anything to be done to save him, but with the way he'd been hit, there was no chance of survival. She'd have to leave him and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to be struck by the fireballs.
For every dinosaur that was picked off, two more joined the stampede. Everyone seemed to be headed in the same direction, and when Claire turned, she saw the most obvious explanation for this migration. Aside from spewing rocks, the peak of Mount Sibo had begun to glow with lava. The molten mass had reached the jungle some time ago, she estimated, judging by the flames leaping across trees in the distance. This damage, she realized, would probably destroy the entire island and everyone on it, and since Ellie didn't seem to be in a talking mood, there was no stopping the disaster. The only course of action was to rescue as many people as possible, and leave the island to burn under the wrath of the dark queen. This was the stuff of nightmares.
"CLAIRE!"
Elkay spiraled towards her, flying at her side as she ran.
"Remember when I said we passed the initial incident? I think I may have been wr-"
She screeched as a rock hit her head. Claire looked over her shoulder. Miraculously, the dragon had survived.
Elkay wasn't the only familiar face to join the frenzy. Vic came tumbling into the scene, eyes wild.
"Claire!"
She slowed down.
"Vic! Climb on my back!"
He reached for her, but noticing an approaching fireball, pushed her over instead. His arm was struck by the stone, and he fell on his side, clutching the affected area. Claire smelled burning flesh.
"Vic!"
"I'm okay!" he winced, "Leave me and find the others!"
"No. Get on."
She knelt down, and he rolled onto her back reluctantly. She charged forward, keeping him pinched between her plates.
"I'll only slow you down, Claire. It's alright. I can find my own way back."
"Don't be stupid. I'm not leaving you."
He sucked air through his teeth as she jumped over a fallen log.
"I'm of no use to you. I have no family left, and my friends are disappearing. You should escape while you can."
"I'm escaping with you. You can't give up hope, Vic."
"It's affecting all of us."
"We can fight it if we stick together. I know we can. Owen remembers my middle name. It's Kennedy."
"You only remember it because he told you . . ."
"Exactly. We have to rely on one another now."
She lowed in panic as the ground erupted in front of her, then swiveled to the side and kept moving.
"We only have each other. I'm not about to lose that."
"I'm not important."
"You're my friend."
"You have lots of friends. I'm old and useless."
"You're not useless, and you're not old."
"This stress is making me go grey."
There was a massive explosion behind them. It knocked Claire off her feet. Vic slipped from her side, rolling over a couple of times before lying on his back. She stood up on shaky legs and turned to see if he was okay.
"Vic?"
"I can't do this, Claire. I miss her so much. I'd rather just let it end."
"I won't let you, Vic. I mean it. We still need you. You're part of our family. Don't give up on us now."
He looked at her with wet eyes and hugged her front leg.
"Claire-"
"It's okay. I know what you're going to say."
"No, you don't. You don't know how much this means to me. I don't know if it's possible to make you understand. I have to try."
"Later. You can tell me when we're safe."
She pulled him onto her shoulders. He took a shaky breath.
"Claire, I need to tell you now."
"This isn't exactly the best time, Vic . . ."
"I know, but I feel . . . I feel bad about this. If something happens-"
Another fireball landed nearby. Claire thundered forward.
"It won't come to that. Hang on."
She continued her charge, ignoring the branches that swiped her face. A vine caught her around the neck, and she was choked for a moment as she struggled to break through. She gave up on using brute force, untangling herself instead, and wove through the jungle, which was growing hotter and hotter. She could see her shadow running far ahead of her, as the fire had drawn near enough to light her back. The night was aglow with embers and flickering flames, and the smell made her heart seize up.
Then, she skidded to a halt. She had reached the edge of the island, but it was not a beach. The terrain ended abruptly in a series of sandy cliffs. It was a sheer drop.
Claire turned around, but found herself facing a wall of fire. It was closing in from both sides.
"Vic . . ."
"We're dead."
"No, Vic. We're going to be okay."
"We're trapped."
"Not necessarily."
"It was nice knowing you."
"Hang on."
"I'll try, but we're really done f-"
He did not fully grasp the meaning of her words until she took a running jump off the cliff. Her legs kicked at nothing as she tumbled through the air, and when she hit the water, she pierced the surface with a deafening thump. Winded from the belly-flop, she struggled to keep her head above water. Seeing Vic was in a similar predicament, she dog-paddled over to him and let him cling to her neck. They floated in place, then rotated slowly to take in the destruction that had swallowed up the island. Over the cliffs, peaks of flame rose into the sky, replacing the palms that had once stood tall. The two survivors trod water, hopeless eyes filled with fire.
"That was our home . . ." Vic whispered.
After a long pause, Claire took a deep breath.
"That wasn't our home, Vic. As long as we're together, we still have what matters."
They squinted as a white spotlight shone in their eyes. It was painfully bright, even compared to the fire. As the source of the beam drew near, Claire heard Owen's voice above the crashing waves. Somehow, he had managed to find a boat and sail it safely off the island. When Claire was pulled aboard, she saw Sarah and Vivian standing behind him. Near the rear of the boat was Yannick, and Robin was only a few paces away. The only other passenger was Alan, who was leaning over the edge of the boat, staring at the peak of Mount Sibo. Claire lumbered up to him, still dripping with seawater, and lowered her head.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
He closed his eyes.
"This wasn't your fault."
"I-"
She forgot whatever it was she meant to say when Vic began to cough. Owen examined his bleeding arm in the firelight.
"Shit . . ."
"Is it bad?" Vic gulped.
"Well, it's not good, but if we treat it, you should be fine. It's gonna leave a helluva scar, though. How did this happen?"
Claire stepped forward.
"He pushed me out of the way when one of the rocks was about to hit me. He saved my life."
Vic gave a half-smile.
"I don't think so. You would have survived. I mean, I'm doing okay, and I'm tiny compared to you."
After a beat, his eyes went wide.
"I didn't mean-"
Claire put her front foot over his mouth.
"It's okay, Vic. I know what you meant."
He nodded.
"That reminds me: back there, I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate this. Not just you saving me, but everything. It's been over a decade, and I still haven't thanked you for what you've done. Not properly, anyway. I want to do it now, or I don't think I ever will."
Claire laughed.
"Vic, it's okay. I know how you feel."
"Yes, but I have to make sure you-"
His hand whipped up to the injury on his arm, and he fell to his knees, wincing in pain. Owen helped him up, then led him to the boat's cabin.
"Come on, Vic. We gotta get you fixed up."
"Should I come, too?" Claire offered.
"No. You need rest. This day hasn't been easy on any of us, but I think it's safe to say that you got the brunt of it."
"But Vic-"
"It's okay. You'll see him in the morning."
Claire turned to Vic with a worried frown, but he shook his head and smiled warmly.
"Don't worry about me. I'm tough. Besides, I'm not gonna let a little scratch get me down. We gotta stick together 'til the end, right?"
Claire beamed.
"Right. Thank you for not giving up on us."
"Thank you for not giving up on me."
He gave a final wink as Owen led him into the cabin. Claire dragged herself to the front of the boat and lay down. Although her emotions were racing and colliding in a confused tangle of sorrow, the gentle rocking of the boat made her realize just how tired she was. She stared at the flaming island for a moment before closing her eyes.
When she did, she fell asleep almost immediately.
***TSFEW***
Claire awoke in the early morning, when the sea was calm and the wind was gentle. The air was clouded with mist, so much so that it seemed as though there was nothing beyond the boat except a vast, white world of nothingness. Owen was sitting on the front railing of the vessel, staring at the water with his back turned to her. Claire exhaled calmly and stood up.
"How's Vic?"
"He's dead."
Claire felt the mist seep into her, turning her blood to ice. Her eyes flicked back and forth as she tried to make sense of his statement.
"No . . . No! He couldn't have died! He wasn't hurt badly! It was just his arm!"
Owen had not turned to look at her.
"It started off that way, but it got worse. Whatever happened to Zara happened to him, too. We tried to stop it. We failed."
Claire felt tears pricking in her eyes.
"Owen-"
"He went a little crazy near the end, but for a moment, he came back to us. He called out for you, and when we told him you were sleeping, he said that we shouldn't bother getting you."
Claire sobbed. As she collapsed and covered her face with her front feet, Owen turned a little.
"He told us not to bother because . . . you knew. He said that he'd be gone any second, and it wouldn't be wise to waste that time. He made me promise to tell you that he was sure you knew what he wanted to say, and that he was happy about that. Then, he died."
Claire choked.
"So, he's just . . . gone?"
Owen nodded.
"No matter how much you love someone, it's not enough to keep them around. They'll die when their time comes, and there's nothing we can do about it."
"But it's so unfair . . ."
"I know. I've been thinking about it, though, and Vic's death was a good one. He knew how much we cared about him. He was at peace. Now, he can be with Zara again . . . if you believe in that stuff."
Claire wiped away a tear.
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
Owen slid down from the railing and walked over to her. He nestled himself in her arms and leaned his head on her shoulder.
"Believe in us. Believe in the people we love. We may not be around forever, but while we are, we're here for you."
She closed her eyes and nodded.