Hi! I've been wanting to write this fic for forever and I finally got around to it! It's like the longest one-shot I've ever written - it's 8,000 words! This story follows the previous one - "Picking Up the Pieces" - so if you haven't read that yet, go do it!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy! It's pretty angsty and diverts from cannon. And if you haven't seen season 2 yet, there are some spoillers but nothing TOO major I don't think...
Now without further ado, enjoy this one-shot!
(Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything - just this idea)
We…We thought it would be fun. We thought we'd be safe. We didn't know the horror that awaited us on the island. Claws, teeth, screaming…so much screaming…
Darius shudders as the words of his story ring true. What started out as a fun, scary story around a campfire is now reality for the five campers. They were abandoned, left to die on a dinosaur-infested island. One of them did die…
Darius just wants to curl into a ball and cry the pain away. He looks at the faces of the tired, grief-stricken campers and he feels his own resolve hardening. No, he thinks, I have to stay strong. I promised I'd get them all home and I will. Set with determination, Darius turns to address the others.
"Listen up everyone! Things suck. We're stuck on this island, surrounded by hungry dinosaurs with no hope of rescue. But will we give up? No! We've gotten this far and have already lost so much…" Darius sadly looks at the ground and feels the other four do the same. He reaches up to draw strength from his necklace, but lets his hand fall limp as he remembers that it's gone forever.
"What's the point in trying anymore? We're all going to die anyways." Brooklyn says, hugging herself tightly. Darius feels the sense of hopelessness hang heavy in the air, and he quickly continues.
"The point is, we can't go down that easily! Just this past day we've come together and proven that we can do this! We can survive until help eventually arrives! Now, who's with me?" Darius pumps his fist in the air for added emphasis. It seems to do the trick as Sammy lets out an enthusiastic 'whoop!' and the others reluctantly do the same.
"Alright, I'll bite. Where are we going to go, oh great and nerdy leader?" Kenji asks, a hard edge to his voice. Darius freezes for a moment as his tone cuts deeper than his usual sarcastic behavior. Darius looks at his hands, opening and closing his fists. The others shoot Kenji a look but don't argue with his question.
Darius takes a deep breath and refocuses on the task at hand. Where could they go that's safe? Where could they find food, shelter, and other supplies? Where could they finally rest for a moment, without fear of being surrounded by dinos? Darius's eyes widen and he smiles, an idea coming to him.
"Main Street! We can camp out there! We'll be able to raid the gift shops for all the food and supplies we'll need, and at night we can hunker down in one of the empty buildings!"
"Oooo, it's perfect! Camp fam for the win!" Sammy jumps up and down, pumping her fists in the air. Everyone laughs with her, and for the first time since the indominus attacked, the team feels a flicker of hope.
"C'mon, let's go." Darius says frowning, letting the flicker die out. He feels guilty for being happy, like smiling will disrespect Ben's memory. He knows it's irrational, and he felt that same thing when his own father died, but he can't stop the guilt from flooding over him in waves. At least when his dad died, Darius knew for a fact that it wasn't his fault. But with Ben…Darius shakes his head and refocuses. The best he can do is keep pushing forward and make sure no one else gets hurt because of him. The others quickly sober up and they start moving to Main Street.
jjjj
Three days later and the campers are no closer to finding shelter and safety and Darius is just feeling worse and worse. First, he led them to Main Street where the T-Rex decided to make camp. Then he led them to the eastern mountain, where the pteranodons are nesting. And the grasslands, jungle, and water park are all out because of dinosaurs. Darius isn't saving anyone, he's just making things worse.
"The whole island is full of dinosaurs! We're cooked!" Kenji exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. Sammy pulls out the map she found and looks it over with Brooklynn and Yaz.
"We can't give up yet! We've set off the emergency beacon and now we just have to wait until rescue arrives!" Sammy says, trying to keep an upbeat attitude.
"Where? It's been days!" Yaz shouts. Darius's eyes widen as an idea comes to him - one that might actually work this time.
"Actually, there's one place we haven't tried, but I'm not sure you're going to like it," Darius says, wringing his hands together nervously. If this works, that would be awesome. But if it doesn't then Darius will have just led his friends to another dead end. He grabs the map from Sammy and starts walking, the others following close behind.
After around fifteen minutes of walking, Kenji breaks the silence.
"Broski, where are we even going?" He asks, slinging an arm around Darius's shoulders. His tone is lighter now to Darius's relief. While he has every right to be mad at Darius for dropping…Darius shakes his head, just glad that Kenji has returned to his somewhat normal self.
"You'll see it when we get there, brodude."
"Darius, how many times have I told you to lay off the 'bro talk'?" Kenji rubs his temples like an exasperated parent whose kid won't listen. Darius chuckles as the mental image of 'mom-Kenji' pops into his head.
"Alright, alright, I'll leave the 'bro talk' to you, oh great and wise VIP!" The campers all laugh and for a moment Darius can imagine that they are just normal teenagers going hiking through a jungle. But we're not, he thinks as he hears a loud roar in the distance.
"Y'know what I wish?" Sammy asks, "I wish I could take a nice, long, hot shower!"
"I wish I could run again - preferably on the track of my school, not this uneven ground." Yaz adds, leaning heavily on Sammy and Brooklynn.
"I wish I could sleep in my warm bed with its goose-feather down comforter and heated pillows and-" Brooklyn stops as she notices the rest of the campers staring at her, "What? Don't you guys have beds like that?"
"Yeah, except ours are way less fancy." Darius responds, giggling.
"I just wish I knew what day it was!" Kenji interjects.
"It's July 15th."
Darius freezes in his tracks at Brooklynn's words, his blood running cold.
"H-how do you know that?"
"Well without my phone I've had to do something to keep sane, and keeping track of the date seemed like the best option."
"Are you…are you absolutely positive today is July 15th?"
"Uh yeah? Darius, are you alright?"
"Yes! I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine." Darius turns around and forces himself to keep walking. He doesn't notice the others exchange a look of concern behind his back. "C'mon, we need to keep moving. It'll be dark soon."
"Um, bro? Are you sure you're okay?" Kenji asks, his voice laced with concern. If Darius wasn't feeling so crummy, he would laugh at hearing Kenji show concern for anything - other than his hair, that is.
"I said I'm fine. Everythings fine."
"You sure? Because when Superstar here said what day it was you got all weird." Yaz adds.
"I'm fine, okay?! Just drop it!"
"No! We're not goin' to drop it!" Sammy exclaims, stomping her foot and grabbing Darius's arm, forcing him to stop. She pulls him into a hug and whispers in his ear, "You're obviously hurting Darius, and we just want to help you! So please, tell us what's going on."
Darius pulls away and reaches for the empty spot around his neck. He groans and blinks back tears that are threatening to fall. He opens and closes his fist, and his mind starts racing to that dark place it's been going to ever since he dropped Ben. If only he were strong enough…if only he weren't so weak…Like right now, he should be stronger and not let this day affect him as much as it is. Gah! Darius just wants to scream!
A gentle hand reaches out and grabs a hold of Darius's hand. He looks up and sees Brooklynn trying to carefully pull his fists apart. Slowly, Darius relaxes his fingers and he realizes that he had been squeezing so hard he was making imprints in the skin of his palm. She looks at him with sad, sympathetic eyes, almost as if she knows what's going on.
"Please Darius, let us in." She quietly says. Darius's lip quivers and he feels a dam inside him about to break. The other campers close in around him, and pull him into a big group hug. Darius feels his resolve wavering and his dam crack just a bit more, until it finally breaks and all his grief and fear comes crashing down.
"It's my birthday, okay?" Darius shouts, wriggling his way out of the hug, "I know it's stupid, but my mom had this big plan for when I returned from camp. She was going to bake a cake, and my big brother was going to let me drive his car around before I got my permit, and then we were all going to sleep in the living room together and roast marshmallows over our fireplace. It's…it's also the first birthday since my dad…" Darius's voice hitches and he feels the tears finally flow down his face. His legs give out and he sinks to the muddy ground, not caring if he'll get dirty, it's not like he isn't filthy already.
"Oh Darius…" Sammy says, tears trickling down her face too.
"I just…I just really miss him…"
"Look bro, I know how you feel. When I lost my mom…well it took me a while to feel whole again. I hated my birthday, I hated mothers day, and I hated myself for a while too. But just know that we're here for you. We're not going anywhere."
"Geez, Kenj, I didn't know you had that in you!" Yaz quietly chuckles, gently punching Kenji on the shoulder.
"Hey! I can be emotional when I want to be!"
"But seriously, Kenji's right, Darius. We're your family! Wherever you go, we go!"
"Thanks Sammy, and Kenji, and all of you guys! I knew this day would be hard, but I never imagined I'd be spending it on a dinosaur-filled island with my camp family!" Darius wipes away his tears and shakily stands up. His first birthday without his dad will still be hard, but at least he doesn't have to bear this burden alone. He looks to his friends and knows that they will always have his back, no matter what.
Sammy gives Darius one last hug before pulling away. Darius is her family, her little brother, and she hates seeing him so distraught. She wishes she could just hug all the pain away - or at the very least do something to provide a bit of comfort. Darius smiles at her, but Sammy sees that it doesn't reach his eyes. She feels her heart ache as she realizes what he's doing. Darius is trying to stay strong for all of them, building his fragile walls back up and pushing them away. He's refusing to let himself break down, even when the world feels like it's crushing down on him.
"So, where to next?" Yaz asks, interrupting Sammy's train of thought. She slings an arm around Sammy's shoulders, and Sammy's heart flutters, all concerns for Darius vanishing for the moment. Over the past few days - in between dino attacks - Sammy and Yaz got to talking, and they worked things out, much to Sammy's relief. She really did want to be friends with Yaz, and maybe even more than that eventually. She knows what she did was wrong, and she doesn't deserve Yaz's forgiveness, but she's still grateful for it.
"We're almost there, I promise. Just a bit more walking." Darius takes the lead again, and Sammy can practically see him shoving down his emotions. It hurts to see him like this, but she knows there's not much he can do for him at the moment. After watching so many of her own sisters shut down and bottle up their emotions, Sammy knows how hard it is to let them back out. But she helped her family, and she sure as hell is going to help Darius. Whatever it takes.
They continue onward in silence, the only noises being the occasional grunt of pain from Yasmina. Sammy gives her a quick smile as she helps her hobble along. While Sammy is looking up, she spots Kenji's face fall as he appears to recognize their surroundings. She raises an eyebrow quizzically at him right as he opens his mouth.
"Ugh seriously Darius? This is where you decided to have us camp out?"
"Wait what? How do you know where Darius is taking us?" Yaz asks, looking around in confusion. Sammy glances around too, not seeing any familiar landmarks.
"Because I have had several VIP tours and I know this place like the back of my hand. So I can tell that Darius is taking us-"
"Back to camp!" Darius interrupts, moving a few big leaves out of the way and bringing the destroyed camp into view. Sammy can practically hear the others' jaws drop as they look around their old 'home away from home'.
"It's in shambles! Just like we left it!" Brooklyn says, trying to lighten the mood. Yaz squirms her way away from Sammy and stares at the camp.
"Dude, are you serious? Didn't we like, specifically run away from here?" Yaz asks, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Just hear me out," Darius says, raising his own hands, "There's a stream for fresh water. We have trees and mountains to protect us from the worst of weather and dinosaur attacks."
"Uh-huh," Brooklyn clears her throat and furrows her brow, not convinced.
"Okay, not all dinosaur attacks," Darius responds, "But if you were coming to rescue a bunch of campers, wouldn't camp be the first place you looked? And we've even got supplies to build a shelter right here! They're uh, broken supplies but we can do it! Right Brooklyn?"
"What?"
"I mean you must have made one video about building a shelter, right?" Darius's voice falters and Sammy can hear the desperation behind his confident facade. She can tell he needs this plan to work, especially after all his others haven't gone quite like he wanted them to. His charade is cracking fast, and the fact that it's his birthday definitely didn't help. If only there was some way Sammy can make today at least somewhat special…
"Right!" Kenji says, Sammy's train of thought getting interrupted once more. Kenji smiles at Darius, warming up to his idea, "I mean all you do is videos."
"Excuse me, I do lots of things other than videos! I have a whole life of other things!" Brooklyn retorts back. The others look at her smugly, and Kenji just raises an eyebrow. Finally Brooklyn caves. "But yes okay, I did help raise that barn from 'Unboxing Amish Country' just saying...so…"
"Knew it," Yaz says, smirking.
"Oh I love that one!" Sammy exclaims.
"There you go." Kenji adds, a fond smile on his face.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's clear that stuff!" Yaz says, limping forward. Sammy joins her and starts shuffling through the broken supplies. She pushes away some of the lighter scraps, and spots something shimmering in the sunlight. What the…? Sammy wonders as she moves to pick up the mysterious object. She grabs it and her eyes widen as she realizes what she's holding. She turns to Darius, a bright smile on her face. But before she can say anything, Sammy's attention is diverted to Yaz, who is trying to lift some of the heavier debris, breathing hard. Sammy's heart wells with concern and she slips the object into her pocket before moving to help her friend.
"Hey, Yaz? Maybe it's best if you sat this one out." Darius gently suggests.
"What? No I'm totally-" Yaz yelps in pain as her ankle slips out from under her and she collapses. The other four quickly surround her, seeing if she's okay. "It's nothing, I'm fine! I-uh wanted to be on the ground now!"
"This isn't nothing!" Sammy says, kneeling down beside her. Yasmina is stubborn, but she can't be so stubborn she's willing to work until she passes out from pain, right? "Your ankle is still hurt! All that running over the past few days didn't help it any.
"Based on this symbol, there might be some sort of clinic nearby!" Darius interjects, looking at the map. "We'll go see if we can find anything for your ankle. Just, rest here."
"No way! I'm not sitting around while you go back out there! I can pull my own weight!"
"Rest," Sammy places a gentle hand on Yaz's shoulder, firmly keeping her from trying to get back up. Yaz looks into her pleading eyes before sighing and quitting her struggle. "You're gonna need that ankle to win gold medals when we get off this island, okay?"
"And I'll stay behind to make sure she rests!" Kenji says, puffing out his chest to look all heroic.
"Can it be someone else?" Yaz asks, desperately clinging to Sammy's arm as she tries to stand back up, "Literally anyone else."
"Actually…" Sammy's eyes light up as a plan begins to form in her mind, "I think Darius should be the one to remain behind with Yaz. Since he knows the most about dinosaurs, he'll be best equipped to protect her and the camp."
"Huh, not a bad idea." Brooklyn says, nodding along.
"Wait what? Does this mean I'll have to do actual work?" Kenji complains.
"Yeah, and don't you guys need me out there? What if something happens to you?" Like what happened to Ben. Although Darius doesn't say it, Sammy can tell that's what he's thinking. Her heart aches at the guilt that rages inside him, and she hates that she can't do anything. At least, not yet.
"Don't you worry about us! We'll be fine! Besides, we'll have Mister V-I-P here to guide us!" Sammy reaches into the bag she grabbed from main street and pulls out one of the plastic walkie talkies. She hands it to Darius before pulling out the other one and checking that they both work. Once she's sure, she grabs Brooklyn and Kenji by the arms and starts dragging them out of camp, calling out a quick 'bye' over her shoulder and leaving no room for argument.
There. Now her plan can get started.
"So," Kenji says, breaking the calm silence after a few minutes of walking, "Why did you want Darius to stay behind with Yaz so bad?"
"What do you mean?" Sammy asks, not taking her eyes off the map.
"Darius is literally the best - if not only - choice to bring along on an errand like this. He could identify any dinosaur that crosses his path and come up with a plan like that!" Kenji snaps his fingers for added emphasis, "So why on earth would you ask him to stay behind?"
"Y'know, you're a lot more perceptive then you let on."
"Ha! I know I'm so amazing!"
"Now don't be getting a big head."
"Oh don't worry, my head is plenty big already."
"Are you going to answer the question or just keep dodging around it?" Brooklyn finally asks, fed up with their banter. And though she doesn't want to admit it, Brooklyn agrees with Kenji's assessment. Darius would have been the best person to tag along on a mission like this, so why wasn't he here?
"Well, you know how it's his birthday today?"
Oh. Right. Brooklyn nearly forgot about the whole exchange, seeing as how Darius picked himself back up so quickly. She herself has never celebrated her birthday that much, at least not since she landed herself in the hospital all those years ago. And now when she does celebrate her birthday, it's usually with her Brooklanders - and oftentimes it's more of a celebration for them than for her.
"Yeah, what of it?" Kenji says casually, making Brooklyn want to slap him. Birthdays might not be a big thing for her or Kenji, but for someone like Darius, birthdays were probably a big deal. Especially seeing as this is the first one since his dad got sick.
"I was thinking we could throw him a surprise party! When we go to the clinic, we can see if there are any supplies we can use as decorations, or to make a birthday meal or cake or something!"
"Huh, that ideas not half bad,"
"See? Brooklyn agrees with me!"
"Ugh, fine. I suppose I'll help throw a party for the dino-nerd."
"Yay! Then let's get to work!" Sammy pushes aside a few leaves and notices they finally made it to the clinic. Brooklyn looks around, seeing a couple boxes. She walks over to one and opens it, spotting a bunch of giant bandages.
"These are huge!" She says, picking one up, "They must be for the dinosaurs or something."
"Well, we can take a few rolls back with us and cut it smaller so Yaz can use them. And we'll just keep the extras for emergencies, I guess."
"Oh! I have an idea!"
"Wow, congrats, you've got an idea." Brooklyn rolls her eyes at Kenji's exclamation, knowing his ideas always end in disaster.
"For your information Superstar, this idea is actually good. What if we use some of the bandages for streamers and wrapping paper. Granted, we need a gift for Darius, but still!"
"Kenji, that's a great idea!"
"Thanks Cowgirl, glad to see someone appreciates my work." Kenji flexes his non-existent muscles and strikes a pose. Brooklyn rolls her eyes once more and chucks one of the many bandages at him. He scoffs in indignation and opens his mouth to retort back, but Brooklyn just walks away to another box. She opens it up and discovers a bunch of canned fruits.
"Jackpot!" She shouts, pulling one out. Sammy rushes over and kneels beside her, taking the can and staring at it as if it were gold. Which in the kids' case, it may as well be. Brooklyn can't remember the last time she had actual food to eat. So far they've just been scrounging up any leftovers they could find from the visitors when they fled. But now, they have actual fruit!
"Woo-hoo! No more stale popcorn or old pizza!" Sammy hollers, tossing as many of the cans as she can into the bag she brought.
"Hey, look at this!" Kenji calls out from another box. The girls join him and watch as he picks up an old field notebook. "Think Darius would like this?"
"Oh yeah! He totally would!" Sammy says, smiling.
"Yeah, he can write about all the dino stuff he learns." Brooklyn grabs the notebooks and flips through it. It's completely blank, and besides having a few tears in the pages, looks brand new. This would be the perfect birthday gift for him! Now they just need to find him a pen. Brooklyn shuffles through the other stuff in the box before pulling out a bright green pen with a plastic triceratops head on the end. She shows it to the others and they all burst out laughing.
"Bahaha! Darius would absolutely love that!" Kenji says, tears of mirth rolling down his face.
"Let's grab a few more supplies and then start heading back and getting the party ready." Brooklyn says once she can finally breathe again. The others' laughter slowly dies down and the three of them stand back up. Sammy grins and wrapper her arms around Brooklyn and Kenji before loudly exclaiming,
"Operation: Birthday, is a go!"
Yasmina grunts as she hobbles around the destroyed camp. She ignores Darius's protests and continues on, despite the excruciating pain climbing up her leg.
"Yaz! C'mon, stop already! You need to rest! You're just hurting yourself more!"
"No! I won't rest!" Yasmina says, coming to a stop and turning to Darius, "I refuse to be useless! I won't drag you guys down!"
"Yaz, no one thinks you're useless just because you're in pain. In fact, we think that you are stronger than we ever could have imagined!"
"Look Darius, you have your brains. Sammy has her infectious optimism. Brooklyn has her never-ending confidence. Kenji has his…well, Kenji-ness. Even Ben had his bravery." Yaz pauses, and looks at the ground. She hears Darius's breath catch and she quickly continues, "But the only thing special about me is that I am strong and could run fast. Now that this happened-" Yaz gestures to her ankle, "What's left of me?"
Before Darius can respond Yasmina picks up the branch she was carrying and continues to limp away. Angry thoughts swirl in her mind - anger towards herself. If she had just been stronger she would have been able to escape the mosasaurus unscathed. If she had just been faster she would have reached quicker when Ben fell and he would still be here today. If she had just been better, they could have found a way off this island ages ago.
"Hey, Yaz, look at me." Darius says, grabbing Yaz's shoulders and forcing her to stop. Slowly she turns back to face Darius, feeling tears prick at the edges of her eyes. "You've got to stop feeling guilty for everything. None of this is your fault."
"What? I'm not guilty. Who told you I was guilty?"
"I can see it in your face. And do you know how I know?" Darius asks as Yaz shakes her head, "Because that is the same exact face I have been making since this whole mess started. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
"No! This isn't your fault!" Yaz quickly defends. Darius takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Look, I'd argue with you but now is not the time. You just have to believe when I say that there was no way you could have prevented the events that happened this past week. You let yourself get hurt trying to save my life! I wish I could say the same…" Darius looks at his hands and clenches and unclenches his fist. Yaz cocks an eyebrow at him, wondering why he keeps doing that. Whenever he's been feeling down she notices he stares at his hands. Ever since-
Ben.
Yaz gasps as realization dawns on her. Ugh, how could she be so stupid?! Darius was the one who kept Ben from falling right away. He was the one whose fingers Ben slipped thorough. He was the one who saw Ben's terrified face for the last time.
"Oh Darius…" Yasmina reaches out a hand and rests it on his shoulder. She frowns as she feels him slightly trembling beneath her hand, almost like he's as fragile as glass and will break any minute. Sighing to herself she puts down the scrap wood and slings her arm around Darius's shoulders. She gently guides him to a big tree. She slides down the rough wood and sits down on the ground, motioning for Darius to join her. He hesitates and looks out at the camp wreckage.
"Ah, I've really got to-"
"No. The debris can wait. We've survived this long without a shelter, what's one more night?"
"But-"
"Just sit here and relax. Take a break and rest with me. And before you respond, know that you don't have a choice." Yaz reaches up and grabs Darius's arm and forcefully yanks him to the ground. He lands hard on his rear end with a grunt. "Oops, sorry."
"Welp, now I can't even get up if I wanted to, so I guess I'll relax."
"That's the spirit! Just lean back and enjoy not having to do any work. Ew, I sound like Kenji! Don't ever tell him I just said that."
"Haha don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Darius giggles and lets the tension seep from his body. Yaz subtly smiles, her plan working. She lets her own body relax, and she leans against Darius, really preventing him from moving. Darius lets his head loll and the two teenagers slowly drift off to a nightmare-free sleep, for the first time in weeks.
"DARIUS! DARIUS!"
Darius is jolted awake by a panicked Kenji. His eyes are blown wide and he looks this way and that, almost like he's waiting for something to jump out at him. Darius quickly rubs the sleep out of his eyes and sits up, on high alert.
"Wait-where's Yaz?" Darius asks, looking to the empty spot next to him. Kenji offers his hand and Darius gratefully takes it.
"Look man, I know about as much as you," Kenji says, helping him up, "When the girls and I got back, Yaz was already gone."
"What?! We've got to find her! She could be lost, or hurt. What if something happened to her?! Ugh how could I have been so stupid?! I never should have fallen asleep! I-We can't lose anyone else!" Darius's breath hitches and he starts to hyperventilate. Kenji quickly steps in and places his hands on the dino-nerd's shoulders, shaking him gently.
"Dude, relax. With her ankle, she couldn't have gotten far. Brooklyn and Sammy are already out looking for her. So let's go do the same." Kenji grabs Darius's wrist and drags him away, leaving no room for argument. Normally, Darius would fight back, but the panic gripping his chest kept him from thinking clearly. What if we're too late? What if something happens to Sammy and Brooklyn? What if-
"Breathe, bro. Just breathe." Kenji had stopped without Darius even realizing and is now kneeling before him. Darius shakes his head to try and clear his thoughts and slow his racing heart. Kenji grabs one of Darius's hands and rests it against his own chest, taking slow, deep breaths - making sure Darius can feel it. Slowly but surely, Darius's breathing returns to normal and his panic starts to dwindle away. Darius pulls his hand back and tries not to think about who used that trick on him before.
"Thanks dude, I'm sorry for freaking out. I just…what if something bad happened to them?"
"Hey bro, I hear you. But on our way back, the girls and I didn't see any signs of a struggle or fight. So don't worry, I'm 100% sure that Yaz is completely fine. She's probably just being stubborn again or something."
"How can you be so calm about this? Yaz is our family and she's gone! Oh no, how did Sammy react? I know how close she is with Yaz. We have to find her!"
"Chill, we just have to keep walking in this direction and I'm sure we'll find her! And don't worry, Sammy took it surprisingly well. Now just keep walking…" Kenji steps behind Darius and starts pushing him in a specific direction. Wait, how does Kenji know where he's going? Darius wonders, too confused to try and stop Kenji.
They walk through the jungle, following the stream near their camp, lest they get lost. After several minutes of walking in silence, Kenji moves a few big leaves and steps into a large clearing. He gestures for Darius to follow and hesitantly he does, still on high alert.
"What the…?" Darius mutters, staring at the makeshift table sitting in the middle of the clearing. He slowly walks towards it, noticing a few poorly wrapped packages placed on top of it. He also spots large bandages hanging from the trees. What is this? He wonders. He turns back to Kenji and jumps in surprise when he realizes Mr. VIP is not there.
"Kenji? Yaz? Anyone?!"
"SURPRISE!"
Darius screams as several familiar heads pop out of the bushes. His legs give out from under him and he lands hard on the ground. He grips his heart and tries to calm his racing heart. One panic attack a day is enough for him.
"Oops, jumping out like that probably wasn't our best plan," Brooklyn says, kneeling beside Darius.
"Yeah, especially since we're so used to dinos being the ones to jump out." Yaz adds.
"Oh Darius, we're so sorry! We didn't mean to scare you! We just wanted to surprise you!" Sammy says, running over to Darius and giving him a big hug.
"What is all this?" Darius asks, looking around. His eyes land on Yasmina and he smiles, "Yaz! You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay, dino-nerd. I'm not going out that easily!" She jokes, lightly punching Darius's arm. Darius chuckles and grabs Brooklyn's hand to stand up.
"But seriously - why are you doing this?"
"Because it's your birthday ya ding-dong!" Sammy laughs and spreads her arms wide, gesturing all over the clearing. Something clicks in Darius's brain and he realizes what everything is. The bandages hanging from trees are streamers and the packages are presents. He feels his chest burst with joy and pride for his friends. Even in a trashy situation, they still took the time to try and make today unforgettable.
"You guys," Darius feels tears prick at the corners of his eyes and he sniffs. Now it's his turn to open his arms wide and he gestures for the others to huddle close. They do and Darius hugs them as hard as he can, trying to convey how thankful he is. A few moments later they pull apart, and Darius wipes at his eyes.
"Now come on! Open your gifts!" Brooklyn laughs and drags Darius to the makeshift table. She smiles and hands him one of the poorly wrapped packages - but to Darius, it's the most beautiful thing in the world. He gently tears away the bandage, revealing a small brown notebook with the Jurassic World logo stamped on it.
"Whoa! Is this what I think it is?"
"Yup! You're very own nerd-book to document your nerdy findings."
"Thanks Kenji, this means a lot." Darius throws his arms around Kenji. The latter stiffens for a moment before relaxing into his touch. Kenji hugs his pseudo little brother tightly, taking a moment to enjoy the physical comfort. Darius smiles, Kenji helping to fill that void that has been empty ever since he left home. The older teen isn't Brand, but to Darius he's the next best thing. He's really found a family in these misfit campers, and he hopes nothing will change that.
"This gift is from me!" Brooklyn announces, interrupting the moment. She hands Darius a long, skinny package. He takes it gratefully and opens it to reveal a bright green pen with a plastic dinosaur head attached to it. Darius takes one look at it and immediately bursts out laughing. His laugh is infectious, and soon all five campers are rolling around in mirth.
Darius honestly can't remember the last time he's felt joy like this. When they made it to main street - right after the ferries left and Ben…- he felt a flicker of joy. But nothing like the rolling-on-the-ground laughter he's feeling right now.
Suddenly a dinosaur - maybe the T-Rex? - roars in the distance and the campers sober up in fear, not wanting to attract its attention.
"Thank you Brooklyn, this is amazing. And I can't wait to use it to write in my new journal!" Darius blushes and awkwardly moves to hug Brooklyn. The girl in question turns as pink as her hair and hugs him back, just as awkwardly. They quickly pull apart and Darius places his pen on the table with the journal.
"Man, that was painful to watch," Kenji says, chuckling. Darius and Brooklyn glance at each other, both their faces beet-red, and shuffle a few feet away.
"Now before things get any more awkward than they already are, how about you open my gift, Darius." Sammy says, stepping between the two of them.
"Sounds like a good idea," Darius nods and numbly grabs the package from Sammy, noticing the odd shape and feel of it. Curious, he quickly unwraps it. He gasps and almost drops it as something he thought he would never see again falls out of the bandage. Tears start streaming down his face and he moves his free hand to cover his slack mouth. The familiar and long missed weight rests in his hand as he stares at Sammy in shock.
"How did…where…?" Darius asks, his mouth dry and words refusing to work.
"Earlier today, when we were clearing debris before Yaz fell. I found it crushed under some planks of wood. I'm sorry it's a bit scuffed up."
"It's-it's perfect!" Darius slips the necklace around his neck, the chain resting right above his heart. He chokes out a sob and throws his arms over Sammy, hugging her tight. She hugs him right back and murmurs comforting words to him. After a few moments, Darius's legs give out from under him and the duo slowly sinks to the floor. From behind, Darius can feel someone else kneel on the ground. A moment later a smaller hand is placed on his back, rubbing small circles while he cries. There's only one thing that could make this moment better - besides not being trapped on a dinosaur-infested island.
Darius takes a deep breath and pulls away, slowing his flow of tears. He pulls his knees up to his chest and looks away from the others. He-he shouldn't be happy right now. He shouldn't be celebrating. Not when…Darius shakes his head, refusing to go down that path again. He can't let his guilt show and ruin the fun his friends are having. For too long they've been running for their lives, and seeing them happy for once makes Darius smile. But just because they are happy doesn't mean he deserves to be.
"Darius, you good?" Brooklyn asks, snapping Darius from his thoughts.
"Huh, what?"
"I don't know, you just looked lost in your head there for a moment."
"Oh I'm okay, really." Darius plasters on a fake smile and turns to the rest of the group, trying to keep his eyes from watering. Hopefully if he does cry, they will just think it's out of admiration and love for them.
"Well then, let's get on to cake!" Sammy quietly exclaims.
"Cake?!" Darius says, perking up.
"Yeah well it's not perfect, and we didn't really have any way to cook it, but we tried our best!" Sammy runs to the table and comes back a moment later carrying a chipped plate with a pile of canned fruits placed neatly on top of some bread they found a while back.
"Whoa, this looks amazing!"
"I can't believe you think this looks good. For my birthdays, I always had a delicious five-course meal followed by a whole buffet of desserts." Kenji says, flaunting his wealth once more.
"So you don't want any?"
"I didn't say that, dino-nerd. Now hand me a fork!" Kenji reaches for the cake but Sammy pulls it out of his reach.
"Not so fast Mister VIP! We need to sing happy birthday first! I just wish we had some candles you could blow out."
"Guys really, you went above and beyond. You didn't need to do any of this."
"Of course we did, you're our friend. Our family." Yaz says, stepping forward and sitting down next to him, nonchalantly rubbing her ankle. Darius looks down and sees that it's wrapped in a splint with some bandages the other three found. "Besides, we all need a reason to celebrate."
"What are you waiting for? Make a wish!" Brooklyn says, sitting on his other side. She leans up against him and smiles and Darius can feel his face flush and his heart start to speed up. Maybe in another world, another time, things could have been different. But they are not and Darius knows they don't have time for relationships.
"I already know what I'm wishing for," Darius says, sadly looking up at the sky. The others soberly look up with him, the mood of the night quickly taking a more melancholy tone.
"You know it's not your fault, right?" Kenji says after a few minutes of silence. Darius glances up at him in confusion. How can Kenji think that? He didn't drop Ben, Darius did.
"What?"
"Look bro, I know I treated you harshly when Ben…I mean, after the monorail. It wasn't fair of me, and I was angry and hurt - just like we all were. But that didn't give me an excuse to act like that."
"No, no, I get it-"
"No! You don't get it! Because Ben fell from your hands. Not mine, not Sammy's, not Brooklyns, not Yaz's but your hands." Kenji sniffs and wipes at his eyes while Darius glances down at his hands again, opening and closing his fists.
"Wow, great going Kenji. You just made things worse." Yaz attempts to whisper, punching Kenji in the arm.
"Hey! I'm not done. What I was going to say was that Ben may have fallen from your hands, but you are not to blame."
"How can you say that?! Of course I'm to blame! If I had just held on a bit longer, I could have saved him! Or if I had just gone up to the dang roof of the monorail like I said I would, Ben wouldn't have gotten thrown off in the first place!"
"But Darius, then you would have been the one to fall off." Brooklyn says, gently resting a hand on Darius's shoulder. She gasps as she feels him trembling.
"...Maybe you guys are better off without me." Darius quietly says.
"We would have been eaten ten times over if it weren't for you." Yaz says.
"Yeah but Ben would still be here if it weren't for me!"
"SHUT UP!"
Everyone whips their heads around to see the usually optimistic cowgirl seething with rage. They all take a step back, surprised at seeing Sammy like this. They've seen her annoyed, hurt, and sad, but never angry. She marches straight up to Darius and he subconsciously shrinks back and puts his hands up.
"You. Shut. Up."
"I-uh, what?"
"I said. Shut up." Sammy growls. Darius flinches and the others immediately surround him, trying to comfort him.
"Whoa, Sammy, what's gotten into you?" Yaz asks, concerned.
"I need Darius to shut up. I need him to stop blaming himself. I need him to stop feeling guilty. I know it's not that easy, but he needs to try." Sammy turns to Darius and addresses him directly, "You think you're the only one who feels guilty? All of us could have rushed forward and helped you save Ben, but we were frozen by fear. Do you blame us for not rushing forward to help?"
"No! But that was different-"
"How?"
"Because-because well…" Darius trails off and looks at the ground in shame. He knows he shouldn't feel guilty, and he knows Ben's death was an accident. But for some reason he can't stop feeling like he could have done more.
"See! It's not. your. fault." Sammy crosses her arms and looks away, "Besides, I know what it's like to feel survivor's guilt."
"What?" Darius softly asks. He reaches out for the cowgirl but she just shies away. When she finally looks back up Darius can see that there are tears streaming down her face.
"My-my little sister. She got into an-into an accident. Her friend ran into the road to grab a ball that rolled away but she didn't see the car coming. My sister did. Without even thinking, little Carmen rushed out into the street and pushed her friend away - and got hit in the process." Sammy chokes out a sob and her knees give out. Yaz rushes forward to catch her and slowly lower her to the ground.
"Sammy, I'm so sorry! I had no idea…" Darius says, kneeling before her. Brooklyn and Kenji huddle around too, trying to provide as much comfort for their saddened friend as possible.
"Thank you Darius, that means a lot. But sadly, there's more to this story. Carmen didn't die on impact but a small, scared part of me wishes she did. I-I heard screaming so I ran out of the barn to find her broken body laying across the pavement. I quickly got my Mama and Papa and they phoned the paramedics. They arrived quick enough and brought her to a hospital. Carmen got so many surgeries done. They just kept operating on her, in hopes of saving her.
"But they couldn't. After weeks of suffering, little Carmen's body finally gave up and she passed away in her sleep. So even after all that she couldn't be saved! I kept thinking that if I were just fast enough, or I had kept a better watch on her, she would still be alive. And what's worse, we couldn't afford a proper funeral for her thanks to the medical expenses. That's when we got in touch with Manta Corp and Papa borrowed money from them. He knew it was shady and risky, but he didn't have much of a choice. And then Manta Corp wanted to hire me to spy, but my family said no. I could tell how broken they were and I thought that sneaking off to spy would be my way of making up for Carmen's death.
"But all this has shown me is that Carmen's death wasn't my fault. There was absolutely nothing I could have done differently to save her. Now, I'm not telling you this so you can feel bad for me. I'm telling you this so you can stop feeling so guilty about Ben. Ben died, and there was nothing you could do about it just like there was nothing I could do for Carmen. So instead of wallowing in self pity and thinking about all the things you could have done, spend each and every day celebrating those you lost. I slap a smile on my face each morning for Carmen, and greet each new day with positivity. I know that's what she would have wanted, anyway. Just like Ben would have wanted you to keep moving forward and get the rest of us off this goddamn island!" Sammy finishes her speech with a shout and the others look at her in shock, having never heard her swear before. For some reason, it makes a laugh bubble up inside of Darius. He opens his mouth and lets the laugh out, loud and long and clear.
At first, the other campers look at him with horror. How could Darius be laughing after such a tragic story was told? But then they hear another laugh and they look down to see Sammy joining in the mirth. Slowly, the others join in, the laughter infectious. The smile, knowing that if the heart and glue of this team can laugh at such a dire time, so can they.
"Haha! What are we even doing here?!" Kenji asks between bursts of laughter.
"Who even knows! We're just a bunch of broken kids destined to die!" Brooklyn shouts, laughing maniacally. The others laugh with her, and Darius knows they've officially lost it.
"A team of injured souls!" Yasmina adds.
"We're a dysfunctional family of misfits!" Sammy yells.
"We may be broken, but we can be broken together." Darius finishes. Their laughter slowly dies down and they return to their sanity. Anyone looking on from an outside perspective would think that these campers lost their minds. But Darius smiles as he looks around his new family, and he knows that while things may be dire, they will pull through just like they always do. Because when things fall apart, you just pick up the pieces and put them back together again and keep moving on. And Darius knows they will get off this island eventually, if it's the last thing he does. He and the other campers will survive, and they will make it home. And Darius promises, right here and right now, that he will spend every day pushing through and living life to the fullest.
For Ben.
And thats a wrap! I hope you lied this fic, I loved writing it and these characters and I hope to write more with the CC crew in the future! But for now, this series is over. So goodbye! I'll see you next fic! :D
Also, huge shoutout to ENBYsaurus for beta-ing this fic! Thank you so much for helping me edit it and getting it as good as it could be! And if you guys haven't already, go read ENBY's incredible CC fic: Camp Cretaceous: Unboxed. It is a MASTERPIECE and they are so good at retelling the show in a much more mature manner!