Author's Note: I am really sorry about taking this long to post this chapter. I just had a bit of a problem with figuring out what appearance to give Lane, as it's mentioned in my chapter. I sort of didn't want to, because I knew most people would have a mental image of what they thought she would look like and I didn't want to mess them up or anything. Sorry if I get it "wrong". I did take a vote with those on my mailing list, but there were a few ties so … I had to make up my mind between them. And you'll find what we came up with later on in this chapter.

Chapter Seventeen - Hammond

When Hannah saw the dinosaur, she screamed and stood up. The dinosaur whipped its head around and stared straight at her. Hannah's eyes widened and she whirled around to begin climbing. But …

I turned away as a sickening CRUNCH cracked through the air, along with Hannah's muffled scream. There followed a few more crunching sounds and then a loud swallow. Then the sound of the dinosaur walking away in the opposite direction.

I just sat there in my tree. I couldn't turn around; I couldn't think; I couldn't do anything. I just felt numb all over and it felt as though my head was swimming. After a bit, I slowly turned around and looked sadly, wistfully, hopefully at the tree Hannah had been sitting in only moments before. There was no Hannah sitting there. There was nothing but blood splattered everywhere.

I quickly turned away in disgust. Hannah had died. One of my best friends in the whole world was dead; she was gone … never coming back. I couldn't stand it. It hurt so bad that I thought I would explode. I felt my stomach begin to churn and quickly leaned outward from the tree. The vomit fell through the limbs to the ground below and I leaned back in, pulling my knees to my chest.

Tears welled up in my eyes and flowed down my cheeks, making my vision blurry. How could this have happened? The lump in my throat was too big to hold down and I began to cry in uncontrollable sobs.

The thoughts in my head turned to all the fun times we had experienced together. Everything we had ever done seemed to flood back into my head. We had met in first grade and were friends right off the bat. We told each other everything. From the guy we liked to how we felt about our parents and siblings. She and I had both been friends with Eric in elementary school. But when he abandoned us in middle school, we both hated him. She had never been able to forgive him. She didn't want to forgive him.

Her screams haunted my memory and they suddenly seemed to ring through the air eerily. She had cried out … to me … for help. She had practically pleaded with me to help her, to save her from the oncoming danger. All I had done was run, nothing more. I had fled. I could have yelled to distract the dinosaur so that Hannah might have had time to climb higher in the tree and get a good grip. But had I? No. I had just sat there.

I couldn't breath. I couldn't think. I just sat in the tree, crying my eyes out, asking God over and over again why he had taken Hannah from me.

I thought of Tina … and Eric. Where were they now? Were they even alive? Was I alone on the island? There was no one I could run to, no one I could hide behind, as I had done my whole life. Tina and Hannah had been my shield I would hide behind. But where were they now? Well … I knew where Hannah was … but not Tina. Why was this happening? Why did God feel the need to punish me? What had I done to deserve this pain I was feeling?

Candy Saunters sighed and tucked her curly red hair behind her ear as she drummed on the table with her fingers. The door to the office opened and showed a middle-aged man with thinning black hair and sharp green eyes. He beckoned her to enter.

Candy quickly stood to her feet and followed the man into the office. He closed the door behind her and she took a seat in a green armchair in front of his desk, which he sat behind.

"How may I be of service today, Miss. Saunters?" he asked, folding his hands.

Candy cleared her throat, a bit nervous, and said: "Yes, Mr. Colander. See … well … there's a small matter regarding …"

"The boarding school's trip to Costa Rica?" asked Mr. Colander. "Yes, I've heard all about that. Very sad, isn't it? What a sorrowful incident."

Candy brightened up a bit. "Yes, it is very sad, Mr. Colander. Which is why I am here. Since you've heard, though, I suppose it isn't quite necessary …"

"What isn't quite necessary?" asked Mr. Colander.

"Well … I was coming to inform you, sir," said Candy. "So that you could get a rescue team as soon as possible. That island is –"

"I'm sorry then, Miss. Saunters," said Mr. Colander, sighing. "You have wasted your time."

"Wha - what do you mean?"

"I can hardly be bothered with something like this. Yes, I understand, this is rather unfortunate. But there is no sense in wasting our time over it."

Candy furrowed her brow. "I don't understand you, sir."

"Then let me tell you more clearly. We cannot risk anyone's life in sending him there to rescue the group. It was their own fault they were flying in restricted air space …"

"But, sir! They had expressed permission. Mr. Polycarp told me so! He even showed me the papers."

"Well, then that would be the Costa Rican government's problem. Not mine."

"I have the papers, here," said Candy, taking a few sheets of paper out of her handbag and handing them over to Mr. Colander.

He glanced over them for a few minutes and then handed them back. "It was a lost cause from the moment you walked in that door, Miss. Saunters. The papers clearly state that they have permission to fly over the island and at a low, yet still high altitude, yes. But it does say that if anything should happen and somehow they get stranded on the island, they would be in their own hands and the government won't have anything to do with it. They are on that island for good, Miss. Saunters."

"Surely there must be something you can do …"

"No, there is nothing. Now, I'm afraid you are wasting my time. Good-da-"

"I can't believe you're just going to leave them there on that island! Those children! You must do something! Isla Sorna is hardly the kind of place that have some compassion, will you!"

"MISS SAUNTERS! There is nothing I can and will do. Good-day."

Candy slowly and shakily got to her feet and turned towards the door. There, standing in the doorway, was an elderly man who was leaning on a cane. "Good-day. Miss. Saunters, is it? Yes. My name is John Hammond. I believe I can help you."

The dark clouds rolled over the sun, making my day even greyer than it had been before. I stumbled along the ground, not paying attention to where I went. There was no point in paying attention. Who was there for me? I was alone, utterly and completely.

The dead leaves crunched under my stumbling footfalls and branches seemed to be reaching for my legs, trying to bring me to the ground. The wound on my back stung with every turn and twist but I didn't try anything to stop it. I let it burn on. Several times I stumbled and fell to the ground. I didn't know why I got back up, but my body wouldn't listen to my brain any more. Not that I was telling it to do anything.

I stopped in a small clearing and sat down on a fallen log to cry. This time, sobs would not come to wrack my body. The lump in my throat I could not swallow, but I could not let it out, either. Tears fell silently down my cheeks. I stared at the trees about myself through blurry vision, not really even focusing on them.

Hannah's gone. Hannah's gone. Hannah's gone. I kept thinking this over and over. Hannah's gone and she's not coming back. I'm never going to see her again. Hannah's gone. Hannah's gone. Hannah's gone …

Suddenly, through the stillness and quiet of the darkening forest, a crack sounded. I wearily turned my head toward where the sound had come from. Though I couldn't see anything, I knew something had to be there. Blinking away my tears, I slowly slid off the log onto the hard, cold ground and pulled my knees to my chest. I didn't care if there was a dinosaur hiding in the bushes, waiting for the right moment to attack me. There was no point in me living any more. Hannah was gone, Tina was gone, Eric was gone …

A bird suddenly squawked rather loudly and flew away into the sky where the menacing dark clouds were rolling in. I followed it with my eyes, looking through my shoulder length, dark red hair that I had not bothered to put back in my ponytail.

A swift movement in the trees brought my attention away from the bird and back down to the earth where I saw a group of Raptors encircling me.

The Elfin ChildI am offended. You hath hit me over mine head and now thine shall pay by …little men in pink tights. Morning Sunrise Are you still alive? Your brain didn't kill you? … Hello! … Oh, sorry. Yeah, she's dead

Antiope Yeah … sorry about that. But, as I said, SOMEONE has to die! It's just a matter of WHOM. Oh, thanks a bunch by saying that it was "as always, wonderful work". Means a lot to me.

Amanda-bires Ladies and gentlemen, we have another Trevor Morgan fan in our midst. Be warned. For they often carry around a big stick. But, yes, Eric … -sigh- JUST KIDDING! No, really … I … uh … ha … KEEP READING AND DON'T MIND ME!

Mercedez Bemz My goodness! No need for language, dear! To answer your question, yes, it was the Spinosaurous. You know … with the fin and junk. Yeah … hope you like this chapter!