Author's Note: Give a shout out for the last chapter! NOOO! I don't want it to end! NO, NO, NO! But, just as a side note, today, if anyone happened to notice, is October 16, 2003 (or at least it was the day I posted this), which means that it's the one year anniversary for the original post date! And that, in simpler words, means that I've had this baby up on the web for a whole year! So, yeah; that's my reason for posting the last few chapters so close together.
Okay, first off, I want to thank every single one of my reviewers (I would write your names down only then I would have to update every time someone new reviewed!) But I also want to thank my sister. You … I swear, if you hadn't taken an interest in my story I probably wouldn't have made it this far. I would dedicate this chapter to you, but … I don't think you want this chapter dedicated to you.
I also want to thank all of my friends for their love and support (and nagging, Roo!). Honestly, every single person who reads this story is my friend!
Then I would like to thank my betas, Angelpiano88 and Emery flutterby. You girls are the best and I want to thank you for all of the hard work you put into my chapters and how quickly you responded! Even if I didn't agree with and/or use (or understand) all of your suggestions, I appreciated every single one of them. You were so devoted and helped me so much with everything. If I got in a rut, you would pull me out by giving me suggestions on what to do next. I love you guys!
My parents, of course, I would like to thank. For one thing, I need a computer to write this on, and… well … they're my parents! You've gotta love them!
And of course, there's Michael Crichton (who wrote the original Jurassic Park) and Steven Spielberg, who together brought JP to the big screens … and to life!
But let's not forget Trevor Morgan who did an absolute fabulous job portraying the character of Eric Kirby.
Sorry if I left anyone out. I tried not to! I really did! I just wanted to put this at the beginning because … well … you'll see.
Autumn DarknessP.S. The poem at the end is mine. Please don't use it without my permission and DON'T read it yet! Read the whole chapter before you get there! No skimming, people! And as a note, I meant to make this chapter longer, but it didn't work out that way. Sorry about that!
Chapter Twenty-nine- Never Again
Candy looked out the window of the helicopter, looking intently through the trees and willing herself to see some trace of survivors. They had been flying for at least two hours, searching, but not finding. Would they even find anyone?
They flew over a small clearing covered in thick, tall grasses. Candy practically did a double take when she saw a girl … a red head jogging through the field. "THERE! OVER THERE!" She yelled at the pilot.
He turned the craft around but it didn't seem that the girl noticed they were even there. She just kept on going.
Candy noticed a boy running behind her. He himself did a double take when he saw the helicopter. Taking a second off his chase of the girl, he ran up to the flying machine. Candy pulled the door open for him. "THERE'S A TREE BACK THERE!" He yelled. He gave them slight directions to the location of a tree where they would find another person who had survived. "I'LL GO GET LANE, YOU GET TINA. OK!"
Candy nodded to show that she understood. As soon as the boy saw this, he took off after the girl … Lane, again.
"Let's go," Candy said. She didn't even have enough time to shut the door before they were off and searching for Tina.
I ran and I ran, hoping to put some distance between the beast and myself…
I skidded to a halt. Wait, why am I running? I thought. It's a TYRANOSAURUS! They can't see you if you stand still!
But a sense of panic washed over me just as fast. The T-Rex knew where I had stopped and that I was probably still there. I couldn't hear it running anymore. But instead, I could hear a steady breathing coming from right behind me, as though it was trying to sniff me out. I stood as still as I possibly could.
The dinosaur suddenly let out an ear-splitting, earth-quaking roar and it was all I could do to not fall over from the blast of sound coming from right behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for it to end. Surely it would end.
A drip of sweat ran down my back, making my body shiver.
I suddenly felt a searing pain all through my body. The pain was so intense; it felt as though my body was being ripped in two. I couldn't feel my legs; I couldn't feel anything besides pain. I couldn't tell if I was screaming or if it was just a ringing in my ears. My head shook about, and then I was falling, falling. I hit something hard and couldn't move. My legs, why couldn't I feel my legs? Why couldn't I move? Why did it hurt so badly!
The forest looked so blurry. Why can't I see right? I thought.
I saw something blue running towards me, then felt it grab me and hold me. I couldn't tell if I was still screaming or if it was words coming out of my mouth. All I knew was that it hurt worse than anything I had ever felt before.
Things began to get fuzzier, and darker, darker, darker, until my world was swallowed up with the darkness. Suffocating darkness that wouldn't go away. I tried to get out; even the faint words of, "Lane! Lane, it's going to be ok. You're … you're going to be fine … I love you too, Lane. Lane, come back! Don't do this to me! Please, Lane!" weren't enough to pull me out. It closed in, farther, and farther …
After directing the helicopter to where Tina was, I ran after Lane, following the sounds of her running footsteps. The fog was so thick, I couldn't see anything. "Lane!" I yelled, brushing past a damp fern and continuing to run after her. "LANE!" I yelled more desperately. Why was she running? What was she afraid of? Had I been wrong to kiss her?
A sudden roar came from up above. Tyrannosaurus, I thought.
I faintly saw something running through the mist. Lane! I thought. But I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the huge form sprinting after her; or as best a dinosaur of that size could sprint in the tightly packed trees.
"LANE, DON'T RUN!" I yelled as I charged after her. What the heck was she doing? Hadn't I taught her enough about dinosaurs for her to know that running away was not a smart thing to do?
I stumbled over a root, but caught myself before I hit the ground. Where was she? Where had she gone? I couldn't hear the T-Rex running any more.
Pushing through a few low hanging branches, I skidded to a halt. There, standing in the middle of a small clearing, was Lane. But she wasn't alone. The T-Rex was poised right behind her, trying to sniff her out. Lane was standing as still as a statue, but I could see her breathing heavily. "Lane," I whispered.
The dinosaur suddenly let out a long, low, rumbling roar that shook the ground. I grabbed onto some branches so that I wouldn't fall over. Lane's skirt blew around her legs. But she didn't even try to plug her ears. Good girl – NO! I thought. Lane had just shivered violently.
In a flash, the Tyrannosaurus was on her. He picked her up in his jaws and shook her around. She screamed out in pain as the dinosaur's teeth went through her middle.
I went numb. No … NO! This couldn't happen. No, this wasn't happening!
"LANE!" I yelled. The T-Rex dropped her to the ground where she lay, bleeding.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" I looked over between two trees across the clearing and saw Brad with a big rock above his head. He threw it at the T-Rex's feet to catch its attention, then took off running. The animal didn't pause a second but took off after him, roaring and snapping his jaws.
I hardly noticed any of this. In a flash, I was by Lane's side, holding her in my arms. "Lane!" I said, willing her to say something to me. The wound in her stomach poured blood freely. Her already filthy clothes became more and more red. Her blood dripped onto my skin. I looked into her face and saw tears running swiftly down it. "Eric," she whispered.
I could feel tears prickling at my eyes. No, no, no. This was all wrong. The helicopter was here; it was here to save us!
"Lane," I said. I had to say something. I had to make it better. I could always do that. Lane and I were … we were meant for each other. It couldn't end this way. "It's going to be ok," I said hopelessly, running my hand through her hair and briefly looking at her wound.
I quickly looked away and back at Lane's face. A couple tears rolled off my chin and onto her cheeks. She was so pale.
"You're … you're going to be fine." I choked out. This couldn't be happening. Not to me! Not now! Things weren't supposed to go this way! We … we would get her to the hospital. There had to be something they could do!
"I love you," Lane whispered.
More tears ran down my cheeks. "I love you too, Lane."
Lane's body went limp. "NO!" I screamed. I looked up into the sky. "WHY! PLEASE, GOD; NO!" I looked back at Lane's face. Her eyes were still open, staring into empty space.
I felt something touch my shoulder. I quickly looked around. It was Brad. "Come … come on," he said.
I picked Lane up in my arms. The helicopter had landed only a few feet away and I hadn't even noticed. I rushed inside and lay her down on a stretcher. It didn't even register in my mind that there were other people in the craft. I couldn't hear anything but a ringing in my ears. My whole body felt numb and my mind felt like it was swimming.
Lane's hair was matted with blood. I couldn't bear to look at her eyes; her beautiful green eyes. "No, Lane, no!" I whispered.
"Eric," The woman with curly red hair said. She set Lane's wrist gently on the stretcher. "She doesn't have a pulse. She's … gone."
I looked at the woman, not believing … not wanting to believe what she had just said. Brad was sitting on a seat a bit behind her, holding a crying Tina in his arms while stroking her hair and crying a few tears of his own.
I looked back down at Lane's pale face and her unmoving emerald eyes. I reached over and closed her eyelids. She didn't bring up a hand to stop me; she didn't smirk or smile; she didn't do anything. Not even breath.
"Lane, come back!" I wanted to yell, but instead it came out as a whisper. "Don't do this to me! Please, Lane!"
I couldn't hold it in any more. My head dropped onto the stretcher. Uncontrollable sobs racked my body. She was gone. Lane was gone. She was never coming backLane was gone and she wasn't coming back. I was never going to see her again. Lane was gone.
Tina stood up and walked slowly to the microphone. I watched her mutely. I felt choked up. It was all I had felt since … I still remembered the look on Lane's parent's faces when they found out their daughter wasn't coming home.
"Lane," Tina started out. She sniffed, then continued. "Lane was my best friend. I'd known her since … forever … it seems. She was always the one to stick up for me if someone teased me, always the one who … tried to see the good in everyone. I guess I wasn't a very good influence on her." She sniffed again and shuffled her notes. "She's one of those people who you'll never be able to forget, no matter how hard you try. You couldn't help but love her. And, uh …" she kept sniffing and I knew she was going to cry soon … I was too. "I, uh … I'm sorry …"
I stood up and walked over to Tina, who was about to break down. I pulled her into a hug. She squeezed me back. "I just can't believe it, Eric," she whispered.
"I know," I whispered back. I looked over at the coffin, but squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't let the tears come or I would never be able to stop. "I know," I whispered again.
Your smile that lit up the night,
Has taken flight.
No longer shall I see your face;
Your face that filled this place.
I try to hold on;
I try to be strong.
But for all that I do,
I cannot forget you.
For all that I try,
I can't help but cry.
Author's Note: Thanks to anyone who read my story. I love all you guys.
Yours truly,
Autumn Darkness
Summary for Return to Jurassic: Annihilate 23- Five years later, Eric is still getting over Lane's death when someone calls him, offering him a job concerning Isla Sorna. They offer him a great sum of money and his need of it pushes him to accept. But he didn't know what kind of job he was getting himself into, and what kind of people he would be working with. (To be posted on December 5, 2003)