Happy Birthday, Eddie
We have been walking for what seems like hours. The Sun blazing down. Flys and mosquitoes everywhere. I look around for any threats, the silence is completely unnerving.
SNAP!
"AAAHHH!"
We jump is fright and turn to see Skits and a broken stick. "Sorry guys, stepped on a twig." We all groan in relief.
"Ugh, come on man."
"That almost gave me a heart attack."
"How about next time, I step on you."
Brooklynn, Sammy and Kenji say at the same time. "How about this Skits, you go up to the front with Darius and I'll trail behind, sound good?" I tell him. He nods quickly and moves to stand by Darius. "It's okay, we're all a bit on edge." Darius reassures Skits. "And lost." Yasmina retorts. Looking around, it's all jungle, look to the left, jungle, look to the right, more jungle, look up, don't bother. "Darius, you sure, we're still heading towards the main park." Sammy questions. She right though, the jungle looks the same and I've never been through the restricted area of the island so I haven't got a clue. "Well if I had my phone we would know, it has a GPS, a compass and is also a phone." Someone shoot me now. "Sammy didn't steal your phone. Noone stole your phone. Can we please stop talking about the phone." I pull Yasmina away, before she starts throwing hands. "Just stop arguing." I turn to Brooklynn. "Forget about the phone, if someone had it, they would have shown it by now alright." I firmly state. Arguing about the phone is taking us in circles and we don't have time to argue.
"My fellow campers. Chill." Kenji proclaims loudly. "Hey dumbass, why don't you speak a little louder, I don't think the whole island heard you?" I sarcastically state, annoyed." "Relax Ryan, what we need is someone to make the hard call and get us outta here." I getting really angry with he's saying, 'make the hard call', I clench my fist. "And since I'm leadership material. I'll do this." Alright that's enough. "The last time you made a 'hard call', I had to pull your worthless hide from Allison, so why don't you do us all a favour and shut the fuck up." I angrily tell him as he widen his eyes, looks hurt, good he should remember what he did. He cowers away. I walk towards some shrubbery, looking into the bush for any sign of dino activity or a sense of direction.
I hear that the group decided to listen to Darius, while smart, he needs to understand that this is life and death, one bad decision could result in us as good as dead. I look back to see Brooklynn ripping in Kenji telling him that he is only covering that he is lost too. I notice something on the ground, Patagonian raspberries, native to Argentina, they were imported some a while back for the... Carnotaurus. "I know where we are." I tell the group. "Where are we." Skits asks. "We're by the Carnotaurus paddock. Based on where the sun is, its that way." I say as I point west. I run off in the same direction, I hear everyone following behind me.
Darius catches up to me as we break through the grass. "I remember the fence. The broken...ripped down...fence." He says as we look at the ruined barrier. Toro couldn't have done this. The fence is pulled out-would. "That means...that means Toro is out here...with us." Skits says fearfully. "That means that we have to worry about the Indominus and Toro...wait how do you know about Toro?" Darius asks as Yasmina walks between him and Skits. "Ryan told us when we were in the common room that day." Darius and Kenji look at me bewildered."how did you know?" Kenji asks me. "Trust me guys, the signs were all there." I go to inspect the fence. Something really big, strong and able handed had to pull this fence out. I realise that there is only thing capable of that.
"Guys." I get the group's attention. "Toro didn't do this...the fence is pulled down and out from the top." "Ah, what does that mean?" Sammy asks. Darius answers her. "He means that something big had to pull the fence and be on this side of it." "The Indominus is the only one that I could think of...but there is no blood, no body...Indominus freed Toro but didn't kill him...why?" I question, what mindset does this animal think in. "Well, I'm not going to wait around and find out." Yasmina interjects. Darius shakes his head. "We know that this enclosure is north of the park, so we head south we should be able to reach the Innovation Centre. Dave and Roxie or someone else in charge there, must know what to do." I agree. "It's a good plan." I say. "Yes, exactly what I was thinking, as leader. Good job Darius." Kenji says. Idiot. Everyone trails off north. I follow along with Yasmina. "That Indominus has killed everything and anything it finds...why leave Toro alive." I ask her. "I don't know Ryan, but I'm not going to ask the Indominus that question if we run into again." Too true.
As we continue to head south, the tension is so thick, a Sarcosuchus would have a hard time chomping on it. I feel that the jungle is watching us, testing us, to see, whose mind is going to break first. Bad things happen to those, whose minds begin to slip, they become irrational, paranoid, violent and in some, extremely rare cases especially in a group... cannibalism. I know that I'm the only one that has ever been in the situation where are you have are the clothes on your back and fortitude of one's own mind, in survival, it isn't the body, that can go on for days, weeks, but the mind is more susceptible. Heat, exhaustion, dehydration, disease and even self doubt can wear on the mind and begin to make it fracture and possibly break. The will of an individual is a clue to the fortitude of their mind. I look amongst the group. Yasmina is the first one that comes to mind that has a strong will, she is assure of herself, confident in her abilities. Me and her would break last. Darius and Brooklynn are on equal footing with a strength of will, both while never been in a survival situation takes everything in stride, one problem after the next, so far. Kenji and Sammy are like Darius and Brooklynn both never been in a survival situation but Kenji has been in a life and death one even before all of this. But both of them hide themselves with masks. Kenji with his non-chalant attitude and Sammy with her positive outlook. Skits...I don't need to say anything but then again, my dad told me, even someone who is scared and useless can raise to the occassion and make something of themselves, so I'm hoping out for him.
We enter a dense clearing with a broken gyrosphere and...a dead Ankylosaur. "The Indominus Rex was here." Brooklynn states. "Predators don't kill without eating. This isn't right." Darius interjects. I begin to walk around inspect the scene. Large footprints coordinated together, Ankylosaur size, large theropod footprints, Indominus. I walk over to the gyrosphere, completely destroyed, must've got caught between the Alpha and the Rex. I inspect the Ankylosaur. "Ryan what are you doing." Darius asks me. "I'm investigating what happened. "Dude dino fight. The armoured one lost, end of story." Kenji points out. "It's more than that. The Indominus and Alpha fought. Based on the deeper print from the Ankylosaur, it must of swung it's full body and tail around. The Indominus quickly got the upper hand, clawing at the hind leg, knocking the Alpha off balance. The Indominus rolled it over and mostly likely with its jaws...broke the neck and crushed the skull in three places." I finish. Everyone looks shocked and impressed...bit mostly shocked. "The Indominus didn't eat it so it's not hunting for food. Nor territory as the Ankylosaurus is not a predator so no competition. This isn't natural, this is...rage...hate...a desire to kill for the sake of killing." Everyone begins to look around in fear, expecting the Indominus to come back.
RUSTLING! GRRR!
We hear a low growl from the bushes, everyone jumps in terror. I grab a random stick preparing for what ever is coming. More rustling and growling comes as everyone par myself runs for cover. Can't be anything to big as we would've heard them coming. All of a sudden a baby Anklyosaurs jumps out of the shrubs. Wait, is that..." "BUMPY." Skits happily yells, running towards the little dino hugging her. "And drooly and smelly. How do you even know that's the same dinosaur bro?" "Her head bump, Dr Wu said shes asymmetrical,so what if she's asymmetrical, but there's nothing wrong with being different, or bumpy. Or getting tired after reading an overly thrilling book...or maybe if her parents had listened to her, she wouldn't have come her and gotten attacked." He proclaims loudly, we widen our eyes. Yasmina quietly squeaks to me. "Are you still talking about the dinosaur cause it doesn't feel like it." "It's sad when they start to lose the plot." I joke. She chuckles quietly. Huh, no one ever liked that joke. "Hey, guys, as nice it was seeing Bumpy again, we need to get going." Brooklynn reasons. "She's right, we can't stay here for long. If camp is that way and the park is that way...huh, shouldn't Dr Wus lab be near here." Darius points out. I start to think about it. "Yes that could work, the lab has access to medicine and probably running water, we should head there first, some of us have exposed wounds and we don't want someone getting the risk of getting an infection." Everyone nods as Sammy points roughly in the direction that the lab should be.
As we head off to the lab, I see Yasmina pull up a large leaf letting Sammy pass unhindered...only to pull it back down in Brooklynns face. Those too need to get over their animosity. I speed next to Brooklynn. "Don't let it get to ya." I tell her as she looks to me uninterested. "Maybe you should go talk to Yaz since you like hanging off of her." She walks faster to get ahead of me. That hurt deeply. While I do talk to Yasmina often, its only cause she's the one I relate most too. I'm trying to look out for everyone, not just a couple, we either all get off this island or I try to make sure that they stay alive long after. That is my promise.
I stop when I hear Darius call out for Skits. We all turn to see Skits pulling something through the grass, I can just see a little dinosaur head with a big bump, oh Skits. "Ben, what are you doing." Yasmina declares. He yelps, pushing Bumpy back into the grass. "Hey...how you going dddddudes?" He says nervously. "Ben, are you hiding Bumpy in that bush?" Darius asks rhetorically. A soft bellow gives out. "What, no...that could be anything." "Mate, the gig is up, we know you have Bumpy with you." I cross my arms at this conundrum. This could be useful later on. All of a sudden, Bumpy jumps out knocking Skits over. "We don't have time for this, there's man eating dinosaur about, we are losing daylight and Bumpy can't keep up." Yasmina reasons, while she is right, the worst case scenario is always possible and with a growth acceleration, she could be the defence we might need. "But Ankylosaurus can run fast, can't they, Darius?" "Maybe when their fully grown, yeah but she just-." Darius didn't finish as Bumpy falls to the ground asleep. "Yeah, real speed demon." Kenji quips.
Everyone begins to walk away. I stay behind to see if Skits does something, you never know. And low and behold..."NO...you say hello cause she is coming with us...so there!" Well done...Ben...well done, I think to myself while smiling, when backed into a corner, it's the timid ones that show their teeth. "Ben, your not thinking rationally, Bumpy can't keep up. Brooklynn reasons. I notice something just past her head...is that...yep.
"Than we put her in the van." I say seriously. "Uhh, what van?" Sammy asks. I point out to said van. "That one." Everyone looks bewildered, what are the odds. Yasmina and Sammy opens the back doors. "It's an ACU transport. Got a tour of their H-." Kenji about to brag but I pull him back. "No, you didn't." I look about and see an abandoned ACU electric assualt rifle. I light up like a Christmas tree. "Hello baby, come to papa." I jokingly flirt with the weapon. I get in and begin to inspect to weapon. Good condition, fully loaded with 120 rounds...sucks that there is no ammo laying around. I amp up the voltage of the power core. 100 amps...should do the trick. I look back at everyone. They look at me confused. "What, I seen one on a few days, ok!" I see Brooklynn loo behind me. "Is that a tablet?" She says excitedly. "And of course it doesn't have communication enabled because why would it? You know what have communication. I'm absolutely sick of this. "ENOUGH ALREADY. There are more important things than your fucking phone!" I yell as I snatch the tablet out of her hand. She looks like she is about to cry. I hate hearing about that phone, I've put it off but...everyone has their limit.
Everyone is silent as I use the tablet with great ease. I notice that a lot of animals are in the wrong areas. Damn some of the fences are down. I look to see everyone looking scared, Brooklynn looking very hurt. I lean back as I sigh. "I'm sorry...I'm tired...scared and I'm trying to make sure you all get home. Brooklynn...I'm sorry that I yelled at you, you didn't deserve that." She nods. "It's alright, I shouldn't have kept going on about it." Yasmina sits next to me, her hand on my shoulder. "We are all stressed but we can't lose sight of what we need." She says. I pull my hand from Brooklynns grip. I...don't know what to do, I've never been in this situation. "Let's just to that lab."
ROOOAAARRR!!
"Thats Indominus, we gotta go." Ben gets Bumpy in the van as everyone puts their seatbelts on. Darius looks around. "Doesn't anyone know how to drive." I hop into the front. "I do. Now where's the keys?" "Ryan hurry up and go." Yasmina tries to hurry me. " I need to hotwire it, give me a minute." As I pull the cover off. The Indominus breaks through the trees and is charging at us. "Ahhh, hurry up, let's go." Ben says as the Indominus almost reaches us. "I got it." I begin to drive off just as I avoid the Indominus teeth. "Go faster." Sammy demands. "I can't, all ACU transport have max 50 miles a hour, we are not going to get any faster." The Indominus begins to catch up roaring onto the back windows, saliva going everywhere. I see a dead end in the road, I glance to the right and see a small dip. "Hold on, this is going to get rough!" Everyone braces themselves. I make a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding the snap of the Indominus jaws. We go flying, everyone screaming...and Bumpy actually off the floor. We land and skid to a stop against a tree, I check out the window. "We lost it...everyone alright." I say as I look back. "Now...where do we go." Yasmina pointly asks. "How about the genetics lab." Ben says, pointing out in front and what do you know...the lab is right there...I don't know if this is God or something else but it is freaking me out. We all look back at Ben. "It's a gift." He says. Smartass.
We enter through the doors and...see a very creepy birthday cake just sitting there, even the candles are alight. "What the fuck?" I say, so confused. "Any else creeped out by this?" Brooklynn questions. We draw closer to the cake, I have my rifle at the ready just in case. All of a sudden a head pops up from under the desk. Everyone jumps. In reflex, I shoot towards the head narrowly missing it by a small margin, the round hits the wall behind, electricity sparking out. "Stop, don't shoot, don't shoot." The head said as it goes back underneath the desk. Everyone looks at me with shocked expressions. "What, he came out of no where, what was I supposed to do?" The head comes up, turns the lamp on and sighs in relief. "This is the worst birthday ever." He says.
Kenji, Darius and Sammy help themselves to some cake as I look around the lab looking for first aid. "Hey, where are the first aid kits?" I ask the scientist, revealing himself to be Eddie. "Ohh what, oh, they are over there near the egg stands." He tells me. I walk over getting everything from disinfectant, numbing cream, bandages and some pain relief. I pass out to everyone their necessary aid. I walk over to stand by Yasmina. She is struggling to see her wound, trying to disinfect it. I take the cloth from her hand. She looks at me wide eyed. "Let me help you." "I got it." "No, you were struggling, don't be stubborn." I tell her, she needs help and she's getting it. She reluctantly nods. I turn her arm over and apply the disinfectant, she hisses in pain. "You alright?" I questioned, concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine." I nod while applying a bandage on her upper arm and shoulder. "Thanks." She thanks me. "Anytime." She smiles at that.
"We are so happy that we found you, things are crazy out there. There's a giant camouflaged dinosaur...regular dinosaurs trying to-." Darius thanks Eddie bit he cuts Darius off. "You sure, you closed the doors behind you, right?" Well that was rude. I answer him while wiping my eye of any blood. "We did." He turns towards me. "You did, are you sure?" I pull down the cloth slowing the scratch, which was bigger than I thought, it had started about an inch above my brow and traced down my right eye, to just up my cheek bone, it was a nasty cut. Not threatening but sure close. "I'm sure." I say angrily, intimidating, Eddie into cowering. He than huffs. "Know what? Doesn't matter. The dinosaurs got out and nobody bother to tell me, poor Eddie left behind." Did he just refer himself in third person. Brooklyn furiously slams a desk phone. "Ugh, there no dial tone." Eddie answers her unspoken question. "The landlines are down, so is the radio and the cell phone service keeps cutting out." Than why are you still here mate. I keep my hand on the rifle. The guy is showing signs of mind fracturing. Curious that he picked it up here, first sign is his irrational actions, he is skittish even though he is safe in the lab and the fact that he is still here. If the other scientist ran off, why didn't you just follow them. He's constantly shifting between us and the front door suggest sign two...paranoia.
"Well, the park must have a plan soooo, what's the plan?" Darius asks what everyone is thinking. Eddie looks back is shock. "You asking me." He begins to laugh hysterically. I move from my spot towards Darius with my rifle at the ready in case he shows signs of three...violence. Laughing hysterically for no reason is a sure clue to that. "Is that a...good freaky laugh? Sammy puts in. "Don't you get it? We're doomed. No one is coming to help." Eddie says angrily. "No shit, Sherlock, no one knows that we are out here, so what is the emergency plan in case of the Jurassic World Worker Guide Chapter: Safety Section 25, paragraph 7, multiple assets out of containment." Everyone looks towards me. "I didn't finish all my study, alright." Eddie shakes his head. "Don't look at me, how am I suppose to know?" I get in his face. "Your a fucking geneticist, you make the assets, so you should fucking know when one has escaped, and in this case multiple." Eddie shrugs not caring. Kenji asks a reasonable question. "What about Dr Wu or-." Eddie interjects. "Wu? Who do you think is to blame. He got greedy, instead of dinosaurs he created monsters. That Indominus was supposed to be Wu perfected specimen. After the chaos that followed the first one-." "Wait, what first one?" I questions, if there is another hybrid, we need to get off this island. "It doesn't matter. Jurassic world isn't a theme park. It's a powder keg and at any moment it will blow us all into oblivion!" Eddie yells in anger. He is completely lossing it, he has been here by himself, with his own thoughts, thinking everyone abandoned him to the monsters. His baser instincts are showing, he's trying to defend himself by lashing out at others, mainly us. I pull Darius and Ben away to give Eddie some distance.
"But you must have a plan. I mean, we drove all the way-." Darius is interrupted by Eddie who grabs at him. "Drove. You have a vehicle." He shoves Darius as he breaks for the door. "Don't let him get to the van." I say as we begin to run after him. Outside, Eddie dashes for the van. Me and Yaz run further ahead of the group. "What are you thinking?" I yell at him. "Getting out of here." He says. "Than at least take us with you." He doesn't give a response, only that he drives the van down the road. My and Yaz run after it. Suddenly Bumpy is in front and Yaz trips over her. I stop to check on her when I hear it.
RRROOOOAARRR!!!
BANG!
The Indominus break through the trees, flinging the van off a good 15 metres into the shrubbery. "Come on, let's go." I say as I pull Yaz to her feet. "I could have gotten to it if it wasn't for-." I didn't let her finish. "And you would have been killed. Like him." I say as we both look to see the Indominus head in the driver's door and pulling Eddie out by his feet. He is screaming in terror, while the Indominus swings its massive head against the van. Eddies brains coat the black paint. Horrified we run back to the group and hide out in the labs shipping container yard. Yasmina turns angrily at Ben. "I told you she just get in the way." "Bumpy saved your life. If it wasn't for her, you would have ended up like Eddie." Yasmina grunts in frustration. "Why couldn't you leave her behind!" "Because, I won't abandoned like we were." Ben says putting an end to the argument. While Yaz is right about Bumpy being in the way, the alternative was less than pleasing and down right horrifying.
"Ben's right, we're on our own." Darius says, we hear a roar from the Indominus, must've tracked us to the yard. I look above the rock, we we're hiding behind and see the Indominus pass by. I put a finger to my lip, telling them to be absolute silent. I point in the direction to go. I see the van off in the distance. I trail silently between the containers, keeping an eye on the Indominus. I made a follow-me hand gesture that brought the others over to my side. I move to the other end of the container see if the coast is clear, it is. As I was about to go, the Indominus shows up, I move back. I check to see and...it's looking away. "Move, go." I whisper, urgently moving the group along. I trail behind Kenji as the Indominus growls and moves quickly towards where we were. Me, Kenji, Ben and Bumpy hide behind some cannisters as the Indominus sniffs, looking for us. I see Darius grab a big rock and heave it to the other side of the yard. A massive clang is heard and the Indominus goes off running to investigate.
As we move closer to the van, we see a small window of opportunity to make a break for it. We run fast towards our salvation. I hear Brooklynn trip and the tablet trilling an alert. The Indominus sees us and moves to get to us. "Brooklynn." Sammy cries out, running towards her pulling her up and narrow avoid the snap of the dinosaur hideous jaws. Me and Darius run back to help them. The Indominus head gets stuck between the small space. I pick up two sticks and pass one to Darius who bangs on a container. "Hey, over here." The Indominus is about to chase after him when I pick up a rock and throw it with all my strength at the dinosaur. The animal is hit and stares off into the distance. She slowly turns her head towards me, her eyes narrow in malicious hate at what I just done. Have no fear. "Come get me, you fat Frankenstein abomination." She did not like that.
RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!
The most ferocious roar is unleashed. She dashes towards me, as I zigzag inbetween the containers. She furiously snaps at me. I come to a leaning container with enough home for me to slide under, cutting off the Indominus. I bolt for the van and she Yaz in the driver's seat. I get in. "Step on, get us outta here!" Yaz drives off full speed away from the yard. We all begin laughing in relief of getting out of that hellhole. "Ryan that has to be the single most stupid thing I've ever seen anyone do." Brooklynn praises. "Thanks." Than Ben gets in as he mimics my insult to the Indominus. "you Frankenstein abomination." We hear the radio going off. It's Dave and Roxie.
"Kids, where are you? Something is wrong with the camp. We are heading towards.
"No, we are coming to you." Darius retorts.
I butt in.
"Dave, Roxie, camps position has been compromised and the camp itself has been destroyed, we are in a van that is heading for the main park, meet us at the Innovation Centre."
"Roger that, see you guys there."
We all celebrate that we are heading back to safety. Kenji and Darius thanking each other and...bro-ing. Brooklynn holds her hand out to Sammy for a high five. Sammy excitedly yells. "We did it, camp family and not a moment to-." What ever she was going to say is cut off as the van takes big bumps over rocks whilst the van becomes stable, something falls out of Sammys pocket. A broken phone... Brooklynns phone. "My phone. I knew it!" Sammy looks very scared. You had this whole time. "Huh? Sammy? Yasmina looks shocked and hurt, I glance past her head. "YASMINA, WATCH OUT!"
CRASH!
