Salvation

"Either that is a bonfire, or Kenji slip mushrooms in my drink." I quip as we gaze, amazed at the sight of the campfire. "That is most def a bonfire." Brooklynn says as Sammy gets excited with the prospect of people. "Someone got our SOS signal." Yaz says. "Well, what are we standing around for, let's go." I say as I run to the slides. Everyone follows. "Grab your spears, never know what we might run into." I advise as I grab my spear and holester my axe. We run, cheering and laughing at the thought of going home. Everyone has their spears and other weapons. Brooklynn with her trusty bat. And Kenji with his...butter knife. Why he keeps it, I have no idea. Brooklynn slams her spear into the ground while climbing the tree. "Yes! We're getting closer." She says as she hops down, we run off again. Kenji climbs the next tree. "We're right on top of it." He hops down. We continue running. We should have smelt the smoke about now. Darius comes the next tree. He doesn't call out where the fire is. Something's wrong. I see a tail of a baby Sinoceratops off to the side, completely still and quiet. I push the bush aside and gasp. A bear trap has been sunk into the side of the baby. The blood hasn't clotted, it's fresh. I've seen these types before. Poachers who would smuggle themselves onto the island and butcher animals. Something is not right about all of this. Where is the mother?

I hear Darius hop down. "The bonfire, it's gone." He says. This is typical poacher behaviour, rarely staying in the one place. Everyone gasps. "What if they left. What if the people that came to save us gave up and left." I walk over to them. "Relax, they couldn't have gone far from where we saw the smoke last." Everyone looks slumped and tired. We hear a growl from the bushes. We gather in a circle, I point the spear out while holding my axe. The baby Sinoceratops must've attracted a predator. "Maybe it's just a really large compy. Right, Darius...Ryan?" Kenji asks the two of us. "That ain't no compy mate." A dinosaur bursts from the bushes. We all dodge out of the way. A Ceratosaurus. "Run." I say as I throw my spear into the animals shoulder. It cries in pain before ripping it out before snapping it in half. We all run from the angry predator. Kenji, not looking where he was going, bashes his head on a low branch. We all turn and run back to him. Before the Ceratosaur can chomp of him. A spear is thrown, sinking near my shot. I look to see Yaz with her arm extended. I grip my axe, I slide next to Kenji before bringing my axe down of the carnivores right foot, cutting the index toe off. The Ceratosaur cries out in pain. I pull Kenji back to the others as they ready their spears. "Well, come on." Brooklynn says bravely. The animal comes back, seeking revenge. I had my axe tightly, I'm not going out without a fight.

A flare is blared into the night sky. The dinosaur is blinded by the sheer light. I cover my eyes as someone throws me to the ground. "Get down!" An angry voice shouts out. I put the blade of my axe over my eyes, letting my eyes adjust to the light. I look to see three people, two men and a woman. The man on the left had a blue buttoned up shirt with sand beige hat and pants. The woman had dark pants and a white shirt and hat. Both of them had cameras around their necks. The second man had a flare rifle in hand. He was older and dressed in military get up. Must be a mercenary. The Ceratosaur had run off, retreating into the jungle. The trio had turned to us. "Oh thank goodness. You're okay." The woman had said. I stand up as I hold my axe tightly. We don't know these people, observe and study before interacting with them. The man in the blue shirt notices me and glances at my axe. "You...are okay, aren't you?" I want to trust him but I have a feeling that is screaming out at me in my spinal cord. 'Don't trust them', it says, Yaz holds her hand on my own, pushing the axe down. "Who...who are you?" Darius asks. "Well I guess, you can call us your salvation." The woman responds.

We begin walking with the trio back to their camp. The mercenary is cutting the foliage with his machete. I trail behind the group, making sure that nothing is following is but keeping my eye on the couple escorting. "We couldn't believe it when we saw your campfire." Brooklynn says. "Did you get left behind too?" Yaz says. Not dressed like they were, they weren't. "Guys, slow down. We don't even know your names." Darius reasons to the group. The man in blue replies. "I'm Mitch and my better half is Tiff." Mitch says while gesturing to the woman. "We're eco-tourists." "It's just a fancy way of saying we travel to exotic places and take photographs of rare animals." Mitch and Tiff say, explaining why their here. But the bear trap from before. If they, besides ourselves, are the only ones on this island then their lying. I don't like this one little bit. As we walk through the jungle, I take notice at the scenary around. A lot of trees were upturned and broken down. I see a splatter of blood on a passing fern. This is fresh. As the group talk, I notice something in the bush. A dead juvenile Majungasurus. Strange. Majungasurus rarely come this way. I noticed the body had a lot of bite marks, bones that were crushed violently. Most of the predator wasn't even eaten. A carnivore had to have killed it in a very violent manner. Almost cruel. Majungasurus are notorious cannibals but this isn't a Majungasurus kill. Something larger and more violent.

"Hey, where's Ryan?" I hear Sammy say. I shout out to them. "Over here!" The gang and the adults break through the bush and gasp at the site of the dead carnivore. I see Kenji try and hold his dinner. I notice that Mitch and Tiff are almost unfazed at the blood and gore. Eco-tourists are known to faint at the sight of dead animals. Something is not right with them. "Ryan what is it?" Yaz questions. "This Majungasurus is dead. But the manner of death doesn't make sense." Everyone looks confused. "The bite marks suggest a large carnivore. At first I thought it was another Majungasurus, being notorious cannibals, but the marks don't match any Majungasaurus bite mark I've ever seen. Which means that this juvenile was killed by something else. The leg is broken, the neck has been violently snapped and the head has some serious breakage around the mandible. Something had killed this dinosaur not for food but just to kill it." I say as everyone takes in what I said. "But the stomach is ripped open. So something had to be eating." Darius says to me. "True, but predators will always take the opportunity of food if it is available to them. But not a lot of the juvenile has been eaten." I say as I take in everything I have studied. Broken trees, knocked over and crushed. A carnivore killed in a violent manner that suggests more than just hunting. I see a large footprint behind the corpse. Not as large as a Tyrannosaur but not a small as a Carnotaur. Something between like a...Allosaurus. Oh no. I stand up with a look of horror on my face. I turn to the adults. "How far away is your camp?" I say really quickly, fear is laced on my voice. The others look very worried that I, of all people, is showing this much fear. "It's just through those trees, why?" I reply back to them. "Pack up everything you have because this place isn't safe, we have to leave now!" I say frantically. Yaz walks up to me and tries to calm me down. "Ryan what is wrong?" I begin mumbling to myself. "She's here. She's here." Yaz tries to shake me out of it. "Who, Ryan, who is here?"

RRRROOOOAAARRRR!

A loud frecious roar breaks through the jungle. "Allison, she's here." Saying that, Kenji has a terrified look on his face. A loud rumbling is heard. "We have to go now!" I say as I pull Yaz away from the trees, running past the group towards the open fields. Another roar breaks out, sounding much closer. Everyone including the adults begin to run after us. "What is coming?" Tiff yells out towards me. The trees break apart next to us. The massive predator had shown herself. Standing strong of her muscular legs. Her hands are twitching in rage. Her burnt face glances around before her fiery, smoldering hateful gaze focuses on me. The group gather around as I take my axe out of my holester. "Hello, Allison." I say with as much hate and rage, laced with terror in my voice. She roars furiously at us. "RUN!" I scream out as Allison tries to snap at us. We beginning running to the fields. We find that a hadrasaur herd had taken up residence. "INTO THE HERD!". I scream as the animals begin running in terror as Allison breaks out through the trees into the wide open space. We continue running, some of us take falls but get up quickly. The adults are screaming while the mercenary, Hap, dodges out of the way of a passing Edmontasaurus. I gather the gang together to get some distance from the adults. "HEAD FOR THE TREELINE, FIND COVER!" I shout to the group as we make our way to the treeline. I turn to see the adults continue running in the herd. Allison had stopped and begins sniffing, most likely for me. I dive into the trees and shrubbery. Allison huffs in anger at losing me. She gives an hateful roar at my escape. Goddamn it, how the fuck did she get out.

"What the hell was that?" Brooklynn says as we find a large tree to rest by. I relucently reply. "That was Allison. She is like Toro, too aggressive to be an attraction, only difference is that she is much worse. Me and her have history. Bad blood." I say while panting. I stare at Kenji that is shaking, he averts his eyes away from me. "Let's get to Mitch and Tiffs camp." I say as I walk in the direction of the camp. "Why? We should be looking for them." Sammy says. "No, because they aren't who they say are...I found a baby Sinoceratops caught dead in a bear trap. I have seen poachers on this island using bear traps before. While big game hunters are legal if animals overpopulate themselves. But Isla Nublar is UN protected even before the collapse of the park, they're poachers not eco-tourists." I say walking away, but Yaz catches up to me, pulling my arm back. "How can you be sure? How can you know? They said that they received our signal." I look at her. "Yaz, anyone on the ocean or mainland for 150 miles could have received that signal, doesn't mean that they are good people." I reasons to her. "Maybe you are just too paranoid and untrusting of people. Maybe you just feel like you are not needed anymore now. What. "Yeah, finally we have a way off this island but you don't want us to go with the only people that can help us." Kenji interjects. They are accusing me, how dare they. "Really, after everything we have been through, this is what its come too." Darius then looks at me. "Ryan, you have no proof, just speculation, we have spent enough time on this island, we want to go home, we can't keep going around like something else is afoot, there is nothing, Mitch and Tiff wants what's best for us. We don't need you to look out for us anymore."

I look at them. So that's how it is. "After everything I did, I did for all of you. You would trust them over me. I have been there every single fucking day since this island went to hell. I have defended you, I looked out for all of you. I did that for you. You don't know them, remember we thought we could trust Eddie and that turned out to be a mistake, I'm paranoid because I don't want to risk something like that happening again. Un-fucking-believeable, you know, I could have left you all here but I chose to stay for you. But I vowed to make sure you all get off this fucking island. I have walked through the valley of death to make sure that you all live. You call me paranoid and untrusting, how fucking dare you, I'm a fucking realist!" I yell in absolute anger. How dare they accuse me of this. I turn to Yaz. "You stand there, you, judging me, say that I'm not needed anymore." I get in her face. "Fuck you, if you lot think that you don't need me then fine. Find your own way off this godforsaken island." I say to her. She looks like she is about to cry. I turn and walk away from them. "Ryan, wait?" She chases after me. I throw her arm off. "Don't touch me. Go away Yaz." She looks scared and tears are free falling. "I didn't mean-." She begins to say. I walked away from her. They can get by on their own.

P.O.V Change: Yasmina

I fall to my knees as I watch Ryan walk away from us. I knew that what I said, accusing him of being paranoid and untrusting was out of pocket. But I realise that, it's what kept us alive. Ryan was the realist of the group, who made sure that no one was helpless or left behind. He fought for us. To make sure that we survive and now that we have a chance, we forget the reasons why Ryan was protecting us. Our survival was more important than his own life, and we basically said that he has no worth anymore. I cry as I realise the cruel accusation I said is what really drove him away. Ryan is...was my best friend. He saw me at my lowest and he helped me become better. He taught me how to appreciate the small things that people can bring. That day in the clothes shop was the day that I discovered I...liked him, more than just a friend. The scars defined his resilience to challenge and his will to live. He protected me when I couldn't protect myself. He taught me how to interact with people. He was the first person that understood what I was going through. I would never be more thankful, and now I'll never get the chance. I took him for granted and he left, and it's my fault.

Sammy comes up to me and hugs me. I fall into her shoulder as I cry for my friend that I drove away. "It's ok." Sammy says. I shake my head. "No Sammy, no it's not." I sob.

P.O.V Change: Ryan

As soon as I walked away, I wanted to turn right back and go back to them. What I said was hurtful and unnecessary. Now with a clear mind, I understand their reluctance. They didn't see the bear trap, Mitch and Tiff were very convincing and they are desperate to get home. I hate that I got angry and yelled at them, especially Yaz. I sit on a rock and think about what I had done. I've abandoned them, left them to their own devices, out in the wild. Left them to die. They will go back and find Mitch and Tiff and get home. I don't trust them but it's not my call to make anymore. I thought they understood why I said what I said. No one is ever good, this isn't a cartoon, bad things happen and bad people are usually the cause of it. We don't know Mitch and Tiff, what they have told us could all be a straight ass lie but the desperation of home and family makes people blind to others true nature...I can't leave them. Even after that argument, I'm not abandoning them. I walk and find footprints, Yaz's shoe size. I follow them from the bush and find the group, they are catching up with Mitch and Tiff. Darius says that I left because he doesn't trust you, saying your poachers. I see the small flinch from Tiff, you fucking liars, you are hunters. No one on the group notices, they all look depressed and sad, especially Yaz who I can see tears still falling down her face. I hate doing this but I need to watch them, find out where their storing their weapons. Track their movements and see if I can alert the group at my presence without Mitch and Tiff noticing. I follow the group from. The shadows as the sun breaks over the canopy. They arrive at a spacious clearing with luxurious yurts. Everyone looks amazed at everything par Yaz who is quiet. I need to tell her, I'm sorry. Our friendship might never get back to the way it was but I promise to God, I'm going to try and mend it.

I find a small ditch near the clearing. I lay here, far enough where they can't see me but close enough that I can hear them. I hear them eating breakfast. Smells good. Darius tells Mitch and Tiff of their experiences. Both of them are amazed at how long we survived. I hear Yaz interject. "We only survived because we had Ryan." Everyone looks at her, she looks tired and miserable, her plate hasn't been touched. "We survived because Ryan taught us how to, because he always made sure that we weren't alone. He taught us how to rely on each other. I guess we have forgotten the last one." I hear her say as she gets up from the table and goes to one of the yurts leaving everyone bewildered and sad. They understand, just like I understand. What we said was in anger. It drove me away. Don't worry Yaz, I haven't forgotten and you can rely on me to watch your back.

I move to get up and head back to our camp. Time to go commando. I run back all the way to camp before finding some shrubs on the way, some sticks and vines to put it all together. A makeshift ghillie suit. I find some mud and rub it along my face and arms. I burn some wood for wood char and apply it to some of my brighter parts of my clothes. I have my axe at my side and my combat knife attached to my left leg. I carry the ghillie suit over to Mitch and Tiffs camp. I put it on and lay down close to an opening on the clearing, surrounded by shrubbery and trees.

I see Hap carrying some equipment into one of the yurts, I glimpse at some boxes. That is a lot of stuff for eco-tourists, I move slightly closer and see Brooklynn and Kenji spying on him. Hap leaves as the duo try and get into the yurt, an alarm blares out. I refuse to cover my ears, to avoid getting caught. Hap returns to find the duo. Mitch, Tiff and Darius return to find the reason why. "What's going on?" Mitch asks. "Isn't it obvious, the chatty one and the...hair tried to sneak into the yurt. These kids should learn not to go into private spaces!" Hap replies. "Do yourself a favour and stay out of my yurt." Hap says pointing a finger at Brooklynn. Things are getting heated between the two groups.

A while later, Darius, Yaz and Sammy wander off with Mitch and Tiff, leaving Brooklynn and Kenji behind. Those two don't learn their lesson and get caught by Hap trying to sneak in again. About an hour later, Brooklynn and Hap have had a stay awake contest, Kenji had miserably failed and I feel myself dosing off, shake out of it Ryan, get your head in the game. Brooklynn falls asleep and Hap moves off to his yurt, receiving a radio call from Tiff. "No you listen, I'm done." I hear Hap say as he is about four feet away from me. I see Brooklynn and Kenji sneaking up, you little trickster Brooklynn. "No it's not a threat, its a promise. No, look, I'll deal with the kids alright." Kenji and Brooklynn begin to run in the forest, I grab a large stick not far from me. Hap gets off the call and watches the duo run off. He growls and I make my move. "Hey, dirtbag." I say as he turns around surprised. I swing the stick with all my strength and he goes out like a light. I throw my ghillie suit off. I see the yurt that has been causing problems. I enter and see basically an armoury in here. I see guns, crossbows, bear traps, hunting knifes. In the corner is a large drapped object, I walk over and discovery a severed Sinoceratops head. Guess I found out what happened to the mama of that baby. I found some rope and walk out to Hap. I place him in a chair and tie him very, very tightly. I tap him on the side of the head with the butt of my axe. "Wake up."

He begins to stir, looking very confused. He sees me and tries to move but can't. He glances down at the ropes. He looks back at me. "Your that kid from before. The one about the majung-whatever." I nod my head. "Yes, and you my friend are going to answer my questions or I'm going to cut you, piece by piece." I say as I bring my axe closer to his face. He seems calm but I notice him twitching. He's nervous. "I'm not telling you anything." I smile at his defiance. "You don't have too, I know that Mitch and Tiff are big game hunters, poachers whatever. But I want to know, is the boat two days from here or not." I say recalling what Mitch and Tiff promised the others. He shakes his head. "No, the boat is at the northwest dock." I nod my head. I hear something coming. I knock Hap out again before dragging him to the shrubs, throwing the ghillie suit over him. I climb a tree and watch as Mitch, Tiff, Darius, Sammy and Yaz return.

"Guys." "Brooklynn." "Hap, where are you?" Yaz, Darius and Mitch say. "Children, me and Mitch are going to have a quick grown-ups conference, we'll be right back." Tiff tells the others. I can't hear their quieten conversation. I see Yaz look around and spots me in the tree. Her eyes widen. I place my finger over my lips. Shhh. She looks at the adults and then me. She nods her head. I see the small snarl on Tiffs face. The poachers are getting pissed off. Something is about to go down and go down hard. I ready my axe. Time to go to war.