View From The Top

Seven campers...six vine knots...five supply bags...four boxes of fresh water...three days of building...two arguments over who drives...and one large body of water between us and salvation. I tighten the knot around the lower part of the sail to the mast. I look over and see Kenji and Sammy playing, splashing each other. I notice Brooklynn tightening one of Yaz's knots, smiling at her which Yaz looks back with a raised eyebrow before chuckling. We are gaze back at the island that we are floating away from. Finally...after so long, we are finally heading back home. "Goodbye, Jurassic World." I hear Darius say beside me. Even after everything we have been through, he will still miss this place and there isn't a bone in my body that won't disagree. Even with all the dangers...the island has a sense of wonder that can never be truly achieved.

I see Bumpy in the distance. She crying out for Ben who sadly looks back and says his goodbyes. Those two have been together, trusting each other for a long time, that bond...it's hard to let go. The moment is ruined by Kenji who whoops in laughter. "See you never, stupid dino-island! You thought you could eat us. No way! You thought you could stomp on us? Think again." He says dramatically. "How about I push you off and you can either swim to Costa Rica or back to Nublar. Your choice mate." I say cheekily from the back which Kenji turns and glares. I laugh at him. Even after everything there still is some like bit of arrogant Kenji in there and I like that. He wouldn't be Kenji without it.

I walk over and kneel down beside Yaz who smiles at me. "Doesn't seem real does it?" She asks. "No it doesn't...feels like a dream actually...punch me in face, I think I'm dreaming." I say jokingly as she laughs. "No, you aren't dreaming you idiot." She replies back heartedly. "Certainly feels like it." I say. "You thought you could crush our spirits. Think again!" Sammy says as she and Kenji do a weird...handshake...high five? I don't know. I hear Ben in the back say. "Well the island did crush my spirit...than I defeat Toro." He says dramatically. Me and Yaz have the same idea of slapping ourselves in the face. "Not again." We both say. "Hey mate...we get it...you defeated Toro. Well done." I say as I harden my stare at him which he takes as the cue to stop talking.

Suddenly the raft shakes. We are exclaim, surprised at the sheer force. I notice the waves are getting rough and choppy. The ocean was calm earlier. Only thing that it could be would be..."Um...guys?" Brooklynn says alerting us to the massive wave coming. "Everyone secure the vines." Brooklynn says which Yaz questions. "How?" Brooklynn looks confused. "I don't know, pull on them?" She says as I tighten the vines around the base of the rudder. "I thought you said you had raft experience." Yaz replies back to Brooklynn with annoyance. "I said some raft experience. Some!" Brooklynn tries to reason. "Oh...so only some of us will die." Yaz replies sarcastically.

"Stop arguing." I say as I slam my axe into the wood under me. "Brace yourselves." I say as the wave towers over us. The sail is blasted off from the high pressure of the winds for which Yaz turns and glares at Brooklynn. The wave is literally right above us and about to break over us. We are hold on tightly for the crash. The freezing cold water slams into me and I feel like I'm being pulled in half and being in the dryer for an hour at the same time.

I wash up on the beach. The plank of wood was ripped out, my axe's incision and my strength too much for the dried wood. I reach over and pull the wood off and carelessly chucked it away. Well that plan just want down the drain. We worked our asses off for that raft. I get up and move to see the others coming too. "All good?" I ask the others for which my deadpan stare at me. Yeah...thought so.

We walk slowly back to the treehouse. Everyone is miserable. But our clothes are clean so that's good, the smell of saltwater is going to take forever to get out and the wet socks. Eww. "Bumpy! Bumpy, we're back!" Ben is screaming out for the Anklyosaur. Bumpy does show up and reunites with Ben who hugs the massi E herbivore. "Circle up guys. Camp meeting!" Darius says as we begin to climb the ladder up to the common room. Kenji decided to go the hard way and go up the slide. You do you mate.

I sit on a box that is stacked high so I could over to the treeline to make no lost or curious dinosaur came near. "On the plus side though, still no sign of Compy's around camp so that's good news." Darius tries to avoid the reality of the situation. "Stop beating round the bush mate. We are back to square one." I say from my position for which Darius can only nod in agreement. "It wasn't a total disaster." He tries to play off. "Our raft was destroyed and we are still trapped here. How is that not a disaster?" Sammy retorts back. "We...didn't get eaten by dinosaurs." Darius tries to back up. I snort at that. Always optimistic. "Face it Darius, we're out of options." Brooklynn says as she takes a chalk and walks up to the broad. "We tried kayaks, gyrospheres...more gyrospheres." She says as she crosses out previous plans...none of which I had a hand in. "Yaz's 'find a helicopter and learn how to fly it ourselves' plan." Ooh, bad move. "Oh, and what about Brooklynn's worse 'lets go back down into the tunnels and look for a phone' idea." Yaz says as she crosses out the tunnel plan and a chalk drawing of Brooklynn before handing back the chalk smugly. I smile, you can't win a game of sarcasm against Yaz because she'll fucking floor you before you even get a word in.

Brooklynn looks at Yaz with a frustrated look before snatching the chalk back. "Think! What haven't we tried yet?" Brooklynn says, almost at her wits end. "Just going to pitch it, one more time." Kenji begins to say. Oh hell no. "If you mention that plan of yours again, I'm knocking your ass out." I say threateningly. Kenji nods his head fearfully before move slowly towards Sammy. "I hear you. But I still think that a boat is the way to go. We just need a better sail." Darius says. "How?" It took us weeks to find enough fabric for the last one." Yaz says with frustration. I pitch in. "And what's going to stop another wave when we get back out there?" Darius however is undeterred from the points against him. "There's gotta be a fix. Every problem always have a fix. Ben, what do you think we should do?" Darius asks Ben who is watching Bumpy, not paying attention to the conversation.

"Yo, jungle boy!" Kenji shouts out which breaks Ben for his observation. "What do you think?" Kenji questions as Ben begins trying to find an answer. "Um...what you said." I raise my eyebrow. "Really? You think a human catapult is the best idea?" Yaz questions, beating me to the punch. "Oh no, thats ridiculous. Darius is right, a boat is a way to good." Ben reassures. He's right though, there's no other options and a boat is the best way to go about it. We just need to find a way to get pass those waves and have a strong sail. "Fine, since there are no other options, raft it is." Brooklynn says in defeat. "One problem...where are we going to find material for sail, and somewhere we haven't looked." I question for which everyone starts to ponder.

"It's a shame, we can't go up to Lookout Point and hang glide our way to Costa Rica. Thant will be so dope." I nod in agreement...hang on a fuckin minute. "Wait, what's Lookout Point." Darius asks which I answer. "It's up in the mountains to the east. It has hang gliders, nevermind that, why didn't you say anything before?" I say as I turn and jump down to hover over Kenji. We looks back up at me and stammers his words. "W-w-well, I didn't seem to think about it." He replies. "No shit Sherlock, if you had before, we wouldn't be in this situation, would we?" He shakes his fearfully as I lower my face to his level.

"Hang gliders? As in pieces of material designed to catch the wind?" Darius interjects. Everyone smiles at the prospect of a better sail. "Looks like we have our heading." I say. Everyone nods and grabs their stuff for the hike up the mountain. I grab the machete and cp
huck it to Yaz who catches it. She smiles at me and wraps the strap over her shoulder. I grab my bow and quiver and strap it on. Ben grabs his spear. Kenji...his fucking cheese knife...again. He honestly needs something else besides that thing. Brooklynn grabs her trusty bat and Sammy not much of a violent person but I hand her a spare spear. "Just in case." I say which she nods in thanks.

"Welcome...to Lookout Point!" Kenji says dramatically as we arrive at the mountain. I've personally never been here before, too busy for down time. "Well, to be exact, Lookout Point is up there." Kenji says as he points to the summit. "How do we get up there?" Darius asks. "The sky gondola usually but with the power out. We have to walk. Problem probably being a one to five day trek." Kenji says offhandling. Yaz scoffs as she stretches. "That will take me an hour." Impressive but unnecessary. Other gondolas on the island are solar powered. "I'll wait for you at the top." I hear Brooklynn say smugly. An alarm is heard and the gondola is moving. Press random buttons, should be fine. Yaz crosses her arms and looks put off and agitated. Those two need to sort out their problems.

"Last one there is the last one there!" "I call shotgun." Kenji and Sammy say as they bolt for the ride. They enter as the doors close. Loser 'L' signs on their heads. Children. The next comes as myself, Yaz and Brooklynn wait for it. Brooklynn and Yaz look at each other weirdly. "Guess we could ride together?" Brooklynn offers awkwardly. I smile inside. I got an idea. "You coming?" Yaz asks me. "Yeah." No. They both walk in as I take a step in and out. The doors close as Yaz looks at me. "Ryan?" She says for which I shrug with my arms out dramatically. A laugh smile on my face. She narrows her eyes while forming her hands like a vice. I can imagine she is thinking my neck inbetween her palms.

I look back at Darius and Ben. "You coming Ben?" Darius asks. "You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay behind with Bumpy." Ben replies as he points to the Anklyosaur. I place my hand on Darius shoulder. "Why don't you stay here with him. I'll go up and see how the others are going?" I offer to him. "You sure?" He questions. "Don't worry. Keep him company will ya?" I say as I walk over and enter the ride. Now for the long ride up.

I look up ahead and see Kenji and Sammy swing the gondola carriage back and forth, laughing their heads off. If they fall and die...I'll mourn than say to their graves 'shouldnt have been dumb than'. The carriage in front of me is the the ultimate juxtaposition compared to Kenji and Sammy. Quiet, reserved... awkward. Out of everyone Brooklynn and Yaz butt heads the most, because of their complete opposites of personality. Brooklynn is outgoing and wants attention where Yaz is reserved, keeps to herself. I had left them alone so they can sort out their differences because after that spectacular failure earlier, we can't have any division the group. We only have each other. And also because the both of them need to pull the stick and just get along.

I reach to top to see Kenji and Sammy looking through the binoculars. Yaz and Brooklynn are on the lower level with the gliders. I notice little piles of what appear to be rocks. Weird. I walk over to the stairway to the lower level. "All I need is a rock." I hear Yaz say before she gets up and walks away. I hear Brooklynn mumble under her breath. Seriously. I hop over the stair railing to land beside Yaz, she ignores me as she inspects some rocks. "Having fun?" I cheekily ask. "Yeah, fun." She says, still focused on her task. "Couldn't have been that bad." I say as she jumps up and gets in my face. "It was...we just don't get along like you want." She says sadly. I notice that while she's angry at me and Brooklynn. She is upset that she can't connect with people. "Yaz...it's not like walking up to someone and trying to get to know them. You know Brooklynn and while you and her have your differences. It shouldn't matter, because here, on this island, we need all the help we can get from each other. I don't have to get along like besties but at least tolerate each other." I say as I kneel down beside her. "It's hard." She says quietly. I smile. "If it were easy, wouldn't be worth doing. Right?" I say which she nods. "Come on, let's find something to break the lock."

We get closer to one of piles of rocks. I notice that they look to smooth and round to be simple rocks. "Wait." I say as I stop Yaz hand from taking it. I take an arrow and tap the strange object. A hard tap is heard. "So much for taking forever. Yaz? Ryan? What's wrong?" I hear Brooklynn ask. "These aren't rocks." Yaz says as she turns to Brooklynn with a scared look. I pick up one of them. "They're eggs." I say as I show her the egg. I think I know why we didn't come here after we abandoned Main Street. Darius said that Pterosaurs were nesting in the eastern mountains. Just as I thought of that, a Dimorphodon lands on one of the nearby nests. It screeches at me. I gently and slowly place the egg in my hand back down and I stand up pulling Yaz up with me. "Now sudden moves, we don't want agitated any more than what it is." I say as myself, Yaz and Brooklynn slowly move our way to stairwell, the Dimorphodon has not once looked away from us. "Hey, guys, we found something!"

I hear Sammy scream and the pterosaur flies at our faces. "DUCK!" I scream out as I backhand the pterosaur away. Yaz and Brooklynn get up from the ground and make for the stairs. "We got to get out of here!" Brooklynn yells to the other two but the Dimorphodon has centred itself at the top of the stairs. We back off from the irate Pterosaur. I look over and see another fly up over Kenji and Sammy. It lands on the gondola before crawling down in front of them. That was some freaky Alien shit right there. My attention is turned back to the one on front of me. Both the one in front and the one at the back start to screech to the high heavens. We all cover our ears. "What is it doing?!" Yaz screams over the screech. I begin to notice strange shadows on the ground. The screeching stops as we all look up.

Well...that's fantastic. A horde of Dimorphodons fly over. Their nesting grounds threatened by invaders. We are in deep shit. The pterosaur in front goes to snap at Brooklynn but I grab it by the head, keeping its jaws closed. I turn sharply and throw it over the railing, sending it down the mountain. I look to see a Dimorphodon stalking Kenji and Sammy. "Get to the gliders, I'll help the others." I say as Brooklynn and Yaz nod. I run towards the others barreling through the pterosaur as it lunges at Sammy. "Get to the gondola!" I yell out. Kenji and Sammy bolt for the carriage. Kenji looks past me. "Ryan, look out!" He shouts as I turn and see a Dimorphodon fly towards me. Its teeth aiming for my neck.

"Oww,, that hurts motherfucker!" I shout out. I had reacted without thinking. I had put my right arm in the way of the pterosaurs teeth, latching onto my foreman. I try to pull the jaws apart but it won't budge. I rear my left fist back and send it directly into what I believe to be the liver of the animal. The teeth come off and try to latch to my face. I put my hands and fingers around the rim of the jaws, keeping the pterosaur at bay. It uses its claws to scratch me down the right side of torso. I grit my teeth in pain. I resolve myself and twist my hands around. CRACK! The neck is twisted and almost popping out of the skin. I throw the dead pterosaur to side as another Dimorphodon closes in slowly. Another shows up and a another one.

I hear the carriage open and quickly enter as the pterosaur lunge at me. The doors shut before the group can swarm the carriage. The carriage begins moving. I inspect my arm, pretty messed up. Deep incisions into the muscles luckily no that are deep enough to reach the bone. I cut some of the fabric off the carriage's cushions. I wrap it tightly around my arm. I hiss in pain at the tightness. Fuck, that sucks. I look out the window and see the Dimorphodons swarming around a glider, I can just see Brooklynn and Yaz. They are swerving out of the way of diving Pterosaurs. I see them enter a cloud for cover. Smart thinking. I just see them come out of the cloud. I smile in relief, they're ok. Suddenly a lone Dimorphodon slams down and punctures the fabric of the glider. They are slowly falling. The weight of the pterosaur not helping matter. I start to pace around the carriage. Come on hurry up.

The gondola reaches the bottom and I just start running. I pass Kenji and Sammy and follow the falling glider. The pain in my arm is almost no existent. I enter a clearing and find the Dimorphodon swooping down onto Darius and Ben. Before the pterosaur can bite them, bumpy jumps in and headbutts the flying reptile across the grass almost like a skipping stone over water. The pterosaur screeches but the half grown Anklyosaur is not intimated by the small flying reptile. It flies away, not willing to get squashed. Darius and Ben start whooping and cheering. Ben goes and hugs Bumpys head.

A slow clap is heard and I turn and find Brooklynn and Yaz coming out of the jungle. "Wow." Brooklynn draws out. "That was very impressive." Yaz follows up as she stands by Brooke. "I mean, not as me and Yaz literally flying from danger but anyway." Brooklynn says. I smile as I shake my head. Always has better than everyone else. Sammy and Kenji come running from the jungle laughing. "I love it when we're all alive." She says as she hugs Ben then Darius. "Take that Dino Island." Kenji shouts out. I come up to the group. "Yes, yes, everyone did amazing, not to be a downer but can I get some help please?" I say as I hold up my arm. Yaz gasps before running over. "Oh my God, are you ok?" She asks with worry. She gently takes my hand. I can't even respond, butterflies are going off in my stomach. She really cares. "I'm-I'm fine Yaz, I just need to clean it and disinfect it." I say as Ben walks over and takes a cloth out of his fanny pack. "Thanks mate." I say as I hiss. "Ok...let's get the fabric down and see if we can repair it, the next boat will have a stronger sail to push through those waves." I say as we all gaze up at the ruined glider.

"Boat? Boat!" Sammy screams out as she begins shaking Kenji. "BOAT!" Kenji then screams as both of them begin laughing. "Uh...what are guys talking about?" Darius asks. "We saw Mitch an Tiffs boat!" Kenji says. Wait what. "We saw it on some rocks not far offshore. We can totally get to it!" Sammy says excitedly. "No way fucking way." I say what is on everyone else's mind.

We break through the trees to see the yacht just sitting not far from the shore. A good swim and that boats all ours. I sit down and gaze at the blue water and the token to our salvation. I see Kenji and Sammy joking with each other about the Dimorphodon and Brooklynn and Yaz talking without being at each other's throats. Told you, your true friends, while annoying, will always be there to make sure that you see the dawn of the next day. I hear Darius talking to Ben about Bumpy fitting on the yacht. I'm...at odds with that. While I do t want to seperate Ben from bumpy, the reality is that once she's on the mainland, she is going to become a target. And either good, bad or worse come knocking for that dinosaur, I worry for Ben if that happens. I look back at the boat. Reality wise, why is still here. What stopped Tiff from sailing away. Is she still there? If so, I have a few words and a few ideas for revenge. Either Allison or those things down in the old tunnels, either way, I'm happy. Dreams are only dreams when they are impossible of becoming reality. You should have fled while you had the chance, Tiff because I'm still pissed off at you for what you did.