Another one! And time to end the cliffhanger! Anyways, have a good day, stay home, stay safe.
Brooklynn was coming in and out of consciousness for the last minute. Darius was trying to keep her awake. But he wasn't a doctor. Sammy took charge. "Darius, the quills are poisonous. We have to take them out of her."
He gripped the quills, and whispered, "I'm sorry" to Brooklynn. He pulled, and she groaned at the pain. Sammy saw the alcohol bottle. There was a rag, so she grabbed both. She cleaned up the wounds as best as she could.
Darius got down on his knees next to Brooklynn when Sammy was done. "Hey. Hey, come on. You gotta wake up, okay? Please, wake up." he whispered as he held her hand. Kind of like how he held his mom's hand when she died.
"Taking the quills out wasn't enough." Ben said out loud. The others were thinking the same thing since it had been another minute since she lost consciousness again. "The poison is already in her system. She needs an antidote."
"Ha. Good luck with that." Kenji said. "I'm sure finding one will be easy since NOBODY knew this thing even EXISTED."
"Well, there has to be SOMEthing we can do." Yasmina said. "We can't just sit here and wait for her to die."
Sammy thought for a few seconds. "Oh, I remember now! We found Wu's computer at the lab. In one of the videos, he was attacked by that thing, and they showed him receiving a shot of some kind. I think it was a red vial."
Darius perked up, and ran towards Sammy. "Where's the lab?"
Sammy took out the map, and saw where she and Brooklynn marked. "It's in a building a few miles East of the Sky Gondola."
Darius gripped the map, studied it, and made up his mind. He looked at Kenji, then the rest of the group. "Take care of her until I get back." Darius ran, and kicked the car battery, causing the electrical fence to no longer be a worry. He quickly got on to the motorcycle after pushing everything that was on it to the ground.
"Wait!" Sammy yelled. "Darius, the Scorpius went in that direction!"
"I don't care!" Darius yelled back. "I've got one chance to save her, and I will NOT fail again!" Without anything else to say, he turned on the bike, and drove off into the woods to find the building.
"He's crazy!" Kenji said, noting how rash he just was.
Sammy shook her head. "Yeah, well, what did you expect from him?" The three teens decided to come up with a plan for Darius to make it to the building safely. They eventually decided that Ben would blow something up with Yaz. Sammy and Kenji would stay with Brooklynn. The teens put the car battery back in the jeep, and Yaz and Ben got in to drive to the Gondola.
Darius drove through the jungle like a mad man. It had been about an hour since he left Brooklynn with the others. He was making good time. He was headed in the right direction, and hasn't had a run in with the Scorpius. "Hang on Brooklynn." he kept muttering to himself. "Just hang on." A loud roar made Darius hit the brakes. He looked around, and took out his Glock. He looked around, but found nothing. He kept the gun in his hand, but kept driving.
After a few minutes, he saw a dip in the path. He slowed down, and saw that the dip lead to a river. Darius groaned out loud. "Ugh, COME ON!" He spent the next few seconds looking around again, trying to find something he could use. A rock that looked like a ramp was found. It was at a part where the river curved, but if he could make it...
Darius got the bike as far and as straight as he could. He would need to be fast if he wanted to get some air. He revved the engine, and got ready to perform his first action stunt. He let go of the brake, and the bike went flying through the bushes and grass. The rock came up fast, and Darius braced himself for being in the air and landing. The bike launched off the rock, and got some decent air. He got closer to the ground, and did his best to brace himself.
Darius didn't stick the landing very well. The bike made it, but because Darius wasn't used to performing stunts like this, the bike went flying, smacking the gun out of his hand. And Darius fell back to the bank of the water. He grabbed the ground, but gravity was too strong. "rrrruuUUUUUUGH!" Darius yelled as he fell in the water.
He was under for a few seconds. He broke the surface, took a deep breath of air, and watched as he was swept away from the bike. "No! Come on!" Darius treaded water for a few seconds. He looked at what was coming towards him, and saw a vine he could grab. Darius reached with all he could, and was able to grab it. It was close enough to the other side of the river he needed to be on.
He got out of the water, and collapsed. He still needed to find the bike, but he needed to take a breather. Darius felt his mind wander. He thought about his Mom, how he had failed her. Brooklynn then came into his mind. He had one chance to forgive himself. He needed to keep going. It was hard, but if he could save her, that would be EVERYTHING for him.
Darius fought through the aches and pain in his body. He found his bike, and his gun. He was worried about the weapon for a second. He still needed to use the thing for defense. He got back on the bike, and drove off again in the direction of the lab.
Sammy and Kenji were watching Brooklynn she was shivering and whimpering. Sammy had taken off her jacket to clean the wound, but now she needed the jacket back on to keep warm. Sammy used a rag and some water to keep Brooklynn from burning up. It was a very confusing time for Sammy. Her first time being the doctor, and it had to go from zero to sixty in two seconds.
"Hey Brook. You need to get better and hang on. We all know that Darius is basically useless without you." Sammy said, talking to the unconscious girl. "And better yet, imagine how much fun it's going to be to tease Ben and say YOU'RE the immortal one." Sammy chuckled at her own joke. "Just hang on. Darius is going to be back soon." Kenji stood behind at a distance. Sammy looked at him, and said, "Can you get some more water please?" Kenji came back a few seconds later, setting the jug next to Sammy, but quickly retreating. "You can come closer you know? She's not contagious."
Kenji shook his head. "Nah, you seem like you've got this, so I'll just... Not."
Sammy stood up, and pulled Kenji closer to Brooklynn. He didn't take his eyes off the sick girl. "It's okay to be scared. I am too."
Kenji once again shook his head. "I'm not sc-scared. I mean, I AM, but... I just need her to be okay. This is the first group of real friends I've every made, and I've never cared about anyone so much. What if she..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
"Darius is going to be back soon. Yaz and Ben will find a way to clear a path for him." Sammy assured him. "The only thing WE can control right now is making her feel as little pain as possible." Kenji nodded his head. But his words rang in her head. I've never cared about anyone so much. She should have figured that even though he's changed for the better, he still wouldn't love her.
Darius kept driving. He saw the Sky Gondola in the distance. "Headed in the right direction. Just need to go East." he reminded himself. Darius sped up, and moved faster. After another few miles of driving, he saw the grey building. He let out a laugh. He was halfway done. Half way done with saving Brooklynn.
He pulled up next to the entrance of the building, and propped the bike up, ready to start driving again to escape. But Darius had a problem. The entrance was blocked by a big tree that got knocked down on the storm. He started to lose hope. "No. No, come on, NO!" Darius got between the door, and tried to open, but a stump on the tree blocked the entrance. He groaned again in annoyance. He wasn't going to get this far just to lose again.
Darius put his back against the entrance, and put his legs on the tree. He needed to move this to get to Brooklynn. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He NEEDED to tell her.
"You put too much on yourself Darius." his mom said. "So quick to help others, you don't take time for yourself. That's why I wanted you to go to the dance with your girlfriend." They both shared a smile. "There was something that I needed to tell you." She opens her mouth to say more, but the others start hearing the heart monitor beep faster.
Darius looks at his mom again, and sees her eyes closed, and hears her breath become raspy. Brandon rushes to get a nurse. Darius grips his mom's hand. "No. Stay with me Mom. Please." The nurse comes into the room, and Darius feels his uncle start to pull him away. "Mom. No!"
Darius pushed harder. I. NEED. TO. TELL HER! he thought. Finally, he fell on his butt. He looked at the door, opened it, and sighed. He was going to be able to give Brooklynn a fighting chance.
Rushing into the building, he looked around for a few minutes, trying to find the lab. Darius finally came across a sign that said, WU. That's where he was going to find the anti-venom for Brooklynn. He shoved the door open, and looked at the office. It had a bunch of scratch marks, and was littered with papers, and a bunch of office junk.
Darius checked the desks. Nothing. He checked the shelves. Not here. His breathing started to pick up. He checked the lockers, the drawers, even underneath a bunch of junk. He couldn't find it. His anger was rising with each passing minute he didn't find the red vial.
He reached a breaking point, and took out his Glock. Looking at the chamber that he assumed the Scorpius was supposed to be in, Darius shot what was left of the destroyed chamber. He emptied the ammo, and collapsed to the floor. He saw the holes that were in the wall, and sighed. Why am I such a failure?!
Darius saw the whiteboard that he had thrown to the floor. It wasn't flat, but at an angle. He got back on his feet, and moved towards the mass. Shoving the whiteboard away, and moving some of the papers, Darius saw that it was a case. A case that he didn't see.
"Please be this one, please be it." Darius whispered as he opened the case. Inside was another case. He opened the smaller case, and saw a bunch of red vials and the thing doctors use to give shots. The red vials were labeled E750 Anti-Venom. Sammy described it as red. This HAS to be the one!
Darius sent a silent thanks to the man upstairs. I'm going to make this right. Whatever it takes. The teen raced back to the bike. Opening the door, he saw the bike ready to go. He sat on the seat after putting the small case in his pocket, and was about to start driving, but a small growl was heard to his left. Darius turned his head, and saw a dead Para being devoured by a black figure.
The figure lifted it's head, revealing two red eyes. Darius recognized the eyes as the Scorpius Rex. The monster looked at him, and studied him. It was almost like the thing had never seen him before. It stood over the dead Para on all fours, and let out it's demon cry. Darius flinched at this, but didn't try to run.
Once it was done, Darius was confused as to what to do. He turned on the motorcycle. The gentle steady hum of the engine caused the animal to remain calm. Why haven't you attacked? Darius revved the engine, and the Scorpius looked at him with anticipation. Darius came to a scary conclusion. You psychotic spawn from hell, you WANT me to run. You WANT the chase.
The teen revved the engine again, getting the same reaction. The monster's eyes widened in excitement. After revving the engine and holding it, Darius let go, and flew away from the Scorpius. He drove the motorcycle through the jungle. He knew that the river would be up ahead, so he wanted to find another rock that he could use as a ramp. The Scorpius roared, signaling that it was on the chase. Darius couldn't believe that he was playing tag with a monster. He saw another rock. It looked bigger than the last one. He sped up as best he could, and launched in the air.
Darius got better air this time, and landed on a flatter ground. But he landed hard on his chest and on the seat. He couldn't maintain control of the bike, and fell off. After rolling for a few seconds, he groaned. He tried to move his right leg and pull himself up, but he couldn't. Looking at what was keeping him down, Darius saw that the motor bike landed on his leg.
The teen wiggled his toes. Okay. You still have feeling. You just need to get it off. Darius pushed himself upright with his hands. He looked at the green bike in front of him. He gripped the bike, and lifted it up. Once it was up high enough, Darius moved his leg out of the way and set the bike down. He groaned at the excruciating pain his leg was in.
But he still had a job to do. Once he got it done, THEN he could cry. It took everything he had to not scream... "Darius?" Brooklynn's voice rang in his head. She pulled his head onto her shoulder. The tears started to come down, and Brooklynn gently shushed him. "You're okay." She rubbed her hand across his head, whispering softly. "You're okay."
He opened his eyes with determination. "I'm okay. I still have a job to do. I can do this." Darius pulled himself up, and lifted the bike upright. A low growl was heard above him. He turned his head slowly, and saw that it was the Scorpius. Looking at it closely, it's face was littered with bullet wounds. It looked like the blood was starting to scab. Once the Scorpius recognized who was in front of it, it roared.
Darius ran in the opposite direction. He knew he wasn't going to outrun it, but he already knew that it wanted to play with it's food. He took out his gun, and fired at the Scorpius who was chasing him. He must have hit it a bunch of times, because it kept howling in pain. He kept shooting and shooting until- click click click. Darius realized he was out. "Oh that's not good." he said out loud. The Scorpius must have realized he was out, because it lunged at him again. Darius kept running. He was going to be trapped with the river bank, but if he could outmaneuver the monster...
The teen ran towards the river bank, saw a vine he could swing on attached to a tree, grabbed it, and jumped into the river. His weight on the vine caused him to swing back to the bank on the other side of the tree like Spider-Man. The Scorpius however, didn't realize that it's Would-Be-Prey could use the vines to swing. It plunged into the river. Darius watched the monster fall. He chuckled to himself, and went back to the motorcycle.
Before he got on, he heard a splash and felt the ground shake. Looking back to the bank, Darius saw the Scorpius was able to get out of the water. It roared at him with anger. Darius reached in his back pocket, and took out his knife. "YEAH BITCH! YOU WANT ME?! THEN DO IT MOTHERFUCKER! LIKE YOU DID IT TO HER!" he yelled back at the Scorpius. The monster was surprised that this small creature with two legs was such a pain. It stood on two legs, matching the human's walk. Darius walked towards it, and prepared to go out fighting. They yelled at each other as they got closer until- BOOM!
The Scorpius turned around in the direction of the Volcano and Sky Gondola. It's bright red fire lit up the sky. The Scorpius was mesmerized. It forgot all about Darius, and ran towards it. Darius almost collapsed to the ground. He had two theories. One, the Volcano had re-awakened. Two, Ben got a chance to commit arson and blew the Sky Gondola sky high. He didn't know which one he felt better with.
But his thoughts about Brooklynn caused him to snap back. He quickly got on the bike, and started heading to camp, towards Brooklynn.
Back with Sammy and Kenji, they were doing all they could to help her. But they had done everything. All they could do now was wait, and pray that Darius would show up. Brooklynn was unconscious, but her mind was still running a mile a minute in a dream.
Everything was dark. Pitch black except for Brooklynn's figure and pink jacket. She could hear everything that was going on in the real world, even if it was muffled. She tried calling out to the first person she could think of. "Darius?" She didn't know if that helped. Brooklynn sighed.
A voice was heard behind her. "Who are you?" She turned and saw a woman. She had a red flannel on, jeans, and a cap, putting her hair in a ponytail.
"I'm Brooklynn." she answered. "Who are you?"
The woman took a few steps forward, her face becoming more clear. "It's nice to meet you Brooklynn. I'm Darius's mother."
Brooklynn gasped. She was seeing his mother. She remembered when Darius showed her a picture of him and her when he was younger. "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Bowman."
Mrs. Bowman smiled in what looked like approval. "How is my boy doing?" his mother asked.
"He's... Doing okay." Brooklynn answered. "He's been trying to get us off a dino infested island for the past... Who knows how long."
Mrs. Bowman chuckled, and gave a sad smile. "He's pushing himself too hard, isn't he?" She sighed. "Why don't you give me a rundown of what's happened. I've... Missed a lot."
"He... pushes himself past the limit. His will is the strongest I've ever seen." Brooklynn said. Mrs. Bowman smiled. "He gets injured trying to find ways to get off the island, and I'M the only one who can reason with him and patch him up."
"He trusts you." the older woman said. "He sees something in you."
Brooklynn sighed. "He's a good leader. And an AMAZING friend."
Mrs. Bowman nodded her head. "I need you to promise me something." Brooklynn looked her in the eyes. "Take care of him when he gets back."
Brooklynn felt her body start to shiver. She was hurting, and her heart rate was speeding up. Her head started to hurt like hell, and she felt her body start to give up. "I don't even know if he's going to make it back in time!" she told Mrs. Bowman.
The older woman grabbed Brooklynn's shoulders. "He's GOING to. He won't fail you. He's coming. Just PLEASE promise me."
Mrs. Bowman started to fade in front of Brooklynn's face. "I promise!" she tells her. Mrs. Bowman smiles and fades completely with a small tear in her eye. Brooklynn looked around. She started to panic as the empty black abys she was in started to turn white from the bottom, and crawl it's way up. "Darius! WHERE ARE YOU!?"
"What do we do?" Kenji asked, starting to panic. Brooklynn had started to shake violently.
"I don't know!" Sammy told him. "God, PLEASE get Darius back here in time!"
Darius was starting to panic. I'm taking too long, he thought. After another minute, he saw the blue fence surrounding the base. He revved the engine, letting them know that he was almost there. He broke through the tree line, and stopped the bike when he got close enough. He could here Sammy say, "Brooklynn! Just hang on! Darius is back!"
He reached in his pocket, and pulled out the case with the anti-venom. After giving it to Sammy, she stabs the needle where her heart should be. Darius wrapped his arms around Brooklynn, and started to feel for a pulse. "Hey, hey. Hey. Brooklynn, it's me. I'm back. You're okay." His breathing was heavy. Her body laid in his arms. The shaking stopped. The jeep pulled up a few seconds later, and Yaz and Ben came rushing in.
"We got back as soon as we-" Ben was interrupted when he saw that Brooklynn wasn't awake.
"Come on. I wasn't too late this time. Wake up." Darius muttered. She refused. "Come on. Please. There is SO much I want to tell you. I'm sorry that as we got closer, I still refused to open up. Please, wake up. Let me tell you what I've wanted to tell you for so long." No response. Everyone started to cry. Darius put her head in his chest.
*cough* Darius looked down. *cough, cough.* Brooklynn's eyes fluttered open. She saw someone holding onto her. "Darius?" she asked.
"Yeah." he responded with a smile. "I'm here, Brooklynn. I'm right here." he said as he pulled her into another hug. Brooklynn wrapped her arms around him. After a few seconds, Darius looked at her. "How you feelin'?"
Brooklynn groaned. "My back hurts, my chest hurts, and I can smell you." she quipped. Darius smiled. "So, you know, not too bad."
She tried to stand up, but she was still in pain. "Take it easy, okay?" She nodded her head and took a minute. "Guys, can you load everything up into the jeep? There's a break in the storm, so let's take a chance. We'll take the Jeep to the boat." Everyone nodded, and quickly packed what they could. Darius helped Brooklynn stand up.
"This sucks." she told him. "But I'm glad you were able to get back in time."
Darius nodded his head. "I've... Carried around this guilt for so long. But... Saving you might have been what I needed to start letting go." Brooklynn pulled Darius into another hug. He had to admit this was nice. He felt Brooklynn suddenly become heavy in his arms. "Um, Brooklynn?"
"Sorry." she said, embarrassed. "Legs aren't working too great."
Darius smiled and chuckled. "Well, until they are, I'll just carry you." He doesn't know why he said it, but he follows through. He takes his right arm, and lifts her legs up, keeping her steady with his left. Brooklynn was glad that it was dark. Then he would have seen her face turn a small shade of red.
He carried her over to the Jeep, and set her in the back seat. But Kenji said they had a problem. "The jeep is officially out of gas. While Yaz and Ben were on their way back from the Gondola, they ran out of gas, and were running on fumes for the last few feet."
Everyone groaned with what came next. "Looks like we're walking the whole way." Darius said. He reloaded the shotgun and his Glock, slinging the rifle on his shoulder and stuffing the handgun in the back of his pants.
He reached for one of the bags, but Sammy grabbed his arm, signaling for him to stop. He gave her a look of confusion. "You need to focus on Brooklynn." she told him.
Darius nodded his head. Once Kenji, Yaz, and Sammy were loaded up, they started heading East to the boat. Darius went back to get Brooklynn. They locked eyes for a second and shared a nervous smile. "I'm gonna pick you up again." he said. She nodded, and he put his arms around her again. He lifted her up, and they all began walking.
As they were walking, Brooklynn was very embarrassed. She hasn't been carried around like this since she was ten. And not to mention the weird dream she had. She thought she saw Darius's mother. Brooklynn would worry about that later. For now, she would just enjoy not having to walk.
"You doing good?" Darius asked her.
She looked up at his eyes. "Oh, uh, yeah. Doing good. Just... Feeling pretty useless."
"You're not useless." Darius assured her. She smiled in appreciation at his words. "This is the first proper workout I've had in weeks." She was confused until she felt him lift her up and down like a dumbbell.
She started to giggle, but kept a straight face. "You better stop that."
"What are you gonna do?" Darius asked as he continued to lift her. "Your legs don't work. You can't go anywhere." Brooklynn gave a smirk, and lifted her hand behind his head. A second passed before she started to grip his hair. "Ow. Ow, Brooklynn. Ow!" She started to pull on his curly hair, and laughed about it. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. Just let go of my hair." She complied, and he stopped lifting her.
Sammy looked back and smirked. Everyone was in front of Brooklynn and Darius except for Ben. "Wait. Guys, where's Ben?"
Everyone looked around. They couldn't see anything. "rrrrrUGH." Darius groaned. "I should have known. He's going after Bumpy."
"Alright, well, let's go look for him." Yasmina said.
Darius stopped her. "No. Hang on. Let's come up with a plan." He looked at Brooklynn, and called for Sammy. He set Brooklynn down gently, leaving her with Sammy and Yaz. "Kenji, can we talk?"
The others looked at him with confusion, but Kenji followed him a few meters to get out of ear shot of the others. "What is it?"
"You win. Okay?" Darius let it out. "I love her like crazy. And... I've saved her. She's now got a chance to make it to the boat. I've got to go look for Ben. I left him before, and I'm not going to make the same mistake. I have to make TWO things right today." Kenji was confused. He tried to get him to stop talking, but Darius took out his Glock, made sure it had enough ammo, and handed it to him. "You take this. Move this to lock and unlock the safety. This is locked, so you only move this to take it off. You pull this back to pump it before you pull the trigger. Aim with your shoulders."
Kenji finally got him to stop. "Darius, DARIUS. What are you doing? Brooklynn needs you. You can't turn your back on her now."
"I'm not." Darius said to Kenji. "Why do you think I'm giving the gun to you? Because I know that you'll do anything to help her. But Kenji, I HAVE to go search for Ben. I gave up on him once. I can't do that again. Will you please help me?" The rich teen nodded his head, and the two walked back to the girl's. "Alright," Darius began. "I'm going to look for Ben. Kenji and Sammy, I want you guys to take Brooklynn and Yaz to the boat. Just get there, wait for as long as you can. But if I'm not back with Ben by sunrise, then you know what that means."
Darius turned to walk away, but Brooklynn, who was standing with some help from Yaz and Sammy, grabbed his sleeve. "No, Darius. Pease, don't leave."
"I have to." he told her.
Darius tried to pull away, but Brooklynn held on tighter. "Let's come up with a new plan. Maybe take Yaz with you?"
Darius sighed, and suddenly turned around, and pointed his finger in front of them. "Shh. Do you hear that?" Everyone turned their heads, trying to hear what Darius heard. Once they turned their heads, he bolted. He hated himself, but he needed to find Ben or die trying. God, why does someone always have to die in these situations?
"Darius? Darius, do you copy?" Kenji's voice came over the walkie talkie.
He was about to turn it off when another voice came over the speaker. "Darius, I know you can hear me. Don't turn off the walkie." Brooklynn's voice told him.
All he had to do was turn it off. God, I'm wrapped around her finger. "I hear you Brooklynn. I'm sorry for running off, but I've got to find Ben."
"Just come back!" Brooklynn said, desperation in her voice. "You don't always have to go off alone!"
Darius sighed. "I saved you Brooklynn. I can now forgive myself for not saving my mom. But I left Ben behind, and I'm not going to make that mistake again. Get to the boat. I'll do my best to be there with Ben by sunrise."
"Just stop! Okay? Get back here Darius. Get back here right-" click. Darius finally got the strength to turn off the radio.
"Ugh. She's gonna get me back for that, isn't she?" he asked no one. Darius had to be smart about searching for Ben. He couldn't just start calling his name. Come on. Think. If I was Bumpy, where would I go? He admitted he didn't spend a lot of time with Bumpy. But Ben sure did, and Darius talked to him a lot. There had to be a safe haven for Bumpy. Despite being bigger than everyone else, Bumpy acted a lot like a child. That's it! She's a child. Accelerated growth rate maybe, but she's still not an adult. She would run to a herd for protection.
Darius started thinking where he saw a herd of Ankylosaurs in the Valley Plane. He decided that would be the best place to look. He walked slower than he wanted to, but with the Scorpius on the loose, he wanted to be as careful as possible. He kept looking around for anything that may help him. He didn't have a watch on him, so he didn't know for how long he had been searching. He just hoped that the others made it to the boat on time.
There ya go! Another chapter will be posted soon. This one was going to be longer, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttt I'm lazy.
Hey, idkwhattoname77! When you gonna update your stories man? You've been MIA for over a week. Even for a guy like me, that's exessive.
Hope you guys are having a good day, stay home, stay safe.