Heyo! I've got another one-shot for you guys (surprise surprise). Don't worry, I have some multi-chapter stuff planned that I'll post eventually.
This fic is inspired by the amazing ENBYsaurus, author of "Camp Cretaceous: Unboxed". Their story is absolutely AMAZING and you guys have to check it out! Anyways, I am dedicating/gifting this fic to them! So I hope you like it ENBYsaurus! Once I started writing I couldn't stop! :D
Anyways, this fic takes place during the 4th episode, right when they are waking up from falling off the zipline. Darius has a panic attack, so if that's a trigger for any of you I don't recommend reading this fic. If that's not a trigger then read right on! And I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Cretaceous or it's characters, just the idea for this fic.
Darius blearily opens his eyes, his head pounding. He groans, what the heck just happened? Oh yeah, the indominus rex almost ate them. Was this the third or fourth time Darius has almost died? Whatever the number, that's too many times for his comfort.
Darius suddenly gasps and sits up, what happened to the other campers?! He looks around and sees them all groaning and in similar predicaments he was in. Kenji's even in a tree! Yasmina and Brooklyn seem to be the only two up and moving, the former helping Sammy and murmuring her concern. Suddenly a loud roar can be heard in the distance and everyone tenses.
"Where the heck is that thing?" Kenji quietly asks, struggling to get down from the tree. Ben's eyes widen in fear and he starts backing up, until his back hits Kenji and the tree. Darius feels a similar panic course through him and all he wants to do right now is wake up from this nightmare. Or he wishes it was like his video game, where he can pause at any time and go back to normal life. But no. He had to be in love with dinosaurs and do everything in his power to get here. Curse his nerdy self!
After tending to Sammy, Yasmina offers Darius a hand, which he gratefully accepts. He groans as he stands, white dots dancing across his vision. Never has his body felt more bruised and banged up. Except for maybe that time he and his dad went to an amusement park and Darius broke his arm. Oh those were the days. Another roar - from much closer it seems - shakes him from his thoughts.
"Oh, it's-it's COMING!" Ben shouts in fear. Everyone quickly shushes him, not wanting to attract any unwanted guests. Well, any 'guest' at this point would most likely be unwanted.
"Shh! It could be anywhere…" Yasmina whispers. Hearts pounding, the campers scan the jungle for any movement. Yaz is right. The indominus could be anywhere on the island, and they are just too exposed right now. Darius scans the area, looking for anything that can lead them to some sort of shelter.
"The observation tower was that way?" Brooklyn mutters, also trying to figure out where they are. "Or…was it that way? I-uh…" Just perfect. They are lost. Darius fearfully looks around the woods, trying in vain to find a familiar landmark.
"Okay…I'm sorry but I…" Sammy cuts herself off with a gasp, and Darius looks at her with curiosity, but quickly dismisses it as yet another roar sets the campers on edge. Instinctively he reaches up to grasp at his necklace. His hand hits air. Now it's Darius's turn to gasp as he realizes something is very wrong.
"Where's? No, no no no...my necklace! I-I left it in my bunk!" Darius starts to freak out to Yasmina, the closest one to him. She looks at him with concern and places a hand on his shoulder. The gesture is nice, but it doesn't do much to slow Darius's racing heart. The raptor tooth always provided comfort for him, and not having its familiar weight rest against his chest sends him into a panic. His breath hitches as yet another roar echoes, and the campers huddle together.
"We've got slightly bigger problems then a-AH!" The ground shakes and the creature sounds much closer. Everyone screams, cutting off the rest of Kenji's sentence - though they all know what he was going to say.
"We've got to run, NOW!" Sammy takes off, everyone else following her lead. The whole time Darius mutters to himself, trying to convince himself that his necklace is fine. Cuz if it's not, he doesn't know what he'll do. Just get back to camp…just get back to camp…just get back to camp. Darius repeats that mantra over and over in his mind as they run. Their feet pound on the jungle floor, splashing in mud and jumping over logs. Darius isn't sure where they are going, and he doesn't really care so long as they get as far from the indominus as possible - and closer to his necklace. Their breaths come in quick gasps, but no one stops, or slows down in fear of what might happen if they do.
Darius bursts through the bushes and stops with a sudden gasp. The others follow his lead when they see the camp. Or well, what's left of the camp. For what was supposed to be their home-away-from-home for the next week is now torn to shreds, just barely hanging in the tall trees. But wait…that would mean Darius's necklace is somewhere in there. Somewhere completely impossible to get to. Nononononono. This can't be happening. Darius hears the other campers catch their breath, while his quicken.
He stumbles away from the other campers, his eyes on the ruined treehouse. His foot hits air and he trips into a hole. He looks down and sees he's stepping in a giant footprint. The indominus rex's footprint. God, if they had been here when the indominus attacked…Darius shudders to think what might have happened.
If he just had his necklace…but no. It's gone. It's gone forever. The last piece of his dad is gone. Darius's breaths speed up even faster if that's even possible, and he starts to feel light-headed. He shakes his head and tries to focus on the other campers. They are all rumbling around the camp debris, trying to find any evidence of life.
"Dave, Roxie, the other workers…" Sammy says fearfully, "They must've all gotten away." She tries to look on the bright side and Darius finds himself relaxing ever-so-slighty.
"Not…not all of them." Ben says, voice shaking with fear. Darius looks over to see him stumbling away from a jeep. He falls and Sammy rushes over to help. Darius's breath hitches and that 'relaxed' feeling goes away immediately. He starts to hyperventilate again, and he tries to ground himself. He turns his attention to Yasmina, who's digging around in some of the rubble and finds the walkie-talkie Roxie left them. She picks it up and looks at Darius, and he sees the fear in her eyes. Eyes that usually are full of steady determination. If she's scared, then things really are bad.
"Hello? Hello! Can anybody-" She groans as the walkie fizzles out. She starts frantically smashing buttons, but gets nowhere. She gives up and drops the device, a desperate realization crossing her face. "We're on our own."
Darius's own eyes widen and this time he can't control his breathing., can't ground or steady himself on anything. Dave and Roxie aren't even here to make things better. They-they really are on their own. This realization hits Darius like a tidal wave. They are going to die out here and no one will hear their screams.
Brooklyns perspective
Everyone looks around in shock and fear - even Kenji looks terrified - but all Brooklyn can feel is anger. She has a device she can call for help on. She can save them all! But someone stole it and refuses to give it back!
"Give. Me. Back. My. Phone!" She finally explodes, unable to take it anymore. She tried being Little Miss Nice Girl, and kept Sammy's secret, but now it's time to drop that act.
"What?" Sammy asks innocently, but Brooklyn can hear the hint of fear hidden underneath.
"I don't care about you sneaking into Dr. Wu's lab, I don't care about whatever you did with the skin samples you took from the sinoceratops-"
"What?" "What skin samples?" "What were you doing in Dr. Wu's lab?" Brooklyn hears the others murmur in confusion but she pays them no attention. Her sole focus is on the girl in front of her.
"I don't even care that you stole it now." Brooklyn gets all in Sammy's face, showing her that she is not one to mess with. It seems to be working as Sammy is backing up as Brooklyn advances. "All I want to do is call for help! Where is it?!"
"Uh…I-I" Sammy stutters. Brooklyn mentally smirks, knowing she's got the cowgirl cornered. Sure bullying the answer out of the girl probably isn't the best way to do things, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Brooklyn waits in silence as Sammy tries to figure out what to say. Everyone else starts to shift uncomfortably, and this time Brooklyn can't help but let out a small smirk. Suddenly Sammy steels herself and looks angrily at Brooklyn.
"I don't know what you're talking about! Skin samples? Sneaking into labs? You made up some crazy thing in your own dang head!" Sammy moves to stand by Yaz and the other campers. But Brooklyn is not ready to admit defeat that easily.
"Hey back off!" Yasmina shouts, coming to Sammy's defense, "Not everything revolves around you and your stupid phone! It isn't Sammy's fault you lost it!"
"Would you guys please keep it down?" Ben whispers, ever the peacemaker, "there's a big-"
"A big scary dinosaur?" Kenji chimes in, his own fear turning to anger, "Of course there's a big scary dinosaur! There's always a big scary dinosaur!"
"And you're always a big-mouthed jerk!" Ben retorts.
"Yeah? Well at least I don't play with crayons!"
"Give it back!" Brooklyn shouts to Sammy.
"Back off!" Yasmina yells back.
"What is your problem with me?" Brooklyn asks, tears pricking at the edge of her eyes. Sure she doesn't need everyone to like her but she can't stand it when someone doesn't. "I'm trying to get us - all of us - out of this mess!"
"My necklace! No…" A new voice whispers so quietly Brooklyn almost misses it. But the way it cracks catches her attention. She whips her head over to its source and sees Darius standing with his neck craned up to the treehouse ruins. The way he's standing makes him seem so small, so fragile. Brooklyn furrows her eyebrows and she realizes something isn't right.
"Uh, guys?" Brooklyn is barely audible, but somehow everyone still hears her.
"Just stop Brooklyn! Not everything is about your stupid phone!" Kenji roars back, causing Brooklyn to flinch. She takes a deep breath and continues on, pushing past Kenji's rage.
"No seriously, look at Darius." Everyone turns to look at the boy in question, noticing him staring up at the destroyed camp in silence. He doesn't move a muscle and seems unaware of the groups fighting. The tension between them immediately diffuses as they focus on their nerdiest member.
"Hey, Darius buddy, are you okay?" Kenji walks up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. Darius immediately recoils at the touch, stumbling over his feet and falling to the hard ground. Darius turns his face to the teens, and Brooklyn notices his eyes are blown wide with fear, but he doesn't seem to see any of them. He seems lost in his own head and scared for some reason. Brooklyn's heart aches to see him so distraught. A boy, who just moments ago was marvelling at a brontosaurus or whatever at the watchtower has now been reduced to this.
Sammy tries to race forward, but Yaz holds her back. Brooklyn nods in agreement, Sammy - though she means well - would rush forward and give Darius a big hug, which Brooklyn fears would only make matters worse. She notices Darius is muttering to himself again, much like he was when they were first running to camp. Brooklyn didn't pay him any mind while they were running, but now she gives him her full attention. But she can only make out a few jumbled phrases. She thinks she hears the word "necklace" repeated a few times.
Meanwhile, Kenji tries to approach Darius again, this time going much slower.
"Hey bro, it's me Kenji! There's nothing to be worried about. That old camp was unstable anyways." Darius stiffens at the light tone and Kenji pauses. He looks back to the group for help and Brooklyn decides to step forward.
"Look dino nerd, at least we are together in this! No one was hurt, and I'm sure Dave and Roxie will be on their way back by now. I mean sure we lost some stuff, but that's better than losing our lives!" Darius relaxes ever so slightly and Brooklyn smiles before continuing. "Besides, when we get back home I'll buy you all the dinosaur teeth necklaces you want!"
Finally Darius seemed to hear her, his eyes refocus and Brooklyn lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. But she spoke too soon. Suddenly Darius's breath hitches and he curls into himself, turning so his back is to the rest of the campers. Even from a distance, Brooklyn can see his shoulders shake and hear the soft, desperate sobs escape him. Brooklyn steps back in surprise. She didn't help, she made it worse!
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't mean to…" She doesn't know what else to say. Darius is now sobbing on the floor and it's all Brooklyn's fault. But what did she say to cause this reaction? Was it the thing about the necklace? Is that piece of jewelry really that important to him?
Brooklyn feels soft arms wrap around her and looks up to see Sammy give her a big hug. Brooklyn stiffens at first and her mind races, knowing Sammy will be able to feel right through her thin but bulky jacket. She's going to feel right through the disguise she tried so hard to put up. The act that everything is okay. That she is okay. She's not ready for that facade to fall, she doesn't think she'll ever be.
But slowly she relaxes as she realizes Sammy isn't going to say anything - at least not yet. And just like that all of Brooklyn's anger at the farm-girl dissipates. Kenji was right, her phone isn't the most important thing in the world, even if it would be quite helpful in this situation. Brooklyn knows Sammy is going to bring up her paper-thin form eventually, and she knows she'll probably have to talk about it at some point. But for now she pushes those thoughts aside and enjoys the comfort the hug brings.
"Yo guys, Darius isn't just crying anymore!" Kenji frantically calls out. Brooklyn looks up and feels Sammy do the same. Kenji has managed to get closer to the dino nerd, and is kneeled right in front of him.
"What do you mean? Is he hurt?" Yasmina asks, already rushing over. Brooklyn joins them and sees what Kenji pointed out. Darius is gasping for air, choking like he can't breathe. His chocolate brown complexion has gone sheet-white and he's shaking like a leaf in the wind. Everyone surrounds him, trying to help. Sammy pats him on the back, Kenji shakes his shoulders a little bit, Yaz examines for any injuries, and Brooklyn talks to him, hoping her voice will have some grounding effect. Nothing seems to be working.
"ENOUGH!" A squeaky voice shouts, then more quietly repeats itself. Everyone (minus Darius) whips their heads around to the owner of the voice. Brooklyn feels everyone's jaws drop along with hers as they look at the boy standing in front of them. No longer is he the meek, scared child, but someone in command. Ben stands tall and confident, nothing any of them have seen him do yet. He still looks just as terrified as the other feel, but Brooklyn sees his face set in determination. He marches towards Darius with such authority that the campers immediately all feel more at ease with him there.
"Everyone give Darius space. Now!" Ben commands. Brooklyn obliges, and scoots far away from Darius. Kenji and Yaz follow suit, with the latter having to drag Sammy away.
"What's wrong with him?" Brooklyn timidly asks, something she's never done before (she usually demands answers, and yells when she doesn't get them). To say she was worried would be an understatement. In the few days she's known him, Brooklyn has come to like Darius. The multiple near-death experiences with him probably had something to do with it. From the moment he stepped into camp, he had this certain carelessness that Brooklyn rarely sees in anybody. And that feeling just grew stronger when he told that stupid story at the campfire that night without caring what the others would think. Brooklyn tunes back in as Ben makes his way to the boy in question.
"Panic attack." Was all he said to answer her. Brooklyn sighs, but out of relief or fear she doesn't know. On the bright side, Darius has no physical injuries. But on the not-so-bright side, Darius could pass out if he doesn't get his breathing under control. And he's seriously suffering mentally if he's having a panic attack in the first place. Brooklyn has never had a panic attack herself (thank god) but when she was hospitalized some of her 'neighbors' frequently had them. She would often hear them cry themselves to sleep.
"A panic attack! Aw no, Darius." Sammy whines sympathetically, and Brooklyn remembers her saying something about having a big family. If Sammy likes Darius even half as much as she loves her own siblings, then it must be breaking her heart to see him go through this. This time it's Brooklyn's turn to give Sammy comfort. Brooklyn wraps her own arms sound the farm-girls shoulders and Sammy immediately sinks into her touch.
Meanwhile, Ben kneels in front of Darius and pries one of his hands from his head, where he'd been holding his hair in a death grip. Ben takes Darius's hand and slowly but carefully brings it to his chest. Brooklyn and the others stare in confusion as Ben sucks in big, obnoxious gulps of air. Suddenly it clicks for Brooklyn. Ben is trying to get Darius to breathe with him. He's taking slow, deliberate breaths in hopes Darius will slow his own gasping and start to calm down. And from the looks of it, it seems to be working.
"That's it, just breathe with me Darius. In like you're smelling a flower, out like you're blowing out a candle. Smell the flower, blow out the candle. Smell the flower, blow out the candle. That's it, good job." Very slowly Darius's breathing evens out, and he's no longer gasping for air. His breaths are still shuddering and uneasy, but at least he's isn't on the verge of passing out anymore. Once Ben is satisfied with Darius's breathing he takes the boys other hand and rolls it into a tight fist.
"What are you doin' now?" Sammy inquires, wriggling out of Brooklyn's arms and sitting up for a better view. Ben responds but not to Sammy. The whole time he looks at Darius and helps him through.
"Do you feel the tightness in your fist? Take a deep inhale with it. Then exhale and slowly release your fist." Ben commands, and to Brooklyns surprise Darius actually does it.
"What does that do?" The ever-curious cowgirl asks. This time Ben answers Sammy's question.
"When Darius releases the tension in his fist, it's supposed to simulate him releasing the tension in his body, heart, head, anywhere, as he exhales."
"Oh! So like breathing out all the negative energy and emotions, and breathing in the positive stuff?" Ben nods and Sammy sits back down, satisfied. Ben redirects his focus to the boy in front of him, making sure Darius's breaths are slow and even.
Darius takes a few more deep breaths then slowly lifts his head. Brooklyn can now clearly see the rivers of tears that still flow freely down his face, and the pure fear in his eyes. She wishes there was something she could do to help, but without any info from him she doesn't think she can. He licks his lips and clears his throat before finally speaking.
"What…what just happened?" Darius shakily asks.
"You had a panic attack, bro, but not to worry for I got Ben here to step in!" Kenji boasts, trying to take the spotlight like always. Brooklyn just rolls her eyes.
"Okay, and what really happened?" Darius cocks an eyebrow and his lips form a wobbly smile, though it doesn't reach his eyes.
"You did have a panic attack - that part Kenji got right - but it was Ben who stepped up and brought you back." Yaz says, bringing Darius up to speed.
"I'm so sorry Darius! We should have noticed something was off earlier, and I'm sorry we were so useless!" Sammy apologizes profusely. She can't take it anymore and she jumps up and rushes to give Darius a firm but gentle hug. Darius stiffens at first before awkwardly putting his own arms around the cowgirl.
"It's okay Sammy, I'm fine. Really." He says the last word more like he's trying to convince himself rather than the others. "And thank you Ben, I'm not entirely sure what happened, but without you I probably would have passed out or something." Ben smiles warmly and takes a step back, giving Darius some space. Everyone else however crowds around him, trying to provide as much comfort as possible - for both Darius and themselves. Out of the corner of her eye she notices Ben take out his hand sanitizer and squirt a big helping on himself.
"By the way Ben, why do you know how to deal with panic attacks in the first place?" Brooklyn asks. When she was hospitalized, someone came in to talk about panic attacks and how to deal with them but none of that information stuck with her. She probably should have paid more attention. As soon as she gets home Brooklyn is going to make an unboxing video about panic attacks. Right after she unboxes Jurassic Park, of course.
Ben tenses at Brooklyn's question and looks at the ground finding his feet very interesting. Brooklyn immediately regrets asking, as whatever the reason it must have brought on some bad memories. After a few moments of silence Ben speaks up in a barely audible whisper.
"I've uh…I've had experience treating my own panic attacks." The others wait for him to continue but he provides no further explanation. Brooklyn senses Ben's unease, and is about to move on when Kenji decides to nudge Ben along.
"Why did you have panic attacks?"
"Kenji! You can't just go around asking that! That's so insensitive!" Sammy exclaims, rushing to Ben's defense. For once, Brooklyn agrees with the Sammy. That was just plain rude of Kenji to do. But that just proves that his heart is as cold as ice. She looks at Ben in concern but he just sits up straighter, and steels himself to answer.
"No, no, it's okay Sammy, but thank you for defending me. We're on our own for who-knows-how-long so we may as well be honest with each other." Sammy's face flushes at this, and she looks down guiltily. Brooklyn catches this but doesn't say anything. That could wait, right now is not the time to start another argument with half the camp. Ben takes a deep breath then continues. "Some things…happened when I was younger. Some things that will stay with me forever. Um, I often wake up in a panic and not able to breathe. I later learned that those were panic attacks caused by nightmares and I had to learn how to deal with them myself. My mom already does so much for me, that I didn't want to worry her or add another thing to her plate."Sammy Eceryone sits in silence, processing what Ben just said. Kenji is the first one to break it.
"Oh. wow bro, I'm sorry for outright asking. I shouldn't have and I'll watch my big mouth a bit more in the future." Kenji apologizes, (and actually sounds sincere for once) and moves from Darius's side to Bens, giving him a sort of half-hug thing. Sammy moves too and wraps her arms tight around Ben, with Yasmina following close behind. Brooklyn shifts from Darius as well - though she keeps a hand on his shoulder - and gives Ben's knee a squeeze.
"It's okay Kenji. And thanks guys. I'm okay - well, not really okay but I'm getting there. But for now I'm fine, really. The person we should be worrying about right now is Darius." Everyone directs their attention from Ben back on to Darius. He's no longer openly crying, but his eyes are still wet and bloodshot.
"Darius…?" Brooklyn cautiously asks. He looks at her and wraps his arms around her in a desperate hug. She feels him trembling beneath her arms. In his current mental state he probably doesn't even realize how her body shape is not what it should be.
"Was this about your necklace by any chance?" Darius lets out a strangled sob and that's enough of an answer for Brooklyn. She sees Kenji open his mouth - most likely to ask another painfully blunt question - but Sammy clamps her hand over it.
"My…my necklace. I left it in camp…it's-it's probably gone…forever…" Darius breaks down again, and Brooklyn just holds him while he cries. Even though he's only a year younger than her, right now he seems so small in her arms.
"EW KENJI!" Sammy screeches and Brookllyn whips her head around to see Kenji standing with his tongue out and Sammy frantically wiping at her hand. Brooklyn rolls her eyes, realizing that the oldest camper is the most childlike of them all.
"Dude, why do you care so much about a stupid necklace? There are tons of dino bones on this island. We'll just get you a replacement." Darius goes still and Brooklyn shoots Kenji a glare. So much for him watching his big mouth. Darius suddenly stands up, fists balled.
"My necklace is not stupid!" He screams at Kenji. Everyone freezes, having seen nothing but nerdy glee from the 14 year-old. Rage is a new color for him, and Brooklynn has to say, it does not look good on him. Darius stalks towards Kenji, and the latter actually looks scared of a kid half his size. He backs up until he hits a tree and has nowhere else to go.
"That necklace was given to me by my dad! It was one of the last gifts he ever gave me before he got sick! Before he…he…" Brooklyn watches as all the anger is drained out of Darius, and he collapses back to the ground. Sammy immediately rushes to his side and starts rubbing his back and murmuring comforting words. Kenji looks shocked and disgusted with himself. Good, Brooklyn thinks, he should be upset.
"I'm so sorry Darius. We didn't know." Yaz says, kneeling down beside him.
"He…he wanted to come here so bad. We've been planning the trip for years. I was hoping…that by bringing the necklace…I would be, I don't know, bringing him along to. I know it's stupid."
"No it's not stupid." Ben speaks up. "I think it's beautiful that you want to bring a part of your dad with you to the place he always wanted to go."
"Yeah, well some dream that turned out to be."
"Hey, look at me," Brooklyn grabs Darius's shoulders and turns him to her, "Just because this part of the trip is trash, doesn't mean it wasn't worth dreaming about. I mean think of all the cool things you've seen so far! We got to chase a herd of dinosaurs! How many kids can say they've done that?"
"Heh, I guess you've got a point." Darius takes a final deep breath and wipes away the last of his tears. "But I'm not ready to let go of the necklace. Not ready to let go of my dad. Not ready to admit that he's really gone…"
"Darius, repeat after me." Ben says. Darius nods and he continues, "I have everything I need."
"I have everything I need?"
"Yes Darius, you do. You may have lost the necklace, but in the long run it's just a necklace. Just another object to deal with. And it's not the necklace that's so important to you, it's the significance it holds. But that significance is right here." Ben places a hand over Darius's heart, "And the memories are right here." He moves his hand to Darius's head, "And as long as you remember your dad, he's never truly gone."
Brooklyn hears a sniffle behind her and she sees Sammy clutching onto Yaz and sobbing. Yaz looks flustered, like she has no idea what to do with a sobbing human. Brooklyn finds herself chuckling at the sight, and some of the tension lifts from her.
"You're right Ben. I do have all the memories I need. And with them, I can draw strength. We're not giving up." Darius's voice grows stronger and he slowly rises to his feet. "My dad used to say: 'Things aren't always going to go your way. Life is messy and sometimes…sometimes things fall apart. And that's okay, because when that happens we pick up the pieces and keep going. And we never give up.'"
Brooklyn looks each camper in the eye, all of them sharing the same look of determination. When she gets to Darius he smiles, and this time it reaches his eyes.
"So…are you ready to survive with the impossible?" Brooklyn chuckles. Yeah, they can totally do this.
I hope you enjoyed this fic! I loved writing it, and am really proud of how it turned out! Anyways, it would be awesome if you could take a few seconds to write a review. Hearing from you guys is what keeps me writing!
Also, please go check out ENBYsaurus's own fic "Camp Cretaceous: Unboxed". It is literally the best fic for this series ever. You guys willl not be dissapointed!
That's all for now, see you next fic! :)