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Jurassic Park Dawn of Retribution Stage Fifteen
By JPJunkee+Yvonne
FIFTEENTH STAGE
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."
-- Anne Lamott --
His head bobbed slightly up and down, bumping softly against small pebbles. He felt wet . . . wet and hot . . . and he could hear gurgling all around him. Adam Kaje's entire body ached. And to make matters worse, he found it too difficult to open his puffy eyes.
What happened? Am I dead? Kaje wondered.
He remembered the cryolophosaurs, and then the soldiers showing up, and then . . .
The gun.
I am dead.
His whole body moved slightly up then down. When his shoulder came down upon the pebbles, a harsh wave of pain rushed to his brain. He gasped as all the breath in his lungs seemed to have been instantly knocked out of him.
Maybe I'm not dead.
His shoulder, where he had been shot, still registered pain. He took that as a good sign. He fought to open his eyes, and once they had finally obeyed his command, he was welcomed by the blinding view of the sun. Quickly, he shut his eyes.
Where am I?
He listened to the gurgling again, as he felt a sort of floating sensation.
Am I going to Heaven?
He could still feel himself bobbing up and down, with water slapping at him in various stages and places. Slowly, Kaje reached his left arm down and felt the smooth pebbles beneath his floating body. He was floating at the shore of a river bank.
He strained to shift his position and sit up, and after a moment he was able to. The piercing pain in his shoulder was agonizing. He looked at the wound and saw that it was not bleeding, but that didn't make the pain any more bearable.
Now I know what Grant must have felt.
Where was Grant? How far had he drifted down the river? Would Grant bother looking for him?
Would I bother looking for Grant?
He realized then, the answer would have to be, yes. Sitting there injured and alone on the shore of a winding river, on an island populated with dangerous animals and people who wanted to kill him . . . it was not a situation he liked being in. He wouldn't wish such a terrible ordeal on anyone. Not even Grant.
And what of Malcolm and Degler? He would search for them, but he knew they wouldn't be searching for him. He had died. In their eyes, he had been shot and killed. Kaje was gone forever.
Kaje took a deep breath, then ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to make it out of here alive, he concluded.
A soft grunt reminded him where he was. He instantly opened his weary eyes to search out the origin of the noise.
He didn't have to search long, as his eyes fell upon the massive ankylosaur directly in front of him. The armored herbivore was up to its head in the shallow river water. It was dunking its head under the water every few moments, and would come up with a mouthful of seaweed and other underwater plants.
Kaje smiled slightly, then braced himself for the pain as he got to his feet.
The sudden movement must have alarmed the ankylosaur. The beast let out a loud roar and began to walk cautiously away from Kaje, but it never took its big eyes away from him.
He in turn, walked cautiously away from the ankylosaurus, being extra wary of the tail that was now beginning to swish back and forth along the river surface.
Once Kaje had walked to a safe distance, he sighed, then turned away from the ankylosaur and the river. The sun was already beginning to dry his soaking clothes, and he wasn't sure, but he thought his shoulder may have been feeling better, too.
To help the pain in his shoulder, he removed the two straps of the backpack that still clung to his upper body. The pack hit the rocky ground with a wet smack. Kaje sighed and knelt down next to the pack, opening its top. He began to rummage through the pack, looking for food as he suddenly determined he was near starving. His hands groped for anything that felt like a candy bar, since he thought he remembered having one or two left. His hand grabbed two small objects in the pack, and he hastily pulled them out.
Kaje glared at the objects in his hand. One was an opened, wet and soggy energy bar of some sort, with a smiling Spanish man on the front, while the other object was even more peculiar. It looked like a cordless phone from the 80's, except it was lacking numbers or any other features. Just a long black plastic gadget, with a two-inch wire at the top and a blinking light in the middle. Right away, he knew it had to be a tracking device of some kind.
He flipped the device over in his hand, examining all sides. It made sense, he realized. How else would the Ricans have shown up in all the right places like they had in the past? When had they slipped it into his pack? Kaje shook his head, knowing the question was irrelevant at this point. He wondered if he was the only person the Ricans had bugged. If so, that meant that he had been the one that had led the Ricans to them all along. He felt sick, and the pain in his shoulder returned again full force.
Well, if I am the only one they were tracking, he thought, then they're only tracking me now.
Suddenly, he didn't feel so alone and insignificant anymore. If anything, he almost saw purpose in his being separated from the others. He could lead the Ricans even further off the track, and help Grant and the others to survive. Smiling, he placed the tracking device, and the soggy candy bar with the smiling Spanish man back into his pack.
Then, moving as smoothly as he could manage, so that he would not further injure his shoulder, he picked up the backpack and threw it into the flowing river. The pack created a splash, startling the ankylosaurus, who retaliated by beating its clubbed tail in the water, trying to kill the backpack.
Kaje sighed and looked up river.
He didn't dare follow the river back to Grant, for fear of the Costa Rican soldiers, Larson's men, and any predator that would be using the river as its hunting grounds. And waiting here wasn't a wonderful idea either, especially since he was injured. Instead, he now faced the dark forbidding jungle. Kaje held his head up high as he stepped into the trees.
* * *
After walking alongside the river, mostly in thought, Grant finally stopped.
"You okay?" Ellie asked.
"I'm fine," he answered grumpily, and then he looked toward Malcolm, "You're absolutely sure about Kaje?"
"Yes," Malcolm answered, emphasizing his irritation with a deep sigh, "For the third time . . . yes. He was shot. He fell into the river. He floated away. He's dead."
"You said he floated away," Grant said, trying to piece together what happened between the time he fell to the cold platform and the time where he felt Ellie and Malcolm pull him to safety. It was all still very cloudy.
"Yes," Ellie answered.
"Well, maybe he's still alive down river somewhere," Grant added.
"I think he was shot in the chest, Alan," Malcolm grumbled.
"If you fell into the river, I would look for you," Grant pointed out.
"Well, that's very sweet, but if I was shot in the chest, I would hope you would understand that I was dead and wouldn't mind if you didn't bother."
Grant frowned at him, and then offered, "Okay, how about we just walk close to the water for a while? I'd just like to keep an eye out for him."
"That's reasonable," Malcolm concluded, "But try not to get your hopes up. I doubt we'll find him."
"Good enough," Grant agreed.
"I'm starving," Ellie said out of the blue.
"I'd kill for even a piece of bread right now," Malcolm said, chuckling.
"We'll be out of here soon," Grant said.
"I'd like to announce that I'm buying all of you dinner when we get home," Malcolm informed them.
The three of them enjoyed a much-needed laugh as they continued down the riverbank.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not very far ahead of Grant and the others, Leah walked silently next to McCarney, as the small group of people continued its fast-paced trek. Evening was gradually approaching, making the sun a little more bearable.
"Why are we moving away from the river?" she asked, mostly just trying to make conversation with someone, rather than deal with the dead silence any longer.
"We only needed to follow the river for a certain distance. Now, we're cutting through and moving toward our destination."
"The volcano?" Leah asked, being careful where she walked.
McCarney stared at her for a moment, and then asked, "What do you know about it?"
"You've all been spewing that information out for quite a few days now. It's not that big a secret."
"Oh, yes. You're a reporter. How silly of me to forget," McCarney answered finally, and then added, "Well, yes. That's where we're going."
Nodding at him, Leah went back to nursing a pain in her head, gently rubbing it and frowning.
McCarney noticed, "What's the matter now?"
"Headache."
"You want some water? That's about all I can offer you."
"Sure," she answered, already picturing the wet liquid moving smoothly through her worn and tired body.
He handed it to her and that's when she noticed just how far away they were from the rest of the men. In the back of her mind, she knew it would probably be unwise to try to get away, but she didn't want to remain near Larson anymore. He was becoming more and more unraveled, even calling her by some other woman's name a few times. She needed to get away from him before he further snapped.
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Leah pretended to fall.
McCarney leaned over to help her up and when he was in the right position, she tucked her head down and sprung her body straight up. The man had no idea what hit him as he grabbed his nose, and then sank to the ground in a heap.
Leah looked at him for a moment. He was really the only one that had bothered to be nice to her. "Sorry about that," she whispered as she ran off into the jungle.
Jack was closest to them and had heard the struggle, "Hey! The lady is making a break for it!"
Whipping around, Larson began to immediately scan the area, his eyes very determined. He wasn't about to lose his hostage when they were so close. He saw movement in the trees and without another thought, took off running toward it.
"Go around the other way! Cut her off!" he yelled to a few of the men.
Leah was running as fast as she could. It didn't seem to matter much, though. The jungle was so dense, she didn't feel like she was making any progress. Hearing some twigs crack nearby, she stopped moving and hid behind a tree. Daring herself to look, she caught a glimpse of someone running towards her. When she took a closer look, she realized it was Larson.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Larson yelled, antagonizing her and having a little fun in the process.
She took a few steps back, trying to sneak away quietly, but then she noticed he was staring directly at her. He was very angry and his eyes seemed to pierce right through her.
She starting to retreat again, but ran right into Griffin, who had quietly made his way around the other side. The man struck her in the face, causing her to scream out and fall. She wasn't about to be an easy catch though. Getting back her bearings, and with a surprising amount of speed, she tackled Griffin at his knees and brought the man to the ground. She rolled away from him and got back to her feet, running once again.
The loud gunshot, ringing just past her head, finally caused her to stop trying to run.
"I might not miss next time!" Larson shouted to her back.
"Okay! Okay!" she screamed in frustration, holding her hands up, trying to catch her breath.
She watched Griffin get up and brush himself off. He wasn't looking very happy either.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Screaming echoed throughout the jungle, stopping Grant in his tracks, "That's Leah," he said. Seconds later, his heart stopped as he heard a gunshot, followed by another scream for mercy.
He began running toward the screams.
"Alan, wait. She's obviously not alone," Ellie yelled in a harsh whisper, but Grant was already running along the riverbank, "Alan!" she said, gritting her teeth.
Deaf to Ellie's pleas, Grant moved away from the riverbank and plunged into the jungle, trying to follow Leah's voice. After running for several minutes, he couldn't help but notice a major problem. Her voice had disappeared almost as fast as it had appeared, leaving Grant standing in the middle of nowhere, trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Ellie and Malcolm caught up to him after he had stopped some distance away, "Where are they?" Malcolm asked, out of breath.
"I don't know. The yelling stopped," Grant answered, keeping a close eye on the area in front of them, "I think they're straight ahead somewhere, though."
"They sounded farther away than you might think," Malcolm said.
"Yeah, this place can make you think someone, or something, is right on top of you," Ellie added.
Grant just stood by, listening to Ellie and Malcolm's discussion. Finally, after they carried on for a few more minutes, trying to convince him not to run off into oblivion, he began to shake his head, "No. You're wrong. I know what I heard and where the hell I heard it from."
"Alan, stop being so damn defensive," Ellie urged.
"Stop being so damn unhelpful then!" he screamed in an unnatural way.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Malcolm yelled over them, "Let's stop the little kid fighting, okay?"
Grant glared toward Malcolm. Again, the man was right, and again, it angered him, "I really don't care what either of you do. I'm going after her."
"None of us are saying we don't want to go after her," Malcolm pointed out, "We just need to stay level-headed." Malcolm placed a hand on Grant's shoulder, "All of us."
Grant nodded in agreement, but said nothing more.
"Now, let's go find Leah . . . in a quiet, less intrusive manner. How's that sound?" Malcolm suggested.
Again, Grant nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trying to fight off Larson's tight grip on her arm, Leah struggled with him as he dragged her back toward the path he wished to take.
"Let me go!" she screamed. After her fledgling attempt to escape was diverted, she believed Larson would kill her. But since he had spared her life, Leah guessed that she was still important, so she pressed her luck with him.
Her assumptions proved to be incorrect.
Larson pushed her into the nearest tree and rested his pistol against the side of her head, "Don't make me shoot you."
His eyes told her he meant business, so Leah's demeanor swiftly altered, the gun making her the helpless victim once again, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry," she stammered, holding her hands up in the form of a peace offering, as he continued to press the pistol to her head.
"Much better," he observed, as he removed the weapon and put it away, "Now move."
She was much better behaved now, and they found their way to the others quickly. Looking around at the men, she almost immediately noticed Mick McCarney, who had been sitting on a fallen tree holding a rag to his nose. When the irate man saw her, he jumped to his feet and raced toward her.
Larson's muscular arm stopped the balding man in his tracks, "Don't go taking your frustrations out on the lady."
"Lady? Bitch is more like it. A bitch that's going to get what's coming to her," McCarney spat.
"Mick," Larson said calmly, pushing him back, "She got the drop on you." He looked at Griffin, "She got the drop on a lot of us today," he said, amused. When Griffin finally smiled too, Larson looked back at McCarney, "So how about you just let it go and try not to get beaten up by a tiny woman again, okay?"
"Whatever," McCarney scoffed.
"I'll take that as a yes," Larson mused. He turned to look at Leah, "And I think I'll keep you right where I can see you from now on."
* * *
Martinez shifted the rifle in his hands, struggling to repress a brewing smile as he stared at Aldez's emotionless face.
The withered backpack bobbed up and down in the water of the river. One of its straps had become snagged on a fallen tree that had dropped into the middle of the river some time ago. There was no body, and nor was there any sign of a killing anywhere here by the river, or by the fallen tree.
Aldez stood stock-still, staring at the backpack. Clearly it had never occurred to him that the pack could have fallen off of Kaje, or that Kaje might have actually happened upon the tracking device inside and decided to disembogue the pack altogether.
One of the soldiers, sensing the General's displeasure with the whole ordeal, stepped forward and waded through the water until he reached the pack. Grabbing it, he walked back to shore with it in his hands. Once on land, he brought the pack over to Aldez.
Aldez took the pack from him, then reached inside and almost instantly pulled out the small tracking device. He frowned and placed it in the backpack once again. There was a red stain of blood on one of the straps and he rubbed the stain with his thumb, breathing fast.
"Pinche cabron!" Aldez shouted in his own language, angrily throwing the pack into the river.
Martinez's smile finally showed itself, and now he had to fight to stop himself from laughing. He cupped his hand over his lips, watching as Aldez pulled the tracking monitor from his own pack, and threw that into the water as well.
Aldez turned back to his troops, his face red with rage. His eyes never met any of theirs, he didn't seem to see any one of them, and Martinez was thankful for that. But, all eyes were definitely on the General.
"They're still out there, somewhere," Aldez growled, motioning at the jungle around them. "And we're still going to find them."
All the soldiers nodded a silent acknowledgment.
"Move out!" Aldez yelled, turning on his feet and walking towards the jungle foliage. All the other soldiers followed closely behind him.
Martinez paused for a moment, looking at the waters of the glistening stream as it moved over the smooth rocks of the riverbed. They were hunting the scientists blindly, and in all truthfulness, it was unlikely that they would ever cross paths again now. Martinez sighed and lowered his head, not sure if losing their quarry was in fact a good or bad thing.
He looked out at the green trees and said quietly, "Good luck, amigos." He shouldered his rifle and followed the others into the jungle.
* * *
The men were tired, hot and thirsty, so Larson had finally given permission for the group to stop and rest. Looking around, most everyone was already doing just that, which had instantly helped the morale of the small group. The sun had long since set in the ocean, the skies set ablaze in a vivid display of reds and oranges. The colors were beginning to slowly fade now, as the moon made its presence known in the cloudy gloom above, the darkness of night nearing with each passing moment
Larson approached the edge of the clearing and turned toward Leah, "Sit down," he demanded, pointing toward a nearby tree.
She moved past him. When she was ahead of him, he pushed her into the tree and then grabbed her arm and forced her to sit down. The grip on her arm was painful, but she remained as quiet as possible. He was kneeling on the jungle floor staring at her, and she made sure not to make eye contact with him.
"Will we be safe here?" McCarney asked, causing Larson to cease glaring at Leah.
"Yeah, I'm not sure that stopping in the middle of nowhere is a good plan," Griffin added.
Larson stood up and attempted to straighten his wrinkled and worn clothes.
"As long as we don't sleep by the river, we'll be fine."
"How can you be sure?" McCarney asked.
"Because I used to work here. Remember?"
"That doesn't answer the question, Brock," Griffin observed.
Larson let out a long sigh. It wasn't until right then, that he thought about killing the people he had brought with him. He would be surprised if any of the men would make it anyway, their future fates probably sealed by a hungry island resident . . . certainly not by his own hand at this point. Thoughts and plans were changing by the minute though, and all he wanted to do at the moment was sleep, so he would need these additional bodies to help keep a lookout.
"We are in what is called "neutral territory". The only thing that was ever recorded coming through here, were the workers and some very persistent compies. That's all. So, again, we are safe here," Larson explained with a tinge of anger in his voice.
Griffin nodded, realizing that if had questioned Larson more, there would be some sort of problem. He didn't want to deal with anymore problems. They had enough of that as it was.
McCarney wasn't as smart. "Why can't we just keep on walking until we get to the volcano?"
Griffin closed his eyes, feeling the tension emitting from Larson even from a distance. Larson marched up to McCarney.
"We are staying here. End of discussion. We have rifles. We have pistols. We have enough manpower here to hold our own. So, relax."
McCarney didn't nod in agreement, but his body language was telling Larson that he was going to stay there without trouble.
"I'm glad we understand each other," Larson said with a smile.
McCarney frowned and looked away. Staying in that area was more than a little alarming to him, but it looked like he was the only one so opposed to it. He decided to drop the subject, opting for a more defensive approach, as he checked to make sure his pistol was still at his side.
Larson briefly talked to the other remaining men, giving them each a few orders, and then he made his way toward Leah.
He sat down very close to her, their arms touching. Leah moved over, making sure to let him know that she didn't want to be that close.
"Playing hard to get," Larson teased, as he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her toward him.
She winced and frowned, but kept her cool, as she looked away in the opposite direction.
"Oh, Leah, Leah. You know . . . if you were even the least bit intelligent, you would have pretended to like me, so that you could formulate a plan of escape."
"Pretending to like you would take too much effort," Leah commented softly, trying to hold back her hatred.
Larson smiled at her, even though she wasn't even looking his way. He reached his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him.
"You still owe me a kiss. I haven't forgotten."
Leah pushed his hand away and attempted to get up.
Larson was amused by her tenacity for a moment, but then his smile faded, "Stop disobeying me, or you will truly have something to worry about."
"I don't already?" Leah questioned, gesturing towards the jungle and the armed men.
"No, you don't. These men have been in the jungle . . . alone . . . for longer than they would have liked. I'd be willing to bet that each and every one of them has thought about being intimate with you, but for just a few moments."
Leah's face twisted in disgust, as she stared into Larson's eyes.
"I've had the same thoughts," he added, "So, unless you want a lot more than you've bargained for right now, I would shut up and do exactly what you're told."
Leah nodded, even more frightened than before.
"Good. Now lie down, right here next to me, and go to sleep, my dear sweet Leah."
She did as he instructed. She tried to lay on her side, looking away from him, but he insisted that she stay on her back. She remained in that position, closing her eyes, trying to wish away her bad fortune.
A noise in the near distance caused her to lift her head slightly. Observing the behavior of the rest of the men, she was hoping that they weren't eyeing her the way Larson had hinted. They weren't. Most everyone was either sitting or lying down for the night, with a few walking around watching over the area.
She turned to look at Larson, half-thinking he would be looking at her, but his eyes were closed, his head resting on the tree roots.
Leah stared up at the stars, hoping that Alan would try to get her away from here before it was too late.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was now dark, but Ellie and Malcolm continued to follow Grant through the thick jungle foliage. They hadn't heard anything more from Larson's party for several hours, and Ellie was thinking about their immediate safety. She proceeded to remain quiet though, as she stared at the back of Grant's head.
About ten steps later, they found themselves almost out of the canopy of trees, approaching a small clearing.
Ellie seized the moment, "We should probably stay on the outskirts of this clearing, overnight. Walking around after dark isn't smart."
Grant kept walking, ignoring her.
Malcolm had been behind her, and was now standing next to her, "Yes, that's a good idea, Ellie," he stated. When Grant didn't respond he added semi-loudly, "Don't you think so, Alan?"
Grant was about twenty feet into the small clearing, which placed him about in the middle of it, when he finally stopped. He didn't stop because of them, though. He was looking ahead anxiously.
Ellie noticed and quietly jogged to him. She saw it, too. Darkness was intruding on them, but they could still dimly see a small group of about ten people, some of which were walking and looking around cautiously, while others were sitting down, resting.
Unconsciously, Ellie latched onto Grant's arm and pulled him back and out of the clearing. He didn't resist, as they sought the jungle for protection.
Malcolm had lingered behind and was now next to them in the trees. None of them said a word, as they continued to watch. At the edge of the clearing, just inside the jungle on the other end, were Larson, Leah, and the rest of the armed men. So close. Too close.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larson's resolve had begun to fade away, as the muscular man gave in to some much-needed sleep. Rarely in the past few months, did he have the pleasure of just sleeping soundly though. With every sleep came a dream. A dream that would always end in a nightmare.
This night was no exception.
He was walking through a jungle, approaching the familiar dock once again. From the numerous times he would have this dream, he knew he was on Isla Nublar.
"We need to get on the boat right now, Brock."
Arthur Avery was standing on the soaked dock, staring at Larson, urging him to get a move on.
"I know, I know. Just give me a second. I haven't been able to reach her satellite phone," Larson said, still messing with the buttons of his own phone.
"Dr. Wu said she was with Dr. Berkley, remember?"
"Have you seen him since the evacuation?" Larson asked, his intensity growing.
"I'm sure they're on the way to a chopper or something."
"Did you see her get on a chopper?"
"Well, no. But we need to go right now. This storm is overtaking everything and soon we might get stranded here."
Larson glanced down at the wooden boards of the dock, as the rain was pelting the back of his head.
"And they will probably leave without you pretty soon, so let's go."
"Okay," Larson finally stated, looking up at Avery.
Avery smiled and assisted the worried man onto the boat.
Larson took one last glance at the island, hoping to see Suzan running towards him. He only saw a man running through the rain with a newspaper held over his head. The man then jumped into an awaiting Jeep, speeding off in the opposite direction. Larson sighed, then turned away.
Larson stirred in his sleep as the last image refused to register in his unconscious mind. He ignored it and began to softly mouth the word "okay" over and over. The dream was now inching its way into being that all too familiar nightmare.
Thunder loudly erupted in Larson's ears as he remained at the rear of the boat. He felt useless. He felt defenseless. The only thing he hoped for was to hear the sweet voice of the woman he loved so dearly.
As if someone above was granting him his wish, he was sure he heard Suzan's voice.
He was sure of it.
Where was it coming from?
The boat? He looked around and didn't see her.
The phone? Maybe he had left it on. No, it was off.
The island? He looked up and that's when his heart momentarily sank.
Suzan and another man were on the dock. They were both screaming and Suzan was waving her arms back and forth. From the far distance, it looked as though the man was holding his arm and frantically looking in the direction of the jungle.
"Suzan!" Larson screamed.
Whenever he had this nightmare, it always seemed to skip ahead and he would suddenly see Suzan's perspective on the whole thing. Not only her perspective, but also her innermost thoughts. With each additional nightmare, the events would get more and more vivid and disgusting.
Seeing through Suzan's eyes, she had turned her head and screamed as one of the park attractions crashed through the tree line and headed for her.
The hard and blowing rain was attacking her body, as she started to scream and flail her arms about, in a last minute gesture to plead for help.
There would be no help. No matter how many times he experienced this nightmare, Brock Larson knew there would never be help for her.
She watched Berkley shout in horror, as the giant monster approached him, seemingly deciding to claim him first. When that task was finished, the dinosaur turned and growled at her, its eyes that of pure evil and hatred.
She screamed and, again, turned toward the boat. The boat that was never coming back. Her only means of rescue was not stopping or turning around. Larson had betrayed her.
Brock Larson had cowered in the face of danger and left her to die.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grant and the others quickly backtracked, with Ellie urging them to go further still. When they were far enough away to talk freely, she stopped, trying to catch her breath in the humidity.
Grant had already staked out an observation point, peering through the jungle, knowing good and well that he wouldn't be able to see a thing from this distance. Slowly, he turned around to face them, his chest moving up and down quickly, both from the sprint and from the sighting.
Ellie knew that she had to talk him out of whatever crazy scheme he had been silently planning, but after staring at the determination in his eyes, she knew it wouldn't be easy to talk sense into him.
"Charging in there when half of them are awake---" she began.
". . . not to mention armed," Malcolm interrupted.
"Alan, that would be suicide for us," Ellie said, finishing her thought.
Grant remained quiet, then he suddenly spun around and began to walk away, but not in the direction of the clearing.
"Where are you going?" Ellie asked.
Grant glanced her way, but didn't stop walking, "To use the jungle facilities. Is that okay with you?" he snapped.
Ellie didn't answer, as he disappeared into the darkness that had all but consumed the area now.
"This is the right thing to do and he would agree if he were thinking straight," Malcolm offered.
She was still looking in the direction that Grant had walked, "Yeah," she whispered, crossing her arms and looking toward him.
Malcolm talked her into sitting down, for a well-deserved rest. She complied, but he could tell she was worried about the prolonged absence of the third person in their party.
A few minutes had gone by when Ellie stood up again, looking in the direction Grant had gone.
Malcolm stared at her for a moment, before following her gaze and slowly getting to his feet, "What's the matter?" he whispered, thinking she had somehow sensed danger nearby.
"He's gone," she said in an angry tone.
"Grant?"
"Yeah," she answered, as she began to jog toward the path Grant had taken.
"How do you know?" Malcolm whispered, looking around and finally following her at a brisk walk.
"Just come on!" she said through clenched teeth, trying not to yell.
"Okay, okay. You people are very high strung, you know that, don't you?"
They ran away from the clearing and into the dark jungle ahead of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leah opened her eyes, angry with herself for actually dozing off in the first place. She pretended to stretch and yawn, to see if Larson would notice.
He didn't. He was fast asleep, lightly snoring. She observed him for several moments, as he was perspiring and twitching in his sleep.
She cautiously glanced around, trying to bring minimal attention to herself. After observing the area for a few minutes, she realized that she could probably sneak away if she were careful enough.
The problem was . . . did she really want to sneak away? Being alone on this dangerous island, on purpose, would be a stupid move. Still undecided, nature began to call, giving her a very good reason to slowly stand up and make her way to the trees.
She made it there with no opposition. After she was there, a man came into view, walking the length of the camp. She swore to herself for not seeing him before, and then hid well, being sure to remain as quiet as possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quietly making his way through the jungle, Grant slowly tried to navigate in the darkness that now surrounded him. In his urgency, he had gotten a little turned around, and was now just hoping to come across something familiar. Finally, he spotted a faint light. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was from the fire Larson's camp had started. He shook his head in disbelief, wondering why they would start a fire, undoubtedly attracting the local wildlife at some point.
The light of the fire created flickering shadows amongst the trees of the jungle. He tensed up as he caught a glimpse of someone moving slyly through the underbrush ahead. The light of the fire radiated upon Leah's face, causing Grant to smile with relief. He took a deep breath and carefully crept into the small clearing.
And, just as quickly, backed away again, as he spotted a man walking toward him. The man walked past his safe hiding place and continued walking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leah stifled a scream, as someone grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind a tree. She turned around anxiously, hoping it was who she thought it was.
"Alan!" she whispered excitedly.
She reached out and grabbed onto his arm, pulling him toward her in a quick embrace. She closed her eyes, savoring the precious moment, and then released him, looking around.
"Where is everyone else?"
"Kaje is gone," he whispered.
"The others?" Leah asked in a worried tone.
"They're fine," he whispered, nodding. After a quick glance around, he settled back onto her face. It was at that moment, in the faint firelight, that he noticed the angry gash on her face. He reached out to her, "What happened?"
Leah intercepted his caring hand and covered her injury with her own hand, "It's nothing. I'm okay."
She watched him look away from her and turn, scanning the area.
He stopped when he spotted where Larson was sleeping soundly. Hate quickly began to stir within, as the flames of the fire danced upon Larson's face. He took a step forward.
Leah pulled on the back of his shirt, "Alan, what are you doing?"
He forced himself to look away from Larson, as he answered, "Nothing."
Leah extended her arm, gently touching the side of his bruised face. "He's not worth whatever it is you're thinking," she whispered encouragingly.
"I know," he finally said, sighing, "Come on, let's get you out of here."
With her hand gripped in his own, he began to quietly navigate through the jungle, in hopes of getting away undetected. It was working so far, and Grant was relieved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larson twitched again in his sleep, as Suzan's horrifying thoughts tore into his soul and sparked the most incredible pain he had ever felt in his life.
He didn't dare stop dreaming, though. He didn't attempt to wake himself up. Her thoughts and feelings were all that drove him on now. He needed them, in order to carry out his plans. He needed her disappointment. He was now living to rectify that disappointment.
As Suzan was looking at the boat, the lights at the dock suddenly lost power, thrusting her into total and frightful blackness. She shuddered with fear and anxiety, as she waited and waited to be taken from this earth.
She could feel the hot and sticky breath of the carnivore and she nearly heaved when she took in the smell. She glanced over toward the boat one last time. It was all but gone now, just a spec in the very far distance.
"I hate you," she whispered to herself, tears freefalling.
Seconds later, Suzan Lefly was gone. She felt an alarming sense of pain and agony, as she was eaten alive by the creature.
"Brock!" was her last word to him.
A wineglass fell from the heavens, its contents spilling out and dancing in the air as it raced past Suzan's face. She closed her eyes, for the final time. The glass crashed into the earth with such a fierce noise it catapulted Larson out of his dream and back into reality.
He sat up with a jolt, sweat streaming down his face.
A wineglass?
Something was very wrong with this dream. Things seemed to be seeping in from elsewhere and it was scaring him. He needed to feel Suzan's presence again. He took everything in, and then looked beside him.
She was gone. The only thing linking him to Suzan was gone.
Leah had gotten away.
He jumped to his feet, immediately yelling and screaming at the people around him, "She's gone! Find her!"
Griffin quickly awoke and was to his feet even before he had his bearings, "What!?" he shouted.
Larson looked at him, "Suzan!" he screamed, and then shook his head to clear away the cobwebs. "The reporter! She's gone! We need to find her!"
"Okay, okay, Brock," Griffin said softly, and then he turned to the rest of the men who were now up and moving around, "Divide up and search the premises. Holler if you find her. Do not . . . I repeat . . . do not fire any weapons. We don't want to attract the wrong kind of visitors, either dinosaurs or the Costa Rican army."
The men ran off in varying directions, trying to cover everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grant froze in place when he heard Larson scream out. He and Leah stood for a moment, listening in on Griffin's orders.
"They're going to find us," she whispered, saying the same thing he was thinking.
"No, they're not," he said reassuringly, trying to ease her concern.
He grabbed her hand and began to run again, but ran directly into someone. The collision caused Grant and the unknown person to fall to the jungle floor.
Grant looked up, ready to fight and saw Malcolm staring back at him. "What the hell are you doing?" he angrily whispered.
Ellie appeared in the darkness, "Ian, are you okay?"
Malcolm finally had enough breath to talk, "I was walking," he answered Grant, with pain in his voice. "Walking and apparently getting plowed over by some freight train running through the island."
Grant had already gotten to his feet and was already checking on Leah, when Ellie leaned over to help Malcolm.
"Larson is awake and looking for us," Leah informed them.
"What? Like, right now?" Malcolm asked, still confused.
"Yes, Ian," Grant answered with a sigh.
"You should have waited until dayli---," Ellie began to point out rather rudely.
"Can we talk about this later?" Grant interrupted.
Ellie nodded and they began to walk away from Larson's camp.
"Hold it right there!" someone shouted.
Grant had made the choice of being the last person, so he was the first to turn around.
McCarney was standing before them with his rifle, "Brock! I've got them! Over here!" he shouted, as he kept his weapon trained on Grant.
Grant's heart was pounding. If and when Larson got there, it wouldn't bode well for them. He thought about charging at McCarney, since the man looked scared. Those thoughts quickly changed, as in just seconds, more people could be heard running into the area.
Larson made his way past his men and stood next to Griffin, who also had a pistol pointed toward the enemies.
"Where did you think you were going?" he asked Leah.
She didn't answer him, but he noticed that she pressed closer to Grant. That angered him. The spirit of Suzan was way too close to the enemy.
Grant took his eyes from the Larson, just for a second, to glance at Leah. Larson stepped forward. It was time to take control again.
He reached out like a viper and latched onto Grant's shirt, pulling him forward and driving his fist into his mid section. After a brief pause to savor the sound of precious wind escaping his opponent, he turned him around and violently pushed him to the ground, face first.
Dirt stirred around as Grant hit the hard ground with a thud, grunting and wincing.
Seconds later, Larson had withdrawn his pistol and pressed it up against Grant's skull.
Malcolm had heard Ellie gasp in fear, but when she saw the pistol, she stepped forward. He grabbed her by the arm and urged her to remain in place. He leaned in toward her and whispered, "You'll just make it worse, Ellie."
"Just because I have your death planned, " Larson sneered, "it doesn't mean I can't improvise and shoot your fucking head off right now." He pressed on the gun even harder.
Grant shut his eyes tightly, waiting.
"Please ---" Leah began to plead, as she stood helpless right next to Larson and the man she loved.
Larson craned his neck toward her and smiled coldly, causing her to stop talking.
"Please what? Please don't kill him right now . . . but wait a little bit?"
The smile made Leah shiver, as she watched him struggle with whether or not to pull the trigger.
"You don't need to kill anyone," Leah suggested, knowing it would fall on deaf ears, "You can still walk away a free man."
"None of us are free," Larson whispered, and then in a louder tone, "Maybe I should shoot all of you right now . . . starting with you," he said, still looking at Leah.
Grant heard the unmistakable clicking sound of the pistol, thinking Larson was referring to him. Then, the pistol was removed from his skull and pointed in a different direction. He opened his eyes to see what was going on.
"Leah, stay out of this," he whispered harshly, looking toward her.
Griffin stared at the leader of the expedition. Larson was losing control fast, letting his emotions overwhelm their well-laid plan. Griffin didn't really care when and where he chose to kill Grant, but he knew that if he did decide to do it right now, Larson would surely act even more odd than he was currently.
"Brock, this isn't a part of the plan. We need to think clearly and stick with the plan," he pleaded.
Larson managed to pry his eyes away from his adversary and look at Griffin. Somewhere in his mind, he knew Griffin was right, so he began to regain some stability. He put the pistol by his side and kicked at Grant, causing a stirring in the dirt again.
"You're absolutely right, Mr. Griffin." He looked at the rest of the men, "Get these people in a single file line. We've got a destination to get to before dawn."
* * *
"Where are they? Where am I? Why am I talking to myself?" Adam Kaje sighed as he climbed over another fallen tree, making his way deeper into the dark forest.
It had been almost an hour since he had seen even a dinosaur. How he had gotten to where he was right now, he wasn't sure. It was all just a blur to him, as he realized he was lost.
He brushed away a branch from his face and looked around. It all looked the same. It was all just endless foliage as far as the eye could see.
He was never going to get out of here.
Did I say that before?
He shook his head and continued onward. The despair he was feeling suddenly morphed into rage.
This is ridiculous. All of it!
He was going to die out here and for what? For money, plain and simple. The Ricans were paying him well and he sold his scientist's soul to them for a measly amount when he thought more about it.
Good trade, genius!
He listened to his foot steps as they crunched over the jungle ground. This place was so full of deception. Walking silently through the foliage, one would think that all was peaceful and that it was totally safe . . . but no, not here. This place was like a dungeon or a coliseum. You stood your ground for a while and just waited for the larger being to finish you off and make you pray for death.
But now, everything seemed so at peace so----
Adam Kaje stepped forward, but found no ground under his foot. He let out a soft yelp of surprise as he fell face first down a steep hill.
He howled in pain, as his body was thrown into rocks and logs on its way down to the bottom of the hill.
He hit the bottom in a heap. He gasped for air, as it seemed he could not breathe in any at all. He rolled around on the ground in immense pain.
It was very soon, that his body realized that it no longer had the strength to even roll. So, he just lay there on the dirty earth, breathing heavily, and wishing that he could be taken from this place. But no one heard his wishing, and so he just lay there. His eyes began to grow heavy, and at last his body felt better as sleep began to overtake him.
The soft chirping and squawking came from above his head. Kaje ignored it at first, but when the odd noises came directly beside his face, he opened his eyes.
He did not move his face, only his eyes as he looked to his left to see a small bipedal dinosaur standing beside his shoulder. The animal tilted its head from side to side as if it were curious. And then, to his horror, it bit down into the exposed skin of his arm.
Instantly, Kaje shouted and got to his feet. He looked at the wound as blood slowly began to flow from the skin. Kaje frowned as he looked back to the dinosaur.
The animal was now hiding . . . or at least trying to hide . . . behind a small bush. Kaje slowly approached, looking at it up close.
The dinosaur attempted to emit what it probably considered to be a roar, but it didn't scare Kaje in the least. The animal opened its short bulldog-like jaws and stepped towards Kaje, with a menacing look to its walk.
Kaje's frown grew larger when he realized he was looking at a baby carnotaurus. He took a closer look into the carnotaur's mouth. He was stricken with horror to see the familiar white filmy substance in the back of the mouth, and the dried blood coming from its nostrils.
It was diseased.
He looked again at the wound on his arm, then back at the carnotaur baby. A tear grew in the corner of his eye, as he took in a deep breath and turned away, walking further into the jungle. He passed by a muddy nest, pausing for a moment to look inside it. Flies buzzed everywhere, landing on the four lifeless bodies that lay in its center. One of the dead baby carnotaurs head lay over the rim of the nest, its dry tongue hanging out of its mouth, resting against the mud.
Kaje sighed, looking back at the single surviving baby from the nest, then turned and started walking again.
He was never going to get out of here.
Comments are appreciated!
--JPJunkee and Yvonne
10/18/2003 2:16:31 AM
(Updated: 10/20/2003 11:11:41 PM)
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