"He was like a savior! He just appeared behind us out of nowhere! Do you guys have any idea what that felt like? It was practically..."
Darius was preaching like a man possessed in the middle of the camp, leaving the staying members, Sammy and Yasmina, staring in bewilderment. They turned their eyes toward Kenji, silently pleading for an explanation.
It's about his dad, Kenji mouthed, making no sound.
The two understood instantly. The group had lived together in this camp for quite a while now; everyone knew a bit about each other's baggage. They could afford to be patient with a currently hyper-fixated Darius.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Brooklynn had immediately started tinkering with the data recorder.
Static... tszzz...
As the image gradually flickered to life, Brooklynn's eyes widened. She sucked in a sharp breath.
…
Night fell.
Darius, humming a cheerful little tune, climbed into his makeshift hammock and rested his head on his hands, gazing up at the starry sky. Seeing the idol he had shared with his father had kept his spirits high all afternoon.
Brooklynn glanced toward him with a look of concern, sitting by the campfire and hesitating for a long time.
Noticing Sammy was sorting through the supplies they had brought back today, Brooklynn whispered, "Sammy, can you come here for a second? There's something I need you to see."
Sammy stopped what she was doing. Without a word, she glanced around to ensure the others were asleep before tiptoeing over.
"What is it?" she asked, noticing Brooklynn's troubled expression.
"You remember how Darius spent the whole afternoon rambling about the Giganotosaurus?"
"Remember? How could I forget?"
"Well... I fixed the data recorder. But I saw some... disturbing footage. I don't know if I should tell Darius."
Brooklynn handed the device over. Sammy was a bit surprised; she had broken Brooklynn's phone once before, and the fact that Brooklynn was willing to trust her with another electronic device made her wonder if she had finally been forgiven.
Because of that, she watched the screen with extra intensity.
Static... tszzz...
The screen showed a group of ACU team members sitting in the back of a Jeep, chatting and laughing.
"Hey, you hear? Lucy's getting married next week."
"No way. Who's the guy with that much courage?"
"Nah, she's marrying a woman."
"...Nice."
The owner of the recorder seemed to be a new recruit, unfamiliar with the team. "Lucy? Which Lucy?"
The captain, sitting in the front passenger seat, replied in a flat tone, "Intelligence. You'll be getting updates from her during the upcoming op."
Heavy breathing could be heard from the recorder's owner; they were clearly nervous. A veteran sitting next to them, obviously an 'old pro,' spoke up.
"Cap, what's the mission this time?"
The captain knew the veteran wasn't asking because he'd missed the briefing; he was trying to comfort the rookie. He played along. "Just tranquilizing a dinosaur. We've done missions like this a thousand times. There's no danger."
The veteran patted the rookie's shoulder, his eyes saying: See? Told you it was fine.
Static... tszzz...
"Fire!"
"You're going to shoot a living creature for the sake of a monster?!"
"Fire!"
Arguments broke out over the comms. Superiors who couldn't agree on a plan always filled their subordinates with unease. The camera shifted slightly; the owner seemed to be looking at the captain.
"Open fire," the captain said. His voice was calm, steadying.
Static... tszzz...
"The Indominus rex is heading toward—"
The intelligence officer's voice cut through the earpiece, then abruptly snapped into silence.
The camera panned, capturing the intelligence officer, whose upper body was already clamped firmly inside a dinosaur's maw.
The recorder's owner seemed to jump in fright, their legs giving out. They collapsed to the ground, trembling as they tried to aim the tranquilizer rifle at the predator.
Thump.
A dull sound came from behind. Turning back, the camera revealed the previously tranquilized dinosaur had somehow stood back up!
The lens tilted down as blood splattered across the screen. Standing in that spot just a moment ago was...
"Cap... Captain?"
The owner's voice was shaking.
Static... tszzz...
"AAAAGH—!"
The perspective had shifted to behind a bush. Through the gaps in the leaves, a person could be vaguely seen being torn in half.
BANG!
Following the gunshot, the screen went completely black. Only the heart-wrenching screams of the recorder's owner remained.
Sammy sucked in a breath of her own. She looked at Brooklynn with dead seriousness. "Brooklynn, you absolutely cannot tell him."
"Why not?"
Brooklynn didn't actually want to show this to Darius either, but she was worried he would go into a trance and approach that dinosaur again like he did at noon. She was wavering; she needed someone to convince her.
"You heard what he said this afternoon. This is his and his father's favorite dinosaur. If you tell him this... you know what it'll do to him."
Sammy had always been the type to think, 'I'll carry the cruel truth so you can enjoy the beauty of the world.' The last thing she wanted was for her friends to feel despair.
"Besides, Darius knows dinosaurs. He knows his limits."
"I'm not so sure..." Brooklynn was still hesitant, mostly because Darius's behavior that afternoon had been utterly reckless.
"It's not like he's going to go there alone, right? We just need to make sure someone is keeping an eye on him at all times. Right?"
Sammy continued her persuasion. Brooklynn took a deep breath and finally relented. "Fine. I—"
"What are you guys talking about?"
Before she could finish, Yaz's voice came from behind, startling them both.
"Nothing!" Sammy stood up, brushing it off. After being treated with medicine, Yaz's ankle had improved significantly; she could now walk with a slight limp.
"Really?" Yaz felt like the two were hiding something important. She didn't like it. Last time, Sammy's "Grand Lie" had sent her head spinning.
"Oh, right! Yaz, your foot just started getting better. You should be resting. Come on, I'll help you back."
Sammy shifted the subject somewhat awkwardly, guiding Yaz away from the campfire.
"Wait, I can walk on my... fine." Yaz eventually gave in, obediently heading back to rest.
…
The moonlight was hazy, and stars dotted the night sky over the lake like pearls scattered across a silent mirror. The trees along the shore swayed gently in the breeze. The Parasaurolophus Toddlers were fast asleep, nestled comfortably against Carlo.
He lifted his head, gazing at the stars, his tail thumping the ground rhythmically.
Fortunately, Katyusha hadn't asked him if there was some "un-dinosaur-like" relationship between him and the Parasaurolophus today; otherwise, it would have been a total social death.
Suddenly, the nearby bushes rustled. Carlo turned his head and saw Kafka emerging from the thicket.
...Seriously? Is this never going to end?