"What's the matter? Never seen a ghost before?"
"Aunnng—"
Ben appeared, accompanied by Bumpy, now a sub-adult Ankylosaurus. He swung a wooden staff, knocking out Hap just as the man was closing in on Kenji and Brooklynn.
"Hey, you guys okay?"
Ben had intended it as a joke, but the two in front of him remained frozen, making the moment feel a bit awkward.
It took Kenji a long moment to process that this wild-looking figure was the same germaphobic, mosquito-fearing boy he once knew. Overcome with emotion, he lunged forward and pulled Ben into a tight embrace.
Ben's hair was a matted mess, and his clothes were caked in mud, but Kenji didn't let go for a long time.
"How is this even possible?"
Kenji finally pulled back, disbelief written all over his face as he scanned Ben from head to toe.
As Ben explained, he walked over to the unconscious Hap and began binding him with rope.
"I fell off the Monorail, got swarmed by Pteranodons, found Bumpy, and survived the jungle. Then, I overheard that 'trendy' couple and this guy, Hap, plotting something."
He looped a vine several times around Hap's wrists, jerking it tight.
"That's when I realized you guys hadn't made it off the island either. I figured you might need my help."
Brooklynn stepped forward, her expression urgent. "Ben, what exactly did that couple say to Hap?"
Darius and the others were still out there with Mitch and Tiff. If there really was a conspiracy, saving Darius was their top priority.
Ben thought for a moment and shook his head. "They didn't say much, but they didn't seem to be on the same page."
He glanced down at Hap, a wild, dark look crossing his face that startled both Kenji and Brooklynn.
"Maybe we should just feed him to the Mosasaurus. Or the T. rex..."
"Or, you could listen to me."
Hap's voice rasped from behind them. Despite his bound hands, he managed to scramble to his feet, looking somewhat worse for wear.
"You're awake?"
"Of course I'm awake. You really think a bunch of 'toddlers' could take me down?"
His voice was low and menacing, though his current state of captivity undercut the intimidation factor.
Ben raised his cattle prod, the crackle of electricity serving as a threat, but Hap remained unfazed. He looked at the group seriously.
"We're out of time. You kids need to trust me. I'm trying to save your lives."
…
"Eeng!"
"Eeng?"
The bushes rustled as two small heads popped out. It was Katyusha and Karl.
On the plains ahead, the Giganotosaurus parents, Dad and Mom, were herding a group of Diplodocus, attempting to isolate a few individuals from the pod.
Perhaps because of Carlo's influence, these Diplodocus seemed to have realized that forming a defensive circle against these specific predators was useless. Now, when faced with a threat, they simply bolted.
As for who would die? That was up to fate.
Dad tracked Mom's position through the gaps between the fleeing long-necks.
The Diplodocus preferred to run three abreast. Dad and Mom flanked the group, one on the left and one on the right, constantly harrying the front of the line.
"Aunnng-roar—"
Dad let out a deafening bellow, communicating his position while further terrifying the herd.
The moment Mom received the signal, she lunged toward the tail of the Diplodocus at the far right of the lead row.
The lead dinosaurs couldn't swing their tails to defend themselves without losing their balance at high speed. The ones behind tried to stop and strike at Mom, only to be slammed into by the dinosaurs following them.
Between the chaos and the individual Dad had spooked on the left, four Diplodocus were successfully cut off from the main herd.
The two Giganotosaurus ignored the remaining pod and gave chase to the stragglers.
Thud, thud, thud...
The Diplodocus weren't particularly fast, and the parents were closing the gap quickly.
But suddenly, Mom's pace slowed.
What was happening? Why did she feel such an overwhelming urge to roar?
Her breathing became labored. Watching the Diplodocus pull further away, she eventually came to a dead stop.
"Aunnng—... cough, cough!"
Her roar turned into a sharp, piercing sound before she lost control entirely, breaking into a fit of coughing.
Dad noticed the commotion and stopped, turning back to check on her.
Mama's breathing was erratic, punctuated by heavy coughs. It wasn't until her breath finally leveled out that the uncontrollable coughing fit subsided.
With no other choice, the hunt was called off. The Diplodocus herd had long since vanished.
"Aunnng—"
Mom let out a call to Katyusha and Karl, who were watching from a distance. Though the little ones didn't understand what had happened, they obediently followed their parents' lead.
…
Mitch and Tiff had led Darius and the rest of the group back to camp. The couple began feverishly packing their gear, looking less like campers and more like they were preparing for an extraction.
"Do we really need all this stuff just to find Kenji, Brooklynn, and Hap?"
Darius couldn't help but ask. Mitch and Tiff stopped and shared a look before Mitch offered an explanation.
"We're just being prepared. Who knows what kind of dangers are hiding on this island?"
He stepped forward, tossing a heavy pack onto the table.
"The boat won't be here for three days. You want to get off safely, don't you?"
Yasmina couldn't sit still anymore and stood up abruptly.
"Wait, three days?"
Mitch didn't stop to elaborate, moving in perfect sync with Tiff.
"Two to three days, right, honey?"
"Exactly."
Now, it wasn't just Darius; even Sammy and Yasmina could sense something was wrong.
The three teens caught each other's eyes. Taking advantage of a moment where they were out of the couple's line of sight, they whispered urgently.
"Something's wrong. How could they forget when their own boat is coming?"
"And the stuff they're packing is suspicious."
They reached an immediate consensus, and a plan began to form.
As Tiff and Mitch stepped out of their tent to organize their gear, Yasmina and Sammy intercepted them, blocking their path.
They began talking at lightning speed, peppering the couple with endless questions. Using the distraction, Darius slipped into the tent.
"What the..." he muttered under his breath.
Bear traps, crossbows, machetes, saws... this didn't look like the gear of "eco-tourists."
He noticed a large crate in the corner covered by a heavy tarp.
Darius reached out and gently peeled back a corner, revealing a creature he knew all too well.
A Triceratops. But only the head.
"Holy crap!"
He yelped in horror, stumbling backward and falling to the floor.
The tent flap swung open. Mitch stepped in, his silhouette framed against the light.
"What are you doing in here, Darius?"
Darius scrambled up, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"You're not eco-tourists. You're..."
"Poachers? Trophy hunters? That's right."
Mitch didn't bother hiding it anymore.
"Honestly, I'm glad you saw. We're friends, after all, and friends shouldn't lie to each other."
He picked up a small hunting knife from a nearby table, examining the blade.
"We bought an Asset Management tablet on the black market. We thought we could use it to track the dinosaurs, but who knew the park's power failure would render it useless?"
He pulled out a tablet and handed it to Darius. While the boy took it, Mitch walked over to calibrate a heavy-duty crossbow.
"No signal..." Darius whispered, staring at the screen.
Mitch gave a dry chuckle.
"Haha, yeah. Even though Hap came highly recommended, he's been useless when it comes to actually finding the animals. He doesn't know the island half as well as you do."
He moved to the side and picked up a long-barreled rifle equipped with a high-powered scope.
"So, now you can help us."
Darius immediately snapped back, "Why would you think I'd help you hunt dinosaurs? I thought you cared about them!"
"I care deeply."
Mitch turned to face Darius.
"This is the moment I've dreamed of, being up close and personal with living dinosaurs!"
He turned again, stroking the Triceratops head, their first trophy from Isla Nublar.
"But the UN has the island under blockade. These dinosaurs are being forgotten, abandoned... We will be the last people to ever see them."
Mitch turned back, hoping for understanding, but only saw Darius flinch away.
"Don't you see?! Thanks to us, these magnificent creatures can live forever!"
He reached out to put a hand on Darius's shoulder, but the boy shrugged him off instantly.
"By hanging them on your living room wall?!"
Mitch's expression soured as he picked up the rifle again.
"How disappointing."
Facing Darius, he began to back out of the tent, pushing the flap open with his shoulders.
"I really hoped we could see eye to eye, Darius. But now I suppose I'll have to—"
A sudden, intense wave of heat and a low, guttural vibration from behind him made him freeze mid-sentence.
Then came the sound of something striking the ground. Thump... thump... slow and rhythmic.
Mitch turned his head stiffly. There, sitting right in the center of their camp, was the very Giganotosaurus he had been obsessing over, Carlo. The massive predator was staring directly at him.
"Mitch... quick... kill... this beast..."
Following the voice, he saw Tiff pinned to the ground under one of the creature's massive talons. Carlo wasn't crushing her; it was as if he was intentionally keeping her alive.
Thud, thud... Carlo casually flicked his tail against the dirt, waiting with terrifying patience for their next move.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]