The Mapu charging through the front of the hotel. The elevator ripped off its cable in the dinosaur's massive jaws. Polk falling out the window to his death, his fingers brushing Chris's, just a little too late. Alex crushed under a pile of rubble. The crystal chandelier crashing to the ground, its shards ripping through Christopher's back. The Mapu falling lifelessly to the ground on top of the electrified fence.
The events played through Christopher's mind, over and over again as he tried to sleep. Each time he dreamt of it, it only got more vivid. The fifth time, he felt as if he were there, living it all over again. He could almost feel the heat from the fire, could almost smell the smoke that filled the halls of the hotel...
He bolted upright, eyes shooting wide and tears streaming down his face. His body trembled, and his breaths came in quick gasps. Not even in sleep, could he escape the horrors he had faced thus far. How long would it be before someone else was killed? How much time did he have before someone else he trusted betrayed him?
Early morning light filtered into the cave in dappled spots of sunlight. The rain had stopped finally, but the occasional drop still fell from the cave's entrance. Ax and Annabelle were already up, seemingly planning out their next move. He drew a stick through the moist dirt, drawing a map of the island. The others were just beginning to stir, and luckily, hadn't noticed Chris's abrupt awakening.
Christopher stood on shaky legs and made his way out of the cave, past Ax and Annabelle and to a large rock a few yards away. He sat on it, resting his arms on his knees and looking out into the lush, dew-ladened forest. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The morning air was cool and musky, the smell or rain mingling in his nose.
The others started to rise for the morning, picking themselves up from the hard ground of the cave they'd all slept on and collecting their things. A sling made out of a long-sleeved shirt had been draped over Nigel's shoulder, allowing him to keep his broken arm still and close. After everything that had happened, they were running pretty short on medical supplies.
The group gathered around the map Ax had drawn as he pointed around it with the stick, explaining what their plan was going to be, but Chris didn't bother going over. He was sure someone would fill him in, and right now, he just felt like being alone.
Several minutes later, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Annabelle. "Hey, kid."
Christopher's eyes lingered on her for a moment, then he turned his gaze back to the forest.
"We're just about ready to head out," she said, trying to sound chipper. "Ax says we should head south, towards where all the gift shops are. If we want to find more food and supplies, it'll be there."
"Fine," Chris said.
"What happened to your hat?" she asked him after a moment.
The memory of him pressing his hat back into his Grandfather's hands flashed through his mind, followed by Polk falling out the window, his blue eyes locked on Chris's before disappearing into the island fog. Chris closed his eyes, the memory too painful to bare.
After a moment, he opened them again and finally said, "I lost it."
"Oh," Annabelle said. "Well, maybe when we get to the gift shops, we can find you a new one."
"Yeah, maybe."
Annabelle came around to crouch in front of him. She gave him a smile of pity. "You're a strong kid, you know that? You've been through a lot."
"We all have," Chris said quietly.
Annabelle was about to respond when Ax cut her off. "Two minutes! Grab your belongings and let's head out. We're wasting daylight and it's a long walk to the shops." Ax hoisted a heavy backpack over his shoulder, then headed back into the cave.
Annabelle looked back at Chris and examined the cut on his cheek. "We should get that bandaged before we go."
"I'm fine," Chris said.
"No, really. That's a nasty cut. You don't want it to get infected--"
"I said I'm fine!" Chris shoved himself off the the rock and trudged into the forest, tears prickling in his eyes. Why couldn't people just leave him alone?
"Chris!" she called after him, but he ignored her.
The others followed behind him, and they were close enough for him to hear Ax say to Annabelle, "The kid's been through a lot. Just give him some space."
Tuesday, 5PM
The late afternoon light was just beginning to dip behind the mountains, an orange sheen glimmering off of the rich leaves and luscious plants. The soggy ground squished under Chris's every step, the mud clinging and drying to the outside of his boots like a thin layer of cement.
They'd been walking for hours, and finally, when Chris pushed through some large ferns, he emerged into what once was the marketplace of Jurassic World.
He could tell it was once luxurious, just like the hotel had been before it burned to the ground. Chairs had been knocked over and covered in a layer of dirt. Tables and umbrellas sat around in disrepair, broken or bent. Fancy gift shop signs dangled by one side, threatening to break off completely at any moment.
But at least they wouldn't be sleeping outside that night.
The group spread out through the marketplace, peering through dirty or broken windows. Chris pushed his way into a gift shop, followed closely behind by Ax.
Displays of Jurassic World shirts met them just inside the doors. One read: "I went to Jurassic World and all I got was this lousy teeshirt." While another said: "I fought a T-Rex. What's your superpower?"
Chris knew he would have found those amusing just days before, but now it all seemed too real. Dinosaurs just weren't something that could be joked about anymore. It was too soon.
"Hey, Kiddo. Mind helping me out for a second?" Ax said. Chris turned around to find Ax standing behind the register counter, peering behind an empty drink cooler. He came to stand next to Ax and followed his gaze. Crate's labeled Gift Shop Snack Overstock were stacked behind it. Jackpot.
"The cooler doesn't quite want to budge. With the two of us, though, I think we can get it. Mind helping?"
"Sure," Chris said, shrugging off his backpack. Together they pushed as hard as they could and with the little bit of extra force Chris gave it, it slowly slid over.
"Thanks, kiddo. You're strong." Ax gave him a grin as he slid behind the cooler and returned a moment later with a couple of the crates. Ax pulled one of the lids off and dumped the contents onto the counter. Mixed bags of candy and chips spilled out everywhere in a heaping pile. "Let's see what we've got here..."
Together, Ax and Chris picked through the pile of food, separating them by type and counting how many of each there were. As they worked, the store was completely silent other than the soft crinkling of the bags. But Chris's mind was anything but quiet. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he couldn't get the images out of his head, couldn't stop remembering what he had been through. The grief was overwhelming, and the guilt was too much. Finally, Chris blurted out, "It was all my fault."
Ax gave him a curious look. "What was your fault?"
"My grandfather and Alex's deaths."
"I highly doubt that."
Chris was silent for a moment, a mixture of confusing thoughts and emotions coursing through him. Abruptly, he turned to Ax. "I was right there. If I had just moved a little faster or been a little stronger or a little smarter, things would be different." Christopher could feel himself starting to get worked up, but he tried hard to push his emotions down as he continued. "My grandfather would still be alive and Alex never would have been killed. It's all my fault." His eyes filled with tears again.
Ax sighed sympathetically and turn to Chris, crouching down to his level. "Sometimes..." Ax took a deep breath. "Sometimes you do everything you can to try and save someone and they still don't make it. It's not their fault, and it's not your fault, either. Sometimes, things happen that you can't explain or that you don't understand... But I can assure you, that whatever happened was not your fault."
"Then... Then why am I still alive when so many others have died?"
"Because you're lucky... and because you're smart. You have survivors guilt, Chris. But you don't need to. You don't need to feel guilty for being a survivor. Be proud of yourself for being strong enough and brave enough to have made it this far. Not a lot of other kids your age would have."
Chris looked down at his hands, pondering Ax's words.
Ax placed a finger under his chin and lifted it to meet his eyes once more. "This is not your burden to carry, Chris. It's... It's mine. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. Help is going to come soon. I know it. I just need you to stay strong for a little bit longer. Can you do that for me, Kiddo?"
Chris wiped his hand under his running nose. He smiled a little at Ax, recognizing that his idol was looking out for him, and had asked Chris to do something really important for him. A new sense of determination and purpose rose up in him, and for the first time since Carson had found him at the hotel, he felt like maybe he had enough strength to go on.
One step at a time, one day at a time, he would make it through. He just had to trust in Ax and believe that everything would turn out all right.
Finally, Chris nodded. "Yeah, I can do that, Ax."
"That'a boy. Come on, let's go take this food to the others."
Ax swept all of the food back into the crate, then they each took one and headed out the doors to find the rest of the group.
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