Playing God

by Kran Sanon

  "Hit cover!,” Lieutenant Martin yelled at the top of his voice. The other soldiers scrambles to hide behind anything they could find. Martin aimed at the creature's head but missed. The grenade traveled on to crash at a tree just behind the beast.

  Siobhan's heart pounded in disbelief, her hands began to shake. John looked at her with an equal amount of fear and astonishment. His brows furrowed and he yelled something at the Lieutenant. A look of distress formed on his face and they had to hide on the tree and watch the men fire at the Velociraptor.

  John and Siobhan stay up at the tree, hearing gunshots and the sounds of the creatures in a distance. They trembled as they stay quiet.

  It was now nightfall. The gunshot had stopped, no creature neither any loud noise. Everywhere was so quiet. They tried to call Martin and the others but got no response.

  "Nobody believes in monsters until they face them. It's easier to pretend they don't exist,” Siobhan states.

  "Monsters shouldn't exist. They're a tale you tell your kids at night to make sure they behave. They shouldn't be out here wreaking havoc."

  John sighs...

  “I miss our daughter," Siobhan whispers.

  "I also wish we were with her now," John replies.

  “I feel so sad knowing that we may actually die out here without giving Jenny all the love she deserves,” said Siobhan.

  “I told you already, we won't die. I'm sure we will find a way to close the portal, get rid of all these beasts and get the hell out of this Island. I'm scared too but still very optimistic. We have to be. That is the only way to survive,” Said John.

  They both keep quiet for a while.

  Siobhan asks, “John, what happened to us?,”

  John responds, “I happened.”

  John looked into her eyes. It was already dark, he couldn't see her eyes.

  "I miss you and I've spent the past few years regretting my actions. I have been looking for answers to what really killed my parents and this obsession took me away from my family. I just feel things would have been so much different if I had left the question unanswered.”

  Siobhan replied, “I feel everything that happened, happened for a reason, so I won't put the blame on you. I also didn't held on to support you. I felt you were too busy with your research that you didn't have time for your family. I was in so much pain about this that I got advice from friends to get a divorce. I was so stupid to have listened to them. I regret my actions and just hope things can get to being the way it was. It's been years of pain, regret and frustration.”

  They both stare at each other for a while.

  “It's getting cold out here,” said John.

  He pulled his jacket and wrapped it around his ex-wife.

  Their lips moved slowly. The kiss was magnetic as their lips met.

  It would’ve been foolish to go to the station in dark so they spent the night on the tree.

  CHAPTER 12

  As morning came, John and Siobhan made their way towards the station without Lieutenant Martin or any other soldier. They had taken guns they could find in the fight scene against the raptors. Trudging through the humid forest of a haunted island when they had no idea what was out there. It was dangerous and was less than pleasant, but at least they had each other. John managed to keep her spirit somewhat afloat with a ridiculous commentary and keeping her hair out of her face proved itself to become a problem.

  "Water is nearby. I can hear the sound. That will lead us to the station. Let's get moving," John says as he looked at her. She smiled and nodded.

  "Wait John! I'm going to take a look above the trees.”

  She hung her bag on a low hanging branch and quickly hauled herself up into the tree. She climbed the branches like a ladder until she could peek out the leaves. She spotted the river which seemed around a quarter mile away.

  "Hurry down!," John called. Siobhan climbs down quickly.

  "Are you ready?," John asked. They got on their feet as Siobhan hummed a response.

  John stood with his bag, hung from his shoulder, gun in hand, and with open fingers stretched out towards her. She placed her hand in his.

  "The river is this way," Siobhan said as she took the lead.

  He started walking down with his gun in hand and Siobhan by his side. He felt unstoppable.

  The sweet smell of freshwater invaded his nostrils not long after. Siobhan let a deep breath free as the grass tickled her ankles. A little twirl concluded the spur of happiness.

  "Come here," She demanded. She crouched down and opened her bag. Then pulled out a tank top and changed her shirt, and out of the corner of her eye she could see him becoming flustered. She used her knife to cut up her old shirt into a few strips of cloth.

  "Come on."

  John followed her like a puppy and watched her rinse the shirt.

  "What are you doing?"

  She motioned for him to come closer and he did.

  They were about a foot deep in the cold water and it helped them cool down as she wiped his face down from blood. He avoided eye contact as she held his chin in place.

  They wandered the forest the whole day trying to find their way towards the station.

  As if on queue there was a rustle in the bamboo forest behind them. John paused without Siobhan's notice, he raised his gun to his cheek cautiously. His finger rested on the trigger as his heart pounded, wondering what was following them?

  "Don't shoot!," A deep voice pleaded as Siobhan's heart skipped turning to check whose voice it was.

  "Get your ass out here or I will shoot!," John sniped back.

  "Okay! John, it's me!," A familiar face emerged from the bushes.

  CHAPTER 13

  Siobhan grunted in frustration. It was Brooks, one of the soldiers they thought was dead after the encounter with the Velociraptors.

  "Christ! We thought you guys were dead," Siobhan said shockingly.

  Brooks explains that he manage to escape the raptors, after it killed the others. He has since then been trailing them.

  "What about Lieutenant Martin, we didn't see his body," John said.

  Brooks says, “I do not know. We all ran in different directions, so I can't really say.”

  "Well, we tried to follow the river but still can’t find the station. Do you know the way to the station?," John asks.

  “I am not sure but the commander said it is to the north of the river so we might be close,” Replied Brooks.

  "Well, we better hurry. It’s getting dark and who knows what other types of monsters are out there." John undoubtedly scared the shit out of them with the tone he used.

  They all headed north as they wander into the forest. Brooks spotted a small cove of trees and with good intentions, he separated from the scientists. But he kept them in sight. He lingered a few feet away. They started to run into ruins of structures that had to be man made. This meant there were other people in the forest. John tightened his bags strap, and climbed the nearest tree. From above, he looked at the surrounding but didn't see anyone.

  They wandered deeper into the pale rocky walls. As they watched, something moved.

  "We aren't alone!," Brooks shrieked.

  They spotted someone, a native, in the tree next to Siobhan and she quickly jumped onto a further tree. It was getting harder since the trees were further spaced apart so she jumped onto one of the deteriorating walls. She will admit it wasn't her best idea, but at the moment it held up. John ran along the wall and hopped off in front of a man. He obviously became uncomfortable with John's knife on his neck.

  John held his stance even though he could feel a gun digging into his back.

  "Uh, for god’s sake, put the knife down John,” Siobhan said.

  “Can’t you see he is harmless? Besides, he could help us.”

  The native man was a resident of the island before the disaster. He knew where the station was.

  According to him, he knew the way out of the forest and to the station. He was willing to help them ge
t there.

  They continued their journey and came across a giant field with tall grass. It was so different from anything they've ever seen. They kept moving as they push through the grass and came across another connecting river. It looked pretty. Siobhan moved towards the river to get water but the water started moving which they immediately recognized as a bad sign.

  A massive tank like creature emerged. They all immediately pointed gun at it. Brooks was tensed as he was closest to it. It was a Stegosaur, another one of the herbivores.

  "Nobody move. Easy." John said.

  He and Siobhan lowered their guns but Brooks was too tense to let go. His finger was firmly on the trigger. The Stegosaur came closer to the river as Brooks looked at it warily, it could attack them at the moment, he thought.

  “Brooks,” John said.

  “What?,” Brooks asked.

  His voice was full in panic. John slowly put his hand on Brooks’ gun. Brooks swallowed a lump in his throat feeling even more in danger now that there were no weapons pointed at the giant creature.

  “It’s not like the others. It’s called a Stegosaur. It’s an herbivore. They do not eat meat. It won’t harm us,” said John.

  The Stegosaur turned and walked away after drinking the water. They immediately continued their way up the river.

  “That was intense,” Siobhan said.

  John looked at Siobhan amused.

  “What is it with him and that look on his face? Nobody can be that happy on an island like this,” Siobhan thought to herself.

  She felt he should be grumpier.

  She smiled at him with an atom of fear in her which she is trying so hard to hide.

  They walk side by side. Siobhan felt it was peaceful walking next to him. Like nothing could hurt her. Even though she knew that was far from the truth.

  “So the brave scientist stopped a panicked soldier from killing a herbivore proving that appearance can be misleading,” Siobhan retorted.

  John chucked. Siobhan finds herself surprised by it. This is the first time she has heard his laughter in years. It was soothing to her ears.

  “So you think I’m brave?,” John teased.

  “I think you are scared but you don’t want to show it because you know I need something to hold on to,” Siobhan says.

  ‘You are always the smart one,” John says as they continue walking.

  “On a serious note, I thought they told us that all the dinosaurs are from the Cretaceous period but that Stegosaur was definitely from the Late Jurassic period,” said Siobhan.

  “Weird, I know,” replied John.

  “We have come across many of them which weren’t from the Cretaceous period including those weird spider like creatures which aren’t from any time periods I know of”

  As they were talking, they come across a large dead dinosaur. It’s one of many they have encountered in their journey.

  “This one also does not have any bite marks,” said Siobhan.

  “Why are they all just dying?”

  “I am not sure but I think it’s the climate,” replied John.

  “The conditions on earth was more different millions of years ago then what it is now. I think they couldn't adapt”

  “Well that’s a great news. If they just die themselves then this might not be as big as a problem as it seems,” said Brooks.

  “I don’t think so,” replied Siobhan.

  “Dinosaurs survived for millions of years. There’s a reason why they are known as a highly adaptive species”

  “She is right,” John added.

  “Besides, there are still many of them still alive on this island meaning they are quickly learning to adapt.”

  When they emerged from the forest, there was a massive encampment. A large wall was built with barbed wires on top. They also heard the ground shaking. Something big was out there. Something big enough to make them worry and that was very unsettling.

  “That’s the station!,” The native man said loudly.

  CHAPTER 14

  Finally, they could see the station from a mile away. Just as they were about to make a further move they drew the attention of a giant creature creeping from the side. It looked like the Tarbosaurus which attacked them earlier but it was so much bigger and more heavily built with a larger skull. It was the one dinosaur they wished they should never encounter. The biggest and most dangerous predator to ever walk this planet.

  “It’s a T Rex!,” said John.

  “Don’t move people. It can’t see us if we do not move,” Siobhan said in a silent voice.

  “Who told you that?,” asked Brooks.

  “Jurassic Park?..... Have you never watched it?”

  “Aah guys, I think it can see us fine,” said John as he prepared to run.

  They all start running for their lives, heading towards the station to find refuge but the dinosaur caught up with Brooks and tore him apart.

  “We can’t make it!,” The native man said loudly and paused, still panting.

  He knew the only way he could get the scientist’s inside the station is to occupy the dinosaur. He paused and shot at the T Rex multiple times as the creature runs towards them.

  John and Siobhan ran for the station. They could hear the native’s scream as the Tyrannosaur rip him apart.

  “Do not look back! Just run for the station!,” John orders as him and Siobhan kept running.

  They finally got near to the station. They could hear the Tyrannosaur steps approaching them as its roar became louder.

  "What do we do?," Siobhan asked.

  "I really don't know," John said.

  "I'll distract the creatures while you go and close the portal," Siobhan said.

  John replied, “No! You can't do that........”

  Siobhan runs off immediately to distract the creature and tells John to go and close the portal. John reluctantly goes as Siobhan runs away with the Tyrannosaur chasing her.

  The T Rex caught up with her as she had no-where else to go. The beast got near to her but was suddenly distracted by another large dinosaur which was attracted by the noise. It was a large Tarbosaurus, almost as large as the T Rex. Siobhan took this opportunity to run away.

  The T Rex ran towards the Tarbosaurus, teeth baring and eyes glowing. Just as it attacked the Tarbosaurus, the Tarbosaurus lumps towards the T Rex and tries to get its neck as both beasts plummeted into the nearby river and battle for victory. The T Rex comes out of the river as the Tarbosaurus follows it. They roared at each other again. The Tyrannosaur screeches, pushing itself forward. It takes considerable bites at it which weakens it. It then tackles it to the ground. The wounded Tarbosaurus tries to get up and attack but the Tyrannosaur puts its feet on top of it, pushing it down.

  The Tarbosaurus lie helplessly on the ground but manages to push the Tyrannosaur with his feet. As it tried to get up, another Tarbosaurus comes to its aid. This one is a little smaller and is no match for the Tyrannosaur. The T Rex easily gets hold of its neck with its large jaws and breaks it. The other wounded Tarbosaurus takes this opportunity to run away as the Tyrannosaur stands on top of the fallen and gives out a huge roar.

  CHAPTER 15

  John enters the station. Once inside the station, he goes straight to where the portal is. He stood for a while and thought about how to go about it and tries to go over the main parts of Dr. Van Horne’s work manual again. John opens it and reads it carefully as he tries hard to understand it. He followed the steps in the work book and also remembered the things Dr. Sarah and Siobhan told him while trying to close the portal but it was all to no avail.

  John walks round the place thinking what to do next but does not come up with any ideas that might help him to close it. He finally came across the station's communication room and decides to create a channel to talk to the army on the mainland in order to let them know the status of the situation. He created the link and spoke to the officer in charge.

  John says, “Hello Officer, this is John. One of the sci
entists sent to Edward Isles, to close the portal.”

  Voice from the channel, “Hi John, What is your status? Have you been able to close the portal? And where are the others?”

  John replied, “No! That's why I'm calling. Everyone is dead. I am possibly the only one left alive in this Island with these creatures still wandering about. We need to nuke this Island, it's already out of control and we can't stop it.”

  “We can't possibly destroy the island. The dark matter is the government's most valuable possession. We can't destroy it.”

  John replied, “You don't understand the gravity of the situ.......”

  “Dr. John," The voice cuts him.

  "We will send a new squad of army and some scientist to buy you time and assist you in closing the portal. In the meantime, try to keep yourself alive and find a safe place to hide.”

  John, “It might be too late, what we need it to destroy this Island together with......,” the line breaks before he can complete his sentence.

  “God damn it!,” said John, in anger.

  John sighs. He suddenly feels the ground shaking and knows there is definitely a big dinosaur somewhere inside the station so he becomes careful. While waiting, he goes through the live cam monitors to locate where the dinosaur is but instead finds something else astonishing. He sees some kind of a highly advanced ship in one of the rooms labelled as CLAS-2637 which to him looks like a spacecraft. He searches for files relating to the code in the archive database and finds something more astonishing. It shows that the dark matter did not come in the form of a meteorite but rather in a spaceship.

  He sees that the ship came with a few alien species as well. They were captured and tested by the government. He saw where these aliens were kept hostage and went to the room. He immediately entered, still trying to be careful as he didn't know what to expect in the room. He immediately noticed that one of them is still alive and kept in some sort of a chamber.

  He became confused on whether to release the alien or not but he needed answers and apparently help so he finally decided to release the alien. John releases the alien from captivity as it talks to John.