by catt dahman
It landed close to Mattie, dazed from the fall, but its tiny brain was focused on Big Brown. The combination saved Mattie from being killed.
“Grab her; we have to run,” Scott called to Harold. He doubted that would be easy to accomplish because Mattie walked closer, ducking behind the trees. She was acting foolish enough to get all of them killed.
“Jody,” Mattie began to yell.
Harold slapped a hand over her mouth. “Stop it. He’s gone. He ran away. Did you see him?”
She nodded. As Harold removed his hand, she whispered, “I saw him looking back, and he and Ricky, I think, ran, and a girl…”
“They have sense, then. Mattie, we have to go,” said Scott as he prepared to hit her over the head and carry her if he had to. This was suicidal, and he was losing his temper. How could she risk their lives for a murderous son?
“Oh, no,” Danny moaned as he knelt next to Scott, “that’s Tommy.”
Scott swallowed hard. He knew the teenager Tommy was almost truly feral. He understood and accepted that Jody’s followers and the entire group engaged in cannibalism and had raped and killed Lori. He hated them for that. It didn’t make it easier to stomach the sight of the young man, lying in the mud and feces, as the creatures trudged on him.
The slimy mud of debris, soil, and blood caked the cuts and scratches that Tommy suffered. It also covered the stub of Tommy’s torn arm and the remains of one of his legs. The boy’s face was partially ripped away, and Scott wondered how Danny even recognized Tommy.
Scott also felt a renewed sense of anger at Mattie for subjecting them not only to being in danger, but also to seeing the dead humans.
Now that he really looked, Scott unfortunately was able to identify more remains. A leg, an arm, and part of a ribcage, and a hand that resembled a fat, pale spider lay near the mud, and in another place were a leg and some globs of flesh. The troodons stopped at times to gulp down quick bites of the meat from the young people they massacred, but never paused long since they were fighting the bigger creature.
Repulsed, Mari rubbed her face as she cried because she had known these other children well. She had run away from them, but she hadn’t wanted them to be slaughtered. She saw what remained of a girl she had loved in ways she didn’t quite understand, and the brutal visage shook Mari to the core. Her grief was instant, and she screamed, “Keri!” She stepped from behind a tree, wailing uncontrollably.
A second too late, Danny yanked her back to the trees, but the troodons saw them.
Half the pack continued to battle Big Brown, but several others roared and stalked closer, their heads bobbing like birds’ heads as they sorted out what the new creatures were, ready to defend their territory from any beasts that threatened them.
“Take Joy, and run,” Scott ordered.
Tom began a protest, “Hey...”
“You are a liability to me. She is more of one. I said get out of here,” Scott snarled. He saw words had the necessary effect; Tom and Joy ran. Scott hoped that Tom understood he had to say that to save Joy and Tom; it was likely Scott would die and be unable to explain later.
“Mattie, you and the rest get out of here,” Alex said, “and as soon as you can.” Probably, the order was a little premature because so far, there wasn’t a clear way for her to get away. Harold, Danny, Mari, and Mattie were far too close to the troodons, and if Alex and Scott moved too fast, the movement would set off a frenzy of killing.
“Mari. We have to get her,” said Danny as he held back, willing her to back-step to safety or at least to move back to where he was.
Before they could do anything, one of the largest troodons, a feisty, bad-tempered, hungry female, pregnant and in need of protein, came at Mari, raising her clawed left foot high and slashing forward. Mari made a tiny noise of fear and tried to twist around to run.
The claw cut Mari so cleanly that she only felt a faint stinging before she felt a terrible tugging sensation at her stomach; her belly spread wide open, and her guts slithered to the ground in a red-and-grey steaming mess. Mari stared at the mess with a sort of puzzled curiosity.
Danny stepped back so fast and hard that he ran into Mattie. They both fell.
Scott and Alex shoved forward with spears and knives, but they couldn’t hold all the troodons back.
One animal lunged at Danny and eviscerated the young man, as it ripped out his throat with its big teeth. It gulped the hot blood.
The other creature knocked away Harold’s weapons with its muscular neck and swung back again, grabbing Harold’s head. The troodon’s hunting partner began feeding on Harold’s stomach as the man screamed in pain. A tug of war began and ended as Harold’s head ripped from his body; each dinosaur ran away, taking part of Harold. Mattie shrieked.
“Get out of here. Run,” Alex yelled at Mattie.
Scott and he saw Mattie look the way Jody ran, still considering following him, and it infuriated both men. It was as if Harold’s brutal death was secondary.
Mattie listened this time and took off running down the trail. She was told to run, but Alex felt a faint wave of disappointment that she was so selfish not to help them fight.
Alex and Scott scored hits as they stabbed the troodons. Scott had to yell over the noise that the animals were making to shout, “Alex, follow them.”
“No, you follow them. I have this,” said Alex. He couldn’t leave his best friend to fight alone; he was no coward.
Scott ducked and rolled to avoid a deadly back claw. When he got back to his feet, he realized he had lost his knife and spear and was helpless. A large male troodon came at him, roaring. Scott knew that he was about to die and dimly wondered if he’d come back in another shipwreck, if Helen and Littleton would get together, and if his group would ever make it back to their beach.
Two events saved Scott’s life.
Big Brown was far too curious for his own good, and he turned to see why the humans were screaming.
Always opportunists, two of the troodons jumped a split second one after another; one slashed the beginning of a deep cut into Big Brown’s throat, and the second’s aim was so perfect that his claw opened the massive vein that lay a fraction deeper. Their teamwork was successful.
Once cut, the vein pumped furiously. Big Brown leaned over dizzily, and then thumped to the ground with a mighty bang, scaring and exciting the troodon pack. The entire pack ran to feed and enjoy the victory.
All of this occurred as Mattie ran away and was part of the reason Scott was still alive.
Had Scott still held his spear, he would have been saved, but the death of Big Brown was only part of Scott’s salvation. It also caused all to leave except the one that would most assuredly rip out Scott’s guts. However, the second event occurred, and that made all the difference for Scott.
“You’re the best friend I have ever had. Thank you,” Alex called. He steeled himself and walked right at the last troodon, hoping he would be proven wrong, and that he would survive. He hoped at the least that his death would be painless, but doubted it. “Back away.”
Scott knew that if he remained, Alex and he would die because the troodon was between him and his spear. To stay and die would be to trivialize the gift Alex was extending. “Alex…” Scott didn’t know what to say.
“Die, you son of a bitch,” Alex shoved his spear into the troodon, and his aim was true. He had the strength to press the spear deep into the beast’s chest, but before the troodon died, it reached up and clawed, ripping apart Alex’s belly with a noise like tape being yanked from a roll.
To Alex’s shock, he felt little pain. He felt tired, and there was a tug at his stomach, but as he fell to the ground, his death was almost as painless as he had wished. The troodon collapsed beside him, and both labored for breath as they died.
Before the rest of the pack could come and devour him, Alex died quietly, something seldom allowed on the island. He had a chance to reflect. He was always the smart person, yet never the hero, but he finally had
a chance to be both.
“Give ‘em hell, Scott,” Alex muttered. He felt proud of himself and wished the best for his friends; he only wished he could have lived and been a hero. “Heroes die.”
And he was gone.
Chapter 20: Off the Deep End
Scott stopped behind some trees that grew close together and would hide him. He pretended that he needed to catch his breath in the humidity of the jungle.
In reality, Scott had to stop because he was heaving as he cried aloud. He had suffered loss after loss, but none had caused him to cry this hard.
In a few minutes, he was able to walk again and follow the trail toward the beach, refusing to look back at what the monsters did to his friend’s body.
“Scott!” Tom was relieved and pale with worry.
“Did Harold…” Mattie began. She changed her question and said, “Danny and Mari didn’t make it.”
Scott took a deep breath, but it didn’t calm his temper or emotional pain. He thought of how Mattie had run off into the trees, trying to find her cannibalistic son and how she had called his name after they found the site of the dinosaur battle.
It didn’t take him but a half a second to assign blame for everything. He ignored Tom and Joy for a few seconds and slammed into Mattie, yanking her almost off her feet by her shirt collar.
She yipped with shock and fear.
“You, stupid bitch. You caused Harold to die. You caused Danny and Mari to die, and you stupid, stupid whore, you caused Alex to get his guts fucking ripped out.” He yelled so loudly that spit speckled her cheeks.
Joy burst into tears, for she assumed the worst, but hearing Scott say that, made her feel sick. She reached to hug Tom, but he stepped over to Scott and Mattie.
“I’m sick. I feel horrible. Amanda and Jade and many more died when they saved Amy and tried to save each other. Air Marshal Lynn died trying,” Tom said softly.
Scott listened to Tom, stopping short of striking Mattie.
Tom continued, “When Fish died for me, I felt so guilty. I couldn’t believe I was worthy of such a good man giving his life for me. Scott, it hurt so much. You and I know that Alex was smart and a good friend. Who is smarter than Alex is? None of us. Right?”
“Yeah,” answered Scott.
“He knew what he was doing, didn’t he? Did he give his life to save you?” asked Tom.
“Yeah,” Scott said.
“I figured that Alex did it for a reason. Fish saved me for a reason. You can’t blame Mattie,” Tom said.
“That’s not right. It’s her fault. Hers and that cannibal kid of hers.” Scott nodded to himself. “I won’t hurt her. Relax, but you know what? I’m gonna kill Jody and bring his head to Mattie as a gift. How’s that for payback, Mattie?” Scott cried so hard he could hardly see Mattie’s face.
“Scott…” said Mattie.
“Shut up. Don’t even look at me. Don’t try to talk me out of it, either. I’ll show you what getting Alex killed causes; I’ll show you,” Scott said as he stepped away from Mattie, letting her fall at his feet as she sobbed. He gave Tom a hard look and dared his friend to ask for anything more.
Tom didn’t want anything else; he only wanted to stop Scott from killing Mattie outright. It was for his friend, not for her.
Tom felt like bawling a week solid for Alex. Heartsick over the loss of Alex, he blamed Mattie somewhat. Like Scott, Tom felt he needed someone to blame, and Mattie was responsible for this as far as Tom could tell.
Mattie looked at Tom for sympathy, but he averted her eyes.
She tried to get Joy to feel some measure of empathy for her position. Surely, another woman would understand and feel a little sorry for her; instead, Joy narrowed her eyes and muttered, “Bitch, I hope you die and they eat you.”
“The dinosaurs?” Tom asked, not meaning anything, only filling in after Joy’s vehement statement. To his shock, Joy was as cold and cruel as ever.
Joy pursed her lips and answered, “No, I hope her own son roasts her ass and eats her. She deserves it.”
Scott began walking down the beach, laughing crazily. “I swear I like you again, Joy. You have truly reached your potential. Oh, Mattie, please run afoul of Joy. Please do. Fact is, I think she’d trip your ass right into a troodon.”
He laughed for a half hour, amused with his own joke.
Chapter 21:Home at Last
The group rose early in the morning and broke camp, walked all day, and made camp again late in the day. While they made good time going back to their camp, it was miserable for them, as Scott pushed them to get back. He had no interest in anything on the island anymore. He only walked.
He considered that there had been six of them in his group, and then eight, and now four. Of all of them, Alex shouldn’t have been the one whom they lost. Scott didn’t know his curiosity would end in losing his best friend, and the guilt weighed him down.
While he had solved some mysteries as he had wished, the price wasn’t supposed to be Alex; in a way it balanced, though. In gaining knowledge, Scott lost the one person who best explained the information gathered.
What a miserable balance.
One day as Mattie saw a small group of tiny bird-like creatures, she asked, “I wonder what that is?”
Scott responded with acid in his voice, “We’d ask Alex, but you got him killed.” Scott glared at Mattie, wishing she had died.
She walked robotically and didn’t say anything else unless specifically asked. At times, Mattie wasn’t sure why she didn’t go drown herself, but she still secretly wished to find her son, even if she didn’t dare say it.
In some ways, she feared Jody and thought it would be best never to find him, especially since everyone wanted him dead. Mattie couldn’t forget the maniacal look in her son’s eyes when last she saw him; he hadn’t looked like the boy she raised.
As they reached the garden within the walls of boulders, Scott agreed to spend two nights, not because of what anyone else wanted, but because he wanted to stay and remember Alex and how his friend had enjoyed all the food. The good food, the rest, or time itself was like a balm, and Scott found that he was less angry. He hated Mattie and still blamed her, but he didn’t feel a need to hurt her or verbally assault her any longer.
Tom and Joy relaxed a little, ate fruit and nuts, and remembered stories about Alex that they shared. Scott even smiled a few times.
The next day when approached by a compsognathus pack, Scott slaughtered all he could. He took some of the cooked meat and ate it that night but left the bodies to rot and draw predators. He didn’t care about what was right or wrong. He fashioned a new spear and carried it, always ready for a fight.
Tom cried himself almost sick when they returned to the site where the giant bones lay, knowing that Alex and Benny had loved that place and enjoyed seeing the old bones and forming theories about the dinosaurs and the island.
Joy was attentive and loving, but Tom drew further within himself, sinking into a depression that Scott understood too well. It was a delayed reaction.
It was with a sense of relief and a lot of guilt, interest, and humility that they returned to the shipwreck of the Connie Louise.
Months had passed since they left, and they had expected there would be a few differences, but what they saw was very altered.
Parts of the yacht were missing, and what was left was battered and now made a poor shelter. It looked half the size it was before, and woven palm leaves now covered the gaping holes.
Scott felt that the storms had hit the beach with a terrible intensity while the sea battered the yacht, yet it did not burn. While they shivered in the cold caves, the winds assaulted the group on the beach.
Stu faced Scott’s group as they returned, watching with squinted, older-looking eyes, and Tyrese stood beside him. Tyrese smiled happily, but his smile wavered as he counted those who returned.
Scott saw many new people that he wondered about; however, Tyrese seemed at ease with them. The new people wo
re sun-bleached camouflage and looked formidable; they carried spears at the ready.
Tyrese said something, and the new people went back to their chores, still curious, but not alarmed. He was disappointed that Alex wasn’t with the group, and his shoulders drooped since he knew Alex wasn’t going to return.
Benny ran to meet Scott, his eyes bright and darting. He didn’t understand, yet. “Where’s Alex? Is he coming later?”
“He didn’t make it,” Tom said.
“He…what? He didn’t? That’s…” Benny didn’t finish.
“We know. It is.” Tom understood what Benny couldn’t put into words.
“I’m going to have to depend on you more, Benny. You just became the dinosaur expert. I hope you can fill a big role in helping us understand the dinosaurs,” Scott said gently. He knew Benny admired Alex greatly, and he was able to muster the graciousness to let the boy down easily, but also made it clear that Benny would be needed far more.
“Benny can help,” Tyrese said, “and he already helps with all kinds of stuff. He’s grown up a lot lately.”
“I can tell,” Scott said, “and I’ll need you, Benny.”
“Sure, I can try,” said Benny as he frowned, and with his face troubled, he walked back into camp to sit down. He had questions that he didn’t want answers to, and he felt a dreadful ache in his throat as tears threatened. Seeing Scott’s face made him know he wasn’t alone in the grief.
Scott shook hands with Stu and Tyrese and then with Joe and nodded to the rest. Littleton stayed to the side and stared at Scott but didn’t greet him or the others. Littleton shifted his eyes back and forth between Scott and Tyrese.
Scott felt something was terribly wrong. He looked around and noted the new faces again, but he also wondered if some more were inside the wreck and didn’t know that he had returned. He went over the names and faces of those whom he missed seeing. Of all, three stood out.
“Stu, where is Kelly, and where is Helen?”