by Alan Spencer
"How's your nose?"
"Hurts. It stopped bleeding, though."
Blast stopped and gasped. He pointed to the left of where they stood. "Whoa! Did you see that?"
"See what?"
He pointed again. "That."
Bruce was searching through the thick of the woods. He didn't see anything moments ago, and he wasn't seeing anything now.
"I must've missed it. What do you think you saw?"
Blast scrutinized his surroundings. "I swear I saw it. Plain as day, Bruce."
"What was it? Just tell me. I've got a shooting schedule to complete here, buddy."
"I'm going to sound nuts. It was like a warthog, but it had eyes going down its entire body. I saw twenty eyes gawking back at me. Insane."
"That's crazy. Blast, are you staying hydrated?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"Come on. Let's get you some water. Just in case. I didn't see a damn thing out there."
Surf's Up
They were back on the beach. Blast headed to the boat to grab a surfboard and a bottle of water to hydrate. Bruce went about picking the lucky hunk to ride the waves for the surf scene. The actors were standing where he told them to wait under a shady part of the beach.
"Okay, this question is for the guys. Any of you know how to surf? And be honest, please. I need you to surf for about five to ten minutes straight."
This was the moment of truth. If none of these guys raised their hands, he was going to have to get somebody who could fake surf. He pictured one of these morons bellyboarding waves for five minutes. The camera shots would be limited to make it more exciting than it actually was.
The silence didn't last long.
"I can surf, Mr. Ryder."
There was Rent Fulton standing there in his swim trunks. He was the only actor in the bunch who had graduated from film school and had performed Shakespearean theatre. He had blonde spiky hair, a six pack chiseled by the sharpest instrument, and a face that seemed to say "sure" to every suggestion.
Could this dude really surf? Then again, if this GQ guy couldn't and he tried to surf anyway, it would be equally entertaining to watch this straight-faced thespian attempt to hang ten. Bruce decided it was a win-win.
"Okay, Rent. You're our surfer guy. Why don't you warm up out there for a few minutes?"
"You got it, Mr. Ryder."
Blast returned with the yellow surf board. He handed it off to Rent. The actor rushed to the ocean as if his very paycheck depended on it.
"The rest of you actors," Bruce said, "need to stand and watch him ride the waves. Be shocked and awed at your friend who surpassed your expectations of his abilities. If you don't know how to react, then just keep saying "wow" under your breath and intermittently clap and jump up and down. That last part especially applies to the ladies. Okay, let's roll 'em."
Blast was staying on the outskirts of the crowd of actors keeping them excited and cheering by whispering suggestions to them. The director eagerly watched as Rent took to the water. At first, he was shaky and kept falling off his board. Once the kid got his confidence up, the actor was a regular pro. He slashed through the waters with zest. The idiot probably didn't realize it, but he had a giant moronic smile on his pretty mug.
Rent's going to look back on this as either the greatest time of his life or as something he'll pay to have erased from his record.
Either way, I'm in the money.
The camera guy was capturing Rent, and Blast was doing a fine job recording the audio of the friends cheering him on. Bruce's thoughts veered back to Zoe and the punch to his face. Candy and Zoe had been gone awhile. He hoped Candy had the situation buttoned up. After this scene, he would track them down if they hadn't returned.
A giant wave was fast approaching. Rent would get a piece of it. He thought to yell and warn the kid, but Rent saw it coming and gave everybody a big thumb's up. He was going to take surfing to a whole new level.
God, that grin. He looks like a damn oaf. I'll have to make that a screen shot on the back of the DVD release. That, and Beverly and Bambi under that waterfall. Smokin' hot stuff. I got a tent in my pants just thinking about it.
The wave had doubled in size in five quick seconds. Bruce wasn't so sure Rent knew what he was getting into. Blast was worried too.
"Hey boss, you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Before he could comment, Candy and Zoe were racing onto the set. They were waving their arms and screaming. He would've told them to be quiet, but the terror on their faces was so real.
"Everybody take five. What's wrong?"
Candy pointed at the other side of the island. "We saw it. I mean, it's out there. You won't believe it. The size. My God. We have to get on that boat, and get the hell out of here. We're all in danger."
Rent was poised on the board to dominate the ever-growing wave.
Bruce stared at where Candy and Zoe were pointing frantically. "Down that way. We saw it. A T-Rex."
He burst out laughing. "What a relief! I thought you guys were actually in danger. Great acting. I get your point. You two talked things out, and you discussed your scenes in the movie. I'll give you both more screen time even though you punched me in the face, missy."
Zoe grabbed Bruce's shirt by both hands. "Listen to us! This is no joke. We both saw a T-Rex in that forest. We were damn lucky it didn't spot us. It was stomping through the trees."
"I get it. You can stop now. You want more scenes. I'll give you all the screen time you want running around and being terrified. You sell it well, ladies. No problem. You've won me over with your budding talent. Now I've got a scene to finish. Please."
Rent had both arms out straight balancing himself. The top of the wave formed a ceiling over him. He was about to dip forward and dismount when everything came to a terrible halt.
Part Two
Terror Beach
Candy clutched onto Bruce in horror. Zoe was screaming. Blast darted to his table to grab his 9mm. The cast and crew scattered. Some ran towards the boat. Others retreated into the forest. Bruce couldn't force his tongue to shape words. He would've demanded the actors to stay together and that he had the answer to fix this problem. All they had to do was regroup like with any other film that had suffered a major setback. But this wasn't any setback he was prepared to tackle. The director couldn't say a word because it was abundantly clear everything wasn't going to be okay.
Rent was acting like a super surfer. Everybody still on the beach was yelling at the actor to look behind him. He was oblivious to what rose up from the depths of the water.
The huge oblong reptile head had burst up from the ocean with rage and hunger in its eyes. The bass of its growl delivered tremors to everybody's feet and shook the trees. Waters sluiced, rippled, and boiled by the force of its immense form and strength. The ocean bent and broke to the monster's will.
When the T-Rex submerged, a wild ripple effect shot high tides of water onto the shoreline. The waters crashed and frothed towards the cast and crew. The motion obscured Bruce's ability to see Rent.
I have to save that kid.
It's my fault he's out there.
Bruce ran forward as fast as his body would allow. After only a matter of yards, he was already gasping for air and struggling to put one foot in front of the other. Candy was demanding him to come back to the shore. Don't be stupid. He couldn't save Rent. Bruce didn't listen. He was close enough that he could see through the wild splashing and surging of water to what was actually happening.
Rent finally caught sight of the T-Rex towering over him. The beast turned its eager-for-meat gaze down at the pretty boy. The monster released another ear-blasting growl. A split second later, the dinosaur snatched Rent off the surf board, and scooped him up into his mouth. Three bone crunching bites later, the inside of the dinosaur's mouth was colored with blood.
"You can't do anything for him you idiot!" Blast had the 9mm in one hand, and Bruce's arm in the other. T-Rex saw everybody on the beach and roared.
The beast was only getting started. Rent was a mere appetizer to a lavish main course.
T-Rex shifted its body and lunged across the water towards the boat. That caused a sizeable wave to bash right into Blast and Bruce. Bruce was hoisted up five feet and then dropped. He landed face first against the sand. The shock of the blow left him momentarily paralyzed. He could only lay there and let his body absorb the shock of the impact. The way his head struck the ground, his hearing was muffled. Smaller waves were lapping up against him. He was soaked from top to bottom. Screams kept renewing themselves across the beach. That shriek and growl of the hideous beast would sound off every few moments.
The way his body felt, Bruce believed he could lay here forever. He thought every bone in his body was broken. He could move his hands and feet, but he couldn't get up.
Blood delivered him back up to his feet.
Rent's surf board washed up next to him. On that board were Rent's bloody feet up to the ankles.
"Oh God!"
Where's Candy?
You have to find Candy.
Bruce was shaky on his feet. He fell over twice before he could remain standing. He scoured the beach for his girlfriend.
Please, let her be safe.
She warned me.
This is my fault.
I should've believed her!
He saw a strange man across the beach at the very edge of the forest. He was a large linebacker sized man. He was dressed in dirty, ratty clothing. He had Candy over one shoulder and Zoe over the other. Both women appeared to be unconscious.
"You son-of-a-bitch! What do you think you're doing? Stop!"
The man paused, turned to regard Bruce with a "yeah, try and stop me" grin, and vanished into the cover of the trees.
Whoever the guy was, Bruce was going to deliver a beat down of the highest order. Nobody hurt his girlfriend. Nobody.
He raced over to the spot where the strange man had disappeared.
He only got half-way there.
T-Rex was standing over the boat. Bruce saw two of the cast members running into the below decks.
No.
That won't do you any good.
The monster saw you.
T-Rex raised its head back and whipped its tail. The boat gave to the dinosaur's strength. The tail smashed home. The ship imploded as if made of popsicle sticks. After the tail strike, the T-Rex dipped its head into the gaping wound of the deck and gobbled up the two actors. Every crick, snap, and pop echoed across the island including the final sickening Gah-ulp sound of it swallowing human meat.
The dino beast singled out Bruce. The monster stood knee deep in the water among the scattered and floating boat debris. The thing licked its chops and lunged right for the terror-stricken director.
The Creepy Castaway
We're one in the same you and me. We're the last of our kind. No friends to play with. No family. Nobody to fuck. There's only meat to eat.
Nobody can understand us, because we're all alone.
We belong here.
This is our island.
Nobody will take it from us.
Nobody's going to leave here alive and tell the world about us. If a single one escapes, it's over for you and for me.
You and I are going to kill them all.
The strange man in a vest, undershirt, and cargo pants that had gone unwashed for months stayed on the outskirts of the attack zone. His big friend was keeping everybody else distracted. That allowed him to choose from the collection of frantic people.
I only want the best parts.
They're all so different, but their parts...their parts can make a perfect whole.
Look at these two fine pieces of meat. The butt meat. The tit meat. The between the legs meat. Individually, they're horrible, but together, they'll be so beautiful. It's been so long since I've had this fine a selection of pieces. And whatever I don't want...he'll take them. He's not picky in the least.
He clutched a hammer in one hand. He would have to move in real quick. Strike them hard, but not too hard. He needed them alive...for a time.
Candy and Zoe had watched T-Rex smash the boat into pieces. The noise would cover their screams, he thought.
Hurry, before he eats them all.
He vaulted out of the forest, slammed the hammer's head against the back of Zoe's skull. The conk sounded like a struck cue ball. Before Candy could see what had happened, he struck the hammer near the point of her skull. The blonde went down with one blow. Neither had time to utter a scream. He had hit many men and women unconscious with one blow. He knew how to stun and how to kill.
There's only one way to know if I hit them too hard.
They didn't fill their bikinis with shit or piss.
I think they'll be okay.
I have to hide them before they wake up. Then I can create a new friend. It's always nice to have company. It's been soooooooo long since I've had good company.
He placed the hammer back into his belt loop made of dried out boar guts, hoisted each female over his shoulder, and disappeared into the forest.
We Have to Save Them
Bruce closed his eyes. The T-Rex beast was seconds away from taking him in its mouth. He wouldn't save Candy. Whatever savage man the forest had spit out would have his way with her.
No.
I won't allow it.
I can't die like this.
He opened his eyes and stayed on all fours. T-Rex was yards from his position. He hadn't been eaten yet.
What the hell is it doing?
Blast was crouched nearby with his 9mm aimed at the dinosaur. He mouthed to Bruce, "Don't move an inch."
Bruce whispered back, "What? You going to shoot that thing? You need a fucking rocket launcher. That pea shooter won't do a damn bit of good."
The dinosaur was sniffing the beach. Each inhale and exhale seemed to punch the ground. T-Rex was chewing for thirty seconds before Bruce realized what was actually happening. Once he realized it, he dodged two fake severed heads and three legs. T-Rex spit each of them out, annoyed by the taste and the disappointment of not having actual flesh.
A series of shrill screams echoed from the forest. T-Rex was alerted. After studying the beach full of dead body parts for another moment, the dinosaur bounded through the trees to instigate more death and carnage.
Blast hurried to Bruce's side. "You okay? That thing didn't take a bite out of your ass?"
"No, I'm okay. Everybody else, I'm not so sure. Rent's dead. Some weirdo who looked like a castaway came out of the trees and grabbed Zoe and Candy. He took them somewhere, and I have to go and find them. He's going to do something awful to them; I can feel it."
Bruce struggled to get back to his feet. When he did, he was already moving towards the place he saw the man carry off the two women.
"Wait. Hold on. You can't just bound into the forest. That dinosaur is out there!"
"We're wasting time. The guy's going to kill them. Why else would he take off with them like that?"
"They're in trouble. Yes. We're all in big trouble here. Our boat's wrecked. The crew has scattered. We're in a shit storm of shit. I think we deserve half a minute to think."
"Give me your gun," Bruce insisted. "I'm getting them back."
"And what about the T-Rex? Can you navigate through the trees? If you haven't noticed, I don't think we're on the right island. Pagoda Island is a very well known island. I think if it had a living dinosaur on it, the world would've known it by now."
"What are you saying?"
"That idiot kid. The Rodman asshole. I think we're on the wrong island. Pagoda Island is populated in certain parts. This island doesn't seem to be. Again, if my logic serves me, they would've spotted the big ass T-Rex parading in the forest a long time ago. We're not where we're supposed to be. That kid took us to the wrong island."
"So what if you're right? It's all the same. I'm not standing here a moment longer. Candy's in danger."
"I'm saying let me help you. We need a f
ew supplies. Just to be safe, I'll go with you. Two idiots are better than one."
Bruce couldn't stand the feeling welling up inside of him. He kept imagining the various ways a man could do harm to Candy. Just like Dalton Andrews who was the man that attacked Candy after that porn shoot. He vowed nobody would harm her ever again, and he would uphold that vow, T-Rex or not.
"Fine. Hurry."
"Now you're thinking straight. I'll only take one minute."
Bruce caught his breath and tried to get his head together. That would've been impossible if it weren't for the fact Candy was in danger. She was in danger anyway as long as that dinosaur was stalking them.
Before he could question how they were going to get off this island without a boat, Blast returned. He strapped on a backpack.
"I've got a flashlight, a few bottles of water, a first aid kit, and my 9mm. Let's go, mister director. I'll follow your lead. You saw them last."
Bruce did just that.
The two weren't very deep in the forest before they saw evidence of fresh carnage.
A Moment of Consciousness
The rocks were the strangest colors. They were smooth on top as if something had sheared the tops off. She couldn't get over the colors, though. She remembered growing up and how her little brother collected comic book cards. He would make a big event out of tearing open each new pack, and when he found a hologram, watch out! The rocks were like a pool of 3-D colors. Like a holographic comic card. Every rainbow color appeared. Change your angle, and the color would change too. Watching them was hypnotic.
Candy focused on the rocks instead of the raging pain in her skull. A line of blood was drying down her face. Her head was foggy. She couldn't think straight. The rocks. The rocks were easy to interpret. Everything else, not so much.