Kenji, Brooklynn, and Yasmina lay sprawled on the ground, looking utterly disheveled.
"Why is there a Mosasaurus in the ocean?!"
The boat they had used to flee Isla Nublar had been attacked and torn apart. The group had no choice but to drift with the currents until they washed up on the shores of an entirely new island.
"Where are Darius and the others?"
Brooklynn scanned their surroundings. The worst-case scenario had manifested: the currents had separated them. However, looking at the lush greenery, she tried to reassure herself—this definitely wasn't Nublar. Surely there wouldn't be any more dinosaurs, right?
"ROAR—"
A distant bellow echoed through the sky, making them shudder violently.
"Why are there still dinosaurs?!" Kenji hissed, his voice cracking into a panicked, pathetic squeak.
Suddenly, a 4WD Jeep roared out of the treeline and screeched to a halt in front of them.
"What are you kids doing just standing there?!"
The driver's side window rolled down. A well-dressed man with streaks of dark hair glared at the children, barking a reprimand. The group froze, stunned to see another living human, especially Kenji, whose expression shifted to one of pure shock as if he were staring at a ghost.
"Dad?"
"Kenji?!"
…
Darius walked ahead of Ben and Sammy, eyes glued to the tracks on the ground.
"More dinosaurs..." he whispered to the other two.
Rustle... rustle...
The bushes suddenly parted, and a heavily armed Hawkes emerged from the forest followed by his squad. Encountering a group of teenagers in the middle of nowhere forced even a seasoned mercenary like Hawkes to do a double take.
"Uh... hello?" Darius tried to break the tension, but Hawkes didn't waste time with pleasantries. He pulled out a pair of zip-ties, moving to restrain them.
"ROAR—"
DG-3273 lunged from the shadows, snatching a poor soul in its jaws before vanishing back into the dense foliage.
"What the hell was that thing?!" Ben shrieked.
The remaining mercenaries instantly raised their rifles, pouring lead into the direction of the creature's retreat. One of the men leaned toward Hawkes and spoke urgently:
"Find a chance to get the kids out of—"
Before he could finish, DG-3273 struck again, dragging him into the undergrowth from behind. Its tail whipped out, driving a bone quill toward Hawkes. Hawkes barely saved his own life by sacrificing his shotgun to block the strike.
"Dammit! Listen up, brats! Follow me and stay close!" Hawkes commanded. With no other choice, the children scrambled after him.
Within moments, the sound of gunfire erupted behind them again, followed by screams that faded into the silence of the jungle.
…
"Dad! What are you doing here?"
Inside the vehicle, Kenji spoke with a mix of surprise and relief. Reuniting with family allowed his tense muscles to finally relax.
"I was going to ask you the same thing, Kenji. I thought you were..."
Brooklynn and Yasmina weren't nearly as relaxed. They were far more concerned about their missing friends and cut the reunion short.
"It's a long story, but what's happening now?"
"An unregistered dinosaur has made landfall and has been on a killing spree. We have to evacuate everyone. But Kenji... how are you even alive? Is this a dream?"
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but I—"
No matter how harmonious the reunion felt, danger remained perched on their shoulders.
CRASH!
DG-3273 slammed into the side of the Jeep, flipping it end-over-end. The vehicle rolled several times before coming to a jagged halt. The predator didn't rush in; it simply began a slow, predatory walk toward the wreckage.
…
"Careful!"
Hawkes stood at the front of the line, hunting knife in his right hand, using his left to signal Darius and the others to stop. He listened intently to the forest, only to hear the screams of the other children.
"Wait here for me."
He didn't hesitate, charging toward the source of the noise after giving the order. He had clearly forgotten that besides the monster, there were three other apex predators on this island; leaving the children alone was anything but safe.
"Hey!" Darius called out softly, but Hawkes didn't stop. The group had no choice but to follow.
…
"Aaaaah—!"
The Jeep groaned as it was shaken again, the occupants screaming in terror. DG-3273 seemed to be treating the overturned vehicle like an Ankylosaurus, flipping it onto its back and methodically "dissecting" the chassis.
"Damn it..."
Hawkes emerged from the forest and took in the scene. He frantically searched his gear for anything useful, but all he had was his knife and... a flare.
Huff—
He took a deep breath as Darius and the others caught up, stopping behind him.
"Hey! Kid!"
Darius was still gasping for air when Hawkes glanced back at him.
"Take your friends and run."
"What?"
Before Darius could process the words, he saw Hawkes sprinting up a high rock formation.
Fzzzz—
A brilliant red light flared to life, illuminating the darkness of the forest.
"Over here! Look at me!"
His voice echoed through the trees. The massive heat source in his hand instantly drew DG-3273's attention. The hybrid, having never encountered such intense thermal radiation, stopped gnawing on the tires and turned toward Hawkes.
Hawkes didn't flinch. He held the flare high in his left hand and gripped his knife in a reverse hold with his right, staring DG-3273 down.
"Go, go, go!"
Hawkes's eyes flickered to the side, watching the children crawl out from under the car and flee with the other adults. He let out a triumphant, low chuckle.
DG-3273 unhinged its jaws, preparing to swallow him whole. Hawkes raised his knife, ready to buy them every second he could.
…
On the savannah, two elephants lay dead, their tusks sawed off. Beside them lay two native children, slumped on the ground.
"What are you doing?! They're just kids!" a middle-aged man roared at his companions. The others ignored him, busy loading the ivory.
"Hey! Do you want your cut or not? Don't start acting like some saint now," the leader barked, clearly annoyed.
"Yeah, I'm no saint... but I won't hurt two kids for money!"
The man ripped a lion-tooth necklace from his neck and hurled it at the leader's feet. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
"Tch." The leader didn't try to stop him, hopping into the transport Jeep. "What are you staring at? Get in."
Another young man stood by the car, hesitating, making the leader lose his patience.
"Sorry. I think I'm done too."
He slammed the door shut and jogged away to catch up with the older man.
"Hawkes? Why are you following me?" Hap turned, seeing the younger man catching up.
"Why that face? You know as well as I do, we're both bad men with lines we won't cross, Hap."
The two had no vehicle, left to trek across the wilderness on foot.
Children are complicated creatures; even when they're playing the most annoying roles, they remain humanity's ultimate "bottom line." They should never be targeted for malice, for any reason, as they represent the continuation of the species, the one thing that is truly sacrosanct.
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