The lack of scientists walking to and fro from the remote genetics lab was probably the first sign that this was niether the refuge in which to ride out the storm, nor the safe harbor where they might gain help that the children had been seeking. Still, Yasmina chose to keep these thoughts to herself in the hopes that it was merely her inborn pesimism getting the best of her. The outside of the building gave a threatening air of doom to the girl, it's sharp angular sides rising up out of the ground like wards poised defiantly against all who dared to tread, thick creeping vines winding around the concrete, competing against palms, and epiphytes, each vying desperately to claim their place in the life giving sunlight.

Rubbing the nervous chill out of her arms Yasmina was caught by two conflicting thoughts, I forgot just how intimidating this place was, and, it's actually kinda pretty in it's own modernist meets naturalist sort of way, if things were different maybe I could have brought my sketch book.

Eventually though the campers, one mewling baby dinosaur in tow, ducked through the front doors of the lab. Trepidation, and disquiet permeated the atmosphere. The lights were out, the sterile white walls looming above the children with menace in the darkness. Glass and the brittle spliner of amber ground beneath their heels as they walked, the treasured mosquito collection toppled to the floor. The bitter, acrid reek of chemicals and cleaners assaulted the campers nostrils as huddled together they edged deeper and deeper into the dark unknown, signs that the scientists, the adults, had fled everywhere with a grim certainty.

Finding her wrist in the pitch Yasmina felt someone grab onto her. Startling momentarily the athlete was just able to make out Sammy standing beside her, pulled away long enough to readjust her hold, and then lace her fingers through the cowgirl's. Warmth and relief filled her, as she found herself walked in tighter synchrony with the other girl.

"And I thought this place was creepy with the lights on." Yasmina muttered to the group who silently agreed, eyes wide trying to discern their surroundings.

"What if there's no one here?" Darius asked still trying, and apprehensively failing, to do his best to play the part of wise and all knowing second in command, seeing as Kenji had unceremoniously dubbed himself their leader.

"It doesn't matter," Brooklynn whispered dismissively. "As long as we find a phone, or a computer, and can call for help, we'll be fine hiding out here until they can catch that thing."

"Things," Ben put in, in a whisper. "Don't forget Toro is out there too."

"Always a ray of sunshine, aren't you Ben?" Kenji commented sarcastically.

Walking through dark barren halls the athlete felt sure now that she was right, everyone was gone. Then without warning something darted towards the kids in the dark. Instinctively Yaz grabbed onto Darius who was leading the way and yanked him backwards. He gave a sharp cry, crumpling in a heap instantaneously, in her alarm Yasmina had forgotten about his shoulder. There was little time for guilt or apologies as the sound of metal colliding with the floor tiles where Darius had stood only moments ago rang out soundly.

Leaping between her friends and the stranger her arms outstretched Yaz pushed the others back out into the hall, trying not to trip over Darius, and the stupid fucking baby dinosaur they just had to bring with them that was baying loudly. Then the figure came at them again. Planting one foot on the ground the girl kicked out as hard as she could with the other, connecting with something soft. There was a grunt from their assailant as they stumbled, but they picked themselves back up too quickly for the young woman's liking, weapon drawn above their head like a baseball bat.

"Well, come on mother fucker!" Yasmina yelled blood pumping hotly, fists clenched, ready for a fight. To her surprise the shadow hesitated.

"Wait, you're not-" a man's voice said before he could be heard shuffling away. Blinded by the sudden turning on of a light Yaz shielded her gaze blinking back tears. When she looked up again she saw a haggard man in a lab coat wielding a long metal rod with a wheel at the end of it, giving her the impression that he'd ripped the leg off a metal tray table, which upon further inspection was exactly what he had done. The man took the campers in, the nerves in his face melting away, then he smirked. "Dinosaurs, I thought you were dinosaurs..."

"Yeah right!" Yaz shouted adrenaline flowing through her veins. "What was with the ambush?"

"Like I just said, I thought, you were dinosaurs." he went on in a tone that read 'children shouldn't question adults.' Then, ignoring the teenagers who had appeared only moments ago as though they were last week's headline, the man instead began combing through various files that had been strewn across the desk.

"Move!" Brooklynn shouted before anything else could be said or done. Shoving past the others she snatched a phone off of its receiver and put it to her ear, nails drumming nervously against the desk. "No dial tone!" she said in a pinched voice, pressing the button to disconnect over and over in an attempt to raise someone, anyone.

"Phones are dead little girl, so are most of the lights," the man intoned turning to smile at the internet influencer. "So are we, but by all means keep trying. While you're at it, help yourself to some cake." he added gesturing to the large white sheet cake that had been left in the corner of the room. "Today's my birthday."

"H-happy birthday." Ben whispered in a nervous knee jerk reaction as he pulled Bumpy towards him, pressing his back tight against a distant wall, and trying to grab Kenji to sit with them as he walked past.

Yasmina glared at the stranger for a long minute, likewise unable to shake her misgivings as everything about the man from his tone to his body language set off red flags in the girl's mind. Putting it aside for the time being however she turned her attention to Darius, "I'm so, so sorry." she said stooping down to help him up.

"It's alright," Darius said with a weak smile, though it was clear on his face just how badly that had hurt.

Accepting her aid, his good arm looped around her neck Yasmina was caught off guard and balance when Darius suddenly let his full weight drop. Tumbling forward Yaz was able to keep her footing but only just, that was when she felt the boy's breath on her cheek as he held her close. "I don't trust this guy. Dinosaurs see better in the dark than we do. He's a scientist, he should know that. He's lying!" the boy hissed into her ear.

"We don't know that." she whispered back, helping him to his feet, denying her own fears.

"So what exactly happened here?" Brooklynn asked in a muffled voice, hands over her face as she sat in a chair, from what Yaz could tell, trying her best not to cry.

"Yeah, because this place is a shit hole." Kenji scoffed moving towards the cake.

"Did you shut the door behind you?" the man asked, still preoccupied with the papers, but now doing something in an attempt to revive the downed computer as well.

"Yeah," Sammy nodded coming to stand by Yaz again. "I think so."

"Good." the stranger replied, before the feeling of so many eyes on him made the man realize that an answer to their question was necessary. "Everyone ran, they left as soon as they realized this wasn't just another drill. They literally dropped everything, and ran... You smell that? I don't know what it is or how long it's safe to keep breathing it in, by hey look on the bright side, at least they didn't make mustard gas when they knocked over all the chemicals." he looked around at the kids and smiled, the dim half light illuminating his face with a sinister glow. "A word to the wise, don't go into the chem lab while you're poking around in here, we don't want those fumes to overwhelm us, do we?"

An uneasy quiet fell over the room as the kids looked at one another, each face frightened, each child on edge. No one made a move for a long minute, everyone weighing their own thoughts on this new and unpredictable situation in which they found themselves against the knowledge of assured destruction should they venture back out into the wilds. It was Sammy who broke the silence first.

"You said the lights were still working, at least around here?" she said. The man only nodded. "Then, I'm going to go to the bathroom, maybe clean up a bit!" she smiled, motioning towards the dried brown-ish red blood that caked her arm and stained clothes.

"I'll go with you." Yasmina assured following the other girl as she anxiously made her way towards the bathroom. More than wanting to protect her, which she did, Yaz just needed a moment alone with Sammy, if only for her own peace of mind.

The lights flickered briefly, before illuminating the interior fully, motion activated sensors coming to life the second the pair walked in. Making her way to the sinks the cowgirl leaned on one and let out a pent, shaky breath before looking at herself in the mirror. "I sure do look a mess don't I?" she laughed, looking as Yasmina's reflection.

"Yeah." Yaz replied.

They made eye contact through the mirror, and Yasmina's heart went a flutter, her stomach filled with butterflies. Grabbing a handful of paper towels from the despenser she wasn't sure how to say all the of things she'd been thinking, all of the things she'd planned to say when she followed the other girl in here. So Yaz stayed quiet, lips pressed together in a tight line as she watched Sammy washing her arm in the sink from the corner of her eye. Ringing out the excess water Yasmina brought the paper towels over, and gently moving Sammy's hair aside began to wipe at the dried blood behind her ear, and down the back of her neck.

It had been the single most terrifying moment of her life, Yasmina thought, not just the fall, but waking up afterwards. Her chair had gotten tangled in the trees and vines on the way down and had slowed her decent substantially with the drag it had created so she'd hit the ground pretty gently, well, relatively speaking. The first one to come to, Yasmina had staggered about for a minute in a daze trying to collect her thoughts. It was then that she had spotted Sammy, face down in the dirt, so still, covered in so much blood. Yasmina shuddered at the memory, the feel of turning Sammy's lifeless form over in her arms, the harrowing belief that she was gone.

Dark recollection taking hold after a few minutes, her fingers started trembling, eyes flooding with tears as she worked with a quiet diligence Yasmina couldn't keep it in any longer. "I thought you were dead." she whispered. Sammy stopped scrubbing to look at the athlete in the reflective glass.

"I woke up, and you were just laying there, there was so much blood!" Yasmina sobbed. "I thought you were dead, and I didn't know what to do! I didn't-"

"Shh!" Sammy soothed, turning around and hugging Yaz.

Her face buried in Sammy's shoulder the young woman found herself unable to remain strong in that moment, and hugging her back began to cry.

"I'm ok, it's going to be alright!" Sammy promised. "I've got you, we're safe now."

"I thought- I thought- I- I-" Yasmina choked gripping onto Sammy, desperately unable to shake the image of her lying unresponsive in her lap, head lulling to the side. Struggling for a minute to pull herself together, and to articulate why she was feeling the way she was Yasmina pulled out of the comforting embrace, looking up at Sammy with red rimmed watery eyes. Yaz swept one of Sammy's notoriously unruly stray locks out of her face, and finally found the words. "I love you."

Pressing her lips to Sammy's Yasmina held on tight as the other girl rocked back, off balance. Catching herself however Sammy pivoted the other way, and then back, turning them in a circle, and before Yasmina knew it, they were dancing. Bursting out in a sudden fit of laughter, her heart swelling Yasmina very unromantically ruined the moment as their teeth collided. She gazed adoringly up at Sammy before resting her head on the other girl's chest while the cowgirl hummed a sweet little song as they improvised a slow paced two step, and for a moment there was no one else alive.

Serenity had fallen over Yasmina, her eyes gently closed as they embraced, circling slowly, in an abandoned semi-public bathroom, no less, their shoes sliding over the slick white tiles as they turned in slow tender loops. If only they could stay like that for the rest of time, Yaz thought relishing the moment, that would be just fine with her. Then, she heard it, a change in Sammy's heart rate, her breathing becoming quicker too. Brow furrowed Yaz wanted to ask if everything was alright, if there was anything she could do to help in some way. Selfishly however, she didn't want to spoil the moment, and hugged herself closer instead.

"Yasmina," Sammy began quietly, worry in her voice. "There's something I really, really need to talk to you about..."

Oh no, Yasmina thought tensing, and then she realized what had just happened, she'd said the 'L' word. You don't say the big 'L' unless you're sure the other person feels the same way, and how could she? They hardly knew each other. What if Sammy had only kissed that night- wait was that really just last night? It seemed like to long ago already, one kiss and Yasmina had professed her love! She was a fucking moron! What if this wasn't love to Sammy? Yasmina fretted. What if this was just a summer fling? What if she had someone waiting for her back home? Yaz felt sick with nerves and anxiety, she'd fucked up.

"What is it?" she asked when the gentle sway she would have made herself at home in stopped, and Sammy slowly pushed her away, to arm's length.

"I don't know how to tell you, but," Sammy started blinking back tears, before taking a steadying breath. "I-" she started only to be cut off by the door bursting open, bouncing jarringly off the wall with force.

Startled Yaz jumped, turning to see Brooklynn standing in the doorway, arms folded an angry, yet skeptical expression her face. "What the hell?" Yasmina shouted. "What is your problem?"

"Who me?" the pink haired girl asked innocently. "I don't like liars." she shrugged walking in with ease, her steps light she was almost skipping as she made her way to the sink. "Besides I was just wondering what you two were conspiring about in here."

She was so smug and arrogant it was all Yasmina could do not to grab her by her gaudy cotton candy tresses and make her eat floor tile. "We're talking, and it's a private conversation!" she grit between her teeth.

"About what?" Brooklynn asked running cool water over her face.

"None of your God damn business, that's what!" Yaz shouted, only Sammy's hand on her arm kept her from stepping up.

"Oh, how convenient." Brooklynn smiled leaning up against the sink after she had washed most of the dirt away. Too bad she couldn't wash away the ugly, Yaz thought.

The room turned cold, tension filling the air with an electrified static as the girls sized one another up with hostility, Sammy trying in vain to curtail any fighting. It was as the warring parties seemed to reach the precipice of their rage that the door inched open.

"Bumpy, no, stop it!" Ben grunted, holding the door somewhat closed as the baby ankylosaurus tried barging in, honking and outraged that Ben would reveal to her an entire room beyond the door yet have the audacity not to let her explore it.

"What are you doing?" Brooklynn asked eyes narrowed as she turned on him.

"I um, I need to go to the bathroom..." he muttered, gaze shifting about nervously.

"So, go use the men's!" Brooklynn shouted, pointing with disgust for him to leave.

Ben turned away, looking back the way he'd come before sticking his head through the gap again. "Please?" he begged, voice desperate.

"Sure." Sammy shrugged, motioning for him to come in.

"What? That's disgusting!" Brooklynn snapped.

"Everybody poops." Sammy said rolling her eyes.

"So?"

"Just come in and piss already!" Yaz commanded, turning to the boy who was trying to beat a hasty retreat, her adrenal glands working with a manic overtime since the Indominus' rampage. He hesitated, looking apprehensively at everyone else before he and Bumpy scurried into the room.

"Thank you!" Ben whispered rushing towards a stall before turning to the little animal who was bounding up behind him with excitement. "Yes it's all a lot of fun. Now, stay here."

"Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time?" Yasmina remarked.

"Said the pot to the kettle!" Brooklynn yelled.

Fists were made, would be combatants moving towards each other heatedly when Sammy put herself between them. "We don't have time for this y'all!" she pleaded, passing a destitute look between her friends.

Yaz glanced at the hurt look on Sammy's face before staring hard at Brooklynn, and let out a sigh. Slowly the fight dying out of her Yasmina said, "She's right." and stepped down. Brooklynn looked like she was ready to argue but thought better of it, she folded her arms again and remained quiet.

"So, what're we doing?" Kenji asked sauntering in, eating a hearty slab of cake.

"Hey." Darius nodded following him in. "We need to talk."

"Oh fine, sure, I mean what are rules for anyways?" Brooklynn said sarcastically throwing her hands in the air as she walked to the far end of the room.

"You seriously brought cake into the bathroom?" Yasmina asked, disgusted as she stared at the oldest among them who inspite of his slow, pained movements seemed to be enjoying himself at the moment.

"Yeah?" he nodded.

"That's so gross Kenji!" Sammy added, nose wrinkled.

"No, it's whipped cream frosting, really good actually, want a bite?" he asked shoving his fork towards the girl.

"Why is everyone in here now?" a plaintive groan came from the stall.

"Ben?" Darius asked turning towards the toilets. "Good, we're all here."

"Could maybe less of us be here?" Ben asked.

"Oh my God," Kenji smirked. "Ben are you pee shy?" When the question was met with silence the group's 'leader' made his way to the stall and stuck his foot under the door. "That better?"

"I hate you, get out!" Ben shouted.

Annoyed and fed up with his constant showboating Yasmina walked up behind Kenji intent on slugging him, but she didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Remembering his ribs she grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged. "Leave him alone." she said, while Sammy got to work at the same time.

"Don't worry, I got you Ben." she assured opening every tap and turning on the hand driers until the who bathroom shounded like a hurricane was blowing through it.

Bumpy began to shriek fearfully at the machinery, her playful rollicking about put to an end she dove for cover under beneath the closed stall door, Ben shouted something that couldn't quite be understood. Yasmina couldn't help but chuckle everything else aside at the sight of her chubby little butt wiggling back and forth as Bumpy squeezed herself under. After a minute the timers ran out and everything shut off, the power, and noise slowly dying down. Shortly after a red faced Ben emerged sheepishly, the baby dinosaur attached at the hip as she seemed to question Ben's judgment, and rethink this new room, and it's potential.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Yasmina asked Darius, though she couldn't keep her gaze from drifting to Sammy.

"We can't stay here." the boy began turning to look at each of them in turn.

"No, we can't." Brooklynn agreed, hugging herself as she leaned against the far wall.

"Why not?" Kenji asked, turning away from the embarassed boy he'd been tormenting while he scrubbed up in the sink. "I mean the dinosaurs aren't exactly going to bust down the building, there's cake, vending machines we can hold out here a couple of days. Besides Eddie does seem that bad?"

"Eddie?" Brooklynn asked, brow arching.

"He told you his name?" Darius added to the inquiry.

"Uh-uh, the cake." Kenji explained motioning towards the curling letters iced in yellow. All of the other kids looked at one another with mounting unease. "What?" Kenji asked through a mouthful of cream.

"I just don't like the feel of this whole situation," Darius said unable to give an exact reason behind his mistrust he started picking things apart for all the hear. "This place is completely abandoned, except for 'Eddie,' why would he stay behind?"

"I don't know, he seems like he's working on something though." Yaz put in.

"But why?" Darius asked with perplexity. "Everyone else is gone, what's so important that he's still hanging around?"

"Maybe he's looking for something, you know, like a spy." Brooklynn said looking pointedly at the Texan who couldn't meet her gaze.

"Maybe..." Darius muttered thoughtfully. "That would explain the lab..."

"What about the lab?" Kenji scoffed still packing away the sweets.

"It's been trashed!" Darius laughed with disbelief. "Did you not see all the broken glass? The amber?"

"And?" the oldest boy asked.

"Think about it," Ben, who was trying to reassure the little dinosaur said rolling his eyes. "When was the last time the trophy case at your school got knocked over during a fire drill? Emergency or not they had to have been prepared for this in some way, that level of chaos out there?" he asked with a pointed finger. "If that doesn't happen with a school full of rowdy teenagers hyped up on caffeine, sugar, and copious amounts of raging hormones than it certainly wouldn't happen with a room full of highly educated, level headed scientists."

"Jesus, you talk like you're retired sometimes." Kenji observed with a weary expression. "You do realize you are an aforementioned teenager, right?"

"'Aforementioned?'" Yasmina smirked, it was always funny when Kenji tried to sound smart, it just didn't work.

"No, Ben really hit the nail on the head." Darius went on still ruminative. "Maybe he was looking for something hidden, or just got angry and started smashing things..."

"You all realize that we're judging a complete stranger right?" Yasmina said unable to keep from feeling defensive she crossed her arms with aggravation, accustomed to the receiving end of this exact sort of situation. Being on your toes was necessary, but this, somehow this felt different. "You know what they say about books and their covers?"

"We just listed evidence to support our suspicions." Darius opposed. "Besides, I didn't see you getting all chummy with him." Unable to deny this fact, though equally upset at condemning someone based solely on a feeling she remained quiet.

"Besides, what about that smell? What if it's some type of invisible gas?" Brooklynn asked. "If something did break in the lab I don't want to wait around to find out the long term affects of inhaling it!"

"So, what do we do now?" Sammy asked wringing her hands together.

Everyone was ashen faced as they stared at their shoes, the rapid succession of horror at the grim face of death, the frantic rudderless pelt into the unknown, the thinly veiled illusion of safety, and now this weighing on them. Soul crushed Yasmina glanced up at Sammy through her eye lashes, she watched her standing there just as lost as the rest of them, Yaz awash with uncertainty wondered what she had been getting ready to tell her, and what it meant for the nonexistent concept of 'them.'

"I don't know," Darius intoned after a bit, wiping at his eyes. "Maybe rest for a while then drive to the main park, find Dave and Roxie?" Timorously everyone agreed.

Filing out of the room the teenagers found the stranger still working with a fanaticism at the computer he had finally gotten to boot. Spreading about the lab they all settled quietly to watch him with an err of caution as they recouped their strength. Frenziliy typing away switching out flash drives from his pocket every now and then.

Looking to Sammy who sat, head resting on her shoulder eyes closed Yasmina took the others girl's hand in her own. Why did she always fall for girls who couldn't, or wouldn't love her back? she wondered with dismay.

"Again we are so glad we found you," Darius broke the hush after a while, trying to gauge the adult in the room, and just how much longer they could reasonably stay. "There's a giant camouflaged dinosaur out there, also regular dinosaurs, we've been hoping to find someone. The park has to have a plan, so what's the plan?" he asked with a faltering smile.

There was no response for the space of several minutes until the scientist glanced up from his station. "You're asking me?" he asked with a sharp bout of laughter.

"Is that a good freaky laugh?" Sammy asked groggily, picking her head up with a sway that made made Yaz worry about not only blood loss, but a concussion as well.

"Don't you get it kid?" the man scoffed looking up with ire and indignation. "We're doomed. No one is coming to help."

"What about Wu?" Darius asked.

"Wu?" the man chortled in response. "Who do you think is to blame? He got greedy and instead of building dinosaurs he built monsters. Masrani, Dearing, they're all clueless about what's really going on here."

"What's going on here?" Brooklynn asked walking closer eyes narrowed in sharp inquiry.

"It doesn't matter does it?" he replied looking the girl up and down as she approached him. Yaz stood up just in case his hostility turned into aggression. She had been wrong about him, she could admit it, sometimes the cover told the whole story, but there was no way she was going to let him lay a finger on Brooklynn, at least not before Yasmina had gotten a piece of her.

"This isn't a park," the man declared with an eerily calm tone. "It's a powder keg and it is detonating all around us. All it took was one little overly ambitious project to light the fuze."

"Whoa, let's uh, let's dial it back a little bit Eddie, you're scaring the kids!" Kenji said with his signature charm, nodding towards Ben who clung wide eyed to a napping Bumpy in the corner. The man didn't seem to hear him. "...Eddie?" Kenji tried his smile bearing an uncomfortable twinge of anxiety.

The man turned to him with a perplexed look, brows knit before something seemed to register and he glanced at the cake and chuckled. Yasmina's stomach filled with ice water, every muscle in her body tensing. She looked at Kenji who appeared just as chilled and caught unawares. "We have to go, right now." Yaz mouthed, pointing sharply to the ground, but Darius, exhausted and in pain was overcome with upset and disillusionment despite how he had foreseen things going and began lamenting loudly.

"I can't believe it!" he shouted. "You're an adult, you're supposed to know what to do! You're supposed to help us! We drove all the way here and-"

"Wait," 'Eddie' smirked pulling a drive out of the computer. "You have a vehicle?"

Before anyone could react the man grabbed the desk lamp and only source of light in the room, smashing it in a shower of sparks against the device he'd been toiling with. Submerged in darkness Yaz grabbed onto Sammy as everyone began shouting and screaming, scrambling to find one another they tripped and stumbled over the disarray scattered across the floor. Eventually they made their way into the searing light of day.

"Guys," Kenji said brows furrowed. "I left the keys in the van!"

The children turned to see the black vehicle start up and begin to roll away. "Uh-uh, no fucking way!" Yasmina yelled pushing off as though from a starting block.

Feet churning, heels striking the earth with a comfortable familiarity the girl felt empowered by her own speed and strength in that moment. Anger and resentment welling within her as she gained the athlete was determined not to let that son of a bitch get away, not with their ticket to survival. Focused only on the goal ahead Yasmina's short-sightedness literally caught up with her as her shin bit into something hard. Carried forward by her momentum she toppled head over heels, gravel digging into her back, over the baby ankylosaurus who honked and screeched loudly.

"Bumpy!" Yaz grit before standing up and starting again. She was right there, only a few yards behind the van when there was a terrible sound of crushing dented metal as something large and red collided with the side of the vehicle, sending it spinning into the field nearby.

Shock and fear lancing through her Yasmina skidded to a halt and fell back, the feel of dirt scrapping the skin from the back of her legs meaningless as she watched in stunned dread as Toro made its way towards the large motionless black box, striking it with the side of its head. She watched in horror as the man who would have left them for dead climbed frantically about the interior of the van in an attempt to get away for the carnotaurus. Jumping with fright when someone grabbed her by the arm and tried pulling her away Yaz turned to see the cowgirl urging her to flee, eyes locked on the shrieking man who'd been caught by the ankle as he tried to crawl beneath the car.

Following her as the kids raced for cover, there was a final scream followed by a hideous crunch. Beside her, Kenji, his stomach clenching lost his cake painfully as they ran. Bypassing the toxic lab the campers hurried past large blue drums and shipping freight only to be met with the large steel bands of a fence. Slamming her fists against it, Yaz wailed at the bitter injustice of a cruel God.

Toro roared and the kids threw themselves behind a large standing of rocks, huddling breathlessly for cover. Her pulse rapid Yasmina looked at her friends before spying Bumpy, Ben shielding her protectively with his body. All of the anger, frustration, and fear boiled out of control in the girl's chest until she erupted like a volcano.

"I told you she'd get in the way!" Yaz said emphasizing her rage with an uncharacteristically cruel kick to the little animal's side. "If it weren't for her I would have made the van!" she added reeling her foot to strike again as the thing bleated helplessly and Ben shifted about to defend her, taking the second kick in the back.

"Yaz!" Sammy whispered urgently yanking the other girl backwards. "That's enough," she whispered. "You're scared, but that's enough."

Remorseful, Yasmina stared at Sammy with watery eyes, she was right, but that didn't keep Yasmina from venting her heated dissatisfaction at the set back.

"Why couldn't you leave her behind?" Yaz demanded an answer.

"Because I won't abandon her like we were!" the boy shouted back. "I-I can't, she needs me. And she just saved your life! Maybe kicking a baby is-" a bellow from the carnotaurus searching around for more flesh to satiate it's appetit cut off his words.

"Ben's right," Darius muttered dismally. "We're on our own. We make a run for it, to the van, agreed?" Everyone nodded solemnly.

Ducking low to the ground they scampered about the large shipping containers, using them to conceal their movement as Toro searched and sniffed around for its illusive prey, the ground trembling with the nearness of its strides. Back pressed against cold metal Yasmina closed her eyes as Toro got nearer scenting the air. Several feet from the rest of them Kenji had pulled a straggling Ben into hiding just in time. That thing was going to get them all killed, Yasmina thought glaring at Bumpy who Ben hugged onto like the stupid bleeding heart he was. Darius motioned for the pair to join the rest of them, but they wouldn't risk it.

That was when the maverick of recklessness got an idea and hurled a rock against a distant stack of drums where it clattered noisily. Making their way towards them the boys looked like rabbits in a snare, and acidic reek of vomit clinging to the eldest. They were nearly there and legged it for the final stretch, only Brooklynn fell. The tablet she'd been clutching like it offered some form of magical protection since she found it began trilling loudly. Trying to pull Sammy after her Yaz tore away from the pack towards the van.

In a single excruciating moment Sammy pulled out of her grip and ran towards the pink haired girl where she lay frozen in fear. Without hesitation the cowgirl ripped her off the ground, and the two ran. Before Yasmina could act the dino-nerd was at it again banging a stick and calling for Toro's attention. The situation well at hand Yasmina continued to run.

Making it to the van Yaz shoved Kenji out of the way with a terse, "I'm driving!" while everyone else piled in, Darius making a last minute dive into the bed at the back of the van before Yasmina stepped hard on the gas and they peeled out, tires churning.

Shrinking away in the rearview mirror Toro roared with annoyance as it watched it's meal get away. There was a moment of stunned silence before everyone began whooping and hollering excitedly, the joy of life winning out once more against the reality of death. It was then that the radio crackled to life.

"Kids?" Roxie's stressed voice a familiar comfort came in over the speaker. "Come on pick up! There's something going on. Stay at camp, we're heading to you."

Leaning over the seat Darius snatched up the device and radioed back. "No, we're heading to you!"

"Darius what are you-"

"We're all fine, but we had to leave camp." he went on.

"What?" Dave and Roxie shouted in unison.

"Short story a dinosaur ate camp." Yaz called over her shoulder as she drove.

"And Jayson... and a lot of other people." Ben added in a whisper, Bumpy calling loudly as she nudged him.

"We're in a van, cutting through the jungle heading for the main park." Darius explained, and like that they were saved.

A warm sense of relief washed over Yasmina, one that the others seemed to feel as well when Sammy shouted "Woo, we did it camp family!"

"My phone." Brooklynn muttered in hollow surprise, when something clattered to the floor. "I knew it!" she screamed.

Turning back Yasmina stared at the pink cell with the shattered face, before looking back up at Sammy her heart beginning to race with a different type of anger, and fear. "Sammy?" she asked.

The girl pitched forward abruptly, the collision sudden and unexpected as the van drove straight into a rock face. Electricity raced up her neck, the impact of her head battling the steering wheel a deep blow that sent dark orbs swimming in the driver's vision. She tasted blood.

She couldn't do this, she thought unbuckling her seatbelt and half falling out of the van as she opened the door staggering away. Her breath caught in her throat, tears overwhelming Yasmina as she cupped her split lip and bloody nose the girl ignored the others calling for her as she moved further and further away from them. She couldn't breathe, she could barely even stand, knees weak and threatening to give out at any time. Yasmina felt like she was drowning as wave after wave of sorrow and betrayal washed over her.

This was so, so much worse than anything she could have imagined. Worse than a fling, even worse than if the other girl had someone else waiting for her in Texas. Sammy had lied, none of it, absolutely none of it was real, none of it meant anything to her. At least if it had been a brief affair it would have meant something even if was something insignificant and doomed to end. Clutching her chest, heart throbbing agonizingly Yaz felt like she was going to die. She had shown herself to Sammy, her real self, told her everything, given her everything like a fool, and it meant nothing.

It meant nothing.

Nothing.

Yasmina wanted to die...