Welcome To Jurassic Hell

Ch. 19: I'm Sorry

"What's up Brooklanders?"

Oh, good grief!

I scoff as I watch the pink-haired celebrity use a camera, which I assume she found in one of the gift shops, to record an intro for some kind of video. Didn't she know how useless that was? Sure, there was a small chance that we were getting off, but in the even bigger chance that we didn't, there was no point in recording a documentary nobody was ever going to see.

"You wanted exclusive footage? Well, here it is! And there's nobody better than me to show it to you."

Kon, who holds the camera, quips in with a comment about her fandom name, which she tries to justify.

At that point, I just go about and ignore her in favor of trying to search for the beacon. Again, I think the idea of escaping is now pointless since I have nothing left to live for anyway — no brother, no girl or guy, no one except mom — but I might as well help the others. Mostly Darius...

As I do, everyone "tries" to too, but really Yaz and Darius are the only ones who're doing anything with me. Kon and the other two are too caught up in their stupid video stuff.

"Find anything yet?"

I shake my head from where I'm looking in a pile of rubble, which used to be the park grill. Darius sighs and turns to where Yasmina is also searching a pile, and she also shakes her head.

Suddenly, Kon comes rolling by on a scooter shouting that they scored something, even though it was completely useless. Yasmina and I roll our eyes together, while Darius sighs once more and starts to follow him toward the others, who are all just messing around.

I bite me lip to keep from groaning as my chest gives another painful lurch, though I still ended up giving a weak whine that couldn't stay back. I sit down on a piece of pavement while I rub my aching chest, and try to keep from crying.

"You...you okay?"

Crap!

"Just fine." I mutter. I turn away from Yaz; I don't want to talk to her any more than I want to talk to anyone else. All I want right now is to be alone. It'd be better it I was, really.

"You don't sound like it." Yasmina states the obvious, hissing as she sits next to me. Her ankle, I note briefly when I see her out of the corner of my eye, has increased in its inflammation. It looks a bit bumpy and bruised around the swollen parts, almost sickening enough to make me vomit.

But if I did, my pain would only get worse and I really wasn't in the mood for more of it.

We were awkwardly quiet for a moment, me turned away trying to hide the pain in my face. Every breath I took felt like a wildfire, hot enough to melt my entire body if it really wanted. I've never felt so horrible in my entire life!

Finally, her presence started to annoy me.

"Look, Yasmina, I want to be alone right now."

In other words: Get the hell away from me!

But she didn't seem at all fazed. In fact, she just looked to get more comfortable in her spot as she shrugged.

"Well, we're on a dinosaur infested island so I don't think anyone being alone is exactly a good idea."

I scoff. Since when did she care? All she seemed to care for was keeping herself safe and getting off the island, why would she even talk to me?

"I don't care. Just leave me alone."

She didn't. She just stopped attempting to talk and just kept quiet, leaving a tense atmosphere above our heads. The others could be heard muttering about themselves ahead, though I didn't care enough to see what they were doing. Staring off into space was the only thing I wanted to do right now, even if it got me eaten.

It was a few minutes, before Yasmina finally spoke again and broke the silence I desperately wanted to keep about us.

"Look...Blake, I...I'm sorry for what happened back on the monorail. I was just so shocked and terrified in that moment that I couldn't move, a-and so much was happening that as soon as I processed it it was too late! And-"

"You let him die." I whispered. "You...you let him fall, and...and now he's-"

"I know. And I'm so, so sorry! These past few days have been so horrible and insane and..." she trailed off for a moment to take a deep breath, before finishing with a quiet, "I was so mean to him."

My resolve faltered, and I turned to look at her with a confused look.

"What?"

She wiped away a stray tear and looked up at me. Her lips, though subtle, were quivering.

"I-I was mean to your brother, and to you. I ignored everyone and when I talked it only caused everyone to get upset. Like back in the truck on the second day...and about his picture and when we were on the monorail, before...before...

"I...I thought you guys were weird and annoying and...and now all I feel is guilty for even thinking those things. Because we're both...we're both kind of the same, you know?"

Normally, the comparison between us would've made me angry. I would've started crying and yelling and screaming, and I would've ran off because that's how my dramatic-sensitive-ass is. But that's not what I did.

No, what I did, actually surprised me.

"Yeah...we kind of are."

Another block of silence, awkward, chilling silence. Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly pulled me into a hug.

And started to cry.

To cry! Into my shoulder.

And I didn't pull back, nor did I say anything.

I just let her stay there and cry, feeing her tears soak into my shirt.

I briefly look away from her to see Brooklyn standing a few yards away, watching with a sad look. I don't make any look back, no emotions to signify that it was okay for her to come over or anything.

I didn't want her to come over, truthfully. Sure, maybe I was ready to forgive Yasmina — after all, she had a damn strained ankle and probably, even if she hadn't been in shock, wouldn't have had enough strength to help anyways (why had I ever blamed her for that?).

But I couldn't say the same for Sammy, or Kon, or especially Brooklyn.

Not now, at least.

Maybe not ever...