Survivors Stride | Male OC x Camp Cretaceous

(Chapter IV) - The Genetics lab

The next day, we found ourselves at the edge of camp, parked in front of an enormous pile of dinosaur poop. Roxy barely waited for the Jeep to stop before turning to Kenji and Darius with a smirk.

"Alright, boys. Time to pay the piper," she said, hopping out of the vehicle. Dave, grinning from ear to ear, tossed them two shovels. The look on Kenji's face was priceless, like he'd just been sentenced to the slums in Zimbabwe.

"Good luck cleaning that up!" Roxy called out as she headed back to the Jeep. "We're off to the genetics lab."

Brooklyn, ever the content creator, snapped a picture of the scene. Ben, on the other hand, turned green and immediately bent over, retching. Dave tossed Kenji and Darius a small bottle of cologne with a smirk.

"That'll help with the smell," Dave said.

"And the girls..." I added, unable to resist.

Dave's eyes lit up as he snapped his fingers and pointed at me. "Exactly! Can't forget about impressing the ladies."

We both chuckled while the girls on the Jeep cracked amused smiles.

"But mostly the smell," Dave added with mock seriousness. "That stench can really... linger."

Kenji let out a groan. "What? But-"

As we drove away, I watched Kenji's shoe sink into the mess, his expression turning from disgust to despair. Darius just lowered his head with a resigned sigh. Soon enough, they were out of sight.

Next to me, Brooklyn frowned, scrolling through her phone. "Ugh, still losing followers. 'When r we gonna see cool stuff?' Chill, dude, I just got here."

I leaned over. "So, what's your next video going to be?"

She shrugged, clearly not in the mood. "Haven't decided yet."

Sammy piped up from the back. "Ooh, maybe there are baby dinos in the lab! Everyone loves a baby video."

Brooklyn nodded absently. "Yeah, whatever it is, it'll be cool."

I glanced over at Ben, who was furiously rubbing sanitizer all over his arms and legs, humming with disturbing enthusiasm. He noticed Yaz and me watching him with raised eyebrows.

"What? It's sanitizer! You never know what kind of creepy dino goo is waiting at that lab. Gotta be ready for anything."

I chuckled. "Dino goo?"

Ben shrugged, completely serious. "The world's a grab-bag of gross, and we're all just along for the moist, sticky roller-coaster ride called life."

I couldn't help but laugh. "That's... actually kind of accurate..."

Ben's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"

"For sure," I said, nodding thoughtfully. "I was talking to Kenji yesterday about growing up and embracing responsibility, but he's one of those kids who needs to learn from experience. It won't click right away."

Yaz, who'd been listening quietly, chimed in. "It is good advice..."

I shrugged. "All you need to do is read, though nobody does that much anymore."

"Right."

"Books- uh, Good books; are full of great knowledge. And knowledge? Knowledge is priceless."

Yaz's interest piqued as she listened, her eyes brightening with curiosity. I noticed she seemed a bit shy, which was actually kind of cute. When our eyes met briefly, she quickly looked down at her feet.