PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

XI. Eva Is Attracted To Yaz For 3.4 Seconds

Chapter Eleven: Eva Is Attracted To Yaz For 3.4 Seconds

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They entered the genetics lab swiftly, keeping themselves in a close huddle as Yasmina led them down corridors to the lab they toured a couple days prior. Eva shuffled her feet along the concrete floors, stopping at the entrance of the main lab room. Her eyebrows furrowed; why was there a lit birthday cake on the table?

A face popped up from the side and Eva screamed. Someone pushed her out to the back of the hallway. Her body thumped against the glass wall behind her. Cautiously, she raised her fists, unable to see what was happening in the front anymore.

"Not dinosaurs!" A voice yelled from inside. "You're not.. Dinosaurs. Oh, this is the worst birthday ever..."

The campers slowly entered the room, Eva eyeing the lab worker suspiciously. Why was he here all by himself? And again, what was with the lit birthday cake? It was honestly freaking her out.

Eva took a seat on one of the tables, and a moment later, Sammy was handing her a slice of birthday cake.

"Ooh!" She cheered, picking up the fork and taking a bite. Her mouth melted at the vanilla cake and cream cheese frosting. She hadn't eaten anything all day, which she wasn't used to. At Rutherford, the two dining commons were open from five a.m. to midnight, every day. And even when she was staying with her grandparents over holiday breaks, there was enough food in the fridge to feed an army. So the fact that she hasn't eaten in, what, ten hours? Disastrous, if you ask her. She didn't really care that she was eating pure sugar at the moment, because, in the end, it was still food.

"We are so happy we found you, things are crazy! There's a giant camouflage dinosaur out there. Also, regular dinosaurs. We've been hoping to find someone—"

"You're sure you closed the door behind you, right?" Eva couldn't take the guy seriously considering he was wearing a striped party hat.

"Uh, I think so."

"You think, or you know?"

Kenji burped, then awkwardly held out his half-eaten slice. "Sorry. You want it back?"

"You know what, it doesn't matter! The dinosaurs got out and no one bothered to tell me; they just ran. So, why not? Knock yourself out."

Eva awkwardly looked down at her finished slice of cake and pursed her lips. She wordlessly got off the counter and headed to the table with the cake, adding another slice to her plate.

"Ugh, there's no dial tone!" Brooklynn complained.

Eva spun around, nearly dropping her cake in the process.

"The landlines are down," the birthday guy said. "So is the radio, and cell phone service keeps cutting out."

"But the park obviously has a plan," Darius tried. "So, what's the plan? What do we do?"

"You're asking me?" The birthday guy began cackling like a maniac. "You're— you're asking me?"

Eva sighed and set down her cake. She clapped her hands twice, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Reality check, motherfucker. Jurassic World is falling— you're on an island with dinosaurs that want to eat you. So what the fuck do we do?"