PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

LXXI. ROLL THE CREDITS

Chapter Seventy One:  ROLL THE CREDITS

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Two weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred and thirty six hours. All Eva had to do was get through two weeks, and she'd be on her way back to the mainland, where she could call for help, call for her family. Where she'd see her Oma and Opa— who she really was starting to miss— and her cat, Custard.

She walked alongside Brooklynn and Kenji, headed back for the forest biome.

"Funny, you volunteering us for T. Rex duty," Eva muttered as they stepped through the airlock.

"Well we have to make sure the food isn't tainted, so why not?" Brooklynn formed her lips into an 'O'. "Or is this about you trying to leave the island? We all want to leave, but you know we have to help the dinosaurs, first."

"Right, but you've never volunteered anyone for T. Rex duty before?"

"What do you mean?"

So it was Darius. Or Kenji? Nah, Kenji wouldn't do her like that. Fo-sho Darius.

They moved swiftly, effortlessly climbing up small hills and moving between trees and shrubs. Finally, they reached the feeding platform, revealing a massive pile of meat, and lo and behold, white cubes of hate spread between them.

"Let's hurry," Eva suggested. She did not want to spend a second longer there than she had to.

The trio got to work, collecting all the tainted cubes of hate. Eva dug her hand into the middle of the pile, reaching for the last cube when heavy footsteps approached. She nearly dropped all her cubes, sprinting for a tree to hide behind.

Eva, Brooklynn and Kenji left as quickly as they could, all sitting behind a tree, waiting for the Eaties to finish eating.

"This could take a while," Kenji whispered.

Big Eatie— the momma T. Rex— walked past them, a chunk of meat between her teeth.

"Or not? Lucky us," he said, getting to his feet.

Brooklynn pulled on his arm. "Wait. Why didn't she eat? And where's she going? Come on."

"Really?" Eva whispered. "We're going towards the T. Rexes?"

Kenji reached out and grabbed her hand, the couple quietly following after Brooklynn. The trio stopped behind another tree, peering around it to see Little Eatie lying down. Big Eatie gave her the meat, which the younger one slowly ate.

"Little Eatie's still hurt," Kenji whispered. "I thought Mae sent the BRADs to help her?"

"Guess they didn't get the order," Brooklynn said.

"Or they rejected the order," Eva murmured, feeling bad for the T. Rexes. And why was that? Why was she feeling bad for an animal that could eat her in one bite?

Little Eatie groaned, letting go of the second half of the meat. Big Eatie roared, then collapsed beside her, nudging her with her head.

"Look at her trying to help her baby."

Was that guilt Eva was feeling? Was that guilt that was tugging at her heart strings, refusing to let go?

"How could anyone hurt her?"