Chapter Text
Darius was trapped under the Spinosaurus mouth, its jaws hanging open above him, saliva dripping down slowly. A stabbing pain shot through his knee he must have fallen on a rock. He knew Kenji was coming for him. He knew Kenji wouldn’t betray him again. Right? He wanted to believe it, but Kenji was cutting it close. Too close. Mr. Kon was saying something about "it's just business," but Darius didn’t care—not enough to listen fully. His leg throbbed from the fall. He couldn’t escape on his own, and he knew it. As he heard Kon say, “I’m sorry, I have to tie up loose ends,” Darius looked to the tree line one last time hoping, praying to anyone who would listen that his best friend was running toward him. He needed a new plan. He just needed the mind-numbing pain in his knee to go away so he could think clearly. He tried to move, tried to sit up, but his arms gave out under him. Just as he was accepting his fate, he saw someone no not just anyone Kenji,running calling his name. Warning him? Telling him to move? He couldn’t tell. He was too far away. A sudden wave of determination surged through him. Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was his love for his friends, for his family. As the large jaws came down onto him he was able to move, though not far. The pain was agonizing. He had never felt anything like it before.
He turned his head as much as he could to look at Mr. Kon, whose expression was filled with rage. At least that’s one good thing about this torturous pain, he thought. Then he looked down at his torso, big bite marks on his side. He was lucky the dinosaur hadn’t pulled away with its teeth still in him. But the bite was still bad. Really bad. Blood gushed from the wound. He tried to move his hand to stop the bleeding, but it never made it. As the edges of his vision began to fade, he saw a flash of blue. Whatever breath he had left him in a sigh—not of annoyance, but of relief. His best friend was here. He was safe. He heard Kenji speaking to him, telling him to stay awake, not to close his eyes. He tried. He really tried, but he was failing. Then he saw Kenji move, and the dinosaur’s mouth snapped shut. Darius couldn’t hear much—until Kenji screamed his name.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, a loud siren went off. He knew he should move. He couldn’t.But he didn’t need to—Kenji pulled him up, far too fast for his liking. They hid behind a pole as Mr. Kon tried to figure out what was going on. With Kenji holding him up, Darius managed to choke out some words. “The same thing… ha-happened before… It’s the core. It must have unaligned again.” He coughed harshly at the end of his sentence. Looking down, he saw red splatters on the ground. Kenji was shaking him, telling him they needed to go, to follow the plan. Kenji slung Darius's arm over his shoulders and began walking—trying to run—but Darius kept tripping over his own feet. He could feel himself slipping, the world darkening, Kenji’s encouragement sounding like it came from underwater. More and more of Darius’s weight leaned on Kenji. He tried to hold himself up, but he could only do so much.
After what felt like years, they made it to the docks, leaving a trail of blood behind them. They were behind the others, so at first his friends didn’t see him. He was grateful they didn’t have to see him like this. Kenji’s dad called out. Everyone turned. Darius saw their faces shift from determination to horror. “Kenji, come along, son. Leave your so-called friends and come with me,” Mr. Kon yelled. Kenji looked at his father, then at his friends, then at Darius. Darius looked back, feeling weak. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind—maybe he’ll go with his dad—but then Kenji didn’t.
“They’re my family, more than you ever were.” Relief washed over Darius, and his body sagged. Kenji propped him up as Mr. Kon’s plane departed.
After he was out of sight, Brooklyn stopped the alarm. But instead of cheering, everyone ran to Darius. They offered to take him from Kenji, but Kenji said no. Darius heard Sammy say something too,
but then everything went black. His last thoughts were of his family... and having his best friend beside him—even if he was dying.