(no gif cuz my phones broken )

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲;
𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱

The jungle clearing fell into a stunned silence, the only sounds being the distant calls of prehistoric creatures and the heavy breathing of the reunited friends. Ben carefully helped Vera dismount from Rocky's back, handing her the sturdy stick he had used to incapacitate Hap. She leaned on it gratefully, her injured ankle still throbbing.

"Uh... hey," Ben offered awkwardly, breaking the tension. His words seemed to shatter the spell of disbelief that had frozen Kenji and Brooklynn in place.

In a blur of motion, Kenji rushed forward, enveloping Ben in a bone-crushing hug. The force of it nearly knocked Ben off his feet, but he returned the embrace with equal fervor. Simultaneously, Brooklynn threw her arms around Vera, almost toppling the injured girl. Vera steadied herself, wrapping her free arm around Brooklynn as tears of joy and relief welled in her eyes.

"How? How? How?" Kenji repeated, his voice thick with emotion as he pulled away from Ben. Before Ben could formulate a response, Brooklynn had already released Vera and was tackling him with a hug of her own.

Kenji and Vera were left facing each other, an awkward tension hanging between them as memories of their past disagreements surfaced. They exchanged uncertain glances, neither quite sure how to bridge the gap.

The heartwarming reunion was cut short by a low groan from the ground. Hap was beginning to stir, reminding them all of the precarious situation they were in.

"Oh, right. We should probably deal with that," Ben stated, his tone shifting from joy to determination.

As Vera set about securing Hap with vines and roots, Ben launched into a breathless recounting of his adventures. His words painted a vivid picture of survival against impossible odds. "Fell off the monorail, got savaged by pteranodons, found Bumpy, survived in the jungle, found Vera and Rocky, defeated Toro, and then we overheard that fancy couple conspiring with this guy, Hap. So we figured you guys might need our help."

Brooklynn turned to Vera, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What about you?"

Vera's account was equally harrowing. "Built a shelter, ransacked Main Street with two months worth of supplies, lost said supplies in a run-in with that blue Velociraptor, found Ben and Bumpy, defeated Toro, possibly broke my ankle in the process, and the rest you know."

Kenji and Brooklynn listened in awe, their jaws slack with disbelief. The silence that followed was broken by Kenji's sudden realization. "Oh, hey, I still have your dork pouch." He reached for his waist, confusion crossing his face when he found it missing.

"Oh, yeah. I snatched it off of you earlier. But thanks for keeping it safe," Ben said with a hint of mischief, unzipping the fanny pack. He pulled out hand sanitizer, meticulously cleaning his hands despite the dirt and grime covering the rest of him. Vera couldn't help but roll her eyes at the familiar quirk.

Ben's next discovery elicited a gasp of delight from Vera. "My journal!" she exclaimed as he produced the familiar book. "Now I can actually publish that book," she added, sharing a warm smile with Ben.

Bending down, Ben retrieved Hap's dropped weapon – the electric prod they recognized from their time at Camp Cretaceous. "Could have used this while fighting ol' Toro, eh, Vee?" he quipped, attempting to twirl it but fumbling. Vera chuckled at his antics before taking the prod herself, finding it a sturdier support than the tree branch.

Brooklynn's voice cut through the moment, her tone serious. "Guys, focus. The couple, what exactly did they say?"

Ben's expression darkened. "Not too much, but they're definitely up to something. Hap, too. I say we feed him to the Mosasaurus."

"Or the T. Rex," Vera added, her voice a mix of jest and genuine consideration.

Their strategizing was interrupted by a gravelly voice from behind. "Or you could listen to me." They whirled around to see Hap struggling to his feet, his bindings looser than they'd thought.

"You're awake?" Brooklynn asked, surprise and wariness evident in her voice.

Hap's response dripped with condescension. "Of course I'm awake. You think I'm gonna be taken out by a bunch of kids?"

Ben's eyes narrowed, a fierce determination replacing his earlier jovial demeanor. "Challenge accepted," he declared, snatching the electric prod from Vera and charging it up. The weapon hummed to life, casting an eerie blue glow across Ben's face as he pointed it at Hap.

"Put that down, boy, before you get yourself hurt." He said taking a step forward.

Ben slowly approached him, the staff steady in his grip. "Someone's getting hurt, old man, but it ain't me."

"Zap him, Ben!" Kenji shouted.

"With pleasure." Ben raised the staff higher.

"Bring it!" Happy seethed.

Before Ben could charge at the man Brooklynn jumped between the two extending her arms out. "Everybody, chill!"

"Lower the weapon, Ben." Vera said walking next to Brooklynn.

"You're protecting this guy? Whose side are you on, Vera?" He said angrily.

"I am on the "as much as I hate this douche bag we need to think first" side." She said.

"We don't have time for this!" Hap shouted. "You kids have to trust me. I'm trying to save your lives." He said, his voice lowering.

"Okay, start talking. Why were you—" Brooklynn began to dish before she was cut off.

"Are these Windsor knots? Where'd you learn how to tie people up?" Hap asked Vera curiously.

"Not important. We ask the questions here." Vera said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah! These two have dinosaurs and they're not afraid to use them." Kenji chimed in.

Hap looked to the side, unimpressed as the pair of dinosaurs curled up together. The group groaned in annoyance at Hap.

"I got this." Ben affirmed, taking a step up. He leaned in, getting closer to Hap's face. "Think you're tough? You don't know the meaning of tough." He raised the end of the staff, pointing to a spot on his arm. "See that? Leech bite." He said coldly.

Kenji looked amazed while Vera remained unimpressed. Constantly exploring in biomes of all time meant coming across different animals especially leeches.

Hap raised his arm showing animal teeth marks. "Gator bite." Brooklynn was also at a loss for words.

"Suburned for three days straight." Ben countered.

"Buried for a week in an avalanche!"

"Chased off a pack of Compies!" Ben shouted.

"Wrestled a pack of—" The pair's arguing was cut short.

"Punched a hammerhead in Hawaii! We're all impressive!" Brooklynn shouted, annoyed at the bickering.

"I'm really wealthy." Kenji blurted, trying to seem impressive. Seeing as everyone started at him blankly, he huffed crossing his arms.

"Okay, how exactly is chasing us through the jungle saving our lives?" She crossed her arms, her stance defiant. "Plus, we heard you tell Mitch and Tiff you were going to 'take care' of us."

Hap's eyes darted between the teenagers, a mixture of frustration and desperation evident in his expression. "I'm trying to, by getting you home," he insisted, his voice taking on a pleading tone. "Look, I'm no angel, but once they said they were gonna leave you all here to die, well, I had to do something, didn't I?"

Vera's eyebrow arched skeptically, her weight shifting as she balanced on her good ankle. "Really?" The disbelief in her voice was unmistakable.

Hap's shoulders sagged slightly, but he pressed on. "Look, what's important is getting you out of here."

Ben's eyes narrowed, his posture tense as he stood protectively near his friends. "I still don't buy it," he declared, his voice firm. "Let's tie him to a tree and be done with him."

Hap's next words cut through the air like a knife, causing the group to collectively gasp. "We have a boat moored at the northwest dock."

Kenji's eyes widened, a glimmer of hope flickering across his face. "There's a way off the island?"

Brooklynn's brow furrowed as she recalled their earlier conversations. "You all said it was refueling."

Hap's gaze dropped to the ground, his voice quieter now. "We lied."

Brooklynn's response dripped with sarcasm, her patience clearly wearing thin. "Wow, that's supposed to make us believe you."

"Listen!" Hap snapped, his sudden outburst causing the teens to flinch. He took a deep breath before continuing, his voice urgent. "I scouted out some kind of garage near here when we first landed. We can take a vehicle, get to the dock, and prove I'm telling the truth. Please."

The group exchanged uncertain glances, the weight of the decision hanging heavy in the air. Vera's voice broke the tense silence. "Maybe we should discuss what to do."

They huddled together a short distance away, close enough to keep an eye on Hap but out of earshot. Ben's voice was low and intense as he spoke. "He's lying. I can smell it on him."

Kenji's face was etched with concern as he tried to reason with the others. "Look, if he is telling the truth, Darius, Sammy, and Yaz are in big trouble. We have to trust him."

Ben's eyes narrowed as he turned to Kenji. "You know what kept me alive out there, city boy?"

Confusion flashed across Kenji's face. ""City boy?""

Ben pressed on, his voice filled with conviction as he pointed the staff at Kenji. "My instincts. And they say "Don't trust Hap." I vote we go after our friends and leave him here."

Vera's expression was conflicted as she spoke, her words measured. "I hate to admit it but Kenji's right, Ben. Even if the boat is still refueling it'll be here in a couple of days and we already know Hap's a shady guy. Mitch and Tiff are definitely up to something but I think Hap can be useful." She turned to the final member of their group. "What do you think Brooklynn?"

Brooklynn took a deep breath, her eyes closed for a moment as she weighed their options. When she opened them, there was a steely determination in her gaze. "Okay, here's what we're doing." She turned to face Hap, her decision made. "The four of us are going to save our friends."

Ben's face lit up with triumph. "Yes!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

But Brooklynn wasn't finished. "And we're taking you with us," she added, her eyes fixed on Hap.

Ben's jubilation quickly turned to dismay. "No! What? W-Why?" he sputtered, his face falling.

Kenji, on the other hand, couldn't contain his excitement. "Because he might be telling the truth. Kenji for the win," he gloated, a smug grin spreading across his face.

Hap's voice cut through their debate, urgent and commanding. "Then get these off me, and let's go!"

Before anyone could move to comply, Vera stepped forward, her eyes narrowed as she faced Hap. Her voice was low and filled with warning as she spoke. "Not so fast."

Vera tied a long vine to the other vine around Hap's wrists. She handed the rope to  to pull him along. "There we can use that to make sure he stays on course."

Hap examined the knot. "Well at least she knows how to tie a knot."

"I'm telling you, he's leading us to a trap."

𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘳𝘪 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴！
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Hi guys!! Im so sorry for the long hiatus! School has been so busy and i haven't had time to write at all. Between cheer and SGA and college classes Ive been so behind. But I'm back! (hopefully) I probably won't be posting everyday but Im gonna be more consistent so that I can get these books done. Also sorry for such a short chapter but I felt like y'all deserved something after waiting 3 months. Anyway thank you for all the love and support and be sure to leave a vote and comment! I love you all!!

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©-CRETACEOUS , 2024