Building The Base

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We had just finished putting the floor in of our base with a ladder leading up to it since it was suspended in the air on stilts. Yasmina had done a good job drawing a sketch, she had even—with the help of Brooklynn—taken into account the engineering problems and solutions for building a base like this. 

We were working through the night, we wanted to get this base done as soon as possible so we didn't have to sleep on hard ground in the middle of a jungle. I was busy nailing down any loose floorboards using a branch, I didn't want any that might fall or pop off randomly. 

Sammy and Brooklynn were trying to understand how to build a shower, we were so use to having one around that we never bothered to take into account how one actually worked, we would try to put one in but we didn't really now how. 

Darius and Kenji were searching through the rubble of the common room. Among the wreckage they found the skull of the skeleton T-rex statue and the remnants of a simple table that was slightly dipping. They had also found the couch and several empty plastic water tanks. It would soon be time to begin the next phase of the construction but we were all too tired to go any further. 

When I had called out that I was done with the floorboards the others announced they were also done and ready to sleep. Kenji took his spot at the resting tree while the rest of us lay flat on the ground near him.

"I'll take the watch tonight," I said simply, I already knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, partly because I was sill too revved up, partly because I didn't want to have any nightmares.

"Are you sure?" Darius yawned from his spot on the ground. I assured him that I knew what I was doing and sat back while everyone lay down and one by one, fell asleep. I quietly stood up and picked up my shovel and strolled around the area. 

I began to make circles around the base, then my circles got bigger and bigger until I was in the jungle again, patrolling the surrounding area. Nothing would get to the others while they were asleep, I would make sure of it. The jungle was deathly quiet, not a single sound stirred in the dark night. As I continued on the patrol I began to wonder if I should go back and just stay by the camp, surely I didn't need to check this far out from the camp. 

I could tell I was extremely tired by now, it must be sometime past midnight by now, but I kept myself alert by thinking about what could happen if I fell asleep now. I had to stay awake.

A stick snapped to my right and I spun in that direction and aimed the shovels edge at the bushes. Even though I couldn't see anything, I knew something was there. The bushes slowly began to rustle as whatever was there began to creep closer. I crouched down into a stance and tightened my grip on the shovel. 

A pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared from the bushes along with the rest of the animals body. Fear tightened in my chest, I had encountered this dinosaur before. It was the blue Velociraptor I had faced the very first day I was here. Recognition appeared in its eyes. It remembered, it remembered who I was, what I did. It took another step closer and I stood my ground, it gently sniffed the air around me and stepped back.

It turned its head the way I had come, back in the direction of where everyone else was fast asleep. My mouth fell open in shock, it turned back to me and looked at me with an almost evil intent. I shook my head at it and ran into it's way, blocking it from reaching where the others were. If it wanted to get to the others, it'd have to go through me. The Velociraptor tilted its head at me, it seemed to look me up and down, seeing my defensive stance and determination to stop it.

Then remarkably, it bobbed its head up and down, almost nodding, then it turned and ran in the opposite direction. It vanished into the darkness and didn't come back. I stayed posed to attack for what felt like forever before I dropped my shovel and fell to my knees, I couldn't believe that that had just happened, I faced down a Velociraptor and survived. But even then my mind was plagued with questions. Why did it leave me alone? It knew the others were behind me so why didn't kill me and then go for them? I stood up and grabbed my shovel and ran back to camp.

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