Linger: Book 2

Chapter 8

The two adults were quick to set onto the single can of beans, both taking turns to shovel spoonfuls into their ravished mouths as there was only one spoon. They hardly even noticed as Eric began to move around the small enclosure, nor did they care when he took his seat beside them and started shuffling through a cardboard box. The moment Amy felt the food drop into her long emptied stomach, all she was worried about was her next bite.

"I read both your books," she heard Eric say, though she didn't bother to answer as she guided Alan's hand to her mouth, stealing his next bite. "I liked the first one better," the kid continued through his own mouthfuls of a chocolate bar, "before you were on the island. You guys liked dinosaurs back then."

"Back then, they hadn't tried to eat us yet," was Alan's gruff answer. He scraped the spoon along the tin bottom of the can, scooping up what little was left of the beans. He offered it to Amy, though she shook her head and he took the final bite for himself.

"When InGen cleared out, they left a lot of stuff behind," Eric informed the two. Alan and Amy did a quick visual sweep of the space, only seeing junk. Much like the compound, it looked like the truck had simply been abandoned with full intentions of returning one day, which never would - or should - have happened.

"Any weapons?" Alan inquired, though the kid shook his head.

"No. And I just used the last of the gas grenades."

"And we appreciate that," Alan started, though he began to cough again. With the food now gone, Amy sat her sights on exactly what all was inside the bunker. Surely something could be of use. An odd, foggy, triangular glass bottle caught her eye and she picked it up, holding it to the little lamps lining the walls to try and decipher what exactly the yellow liquid was.

"I'd be careful with that. T-rex." Amy raised a brow, silently asking the kid what he meant. "It scares the smaller ones away, but it attracts one really big one with a fin."

Amy was still confused, though Alan knew instantly what the liquid was. "This is T-rex pee?" he asked. The boy only nodded and took another bite of his candy. Amy grimaced and slowly sat the bottle down, glad that it was, in the very least, no longer warm. "How'd you get it?" Alan continued to pester, though Amy wasn't sure she actually wanted to know that information.

Thankfully, Eric only said, "you don't want to know," and left it at that. The kid leaned over to shelf, where he grabbed another chocolate bar. "Dessert?" he offered. Amy nodded and Eric tossed the bar to her. She caught it and instantly tore open the wrapper, eager to get more food into her stomach. However, Alan was more focused on the child before them.

"I have to tell you," he started slowly, "I'm astonished you've lasted eight weeks on this island."

The boy paused, a handful of chocolate hovering inches from his lips. "Is that all it's been?"

Amy stopped then, too. Her eyes bounced to Alan, a small pain pinching at her chest. Amy couldn't imagine reliving a weekend on this island, let alone an entire eight weeks. There was no telling just what this poor child had been through. She must have been making a face, for Alan placed his palm against her shoulder and he rubbed her arm gently, trying to sooth her in some way. Taking initiative over the now tense situation, he spoke again. "You're alive and that's the important thing. Thanks to you, that's one thing we have in common." It was his way of comforting the kid, though it didn't seem to help. Eric's shoulders dropped and his face fell and Amy could practically see the gears in his head turning, going over every horrific thing he had overcome in under two months. Alan sighed, searching for some other way to raise the kid's spirits.

Then, an idea appeared in Amy's mind. "You said you read our books. Did you happen to read Malcolm's?"

This seemed to work as the kid finally perked up, if only slightly. "Yeah."