three days // j. conrad

six.

Wren was in her makeshift hideout in the helicopter when she heard the sound of helicopter blades overhead. She dashed out into the clearing to see a formation of helicopters flying through the sky.
Had someone sent a group to save her and Marlow?
Not likely. It was probably another expedition attempt.
Her heart dropped when something fell out of one fo the helicopters in the distance and an explosion soon followed.
They were dropping bombs?
Another bomb fell closer to her and Wren's eyes widened. She began running, but stopped and whipped around at the sound of something hitting the ground right next to her helicopter hideout. Wren cursed and began running again.
She cursed again when a tree went flying into one of the helicopters and it fell out of the sky. Of course Kong was angry, someone had just come to his home and started blowing it up. What were they playing at?
The bombs had stopped dropping because Kong had shown himself, and now all the helicopters were trying to gun him down. It didn't work, as Kong just kept grabbing helicopters out of the air and crushing them.
She watched as he grabbed one and the blades sliced up his inner elbow, which further enraged him and her used that helicopter to throw at another, taking them both down at once.
Wren knew she should stay far, far away from what was transpiring because Kong might squash he by accident in his protective rage, but she was already too close.
Helicopters were going down all around her, and she was whipping left and right to try and follow the destruction with her eyes, when a helicopter fell from the sky right next to her and exploded on impact, killing everyone inside.
The explosion threw Wren backwards with a scream, and when she hit the ground the world around her began to blur.
Even the second helicopter falling down close to her was enveloped by the haze.

James Conrad surveyed the group of people who had fallen with the helicopter. Everyone looked shocked and scared, and there was one person he didn't recognize sitting up slowly and winced as she touched her forehead and blood came away on her fingers.
She was wearing green cargo pants, brown hiking boots, and a grey tank top under a white, collared, sleeveless top she had tied in the front instead of buttoned up. Her brown hair had a braid feeding into a ponytail, and there was a small bag on the ground next to her.
Though he didn't recognize her right off the bat, Conrad decided to deal with her later. He picked up his binoculars and stood on a rock, spinning slowly until he saw the huge ape lumbering away into the distance.

"Calling all units! Is anybody airborne?" Reg Slivko called into his radio. "I repeat, is anybody airborne?"
Conrad lowered his binoculars. "They're all down. Every one of them. We're on the south side of the island. There's a river two klicks from here. If we stick to its banks, we'll make it to the exfil site on the north shore."
"And then what?" Nieves asked. "All our choppers are down."
"We'll find a way to signal the ship. They'll send a search party. We just have to make it by the exit window."
"I should be sitting at a desk," he said before walking away. Wren was sat against a tree near Mason Weaver, who had a camera around her neck.
"So wait," Slivko exclaimed, "are we just not going to talk about this?"
"My best guess is we're scattered over a four to five-mile radius. We should head north and join anyone we find." Conrad stopped in front of Weaver. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know how to answer that question right now," she responded.
"I don't know what that was either."
"It was Kong," Wren said quietly, speaking for the first time since she woke. The man turned to her.
"What?"
"Kong." She struggled to stand, accepting his hand when he offered it. "He lives on the island."
"Sorry, I don't remember seeing you on the helicopter," he pointed out. "How do you know that?"
"I'm not on your expedition. I crashed here six years ago, been here ever since."
"You've been on this island for six years? By yourself?" He stuck out his hand, which she shook. "James Conrad."
"Wren Riley, good to meet you."
She tried to take a step, but gasped in pain and almost fell over. Conrad immediately took her by the elbows to steady her and guided her over to sit on the tree, a worried expression on his face.
"Are you alright?" He asked, looking down at her leg. She copied his action and saw a nasty gash on her leg, oozing dirty blood. "Did this happen when the helicopter fell?"
She shook her head. "Probably when you blew up my house."
He grimaced. "Not my idea. Get your things together," he addressed the group, "we move out in five."