PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

XXVII. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

"That's so—" her nostrils flared as she stopped in place, watching his retreating figure. "If they turn out to be red flags, it could be too late," she said into the empty, blank space. "Fuck me."

Darius' voice carried through the air to her— "When we activated the emergency distress beacon, we hoped someone would get our signal. I kinda can't believe it worked."

"Oh yes, the signal!" Amber 2 said. "Honey, remember when we got that? It was right after the boat dropped us off."

Eva ran to catch up. "Really? So uh, you've been on the island for two weeks and we just happened to see you for the first time last night?"

"Coincidences," Amber 2 laughed nervously. She tugged at her short blonde locks. "We're just lucky you finally found us! Two weeks has been a long time, hasn't it, honey?"

Eva tilted her head. "That's funny, because we sent out that emergency distress signal three weeks ago."

A hand gripped her upper arm, and tugged her back. Yasmina gave her some evil side eye. "Easy, girl."

Mitch, or Amber 3, chuckled nervously. He motioned to the third adult ahead of them. "That's our tour guide, Hap. Came highly recommended. Knows cameras and the outdoors like the back of his hand, but not much of a talker." He shouted ahead, "Almost there, right Hap?"

Hap grunted in response.

The sun fully came out by the time they reached the adults' campsite. Mitch and Tiff pulled branches in either direction as if they were unveiling the camp. "It's not much," Mitch said. "But hopefully you'll be okay roughing it with us."

Four yurts— circular, collapsible tents— were set up in four different corners of the clearing, each large enough to be the size of Eva's bedroom back home. In the middle was a long picnic table, a firepit, and a couple chairs.

"Out of my way!"

"Ooh, stuff!"

"Look at that!"

"Oh!"

"Is this real?"

"Oh, wow!"

"Oh, look at that! Oh, over there!"

"Awesome!"

"This is crazy!"

Sammy ripped open one of the doors of the yurts and gasped loudly. "Even the mosquito net is luxurious!"

Eva couldn't see as she was standing further back, but it didn't take a genius to imagine what the yurt looked like.

"This is what I imagined Kenji's penthouse would be like," Yaz said. "But better, because we aren't locked out."

"I.. see.. brand names!" Brooklynn shouted, using grabby hands.

Sammy pulled Brooklynn out of the yurt and into the middle of the camp.

"It's fine, I guess," said Kenji. He had the door flap of the yurt pulled to the side. "Personally, I'd have arranged the yurts in more of an A-line config." He stepped inside and quickly dropped the door flap.

Eva pulled it back just in time to see Kenji belly flop onto the bed.

That's right, bed. Not an air mattress, or a cot, an actual fucking bed. But then again, they've been sleeping on (somewhat uncomfy) beds the last few weeks. Mitch and Tiff weren't special.

Not to mention their camp was on the ground. The ground! How long until dinosaurs stampede through their camp, taking the land back for themselves? The campers weren't safe here. Not as safe as they were at Camp Cretaceous.