PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

XXXVII. Overthinking It

Darius seemed satisfied enough, because he called out to everyone else, "Camp meeting! Let's go, guys!"

Five other campers moving around erupted in a flury of sounds. Eva groaned, then finally opened her eyes, squinting as she sat up. She wrapped her comforter into a ball and swung off the top bunk, sauntering over to the little dinette they had created, taking a seat next to Sammy and Brooklynn.

"Good," Darius grinned, looking at all of them. "So, escape attempt number one was... bad, but this doesn't mean we should give up. We just need a more solid plan. A better escape. Last week I told you all to start thinking of possible escape plans, so, you know, what do you guys got?"

Eva crossed her arms, looking around the group.

"Raft," Ben said quickly.

"I think a homemade hot air balloon would be fun," Sammy chimed in. "We just need a tarp, sticks, and a fire!"

Darius wrote both these ideas on the board, though Eva couldn't see how a hot air balloon could carry seven teenagers across an ocean without being attacked by flying dinosaurs. Plus, how would they even steer it?

"I say we look for a helicopter," Yasmina said, as if it were obvious.

Eva raised her eyebrows. "And who do you suppose would be flying it?"

"It can't be that hard to fly a helicopter. They have a joystick, right? So does the gyrospheres—"

Eva chuckled, while Yaz glared at her. "There's no way that will work."

"How would you know until we've tried it?"

"I don't see why we can't go looking for a phone," Brooklynn chimed in. "I still don't understand how one hybrid dinosaur could, just, knock out all the communications. I mean, there has to be a working phone somewhere, right?"

Eva pointed at Brooklynn. "She makes a good point," and I had been wondering that myself.

Yaz huffed, and began playing with the zipper of her jacket.

"Ooh!" Eva's hand shot into the air.

"Yeah?" Darius asked, grinning.

"We could fill a bunch of bottles with S.O.S. notes and toss them into the ocean... then hope someone gets one and creates a rescue team, and..." she trailed off, realizing how completely bonkers that idea seemed.

Yaz laughed at her. "Right, because notes in a bottle are more effective than learning to fly a helicopter."

"Hey, Darius said to come up with an idea. That doesn't mean you have to shit on my own," she defended.

"Right," Yaz said, glancing around their table. "My bad, Eva. It's just... you know... Japan is attacking?"

"You're fine, Yaz," she offered the brunette a smile.

Eva didn't really care if Yaz was being mean to her, or going through it. Really, she just wanted to climb back into bed and actually sleep for once.

Yaz nodded, then looked to Sammy, who smiled at her and nudged her leg under the table.

"I've got one," Kenji announced, leaning back against the cushion behind him.

Darius finished writing notes in bottles and find a phone onto the black board. "Go for it, Kenji."

"We build..." Eva leaned forward in her seat. "A human catapult."

Eva deflated, narrowing her eyes. She opened her mouth, ready to taunt Kenji for his terrible idea, when she realized with a start exactly what she was about to do. She closed her mouth quickly and looked around; no one was looking at her, but that didn't stop the feeling that felt like they secretly were judging her. Criticizing her.