by catt dahman
The audience liked him.
They had an idea of the living conditions of the man and his eight children, wondered why he had so many, knew he couldn’t afford them, and pitied him. The camera showed a few seconds of the small house where Trevor lived: three bedrooms with iron bars on the windows and doors for safety.
Because his son had been in prison for drug use, Trevor garnered some sympathy since every member of the audience could imagine in his own sad life of using drugs to escape the misery. The only bad part was the boy was caught. Had he been selling, he would have been executed since that was a capital offense, just as being arrested for drug use a second time would be. With changing laws, almost everything was a capital offense, and yet crime never went down.
Trevor looked determined, but there was sadness in his eyes.
Kathleen was tall and faintly pretty, but the audience saw her kick Susan earlier as she and Susan fought over a canteen. Kathleen was sneaky, selfish, and out for herself. She oozed sexuality and showed off a bat, a knife, and an axe, posing with them as Bert spoke. She would be the smoldering, bitchy girl everyone loved to hate. Her viper-like tongue was deadly as she expanded on the weaknesses of each contestant, “Preston is a pudge, Lawryn, what a name, is dumb as dirt, (she said it as Law-Wren), Wendy is clueless and will probably walk right into a dino, Donovan will flame his gayness all over us, and Skate is a sexist, womanizing goof. Ruby is dull and will bore the dinos to death, Jeremy is full of himself and thinks he is Mr. Bad Ass, and Marcus is a show-off. Jack is plain, Anthony is a pizza boy, Lizveth…what a stupid name…is stupid anyway, and Mark is a “nervous nelly”. I could go on and on.”
Analisa, the co-host, blinked, unsure what to say about that, “Well, thank you, Kathleen, for the commentary. No need to go on; we get it.”
“Bitch!” someone from the audience yelled, and a few chanted the sentiment a few times.
Susan was an herbalist, spiritual and kind. She had picked an excellent pair of boots, the best sleeping bag, a machete, and more of the food packets than anyone else. She shyly smiled at the camera and became the martyr for the show as Kathleen berated her timid nature and quiet personality. Susan cast Kathleen a tired look.
“Her-ball Sus-an,” the audience chanted. Susan smiled shyly and blushed.
Serinda carried her packs of toothpaste, soap, and toothbrushes and looked a little confused at the plain sneakers she was given. She held up sunglasses and some iodine tablets as her best finds, declaring she had no idea what the tablets were for. It didn’t matter because she looked like an African princess, strong and sleek like a great cat, and she was one of the most capable of combat for survival. She wasn’t savvy about the supplies, but she was clever and determined.
She would be a loyal, strong member for a team. Fans cheered for her, and she would be the one to learn as she went and become stronger. Fans always knew this type, the ones who ran at the front of the competition and stayed for the mad race for the finish.
Adrian was there for financial reasons since he lived in abject poverty. He was quiet, shy, and blinked under all the bright lights, unsure about the audience’s yelling for him; he smiled and waved, getting more cheers. Mexican competitors were few since many had been sent over the border to Mexico a few decades before in the Reverse Immigration Act. He seemed well liked by the audience.
Donovan wanted a safer place for himself and his life partner. Living in Dallas, they wished to move to a city with more open-minded people so they could hold hands in public. He flapped his gloves around and said he wanted to move to San Francisco. A former track star, he was the fastest competitor. The producers put up a picture of Donovan’s life partner, and while Donovan blew a kiss to the picture, some of the audience cheered; other booed. Gay people were segregated and forced to live harsh lives if they were open with their lifestyles.
Bert felt sick. Seeing each person as a token of some culture or lifestyle was sickening. People should have been chosen for their merits, but now, all anyone would recall was when the black chick bought it, the silly girl died, and the sexy woman was attacked by a T Rex, or they would recall the gay man was eaten alive and that the Mexican died. No one would be remembered for who he was in his heart. Bert had never doubted reality television until this very second; it was very patronizing.
It was also depressing to be reminded of the many recent laws and enactments that placed people into poverty or unfair lifestyles. The government officials thought this reminded people who weren’t fitting in to behave or a dinosaur might eat them, but Bert felt it also reminded the public that laws were becoming dangerous for persecuting the majority of people.
Bert was also well paid, and he pushed the thoughts to the side. He said, “Lawryn Johnston is just twenty, and her dream is to get herself and family moved out of a trailer in Oklahoma and into a real, safe house that can withstand tornadoes. In case you don’t know, tornadoes are really bad in Oklahoma, and every time a storm comes, her family could be killed. She works two jobs. One job is waiting tables at a diner; also, she works as a dispatcher at her father’s wrecker service. She wants to prove a down-home girl can survive anything. Her advantage is her street smarts and that she has survived seven tornadoes. Her best find is her Gerber knife and.22 Rimfire with rounds. Good job finding that and good luck, Lawryn.”
She wanted to survive tornadoes in the future, and so she volunteered to fight dinosaurs. Her frame was small, and her blue eyes were wide, both with innocence and too much experience. It was easy to see the little girl within who wanted to walk with dinosaurs. Bert hoped she made it.
Brielle, Traci, Marshall, and Marcus waved at the crowd in turn; Marcus was the model for young African American attractiveness. Women in the audience swooned as they cheered. Bert found it amusing that they had chosen a black man with creamy light skin, green eyes, and a model’s physique. When Bert relayed that Marcus wanted a chance to get out of the ‘hood, he almost laughed at the producers who wrote the drivel. Marcus laughed when he claimed his good looks would help him survive as he laughed. Bert figured the man’s smarts and sense of humor would be the helpful factor.
Marcus played off the idea that he was just eye-candy and showed off some attractive poses; in fact Bert’s keen eye noted the man was in good health and was muscled leanly. In his fancy green eyes that winked at the women of the audience, there was intelligence, and Bert noticed Marcus caught Jeremy’s eyes, and they both smirked. Bert realized Marcus was bringing more to the show than everyone had thought.
Bert clenched his teeth, bothered that this man was fodder for exploitive television.
Brent was the rich guy that the audience might hate except he was uncommonly handsome and charming, doing this because he was an adrenaline junkie and skydiving, scuba diving, and car racing weren’t giving him enough endorphins. He didn’t need the money.
“Just two more to go. Jack’s best find was his pair of H&R 45-70 rifles. Jack owns a tiny ranch in Texas, is former civil service, and is here to win for his hometown, which is struggling to survive the economy. He wants to breathe life into the place so they can once again thrive. My friends, he is doing this for the town; imagine that! Jack is thirty-three, enjoys riding his horses, reading, and having a cold drink on Saturday nights. His advantage is that he knows animals. Good luck, Jack.”
Jack was the expected dumb cowboy for the group, but Bert watched people and was good at reading them; in this man was astuteness and composed persistence. He might not be noticed since he was plain looking, but Bert would bet Jack would at least be one of the last ones standing.
He took a breath, ready to be finished with this, “And finally, Ruby Williams, also from Texas. She’s thirty and a teacher; she says she wants the cash so she can quit teaching and stop living like a pauper and being afraid at her job. She claims she can think calmly, has a no-nonsense attitude, and says she doesn’t even know what she threw into her pack but believes her Gerber knife and rifle are her paramount finds, along
with her boots. By the way, those happen to be the finest boots we offered, so congratulations for that, Ruby; we know teaching doesn’t pay enough to live on, so good luck.”
The camera went off as they went to commercials, and Bert allowed the makeup people to wipe away sweat and fluff his hair again as he hurried over to the room where the thirty-two contestants waited. He greeted a few, shaking their hands, waving to the rest, or nodding to them. They were busy appraising one another, wondering with whom they would be teamed. He wore a tee shirt with his slacks and sturdy boots, a role model for the adventure.
When the cameras rolled again, Bert did a quick re-cap of events and faced the thirty-two people. Analisa his co-host, who was wearing a body-hugging, red sequined dress, let each contestant pick a fortune cookie from one of two bowls she carried; one bowl was for females, and the other was for males, thus making the teams equal. She waved before leaving the room. Bert told them that on the count of three, they would open the cookies and see what team they were on.
He counted.
They opened the cookies, and most ate them without thinking as they unwrapped the small slips of paper. A buzz filled the room as everyone compared teams to see whom they would work with. A few had sour expressions on their faces, but most beamed and shook hands all around.
The audience clapped. They jotted names and looked at the teams. Legal bets were placed in casinos, and illegal bets stacked up through bookies all over the country. The yellow team had 2:1 odds, and the red team was 4:1. Trevor, Skate, and Anthony took early leads with odds of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1. The worse odds went to Nora and Sophia at 36:1 and 32: 1, respectively.
Four teams were formed with eight members per team, and with that, the random drawing of a fortune cookie might affect their very lives. They moved into their teams: blue, yellow, red, and green. They stood with people who might save their lives or make survival difficult. They were with people they had to depend on if they couldn’t fully depend on themselves. And the first team to the finish line would win.
Bets were made; votes were cast; favorites were chosen.
The game was on.
Chapter Three: Let the Games Begin
They had seen one another over the last few days but had not been allowed to say more than a few words to each other, so the green team quickly traded introductions and compared supplies. They had fifteen minutes to shuffle weight, tighten packs, and put on their footwear.
“Jump on in here, but I was thinking to stick to the sides and move fast to get ahead of the rest. The teams that will come later are going to get noticed more because of scent and noise,” Jack said.
“I agree, “Marcus nodded, “more quickly and quietly. I have boots, and those of us with the boots should do recon so the rest won’t over-use their footwear.”
“That’s pretty smart,” Lawryn said and noticed that Susan had boots but no socks, so she handed her a pair of the thick wool socks she had. A good pair of socks could be the difference between debilitating blisters and a good walk. She started to hand Traci a pair, but the woman was too busy cursing and asking Jack and Marcus who elected them leaders. Lawryn noted that Traci was a complainer, questioned every thing, and had a dislike for those in authority.
“Thanks for the socks,” Susan whispered, “let me know what I can share with you.”
Lawryn kept the other pairs of socks deep within her bag instead. To one side, Ruby put on her socks and boots, wiggling her toes and stretching her calves for the upcoming trek.
“I didn’t have time to get what I needed,” Traci complained.
“You had the same time I did,” Ruby said.
“It wasn’t enough. They cheated us. How could we find everything in that short of time? It isn’t right.”
“It’s what you signed up for,” Ruby frowned, “and complaining wastes energy, you know.”
“Whatever.”
Susan pursed her lips and rolled her eyes as she, Lawryn, and Ruby traded glances, “Anyway, I plan to get a first look, so tell me when we see dinos, but I’ll be watching the ground to find plants to use as bug repellent.”
“I have some,” Traci said.
“Yes, that’s about an ounce, and how long do you think it’ll last? Not long. And the rest of us need something. Being eaten by bugs could be dangerous if we have a reaction or are distracted by the misery,” Susan explained patiently.
“If you know plants and herbs, maybe you can find one to disguise our scents?”
“Good idea, Ruby,” Susan agreed, “I want to find things to cook with and medicinal remedies as well. We need to use all we can find so we don’t add unneeded weight.”
“You know herbs?” Jack asked.
“A little,” Susan blushed, enough I can make a bug repellent and some ointments if we find what I need. I know plants,” she smiled. “We need to find aloe. All of you know this plant. Great for burns and other things.”
“What did you want, Traci?” Lawryn dared to ask.
“A big gun and maybe a better sleeping bag and a pad. And mosquito netting. Water packets. A bunch of glow sticks. And I need a big knife, too and a small one, but I have a little one, so…”
“That would add a lot of weight.”
Traci looked at Ruby as if she were stupid, “Ummm, we have men to carry stuff.”
Ruby smothered a laugh as she saw Marcus, Marshall, and Jack roll their eyes and trade glances, “Riiiight,” Ruby said with a mischievous look on her face.
“Wanna trade? I think a revolver would be better for a girl to carry,” Brent suggested to Ruby as he showed them the .38 he had found. His shirt looked brand new with creases carefully ironed into the fabric. His shorts were crisp and new, and he wore a Rolex above his game-show watchband.
“I think I like this rifle better. I’m from Texas, so it’s not a new thing for me, but thanks for the girly advice,” Ruby chuckled.
“Girl power,” Lawryn bumped Ruby’s shoulder, adding camaraderie.
“I don’t like this gun,” Brent said.
“Then give it to me, and I can use it,” Ruby glared. “Be glad you have anything.”
“All friends and buddies now, but if a raptor chases us, Ruby doesn’t have to outrun the raptor; she only has to out run you,” Traci cut her eyes at Lawryn.
“Or you,” Lawryn noted, “you seem a little combative.”
“Well, I should be with dinos looming. I didn’t come here to make friends.”
“Obviously,” Ruby said, “You may need friends to make it out here; I do.”
Traci shrugged.
“Let’s just get ready, okay?” Jack asked.
“Let us know what plants to look for, Susan,” Lawryn said.
**Camera shift***
“Hello, again. Bert McTone here with the contestants from Dinosaur: 65 Million! All thirty-two competitors are wearing their boots or sneakers and carrying packs, so each team is carrying no more than 520 pounds of supplies needed for the next thirteen days. There will be no fast food out here or emergency services. Folks, these thirty-two are on their own.”
“Each team will fight dinosaurs and the elements, thirst and hunger, human nature, and themselves to reach the finish line. Have you decided on your favorite team yet?”
“Contestants, three map-booklets were in the supply room, and my producers tell me all three were taken. Who has those most precious items, I can’t say, but they can mean life or death. I will share this much: the first dinosaur they find will be the mighty triceratops with a few surprises as well. I wish all of you safe journeys and good luck; we’ll see you on the other side!”
***Camera to pictures of triceratops***
***Camera on Bert McTone again***
Bert waved as the metal doors rolled upwards, steel-barred fences rolled to the sides, and a mesh fence arose. The contestants paused to look out into the jungle before cautiously exiting the building and filing through a colossal steel gate into the unknown. An opened clearing was awaiting them.
“Are you sure that’s safe?”
Susan smiled at Ruby, “If I die, then probably not.” She tossed a handful into her mouth. “No burning. No itching. Tastes right. Pick some, and we’ll know in a few minutes. If I’m right, then we’ve added vitamins to our diet right off the bat. Actually, they are delicious.”
“They look good,” Ruby said, eating the berries. She filled her mouth and kept eating, “sweet and tart.”
Smiling, Jack shrugged and ate a few. He ate until he was full. The other teams might be scattering, but the green team stayed and ate until satisfied. Traci refused to eat the berries, but the rest filled their bellies. Each berry was a large as a robin’s egg, dark purple, almost hard with juices about to burst, and satisfying.
The team filled bags with the berries, and in a few minutes, they were eating as many as they put away for later. Marcus said he wished the berries were in a hot cobbler with ice cream on top; that idea made them hungry, “My mama used to make cobblers….”
“Save the rest, and at our next break, we can have more and not dip into our supplies. We have to keep our energy high and stay hydrated,” Susan said, “even if we don’t have cobbler.”
