Chapter 8

Tanya picked herself up off the ground and looked around, wondering what happened.

"Oh, Christ!" she exclaimed as she stared at Vanessa's bloody remains.

The explosion had completely vaporized Vanessa's upper half, leaving her intact from her waist down. Her nylon waistband around her stomach kept what was left of her insides together, seeming to form a lake of dark red and gray gore that extended down to a pair of sexy, nylon-clad, and now blood-soaked legs. As her dead muscles relaxed, however, the remains of Vanessa's torso collapsed back as though she were simply lying down, spilling intestines, ovaries, liver and kidneys into a messy, smelly splat of gore. Several flying insects, already attracted to the scent of fresh blood, alighted on Vanessa's still-beautiful, long, nylon-clad legs and began feasting, biting right through the material.

As she stared at the mess Vanessa had made of herself, Tanya began to get angry. "You can't pull that crap on me, babe!" she growled, and concentrated on the scene in front of her, forcing it backwards through time (actually forcing herself backwards) until Vanessa was kneeling in the grass, whole once more and getting ready to stab herself in the tits with that damned exploding arrow.

Quickly stepping forward, Tanya vanquished the arrow, teleporting it right out of the girl's hands and far into the bushes.

"NOOOO!" Vanessa screamed, realizing her perfect solution had been denied her. "Get away from me! Leave me alone!"

"Why? So you can kill yourself?" Tanya asked, still feeling angry as she dropped down on her knees next to the distraught girl. "Not on my watch, kiddo!"

"What do you care?" Vanessa cried. "I want to be with her! Why did you stop me?"

Oh, damn you, honey," Tanya whispered, pulling the weeping girl into her arms. "I know what you're feeling. I know how awful things seem right now..."

"NO!" Vanessa snarled angrily, still crying. "I don't wanna hear how things SEEM! I KNOW how they SEEM! Just leave me the fuck ALONE!" Furious, she shoved at Tanya and rolled away, unwilling to expend the effort to rise and flee the thoughtless blonde, and instead, remaining prone on the ground and sobbing hysterically.

'Crap!' Tanya thought to herself as she watched the nylon-clad girl weeping her heart out into the ground. 'Maybe I should go get Lisa and have her go back in time to get the other girls ... No ... this has happened before, and Lisa refused to help after that first time. Especially after that dumb girl got herself killed again the very next day!

'Oh, well, ' Tanya sighed to herself. 'At least I was able to save Vanessa and bring her back. Nobody can fault me for that!'

Tanya knew that talking and explanations weren't what Vanessa needed right now. She remembered that awful day years ago when Frank told her that her dearest and oldest friend had suicided by flying into the crystal sun, no one had been able to console her with mere words.

But as bad as she had felt, Tanya hadn't wanted to die – she had Frank, and Lisa and her necrotwins had consoled her. She smiled now as she realized what Vanessa really needed.

Rising wearily to her feet, Tanya went over to lie down where Vanessa lay sobbing in the grass. As she put her arms around the distraught young girl, she was gratified as Vanessa accepted her silent, unapologetic embrace, instinctually knowing she needed someone – anyone – to hold. Vanessa needed love – not explanations and certainly not judgment; just love.

Some time later, Vanessa was finally cried out and only partially aware of her surroundings. Tanya, still holding her in her arms, teleported them both back to her bed at the lodge, where she could get the love and the help she needed to recover from this horrible loss.

Leaving Vanessa alone and asleep in her room, Tanya left, searching for either Tia or Miranda so that they, with their twin, could begin the healing process for Vanessa.

At least one person died almost every week here at the Jurassic Lodge. That was really why there was at least one set of necrotwins available at any given time. Right now, there were two sets. The third set, Holly and Haley, were in the far distant future, enjoying the royal court of King Sibilius and his reborn queen, Alana. Tanya looked forward to their visit in a couple more weeks.