"I got eyes on the anomaly." stated Matt.
"What is that near it" Asked Connor, squinting to try and make out the shapes huddles by one of trees.
"Oh god. They are only kids" replied Abby
"HEY!" shouted Becker. "Get away from there"
The kids looked up as the team ran over to them.
"Please, my dog. It got hurt" said Mike and the other two moved away so Abby could take a look. Whilst Becker and Matt set up the locking device.
"Connor, get me the first aid kit from my bag please." Asked Abby pointing to the bag she dropped.
"What happened?"
"You wouldn't believe us"
"Try me." She replied with a soft smile on her face.
Alison started. "Well Mike ran off into the forest after Cato and Josh and I followed him. "
"There was something in the forest with us. Something large, hiding in the Mist. It spooked Cato and he ran off, dragging me with his" interrupted Mike. "and then he stopped and there was… there was… there was that" he said, pointing at the anomaly, unable to describe it.
"Mike started messing around with it. Putting his hand in it and stuff. His hand it, it kept disappearing into the diamonds. Then from behind us this creature came out from the within the fog. It was large, huge even, and it had a long nose full of pointy teeth. It walked on four legs. I don't really know how to describe that either" said Alison
"A Gorgonopsid" whispered Connor who had been listening to the girls story whilst Abby cleaned and bandaged up the dogs head.
"A what?" asked Josh, it was the first thing he had said since the creature had charged at him.
"Nothing" replied Connor. "What happened next? What happened to Cato here?"
Josh continued the story this time. "I wanted to get a photo of it. But my phone camera had flash on it. I must have forgotten to take it off. It didn't like it but I really wanted to get those photos so I continued. Then it growled at me. It started to run towards me and I … and I ... screamed. Then the next thing I know is that Cato had jumped on it and had attacked its neck. It thrashed it's head around and flung Cato into this tree and ran off into the forest."
"Which way did it go?"
"That way" Mike said and indicated to the direction left of the anomaly.
"Okay, all done. Cato should be just fine but I would maybe get your mum to take him to the vets to get him properly looked at. Okay?" Mike Nodded in response"
"Who are you guys? What was it? Why do you have guns?" Alison asked quietly
Not having been briefed on a cover story the two had no idea what to say. Things still worked in the same was as they did before the world knew. It was safer this way to still try and cover it up if it was possible. Whilst some believed in what they saw that day on the convergence not all did. Many pushed it from there memory, deeming it to be impossible. You can't force people to believe, you have to let them decide for themselves. These children where better off not knowing how close they were to being eaten by a prehistoric creature, it would haunt them all there life – it was better this way.
"Umm" replied Abby, looking at Connor for help. Beside him Matt had sat down on the ground and looked at the children.
"I am going to let you guys in on a secret. Come closer" Whispered Matt, moving his hands, suggesting for the children to lean in. "You can't tell anyone, okay?" They nodded. "Well, we work for a top secret government facility –"
"Matt?!"
"Shut up Connor"
"We work for a top secret government facility that looks into weird and sometimes wonderful natural gas events. What you discovered here today is a ball of hallucinating gases which have escaped from the ground beneath us. They are extremely rare to found in this state and you guys are lucky to have seen one of these - they don't last for long. What happened to your dog was probably its own fault in the confusion of the hallucinating and because of the gas it exaggerated it within your minds. Now aren't you meant to be at school?"
"Yes"
"Abby here will take you all, and will return your dog back to your house. You now know a really big secret. I trust you guys will be able to keep it?" said Matt, standing up and removing the dirt from his trousers. The children nodded. He then added to Mike "You might want to put a jumper over that shirt. You have got a little blood on it".
"Matt? How did you come up with that so quickly?" asked Abby quietly so the kids couldn't here.
"He didn't. I did" said a very formal voice over the Comms. It was Lester's voice. "Now get these kids to school before anyone notices there absent and find that creature. I have had enough of cover stories already."