"Had I thought our race was great? Had I thought we were the masters of Earth? What damn fools we are! Soon it would be time. We would see the universe for what it was and what it held, and we would try to hide under mountains to escape. Those bloviating, pontificating scientists secure in their atheism; those theists so sure in their gods. All would see the truth and none would be able to stand it."
-John Balfour, fellow Lovecraftian fan from YouTube
The dawn, cool and crisp, echoed with the haunting, yet beautiful cries of a herd of dinosaurs with long and colorful crests on the back of their heads.
They were so loud they drowned out the morning chorus of the birds gleefully skipping from tree to tree as they eagerly awaited their turn to use the clearing in the middle of the forest so they could search for seeds and worms in peace without having to worry about the massive foot to move away from.
Maisie Lockwood hid behind some ferns, smiling as she watched the herd feasting on conifers and other plant life. She pressed down the end cap of her pen and started documenting the animals, writing down their coloration and behavior.
She suddenly felt the ground quaking and held her breath. The alpha male stomped towards the pond to have a drink. Maisie lowered her head and sat absolutely still. The animal was huge and his skin color was darker and more vivid than the others. He was covered in scars, which he wore proudly; for they were trophies of his past victories against other males and even predators who thought they could make a meal out of him. She was so close she could smell him. He smelled sweet and pungent, like a bowl of rotting fruit almost.
Maisie laughed silently. Being so close to such a thing was just the most exhilarating thing ever. The dinosaur took a few big gulps, then reared his head up and let out a loud honk that echoed across the city ruins. Maisie gritted her teeth and planted both her palms over her ears. That was louder than she expected.
It seemed the male was rallying the herd. It was time to move.
The other dinosaurs honked sadly. They had a few last morsels to eat before following their leader down the street. The black asphalt was cracked and was completely covered with wild grass so tall it covered the dinosaurs up to their ankles, which were high up in their own right. Maisie took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of the animals as they slumped after the leader. Scampering around in the center of their formation were the little ones. They let out petite honks and bellows as they chased each other's tails and jumped around. An impatient mother honked at them, telling them to keep up with the herd. The little ones, naturally, were not listening.
Maisie then heard something knocking on the tree behind her three times. She turned and saw her olive-skinned companion, Brandi, standing not far from Maisie's hiding spot. Another head peered from the other side of the tree. Maisie saw the two long, braided pigtails of Tina, who had a wide grin on her face. She waved as she hid behind the tree with Brandi, both of them waiting patiently for the dinosaurs to leave.
When they were gone, Maisie packed her journal into her backpack and stood up to greet them.
"Did you see that?" she said in a soft tone, so as not to spook the herd, for they were still pretty close by. "There were so many of them."
"Yes, I sure did," Brandi said. "I heard them, too. What in the world were those, Maisie?"
Tina tapped her bottom lip with her finger. "They were Para-para-parasauro-something, right?" She slid her hand up and down in the air over her head. "The crest."
"Parasaurolophus," Maisie corrected her. "And no. These are new species. Olorotitan. I didn't see them in the manor, meaning they're Biosyn's work or something."
Tina took out a pamphlet from the pocket of her baggy cargo pants. It was a map of Biosyn's Prehistoric Kingdom, their version of Jurassic World. "They're not in any of the exhibits."
"Because they were never released to the public," Maisie said, looking back at the herd. They were gone now. "They must have kept them in a hidden ranch or facility or something."
Brandi placed a hand on her cheek. "Wow. That makes like...what? A hundred and fifty new species this year alone. Where did they keep them all?"
"Who knows," Tina said, placing her hands on her hips. "Man, it kind of makes you wonder what else they had out there, huh?"
Maisie agreed. She nodded and looked at the mountains that once overlooked the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, California. The soothing call of brachiosaurs could be heard from miles away, as well as a few shrieks from pteranodons, who reclaimed the skies not long after the Saurian Flu outbreak, contained the human population.
"Hey, Tina," Brandi said, lightly nudging her friend in the ribs. "Don't you have the big surprise for Maisie?"
Tina gasped gleefully and jumped. "Why, yes, I do." She took off her backpack, then looked over her shoulder. "Maisie, no peeking. Turn around. We'll let you know when you can see."
Maisie sighed heavily and turned. She heard a lot of shuffling and giggling behind her. Finally, her friends told her to turn around. Brandi held a cupcake in her palms with a blue candle burning at the center.
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear Maisie!
Happy birthday to you!
"Come on, girl, blow it out before the wind does!" Tina urged her.
"Ah-ah, she has to make a wish first!" said Brandi.
Maisie smiled and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. I wish for your return, Owen. Come back to us, please. I miss you. Finally, Maisie blew out the candle. The next thing she knew, Brandi smashed the cupcake over her mouth.
"Ack!" Maise laughed, backing away. "Oh, my God! You bitch!"
"So, how old are we today?" Tina asked.
Maisie licked the frosting off her lips. "I'm nineteen."
"Oooo," Brandi hooted with glee. "Drinks are on me tonight. Can't wait to see little Maisie here get totally wasted like she did last year."
"That's not happening again," Maisie said. She was still trying to clean the frosting from her face. "Claire grounded me for a week because of what we did in the club."
"Yeah, well, I learned my lesson," Tina said, handing Maisie a red-spotted handkerchief from her back pocket. "I'm not going to record you dancing on the bar top again. I had no idea things could still go viral in this day and age."
"Well, now you know," Maisie said, finally cleaning the frosting from her mouth.
A strange bellowing sound came from the edge of the forest near the clearing where the Olorotitan herd was grazing. Brandi told them to kneel. "Look!" she said.
Maisie turned around. What she saw coming out of the jungle amazed her. They were deer, but much, much taller, and their antlers were massive. These were no ordinary deer. At once, Maisie dropped her backpack and searched for her notepad. She heard tales of megafauna from the ice age being brought back but for the longest time, she just thought of them as rumors.
Well, she couldn't be more proud to be proven wrong. These creatures were an extinct species of deer called Megaloceros. There were dozens of them proudly marching out of the dense vegetation like they were kings. Well, why wouldn't they be? They looked so regal.
"Nobody back in the settlement is going to believe this," Tina whispered, whipping out her camera and snapping pictures of the animals. "This is unreal."
"So they really did clone ice age animals, too," Brandi replied softly. "You are so right, Tina."
"About what?"
"Who knows what else they had out there. Biosyn. Mata Corp. The Todd-Robuck Foundation. Apollo Industries. Delgado Genetics. They got the knowledge and started to play God."
"And look at the consequences," said Maisie, making quick notes on her journal. She licked some blue sugar frosting that still clung to the corner of her mouth. "What they did was wrong."
"But isn't that what they did to you?" Tina asked. "Wasn't the technology and know-how to bring dinosaurs back to life the reason why you're here?"
Maisie paused. Brandi punched Tina in the arm and shook her head. She should have known by now that Maisie didn't like to talk about her 'birth'. Unlike Tina and Brandi, Maisie wasn't born into this world naturally. She was manufactured, just like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Much like them, she was a clone.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."
"Forget about it," said Maisie, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Come on. I got what I needed. Let's meet up with the rest of the team and head back to base before it starts getting dark. Lord knows I don't want Claire nagging at me again."
She marched in between her friends and headed into the jungle. She turned to look at her friends. The sight of them still standing there caused her brow to raise up in frustration. "Hello. Come on, let's get moving."
Maisie waited. Tina and Brandi adjusted their backpacks and followed Maisie down a road now covered with weeds and other plants. Near a playground, the rest of the scouts from the Expeditionary Team were sitting by their armored pickup trucks and SUVS, playing ball and listening to music. One of them was putting a stack of newly found carbines into a large tan-colored rucksack mounted on the side of the truck. They were all young and fresh out of the military academy. Despite their fierce training in survival skills, they acted so unprofessionally. That music could have attracted who knew what? There were a lot of predators around and this part of the city ruins was infamous for being popular with a dozen warring bandit clans.
Maisie found it such a shock to see them all okay despite they were practically out in the open in the middle of the street with so many buildings a sniper could be hiding in. But judging by all the dead raiders on the ground, they had everything taken care of. Four of their teammates were looting the corpses, checking their backpacks and vests for ammo, medicine, or some snacks.
"What happened here?" Maisie asked.
"Eh, Maisie!" greeted an Asian young man clad in good gear. He was shuffling around through a fallen enemy's backpack for loot. A huge pile of magazines and water bottles lay by his foot. "You missed it, baby girl. We got ambushed by these wannabe paramilitary dumbasses. They thought because they had the gear and guns that they were professional. Heh. Boy did we prove them wrong."
"Damn right! Your gear don't mean shit unless you got the skills like we do!" jeered Ajax. A young black boy with long dreads and ruby-red shades. He was clad in a tactical hoodie and his vest was heavily personalized to make him stand out. He hoped the enemy saw the flaming red Quetzalcoatlus on his vest so they would know who he was.
"Has that ever worked?" Maise asked, passing him by.
"I heard them calling 'red bird' so something's happening. Ha! Ha!" He laughed as Maisie and her scouting party walked away. "You're looking a future legend, ladies! Wanna get some drinks later? A little birthday celebration, eh, Lockwood?"
"I think I'll pass," Maisie chuckled. "And it's Grady now."
"Look at all these guys," Tina said, stepping over a looted body. "They must have been an army."
"Anyone hurt?" Maisie asked. "Who's left out there? Is the area secure? Why are you all standing around like this? There may be more out there." She turned to one of the trucks and raised her voice. "And can someone turn that music off! Something could hear it."
"Someone tell Maisie to not get her panties in a wad!" a girl said on the coms. She was hiding on the top floor of what used to be a bookstore. "I've got the whole place covered. Nothing is going to get the drop on us."
Maisie rolled her eyes. "Understood, Rodriguez. Geeze."
"Help yourself to some loot, girl. There's plenty of it. I took down almost all those guys from my vantage point. So calm your tits and have some fun. Happy Birthday by the way."
"Fun!" Maisie muttered under her breath. "What would the Committee have to say about this?"
"Don't worry about it, hon," Tina said, slapping Maisie's derriere playfully. A fellow scout tossed her an energy drink he got from a dead fighter. "Come on. Let's see if we can get some ammo for that AR of yours. Maybe some rounds for that hand cannon Owen gave you."
"I doubt it," Maisie said.
"Maisie!" called out Mitch, an eighteen-year-old with shoulder-length dirty blond hair. He tossed a football at his friend. "Took you long enough. Did you get those pictures you wanted?"
"Yeah. I see you found some new loot."
"Dozens of loot!" said DJ, a black boy with black glasses. "There was a bunker where the National Guard was hanging out during the outbreak of Saurian Flu. They had M4s, berettas, grenades, medical gear, you name it. We struck gold with this find."
"And the gear from these losers just sweetens the pot."
"If any of y'all find a Glock 19, give it to me, porvavor?" Rodriguez requested. She quickly bit into her Snickers bar and continued to look for enemies through her scope.
"Man, you guys get all the fun," Tina pouted, flicking the brim of her cowgirl hat up. "Because we hang out with Lockwood, we're stuck taking pictures and admiring the scenery."
"You don't have to tag along with me," Maisie retaliated. "I'm more than capable of documenting the animals myself."
"I believe you," said Brandi. "But Claire put us under strict orders to watch you at all times."
"Pfft, she didn't command you. She paid you."
Tina chuckled as she shrugged uncaringly. "It's free money. I'll gladly take it."
"Whatever," said Maisie. "Mitch, I hate to put an end to your little ball game, but it's time for us to go."
A loud roar thundered across the jungle. Birds stopped singing and flew away. Dinosaurs all over the jungle started hollering in fear. That caused the driver to turn off his music. The other squadmates stood up and aimed through their sights, scouting the area for whatever made that noise.
"What was that?" Tina cried.
"That was not good," said Mitch.
"Guys! Move it!" Rodriguez shouted. She saw something big causing the canopy to move. "We got a dinosaur incoming! And it looks huge!"
Maisie wiped her mouth and held her rifle close. "That's our signal to get out of here. We need to go now!"
"Noble to Fort! Noble to Fort!" Mitch called out. "We got a giant predator coming our way from the east side of the AO, please advise." No answer. "Damn it! Rodriguez, get your ass down here now. We're leaving."
"Understood. I'm on my way." She closed the caps of her rifle's scope and sprinted down the stairs to join her friends.
Just as she made it to the middle of the street, the ground around her exploded with dust and shrapnel. She was being shot at. Her arms flailed over her head and her eyes glazed over as she was dead where she stood. Before she even hit the ground, a white pickup truck drove out of nowhere and ran her over. Her body slammed against the hood of the truck, the passengers inside yipped and hollered at their kill as they drove off with her body like it was deer tied to the hood.
"RODRIGUEZ!"
"Who the hell are these guys?" Maisie shouted. "I thought you got them all!"
"We did!" Mitch yelled. "I don't know who these guys are."
"Everyone to the trucks now!" yelled Apex. "Move! Move! Move!"
"Noble to Fort! Noble to Fort! We're engaged with unknown combatants, possibly raiders! Noble 10 is KIA. We need close air support now! Are there any drones up there? Can anyone hear me! Damn it!"
"Forget about it!" yelled Ajax. "Let's get—" He was shot on the shoulder by a sniper on the rooftops. "AUGH! MAN! I'VE BEEN HIT!"
"AJAX!"
Mitch and his team hid behind the trucks. They heard hollering and cheering like an army of Indians charging into battle. By all the 'Yeehaws' that merged with the cries, it sounded like there were cowboys with them.
"FIRE! FIRE!" Mitch shouted. He took a cable from his vest and attacked it to a hook on Ajax's vest, pulling him back to safety as bullets struck the ground all around him. His face was getting peppered by shrapnel and the dust rising all around him made it hard to see. He finally got Ajax behind the cover of his truck and tended to his wound.
"Let me fight…come on, let me fight."
"You can't," said Maisie. "Let us take care of this."
"We can't stay here!" cried Tina. "We're dead if we stick around here."
"Well, we can't just drive away," said Mitch. "They'll pick us off with their technicals."
The predator roared once again from the jungle. It made the enemy combatants even more excited, for their cheers and yells got even louder.
"Can't you give us a break!" Brandi shouted at the sky.
"They've only got one, it seems," said Maisie. "Do we have anything that can disable it?"
Mitch ducked his head as a bullet strafed over the truck. "I have an M32 in a case in the back of the truck. But I can't reach for it."
"I'll get it."
Brandi grabbed her arm. "What are you crazy? You're going to get shot. There's too many out there."
"Then give me cover for as long as you can. Mitch, you can do that since you've got that M249."
"Yeah, I get you. Good thinking, Lockwood.
"It's Grady now. And the launcher is just on the back, right?"
"Yeah. All right, we'll cover you. But keep your head down. You're our only hope, Maisie."
"I'll get it. I promise."
"All right, men! On the count of three, you let 'er rip. Give these bastards everything you got. Don't let up until Maisie gets the M32. Ready!"
"Yeah! Let's do it!"
"All right, on my three. One…two…three!"
They all stood up and shot at the buildings. "Wooo!" someone cheered. "I got two of them!"
"Don't let up!" shouted Brandi. "Maisie, go!"
Maisie ran to the back of the truck. She heard bullets dangerously whizzing by her head as she leaped inside. She crawled forward, spotting the black case with danger stickers all over it.
"Man down!" shouted Brandi. A fellow teammate right next to her was shot in the face. "Maisie, hurry!"
Maisie opened the case and picked up the weapon. She checked the cylinders. Four rounds. That should be enough to hold them back. She crawled out of the truck with the weapon in her arms. Just the sight of it caused her friends to cheer.
"I got five targets in the third-floor window!" said Noble 4. "Red building with the cheeseburger sign."
"I could use one right now."
"Shut up, Noble 7!" Mitch roared. "Maisie! You heard them! Take them out. We'll suppress them! Do it fast! You got one shot! Don't waste those rounds!"
Maisie nodded. Mitch and the rest of Noble Team fired at the building. Maisie peeked over the side of the truck and fired.
Fwoop! The launcher went. Then BOOM! The third floor exploded. The upper half of one of the enemy fighters slithered out the smoking window and he plopped on the ground. The burger sign teetered and moaned, then finally collapsed to the ground.
"WAHOOO!"
"You did it, Maisie!"
"Order up!" said Mitch. "That drew their attention! Here comes the technical now! Maisie, you know what to do."
"Got it!" she waited for just the right moment to strike. The modified SUV got close and she fired, blowing it up, causing it to flip over and land on its top.
"YEAH!" the team cried out in jubilee.
"You badass!" Tina cheered.
"Owen taught you well, Maisie!" Mitch said, patting her on the shoulder. "Glad to have you with us."
"Now what?" shouted Noble 5.
"We get out of here, that's what!" Brandi answered.
"But how? They've still got us pinned down!"
"Does anyone have smoke grenades?!" Maisie shouted.
"I've got a few!"
"Yeah, me, too!"
"I've got one."
"All right, we can use those to cover our escape. We'll break for the jungle and —"
Mitch held up his hand, shaking his head furiously. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Lockwood. What about the trucks?"
"We're going to have to forget about them. They'll only slow us down."
"No way, Lockwood! We've got a ton of military-grade gear in these things and I'm not about to let them fall into the hands of these scumbags."
"Mitch, this is a matter of life and death!" said Brandi. "Ack!" A bullet flew right over her head.
"Then it's logical we take the trucks!" Mitch yelled over the endless rain of bullets, his face growing beet red in color. "There are a lot of settlements out there. If these guys get their hands on this stuff, what's going to happen to them?"
"If we try to take the trucks with us, we're going to die! And they'll take them anyway."
"Don't argue with me! I'm in command here, and you do what I say! I know it's risky but at least we have a chance of getting away with our gear if we take the trucks."
"You're going to get us killed!"
"Listen, here, Lockwood! We've got multiple men down and trucks full of weapons and tech that cannot fall into enemy hands. This is not the time to argue about this! Do what I say now!"
"We cannot take the…" Maisie stopped talking as soon as Mitch pulled out his pistol and aimed it at her head.
"Mitch, what are you doing, man!" Ajax shouted.
Mitch's nose and upper lip twitched in fury as he held the gun closer and closer to Maisie until the tip of his Osprey 9 silencer poked her forehead.
"You do what I say or I'm going to execute you for insubordination. I don't care if you're Owen Grady's little girl or not. You will do what I say or I'm going to pop a cap on your ass! We leave with the trucks." He looked over his shoulder. "Everybody got that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
"Sure, sure, you're the boss, Noble 1."
"Maisie?" Mitch sputtered.
She gave a huge gulp and nodded. "All right…all right. We'll take the trucks."
"Any idea how we're going to do that?" Mitch asked, lowering the pistol.
"We'll cover our escape with the smoke grenades. If we drive the trucks out of here slowly, we'll have a chance."
"Nice and slow, got it!" said Noble 4. "I'll drive!"
"So will I," said Noble 7. "What about Noble 6 and 8?"
"Leave them," said Mitch. "We've got no time to get them out. The gear is more important."
"You're all heart, Noble 1," Maisie said, shaking her head.
Noble 7 and 4 tossed their smoke grenades over the trucks and waited until clouds of phosphorous red smoke billowed in front of them.
"Move! Move! Move!" they charged to the trucks and turned them on. Slowly, they started making their way down the street. Mitch, Maisie, and the rest of Noble Team stayed outside, providing cover fire and tossing more smoke grenades to keep themselves hidden. As Maisie feared, the plan was not working. She heard the enemy circling around them. She spotted shadows darting from building to building, filling her with fear.
"RPG!" Noble 5 shouted.
Maisie turned in time to see smoke rising out of the windows of a ruined bakery. The projectile hissed across the street. Brandi and Tina grabbed Maisie and ducked into a nearby building. The RPG hit Noble 3 on the shoulder, he grunted and spun around before collapsing to the ground. Then the truck in front of them blew up and flew into the air.
Mitch was tossed around like a ragdoll and smashed against the side of a brick wall, the impact broke his neck, killing him instantly. The rest of Noble Team struggled to make a final stand, but they were all gunned down.
"Maisie! Maisie!" Tina yelled. "Come on, get up! We need to get out of here! They're coming!" Maisie finally snapped out of her dizziness. She raised her head over her chest and saw silhouettes of over a dozen people in ragged clothes and ill-kept gear coming towards them, weapons up and torches in hand. The predator in the jungle roared again. It was coming, but the enemy cared not.
Maisie, Tina, and Brandi hid underneath a table and watched in horror as the enemy troops arrived at last. They all had long bushy beards, faces covered in dirt, ash, or severe cases of acne. They wore dirty clothes, overalls, torn and dirty jeans, flannel shirts, and ill-made vests which they fashioned out of leather and tape. A large man in overalls reached over and dragged Noble 5 towards them. The men laughed, revealing yellowed or blackened teeth. Some didn't have any at all. All of them pointed their guns at him and fired at once.
"We got another one over here!" shouted a burly man with a long orange beard. "C'mere! C'mere!" he growled, dragging Noble 7 towards them. Or what was left of him. His legs had been blown clean off.
"Please..." he sobbed. "Please don't kill me!"
The man laughed and stomped on his head with his massive boot. He stomped over and over and over again until Noble 7's head turned to mush.
"Oh...my God!" Brandi squeaked.
Tears fell from Tina's cheeks.
The men looted the boys of their gear until only their boxers remained. The wild men dragged them to a street lamp and hung their bodies from it. They waved their torches in the air, yelling like confederate soldiers.
"What do we do?" Tina asked.
"Shhh!" Maisie said, pressing her finger to her lips. "Let's wait until it gets dark. Maybe they'll be gone by then."
Unfortunately for them, despite the predator somewhere out there, the wild men who attacked them threw a party. They blasted heavy metal from their own vehicles and danced around the flaming wreckage of the trucks once owned by Noble Team. They took the loot out of them beforehand and split it amongst themselves. Even from where she was Maisie spotted the burly man who stomped on Noble 7's head playing around with night vision goggles.
Another group was hoisting up Rodriguez's mangled remains up another street lamp. Her gear and clothes were gone as well. The men were like locusts, consuming everything they had on their fallen foes until nothing remained. Mitch dangled from his feet by another flagpole while Ajax and two other Noble Team members hung from their necks around him. Their bodies were being swatted around by a small group of younger wild men, hitting them with baseball bats like they were pinatas.
"Eh, Bonz, we're leavin' soon, where ya goin'?"
"I gotta take a piss!" said the wild man. He walked straight to the table where Maisie, Tina, and Brandi hid. The flashlight taped to his AR-15 was on and it was awfully bright. Maisie and her companions slowly slid back, but their vests were still loaded with gear, making it impossible to move without making noise. Fortunately for them, the wild man was drunk from chugging moonshine. He probably couldn't even see the girls if they sat out in the open right in front of him.
He unzipped his horribly baggy jeans and started urinating on the floor...right in front of Maisie. She shut her eyes and cringed as she was splashed by his urine. It was hot and smelled awful. She held her breath, trying her best not to gag.
"Eehhhh," the wild man sighed. He zipped his pants back up and grunted in pain. "Oh, not again!" He limped away to join his companions outside. But they didn't leave. Some still stood around the flaming trucks drinking beer and smoking who-knew-what.
"Come on," Maisie whispered. Her friends nodded. They knew they couldn't stay here for long. It was only a matter of time before they got caught.
Maisie crawled out first, raising her belly off the floor by a little so as not to let her vest drag and make noise. She grabbed tin can and tossed it out the window.
"What was that?" said one of the men.
"Go check it out!"
Four of them grabbed their weapons and headed in the direction of the noise. Maisie looked back at her friends and signaled them to move. "Slowly," she mouthed with her lips.
Brandi crawled out next, then Tina. They slithered across the vine-covered floor until they reached a back exit of the store they hid in. It was dark out there, which ironically meant safety for them.
Maisie held up three fingers. She counted down with them and then they dashed into the jungle, sticking close to the trees so as to lose the predator in case it was still out there and found them.
They ran until the sun was almost completely down. It was getting too dark to see but they were so frightened and it was too dangerous to make camp. Not with the wild men so close behind them.
Tina was shouting: "Shit! Shit! Shit!" repeatedly. They heard loud stomping all over the jungle as if a hundred angry beasts were swarming in from all directions. Trees groaned as a massive body pushed them aside and their branches snapped. There was another roar, this time from the east.
But where? First, there was something them from behind. Now there was something coming towards them from the right. They were so confused and frightened.
Brandi suddenly lost track of where she was going. Her terror was extreme. It fogged her memory. She didn't know where she was going. All she cared about was getting away from whatever was making those noises and getting the hell out of here.
Clouds blotted out the waning sunlight, and the world looked like it was being covered in a filter of icy blue. The stomping was closer. Suddenly something ran out from the left, trees snapped, giving way to the creature's overwhelming power. The giant predator snatched Tina in its jaws. The girl screamed as dagger-sharp teeth penetrated into her flesh and the incredible bite force snapped her bones like twigs. Maisie froze dead in her tracks, watching the giant dinosaur carry her friend into the jungle. She could still hear her crying for help.
"Maisie! Maisie! Maisie!" The dinosaur bit down on her torso. Tina's cries turned into sick gurgling sounds. She was gone and the dinosaur reared up its head, tossing her like a ragdoll and snatching her back in its jaws so it could chomp down on her body and swallow her.
It looked like a tyrannosaurus but it was colored bright green and black along the spine and it had a row of black spikes going down its back.
A Tarbosaurus!
The dinosaur looked at Maisie and Brandi. Its burning red eyes glared at them, revealing a ravenous hunger. Tina's blood colored the creature's snout red and bits of her clothing dangled from its teeth. It roared and chased after them, hungry for more snacks to warm its belly.
Maisie stayed put and fired her LaRue Tactical OBR at the beast. The bullets did little against its tough hide. Instead, they stung like tiny spider bites, making it even angrier and more determined to take it down.
Brandi grabbed Maisie by the arm and dragged her to where the trees were thick. The Tarbosaurus could not reach them. It smashed its head against the trunks and roared, furious that he let two morsels get away from him so easily. He looked for another way to chase after them. Brandi then led Maisie into a shopping center that was covered in vegetation. The buildings were falling apart, but they could provide enough shelter to keep them safe until the animal was gone. They hid behind a glass counter of an old antique store and stayed low until the Tarbosaurus' roar was nothing more than echoes in the distance.
They were finally safe.
"She's gone," Maisie whispered. "I can't believe she's gone. They're all gone!" Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Hey, hey." Brandi started patting the girl on the shoulder to calm her. "Stay with me now. I need you to keep a level head right now. When we get back to the fort, we'll have a drink in her memory, okay?"
"Where is the fort?" Maisie asked. "Where the hell are we?"
"I don't know," Brandi stood up. "But I think we can —"
Fwoop! A bullet streaked from the window, striking Brandi in the forehead. A red mist sprayed out the back of her head. Her eyes rolled upwards until they were milky white and she fell to her knees then slumped forward with a sick thud, her body bouncing twice. Maisie stopped breathing. She looked at Brandi's body as it twitched wildly, blood pooling all over the floor.
Maisie heard yipping and triumphant hollering coming from across the lot. Someone stormed inside and spotted them. "HEY! WE GOT A LIVE ONE HERE!" he shouted.
Maisie picked up her rifle and shot him down with lighting-quick reflexes. The man grunted and fell to the floor on his back. He lay there letting out a painful death rattle from his throat and was gone.
"BUCKY!" someone outside shouted. "BUCKY!"
"SOMEONE'S ALIVE IN THERE! THEY GOT BUCKY!"
"YOU MOTHER F— DIE!"
Bullets tore into the store, shattering vases, lamps, and other brick-a-brack. Maisie took a canister of smoke from her vest and tossed it out the window. The big cloud of red smoke blocked the view of her enemies.
"DAMN! I CAN'T SEE SHIT!"
Maise got up from the counter and dashed across the store to look for a way out. But there wasn't any. There were no other doors to the shop. She was trapped. The smoke was starting to fade and bullets once again peppered the store. There was nothing else she could do. She had to fight them to the end. This was going to be her last stand. Maisie ran back behind the counter. The scope on her rifle was advanced, allowing her to switch to night or thermal vision. She chose the latter and saw a few red heat signatures against the phosphorous blue filter the scope shaded the world in. She saw someone darting across the parking lot. She led him with the scope and fired. Direct hit! A spray of blood flew into the air and the man tumbled end over end. He was dead before he even hit the ground. She spotted one more target and wasted him.
"ACK!" she heard him.
"HEY! FUCK YOU! HE WAS MY FRIEND! YOU'RE GONNA GET IT! NOW!"
Maisie thought she could win this for a moment. But then three more trucks came by. More men jumped out and took positions in front of the store, aiming their guns at the window. Maisie couldn't believe her luck. She crossed herself and tossed her last smoke grenade out the window.
"NOT AGAIN!"
She aimed through her scope, spotting three men poking their heads from behind their trucks or behind the trees. She was able to shoot two of them, but this angered the other men.
"LIGHT 'EM UP, FELLAS!"
More bullets whizzed by. Maisie ducked under the counter, waiting for them to reload. The next thing she knew, canisters were flung into the store and they released a strange, green gas.
The men ran inside with gas masks, howling and cheering when they saw Maisie's body on the ground with Brandi's. Maisie could still hear and see things, but her vision was foggy and the voices of the men sounded as though someone slowed them down.
"This one's alive," one of them said.
"She's gonna wish she wasn't. Take her outside."
Out of revenge for their friends, the men looted her gear and dragged her to the parking lot. They tied her ankles to the back of an ATV and cheered as a boy no more than fourteen revved it up and dragged her into the forest. Finally, Maisie felt herself fading. The world started spinning and she fell into a whirlpool of black eternity.
Her slumber did not last long. She felt herself coming through. How long had it been? She heard voices all around her. Her stomach churned awfully; she wanted to vomit, but even though she was dazed, she knew she was in a lot of trouble. She held it down as best she could, but she didn't know how long she could hold out. She saw light through her eyelids. Maisie opened them just a crack and saw that she was lying face-down on the tailgate of a pickup truck. Two men were looming over her, searching her pockets for loot.
"Damn, she was packing some serious heat. This little bitch's got night vision goggles in her pack."
"Look at this," said one of the men. He was young and skinny and smelled of sweat and swamp water. Maisie did her best not to gag. The young man was holding up her pistol and examining it. "Damn. It's a Glock. It's my first time actually holding one of these. I've only seen them in the movies."
His companion laughed.
Maisie saw her OBR was hanging off the man's shoulder from the sling. She noticed he was also examining the heavily personalized M4 she kept in the scabbard that was attached to the side of her backpack. She prayed they didn't find the weapon Owen gave her. They could take whatever they wanted from her, but not that gift. It was all she had of him. Unfortunately, she had no luck. The skinny man dug deep into Maisie's backpack, tossing her extra clothes, kits, and food all over the ground. He let out a gasp of air and pulled it out.
A Smith and Wesson 500. He held it up and screeched victoriously.
"Hey, nice shooter!" said one of his companions. "It's got a scope and that sling looks custom made to hold extra ammo. "How much you want for it?"
"Bull to the shit, bro! This is mine! Man, this chick has some nice hardware." He dug through her backpack looking to find ammo for the magnum. He let out a sickly giggle as he pulled out a pair of her briefs and stretched them across his face. "HEE-HEE-HAW!" he chortled as his friend laughed.
A disgruntled scavenger stomped towards him. "Hey, we helped, too! We deserve some loot!"
"You guys ain't getting shit!" said the skinny man, pocketing Maisie's underwear. "We're the ones who hunted her. Her stuff is ours. Back the fuck off!"
"Wanna say that to me again you piece of sh—"
A thunderous roar in the distance shook the jungle. The scavengers stopped arguing. The Tarbosaurus was still around.
"All right," said the skinny man's partner. "We need to get the hell out of here. The dino's still in the area. Hang these girls on that tree. Their meat will slow him down and keep him off our tracks long enough to get away from here."
The dinosaur roared again and the man started clapping. "Come on, people! Come one! Move it! Like it already happened. If your ass isn't in the truck by the time he gets here, we're leaving you behind. Move it —" He paused. "Hold on a second…" He leaned over Maisie and smiled. "Well, well, well. Lookie here. This one's still awake. Good morning, sweetheart."
A bald scavenger spat. "What? No, that can't be. My stuff's deadly. It should have killed her.
"Maybe your chemicals aren't as potent as you think they are, Gizmo!"
"Should we hang her with the other chick?" the skinny man asked.
"No, I think Mama's gonna wanna have some fun with her. Put her in the truck. We're taking her back with us. I don't want any surprises when we get back to the camp, son. Check her for any other goodies. Make sure it's a... thorough, search."
The skinny man grinned. He jumped on the truck and dragged Maisie to the back by her feet.
"You're gonna wish you were never born, girly!" he jeered.
Even from where she was, Maisie could see the other scavengers tossing a cable over the branch of a tree. They pulled and hoisted Brandi's body up by her ankles. She had been completely stripped of her gear. Her clothes were torn and bloody. The scavengers cut her up with screwdrivers and box cutters so that her blood could perfume the air and lure the Tarbosaurus towards her corpse.
The last thing Maisie saw before blacking out again was the skinny man laughing at her. He lifted his boot and stomped her in the face, returning her to the darkness once again.
Maisie's Journal
Tarbosaurus
Tarbosaurus Bataar. A beast from the Late Cretaceous that was likely manufactured by those goons in the Todd-Robuck Foundation. Tarbosaurus is a carnivorous dinosaur that's closely related to Tyrannosaurus Rex. No need to tell me twice. Just by looking at it, I can tell it and the King of Dinosaurs are close relatives. Though it's not as big, I sure don't want to be in the area when it's around. Thanks to the High Hide that Old Man McCoy built, I got close enough to measure it as it preyed upon a young Bajadasaurus. It was over forty feet long and I'm guessing its weight to be about five to six tons give or take. I told Claire about it immediately and she put out a notice, telling all the scouts to keep on high alert until it left the area (Which is highly unlikely considering the high abundance of food around here) or is ultimately eliminated by the Hunter's Guild. Although, none of the scouts have the gear to take on such a beast. I've got to remember to tell Brandi and Tina to bring some extra grenades next time we go out hunting for food. I don't think this animal is leaving anytime soon.
Megaloceros
Megaloceros Giganteus. Yeah, a name that's well deserved. I've only just seen them this morning. I just knew it. I just knew that those people were bringing back animals from the Ice Age. It's disturbing to think just how many species they have brought back in the Dinosaur Boom, but this one is a welcome sight. It's very graceful-looking and has its head up high with pride. With antlers like those, I would be, too. Though their numbers seem a little high I'm worried about poachers though. Those antlers (Which look about 12 feet long) will make any hunter wet his pants with excitement. This is one species I hope doesn't go back into extinction, so I will do my absolute best to take care of them. I will ask Claire if she can offer a reward to the scouts to keep them safe.
Olorotitan
The name of these colorful dinosaurs means 'Giant Swan'. Olorotitan. They sure are gorgeous to look at. I heard their calls two days ago. I just knew they couldn't have been the Edmontosaur herd. Their calls were much richer and a lot more beautiful. They're even more pleasing to look at. They have such vivid coloration, most likely a result of the corporations that manufactured them. I read some snippets of an old manifest Claire found from the genetics company known as Carpatheon, who was an up in comer during the boom. Turns out that colorful rapper with the fancy teeth ordered about five of them to keep in the gardens of his estate in Thailand. It's honestly disturbing how people treated these beautiful creatures. Well, they're gone now, and the Giant Swans can live in peace in the world they have retaken from us.
Lore: The Saurian Flu
The deadly disease that was the cause of the outbreak known as The Jurassic Plague. It was manufactured by Dr. Warren Phillips, a genocidal virologist and leader of the Dinosaur Protection Army (Formerly known as the Dinosaur Protection Group) after the Great Dinosaur Boom of 2022. It was built to have no vaccine or cure, and he chose the genetically engineered dinosaurs and ice age megafauna to be the chosen host of the virus.
To these animals, the Saurian Flu was relatively harmless; nothing more than the common cold for them that required a lot of water and rest to cure. But, it was deadly towards humans, causing rapid decay of the skin and turning the organs to mush. Phillips created this abomination not long after he turned the Dinosaur Protection Group - a once peaceful society - into a violent and radical eco-terrorist organization, whose purpose was the completion of two goals. The control of the world's population and to help the genetically engineered dinosaurs reclaim the earth from their human masters.
Needless to say, Phillips and a great deal many others were sickened to see the horrid cruelty inflicted on the dinosaurs. Phillips learned of the terrible atrocities committed during the Lockwood Manor Incident, in which dinosaurs, taken from Isla Nublar, were being sold to buyers in the black market and cruelly shipped to their destinations in cramped containers.
He also learned of the Manta Corp facility after the survivors of Camp Cretaceous told their story. They gave reports of a computer geek who used drones to make dinosaurs fight to the death. Needless to say, the events that took place at the Manta Corp facility and the Lockwood Estate disturbed him, and his sympathy for the dinosaurs grew over time until he formed a stark hatred for mankind.
Even though these amazing animals were brought back for some good, they were mostly created to suit the needs of the depraved, the corrupt, and the greedy.
At best – and that's saying a lot – some were brought back to be used as house mascots for the rich and famous. It made his stomach churn when he read about spoiled rich kids in Dubai, who would have their parents pay millions and millions of dollars to have their own Tyrannosaurus Rex built just for them to be kept as exotic pets. Eccentric millionaires soon kept smilodons or dinofelis in favor of lions or tigers. Some even had giant lakes built into their backyards to house prehistoric super crocs like dienosuchus, sarchosuchus, or even the massive serpent known as titanoboa.
Other times, they were just brought back to be cruelly hunted for sport. Hunting dinosaurs soon turned into a new thrill. Hunting resorts were built all over the world and there was a high demand for horned dinosaurs and megafauna with big tusks. People would post videos of themselves going on safaris to shoot down a triceratops or a mastodon. Though people thought this was awfully cruel, those partaking in these events had one excuse. "Meh, we can always just make more."
And then there were animals who were submitted to the very worst of mankind. These poor creatures were pit against one another in barbaric underground battle arenas, where they would fight to the death. Sometimes the animals were genetically altered with more horns, spikes, or clubs, to give their owners an edge against the competition, leading to a mass rising of monstrous hybrids. This led to the birth of genetically engineered super dinosaurs called Tyrants, who were to be used as tools of war.
Phillips and his thousands of followers soon had enough of the barbarism. And the Saurian Flu was the perfect way to punish humankind for their sins.
The outbreak began during the unveiling of Mesozoic Kingdom, a zoo in New York housing a vast collection of prehistoric animals brought back to life by a company called DylanCorp, one of many who had joined the bandwagon of bringing back extinct creatures. Unknown to those participating in the event, all of the animals were contaminated with the Saurian Flu thanks to Dr. Phillips and a special unit from the DPA, which infiltrated the park. The Gentle Giants petting zoo was the prime place for the virus to spread. And when it did, New York was under quarantine within a matter of hours.
After seeing the success of the virus, DPA operatives unleashed it without remorse, infecting cities across the United States in a nationwide eco-terrorist attack. In weeks, the Saurian Flu then spread from the US and infected countries all over the world and was soon classed as a global pandemic unseen since the Black Plague. Hundreds of millions of people lost their lives within months, and thousands more would soon perish over the years to come as the great beasts of the past slowly began to retake the world.