It had taken an extra day of travel, but now Mateo and Bushra were finally in Wyoming. Currently, Bushra was napping in the passenger seat as Mateo tapped the GPS. The device kept going in and out.
"I guess they weren't kidding when they said Wyoming has lousy cell and internet reception," Mateo muttered as he stopped tapping the device. He needed to stop in the next town to get some directions.
He looked over at the hybrid teenager. She was breathing a little easier now. She had taken a dose of pain reliever an hour ago.
He removed the empty water bottle from Bushra's hand and tossed it behind the passenger seat. Next place they stopped; he would properly dispose of them. He had to acknowledge that this trip was nothing like he expected it to be.
He also needed to contact Kanda again soon. She was probably wondering why he hadn't called yet with his return time. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset with him being gone a few extra days.
He turned the radio on low to listen to the latest news report. Between the weather and local news reports, there were bursts of static. He wished he could find a zone with steady reception.
It appeared the universe heard his wish because the radio started coming in clear without any static. "Breaking news, recent geological activity has closed down Interstate 25 from Casper to Buffalo. There is no news at this time about when the interstate will be reopened. Drivers are advised to take alternate routes until the interstate is reopened."
Mateo couldn't believe his bad luck. The interstate was the quickest way to get through the state. Now, he needed to stop and ask for directions.
Half an hour later, Mateo pulled into a gas station in the town of Rawlins. Bushra was still slumbering and a quick glance showed the incubator was hidden under the blankets.
He entered the store and went over to the counter. "Forty dollars for gas on pump 10. Also, I would appreciate it if you could give me some directions," Mateo said handing the clerk the money.
"You wouldn't be the first person I've helped today. Where are you heading?"
"Terry, Montana. I planned to take Interstate 90 into the state before switching over to Interstate 94 for the remainder of the drive. With it shut down, I need some help reaching Montana quickly. My GPS isn't working correctly."
The clerk laughed saying it was a common problem in this state. Mateo laid out the road map and the clerk leaned over. "Your best bet would be to take the highway around the Great Basin Divide to Lander. Then go a few miles northeast to Riverton. From there it's a straight north to Montana."
"Thanks, I really appreciate this."
"No problem. Just watch out for the dinosaurs. They're not as plentiful here as some states. That doesn't mean we don't have a few roaming around."
"Oh, trust me. I know that." He returned to the car and filled it up. He was just pulling out when Bushra woke from her nap.
"Where, cough are, cough, we now?"
"Wyoming. The road we were planning to take is closed for now. We're going to have to take a different route to Montana."
Bushra coughed a few more times before sipping some water. "Will it take longer to get to Dr. Mae then?"
"At least another two days added on to the trip. We're going to a bigger store to get supplies to make the long journey."
"I have to go to the bathroom. How are we going to pull that off this time?"
Mateo gulped as he realized his bad luck was continuing. He couldn't take Bushra into the store to use the bathroom. They were still within town limits so it would be impossible to find a deserted area for her to go.
He started looking at the road signs. He was looking for a specific one. He found it and turned the car into a residential area.
Bushra was confused about what he was doing when they pulled into the parking lot of a park. "There are public bathrooms in playground parks. They're usually wide enough for you to let your tail out. Just make sure you lock the door to the bathroom."
Bushra nodded as she put on her gloves and mask. She glanced around in all directions before slowly getting out of the car. Hiding her tail, she walked purposely to the closest restroom.
Entering it, she locked the door behind her. For good measure, she shoved the garbage can in front of it. Now all she had to do was undress and use the toilet.
Mateo watched anxiously from the car. No one had advanced to the bathroom hitherto. He couldn't help but be concerned.
The saris that Bushra wore took at least five to ten minutes to get off because she had to be careful not to rip them on her back. After doing her business, it would take another five to ten minutes to get them back on. The bathroom had to stay empty for nearly half an hour to avoid anyone noticing her.
Please, please, God, make sure no one needs to use the bathroom, Mateo beseeched in his head. Graciously, the universe was on his side as no one needed to use the bathroom.
After twenty-five minutes, Bushra came out. She looked furiously around before fast walking to the car. Once she was secure inside, Mateo backed out and started driving to the closest Walmart.
"That was nerve-wracking. Are you feeling better?"
Bushra nodded weakly before starting to cough again. Double checking the clock, Mateo knew it was okay to give her another dose. "Can you take the pill without something to drink?"
The hybrid shook her head. "I'll cough, cough if I don't have, cough, cough, something to cover the taste."
"I'll pick up some mango juice for you while I'm in the store. Just try to get some sunlight while you're waiting. It's good for your health," Mateo reminded her as he pulled into the Walmart parking lot.
Two hours later, the car was just getting to the upper part of the Great Basin Divide. The highway had a lot of activity on it because of the interstate closure. At least with a portable charger, the sunlamp could do its work on the teenager's tail.
With the radio only working occasionally, Mateo couldn't stand the quiet this time. "I married my wife Kanda six years ago. We had my daughter after being married for two."
"How long are cough, cough, humans pregnant?"
"Nine months. How long were you pregnant?"
"Two and half months. I could feel the egg growing inside slowly. I was unsure what it was for two weeks."
"I always wondered if reptiles could sense if they are gravid. Oh, that's the term for a reptile with eggs inside her."
"You learn something, cough, cough, new every day. Can you tell me, cough, cough, gag, about being a parent, please?"
Mateo chuckled and then launched into telling a story about the early days of fatherhood. How difficult it was to sleep when his daughter was only a few months old. How patient he had to become when Hiraya started throwing temper tantrums.
Bushra talked about the few memories she had of her foster mother. About how she protected her when the Indominus came after the herd. She spoke of her time alone in the jungle.
"Daddy got upset with me. I was taking up too much space when I slept. I ran off, cough."
Taking a sip of her mango juice, she continued. "I was unsure of where it was safe to be when I ran off. I tried to remember where the herd spent their time."
"I was lost for a few days before I came across a herd of Brachiosaurus. They had a few, cough, cough, offspring in the herd. They weren't my kind, but their size kept me safe."
She closed her eyes as she spoke about the friend she made. There had been an offspring about her size. He would play tag with her or sometimes use her as a step stool to get food that was just out of his reach.
"I stayed with them for I think it was possibly a month. By then, I had grown big enough to defend Daddy. I was able to find my way back and save him from Toro."
Mateo asked who Toro was and she replied he was a nasty Carnotaurus who had tried to eat her human herd several times while they ran from the Indominus.
"He nearly ate Yaz and Daddy on the stairs to the monorail. Luckily, his weight broke the stairs so he couldn't get to us. I was very scared but Darius saved us all."
Mateo remarked that Darius was a very brave person indeed. "I'm not as brave as him. I was terrified when I ran down the Atrociraptors. I almost didn't come back to save your friends."
"Isn't that known as courage? Cough, cough, cough. It took courage for Daddy to face his fears to defeat Toro."
"Did your daddy always save you?" Mateo questioned.
Bushra shook her head. "I found another group of Ankylosauruses. They kept me safe from the cough, cough, Scorpius Rex."
Mateo glanced at her for a second. What was she talking about? "There's no dinosaur by that name."
Bushra enlightened Mateo, on how the bad man had created another hybrid years before and then froze it. How something went wrong and it got out. She shuddered explaining the attack on the herd.
"I learned later that the Scorpius had poisoned Sammy. Yaz managed to get the antidote thanks to Daddy blowing up a gondola to distract it."
Mateo filed that fact away for later. He would make sure Hiraya never got close to any explosives. He was glad to hear in the end the Scorpius and its offspring were killed.
After that story, the two were quiet for a little while. When she wasn't napping, Bushra would crane her head to check on Speckles. When Mateo checked the egg last it was healthy and the embryo was developing well.
They were about an hour out from Laden when Bushra's eyes sprang open. She was sweating profusely and her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. She leaned forward and peered down the highway.
It was nearly nighttime but there was still enough light for her to see something in the distance. "STOP THE CAR!"
Mateo did that and nearly got rear-ended. He quickly pulled over to the side of the highway. "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT!?"
"Turn off the lights now! Silence all electronics! We need to be as still and silent as possible, now!" Bushra yelled at him as she quickly rolled her window up. Her eyes were wide and she kept looking out the window.
Whatever was going on, it was clear the hybrid was very afraid. He did what she suggested and then sank deep into his seat. That's when he felt the heavy vibrations. The car shook badly as something big was coming down the highway.
Bushra pressed a finger to her lips. As the vibrations got closer the other drivers were suddenly doing the same thing. A roar was heard and that's when Mateo realized what the danger was.
Rexy was running down the highway. In the sky above was a helicopter that had a spotlight on her as she continued to race down the road. She stopped for a second and then whipped her tail at the helicopter.
The chopper pulled up to avoid being struck. Rexy then jumped trying to grab it but she couldn't get high enough. The landing caused Mateo's car to rock and the incubator shook violently.
Bushra could feel a cough coming on. She stuffed part of the sari into her mouth. She didn't want to cough now and instead was trying not to gag.
Rexy roared and stomped her feet. A person from the copter leaned out and started shooting sedatives at her. Rexy was surprisingly very agile and dodged them.
Of course that meant several cars got their tires punctured. The hissing sound caused Rexy to turn around. Growling, she started shoving cars over with her head.
People were screaming and car horns were going off. All this made Rexy annoyed and she started kicking some of the cars. Some started to drive away and she bit the backends of those vehicles.
She shook her head and then sent the cars flying. Mateo tried not to think about the possibility those people were dead. He felt Bushra grab his hand and squeeze it tightly.
The shooter on the helicopter started firing again as the spotlight blinded Rexy. Roaring, she took off again. She was racing down the highway before jumping off and into the desert.
The helicopter chased after her. Her roars could still be heard in the distance. After fifteen minutes, you could no longer hear Rexy bellowing.
Slowly, Mateo pushed himself back up into his seat. He stared at Bushra, who trying to get her breathing under control. "How?"
The teenager looked at him in confusion. "How what?"
"How did you know that T-Rex would show up? When you looked out the windshield you saw something. But when I did, I didn't see anything. Not even when I squinted."
"There's also the fact you were asleep. You woke up and instantly knew something was wrong. How?"
Bushra played with her hands. "It was an instinct. I don't know how else to explain it."
"When I was sleeping, I could sense bad energy coming my way. When I peered out the windshield, it was like a part of me left my body. That I could see something, I shouldn't have."
Bushra concluded some deep instinct that warned the herd was in trouble must have overpowered her. She didn't have any other explanation. "Should we go check on the other drivers?"
"I'll check on the other drivers. You stay in the car. I don't want you getting any sicker," Mateo informed her as he got out of the car.
Other drivers were checking on the injured. Some people were trying to call 911. A few people were still in their cars, the headlights on as they scanned the darkness for more dinosaurs.
Mateo checked on the passengers in the car behind him. "Hey, everything okay?"
"We're fine, just a little shaken," the driver replied. "You should check on the car behind us. It got turned over when the T-rex jumped."
Mateo nodded and moved to the next car. Kneeling on the highway he saw a terrified middle aged woman. "Are you okay?"
"I can't get my seatbelt to unbuckle! I think I might also have a concussion."
"Please calm down! I'm going to try to get you free, okay?"
The woman nodded and Mateo stood up. "Hey, I need some help here!"
A couple of drivers came over and he instructed them to get a good grip on the frame of the car. "We're going to try to flip the car right side up. On the count of three. One, two, three!"
In the car, Bushra watched in the review mirror as Mateo's group was successful in turning the car right side up. Mateo opened the door and looked to be trying to free the woman inside. Five minutes later, he was able to help the woman out of the car.
The hybrid covered her ears as several ambulance sirens wailed as they arrived on the scene. She watched as several paramedics started doing triage. One medic approached the car.
Bushra opened the door slightly. "I'm fine, sir. Cough, cough, cough. I'm just dealing with a respiratory infection. Cough, cough."
The medic nodded and then walked toward the person Mateo just helped. He was still out there, offering his assistance to anyone who needed it. Bushra turned to check on Speckles.
She reached out and pulled the incubator a bit closer. The straps had come loose. Speckles had moved slightly and was now lying at an angle.
She leaned a little closer. As far as she could tell, the egg was still intact and had no cracks in it. The teenager hoped that the shaking hadn't caused any internal damage.
I want to check on Speckles myself but Zia said I couldn't touch my egg until I'm completely recovered. No, I have to resist. I can't have Speckles getting sick because of me, Bushra thought to herself.
Unconsciously, she was tapping her feet in anxiety. She glanced out the window. She couldn't see Mateo anymore.
Her eyes darted around searching for the man. She didn't see him anywhere. Suddenly it was hard to breathe.
Bushra tried to get air into her lungs with no success. She tried coughing but nothing happened. Was she dying?!
"BUMPY!"
Startled, Bushra suddenly became aware of her surroundings. Mateo had his hands on her shoulder. He had a very worried expression on his face.
"Are you okay? You weren't responding."
"Cough, cough, I am, cough, now. I couldn't find you and I'm worried about Speckles. Speckles moved slightly thanks to the T-rex."
Mateo told her to calm down. He would check on Speckles once they were away from the scene. "Just let me get permission to leave and we'll continue on our way."
It took fifteen minutes to get permission to leave. They then drove for half an hour to get some distance from the incident site. Pulling onto a dirt road, Mateo parked the car.
"Let me gear up and I'll check on the egg. Keep a sharp eye out for predators. I don't want another surprise run-in with a giant carnivore."
Bushra nodded and began her surveillance. She hoped the instincts that kept her safe earlier would help her now. Neither she nor Mateo were in any shape to fight man, animal, or dinosaur.
She rolled down the window and took a deep breath of fresh air. The scents of sand and cacti were carried by the night's breeze. Her ears heard desert creatures going about with their nighttime routine.
The breeze changed direction. She could taste a tiny amount of water in the air. Scanning the horizon, she could see what appeared to be a lowered section of land.
Perhaps there was a tiny creek down there? Leaning back slightly, she could feel her armored back poking the seat. Taking a deep breath, she entered a meditative state.
Her surroundings dimmed in her mind. Sounds, feelings, and even her thoughts came into clearer focus. She couldn't sense any danger. Mother Nature seemed to be giving the duo a break.
Opening her eyes, she looked into the back seat. Mateo was gently putting Speckles back into the incubator. Once it was secure, he stood up.
"I didn't find any cracks in the shell. I've rotated it around to help evenly distribute the heat," Mateo was saying as he took off his protective gear. "I looked at the embryo and it appears to still be developing on time.
Throwing the protective gear into the trunk, he did say Dr. Mae should do a thorough checkup when they arrived at her property. Bushra let out a sigh of relief and nodded.
She looked again at her egg. "Don't worry Speckles. We're almost at our new home. We'll be safe and happy there."