65 minutes since the escape of the Indominus rex.
Gyrosphere Valley.
A white Jeep sped across the grasslands. Owen, behind the wheel, spotted something on the horizon. He slammed on the brakes and grabbed his rifle.
"Stay in the car," he commanded Claire before stepping out.
A dying Apatosaurus lay sprawled on the grass. Its hide was crisscrossed with deep gashes, and it emitted a constant, low whimpering sound.
"Hey there," Owen whispered, kneeling down and placing his hands on the sauropod's massive head.
The Apatosaurus rolled its eye to look at him, its breathing labored and frantic, though it relaxed slightly under his touch.
"I know. I know," Owen murmured, speaking gentle, meaningless words of comfort to the animal.
Claire slowly approached and knelt on the other side, her hand trembling as she touched the creature's jaw. She looked on in disbelief. Owen glanced up at her, giving her a look that clearly said "Why didn't you listen to me?"
But Claire's attention was entirely captured by the Apatosaurus. She didn't see him. She watched as life slowly ebbed away from the magnificent creature. Some people seem heartless yet grieve for every living soul; others seem to care for life yet risk thousands of lives for the sake of a monster.
"Aunnng—"
The Apatosaurus lifted its head with a cry. It might have been a warning, or perhaps it was simply terrified.
The ground began to vibrate with heavy, rhythmic footsteps. Owen and Claire locked eyes and scrambled to their feet, intent on reaching the Jeep, but it was too late. A massive silhouette loomed over them. Left with no choice, they pressed themselves against the right side of the Jeep, praying to stay out of sight.
Carlo ignored the vehicle. He approached the dying Apatosaurus.
"What is he doing here?!" Owen hissed.
"The Indominus rex broke the fences," Claire whispered back.
"Great. Just fantastic," Owen muttered with grim irony.
The Apatosaurus, sensing Carlo's presence, tried to lift its head and flee, but its body was a leaden weight, refusing to obey.
Carlo crouched by the sauropod's back. He lowered his massive head, gently nuzzling the herbivore's neck, eventually resting his skull against its own. He applied a feather-light pressure, nudging the creature's head back down until it rested on the grass again.
He let out a warm huff of air against the Apatosaurus's cheek and jaw. Carlo had seen Diplodocus herds comforting one another back when he hunted alone; he wasn't sure if an Apatosaurus would respond to the same gesture, but he had to try.
The Apatosaurus yielded to Carlo's touch, closing its eyes as its throat pulsed with effort.
"Eeng—"
It let out a soft, chirping sound, a vocalization usually reserved for hatchlings, as if confiding its final sorrows to a family member. Carlo lay down, closed his eyes, and listened in silence.
He was currently flying blind. The Indominus had become exceptionally cautious. Despite her natural distaste for water, she had begun washing herself after every kill. Carlo could no longer track a moving mass of gore. Even the tracker she had clawed out of her side had been dropped into a river to throw him off.
He was forced to rely on the fading scent of blood lingering in the stagnant air.
Eventually, the soft chirps ceased. Carlo opened his eyes to find the Apatosaurus had stopped breathing. He stood up and continued his march.
"ROAR—!"
He let out a thunderous bellow, a piercing provocation aimed at the unseen enemy far across the valley.
"Aunng-Roar—"
To his surprise, the enemy answered.
Carlo tilted his head, triangulating the source of the sound, and accelerated toward the hybrid's position.
Owen, rifle in hand, slowly stepped out from behind the Jeep. He watched as Carlo's silhouette receded into the distance and finally vanished.
What made him so angry?
Puzzled, Owen walked toward the spot where Carlo had been standing. Claire followed a step behind him. As they reached the rise, they saw several crows descending onto the plains. An entire herd of Apatosaurus lay scattered across the field—no breath, no pulse, no life.
Owen's brow furrowed. As an animal behaviorist, he felt a flicker of genuine confusion.
"She didn't eat them," Claire whispered, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.
"She's killing for sport."
…
"How... much... further?"
"This... better... not... be... a... waste... of... time..."
Kenji panted heavily, splayed out on the wooden deck like an exhausted dog. He was at the tail end of Darius's group. They had heard strange biological cries earlier, and at Darius's suggestion, they had climbed the watchtower at the end of the zipline to scout the area.
Roxie and Dave were currently away, having gone to appeal to their superiors for more staff due to the kids' repeated disobedience. Because they couldn't locate Claire, they hadn't been able to return, giving the campers a window of opportunity.
Kenji trudged over to Darius's right, leaning against the railing and peering into the forest.
"Oh look, a Brachiosaurus." He rolled his eyes. All that climbing for this? "Mystery solved. Can we go back now?"
Ben, ever the rule-follower, hadn't wanted to come in the first place. He was worried about violating the adults' orders and urged the group to leave.
"But it doesn't make sense. Brachiosaurus don't roar like that," Darius insisted. A Brachiosaurus's call was full of life; the sound they had heard was a distorted, metallic shriek.
"Hey! You kids! What are you doing out here? We have an asset out of containment!"
Two staff members suddenly ran into the clearing below. They had likely been dispatched to evacuate the Camp Cretaceous kids.
"What are they saying?" Darius couldn't hear them from the top of the tower. He turned to his friends. Brooklynn shrugged, equally clueless.
"You can't stay up there! It's too dangerous!" the workers yelled.
"Great. They look furious. I told you we'd get in trouble," Ben muttered, casting a judging look at the others.
"Get down! This area is locked down!"
Suddenly, a Brachiosaurus in the distance collapsed with a muffled groan. The campers gasped, frantically gesturing to the workers below.
"Why are you just standing there?!" The workers couldn't decipher the frantic hand signals. This area was hot; they needed to get the kids out now. "Get down! You little idi—"
"Aunng-Roar—"
A shriek cut him off from behind.
The Indominus rex lunged forward, swallowing the first worker whole in a single snap. She lunged with her right hand, catching the second man as he tried to bolt, snapping his spine like a candy bar.
She was growing fond of these little creatures. Their expressions when they fled were so much more vivid, much more fun than the big ones that just stood there like statues.
Her thermal vision picked up a new cluster of heat signatures. She looked up at the kids on the zipline tower. She tore through the iron fence as if it were paper and began to climb the tower's support beams.
"ROAR—!"
A provocative roar echoed from the distance.
She paused, turning her head toward the sound. It was the one who had ambushed her.
"Aunng-roar—"
She shrieked back without hesitation, accepting the challenge. Then she turned her head back to the tower.
But first... she'd kill these little things.
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