"In local news, renowned businessman *** has been reported missing during a trip through Northern California. Police are currently launching an investigation into his disappearance."
Beneath the shroud of night, flames flickered in a small clearing. Three trailers were parked in a loose cluster, surrounded by a dense wall of forest. In America, homeownership isn't a reality for everyone; living out of an RV in the wilderness isn't uncommon. Then, of course, there are those like Dr. Alan Grant, who live in trailers out of convenience, stationed right at their own dig sites.
"See that? Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside."
Beside a campfire grill, a Black man flipped a freshly grilled steak into his daughter's bowl.
"This doesn't look like that 'secret recipe' you were talking about," the girl remarked. She didn't look particularly disappointed; she seemed well-acquainted with her father's little embellishments.
"Haha... alright, get inside. There are bears around here," the man laughed, trying to brush off the awkwardness. He ushered his daughter back toward the RV, waving to a neighbor along the way.
"You doing alright, Greg?"
"Still breathing, you know how it is," the man named Greg replied. He was a heavy-set fellow lounging in a lawn chair in front of his own trailer, hoisting a bottle of beer in a mock toast.
"Heard there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight," Greg added after a swig.
The father saw his daughter safely inside and chatted with Greg for a moment longer. "Is that so? Guess we'll have to keep an eye out."
He glanced up at the sky, which was choked with heavy clouds. His expression stiffened slightly before he turned back to Greg with a parting word. "If you need anything, just knock, alright? Mariana bought a little bit of everything."
Among those living on the road, peace is predicated on mutual aid. The best policy is transparency, letting people know you don't have much worth stealing. If there's nothing of high value, most won't risk their lives to rob you.
Greg waved him off and went back to his beer. The man returned the gesture and stepped into his trailer.
…
"Alright, everyone, gather 'round."
"Dad, where's the chicken?"
"Easy there, Little Flash."
"Is this your card?"
"Nope."
The interior of the RV was a scene of cramped chaos. Five people, two adults and three children, lived in the confined space. There was the Black father and his daughter, a white mother with her son, and a white infant. It was a tight squeeze around the dining table.
As the boy and the girl bickered over a card game, the mother, Mariana, cut in.
"Hey, listen. We've been a family for two years now, and I'm just really grateful we're all here together."
It was a blended family. Mariana nudged her husband, signaling for him to say a few words.
"Ahem. Right. Look, I know this is a new experience, but we're a family now. This is a gift, and we have to look out for each other, okay?"
His words drew a collective smile, but children's minds are flighty. The daughter suddenly remembered something from earlier that morning.
"Greg let me try out his crossbow today."
"What…?" The father's brow furrowed. He rolled his eyes and shouted toward the thin, poorly insulated door. "Greg! Don't let my eight-year-old daughter play with a crossbow, man!"
There was no reply, only the crackle of the campfire and the distant, faint barking of a dog.
"Greg?"
"Where did everyone go?"
Sniff… sniff…
The sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps approached. A Nasutoceratops lumbered into the clearing, its snout twitching as it caught the scent of food lingering on the discarded cookware.
"Is that a bear?"
"No."
The children whispered as Mariana pulled the light cord, plunging the RV into darkness. Together, they pressed against the window to peer outside.
"Are they eating human food?"
"It's a dinosaur. They eat whatever they want." The daughter was the most knowledgeable about dinosaurs among them. For the uneducated lower class of America, dinosaurs were still a mystery, something they only knew about from frantic news reports saying the animals had escaped.
"Whew… the rangers said to stay calm and stay quiet," Mariana whispered, reminding her children and giving her husband a pointed look. "You know what happens to the people who don't."
"That's a Triceratops."
"How do you know?"
"Because of the horns."
The girl had misidentified the species, but to the family, it didn't matter.
"Aunnng—"
A high-pitched, youthful cry came from behind the adult. A baby Nasutoceratops emerged, instantly fascinated by a glowing lantern left on a table. It began nudging the light with its blunt snout.
"It's a baby Triceratops!" the girl squealed in delight.
Perhaps another reason Dr. Grant didn't care for kids was their habit of constantly getting the names wrong.
Sniff… sniff…
The adult Nasutoceratops suddenly froze. It turned toward the tree line and let out a sharp, warning bellow.
"Grrnngg…"
A faint rumbling vibrated from the woods. Shadows shifted just beyond the reach of the firelight. Then, one of the Jurassic era's apex predators, an Allosaurus, stepped leisurely into the clearing, squaring off against the ceratopsian.
Was there only... one?
"What is that?"
"An Allosaurus. Definitely." The girl got it right this time; even Dr. Grant might have offered a proud smile.
"Aunnng-roar—"
The Allosaurus let out a haunting, hollow roar that sent a wave of primal dread through the onlookers in the trailer.
It began to circle the campfire, forcing the Nasutoceratops to pivot. The infant was a second too slow to follow its mother's lead. Seizing the opening, the Allosaurus lunged and clamped its jaws onto the baby's head.
"No, no, no, no!"
"It's okay, kids. This is just how nature works," the father whispered, trying to soothe them and keep them quiet.
"Aunnng!"
The mother Nasutoceratops cried out in distress. Unexpectedly, the Allosaurus released the infant. It seemed its ambitions were set on something much larger. The mother charged, trying to gore the predator, but the Allosaurus nearly raked her eyes with its sharp talons, forcing her to retreat.
CRASH!
Suddenly, another, much larger Nasutoceratops burst into the clearing, narrowly missing Greg's trailer!
The sheer force of its entrance nearly spun the RV 180 degrees. The newcomer bellowed, tossing its massive horns to drive the Allosaurus back. The predator seemed to be at a disadvantage.
"Grrnngg…"
The Allosaurus let out a guttural sound, staring directly at the strongest ceratopsian. As the family watched the predator's face illuminated by the fire, they were struck by a chilling sensation...
It looked triumphant.
"ROAR—"
A thunderous cry ripped through the air. The lead Nasutoceratops realized too late that it had been baited. Before it could turn, a massive bleeding sensation tore through its entire flank.
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