Ten minutes had passed since the escape of the Indominus rex.
Inside the Control Room, several unfamiliar faces had appeared. These were the Primeval Ecological Zone monitors, urgently mobilized to track the Indominus's exact coordinates. Although the trackers were functional, they lacked precision, offering limited tactical support to the Asset Containment Unit (ACU).
"Anomaly detected on Camera 3-27!"
"Alert at Southeast Gate 7! Possible impact!"
"Copy that! Deploying emergency biological deterrents!"
The staff worked with mechanical efficiency, utilizing defenses originally designed to prevent dinosaurs from the Primeval Ecological Zone from straying.
"We have a breach! Deterrents are ineffective! The gate is being compromised! I repeat, the gate is compromised!"
The gates of the Primeval Ecological Zone were standard iron shutters, far less formidable than the concrete walls of the Indominus paddock, and certainly no match for a man-made monster of her caliber.
"We failed. The Indominus has entered the Primeval Ecological Zone." A staff member removed his headset and sighed.
"It's not over yet. Keep monitoring!"
…
A lone Triceratops stopped grazing, lifting its head to scan the surroundings. Nearby were a few Parasaurolophus, Gallimimus, and Stegosaurus, unfortunate stragglers who, for various reasons, had failed to join a herd and now lived as nomads. They formed a loose collective for the sole purpose of fending off the carnivores of the Primeval Ecological Zone.
At this moment, every herbivore in the group raised its head. The commotion in the nearby woods was becoming impossible to ignore.
"Aunnng—"
A Diplodocus lifted its head from above the towering treeline. The herbivores relaxed slightly, lowering their heads to resume feeding.
"Aunnng—"
But the Diplodocus cried out again, its high-pitched wail snapping the herbivores' attention back. A moment later, the Diplodocus stumbled out from the forest, revealing a body covered in deep gashes and bleeding wounds!
"Aunnng!"
This time, it wasn't just the Diplodocus. The surrounding herbivores shrieked in terror, turning to bolt.
Thud!
The Diplodocus collapsed onto the grass, its belly heaving as it gasped for air. The forest swayed. A green-hued claw gradually turned pale, pressing down firmly onto the mountain of heaving flesh.
She was quiet. She was careful.
Until she confirmed that her place in the hierarchy was one of absolute dominance, she would not broadcast her presence. This was to be a silent massacre.
"No, no, no! Bad idea. This is a bad idea."
"It's a great idea."
"No! We're gonna get arrested! They'll shave our heads, and we'll have to make root beer in the toilet!"
"What are you even talking about?"
Gray was terrified, chanting nervous, nonsensical "spells" that Zach couldn't begin to decipher.
"There!" Zach steered the gyrosphere around a bend and pointed toward a distant herd of Ankylosaurus. "See? I told you. You're welcome. I got us an exclusive, up-close look at four dinosaurs."
"Ankylosaurus... we must have driven into the Primeval Ecological Zone. It won't be long before we get eaten."
"Please, dude. Didn't you hear that mad scientist on the monitor? This sphere can stop a .50-caliber bullet. Look, there's another one coming. Aren't you the dinosaur expert? What kind is that?"
"That's a..."
The Indominus rex approached from the flank, her skin shifting colors in a constant blur to confuse the Ankylosaurus's vision.
Snap.
The sound of breaking branches echoed. The Ankylosaurus herd snapped their heads up, squaring their positions toward the source of the noise. There was nothing there, but they knew with primal certainty that danger was closing in.
The lead Ankylosaurus slammed its tail into the ground, attempting to intimidate the predator. Months of peaceful living had bolstered their confidence. Little did they know, the Indominus rex didn't care if an opponent looked "tough." She killed everything.
Her white form gradually materialized. Her claws raked across a branch, producing a piercing, metallic screech. She moved toward the herd one step at a time, the branches beneath her feet snapping rhythmically.
Sensing the shift in the tide, the lead Ankylosaurus let out a low rumble, signaling the herd to retreat. Seeing her prey attempt to flee, the Indominus grew agitated. She accelerated, intent on leaving no survivors.
But in the next instant, an Ankylosaurus with massive dorsal spikes named Scimitar cut across the path. With a quick-footed trot, he blocked the Indominus, his tail-club striking the earth and sending debris flying.
"Go! Go!"
Watching the drama unfold, the two brothers tried to pilot the gyrosphere away from the charging herd, but it was too late. A fleeing Ankylosaurus has no regard for obstacles. At the front of the pack, the Rebel gave the sphere a shove, followed by a tail-swipe from Grassy, clearing the path for the sub-adults and juveniles behind them.
The gyrosphere's glass spider-webbed with cracks as it was sent tumbling into the air.
The Indominus moved with fluid agility, dodging strike after strike from the tail-clubs. She attempted to slash through the dorsal armor but failed, quickly shifting her focus to the soft underbelly. Ignoring the spikes on the creature's back, she pressed her full weight down upon it.
Feeling the crushing pressure, the Ankylosaurus could no longer swing its tail. It strained every muscle to support its weight, desperate not to collapse into a vulnerable position.
But it was a feint.
He felt razor-sharp claws rake across his hind leg. A searing pain surged upward, creeping beneath the edge of his armor plating. He could no longer stand.
…
Carlo stood beside the father and mother dinos and their three hatchlings. He had forced them all to take a "bath" in the water because he sensed something was wrong.
Something had happened to the Primeval Ecological Zone.
There were still remains from the Diplodocus he had hunted earlier, so a scent of blood to the east was normal. When that scent intensified slightly, he had assumed the Carnotaurus were merely hunting. Though the "Bulls" hadn't had any new family members recently, by his count, it was indeed time for them to feed.
But the scent of blood was spreading westward with no sign of stopping. Carlo didn't smell a familiar creature, but he sensed a mass of "something" saturated in gore.
He had to go see for himself.
But before that, he had to secure his family. He wasn't sure how much washing away their scent would help, but every little bit counted.
…
On the ground, Zach grabbed his brother's hand, pulled him up, and sprinted for their lives. The "bulletproof" glass was like wet paper to the Indominus; if they didn't leave now, they would be swallowed like tinned meat.
The Indominus used her long, muscular arms to shove the gyrosphere out of her mouth. It hadn't felt good, like a human trying to swallow a lightbulb. Feeling mocked, she let out a furious roar and lunged out of the forest after Zach and Gray.
However, her vision and sense of smell weren't quite sharp enough to pinpoint their location immediately. Zach and Gray stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a waterfall, facing each other.
"Are you ready?"
"No!"
"Jump!"
In the next heartbeat, a silhouette lunged from the trees beside the brothers, its jaws locking firmly onto the Indominus's exposed lower neck.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]