Volume 7: Copal
Issue 5: Into the Snow Globe
Florian Reyes Honeywell
By Roach
One of the dinosaurs let out a deep bellowing call that reverberated through the worker tunnels and walls of waxy flesh inside of me. I quieted the swarm as a buzz rippled through them. A few more of the dinosaurs joined in the call, bathing the landscape in a sound that it hadn’t heard in millions of years. It was only then I realized that they weren’t alone; smaller, bipedal dinosaurs shared the marshland with the herd of huge four-legged herbivores. That being said, size was relative. While they were dwarfed by the massive quadrupeds, they still looked taller than any person I’d seen. Beige feathers covered their bodies, while their long thin necks reminded me of ostriches.
And the more I looked, the more I noticed. Leathery creatures soared overhead—although they flew with wings, they weren’t birds. Huge dragonflies buzzed over the water closest to us. What I thought were grass and reeds choking the delta were, upon closer inspection, countless of different ferns and horsetails—like none I’d ever seen before.
I only had a moment to take in the view before a camera shutter clicked behind me. Once one camera had fired off, the flashes rained over us. Archean stood as the only barrier between us and the press; he held his hands up, warding off the journalists as they closed in on us. “Let’s take it down a notch, alright? There will be plenty of time for photos,” he said. Although his tone was firmer now, it wasn’t without his usual charisma.
His reassurance seemed to have satisfied the journalists. At least, enough to keep them at bay—but not from asking questions. A chorus of voices formed an incomprehensible cloud of questions around us.
Somehow, Archean was able to discern the questions and pick out one. “Yes, so that would be the force field,” he said in response to something I hadn’t heard. He pointed to the shimmer of blue in the sky, doming over the landscape. “This keeps anything from getting in or out. It’s essentially its own little biosphere, staying as true as possible to what Hell Creek would have been like. Unfortunately, it does block cell reception and radio signals—so don’t expect to make any calls while you’re out here. We do however have our own internal communication systems here at IMAGO to keep things going smoothly.”
I glanced at Hannah, remembering back to our conversation at the pool. Back then, she had studied the night sky with an expression of intrigue—now, her intense stare and furrowed brows gave her a look of skepticism.
I looked to the sky again, watching as a silhouette—almost bat-like in all ways except its giant size—soared underneath the force field. The faint outline of the force field made it feel like I was looking out of a snow globe.
As we started walking down the path toward the delta, Archean kept chatting with the journalists. They walked at a distance behind us, occasionally halting to snap pictures along the way. And, just where the path transitioned into the bridgeways, a small group of people dressed in suits waited. I recognized one of them as Dr. Morris. Archean met up with the group, exchanged a few words with them, before he turned back to the press. “Alright, my fine colleagues here at IMAGO will be able to answer your questions and show you around.” He offered them a smile, before rejoining our group of students.
Although I could still hear the shutters of cameras, we managed to leave the journalists some distance behind us as we continued onwards.
The wooden bridges creaked slightly underneath my steps as we entered the marshland delta. As the walkways curved over the landscape, they only raised us a few feet above the water and mud—just enough to turn what would have been a grueling hike into a simple stroll.
The herd of enormous dinosaurs surrounded us. Now that we were closer, they watched our procession with an almost bored expression. While they had appeared giant from afar, being up close only emphasized their large stature. The tallest of us—Archean—only came up to their knees, and their heads alone were larger than my entire body. Despite their size, they still seemed content to give us a disinterested side-eye and chomp on the ferns below them with their long—almost beak-like—flat mouths.
It hadn’t occurred to me at first but—now that we were standing next to the herd—I realized that there were no fences around. Nothing but open air separated us from the dinosaurs.
Uneasy shifting and murmurs rippled through our group, as the same realization seemed to dawn on others.
Archean, clearly detecting this, just laughed. “Don’t worry, guys,” he said, pointing at the blue shimmer above us. “We use the same force field technology as we have protecting the whole park here, just at lower power. All around us is an invisible, unbreakable energy field that keeps us—and our animals—safe.” As he said this, he moved his hand about a foot over the edge of the bridge. Then, at the tip of his fingers, a sudden shimmer of bright blue light appeared. “It’s not dangerous,” he said, “though it does feel a little unpleasant.” Archean pulled his fingers away and laughed. “But it gives us a great view of the magnificent animals around us!”
I saw Daniel reach out to touch the field, then quickly pull his hand away as soon as the shimmer appeared. “Whoa. Tingles,” he said, rubbing his hand. A few others reached out as well, before echoing his movement.
I reached out tentatively, and—as the shimmer appeared—it was like the air itself vibrated under my fingertips and into my hand. While the sensation was unpleasant, like a constant static shock, it didn’t seem to affect me as much as my classmates. I could still see Daniel and Gabriel rubbing their fingers. I wondered if the wax throughout my body had muted the sensation.
“Here though,” Archean said, after a moment’s pause to bemusedly watch us torturing ourselves, “we really don’t need the field. These are Edmontosaurus—one of the largest hadrosaurs to ever live. The ‘hadrosaurs’ are also known as duck-billed dinosaurs. You can see their bills up close on this friend of mine here; Tiffany.” Archean pointed at a nearby brown-scaled Edmontosaurus, although I had no idea how he could tell them apart. “Tiffany’s bill is sharper than it looks, and she can use it to cut right through the thickest stems on the ferns down there—which she’s constantly eating. Animals that big need a lot of food to keep going!”
Giddiness seeped into Archean’s voice as he continued, “By the way, does anyone know why Edmontosauruses like Tiffany don’t eat grass?”
I looked at Tiffany again, who probed at the mud and plants with her bill. She let out a snort—although gentle, her massive body seemed to amplify it as water rippled underneath her mouth.
None of us responded to Archean’s question—either no one knew or we were simply too preoccupied staring at the giants around us.
Archean laughed again, seemingly pleased with our baffled expressions. “Don’t worry, this isn’t a test,” he said, glancing toward Mrs. Porter and Holly—who didn’t really seem to be paying attention to him, either. “Grass simply hadn’t evolved yet, and won’t for another ten million years! So, instead of grass, small ferns cover the ground here in Hell Creek—as it would have for the rest of the world.”
Just then, my attention shifted to a fast-moving group of those smaller bipeds I had seen earlier. At least, they were smaller than the hadrosaurs—as, even on my elevated position on the footbridge, I only stood around eye-level with them. A few of the ostrich-looking dinosaurs still reached a head above me. Around me, my classmates pointed to them as they charged past us. Shallow water splashed underneath their bird-like feet, while their beige plumage billowed in the wind. A few of them were particularly eye-catching, with splashes of brilliant orange and black feathers on their chests.
“Those,” Archean said, noticing our gaze, “are Struthiomimus; another peaceful herbivore of Hell Creek, although a little more skittish than our friend Edmontosaurus. Their speed is their main defense, and they can easily outrun their predators… so long as they get the chance!” He paused, casting his gaze over the delta as if taking it all in once more. “Edmontosaurus though… They’re big enough that only one animal in Hell Creek can overpower an adult like Tiffany.”
All our eyes turned to Archean. After a moment, Daniel spoke, “W-who?”
Archean’s smile broadened. “The king,” he said. “Tyrannosaurus rex.”
He didn’t elaborate as he led us down the footbridge. “Don’t worry,” he said, “Edmontosaurus range all over Hell Creek. You’ll see them again soon.”
After a few minutes of walking, we reached the edge of the forest—on which sat a small cluster of portable buildings. It reminded me of pictures of research posts that my mom had shown me from her field research in Chile. The familiar Time Corps logo embellished the walls of the buildings. A bathroom sign hung over one of the structures, while another read ‘Time Corps Resupply Post.’
“We’ll stop here for a few minutes so you guys can cool down or grab some souvenirs,” Archean said.
I exchanged a look with Camilo and Amber, who had been walking next to me since we left the Pleistocene Paddock.
“I could use a water bottle,” Camilo said. Drops of sweat trickled from his forehead and temples. Although I had felt the humidity press in on me since we entered Hell Creek’s replica, I was for once thankful for my waxy flesh—which seemed to have warded off any sweat.
“I wanna see the souvenirs,” Amber chimed in.
We entered the Time Corps Resupply Post—which was basically a souvenir shop. It was much roomier than the hide tent in the Paddock, with shelved walls and fully stocked islands scattered throughout the sales floor. A small coffee bar occupied one of the corners, while two cashiers dressed in Time Corps uniforms tended to the register. Their supply ranged from clothes, dinosaur plushies, books, hero-themed keychains, and any trinket a gift shop could possibly need. Everything was in absolute order—in a way that would never last in a store once customers actually started picking through their products.
Proving my point, the theater kids gathered around the plushies and started picking through them—pulling out squishy T-rexes, raptors, and Pteranodons that were round like marshmallows.
While Camilo inspected the snack section, I wandered through some of the aisles—passing rows of snow globes. While some featured different dinosaur species, others contained heroes from IMAGO’s team; like Archean, Darwinist, and Adiabatic. I picked up one that looked like Hell Creek itself, the glass doming over the Refuge just like the force field above us. I gave it a light shake, watching as the glitter settled over the marshlands, forests, and mountains.
After walking around the gift shop, I found myself a green crossbody bag with a fern motif. It was big enough that I could roll up my jacket from the Pleistocene Paddock and still fit a few other things into it. Not really anticipating the incoming trek or the things I would pick up along the way, I had left all my stuff back in my room.
On my way to the register, I halted by a bunch of disposable Kodak cameras. I picked up a box, turning it over in my hand. It seemed excessive, considering that my phone could take perfectly fine pictures. But still, there was something nostalgic and misplaced about finding a disposable camera in a gift shop. Not to mention, I had been claiming to be interested in photography, so maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try it out…
From behind the register, one of the cashiers spoke up, “You know, those are really handy if you want to make sure to capture some memories while you’re out here. We don’t have reception, after all.” There was a hopeful note in her voice, like someone who was trying to convince someone who was on the fence. I nodded, only half-listening before putting the camera and the bag down on the register. I usually had a bit of extra allowance on me, as my parents would always tell me to “order a pizza” while they were traveling. Since my body didn’t require anything as long as the swarm was sustained, I never actually ordered anything.
While the cashier scanned my items, I could hear Amber’s voice from the coffee bar, “One Salted Caramel Tricera-Topped Latte.” Once I had paid for my things, I walked over to her.
When I approached, she was waiting at the end of the bar for her order to finish—watching over the barista like a hawk. “One inch of foam,” she said. “And I don’t want the seven-stroke hatch cross. And don’t forget to do three swirls of drizzle. Got it?”
“Hey,” I said—somehow hoping that my greeting could distract her from hassling the barista any more. The barista stared at the coffee cup with unwavering focus.
Once Amber noticed me, she beamed. “Oh, there you are. Where’s Camilo? I found something for you guys.” She twirled the handle of a large shopping bag in her grip.
“What is it?” I said.
“I’ll show you when you’re both here.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her.
“Oh, Florry-worry. Don’t look so concerned.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ll like it. Anyway, what did you get?” She nodded to my hands, where I was still holding the camera and bag. Before I could reply, she leaned in. “A camera? What do you need that for?”
I took a step back. “Nothing, just…” I picked at the Kodak’s packaging like a scab. “Just trying out something, I guess.” Once the packaging loosened, I took the camera out—instead putting it into my new bag. I promptly slung it over my shoulders.
Amber waved to someone behind me. I turned to see Camilo approaching us—just as he left the register with a water bottle and box of dinosaur-shaped cookies.
“Oooh, coffee?” he said with a grin.
“I have something for you,” Amber announced.
Camilo, who had been studying the menu, turned to Amber now. “You have something… for me?” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.
“Well, for you guys.” She ran her fingers through her hair.
“Is it…” Camilo paused, squinting at the menu, “…an Iced Age Espresso? Because I could really use a cold drink right now.”
“No, it’s better.”
When Camilo glanced at me, I shrugged. “I don’t know, either,” I said.
He then turned to the barista, and made his order just as Amber received hers. The caramel latte was topped with two marshmallows shaped like Triceratops’ heads. “That is pretty fucking cute,” Amber admitted. Then, turning to me, she said, “Hold this.”
After handing me her cup—which I reluctantly took—she set down her shopping bag and started to dig through it. Then, she pulled out a set of matching T-shirts.
“Aren’t these cute?” she said, holding up the shirts. Each shirt portrayed a cartoonishly round T-rex, accompanied with an incredibly outdated caption which said ‘RAWR XD.’ She continued, “I got them for all of us. The black one is for Camilo, yellow for Florian, and pink for me.”
“Rawr… X-D?” Camilo said. “What are you? A 30-something millennial?”
“No, it’s meant to be ironic.” Amber rolled her eyes. “That’s what makes it cute. There are some wardrobes over there.” Now, she pointed to the dressing rooms near the clothing section.
“Wait, you’re serious?” Camilo said. “Are… Are you sure? Like… No offense, but are you sure you want to be seen… in matching shirts? With us?”
He had a point. I thought back to the bus trip, and Jazmine’s revelation that Amber played DnD with us. We were supposed to stay more low-key about associating with one another. Although it was still a leap from playing DnD to being a superhero, we really shouldn’t be drawing more attention to ourselves than necessary.
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“Oh…” Amber looked down at the shirts, staying silent for a few moments. “Well… The cashier said they don’t take any returns…”
Camilo sent me a look, as if expecting me to give the final say. Just then, I realized that he didn’t want to be the one to turn her down. But neither did I. Although the shirts were somewhat silly, it was a surprisingly nice gesture from her.
I let out an empty sigh. “It’s probably alright,” I said. “Thank you.”
Amber smiled—and, for once, it lacked her usual snark—as she handed us the shirts. After Camilo had received his coffee and we finished changing, we regrouped outside the souvenir shop with the others. Now, equipped in our new shirts, we followed Archean’s lead.
Our group moved deeper into the forest and—as the terrain started to rise into a slight upward slope—something I recognized replaced the trees around me: redwoods. The redwood trees towered over us, reaching high into the sky. The path meandering between their thick trunks was like a hiking trail, albeit a better maintained one than I had ever walked.
As we followed the path, Jazmine halted a few paces ahead of Camilo, Amber, and I. She had been walking slightly ahead of us, alongside Daniel and some of the students from the year above us. But, now, she fell back, her gaze darting between the three of us. She positioned herself next to Amber, following her stride. “What’s the deal with the dorky shirts?” she said. Although her voice was hushed, it had an undertone of venom to it.
Amber tossed her flaming hair to the side before crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s ironic. Don’t you get it?” she retorted, as if she were saying the most obvious thing in the world. I shrunk back a little, feeling increasingly self-conscious about my bright yellow shirt. Camilo turned to me, tilting his head in a knowing sort of what-did-I-tell-you way.
“Ironic is one word for it,” Jazmine muttered back. “Are your accessories supposed to be ironic, too?” she asked, glaring at me and Camilo.
Amber scoffed. “Where’d you learn how to ask questions? I thought you had Tyler doing all your homewo-”
“Oh my God, you’re such a bitch,” Jazmine cried. She rushed ahead of us—back to the two girls I recognized as juniors.
Amber marched on—she stared straight ahead, looking at neither me nor Camilo. But Camilo and I gaped at each other, still processing what had just happened. Had Amber just… stood up for us? Maybe in her own way, but even so…
When I glanced at her, her lips remained pursed—and I took it that she wasn’t going to comment on any of it. I tried to recenter my attention on the road ahead of us, catching Camilo doing the same.
We passed by a babbling brook choked with horsetails—or, at least, a prehistoric ancestor of horsetails—where a small herd of dinosaurs that looked like miniature Triceratops chomped on the ferns around them. Spines stuck out from their fat tails.
“Babies?” Jazmine cried out when she saw them—excitement had snuck into her voice, as if she had momentarily forgotten about the T-shirts.
Archean shook his head. “Leptoceratops,” he said. “Adults, too. They don’t get longer than seven feet.”
When we stopped by the small herd, I reached into my bag and pulled out my new Kodak. I walked to the edge of the path, reaching my hand out in front of me—as if feeling out the air for the force field. I managed to stray a couple of steps off the main path before the blue shimmer appeared underneath my fingertips. Once there, I took a step back again. When I surveyed my surroundings, I could see Amber posing for a selfie with the Leptoceratops herd behind her—this time without Jazmine’s aid. At the same time, Camilo stood a little ways behind me. He chatted with Gabriel, who in turn pointed to his friend’s new shirt.
I looked away from them, instead turning the camera over in my hands. I rested my thumb on the wheel, scrolling it—turning the film over to a new frame, as I had used to do with these cameras when I was little. I then flicked the flash on, and held the camera up to my face. I squeezed one eye shut as I peered through the lens with the other.
The world shrunk to what I could see in the viewfinder. At first, one of the redwoods blocked my line of sight. I moved slightly to the side, until I caught a Leptoceratops ripping into a bouquet of ferns. I steadied myself, waiting just a couple of moments before snapping my photo. The camera let out a satisfying flash.
“Alright, let’s keep going,” Archean said. “Trust me, if we make it for feeding time there will be a show.” He didn’t explain what he meant by show before continuing onwards, the group of students trailing after him.
After another few minutes of walking, someone—Lucy, I thought—squealed, “Look up!”
Above us, on one of the redwood branches, a small dinosaur perched. It reminded me of Archean’s Pyroraptor—albeit, a little bigger. At about the size of a golden retriever, it was covered with a beautiful dappled brown plumage. It looked down on us, its gaze darting between from one student to the next. As its amber gaze landed on me, I sensed a ripple move through the swarm.
“Hello Acheroraptor!” Archean shouted up at it. “I didn’t think we’d see you guys out right now.”
“A… Are they nice?” Lucy asked.
Archean chuckled. “Not really,” he admitted. “But a big group of humans like us is a little too much for them to prey on. They prefer picking off something like a Leptoceratops that’s been separated from its herd.” He glanced into the shadows of the redwood branches. “You know, if we see one right now, I bet there’s a whole pack we can’t see. But we’re perfectly safe behind the force field,” he reminded us.
With a sudden chirp, the Acheroraptor disappeared in a flurry of feathers. As we kept walking, I kept glancing into the trees, my gaze searching for the rest of the pack. Every now and then, I thought I could glimpse feathers through the leaves.
“In just a few moments,” Archean said, “we’ll be seeing a close cousin of Acheroraptor… Ah, there they are.”
As we rounded a particularly large redwood, a new collection of dinosaurs lounging beneath the trees came into view. They did look like Acheroraptor… Just bigger. A lot bigger.
One rose from its sitting position when we approached. Only Archean remained taller as it peered down at the rest of us. Like the other raptors we’d seen, it was covered in feathers; mixing blotches of black and brown. However, the one that stood up didn’t look quite like its companions. Its head had brilliant white plumage, just like a bald eagle.
But while the other two seemed content to preen the long feathers on their arms, this one stared right at us. I shifted uncomfortably under its gaze. Its analytical stare gave me the feeling that it was considering the many ways it could kill and eat us if the force field wasn’t there.
“Meet Dakotaraptor,” Archean said, “the second most dangerous predator in all of Hell Creek.”
The group collectively slowed down as we continued down the path and closed in on the Dakotaraptors. As we approached, my classmates shifted closer to one another. I had the feeling I wasn’t the only one who thought the raptor was sizing us up.
“Don’t worry,” Archean said. “If anything were to happen, the force field will protect us.”
“What if it failed?” Hannah asked; her voice had a surprising amount of venom in it.
Archean looked at her. Although his mask hid his expression, the shift in his posture indicated surprise. He quickly recomposed himself again. “No chance,” he said. “It’s got a triple-backup with multiple onsite power sources. Earthquake-proofed, too. The Extinction Refuge could be nuked and the force fields would still be up.”
He turned back to the Dakotaraptors. “Anyhow… If we’re lucky enough, we’ll see some of the prey we’ve released into their exhibit…” He trailed off, his gaze searching the forest around the raptors. “Ah,” he said, after a few moments, “look at that, in the closest tree on the left.”
I followed his gaze, and spotted a small furry creature clutching a redwood branch. It was about a foot long, had brown fur, and resembled a strange cross between a shrew and a squirrel. “That is Purgatorius,” Archean said, “a proto-primate and… our ancestor.”
I studied the strange creature where it cowered among the needles—doing its best to hide from the Dakotaraptors below it. I could barely make out its eyes from this distance, but even so, I still found myself seeking out its marble gaze. It seemed to have noticed us, too—tilting its head slightly. Of course it made no logical sense, but as I watched it, I couldn’t help but wonder if it understood. Could it know what its destiny was? To be the ancestor of all of humankind?
Maybe the standing Dakotaraptor had noticed its slight movement, or could tell that we were looking at something. Because, just then, the raptor snapped its head back. In a flurry of terrifying movement—eliciting a few surprised shrieks from our party—it rushed up the redwood. Its claws dug deep into the bark.
The Purgatorius tried to scramble away. But, it was too slow. The raptor snagged it in its mouth and, flapping its feathered arms, controlled its descent to the ground. It landed on two legs with a thud—the little mammal still struggling and squeaking in its jaws.
“Holy shit,” Gabriel muttered. The raptor silenced its prey with a sudden cracking of bones, then gulped it down.
“Language!” Mrs. Porter shouted—as if that was somehow more disturbing than what we just saw.
Hannah turned to Archean now. “Why do you feed them… our ancestors?” she said, her voice deeply disapproving.
“Well… Predators need, ah… enrichment,” Archean replied, taken a little off guard. “They need to hunt from time to time so we give them, uh, live food. What they really would have eaten, of course!” He scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably. “At the Expedition Center, which we’ll go to later, we have an exhibit of Purgatorius where they are kept very happy, so don’t worry!” he added quickly.
I turned my attention back to the Dakotaraptor who—finished with his meal—had gone back to staring at us. I noticed that both his feet had a huge, sickle-shaped talon—almost a foot long. The raptor tapped one rhythmically against the dirt when I realized he was staring at me—right into my eyes.
Disquieted, I was relieved to hear Archean say that it was time to move on. Even as I walked away, I thought I felt the raptor’s stare prickling against my neck. The atmosphere seemed more somber now than it had minutes before, when we had passed by the Leptoceratops herd.
I stole a glance toward Hannah, who was still looking daggers at Archean where he walked ahead of the group. I quickened my pace, catching up to her.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“Oh.” She tore her gaze away from the hero as she registered my presence. “Hi.”
“Those raptors were… something else,” I said in an attempt to feel out what was on her mind. While the others seemed excited about visiting the Refuge, her questioning of Archean was more critical. Maybe rightfully so, I wasn’t sure, but either way I couldn’t help but think there was something more to it.
“Yeah,” she scoffed, leaving me none the wiser.
“You don’t like Archean much, do you?” I said, a bit sheepishly.
While she had been staring into the empty air before, she now turned to me with a wide-eyed look of surprise. “What makes you think that?”
I shrugged. “Just the way you were questioning him.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “I can’t be the only one who’s wondering about their safety practices,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I guess…” I trailed off, thinking about what to say next. But, before I had a chance to, she spoke again—her voice a bit softer now.
“Anyway… What’s the deal with the T-shirt?”
I had almost forgotten that I was wearing it. But, now that I remembered, a self-awareness spread through the swarm. I looked down at my feet. “I… I’m not sure there is a deal,” I murmured.
“Oh.” She paused, while I remained too self-conscious to look up at her again. Hannah continued, “It’s just… You’re all wearing it. You three, I mean.”
“Ah, well…” I dared myself to straighten up again. “I think it’s supposed to be… a statement piece? Like, in an ironic way? At least, that’s what Amber thinks…”
She gave me a funny look. “Where’s the irony?”
I paused, mulling it over. “Well… In your honest opinion, what do you think of the shirt?”
“It’s… I don’t get it.”
“Me neither.” I chuckled awkwardly. But, to my surprise, she smiled back at me—and somehow, the mood started to feel lighter again.
As we delved deeper into Hell Creek, the trail emerged out of the redwood forest and—before us—stretched a wide clearing. Instead of grass or flowers, however, the ground was entirely covered in ferns that reached knee-high. On the other side of the clearing, a hill rose above the treeline—topped by a structure with big glass windows. It looked to be about half a mile or so away. Just down the road sat a cluster of portable buildings, similar to the ones we had seen earlier.
But that wasn’t what had grabbed my attention. A herd of dinosaurs roamed the clearing—and, for once, Archean didn’t have to identify it for me. They were huge—bigger than anything we’d seen so far, save Edmontosaurus—and built like spotted beige, scaly hippos. Their heads alone were almost as big as a car, embellished with a bony crest—some of which were colored in brilliant reds and oranges. Above each eye grew two massive horns, as long as I was tall. Their mouths were sharp beaks, ripping entire ferns out of the ground as they ate. And, above their mouth and nose sat a third, small horn. Small being relative—the horn was easily around the size of my head.
“Ah, Triceratops,” Archean said, although he didn’t have to. “They’re gentle creatures, so long as you don’t get between a mom and her calf,” he chuckled. “If you do, watch out—those horns can give a Tyrannosaurus a run for its money.”
One grazed near the path, remaining unmoving as we walked closer. Although it didn’t seem bothered by our approach, I was again grateful for the force field—the Triceratops was massive, and I really didn’t want to stand in its way should it be provoked. Even with its head low to the ground, chomping on ferns, it stayed eye-level with me. It lazily met my gaze with its own eye—which weirdly reminded me of a chicken’s eye. A black pupil, almost as big as my entire eye, was haloed by a crimson red iris.
“Oh, look over there!” Archean pointed, and my gaze followed the tip of his fingers to three miniature Triceratops. “Looks like we have some babies here,” Archean beamed. Unlike the adults, the babies were only a few feet long—no larger than a dog—and colored a deep, dull green. Their crests were also smaller in size, and they lacked the characteristic horns.
The whole class clustered at the edge of the force field, trying to get a closer look at the babies. “Let’s stop here for a few minutes so you can really check these guys out,” Archean said. He motioned to the cluster of buildings down the path. “If you need to grab another water bottle or souvenir, just down there’s the gift shop.” Then, he pointed up the hill, at the structure atop. “Up there’s the Expedition Center. We’ll be going there next for lunch.”
I inched closer to where I thought the force field stood, before opening up my bag. As I watched the Triceratops, I resisted the urge to reach out to the closest one. It looked so calm and unbothered—like I could scratch its flank and it wouldn’t mind, like a cow or pony.
Instead, I grabbed my disposable camera and turned my attention to the Triceratops calves. I hunched down to get a better angle, then peered through the lens.
One calf spun around in a circle, chasing its own chunky tail. Knowing that I had limited film, I steadied myself—anticipating the right moment. My finger hovered over the shutter release.
A soft boom sounded in the distance. The ground underneath me trembled very slightly, and—through my viewfinder—I saw the calf abruptly halt, letting out a small squeal. I looked up in the air, half-expecting to see a firework exploding above me—but the afternoon sky was empty except for a few circling pterosaurs.
Another boom followed, louder this time. Sound waves reverberated weakly through my body. A sudden, strange nausea welled through me as the swarm bristled and buzzed.
I instinctively looked to Mrs. Porter and Holly, who both turned to Archean with bewildered expressions. Meanwhile, Archean looked to the sky—his skull mask concealing any emotion. Immediately, I knew we weren’t missing a firework show. A hush had swept through the students, interrupted by a third boom.
“What’s… What’s that?” Jazmine’s squeak broke the quiet, and now murmurs rippled through the group of students.
I looked around—Jay and Lucy, who had been looking at the nearest Triceratops, suddenly scrambled back. The Triceratops charged toward both of them, while all they could do was shriek. A wall of blue flashed before them as the animal rammed into the force field. It backed off, shaking its head incessantly. The rest of the herd mimicked its uneasy movement, letting out grunts and moans.
“Look, it’s okay,” Archean said. “See? The force field is keeping us safe.” The blue wall of light dimmed again.
At the same time, the nausea within me grew stronger. A restlessness moved through the swarm, and I quickly emitted a cloud of pheromones—just enough to reign them in.
The Queen’s voice resonated inside of me. That sound… Where is it coming from?
At first, I thought she meant the explosions—but, as she continued, I realized she was referring to something else. That pitch… Now, anger flowed through her. Can’t you hear it, you imbecile?
I stood still, trying to listen—but between what sounded like explosions and the panicked squeals of my classmates, I couldn’t make out anything else.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud, authoritative voice. “Daniel, Florian, Jay,” Archean said, pointing at each of us in turn. None of us really reacted—we just stared at him dumbly. Was it weird that the only thing on my mind was wondering how Archean had remembered my name? “I need you three to grab us some water bottles from the gift shop over there, okay?” Now that he had our attention, his voice had softened.
I didn’t really question his request. The three of us nodded vaguely at one another, before we wandered toward the shop. I looked behind me, searching the crowd of students for Camilo and Amber. Although out of hearing range, Archean appeared to be talking about something while pointing around, delegating different tasks to my classmates.
He turned to Mrs. Porter and Holly, and I was just able to hear him say, “Keep them here. I’ll be right back.” Just afterwards, a dinosaur that looked like a bigger Struthiomimus blinked into existence beside him. He mounted it and, in a flurry of feathers and dust, rode off down the path.
As we entered the souvenir shop, Daniel spoke up. “How… How many do we need?” he mumbled.
“Twenty? Maybe a few extra, just in case,” I suggested.
“Is there a cart or something?” he asked. I looked around—the layout of the store was pretty much the same as the Time Corps Resupply Post from before, and I spotted the aisles of snacks on the other side immediately.
“Here,” Jay said, picking up three baskets from a nearby stack. When they handed one to me, I noticed their probing stare—and, as absurd as it sounded in the moment, I couldn’t help but think that they glanced at my stupid shirt. But, if they thought anything of it, they didn’t say anything.
As we walked through the aisles, each of us carrying our own basket, it felt like time had slowed down. I glanced toward the register, where two cashiers stood in quiet conversation. One of them appeared to speak into their watch, before looking at his coworker with a wide, panicked stare.
“Water bottles, water bottles,” Daniel murmured, seemingly to himself. “Where are…” He trailed off at the sound of another bang—this one sounded somehow different than the others.
The swarm writhed inside of me, and I reigned them in once again. Over the last months, I had found myself fine-tuning my control over them more and more—but, right now, it still took me extra effort to keep them in check. I looked between Daniel and Jay’s blank expressions, wondering if they could feel the same nausea as me. “Are you guys…”
Before I could finish speaking, the Queen’s voice echoed throughout my body. Take cover, she commanded. To your left. Now.
A rumbling sounded outside. “Get away!” I shouted. Without thinking, I threw myself to the left—turning toward a postcard rack. As I did, I slammed my body into Jay’s—throwing us both to the floor. They let out a stunned grunt, which was quickly deafened by a discord of shrieking and shattering.
A Triceratops smashed through the wall behind us.