Chapter 315

The rain came down in sheets, clattering against the windshield in a steady rhythm. Luke had been driving for hours, but the winding roads of the Pacific Northwest had never seemed longer. His eyes burned from exhaustion, and the road ahead stretched into nothing, a blur of trees and flickering lights.

There was something heavy in the air tonight, something off. Maybe it was just the exhaustion, maybe it was the constant news reports, but it felt like the whole world was holding its breath.

On the radio, the announcer's voice crackled with static.

"...initial reports confirm the outbreak of massive dinosaur sightings in multiple states, from California to Texas, and now spreading to the East Coast. Authorities are advising..."

The signal died, leaving only a buzzing static that cut off all words. Luke sighed and slammed his hand against the dashboard, before letting it rest on the wheel. His mind wandered back to the images from the news. Giant footprints in the mud, creatures so massive they blocked out the sun. Creatures that shouldn't be alive, not anymore.

Luke remembered reading about the experiments. Scientists in underground labs, pushing the boundaries of biology, trying to revive the dead. They said it would revolutionize medicine, genetics, everything. He had never believed it.

But now, he had to. Because it wasn't just news footage anymore. It was real. It was happening. And there was no escaping it.

The wipers worked against the storm, but they didn't clear enough of the glass. Ahead, there was a flash of light—a headlight, moving at an impossible speed for a vehicle in this weather. Luke squinted, but the light disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. A chill ran down his spine.

He hadn't seen another car in over an hour.

As he turned the next bend, a shriek ripped through the night. It was high-pitched, a sound that didn't belong to anything human. Luke slammed his foot on the brakes, sending the car screeching across the wet road.

The vehicle swerved dangerously, but somehow, he regained control. His heart raced as he jerked his head around, searching for the source of the sound.

Nothing. Only the rain and the distant rumble of thunder.

It was a few miles later, after he'd convinced himself it had been nothing more than a figment of his imagination, that he saw them. Two massive shapes, dark against the horizon, their forms barely visible in the storm. They moved like shadows, far too large to be anything natural.

At first, he thought they were trees or rocks, but then, one of them shifted. He saw it clearly—a massive, dark shape with glowing eyes.

His hands froze on the wheel. His throat went dry.

Dinosaurs. The stories were true. They weren't just in the past—they were here.

His breath caught, and for a moment, he considered turning back. But there was no place to go. No shelter. No safety. This wasn't just a local disaster anymore. The entire country was descending into chaos. People were dying, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

Luke slammed the accelerator to the floor.

The road blurred beneath him, and the rain pounded down harder. But even as he pushed the car faster, he could hear the thundering footsteps behind him, the vibrations running through the ground. They were following him.

The first impact hit just as he crested the next hill. His car jerked violently to the side, tires losing traction as the vehicle flipped and skidded across the wet road. He fought to keep control, but it was too late. The car slid off the edge, into a deep ditch, where it came to a violent stop.

Pain exploded in his side as the seatbelt dug into his chest. He gasped, his heart racing. For a long moment, there was only the pounding of the rain and the sound of his own breath.

And then, a sound. A roar. Low and guttural.

Luke turned his head, his body screaming in pain as he reached for the door. His eyes went wide.

A massive creature stood just feet away, its shape barely visible in the darkness, but its glowing eyes locked on him with terrifying intent. It was like nothing he'd ever seen—scaled skin, long, sharp claws, and teeth that seemed to reach impossibly far.

The roar grew louder, filling the air with an unnatural sound. Luke's chest tightened. He was trapped.

With one last desperate push, Luke wrenched the door open, tumbling into the wet grass. His feet slipped beneath him, and he stumbled, his arms flailing as he fought to regain his balance. He had to get up. Had to run.

Behind him, the creature stalked forward, its massive head bobbing up and down, nostrils flaring. It sniffed the air, sensing his presence, before letting out another bone-chilling roar.

Luke sprinted through the dark, rain-soaked forest, his legs burning, his side throbbing with pain. The ground was uneven, and every step seemed to pull him deeper into the dense thicket. His lungs ached for air. He could hear the thumping footsteps of the creature behind him, growing closer, closer.

A low growl rose from the darkness.

And then, another sound.

Not from the creature. From ahead.

Another set of footsteps. And then a scream.

He stopped dead in his tracks, frozen in place as the screams of another person echoed through the trees.

"Help!" the voice cried, desperate, pleading.

It was a woman. Luke didn't have time to think, didn't have time to wonder how she'd gotten there, or if she was even real. He dashed toward the voice, his heart pounding, but as he neared, the screams abruptly stopped.

There was nothing. Only the sound of the storm and the heavy, threatening silence.

He moved cautiously, his body pressed against a tree, trying to peer around it. The moon broke through the clouds for a moment, casting pale light across the wet ground. His eyes scanned the area.

There, in the shadows, he saw her. A woman, lying motionless on the forest floor, blood pooling beneath her. Her body twisted unnaturally, one arm bent at a grotesque angle. Her eyes stared blankly at the sky, unblinking, as if frozen in place.

And then, he saw it.

A massive claw, dripping with fresh blood, withdrew from the woman's body, the creature retreating into the darkness.

Luke froze, his stomach lurching as the full horror of the situation sank in. He had to move, had to run. But his body wouldn't respond. He could only stare at the woman, at her lifeless body.

The creature was still out there. He could feel it, could sense its presence creeping closer. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to run, but he couldn't.

A growl pierced the air again. He turned his head, his body numb with fear. The creature had returned, its form emerging from the shadows, its eyes glowing in the dim light.

It was closer now.

There was no escape.

The creature's claws snapped through the air with frightening speed, and Luke felt the cold sting of death on his neck before the world went dark.

------

When the news reports finally reached the small town miles away, they spoke of another attack. Another town decimated. The dinosaurs were no longer confined to the research labs. They were out there, roaming, hunting.

Entire cities had fallen into chaos. The government's efforts to contain the outbreak had failed. People were running, hiding, doing everything they could to survive. But survival wasn't guaranteed.

There was no safe place.

Only endless terror.