Jurassic War

by Hinton, Charles

  Q: Governor, when will more troops arrive?

  A: I just spoke to the President, he assures me that troops are on

  their way.

  Q: Who are going to pay for this disaster?

  A: The Government will pay for all damages.

  Q: Why wasn’t transportation provided for the people at the airport

  before the dinosaurs arrived?

  A: Transportation was provided, but it was ambushed by dinosaurs.

  Q: Governor, will the dinosaurs head to the rest of the state? And

  if they do what will your administration do to stop them?

  A: Hopefully, they’ll be contained and destroyed. We do have National Guard troops at others cities with perimeters set up.

  Q: Why weren’t perimeters set up before the dinosaurs reached L.A?

  A: Because Dinosaur Land wasn’t far from there. When the dinosaurs

  escaped we didn’t have enough time to set them up.

  Q: Since you and the President used to be political enemies, are you

  working close with him on this situation?

  A: Yes, we’re working together. His office and my office will keep

  in contact until this disaster is over.

  Q: Governor, do you have enough shelters set up?

  A: Yes.

  Q: Are they well equipped to handle the people’s needs?

  A: Many of them are and people are sending donations. “Sorry, this

  conference is over.”

  Chapter 4

  In the White House ballroom, two secret-service agents approached Mark’s table. One said, “Mr. Water, come with us.”

  Mark and his family were surprised. “What’s going on?” Sally asked.

  “The President wants to see him,” an agent answered.

  Mark said to his family, “Enjoy yourselves. I’ll be back.”

  The agents escorted him to the Oval Office. Inside, Bob and Stewart sat in chairs facing the President. Mark entered and the agents stayed outside. The President, said, “Have a seat, Mark. I have bad news

  for you. There was an earthquake in California, the worst ever. Many

  properties are destroyed or damaged, and many people were killed.

  The worst hit was Dinosaur Land. Many people there were killed by

  the quake and some were killed by dinosaurs.

  “During the quake, many dinosaurs and pterosaurs were freed from their collapsed cages. They’re in Los Angeles.”

  Mark grieved, “Oh my God!”

  Stewart said, “There goes my vacation.”

  “The President will have a press conference shortly,” Bob said.

  “At the press conference, I want you with me, Mark,” the President said. “I have informed General Halfway. He’s the toughest general

  in the military and his mission is to terminate all dinosaurs and

  pterosaurs. You’ll accompany him because of your knowledge of them.”

  “Mr. President, the plant-eating dinosaurs, why do they have to be destroyed?” Mark said. “They aren’t a threat to humans.”

  “Some of my sources say that they’ve killed many people.”

  “It was probably by accident.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Most of our troops don’t know the difference between a meat-eater and a plant-eater.”

  “Mr. President, the press conference is about to start,” Bob said.

  They left and headed to the pressroom. As the President entered, a voice shouted, “The President of the United States!” The reporters

  rose from their chairs and then sat.

  “My fellow Americans, we’re faced with a crisis,” the President said.

  “A while ago California was hit by an earthquake, the worst ever.

  Many people died, dinosaurs and pterosaurs escaped from cages at

  Dinosaur Land. There they attacked and killed people. They’re in the city of Los Angeles. Some have attacked the L.A. airport. Governor Shoemaker of California has called a state of emergency and called out the National Guard.

  All airline flights to L.A. have been canceled. I have called out the Air Force, Marines and Army to terminate the dinosaurs and the pterosaurs.

  General Halfway will be in command of these forces.

  “The dinosaurs and pterosaurs are dangerous and they’re killers. They’ve already killed thousands of people and will probably kill more. The

  people in L.A. and in the surrounding areas were advised to vacate

  the city and those areas, but some haven’t left. I’m advising the

  ones who are still there to stay in their houses, bolt the doors,

  and have some form of firearm for protection. Shelters are set up

  in nearby cities for the people who left L.A. Now I’ll take questions.”

  Q: The cages, were they cheaply built?

  A: No. They were three-feet-thick Plexiglas and heavily built. Due

  to the impact of the quake, the cement cracked, which caused the cages to collapse.

  Q: Were there medical experiments done on dinosaurs and pterosaurs

  that caused them to attack?

  A: No.

  Q: Why do Americans’ sons and daughters have to sacrifice their lives to fight dinosaurs and pterosaurs? Congress hasn’t declared a war

  on them.

  A: I’m the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and

  I think this is a matter of national security, which gives me the

  option to use the military forces. If we don’t use them the creatures will destroy Los Angeles, then continue to destroy other cities.

  Q: Mr. President, how long will it take the military to destroy these creatures?

  A: I don’t know.

  Q: Terminating all the dinosaurs, won’t that put the corporations

  and businesses that sell dinosaur products out of business?

  A: Yes, but that’s the price we have to pay.

  Q: Mr. President, do you think this disaster may cost you a chance

  of reelection?

  A: I think the American people know that this isn’t my administration’s fault. Next question.

  Q: Mr. President, whose fault is it? I’m not talking about the quake, I’m talking about the dinosaurs. Wasn’t it the government who decided to put them in an area that had earthquakes?

  A: I wasn’t President at that time. If I was, the dinosaur zoo would

  have never been put in that area.

  Someone shouted, “But you were the governor of California at that

  time!”

  The President pretended he didn’t hear the shout. “The director of

  the zoo, Mark Water will answer your questions about the dinosaur

  zoo.” The President left.

  Mark said, “I’m deeply sorry about what has occurred. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

  Q: Mr. Water, why was the zoo built on earthquake-prone land?

  A: Cities were built on earthquake-prone land. The zoo was built in

  California because of its great land mass and the weather. It had

  to be near a large city to be successful. We thought we’d built the

  cages strong enough to withstand any earthquake, but we never thought California would have an earthquake such as the one that just occurred.

  We couldn’t put the zoo on an island because it would be to far for

  many people to come and it would have been hard to get our number

  of employees to work on an island. We would have had to worry about

  tropical storms. We couldn’t put it in Florida because of threats

  of hurricanes and severe storms, or Texas or Arizona because we felt

  it wouldn’t attract tourists. So we decided on California.

  Q: How will people be able to protect themselves?

  A: Well, the people who have to worry are the ones who are still in

  L.A. or close to there. They don’t have to worry about
the plant-eating dinosaurs unless they provoke them.

  They do need to worry about the meat-eaters, who will attack any

  human they see or come in contact with. People in L.A. and its surrounding areas have been told to vacate until the military terminates the dinosaurs.

  Q: The animal-rights groups name you the exterminator of animals for

  murdering thousands of animals and feeding them to dinosaurs and then feeding the dinosaurs to people. Can you comment on that?

  A: That’s their opinion. The animals that we fed to the dinosaurs

  were ones that people didn’t care about. The reason the dinosaurs

  were used for meat is because humans acquired a taste for them, and

  it helped to keep down the dinosaur population.

  Q: Will there ever be another dinosaur zoo?

  A: I doubt it. Thank you for your questions. I’m leaving for California to advise General Halfway on the enemy that his troops will be facing soon.

  The press conference was adjourned.

  On a military plane heading for California, was General Pat Halfway, middle-aged, black and bald. The four-star army general read a book.

  He served in the Gulf War as a lieutenant. A rumor had once was

  spread that he had kicked a white colonel in the ass for calling a

  soldier a nigger. He was called the Black Patton by his men for being the meanest and toughest general in the military.

  Halfway’s book was about dinosaurs, and sitting by him was his aide,

  Colonel Ben Harrison, who asked, “How is that book, General? You have been reading it since we got on this plane.”

  “Interesting. You know, Ben, meat-eating dinosaurs are natural born

  soldiers. I wish I had some in my army. Some are clever and sneaky.

  Especially the raptors, who are born with their weaponry. The sneaky

  and powerful dinosaurs are the tyrannosaurs, known as rexes. I think

  the dinosaurs have a leader. Probably one of the rexes or raptors.

  I don’t think our troops will have a hard time terminating the plant-eating dinosaurs, who are like the civilians in the dinosaurs’ world. They

  don’t attack unless they are attacked. The only one I see that may

  be trouble is the Triceratops. That thing can knock down a tank.”

  “Who’s this Mark Water who’s going to be your adviser on dinosaurs?”

  “He’s a civilian who was the director of Dinosaur Land. He knows about dinosaurs.”

  “Do you think we’ll suffer many casualties?”

  “I don’t know, Ben, but somehow I feel that this is going to be another Vietnam. My father served there. The American soldiers lost there

  because of rules and regulations. Now there’re rules and regulations which our troops have to follow, and they were ordered by the President.”

  “What are they?”

  “We can’t destroy large buildings where dinosaurs may be hidden; cannot use tanks in the city; cannot destroy certain neighborhoods.”

  “It sounds like we’re fighting a guerrilla war in a city.”

  “That’s what I think.”

  “Are you going to follow his rules?”

  “I don’t know, Ben. I just don’t know.”

  In Washington, D.C., Mark said to Sally, “Honey, I’m not going to be honored. I have to leave for California. Dinosaur Land has been

  destroyed. The dinosaurs have escaped and they’re attacking people.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “No. It’s too dangerous. You and Susan will check into a hotel here.

  Give Bob the number, and he’ll contact me in California, and I’ll call you.”

  Chapter 5

  The General’s plane landed at a military base in California. Halfway and Ben were escorted to a briefing room where they saw middle-aged

  commanders: Air Force General Clover, Marine General Hutton, Army

  Colonel Standwall, and Army Major General Johnson.

  The commanders rose from a table and saluted Halfway, who said, “Take your seats, gentlemen. Beside me is my aide, Colonel Ben Harrison.

  I don’t want to start this briefing until my adviser, Mr. Mark Water

  arrives. Also I need information on how many dinosaurs are alive and

  where the dinosaurs are located in L.A. We’ll meet here, five hours

  from now. Gentlemen, dismissed!”

  In the city and suburbs of Los Angeles, several people were still there. Some were looters, or too lazy to leave, or didn’t want to

  leave, or strung out on drugs.

  In one part of the city, retail stores’ windows and doors were broken by groups of looters taking TV sets, stereos, jewelry and other valuable items.

  As some looters ran, they were attacked by rexes. A looter ran to his truck, but before he could start it, a rex turned it over, killing him. Another looter shot a rex and wounded it, but it continued toward him then it ripped his body, eating him. Only a few looters escaped the rexes.

  At a trailer park, a little boy looked out the window and shouted,

  “Daddy! Mummy! There’s a big dinosaur, eating tree leaves!”

  “Let’s get out of here! We should have listened to what the news said and left.” His mother said to her husband, “I’m not leaving my trailer because of some damn dinosaurs. Get my rifle, woman!” the father shouted.

  He aimed it at the Brachiosaurus, who was three hundred feet away.

  He shot it several times and it didn’t move. “Damn! I shot that thing ten times. It’s as if it didn’t feel it.” Then the dinosaur headed toward him.

  As it walked, every step it took made a loud stomping noise and the trailer shook. “Get the kid! Let’s get the hell out of here!” the father yelled.

  They quickly left the trailer. The dinosaur stepped on it and completely smashed it.

  In a house at the projects, street gang members sat in a living room, smoking marijuana and drinking beer as they listened to loud music.

  One said as he smoked “Man, my mom left the city because she’s scared a dinosaur might eat her.”

  “Dinosaurs aren’t coming up in these projects. If they did, they’d get robbed!” another said.

  The gang laughed.

  “Since mostly everybody left and no cops are around, we should rob some houses,” the leader said. A knock came on their door. “Dirty

  Snake, get the door. It’s probably Deadeye with more beer.”

  “I hope the one eye bastard got the right beer,” Dirty Snake said as he opened the door. Startled, as he saw a raptor stared at him

  then attacked, tearing his flesh apart. The rest of the gang watched

  as the creature ripped Snake’s body. Scared, they quickly grabbed

  their weapons and shot the creature, killing it.

  “Let’s get out of here!” the leader shouted.

  As they ran from the house to a Jeep, four raptors chasing them. Two members fired their weapons, killing three. The last attacked a member and ripped his flesh.

  The rest of the gang got in the Jeep. The leader shouted, “Hurry and start this thing!”

  They drove off. “Are we going to loot the houses?” the driver said.

  “No. Let’s get the hell out of this city,” the leader said. “I’m not being eaten alive.”

  On a road leading to L.A., a truck driver drove his tractor while listening to his radio. A news report said, “Dinosaurs have invaded

  L.A. If you’re heading there, please turn back.”

  He shut off the radio. “The hell with them, I’m taking my truck through L.A.”

  A Triceratops crossed in front him. He slammed on the brakes, but it was too late as the tractor crashed into it. From the impact, his

  tractor turned over. The creature lay unconscious.

  The injured driver managed to get out of the tractor. He limped toward the creature, stared and asked himself, “What the hell is that? I
t

  looks like a giant rhino!”

  The creature woke, angry it charged and plunged into the driver, making him scream and die as its horns went through the

  driver’s body.

  On a roof of a twenty story building, two men were dressed in hunting outfits, held high-power rifles with scopes and shot at dinosaurs.

  One said, “This is better than hunting, so far today, I killed ten.”

  Aiming his rifle at a dinosaur coming down a street, the other said,

  “Bill, it’s a raptor.” He shot the thing in the head. “Bill, I got it! I killed a raptor!”

  “It’s not a raptor, Joe! That’s a Troodon!”

  “Well, it looked like one.”

  Flying above them, two pteranodons suddenly swooped down, picking them up. The hunters screamed as they were lifted and dropped.

  Then the creatures landed and ate them.

  Three raptors, hunting for food, entered a mansion that was vacant except for security dogs. As they looked around in the mansion’s living room, four Doberman pinschers approached, growled, showed their teeth and attacked, but the dogs were no match for the raptors, who tore

  their flesh apart, killing them.

  A man was smoking crack in his apartment, not listening to the news and not caring about what was going on in the city. His neighborhood

  and friends had warned him about the dinosaurs, but all he cared about was smoking his crack. He whispered, “Oh, I’m out of crack. I need

  to score.”

  He peeped out his window and saw that his street was vacant. “I hope somebody is left in the city to sell crack.” He left his apartment, walked to a crack house and entered it. “Damn, where’s everybody!

  I need my crack! I’ll try another crack house.”

  He walked quickly down a large empty street and moments later he saw a flock of gellimimuses, resembling ostriches and each about thirteen feet, running toward him. Surprised, he quickly moved aside, and they bypassed him. “What the hell is happening?”

  Now he saw a rex coming quickly toward him. Frightened, he couldn’t move, and as the thing came closer, he screamed. The thing growled

  loudly, lifted him with its large sharp teeth, chewing and swallowing him.