Dinosaur Fallout: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Contact

After the team arrived at the American embassy, they met up with a government official named Andriy Vasyl. They had to discuss the plan with the Ukrainian government first.

“Our job is to find out just what caused this event. Where did these creatures come from and, most importantly, how we can stop them,” Matt told the official.

“We understand completely. Not only does this have an impact on America, but it’s vital for us too,” Vasyl says.

“Indeed. We plan on going to Pripyat first to see what the status is there. If it’s anything like Chernobyl, then we have some major issues at hand. After checking Pripyat, we’ll move onto ground zero.”

“I should inform you that the government has requested that I accompany you Dr. Phillips.”

“Well, I must inform you that it’ll be extremely dangerous. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“I feel confident in my abilities, yes.”

“Then welcome to the team. We’ll discuss details on the way,” Matt said, ending the conversation.

On the Jeep ride to Pripyat, Matt went over some of the finer details with Vasyl. The Jeep hit a bump in the road, causing Matt to glance out the window. He could see the military perimeter in the distance now. They pulled up to the checkpoint. Zachary was driving the Wrangler Matt and Vasyl were in, along with Led. John, Sarah, and Colt were in the Ford Explorer behind them. Zach presented the paperwork to the guards and informed them the Explorer was with them as well. After gaining clearance, the group moved in.

As the cars pulled up to the outskirts of Pripyat, Matt said a silent prayer to himself. He had a bad feeling about this. He made sure everyone had a gun on them, although he didn’t really have to remind Led about it. Led had brought his favorite rifle with him, a DSR-50. Zach stopped the car and Colt did the same with the Ford. The team began to gather their equipment. Matt could already tell something wasn’t right. The birds that usually inhabit Pripyat were nowhere to be seen. It was dead silent. The thought made him shudder. Finally, after working up the nerve, he told the team to move out. They’d stick together for the time being.

Matt kept his hand on his holster as they made their way through the city streets. They had only walked a few dozen yards when the ground began to shake. Everyone stumbled around and a few people almost fell. Matt waited for a building to fall like the last time the ground shook, but none did. That’s when the first one rounded a street corner and came into full view. The team blinked in surprise at the sight of it. Fully twenty feet tall and probably weighing over fifteen tons, the dinosaur was utterly huge. It was soon followed by three more.

“John, can you identify the creature,” Matt asked.

“Yes I can, Ampelosaurus,” he said.

“Are they dangerous,” Vasyl inquired.

“No, I don’t think-,” John said before being cut off by the trumpeting bellow of the sauropods.

The group bellowed over and over again and charged the group. They moved surprisingly fast for their size. Led immediately fired his rifle, but the bullet only bounced off the tough armor. Matt and the others ran from the charging dinosaurs. The group ran into a nearby apartment complex and the dinosaurs continued on their way.

“That doesn’t make sense. These creatures were never thought to be aggressive without good reason,” John said.

“Maybe whatever brought these animals back to life has had an effect on their behavior,” Colt suggested.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Matt said.

“Did you guys notice their appearance,” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, their skin was in real bad shape. Some sections were missing. I even saw a few bones sticking out,” John said.

“They certainly don’t look healthy,” Vasyl said.

The team left the building after they were sure the dinosaurs had left. Matt noticed everyone’s radiation meters were reading that the level was lower than expected. The question was, why? Matt added it to the growing list of questions he had.

The team continued on their way. They continued to take samples and record data along the way. Near a couple of stores, the group noticed another group of dinosaurs. Smaller than the last ones, the Rhabdodons were still quite large. The biggest of them was easily close to twenty feet long and probably weighed a good ton. Because of what happened the last time they encountered a group of dinosaurs, the team kept its distance. The herbivores really weren’t doing much of anything. Just milling about.

“These guys are in bad shape like the sauropods,” Matt whispered.

Indeed the iguanodonts were in bad condition. However, it didn’t seem to bother them. Eventually, they moved off in the other direction. It was unbelievable. Dinosaurs alive. Matt was still shaking his head. But it was undeniable. As he watched the animals leave, the biggest question of all arose in his mind. What did these animals mean to humans?