Loud noises. Screaming. People running. A velociraptor jumped and pulled down his prey. People kept running. Shots rang out, buildings burned, terror on every side. There was nothing I could do but run. I turned a corner and saw a barricade, hope swelled up in me, maybe I could make it. Sprinting across the filthy street, I ran for the barricade as fast as I could go. Just then, another velociraptor rounded the corner chasing after me. I heard its vicious breaths and could almost feel his jaws piercing my flesh when one of the soldiers pulled his rifle up and fired three times. I made it, I was alive.
I soon found out that these people, the ones manning the barricades, were beset on all sides. Not only did they need to pay close attention for any vicious beasts charging them, or brigands and outlaws trying to plunder their stores, but they even needed to keep order within the barricade. At least a hundred people inside were violently protesting, shouting out that the end had come, that resistance was futile, and that they had better destroy themselves rather then try to prolong their miserable lives. Amidst this conflict the defenders of the barricade were sorely pressed, being barraged with constant cries of doom and hopelessness on the one side, while still defending with their own lives the ones who had lost the will to live. I didn't know what to do. Should I grab a rifle and help stave off the attacks, or try and calm the people and convince them all hope was not lost? Another thought struck me: What were they all doing with those bright cheerful balloons? While many still wailed and cried about their inevitable doom, others, set with grim faces as if going about serious work, were vigorously pumping up more and more balloons and handing them out to the crowd. I didn't know what to make of this at first. Now every one of their number had two or three balloons. What were they going to... No! I ran toward them, screaming for them to stop, but it was too late. In unison, they let loose all the balloons. I stopped dead in my tracks, a lump forming in my throat. Why were they trying to attract the attention of that behemoth? This was madness! Not far off a penetrating screech rung out, and a monster of a pterodactyl dropped like lightning from the sky in a dive just as quick. Its sharp beak and piercing talons grabbed as many people as they could, either crushing them to death or flinging them high in the air to fall to their demise. And then it swooped back down for more. The crowd of people didn't even try to escape, though the defenders of the barricade scrambled like mad to get to cover. I came back to my senses and made a dash for an old warehouse with a second floor. Meanwhile, velociraptors joined in on the growing carnage outside, chasing down the fleeing defenders and mercilessly slaughtering them as fast as they could.
I opened the door to the warehouse, but to my dismay, the whole bottom floor was unsafe from the pterodactyl. Two large bay doors were left open on the one side, and the entire wall just opposite me had been destroyed by something or other, leaving it wide open to the outside. I turned to an old staircase and ran up the stairs three at a time. Looking around, I figured this would do fine. I hunkered down in a corner and waited. A couple minutes passed. The commotion outside quieted, then fell silent all together. No more screaming. Then, as my ears adjusted to the silence, I made out another sound; that of raw flesh being torn out and devoured in juicy, sloppy bites by hungry beasts. It was sickening. I shuddered. Pterodactyls have a wonderful memory, and this is why, after everything had been eaten and the velociraptors went off to find more to satisfy their insatiable desire for food, the pterodactyl took to the sky once more and circled the building a few times. "No! He must have seen me go inside!" I thought to myself. For a brief moment there was silence and I couldn't see where the brute had gotten off to; maybe he'd flown away. I peeked up from my hiding place just in time to see the pterodactyl diving straight for the half-frosted glass window. There was a shattering of glass, shards flew everywhere. The pterodactyl extended his talons trying to grab me, but narrowly missed as he flashed on by. He broke through the other window on the opposite side of the room and took to the skies again for another run at me. What was I to do? I had to change places, for he knew my exact location in the building now, and doubtless wouldn't miss a second time. I ran across to the other side of the room and got as close to the wall as I could. Sure enough, a moment later the pterodactyl dove again, with both wings folded above his back to get even more speed, and crashed through some of the thin sheet metal to the left of the window he'd come through the first time, and where I had been just a moment before. He let out an angry screech when his prey alluded him for the second time, and took to the skies once more. Now what to do? I switched sides again and covered myself as best I could with debris and waited. For a third time the beast swooped in, again breaking through the sheet metal on the other side of the room where I'd been a moment before. The building was looking less and less like a building, and more and more like a warzone. The pterodactyl, instead of crashing through the wall on the other side like he had done before, didn't even make it out the building this time. With a bloodcurdling screech it reeled in pain and crashed with a thump on the floor. There was an old rusty pipe protruding through both its wings, pinning them together and preventing the beast from flying. I guess that's what happens when you go crashing through walls; you're gonna hit some plumbing eventually.
Now there was a different problem on my hands. The pterodactyl turned around, still in great pain, and scanned the room. He fixed his eyes on me. Gulp. He stood up on both his legs and started coming for me, his talons slashing about, his sharp beak thirsty for blood. My blood. Could I run? No, the pterodactyl was between me and the staircase. Could I jump? Definitely no, I'd surely impale myself on the wreckage strewn about and around the destitute building. I had to fight. Looking around for a weapon, I grabbed up a broken 2x4. "This isn't going to end well." I thought to myself. Just then, I spotted an old rusty axe laying on the floor. I dropped the board and picked it up. Now I was ready. The beast was almost all the way to me, and I advanced a few more paces to meet him. He slashed one talon at me, I blocked it with the axe, then dodged the next one before jumping up and bringing the axe down full force in the monster's neck. He let out a gurgling scream and raked my back with his talons. I pulled the axe out and jumped back. The pterodactyl fixed me again with his deadly stare and advanced once again. We circled each other for a moment, and simultaneously he lunged with his beak and I swung my axe while jumping back to avoid his lunge. The axe lodged in his neck again, too deep for me to pull out immediately. The beast writhed in pain, and flailed his talons and head around, trying everything he could to hit me. I kept my distance as much as I could, but he was still fast despite his injuries. He managed to push me toward one corner, and I needed to do something quick to avoid the corner, which would spell my doom. All of a sudden I rushed the beast, narrowly avoiding a savage jab from his beak though getting clawed again on the other side of my back, and with all the power in me grabbed the axe handle and pulled up, dislodging it. Now I had my axe again. Blood spurted up from where the axe had been, and the pterodactyl turned around to meet me, talons flailing about in pain. He paused, choking on his own blood, and I rushed in for the kill. With two chops of my axe, the pterodactyl's neck hung on by just a few inches of flesh, and the beast fell down in a crumpled heap, dead. I was exhausted. I dropped to my knees and breathed deeply, the blood dripping from my back reminding me that I was not unscathed.The sky had grown dark, and deep clouds were forming to the north. The sun was setting.
Not two minutes after killing the beast, I saw red dots flying across the broken walls of the warehouse. I looked up, and saw five men dressed in camouflage with tactical rifles and body armor about thirty yards away. Yikes. They didn't look very friendly. I picked up my axe and, crouched over, made my way to the staircase. I descended it, rounded the corner and crossed the street. Just then a shout called out, "Hey! You there! Stop!" I turned into a dark alleyway and ran, just as a few bullets hit the wall behind where I had been standing just a moment before they called out. As I ran through the destitute city, greeted only by mauled corpses and carnage on every side, the sound of chasing boots growing slowly dimmer, I thought to myself, "This is going to be a long night."
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