The good news was that he had managed to reach the base without any issues.

  The bad news was that the moment the bus—or what was left of it—stopped and the doors opened, all the lights went out.

  His vision shifted, the world around him tinted in shades of gray. Shadows became sharper, edges more defined. He could see the outlines of people struggling in the darkness, their movements frantic and uncoordinated. The faint glow of communicators flickered like fireflies as voices crackled through the static.

  "Everyone inside!" a voice roared from the shadows, raw and desperate. "Lock the doors!"

  Stepping off the bus, he watched as the last employees disappeared inside, their figures fading like ghosts into the darkness. The door hissed shut, followed by the unmistakable sound of bolts sliding into place.

  Now, he was alone and outside, at the mercy of the predators' will—though, of course, that was only if he stood there like an idiot waiting for death.

  The silence was oppressive—not even the whisper of leaves in the wind could be heard. As he walked, the sound of his boots on the pavement—a plastic squeak—made him want to take them off. If this was 'Stealthy,' then he didn’t want to know what the normal version was like.

  His gaze swept around, thoughtful. The world now completely tinted gray felt strange, but it was far better than he could have expected. Hmm. The situation would have been truly desperate if he didn’t have his Perk.

  A new message flashed in the corner of his eye at that moment:

  [Main Mission (Rank E): Survive the Night (07:59:58)]

  Ah. So this had replaced the other main mission—how interesting.

  Luca reached one of the building's doors. He pressed his hand against the cold metal, pushing experimentally, but it didn’t budge. They had really locked it. His mind raced, weighing his options. The base wasn’t that big, just three simple buildings full of buses. If he wanted to get out, he’d have to go around the corner and take the path he’d used earlier to reach the base.

  Somewhere in the distance, a low, deep sound rumbled through the night—soon followed by a flash of light among the dark clouds and a thunderclap that drowned out all other sounds for a moment. Small drops of water began to hit the asphalt and what remained of the bus roof, soon marking a steady rhythm.

  There was no time to waste. To reach the other zone, the only way was to take the path between the T. Rex and Spinosaurus enclosures.

  But first—

  He looked over one of the rewards he’d received, the red capsule, and separated the two halves. A beam of crimson light burst from it, expanding in front of him into the shape of a map of the park. Three points glowed like tiny stars in three different locations—in a garden between the T. Rex and Giganotosaurus enclosures; in the museum; and in the administration building.

  His mouth stretched into a small, satisfied smile. This was what he’d been waiting for.

  He then pocketed the capsule in his jacket and held the other one—blue like the shield—in his hand before slipping toward the path along the outskirts of the building. He ignored the faces he could see appearing now and then inside the building—the ghosts had made their choice long ago, hadn’t they?

  As he turned the corner and walked a few more meters, cautious of the play of shadows the tree leaves made with the lightning in the sky, he found the path stretched out before him—flanked by the immense fences of the enclosures. But the most interesting thing was the trees and plants growing on both sides of them, especially the outer side.

  He didn’t hesitate to slip under the cover of the vegetation, feeling extremely uncomfortable in the open space despite knowing he’d hear the predators approaching—hunters, sure, but the ground shook like a ship in a storm, especially with the larger ones.

  The rain fell in a steady drizzle, not yet heavy enough to soak him quickly but persistent enough to cling to his clothes, making his movements harder. Each step sounded too loud to his ears, the squeak of his boots mixing with the splashing of wet mud and the crunch of branches under his feet. Even the stickiness of the wet fabric felt too intense.

  All he wished for at that moment was a "mute" button for himself. But he’d settle for a change of shoes.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  Luca tightened his fingers around the small blue metal capsule in his right hand. It was cold to the touch, and at that moment, when he could swear he heard the Spinosaurus on the other side of the fence, moving in one of the water 'branches,' he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder now and then, almost expecting to see glowing eyes or the flash of sharp teeth emerging from the path. But there was nothing, just the endless curtain of rain and the oppressive feeling of gray-tinted darkness.

  Speaking of rain, it soon intensified, the steady rhythm of it hitting the pavement masking the sound of his footsteps. It was a small mercy, but one that came with its own cost. He wasn’t the only one benefiting from this. A blind spot for him. It wasn’t surprising that he felt so tense when something could suddenly approach him—particularly the Orcoraptors. They were the only ones short enough to slip through that vegetation and appear behind him.

  But that won’t happen, he calmed himself. The 'front' gate of the Orcoraptor enclosure led straight to the food court—a much more tempting destination.

  Seconds passed as he walked among the trees, pushing aside the fern-like leaves or fan-shaped leaves, trying not to step on too many small twigs. Minutes. One, two, three…

  It felt like he’d been walking for hours when he finally spotted the silhouette of the museum on the horizon more clearly. It was still far, but it was unmistakable evidence that he was making progress.

  Little by little, the view improved. The park’s lights—perhaps emergency lights—were still on in some areas: the corners, particularly, where the shops, food zone, and administration building were. The gardens, even those with the lakes, were quite dark, and the museum seemed to have only one light on inside.

  Luca stopped at the edge of the Spinosaurus enclosure, still hidden behind the vegetation. His eyes scanned the area, looking for movement, signs of life—anything. But everything was quiet. Too quiet. Where were the people? Where were the dinosaurs?

  As he stood there, the only sounds he could detect were the faint hum of the lights and the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze, muffled by the constant fall of rain. But then, out of nowhere, the breeze brought a distant, high-pitched screech, followed by screams. He frowned. Although the Orcoraptor enclosure was right there to his left, the noise seemed to come from farther away—from the north corner of the park.

  Are they already out? How long had it taken him to get here?

  The timer appeared in the corner of his eye for a brief moment, giving him all the answer he needed. 40 minutes? He was sure it had felt like twice that. But it was no surprise. It had to be over half a kilometer of path, and he’d been quite slow.

  Hesitating whether to run toward the garden across the asphalt road, he heard even more screams from the north.

  He couldn’t stay there forever. The longer he waited, the greater the danger.

  Luca took one last look around before moving forward. His face tensed during those brief seconds as the echo of his footsteps on the pavement resonated in the air. Still, he didn’t stop. He headed toward the garden—one of the green spaces with the lake in the middle, right in front of one of the museum’s main entrances. Not only could he reach the inside of it if he crossed the garden, but the lines of neatly trimmed bushes in square shapes and a handful of trees offered some cover.

  Halfway there, still on the road, he glanced over his shoulder toward the T. Rex enclosure. There was no movement there. Just the same stillness of a rainy night—but, of course, he didn’t lower his guard. Nor did he with regard to the landscape ahead, knowing he wasn’t the only one who might think to use them.

  As soon as he reached the first line of bushes, he crouched against them, using them as a barrier between himself and the road, and listened. The rain dripped from the leaves of the bushes and the single tree beside him, sliding over his skin, but he barely noticed. His ears strained to catch any sound, any sign that he wasn’t alone.

  At first, there was nothing. So Luca began to crawl forward, following the line of neatly trimmed bushes. His movements were as silent as possible, every muscle tense and one of his hands gripping the blue capsule firmly. The mud beneath him was slippery, clinging to his hands and knees, and an idea popped into his mind.

  Several of the predators had a keen sense of smell, after all.

  He was still thinking about the possibilities of better masking his scent when he felt it. A slight tremor in the ground, subtle at first but growing stronger with each passing second. His eyes widened, his body freezing mid-'step.' He looked down. The ripples in the puddles’ surfaces said it all.

  Luca swallowed. Great. Just great.

  Pressing himself as close to the ground as possible, his heart pounded in his chest. The mud beneath him was cold, seeping through his clothes, but he accepted it. Carefully, he rubbed against it, spreading it over himself as best he could in his current situation. He didn’t care about anything else but hiding his scent.

  If things got worse, he’d use the shield. Then he’d run toward the museum as if his life depended on it—because it did. A Champion’s plan, right? He thought with irony. No, of course not. The T. Rex would catch him before he made it halfway—or the moment the shield ran out. But that’s why it was his second option.

  The tremors grew stronger, vibrating through the ground and into his bones. Something massive was approaching. Each step sent a jolt of alarm through his body. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to breathe as softly as possible.

  Slowly, very slowly, he moved. The bushes were too thick to see through, but they weren’t infinite. Reaching the end of the line, he peeked out just enough to catch a glimpse of what was happening on the other side.

  A lightning bolt lit up the sky, illuminating the area with a blinding, harsh light. For a fraction of a second, Luca saw it in color: the T. Rex, Kaiser. The predator was free, its massive body now fully emerged from the enclosure. Its head moved slightly from side to side, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Behind it, the entrance to its enclosure was wide open.

  For a moment, Luca simply watched. The movement of its muscles under its scaly skin, the flash of its teeth as it slightly opened its mouth, as if savoring the rain. Its eyes moved rapidly, searching for any sign of movement.

  Frozen, Luca fervently wished he had run earlier.