The ‘first floor’ from which Luca had descended was, in truth, a mezzanine. Below it, on the ground floor, were bathroom doors, wooden benches, informative stands, and posters plastered across the walls. The high ceiling created an ample sense of space, even though the actual roof loomed about 30 meters above.

  An hour and a half, huh? Luca glanced around, wondering where he could check the time—and spotted a screen conveniently hanging on the wall nearby. Besides the time (convenient tucked in a corner), it displayed commercials for the park’s promotions and, more importantly, an explanation of the layout. According to the map, the museum stood at the very center of the park, while his assigned workplace was located to the south.

  His shift started at 6 p.m., leaving him just an hour to gather information and make his way to the tour starting point before security came looking for him.

  Though tempted to head straight outside through one of the nearby exits—he only had to turn left and walk out—Luca chose to visit the nearest exhibit instead. A concrete wall, just slightly lower than the mezzanine, separated the display from the entrance. It was a clever design, supposed by the good of the displays, but he couldn’t help but think it might come in handy later that night.

  The first exhibit he reached was the Giganotosaurus. To the south was the T-Rex’s exhibit, and to the west, the Spinosaurus’s. The Yutyrannus exhibit stood to the north, directly across from the area covered by the mezzanine. Luca took his time walking around, pausing briefly to read the displayed information. It was a mix of historical data and anecdotes—though, from what he could see, no one else seemed particularly interested in reading it.

  Probably because the format was ugly. And, to be fair, they had the real thing outside.

  As he moved toward the next exhibit, he found an interesting tidbit about the king of kings: according to research, the T-Rex’s eyesight wasn’t great—it was colorblind and depended on the movement of its prey. As a result, it relied on an incredible sense of smell and acute hearing to hunt.

  What a classic, Luca thought wryly before continuing at a steady pace.

  After exploring the T-Rex exhibit and the remaining two ‘kings,’ he checked out the displays in the corners—and finally noticed that thirty-five minutes had already passed. It wasn’t that he’d lost focus while checking the details; it was just that the displays were spaced far apart. Each of kings were at least ten meters from the next, and the corner exhibits were more than twenty meters apart.

  Yes. This place was easily the size of a city block.

  Finally, the entrance welcomed him. Beyond the gargantuan open doors, the world stretched out under a deep blue sky, the sun shinning brightly like a summer day. Green spaces sprawled below, with bushes and trees forming small gardens flanking a crystal-clear lake. The path branched east and west, with two asphalt strips running south, leaving the open space in the middle. To the southwest was a food court, and to the southeast, a shop area.

  People strolled along the paths, some of them surrounding the lake, which ran parallel to the path Luca was on. Beyond the lake, massive -really massive- steel bars marked the enclosures where the real displays roamed.

  After a thought, Luca took the southwest path, heading toward the food court and the Orkoraptors’ enclosure, according to the sign in the middle of the path. Tourists walked by, oblivious, approaching the enclosures with wide-eyes, excited written on their faces. They craned their necks and snapped photos, desperate to catch a single glimpse of the animals lurking within.

  Seeing them, Luca felt they would jump inside or stretch their heads through the bars to the other side if they could.

  What did they think they were looking at…? Cute baby pandas?

  After a few minutes, Luca reached the closed enclosure, glancing at the wooden poster near the ‘entrance’—which, if you thought about it, was wide enough to let a row of buses pass through simultaneously. No, it wasn't suspicious at all.

  According to the information provided, the Orkoraptors were swift, cunning hunters with great team working, able to take in prey four times his size. Which was almost the same as what the museum had said, except here it added the number of raptors currently living in the enclosure, and didn't share some bits of the group leader and the members.

  Well, it was quite important to know that seven of them were lurking among the shadows of the trees. (For now.)

  As Luca weaved through clusters of excited tourists chattering animatedly, a sharp sound cut through the air—a high-pitched chirp followed by a series of similar calls. Instantly, the crowd surged forward, phones flashing as everyone scrambled to capture the moment without even caring for the others. Excited murmurs rippled through the group.

  If they could, they’d probably jump inside the enclosure, huh?

  It was pure luck that Luca saw it—a pair of yellow eyes with vertical pupils, glinting from the shadows of the tall grass and dense foliage. They blinked once, slowly, as though sizing up the crowd beyond the bars. The creature remained hidden, its body obscured by the vegetation, but those eyes… those piercing eyes… locked onto Luca with an intensity that made his heartbeat skip.

  An animal with the reputation of a monster.

  Its gaze seemed… hungry.

  A familiar gaze. Luca knew hunger very well, and he knew beasts like the one in front of him. Not only from years ago—which was somewhat closer than the experience from months ago, working with Freddy the Alligator, or the couple of days as the feeder at the zoo.

  Beyond that, there was only one thing he could think about: If Shawn could see this, he’d never let me live it down. He’d go crazy.

  On some days, Luca still didn’t know if he hadn’t gone nuts already.

  This is horrible, he thought with a smile. But in another life, I wouldn’t care about dying here.

  Luca’s fingers twitched at his side, but just as quickly as it had appeared, the creature vanished back into the underbrush, leaving only the faint rustle of leaves in its wake. Exhaling sharply, Luca realized belatedly that he’d been holding his breath.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Why? It shouldn't have that much effect on him, should it?

  Forget it, he thought, listening to the noise of the people around him. The tourists continued to chatter excitedly, still apparently oblivious to the predator’s silent scrutiny. They stood there, cameras raised and shinning faces, waiting for the raptor to appear—perhaps to perform some trick or make a dramatic leap into view.

  To them, this was entertainment, wasn't it? A thrilling (and perhaps the only, surely the last) chance to witness nightmare-shapped animals in what they believed was a controlled, secure space. And Luca couldn't blame them too much, because if this weren't his job, then he would be glady one of them, snapping pictures of each rustling leaf with the hope of capturing something.

  Shawn would love—

  Luca shook his head, his attention shifting to the message that had flickered into existence when the Orkoraptor revealed itself:

  Well, I'll no be 'capturing' the plants, appearently.

  With a last glance, he turned away from the Orkoraptor’s enclosure and walked forward, following the asphalted path. The end of the enclosure coincided with the start of the food court on the opposite side of the road. Luca made his way across, glancing south toward the Spinosaurus’ enclosure, knowing he’d be seeing it from a much closer distance than he’d like very soon.

  To his mild surprise, he spotted someone familiar at one of the food stalls, in a hotdog trunk. Among the dino-shaped sauce jars, Lione looked quite on her element, working fast and nimble, a smile on her face as she gave a visitant their order.

  Liona’s eyes widened as she noticed him standing near the long line of hungry visitors. Luca waved at her, then pointed toward the enclosures and back to himself. He wasn’t sure if she understood, but he didn’t want to distract her from her work, so he turned and left.

  So, if Liona’s a Food Seller, then Nagato is the Visitor. What a lucky guy. He might not have guns, but at least his Role will make the next few hours easier for him.

  Glancing at the enclosure to the west, which held the Spinosaurus, and then to the east, where the T-Rex was surely taking a nap in some corner, Luca turned toward the latter. The road that would take him to the starting point of the tour was in the middle, a couple of meters from there. As he made his way, he thought about the places he should go after finishing the tour—because he would finish it, no doubt.

  One of the levers must be in that garden, he thought, looking ahead. Between the T-Rex’s enclosure and the next one, just in the southeast corner, was one of the three sites he would have to visit. Why? Because this was the only way to leave the Mystery early. It required that he act a bit crazy during the tour, but the rewards were worth it.

  But the other thing could be a problem, he thought. His stats... his strenght was average, different to the guy that had discovered originally this hidden end. But, he would find a way, he knew. Perhaps...

  Before starting, Luca had toyed with the idea of choosing a meeting place and sharing the ‘sudden, out-of-the-blue hidden mission,’ but he’d ended up saying nothing. Although they’d shared some ideas during those twenty minutes, they hadn’t discussed cooperation beyond that. Not even Liona had proposed something like that, so… no.

  Going alone suited him just fine.

  ... But, sadly, one needed to be a little flexible to survive.

  I'll cross that bridge later.

  It took him a couple of minutes to reach the path toward the base, noticing the presence of men in uniforms—the security of the park. They glanced in his direction but didn’t say anything, so he took it as a sign that they knew he was the tour guide. They were probably glad they wouldn’t have to run after him to drag his ass to the nearest enclosure.

  After minutes of walking at a slow pace, Luca finally saw the outline of the base. In truth, it was a cluster of three simple, utilitarian structures arrengled in a 'L' shape. The buses for the guided tours began and ended their circuits here. Its exterior was unremarkable—plain concrete walls, minimal and narrow windows—but something about it felt… off.

  Perhaps it was the quietness that enveloped the place when there were people whitin.

  When Luca reached the entrance, a pair of men in black uniforms stood guard. They nodded curtly at him as he approached, stepping aside without a word or any additional gesture. It wasn’t permission exactly but acquiescence, as if they already knew exactly who he was and why he was there.

  “You’re here!” An older man greeted him with exuberance the moment he stepped inside, his voice booming through the otherwise quiet space. Deep lines of exhaustion marred his face, and his smile was stretched too wide. Fake, fake, fake. “Great! Did you learn your speech?"

  Ha. That little excuse of a ‘manual’ didn’t say anything about giving some sort of discourse. A tiny little detail that marked the difference between surviving or not. Fortunately, he had been acquiring some interesting snippets around the corner, hadn’t he?

  He nodded at the old man.

  Surely, pretending to be a chatterbox as a guide couldn’t be harder than dressing as a goofy mascot for a children’s festival, nor as stressful as literally putting his head inside an alligator. Or meeting a mafia boss as a scrawny 20-years old with nothing to give and everything to lose.

  “Great!” the man exclaimed, clapping his hands together once before leaning in closer, his enthusiasm faltering just a hint. “We don’t control what you tell them—but it’s important for visitor satisfaction, you know?” His frown deepened. “You don't look like an orator but put some effort.”

  Luca offered a curt nod, his gaze flickering briefly over the man’s shoulder and then returning to him.

  Don’t let the satisfaction go down.

  “I won’t keep you any longer,” the man continued, waving dismissively as he turned to lead Luca toward the 'back' area. “Come on, let me show you where you’ll be starting.”

  As they moved deeper into the facility, Luca caught sight of the line of buses stationed neatly along the far wall, ready to roll out for their evening tours. Most looked standard enough—clean, well-maintained vehicles designed to carry groups of eager tourists through the park to the adventure of their lives, the logo of the park painted across the sides.

  But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it—a disfigured bus being dragged away by a crane. A twisted, crushed metal frame was everything that was left, with visible streaks that revealed raw steel beneath. Luca forced himself not to react, pretending not to notice as the remains of the vehicle disappeared around the corner. Even if he was sure it had been dripping blood on the ground.

  Instead, he focused on the newer-looking bus ahead. It gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights.

  “This will be yours for tonight,” the older man said cheerfully, gesturing toward the bus with an exaggerated flourish. “It will stick to the route—we’ve got everything mapped and prepared for you. Just keep the visitors entertained, and try not to… well, you know.” He trailed off, his smile faltering again, replaced by a fleeting look of discomfort. Then, he patted Luca’s back with more strength than was needed. “Anyway, good luck out there!”

  With that, he turned and walked briskly away, leaving Luca standing alone beside the bus.

  That old man’s hand had been almost as cold as Michael’s or Lacerta’s.

  Without any other option, Luca climbed aboard the bus, taking the seat in the front after sweeping a quick glance around. The interior was clean and quite modern, equipped with plush seating and large windows that offered panoramic views. To the tourists, it would seem thrilling in its ‘insecurity.’ But of course, it was ‘safe.’

  Ha.

  Fastening his seatbelt, his eyes caught the glint of metal inside a compartment beneath the front window. A small microphone was nestled among a handful of candies and a bottle of water. It looked normal in comparison to the setup—no steering wheel, no pedals. Instead, the dashboard was dominated by a control panel.

  In the center of the screen, a single red button shone. It showed the word START in bold, unyielding letters.

  chocolate cake, and let’s be honest… I won't leave even the crumbles :D