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  Chapter 1

  I woke up in the darkness of a windowless room, slightly confused and more than a little sore. I struggled to remember where I was and why I was sleeping on a mattress on a floor, but then it all came back in a rush of memories. Dinosaurs walked the Earth again, and I was stuck in Cambridge, England, far from home, and in a battle to survive.

  Fortunately, I wasn’t alone as I was reminded by the gentle breathing of the two women on either side of me. To my right was Becka, the gorgeous blonde British girl from Yorkshire who had been studying to be a psychologist, and on my left was Hae-won, the long black-haired Korean beauty who came all the way across the globe to study music.

  It was hard to believe, but just the day before, the three of us had traveled on foot to a raided medical clinic, taken out a team of dinosaurs with medieval weapons, and driven all the way back to the campus in an armored military vehicle. Along the way, we’d managed to add to our stash of supplies, which now included an assortment of medicines, a small armory of weapons, ammunition for our guns, a couple of weeks worth of food if the power held out, and a toaster oven just to keep things civilized.

  The three of us had been so happy at our successes, and I smiled as I remembered the looks of sheer joy on the faces of Becka and Hae-won as we’d made our triumphant return to our fort. But with no more dinosaurs to battle at that moment, the adrenaline ebbed away and the tension of the day’s events sapped our strength. Back upstairs in the darkest part of the gallery, away from the few windows in the building, we could do little more than eat our nightly rations and collapse onto the salvaged mattresses.

  Now, without sunlight to gauge the time, I checked the clock on my phone and saw that it was past eight in the morning. It didn’t feel like I had slept that long, and I couldn’t remember having a single dream, but I had to admit, I felt more refreshed than I had since this whole mess had started. I tried to study my companions in the dark, and pondered whether I should let them keep sleeping, but there was still work to be done before the gallery would truly be secure, and the earlier we started, the earlier we could be done.

  “Becka, Hae-won,” I whispered. “It’s eight A.M. We should wake up.”

  “Hmm?” Hae-won stretched and sat up on my right. “It’s morning already?”

  “Ugh,” the blonde groaned to my left. “I’m still knackered.”

  “We can sleep more later,” I promised. “We need to take care of a few things first. Come on, let’s get some breakfast.”

  “Fine,” Becka sighed. “But I want crumpets.”

  “Sure,” I laughed. “You can even be in charge of making them the proper British way.”

  Becka gave me a playful punch on my arm, but she stretched and sat up as well. Her tousled blonde hair glowed even in the darkness of the gallery, and I started to reach toward it before I even realized what I was doing.

  Work first. Play later.

  I stood up from the mattress with a sigh and padded quietly toward the staircase, down the steps, and across the cold floor to the switch box. I found the key after a few moments of blind groping and turned on the lights for our upstairs next as well as part of the downstairs level that we still used. The sudden brightness blinded me for a moment, and I heard Becka complain as well.

  When I could see again, I plodded back across the lobby and up the steps to the maze of rooms that had become our home. I stopped for a moment when the women came into view and took the time to study the amazing ladies who had suddenly become my companions and friends. The pair, the leggy blonde with the proper public school accent and the Korean beauty with swirls of black hair that fell past her ample breasts, were making up the mattresses and fluffing the pillows while they chatted. It was an enticing sight, and I watched until Becka looked up and saw me. The blonde smiled and posed for a moment before she started to move toward the old staff room that was now our kitchen and supply room.

  “Do you both want crumpets, too?” the blonde woman asked.

  “Sounds good,” I replied.

  “I’ve never had one,” the blue-eyed Korean said. “What is it like?”

  “Sort of like toast,” Becka explained from the doorway. “But way better. They have all these holes in them so the butter melts inside. You’ll like it, trust me.”

  I nodded in agreement, and Hae-won shrugged before following the Brit into the staff room. I took a last look around the gallery, but everything remained quiet and no dinosaurs leapt out of the endless parade of rooms, so I joined the two women in our modest kitchen. At least in here, there was still some sunlight since we hadn’t managed to board up the second floor windows yet. It was positively cheery without the oddball pieces of art that decorated the gallery walls or the mystical and ancient figurines that filled so many of the cabinets. I actually whistled a short tune as I filled the kettle with water and turned it on.

  “Alright,” I began as I took a seat at the large wooden table that sat in the middle of the room. “We have a few things we need to work on today. The first one is going to be getting that military truck into a better spot so we can block off the entrance.”

  “It should be large enough to take up the whole space by itself,” Hae-won commented.

  “Yeah, and I doubt anything is knocking that over,” Becka remarked as she watched the crumpets she had loaded into the toaster oven.

  The room was beginning to smell like warm, toasted bread, and I suddenly realized just how hungry I really was. I glanced at Hae-won, who shared a quick smile with me as both of our stomachs growled.

  “It is very sturdy,” the blue-eyed woman agreed.

  “Yeah, we just have to get rid of those burnt up cars,” I explained. “We also need to make sure that when we put the truck into position, we don’t wedge it in too tight. I want to be able to get it back out if we need to go somewhere. It’ll offer a lot more protection than a normal car.”

  “I think I can do that,” Hae-won said.

  “We also need to work on these windows.” I gestured to the two staff room windows. “If we board these up today and still leave those cracks like we planned, we can sleep in here tonight. It will be a lot less disorienting to wake up to sunlight instead of total darkness.”

  “We should be able to do that,” the Korean girl said. “It did not take long to put the other window boards together. This should be just as easy.”

  “Speak for yourself,” the blonde cut in and held up her bandaged hand.

  “We really should change those bandages before we leave,” I said. “How is it feeling, by the way?”

  “It’s alright.” Becka shrugged. “If I forget and grab something it stings, but mostly it feels normal.”

  “Good,” I replied. “If it starts to feel any worse, let us know. That could mean it’s getting infected.”

  “Can we not talk about infected wounds over breakfast?” the British girl asked as she eased the crumpets from the toaster oven and dropped them onto a plate. “Although, while we’re on the subject of gross things, what are we doing about the dead dinosaurs on campus?”

  “I don’t know,” I sighed as I tried to imagine a way to move the monstrous bodies that were starting to collect around our safe haven, “but we should deal with that soon. The one in the quad is pretty big. It’s sure to bring out the scavengers.”

  Becka carefully measured out pats of butter for each crumpet, then carried the plate to the table along with three empty mugs.
The kettle started to whistle, and Hae-won quickly got to her feet. She retrieved the electric kettle along with a box of Typhoo tea bags and a jar of instant coffee grounds. When we’d each made our drink selections, Hae-won filled our cups and then returned the kettle to its spot.

  “I have an idea,” Hae-won announced as she returned to the table. “On the way back yesterday I saw an old truck, the kind they use to carry cars when they… break down?”

  “A tow truck?” I translated as I accepted a buttery crumpet from Becka.

  “Yes.” The Asian girl grinned. “I can get that to help move the dinosaur.”

  “Hmm,” I mumbled through a bite. “That could work, if we figure out a way to attach the truck rigging to the creature. It will definitely make cleaning the place up go a lot faster.”

  “Great,” Becka said. “Then we can have all of this sorted in no time. Boards on the windows, dinos removed from the quad, and plenty of time to enjoy a pleasant meal before trying to call our relatives again.”

  “Only if we get going on this soon,” I countered. “Even with the tow truck, it’s still going to be a lot of hard work today.”

  “Okay, Jason.” Hae-won said with a smile.

  “Who’s afraid of a little hard work?” Becka added. “Not us.”

  We gobbled down the rest of the crumpets and polished off our drinks. With breakfast out of the way, we changed into jeans and heavier shirts that would offer some sort of protection from the constant rubbing of our armor. I helped Becka check her wound and clean it with another dose of hydrogen peroxide before we all returned to the first floor to retrieve our armor. I donned the pieces I’d selected for myself, made sure the girls were okay, then turned to study the small stash of weapons we’d collected.

  “I guess there isn’t much use for my sword now,” I said with a sigh. “Since we have plenty of bullets for the assault rifles, I may as well just carry one of those.”

  “Should we take the other guns?” Becka asked.

  “Umm, not yet,” I said. “I still need to teach you both how to use them properly. There’s no point holding one if you can’t use it.”

  “I can take the rifle,” Hae-won offered. “You had me carry it before, remember?”

  “It’s pretty powerful, though,” I replied. “You said you hadn’t shot before. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Jason, I played Counter Strike competitively when I was a schoolgirl,” the Korean girl said. “I know how it works, and my aim is good.”

  “Well.” I sighed. “Why don’t you take the other military rifle? It’s easier to handle, and we have more ammo for that. But don’t use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  “Okay, got it.” Hae-won said enthusiastically as she grabbed the second gun and threw the strap of the weapon over her shoulder.

  “You’ll have to teach us soon,” Becka said as she turned an envious eye on the Korean woman. “I would feel a lot better if I had something else to fight with. Something that didn’t require me to get so close.”

  “Sure, as soon as we have the chance,” I replied as I picked up a military weapon and checked the bullets inside. “You two should still carry the swords for now, though. They’ve kept us alive so far and they’re easier to use if you’re startled.”

  “Just poke as hard as you can,” Becka laughed as she grabbed the silver short sword that she preferred.

  “Aim for the whites of the eyes, yes?” Hae-won added as she picked up the long black sword that had become her weapon of choice. “I do feel better carrying it.”

  The Korean beauty smiled as she struck a pose with the gun slung across her chest and the sword held high in her hand. Her waist length jet black hair glimmered in the gallery lights, a nice complement to the inky blackness of the sword and the bright sheen of the armor. My girlfriend was the perfect mixture of beauty and badass. Dressed up like this, she sort of reminded me of one of those Cosplay girls on Instagram, though it was much hotter to see in person.

  I smiled. “The sword works for you, but you’ll probably have to start using just the gun once I’ve taught you two how to handle one.”

  “Okay, fine,” the blue-eyed woman agreed readily, and she certainly didn’t look disappointed at the thought.

  “A day to look forward to,” Becka sighed with less enthusiasm.

  “Let’s go get that tow truck,” I suggested as I made a last scan of our armor.

  Becka and Hae-won nodded, and I eased the door open as carefully and quietly as I could. Everything was still, and even the morning chatter of the birds had disappeared. But no large reptiles roamed across the grass, so I stepped cautiously outside with the two women right behind me. I heard myself sigh in relief, as I hadn’t been sure that our hasty efforts the day before to secure the gates would really work.

  Despite the lack of dinosaurs, we made our way to the side entrance slowly and kept close to the buildings and whatever shadows we could find. We made it without encountering anything more dangerous than a field mouse, though, and I studied the scene just outside the grounds as we drew near. We’d managed to block off the gate with a random collection of cars we’d hotwired on nearby streets, but the highlight was the armored personnel carrier we’d found. It towered over the average vehicles in a patterned tan-camouflage that I imagined had been made for the dessert initially. Here, the thing stuck out like a sore thumb, especially yesterday as we tried to navigate the narrow back streets of Cambridge in the thing.

  It had been a miracle of sorts that we’d even found the thing, and I was still amazed that we’d somehow managed to drive it all the way back to the college without someone trying to stop us. It was stolen government property after all, but the only soldiers we’d seen so far had been dead, and the only other military vehicles we’d encountered were helicopters firing on dinosaurs from the air. In truth, the thing wasn’t all that easy to maneuver, and there had been a few moments as we drove madly around the older parts of the city when I had wondered if we would die not as dinosaur food but in a fiery crash as we missed a turn and plowed into the wall of some Georgian era mansion or such.

  “We’ll have to get these cars out of the way,” I noted as I gestured to the various scattered automobiles. “So we can get the tow truck in. And it would be nice to be able to get that military truck out.”

  “We can drive these four,” Hae-won said as she pointed to a group of cars clustered closer to the gate. “The other two are very burnt, though. I don’t think they’ll start.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing we were getting a tow truck, then,” I replied.

  “Yes.” The Korean woman grinned. “It will help with a lot of things.”

  “Should we move the truck first?” Becka asked. “We can still move these cars out of the way and then take one of them to pick up the tow truck.”

  “Good idea,” I said. “I’ll move the truck if you two will move the cars. Just make sure you check for glass shards before you sit down.”

  “On it,” Hae-won said as she moved toward the nearest driveable car.

  I opened the door to the military beast and climbed the small ladder up to the driver’s seat. I hadn’t driven it the day before, but I’d watched Hae-won when I could, so it only took me a second to familiarize myself with all the buttons and gears on the dashboard in front of me. It was easy enough to pick out the gear shift, the engine start, and even the speedometer and tachometer. The main difference was a mystery panel near the center console. I peered at the unfamiliar buttons and decided it had something to do with changing the tire pressure, which supported my theory that the giant vehicle had been designed for the rough conditions that required less inflated tires. Either that, or the thing could convert into a tank in the best James Bond style, which would have been cool but far less likely.

  I started the engine, then spent several seconds trying to figure out the pedals. With the driver’s seat on the opposite side from what I was used to, my brain seemed to think that the peda
ls should be reversed as well. After a few jerky movements, I finally worked out where everything was, and I slowly steered the behemoth out of the gate and parked it further down the street. Even pressed against the curb, it hung out into the road, and I considered moving it onto the sidewalk so other cars could get around it. Except there weren’t any other cars on the road, and with a sigh, I left the beast where it was.

  I did a quick scan of the area before I hopped out and headed back over to the girls. Hae-won had started up one of the cars and was brushing out some glass from the front seat. When she finished, she hopped in and drove it out to the street.

  “Did you know she hotwired these?” Becka asked as she came up to meet me. “Can you believe it?”

  “I did tell you she could get anything to start,” I replied.

  “Yeah, but it’s different to watch her,” the blonde explained. “She’s like an extra in that Nick Cage film.”

  “Don’t tell her that,” I laughed. “She doesn’t want us to think she’s a criminal.”

  “Why would she care about that?” Becka asked. “I mean, if she was a criminal, she’s definitely a successful one. That’s all that really matters.”

  “Oh,” I raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re upper-class British sensibilities aren’t offended?”

  “Oh, please,” she replied with an eye roll. “My mum’s a hairdresser. My British sensibilities are get what you can before the government takes it away.”

  “So you’ll be asking for lessons on how to steal cars?” I teased.

  “I might.” She smirked, and I caught a gleam in her amber-colored eyes.

  “Three more,” Hae-won said as she rounded the gate.

  “Why don’t you start them all, and we can each drive one,” I suggested.

  “Maybe you should leave it to us,” the blonde girl replied. “It will probably be faster.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “Obviously, I know how to drive a car. Heck, I just drove that military beast out of here.”

  “But these are all manual,” Becka pointed out. “I know you Americans don’t know how to drive manuals anymore.”