What Does the Dinosaur Say?

Hello fellow readers, my name is Nicholas Grizzle and I am here to recall a rather terrifying experience I had back when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia. Now, to tell you a little about myself before I get the story started. I am a dinosaur enthusiast and I am very passionate about my interest in these famous prehistoric animals. I live alone and normally keep to myself. I am very shy and bookish. My appearance strongly suggests that natured with my glasses and dark brown hair. Anyways, on with the show…

May 17th, 2011, finals week. I was quietly working on a study guide in the Earth Sciences department. Being surrounded by the fossils made me feel less stressed about the finals. Many of them were simply beautiful with their natural curves set in stone. All of them, from ammonite shells to mammoth teeth were arranged in a chronological fashion from oldest to the youngest. On the middle display shelf was the Mesozoic Era fossils which held the dinosaur remains. Each were in exquisite detail and I can hear them speak to me about the rich knowledge they contained. I could easily identify each of the specimens and what kind of dinosaur they were. Sitting there in the lounge next to the displays, I could easily get lost in the sweet music created by the ancient bones. I was getting distracted. I returned back to my studies.

A couple of hours later, I had finished the assignment. However, I remained there for a little longer to hear the old fossils speak. They told me of their lives, from the massive migrations to the perilous hunts. The voices told me in graphic detail about the battles between predator and prey, fights for breeding right, the nurturing care of the young, and so much more. In the center of this display, and by far the most extraordinary fossil here was that of a complete, unaltered Velociraptor skull. As I got up to leave the musing session with the old bones, the hollows of the skull stared onto me. Like an old friend who wanted you to stay a while longer. Out loud I said, “No worries my friend, I will be back tomorrow.” I proceeded to leave the building to go back to my apartment.

In the dark and humid night, it was almost unbearable to walk across the campus. The summer heat had not yet quelled itself. Then I came acrossed a horrible sight. Surrounding a large bonfire were several fraternities and sororities celebrating the end of the semester. Many of them were intoxicated and mad with lust. I powered my way around the crowd, hoping to put as much distance between the manic group and myself in the shortest amount of time as possible. My path was blocked however. A large and overbearing figure stood there chanting in a sloppy, “WOOO!! YEAH!!”. I simply stopped and analyzed the drunk. I made no reply to his overzealous remark and simply walked around him. The next obstacle was harder to get around.

A group of the football cheerleaders were handing out school spirit ribbons and other cultish object to the other students that passed by. Once I came into to view, they immediately locked on to my presence. “Do you have school spirit!?!” the siren screamed at me. I was frightened by her suddenness and in anger replied “No.” Apparently, this was the wrong answer. They surrounded me trying to encourage their pathetic notion of brainwashing on me. I just stood there in silence as they continued their banter. Fortunately, a friend came up and pulled me away from the scene. This friend’s name is Roxanne. She is a Physics major and the only human friend I have here. “Leave him alone you fucking sluts.” she roared as she gently took my arm to take me away from them. The entire experience left me quite shaky. I don’t do well in crowds and fortunately Roxanne knew this.

“I’m glad I ran into you, but I’m puzzled as to why you were there Roxanne.” I said quietly as we headed into the darkness. “I was on my way back from the library when I saw them assaulting you.” she said smugly. True to form, Roxanne was a very confident person. As if to reinforce her fierceness, she had medium-red hair and green eyes. However, I couldn’t help but find it adorable and attractive. Yet, I am too afraid to say such things to her. We continued our walk to the apartments. Our discussion shifted to post-finals plans. Neither her nor I had any plans to go home or to do anything special. “Want to hang out this weekend?” Roxanne asked me. Thanks to the faint light provided by a street light, I could tell she had a slight blush. Struggling to agree, “Y-yes” I said weakly. We parted ways to our separate apartments.

I underwent my nightly rituals of preparing for bed. I am very strict on how I go about this. I begin with a fifteen minute shower, followed by shaving, brushing my teeth, and lastly turn in. Tonight was different. I don’t like different. As I laid down I heard a bone-chilling scream from outside. Jumping from my bed I grabbed my keys and phone in a rush to investigate. Luckily, I live on the ground floor on the building and it didn’t take me long to find the source of the scream. There on the ground I found Roxanne unconscious in a small pool of her blood. I called 911 and tried to stop the bleeding. Twenty minutes later, the paramedics arrived and head RA came out to examine the situation. A few hours later, I was too upset to sleep. I answered all of the questions I could and no clues at the crime scene.

My mind was racing and I needed comfort. I returned to the Earth Science department lounge in the hopes that the fossil voices would allow me to clear my mind. Being a Paleontology major, I had a keycard to access the building after-hours. Once inside I went straight to the lounge and took a seat. The voices were quiet. They said nothing to me. I got up and stared into the display case. My eyes became fixed onto the Velociraptor skull. After what seem to be a long silence, I heard the skull cry out. “YOU!” it said to me. I jumped upon hearing this. “REMOVE ME FROM THIS CASE!” demanded the skull. I did as I was told, and removed the skull from it’s perch.

With gentle hands, I picked up the fragile skull and stared into the hollows of it’s eyes. A magnetic force drew me in. An intense hunger overtook me. I placed the skull back in it’s proper place and sat back down. The hunger became increasingly painful. I grabbed my stomach and cried out. In the height of the moment I blacked out.

I regained consciousness, but it was very surreal. I was in the middle of the woods outside the apartment complex. The air was cool and a fresh mist made it seem to be quite peaceful, adding to the comfort of laying on the moss laden ground. When I rose I found that my clothes were ripped to shreds, my glasses were missing, and my hands and feet were cover in congealed, dried blooded. In a small, clear puddle near by I looked at my reflection. There was dark red blood around my mouth and cheeks. Rather than being horrified, I just stood up and decided return to my apartment to clean myself up. It was early in the morning. The golden orange sky illuminated my surroundings. There not a soul to be seen on the campus grounds. However, there stretched out across where the bonfire was being held, was varying length of police tape.

As I passed by I started to remember what had happened last night. In was like an odd dream. I was on the hunt in a prehistoric forest. I had quietly stalked a group of five small herbivorous dinosaurs into a clearing. Each of the morsels were chattering away with chirps and birdsong. In the shadows, I watched them intensly I remembered. Followed their every move until they went quiet. My heart was pounding. My breathing became heavy. My mind was racing. In a superhuman leap I jumped the largest herd member with a tremendous crash, sticking my sickle claws deep into it’s flesh. I continued to deliver kicks into the animal’s backside. The creature fell on the spot in shock. I turned around dashed after the others in a fury that would have scared gods. The herbivores tired quickly, making them easier to pick off. I bite one’s neck and ripping out the throat and another I disemboweled with my hands and slashed it’s innards into a bloody mess. The last two ran in terror. My hunger was satisfied.

I went inside my apartment and took a quick shower. After getting ready I went off to the hospital to check on Roxanne. On the way there, I continued going over what I remembered from last night. I couldn’t dismiss the event as a dream considering my hands were blood soaked. To any normal person, I’m sure, this would of been a horrific experience and they would surely feel guilt ridden. Not me, surprisingly. I felt it was completely natural and a newly found sense of pride engulfed me. I walked with a confident stride and upon entering the hospital I saw two of the annoying cheerleaders from last night before my experience happen in straight jackets, screaming in a panic that a dinosaur was out to murder them. The orderlies were trying to sedate them as I approached. In a sadistic tone, I asked the the nervous wrecks: “What does the dinosaur say?” They flitched in terror and silently fell into a deep sleep. I left them to their nightmares with a small laugh and entered Roxanne’s room. Fortunately, she pulled through and was happy to see me. “Hey Nick! Thanks for saving me. By the way, are you feeling hungry?” she said to me conveying an all too familiar feeling. After all, raptors hunt in packs.

End.