Chapter Five
Marcus pulled the minivan through the Village of Hartland, then turned into the driveway which lead into the cemetery. He drove passed where he had stopped the day before, but stopped right where the cemetery sloped down.
“I can see Mommy’s grave from here!” Tracy exclaimed. She looked at Cassandra, who was seated next to her in the middle row. “You would have really liked my mother,” she said.
“How do you know?” Cassandra said.
“Because I like you.”
Marcus motioned for the girls to quiet down, then stepped outside the van to run his sweep. As he was passing the rear of the van, Chad pulled into the cemetery driving a police cruiser. Another police officer was riding with him.
“Good morning, Chad,” Marcus said, lowering his shotgun.
“Looks like its going to be a great day,” Chad said. He gave the officer a gesture, then looked back at Marcus. “Mind if we talked a little bit? Lieutenant Davis can watch after the girls.”
Marcus shrugged. “Sure.”
They talked about damage to the library while they waited Davis escorted Tracey and Cassandra down the hill and out of earshot.
“Lolita called the police department six times requesting to transfer Cassandra to the training facility up north. I urged her to be patient, and even pointed out that there is an excellent school here for kids like her, but Lolita wouldn’t hear it.”
“She’s never been a fan of VanNocker’s school,” Marcus agreed. “Although, it would break Tracey’s heart if Cassandra had to leave. I’ve never seen her get attached to anybody like this before.” Not since her mother, Marcus thought.
“Well, after what both girls told us about Cassandra’s past, I sent the blood sample they took from her yesterday to the lab for analysis, thinking that it might help us find her parents.”
“And?”
“It could take a while for them to search the database. I’ve recommended that Cassandra stay with you in the meantime.”
“That’s alright. I think Tracey would enjoy that.”
“So, it’s settled. This will hopefully get Mrs. Burns off of my back.”
They approached Tina’s gravestone, where the girls were sitting quietly.
“I have good news,” Markus said. “Chief Whittaker is making arrangements for Cassandra to stay with us a little bit longer.”
“And go with me to school?” Tracey asked.
“I’m sure Mrs. VanNocker can always make room for one more,” Chad said. He glanced at Cassandra. “If that’s okay with you.”
Cassandra smiled. “I think I’d like that.”
“Look Daddy,’ Tracey pointed towards the gravestone where the girls had laid down the flowers they brought. “This time we brought two flowers.”
Dinopocalypse
Notes from the Dinoplex
Notes from the Dinoplex, #1
December 9, 2012
“Dinopocalypse” is an example of what happens when I am suddenly facing a two month hiatus between episodes for my favorite show.
On Sunday, I watched the mid-season finale of “The Walking Dead,” a show set in a post-apocalyptic world involving zombies. Going into the week, I began to wonder what I could do to satisfy my “hunger” for “The Walking Dead” until the next half of the season began. This lead me to think about the possibilities of writing a story with a similar type of situation, but maybe mix up the elements. Post apocalyptic world with aliens? Dogs that shoot lasers out of their eyes?
Nothing seemed to stick until I melded dinosaurs together with the premise of “The Walking Dead.” Maybe people didn’t turn into dinosaurs (because that would be a little unrealistic) but they might mutate into dinosaur-like creatures.
The first draft of the very first chapter had a lot of the same elements but, since it was told in the first person, lacked some of the energy and momentum: Marcus, a single dad who has survived the epidemic, takes care of his six year old daughter who just happens to be a dinosaur/human hybrid. When the story starts, they are on one of their rare trips away from home, and Markus is extremely protective of his daughter.
When I started writing the story, I originally planned for it to be about solving the mystery of the dinosaur virus, but my writing evolved I decided that it should start out being about how society was dealing with the lost of such a large percentage of its population, as well as the problems that remained. Certainly, this parallels “The Walking Dead,” but I’m hoping to put a different spin on my version.
Markus will be getting some help from his friend, Livingston County’s Chief of Police Chad Whittaker. Well, maybe some help at first but then a friendly shove somewhere along the way. Chad is aware of things that the average citizen wouldn’t necessarily know, and this can either be bad or good for someone like Markus. There is also a special school for dino children that will play a big part in the story, especially when it comes to its conflict with the “Institute.”
I’m hoping to go into more details about the look of the “Dino People” in later episodes. I wasn’t quite sure which direction to go in, but when I wrote about the adult Dinos I pictured the Gorn from the episode of “Star Trek” called “Arena,” and when I pictured Tracey or Cassandra in my mind, I thought of the aliens from “Alien Nation.”
There are three ways that you can change into a “Dino” after the Dinoapocalypse. If you are infected either naturally or via a bite, you will change into a Dino. You can also be born a Dino, like Tracey. The most civil version of the Dinos is the ones who were born that way, but they will revert to their natural instincts if they aren’t raised in a human environment. After a human mutates, they could either be conditioned to think like a human, or they could roam free and savage. This the most common type of dino in the world from the book, and is mankind’s biggest threat.
Episode One, “Two Flowers,” is available online via Google+, Pinterest, Facebook, or Scribd. You can also browse the chapters here.
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