The Problem with Raptors

Stepping through the Anomaly, Matt's feet stamped onto fallen twigs, shattering them under his weight. Around him rose a sprawling mass of towering trees, rustling bushes, falling leaves, and the chatter of insects. Fresh air soothed his nostrils as the sun unleashed a dazzling array of vibrant, warm rays. The clean air, beautiful plants, beaming sun overwhelmed Matt, who had become accustomed to the thick, dusty air of the abandoned wasteland, and he fell forward, knees sinking into the mud. A gleeful, elated smile stretched across his face as he took in the amazing scenery for a moment. Taking deep, blissful breaths, Matt pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the pain in his wounds. He was suddenly surrounded with life and that mesmerised him. Absorbing the incredible atmosphere, Matt kicked into gear. He recognised where he was: the Forest of Dean, but he needed to find the Raptor, the other Anomaly, and Helen.

Cautiously, he knelt on one knee, examining the woodland ground. Amongst the fallen branches and rotting leaves, there were some extremely faint footprints. The Raptor, Matt thought, following the tracks with his eyes through the undergrowth. He started to trace the marks, but, behind him, he heard the whining and humming of the fading Anomaly. He spun round just in time to see the Anomaly disappear, replaced with the great trees beyond. Sighing, Matt said a mental farewell to a timeline he hoped to erase and to the people who helped him erase it. For them, he had to get this right. He had to re-right history.

Carefully, he followed the Raptor's tracks through the forest, ducking under low-hanging branches, brushing through thick bushes. All of the sudden, he heard the all-too-familiar groan of an Anomaly. Peering through the bushes, he saw it: his Anomaly. The gateway in time hung in the air, whistling and humming a sweet tune. So, he found the Anomaly: now he needed to find the Raptor. In that moment, the Raptor burst through the Anomaly, growling and grunting, it darted off through the undergrowth. Knowing the Raptor was heading for Helen, Matt prepared to follow, but, moments later, something else came through the Anomaly. Ducking in behind a thick, tree trunk, Matt peered from his hiding pace to see... himself. It was incredibly strange to Matt, seeing himself breathing in the blissful air, examining the astonishing wildlife. His past-self knelt down, fiddling with the ground, seemingly searching for something. Flashbacks hit Matt in waves. Swearing to himself, he remembered tracking the Raptor and running into Helen soon after. She must be close by! He had to go! He had to go now! He took a step away from the tree, but darted back to cover when his foot struck a twig. He desperately tried to conceal himself as his past-self inquisitively searched his surroundings after hearing the snapping branch. Thankfully, his past-self ignored the sound and disappeared into the undergrowth. Mat had no time to waste. Any moment, the Raptor would stumble into Helen and chase her into Matt. Heart pumping, adrenaline rushing, Matt sprinted through the bushes, dodging precariously placed branches that seemed to reach for his feet. Pain surged through his leg, his arm, and his shoulder, but he ignored them, powering through the forest until he reached a road. Matt recognised the road as the same one he collided with Helen on. He was close, but where was she? If he didn't get to her in time, everything he had been fighting to undo will come to pass and he will have failed.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed another road, slightly obscured by trees, running parallel to this one, separated by a wall of plant life. Suddenly, not far from him, he noticed the shadow of the Raptor darting across the road, vanishing into the trees that split the two roads. Terrified, muscles pumped full of adrenaline, Matt charged across the road, through the thick undergrowth, and out onto the other road. She was close, but where? Fear, terror, horror rolled into Matt's mind all at once as he desperately scanned the area, searching for both the Raptor and Helen. Where were they?

Suddenly, Matt heard the sound of rustling bushes and ruffling feathers. Squinting through the undergrowth, Matt could see the Raptor - recognising its scar on its bottom jaw - stalking in the bushes, footfalls dead silent. Oh no! Matt panicked, if the Raptor is there, Helen couldn't be far behind. Where was she? She had to be here? Any moment now, she would stumble upon the Raptor, get chased through the forest, and bump into Matt, changing history for the worse. Matt cursed himself for leaving his EMD in the alternate reality. His excitement and rush to finally reverse the damage done had clouded his judgment and he had forgotten to take his weapon with him. Fortunately, the Raptor hadn't noticed him, so he backed away slowly, stopping at the perimeter of the road. Again, he frantically searched the area, begging to see Helen far away from the Raptor. Finding nothing, he suddenly realised that he had no idea how to keep Helen away from the Raptor if he did find her. What would he do? What would he say? Would it still damage the timeline if she saw him? What should he do? What should he say?

All of the sudden, Matt heard a distant, faint grumble. Pivoting on the spot, he watched in horror as a car - straining to see revealed Helen as the driver - quickly creeping down the road. The rumbling car engine alerted the Raptor. It's head tilted and it sniffed the air, hungry eyes lighting up at the thought of diner time. Panicking, Matt looked at the Raptor, then to Helen's rapidly approaching car, then back at the Raptor, which instantly spotted the vehicle with hungry eyes. She was coming! He had to stop her! He had to stop Helen... by any means! Matt's heart sprinted in circles round his body, his lungs breathed in and out rapidly, adrenaline gushed through his veins, tension in his muscles escalated. He knew what he had to do. He knew how to stop Helen... by any means. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his terrified heart, soothed his horrified lungs, tamed his raging tidal wave of adrenaline. He knew what had to be done. He knew the only way to stop her. He accepted his fate.

Calmer than the restful ocean with waves gently caressing the soft beech, Matt lifted his foot and stepped out into the road.

...

Terror-stricken, Helen brought the full force of her weight down on the breaks, but she was too late. Her car smashed into the man, lifting him off his feet, sending him smashing into the tarmac with a terrible thud. She screeched to a halt, the mysterious man tumbling across the smooth road, motionless. Cursing, Helen jumped out of the car and rushed to the man's side. He was covered head-to-toe in scrapes and grazes and shards of glass where his head had impacted the windscreen. Kneeling beside him, she cradled the man's hand, his eyes slowly flickering in and out of consciousness. She didn't know where he came from, nor why he stepped into the road, but she was terrified of losing him. She had come to the Forest of Dean to investigate supposed creature sightings, but she didn't want to kill anyone. The poor man lay, limbs eerily still, eyes opening and closing. Clasping his hand tenderly, she leant in closer to see his face. It was riddled with dirt and scars filled with gravel, but there was a strange expression of acceptance on his face. Almost like he wanted this. Gently, she placed an affectionate hand on the mysterious man's forehead, whispering, "You're okay. You're going to be fine."

However, she knew they were in the middle of nowhere. If she called the ambulance, they would never get here in time. The closest hospital was hours away and this puzzling man was close to death. What have I done?

...

Matt lay still, the tarmac cold on his broken back, the sun warm on his burning face. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and was disconnected to the world around him, but he could feel a tender presence wrapping around his hand and tenderly touching his forehead. The bright sun blurred his vision, but, whoever it was that stayed by him, he thanked. Though he was prepared for this, he was scared of being alone. Suddenly, forming from clouds of grey mist in the corners of his eyes, a hollow, skeletal face emerged, blocking the sunlight. It outstretched a bony, gnarled hand, beckoning him into its black, malevolent cloak. However, Matt was not afraid. His tense muscles relaxed, adrenaline drained from his body, his lungs breathed their last, and his heartbeat gently slowed. This is what he wanted. Bravely, he stared into the soulless eyes of death, reached out, and took the bony hand, allowing his soul to lift from his body, soaring into the bright, bright sun. At last, he could rest. At last, he could die knowing he changed history.

...

The sudden screeching tires, the smell of burning rubber, and a terrible thud, startled Matt. He had been searching for a mischievous Raptor, but that noise sounded to him like a car crash. Dashing through the undergrowth that separated the two roads running parallel to each other, Matt arrived just in time to see a car speeding off into the distance. On the tarmac, there were thick, black tire burns and patches of fresh blood. Did someone just die? Matt thought, watching the car disappearing into a cloud of dust.

In that moment, the devious Raptor jumped out, teeth gnashed, feathers rustling. It growled, approaching Matt with its claws outstretched. Quickly, Matt raised his EMD and fired. The Raptor didn't drop. He fired again, and again, and again, until, finally, the Raptor fell to the ground before his feet. He looked down at the Raptor as it fell into peaceful, EMD-induced slumber. Relieved he had caught the creature without incident, Matt grabbed the dinosaur by the tail and started dragging it back to the Anomaly. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for not investigating the car crash, but he knew that the longer he spent in the past the more likely he was to change something. Despite the Raptor weighing more than he had anticipated, Matt managed to pull the unconscious Raptor back to the Anomaly. He noticed it flicker. It's fading! Matt put one hand under the Raptor's hip and the other at the base of its neck. He summoned all the strength in his arms and, with one almighty push, he shoved the Raptor through the flickering Anomaly. He looked back for a moment. There was something weird about that car crash. Something Matt couldn't quite explain. Regardless, the Anomaly was beginning to fade and he didn't belong in this time. Taking in a deep breath, Matt stepped through the Anomaly.

Matt arrived, tripping over the Raptor, cursing under his breath. "It's done." He said, tossing his EMD to Becker. Immediately, Connor locked the Anomaly, but there was not much point in locking it since the Anomaly vanished soon after. A small part of Matt longed for the beautiful, green, fresh forest atmosphere, but his job was here, his friends were here, his family...

Suddenly, Matt noticed the surprised look plastering his friend's faces. "What?" He questioned. Becker, Abby, Connor, and Emily all shared a look of startled bewilderment.

Abby coughed. "You've been through that Anomaly for days." Around him, Matt noticed sleeping bags, tinfoil wrapped around piles of rubbish, and a small fire.

Confused, he tilted his head. "No." He began. "It's only be a few minutes."

"Mate, we've been waiting here for several days. We thought you weren't coming back!" Connor said.

Extremely befuddled, Matt looked back at where the Anomaly once hung. "There must have been something wrong with the Anomaly. I've only been gone for half an hour or so."

"Regardless-" Emily strode over to Matt, wrapped her arms round his neck, and pulled him in to meet her forehead. "-I am glad to have you back."

Matt smiled, "I kept my promise, didn't I?" He chuckled, embracing Emily in a tender kiss.

"Glad to have you back." Becker laughed, slinging his EMD round his shoulder and patting Matt on the back.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."