You all moved on, making your way into the city a few hours later. The journey had been arduous, marked by the occasional stops to investigate signs of struggle and bloodstains on the ground. Despite your efforts, you found no bodies—just traces of the chaos that had ensued. There were no dinosaur carcasses in sight, which was unusual compared to the days when these creatures had swarmed like flies against gunfire. It seemed they had developed an immunity to such attacks, but swords and knives still proved effective in dealing with them.

As you pressed deeper into the heart of the city, the towering structures loomed like silent witnesses to the devastation. Faded graffiti and shattered windows spoke of the lives that had once thrived here, now replaced by an eerie stillness interrupted only by the distant howl of the wind. Each bloodstain you passed was a stark reminder of the peril that lay just out of sight, lurking in the shadows of crumbling architecture.

You exchanged wary glances with your companions, each of you acutely aware that the real danger might not be far behind. The air was thick with the metallic scent of fear, a disquieting reminder of the chaos that had uprooted civilization. Despite your resolve, the unease gnawed at you, a constant awareness that time was running short and that the city—once a bustling hub—had become a haunted maze filled with lurking threats.

The streets stretched endlessly ahead, twisted and distorted by the ravages of both nature and time. It felt as though the very ground had absorbed the anguish of its inhabitants, bearing witness to the struggle against the beasts that roamed below. As you tread carefully, the silence felt oppressive, and your thoughts turned to the remaining flicker of hope: would there be refuge here, or would the city merely serve as another grave?

Gaz plopped down against a wall, taking a swig from his water skin. "Whew, no more in this bloody heat—I can't take much more," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. Ghost grunted in agreement; you could tell he was likely wearing bullets under all that black gear. You felt slightly better, even though your bodysuit was quite tight, but you kept that to yourself. Instead, you hooked one leg over the other and leaned against the wall, your sharp eyes scanning every corner and shadow of the city. Sarah had told you this town was still standing, but from what you could see, there were no signs of life—nothing that you could use or salvage.

You sighed, the weight of the silence pressing in on you. Soap moved next to you, drinking from his own water supply. "Did you know anyone in this town?" he asked, glancing at you before turning his gaze to the rough-looking town square.

You shook your head. "No, I wasn't even born here. I don't remember where I was, but John found me, brought me to the base, and raised me as his little sister. Sarah became my mom, too."

There was a brief pause, just long enough for the gravity of your words to settle like dust in the stale air. Soap nodded slowly, understanding flickering in his eyes. The warmth of memory washed over you, a bittersweet reminder of the makeshift family you'd found amidst the chaos of this new world.

"He sounds like a good man," Soap said thoughtfully, his finger tracing the edge of his water skin. "Not many would step up like that."

"He did what he had to do," you replied, a hint of pride coloring your voice. "Kept me alive when it would've been easier to just walk away." You took a deep breath, pushing aside the pangs of nostalgia. There was no time to linger on the past—not in a place like this, where everything felt like a fragile memory ready to shatter.

From where you sat, you could see flickers of movement in the shadows, just enough to set your heart racing again. "We need to keep moving," you said, shifting to your feet. "If Sarah's right and there are people here, we can't risk someone spotting us."

Gaz groaned as he pushed himself upright. "Right. Let's see what trouble we can find." Ghost secured his gear, and Soap flashed a small, reassuring smile before following your lead.

As the four of you ventured deeper into the heart of the city, the encroaching darkness loomed ahead, but so did the faintest shimmer of hope. You reminded yourself that you weren't just searching for remnants of a life you'd lost; you were hunting for a future—a chance to reclaim the warmth of family amidst the remnants of what was once a thriving world.

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

"Bloody hell," you cursed as you came upon the mayor's house in the town. The windows were bashed in, dark blood still dripping as if the town had been recently attacked. The sight was grim, a stark indication of the violence that had unfolded here. You shuddered as you saw the body of a girl splayed out on the floor, the carpet stained red with her blood. "Bloody hell, alright," Ghost muttered, moving over to check her bag for any valuables. Finding none, he stood and moved on to examine the man who had his head ripped off. You swallowed back the bile that rose in your throat before heading to the mayor's office.

Inside, you discovered that the raptors might have been after something in a glass case—a large egg, glacier white with light gray half-tiger stripes and sand-colored half-tiger stripes running down its sides. It was big, imposing.

"What's that?" Soap asked, his Scottish accent thick as his eyes widened in curiosity.

"It's... it's a T. rex egg," you said, your mouth dry and voice trailing off in disbelief. "Why would the mayor have a T. rex egg?"

"Perhaps it's a valuable item of some kind," Gaz suggested, glancing around. The office was littered with dinosaur remains—skulls, bones, teeth, and even crude drawings that depicted battles between humans and raptors. The walls seemed to hold stories of survival, the artwork a chilling testament to a town so entwined with the creatures that had wrought such devastation.

"What in the holy hell has happened here? What kind of town is this?" you wondered aloud, the horror of the scene sinking in. The pieces of the puzzle jumbled in your mind, each more unsettling than the last. It was clear that the mayor had been more than just a local leader—he had been a key figure in some twisted venture that involved these immense beasts.

Ghost approached the glass case, examining it closely, while Gaz continued to rummage around, seeking anything of worth among the devastation. "This egg... if it belongs to a T. rex, it could be worth a fortune on the black market," Ghost mused, his tone carefully detached as he assessed the situation.

"But at what cost?" you shot back, feeling an urge to protect the fragile promise of life contained within the egg. "How many lives were lost for this?"

Gaz looked up, pressing his lips together in a thin line of irritation. "You think mourning the dead is gonna bring 'em back? Let's focus on keeping ourselves alive first."

You clenched your fists, frustration boiling within you. This wasn't just a matter of survival; it was a moral conundrum woven into every decision you had to make in this hellscape. The sheer audacity of exploiting a T. rex egg, of coveting life in a world where death seemed so commonplace, left you feeling ill.

Suddenly, a noise outside shattered the tense moment—an unsettling rustle, followed by low growls that echoed ominously through the walls. Your breath hitched as you exchanged anxious glances with your companions.

"We need to move. Now," you said, urgency pressing against you like a weight on your chest. The horror of what you'd seen would haunt you later, but for now, survival took precedence. With a quick glance at the egg—sturdy and vital—you made a mental note to return. Whatever calamity had struck this town, it wasn't finished yet. And neither were you.