After I had left the classroom with Professor Keller, we crossed the parking lot and rejoined the rest of the class on the edge of the forest. “Carry on, then,” said Professor Keller, “and mind the burrs, they’ll stick to your shoes!”
The class walked in silence for almost 5 minutes along a narrow, winding, overgrown footpath. We stopped at a clearing, where a steel cage stood alone in the center. Everyone crowded expectantly around the cage as Professor Keller unlocked it. She was about to put Dinochicken in the cage when the bushes rustled behind us.
Professor Keller slowly turned around. Her face drained of color, and her eyes were focused on something that must have been terrifying. She looked from the bush to the Dinochicken, the bush to the Dinochicken. It was biting her thumb with such ferociousness that it had begun to bleed, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Professor,” I said, “are you okay?”
“Hush,” She whispered. Suddenly I understood her horror, and my heart began to pound.
“Professor Keller,” I said, “There’s only one Dinochicken, right?”
She didn’t answer, but kept staring at the baby Dinochicken. Tentatively, she put it down outside the cage, climbed into the cage, and shut the door. “Be quiet,” she whispered hoarsely, “and nobody turn around.”
Marla Johnson turned around. I wasn’t one of Marla’s friends—she was too nosy—but we got along well just the same. Her eyes were filled with the same panic Professor Keller’s had as she scrambled backwards, her back hitting the cage. She screamed, and there was a blur of motion, and the next thing I knew, I saw Marla Johnson being dragged into the forest, her eyes open but blank. “Marla!” I screamed, but there was no answer as blood spattered from behind the bushes.
Chaos broke loose. People were running everywhere; some towards the path, some towards the cage, but most generally panicking. I sprinted towards the cage, flung open the door, and slammed it shut behind me. I bent over next to Professor Keller, who was staring blankly at the now-red bushes.
“Professor Keller? What was that?”
She continued staring at the bushes. “Poor Marla,” she whispered, “such a promising student… of course, curiosity kills the cat…” She laughed bitterly. It appeared that the hysteria was too much for her.
“Professor Keller!” I yelled over the din. “You need to tell me everything you know about what might have k-”I stumbled over the word killed-“attacked Marla.”
“It was the big Dinochickens,” she muttered. “It was the adults… They grew much faster, and were more aggressive than I ever could have imagined. And when they had the baby, I took it, fearful that they might overwhelm the security I had set up…” She sighed. “I suppose a mother’s love can overwhelm any electric fence.”
“Of course it can!” I yelled, exasperated. “Haven’t you ever seen Jurassic Park?”
An ear-shattering roar split through the forest. Some students started throwing rocks at the bush. Professor Keller’s eyes filled with horror.
“No! She yelled, standing up. “Don’t! Please! Don’t hurt them…”
Her cries fell on deaf ears as the rock-throwing continued. I saw her life flash before her eyes as she opened the cage door and ran in front of the students. A badly thrown rock hit her on the head, and she crumpled to the ground, moaning in agony. The Dinochicken saw its chance, leapt out from behind the bushes, and gashed her face from forehead to chin.
“Professor Keller!” I yelled, and ran to her side. She was losing blood fast; I tried to stop it with my jacket, but it was soaked in seconds. Professor Keller swatted my hand away sleepily.
“April,” she said with some effort, “don’t worry about me.”She smiled; eminent death had apparently brought her peace. “You need to worry about the rest of your class. There’s a taser in my pocket--” she weakly pointed to her jacket”--set to stun. Don’t hurt them, please… My life’s work…please…” Her eyes locked on mine as her head slumped on the ground; she was gone. Fighting tears, I fished through her jacket and found the taser. I closed my eyes and fired into the bushes.
Two large forms crashed onto the ground. One Dinochicken’s face was covered in blood; the other had a bit of flesh hanging out of its mouth. I fought the urge to vomit as I set the taser to “KILL”.
Don’t hurt them… please… Professor Keller’s last words haunted me. I tentatively set the taser on “STUN”, and then lowered it.
“Someone! Tie their legs and arms, and put a stick in their mouths!” There was a scramble of activity as vines were pulled from trees and tied around the Dinochickens; apparently everyone had been waiting for direction.
“Alright. Everyone, go back to the parking lot, and someone call 911. I’ll taser these Dinochickens again before we leave, just to make sure they don’t wake up.”
“We’re leaving Marla? And Professor Keller?” Cried one of Marla’s friends, her face streaked with tears and mascara. A stray tear rolled down my cheek as I looked over the bush at what was left of Marla, and I tried to shield her body from her friend’s view.
“Well,” I sniffed, “there’s not really much of Marla to take” –her friend burst into tears—“and I think Professor Keller wouldn’t have wanted us to be seen carrying her body out of the woods. The police will find them, and properly bury them.” Marla’s friend nodded tearfully as the Dinochickens began to stir. I hurriedly shoved the rest of the class out of the clearing, and I picked up the taser once more. I looked from the Dinochickens to Professor Keller, to what I presumed to be Marla…
Don’t hurt them… please… If the police found them alive, the Dinochickens would certainly be subjected to all sorts of tortuous tests. I shuddered as I thought about what Professor Keller would have said.
I silently prayed that she would have forgiven me as I set the taser to “KILL”.