The fire had been lit, and all that was left to do was wait for the beans to cook. Veronica stood over the fire, lost in thought. Suddenly, the street dogs had begun to bark. Another fight must have broken out between their packs. The birds began flying about, scared off by something in the distance. All the farm animals began to cry louder and louder. Veronica instantly knew something was off. She went out back to ensure her father was okay. He had recently come home from the hospital, and she was scared he might have fallen. As she hurried over, she could sense the animals becoming more and more restless. As she approached the back, she saw her father standing there, staring at something. There were feathers everywhere.
She then saw it.
They both stood there staring at claw marks running up the back concert wall, which led into the fields.
“Un cupacrabra”
“No.”
Suddenly, they felt a gust of wind from a creature flying overhead. The animals began to squawk, run, and hide.
“¡Son dinosaurios!”
~
They sat around the radio, listening in on the chaos. Scientists had been secretly working in the Amazon rainforest on dinosaur eggs. Breeding and hatching all different kinds of species. They had grown much more than expected. The scientists could not keep them contained. The dinosaurs had destroyed much of Brazil, and they were on the move.
Veronica knew she could not stay in Mexico. She had to leave.
“Vamos!” Veronica stood and began to grab items.
“Adonde?” Her parents questioned.
“¡Para Nueva York, no nos podemos quedar aquí! Los dinosaurios llegaron aquí, si nos quedamos, nos van a matar.”
~
She had packed a few light suitcases and stuffed her parents into the car. As she shrove out of the small village, she saw people running around, boarding up windows, trying to settle their animals while creatures flew throughout the skies. Luckily, the village was up high in the mountains, so a majority of dinosaurs had gone to the east. However, Veronica knew the high mountains would not stop dinosaurs from coming up here if they continued to breed.
She sped through the long, windy roads. The closer they got to the airport, the more traffic built up. The road was utter chaos. Veronica tried to keep calm as she knew freaking out would only worry her parents.
A mile away from the airport, all cars had come to a complete standstill. People were getting out of their cars and running with bags.
“Hey, what’s going on!” Veronica shouted to a man running past.
“The last flights are leaving now!” He shouted as he ran towards the airport.
Veronica immediately jumped out of the car and grabbed her parents. They tried to get the bags out of the car.
“There’s no point! It will only weigh us down; we have to go!”
They began to run. That’s when Veronica looked back at her parents. They were in no shape to be running. She slowed down and told them to stop. She looked around and spotted an empty field that separated them from the airport. A few yards away, there was a big hunt made out of bamboo shielding a tractor.
“Walk towards that field. I will pick you up, okay. Just walk through!”
Veronica quickly ran towards the shed. She started up the tractor, racing towards her parents.
The airport was crowded, families standing in lines pushing up against one another. Airline workers are trying to move as fast as possible, deciding who gets to leave. Veronica pushed towards the front of the crowd, trying to hear what was going on.
“We have limited spots, people! If you didn’t buy a ticket, you are not getting on the plane!” An agent shouted.
Veronica knew there was no way they were going to get on that plane legally. She needed to get on any plane at this point.
“Vero, I need to use the bathroom. Do you need to go?” Her father asked.
“No, but let’s go to the other end of the airport, it will be less crowded.”
They headed towards the arrivals section of the small airport. It was empty. No one was coming.
Veronica spotted an airport baggage handler taking a smoke break outside. She headed over towards him. She knew it would be a long shot, but this might be their only chance of getting on the plane.
“My father is extremely ill, and I need to get on any plane going North. Please help me, I have a family I need to get home to.”
“Señora, you need a boarding pass to get on the flight. I get that you need to get back, you aren’t the only one.”
“Please, let us go in with the cargo!”
“Señora, that is extremely dangerous. I couldn’t do that.”
“Please, you have a family too. You would do anything to be with them during this time. I am simply trying to go home.”
She kept intense eye contact with him.
“Alright, I can get you on a flight heading to Tijuana. I will let you know, though, that the U.S. has already closed its border. There is no way you are going to get in.”
“I will figure it out. Just get me on the flight.”
“Follow me.”
Veronica did everything she could to keep her parents safe. The baggage handler had given her an oxygen tank for the trip. She kept watch over her parents, taking every hit from the shifting baggage.
When the hatch opened, a new baggage handler approached them. He didn’t say a single word. He simply motioned to get on the conveyor belt, which led to a luggage trolley. Veronica slowly lay next to a large suitcase as it dropped her in. Her parents slowly followed suit. As the man began to pull the trolley, they suddenly felt a series of slow, loud thuds. The world around them went silent. Everyone knew this movie cliché too well.
A roar rolled from the mouth of the giant.
Helicopters began to fly in, the military coming in guns blazing. The parade of people departing the plane began to sprint in all directions, not knowing which way was safest.
Veronica looked over at her parents, signaling them to stay quiet and still. She watched from between the trolley’s curtain the massacre of the big, beautiful giant. She watched as the T. rex was gunned down in the middle of the runway.
~
With all the dinosaur activity, all countries had closed their borders in an effort to control the chaos. Veronica knew she wouldn’t be able to get back into the U.S. using traditional methods. They were not letting anyone in, regardless of citizenship.
However, now that they were in Tijuana, she remembers there was a way into the U.S., but it was just going to be absolutely awful. The tunnels.
~
[Connecticut]
“Dad. What about mom!” Enrique asked. “How will she get back if they aren’t letting anyone in or out. She can’t be alone!”
“Enrique, your mother is a strong woman. I trust that she will fight her way to safety.”
“No, Dad isn’t an everyday issue. These are dangerous monsters that could kill Mom with one step!” Enrique cried.
Back in Connecticut, Veronica’s family hadn’t heard from her. Her family was panicked as the dinosaurs were moving quickly up from the south.
Suddenly, Enrique’s phone began to ring.
“Hello! Hello! Tia?!” The family looked at Enrique, hoping for an answer. His face fell. “But she’ll be okay?” He asked.
“What! What happened?” Jenn questioned.
“Mom. She made it to California with Grandma and Grandpa.”
“See, I told you she could do it!” Dad exclaimed.
“But, since she couldn’t go through the border, Tia said she went through the tunnels. She had tied Grandma and Grandpa to her to pull them through with her. She used up so much energy that she’s in the hospital.”
“Oh god.” Dad had let out.
“Grandma and Grandpa aren’t too well either. They are staying in the hospital back in California. Doctors are shipping Mom back here as she wished to be back with her family.”
The family began to sweep together. Their Mom was the strongest person they had all known. Of course, she would have found her way home while saving both her parents. Only she pulls off something like this. She was truly a hero.
