It was the day they were supposed to finally be released from quarantine.
Or so Julian hoped.
As soon as he woke up, Dr. Azel entered the room for their final checkup. The old man moved with the same grumpy, mechanical efficiency he always had.
After their blood was drawn and tested one last time, each of them was given a fresh set of clothes — tougher, more practical for life outside the sterile clinic.
Julian waited on the edge of his bed until the doctor called him forward.
"Well then, you're the first," Dr. Azel said, flipping through his clipboard without looking up.
"Julian Reeve, was it? You're the healthiest out of the four."
The old man hesitated for a moment, glancing at Julian over the rim of his thick glasses.
"I won't go into personal details — we have rules about that — but I will say this: keep an eye on your friend Charlie."
His voice dropped a little lower.
"Physically, he's fine. Perfect, actually. But mentally..." Dr. Azel tapped his clipboard in a slow, rhythmic beat. "...he worries me. And we don't exactly have any dedicated psychiatric staff here."
He scribbled something down before speaking again.
"My advice? Watch him. Keep him out of trouble. If not, well..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough.
Julian nodded stiffly, grateful when the doctor waved him toward the exit.
He didn't waste time.
Opening the heavy door, Julian took a quick glance back at the others, who were still waiting their turn to be called.
Then he stepped out into the open air.
The first thing he noticed was the sky. Real, endless blue — not the sterile gray of the quarantine room.
The second thing he noticed was the people.
There were at least a dozen others scattered around, each busy with some task.
One man hammered away at a piece of glowing metal, shaping it into something useful.
Nearby, another lugged heavy buckets filled with what looked like hay toward a group of creatures.
Julian blinked in surprise.
Among the animals, he spotted what looked like a miniature triceratops.
It wasn't much bigger than a cow, but it had a small, sturdy saddle strapped to its back. Someone clearly used it as a mount.
He kept moving, catching the savory scent of food in the breeze.
An elderly woman stood by a large iron pot, stirring steadily while a younger assistant handed her ingredients.
Chunks of meat and vegetables were added into the bubbling stew, the rich smell making Julian's stomach growl on instinct.
He tried to ignore the hunger clawing at him and scanned the yard until he spotted someone familiar.
Emma.
She was talking with two other enclave members, both of whom looked like they were cleaning or repairing weapons.
From the way they handled the battered, homemade guns, it was obvious they knew how to use them.
Julian hesitated, debating whether he should approach.
He didn't know why, but the sight of Emma smiling — genuinely smiling as she laughed at something one of the guys said — made him freeze.
For a moment, he just stood there, feeling strangely out of place.
Maybe it was nerves.
Maybe it was something else.
Either way, he couldn't shake the feeling that stepping into this new world would be much harder than simply surviving a few days in quarantine.
Just before Julian could look away, he caught Emma's eyes meeting his.
He flinched and quickly turned his gaze elsewhere, feeling awkward for reasons he couldn't quite explain. He quickly thought back to her stern boss like attitude from the day before.
His attention drifted back to the dinosaurs.
Now that he had seen most of the camp, he moved closer to the creatures, curiosity getting the better of him.
He didn't dare approach too closely, wary of their long horns and the powerful bodies behind them.
But as he inched forward, he noticed something surprising.
Their rough, armor-like skin was offset by gentle eyes — calm and trusting, much like cattle.
"Say, kid..." a voice called out behind him.
Julian turned to see the man who had been carrying the hay earlier. He was holding out a bundle toward him, eyebrows raised in invitation.
"I know you're new here, but if you want, I can teach you to care for the animals.
Might suit you better than standing around."
Julian hesitated for only a second.
"Sure," he said, reaching out to take the bundle.
"I don't really know what I'm supposed to do yet anyway."
He made a move to toss the hay toward the nearest dinosaur, but the man quickly stopped him with a shake of his head.
"No, no. Don't throw it like that," the man said, chuckling.
"If you do, we'd run out of hay before the next crop grows."
He pointed toward a nearby pile of dried herbs.
"Take a handful of hay and mix it with those herbs. Feed each one slowly, by hand. It's not just about filling their stomachs — the mix keeps them healthy and full of energy."
Julian listened carefully.
The man had a rough, friendly energy about him. His dark skin gleamed with sweat under the sun, and his short hair was tied back under a faded bandana.
The old shirt he wore was riddled with holes, unable to hide his powerful build.
"Forgive my rudeness," the man added with a grin.
"Name's Xavier."
He wiped his hands on his pants and gestured toward the dinosaurs.
"I've been here about two months now. Only survivor of my platoon, believe it or not."
Julian paused, unsure how to respond.
But Xavier only shrugged, waving it off.
"Enough of the sappy stories. Let's get these beasts fed before Mrs. Suzi finishes cooking."
He pointed back toward the kitchen area.
"Good thing her back's better. Rudi had to do the cooking yesterday, and well... you can imagine how that turned out."
Xavier laughed, the sound hearty and genuine.
Julian found himself smiling a little as he nodded along, grabbing handfuls of hay and herbs just as Xavier had shown him.
Together, they worked quietly, feeding the dinosaurs as the sun climbed higher in the sky.
"You don't talk much, huh?" Xavier said, tossing another bundle of hay toward the feeding pile.
"That's good. We need more people who listen instead of trying to order others around.
We always have problems when that happens."
There was a hint of sadness in his voice, making Julian glance at him curiously.
"How so?" Julian asked, brushing dust off his hands.
"I mean, we did come with someone who might be like that. Might be good to know ahead of time if I need to warn him."
Michael's rough leadership style flashed through Julian's mind.
Xavier chuckled dryly, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"It's not much," he said.
"But a few guys didn't like how Mr. Blake — you know, the leader — was running things. They left."
Julian paused, surprised.
"And it hurt us bad," Xavier continued.
"One of the guys who left was our best mechanic. Since then, we've been scrambling to fix half the machines around here."
He dropped the last handful of hay into the trough with a heavy sigh.
"We've got others learning, but it's slow. If any of you know about computers or tech, that'd help."
Julian scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I learned a little in school," he admitted.
"But honestly, I doubt I'd be much help. I mean... those batons that mess with time? That stuff sounds impossible."
Xavier chuckled again, this time genuinely.
"If it's about the batons, don't worry. Only Mr. Blake's allowed to mess with those."
He picked up a smaller bundle of herbs and started spreading them near the feeding stations.
"Last time someone else tried, we almost had a rift tear through half the enclave. So yeah, only authorized hands."
Julian's eyes widened slightly at the casual way Xavier said it.
He turned back toward the dinosaurs, reaching out to pat the thick hide of the creature nearest him.
"Careful," Xavier warned.
"Handling the beasts too much can be risky."
Julian froze mid-motion.
"The taming devices we use — they override their instincts temporarily. Only the rider is supposed to have long-term contact."
Xavier nodded toward the dinosaur Julian had almost touched.
"That big boy belongs to Emma. Trust me, she'll grill you alive if you mess with her ride."
Julian started to pull his hand back, feeling a little embarrassed.
But before he could fully retreat, a new shadow joined them.
A voice, light but filled with amusement, broke the silence.
"Do you really expect Prince to be swayed by just a pat, Xavier?"
Both Julian and Xavier turned toward the sound.
Standing behind them, arms casually crossed, was Emma — watching with an unmistakable smirk.