MASTERPIECES ART STUDIO

UNDER EVOLUTION written by DG Wilson

THE BEGINNING Chapter 1

"Around the next bend on the hill I saw it, just over the buildings below. I could only see the head and shoulders but knew it was a massive machine. Over a hundred feet tall, with the body of a shell or turtle it had arms and legs but I couldn't see them at first. It was truly massive, the size of a building! Lasers shot out of the head, arms and chest...everywhere! It was a deep red color like blood. Markings on it were intricate and looked a little like tribal tattoos. Worse of all were the horns and spikes. They looked familiar but at first I couldn't remember...then I saw one stomping to the right and made the connection instantly.

"The giant robots had elements of DINOSAUR defenses! Horns like a triceratops and spines on its' back like a stegosaurs! It was disorienting to say the very least when I came to this realization! BUT these living, breathing, destroying dinosaurs actually stomped through Brooklyn.

"They were massive too like the robots! Each well over a hundred feet tall, the dinosaurs, actual living breathing beasts, destroyed all as they waded through the buildings. Worse yet were their headdress and body armor. Sharp spines and shapes that twisted from their heads and spines rose high into the air and far from their bodies as their armor came down and protected the vital organs. They tore through the buildings on either side of the prehistoric beast as it lumbered down the streets causing carnage.

"After that I ran. Ran like I should have run when that cop stopped me on the street near my home when I was just a boy...so many years ago and continued to run before my weak legs cramped and forced me to fall. I ducked into a destroyed building. It appeared as if one of the beasts had swung their tail into the corner of the dwelling crushing a wall. The main pile of debris to my left, I went into a broken window to the portion of the apartment that was still intact. There I hid and took some time to put it together.

"Newspapers of the elderly couple were still in piles around what was left of the kitchen and dining room. They were all from the past month. They caught me up very quickly.

"At first the people saw the ships hovering above the planet. All over the world identical looking ships just sat in the clouds and waited silently. After a couple of weeks every comedian, talk show host and celebrity had given their opinion to the public. Some were mystified and awestruck, others damned the machines out of fear. They were the correct ones.

"A fortnight later Dinosaurs suddenly appeared in the streets. Early morning on a Tuesday they immediately began to destroy the cities. Towns near cities might have been damaged if they were close enough but most were spared. The cities emptied out and the survivors fled to those nearby towns. The papers stopped there. The rest of the story I gathered from bits of entries in a journal left on the counter.

"Two weeks after the arrival of the Dinosaurs the ships came down and landed. They manipulated or transformed into giant robots that could move and walk on the surface as it destroyed every possible building that it saw.

"I looked for more papers or evidence of the story after they landed but it seemed as if all technology ran by a human ceased at that moment! The rest of the entries were direct observation of the elderly couple. They had tried to hide for as long as possible but when their building was damaged the wife, Ellena, had her lag broken and torn by the rubble. John had gallantly written that he was going to take her and try to get to a neighbors' home a few blocks away because he was a retired army paramedic.

"The rest of the journal was blank. Hope you made it John.

"I ate what was good from the fridge and cabinets. Eating those wonderfully forbidden foods just made me thankful, despite the circumstances. Even the cold chicken was delicious to my rusty taste buds. The Hospital food was always so bland. It was like they hated spices.

"Eventually I fell asleep under the table with a blanket I found on the demolished couch.

THE BEGINNING Chapter 1

"The next morning birds and sun woke me; and I found that I was pleased that not all of Gods' creatures were destroyed or worse. The fresh air knocked me out like a drug but I had tortured dreams. I was still rested and refreshed, though cramped, like I had fought all night long.

"With a jot I realized I was Free; I was FREE! Freedom had been a notion that was just not in my vocabulary. I never thought that I would ever be allowed to go where I pleased; I just gave in and never considered it. Now that I was, I felt lost and without direction.

"Suddenly I remembered Noland. Famous for his wealth and struggle to keep it despite his Schizophrenia, even I had heard of him. For some reason I felt compelled to find him. I didn't know where to look but knew that he was the first that I needed to talk to, so I set out. I gathered a box of crackers and a bottled juice. I should have taken more, I just didn't think.

"The land was eerily silent, expect for an occasional, sudden THUD then a brief shake of the Earth as the dinosaurs and space ships roamed and destroyed close by me. Hesitant I went into the street, crouched down low while I ran for my new life. From pile to pile, car to car, I made my way out of Brooklyn. I had found a few pedal bikes which would make my journey faster, but didn't know how to ride one.

"Everything was in question to me. I didn't know where to go. I didn't know where Noland was and had no clue as to how to find him. To give in, return to the Hospital was not an option either. I didn't really care though and felt an inner drive, a need to set out and continue. For hours all I did was move and hide from the beasts. After the sun set, with a gorgeous color array, I was near the edge of Queens and about to cross the last bridge that stood between me and Jersey.