Doomsday Elevator

Ethan Quinn awoke to the System's shrill alert before its first syllable finished. His fingers instinctively closed around the P229's grip as the announcement blared:

Warning: Jurassic Floor Detected

Primary Objective: Secure Unattended Dinosaur Nest (50m Right of Entry Point)

Secondary Objective: Evade Adult Theropods

"Fuck me sideways," Ethan muttered, checking his spatial backpack's contents. The Void Satchel's holographic interface showed 13kg of dried meat and 200L water—survival rations for what promised to be the dumbest gamble of his post-apocalyptic career.

The elevator doors parted to a primeval roar. Towering conifers scraped a smog-yellow sky, their trunks wider than subway cars. A pterosaur's shadow glided overhead as Ethan stepped onto soil that hadn't felt human feet for 65 million years.

"Fifty meters," he chanted like a mantra, darting between fern clusters. The ground vibrated with distant footfalls—something big hunting nearby.

Rustle.

Ethan froze. A feathered creature resembling a meth-addled turkey burst from the undergrowth, beady eyes locked on his throat.

"Did evolution shit you out as a joke?" He double-tapped the dodo-like abomination. The gunshots echoed like dinner bells across the Cretaceous landscape.

The nest proved easier to find than expected. Beneath a moss-caked boulder lay two screeching velociraptor hatchlings and one football-sized egg speckled with emerald markings. Ethan's boots crunched over discarded dodo carcasses as he approached.

"Sorry kids," he whispered, emptying his clip into the fledglings. "Survival's a bitch."

The egg slid into his backpack with a glitch. He'd turned to flee when the mother's hunting cry split the air—a sound that bypassed the eardrums to rattle the soul itself.

"Shitshitshit!" Ethan sprinted blindly, the raptor's footfalls gaining with horrifying speed. He spun mid-stride, firing wild shots at the six-foot terror. Four rounds found purchase in its muscular thighs.

The wounded predator collapsed, amber eyes blazing with primordial hate as Ethan stumbled back into his elevator.

——

Blood dripped from his shaking hands onto the stolen egg. The spatial backpack's interface updated:

Item Acquired: Theropod Embryo (Viability 89%)

Incubation Requirements: Constant 38°C Heat Source

Ethan collapsed against the newly expanded bathroom module, watching through the closing doors as a pterosaur snatched his crippled pursuer into the bloodied sky. The blackboard's latest addition glowed faintly:

Hunt Hard. Breed Harder.