PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE: THE ISLAND

Josh Cooper, a twenty-something-year-old man, was boarding his private yacht, gearing up for the Christmas season on a remote island with his friends.

"Come on, hurry up!" He shouted, adjusting his pineapple-printed t-shirt. The group had brought camping gear and ample food, planning for a week or two on the island.

"Wait up!" Kailey, a slim, 27-year-old blonde, hollered as she dragged her baggage along the beach. Passing Josh, she gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Is that everything?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, why?" Kailey replied.

"Never mind," Josh said, eyeing the supplies. "Are you sure you've got enough for the week?"

"Absolutely," she responded carelessly. "We can always wash things in a river if need be."

As they prepared, Josh spotted an old man emerging from the palms in the distance. The man walked toward him, rolling his fingers through his beard.

"Hello?" Josh called out, but the old man remained silent, continuing his course. "Hey! Who are you? What do you want?" Josh shouted again.

The old man halted in front of Josh, his expression stern. "¿Hacia dónde van?" he asked.

"Sorry, I don't speak Spanish," Josh said, trying to communicate.

"Isla... este... no go," the man tried to articulate in English. Josh understood him instantly.

"What? Why? What's wrong with the island?" Josh inquired, puzzled.

Diego Rivera, a slender guy and Josh's lifelong best friend, leaped from the yacht. Their bond was forged over years of friendship. Diego's Canadian father had met his Costa Rican wife while studying at a university in Heredia, Costa Rica. After Diego's mother passed away when he was around seven years old, his father took him back to Canada. It was there that Diego and Josh became inseparable during their high school years, their connection evolving into something akin to brotherhood.

"Hey! Hey!" He exclaimed. "What's going on here dude?"

"This man is trying to hold us here," Josh explained.

"What? What's the issue?" Diego inquired.

Before Josh could respond, the old man interjected, "tienen que quedarse, no es seguro," emphasizing the island's lack of safety.

Addressing the old man in Spanish, Diego asked for more details. The old man recounted multiple reports of disappearances after sailing off the west coast, mentioning a mysterious island that he referred to as "Isla de los Perdidos." After sharing these ominous stories, the old man wandered back into the forest, disappearing once more.

"He's a homeless old man, why should we believe a word he says?"Josh remarked sarcastically after Diego relayed the old man's words.

Diego grinned at Josh. "Eh, sure, yeah. Either that or those boats went elsewhere." He turned back toward the yacht, pausing at the boarding ladder. Glancing over his shoulder at Josh, he added, "come on, dude! It's getting late. Kailey is waiting for us."

THE INCIDENT OF 91

"Hey Josh!" Kailey shouted. "There's a lot of mist in the way."

The mist thickened as they continued, making visibility difficult. Diego, Josh's best friend, joined the scene, eager about the trip.

"We're getting closer! The radar is detecting land in thirty meters," Diego said. "Dude, I'm so excited for this. I've camped for years, but never on an island."

"Did your daddy never take you to an island before?" Kailey teased.

"Oh please, at least he brought me to the woods," he replied with a smirk. Moments later, his expression shifted. "Hey, take a look."

Kailey noticed a shadow emerging from the water. "Hey, Josh, slow down!" she called out.

"Let me handle it."

Kailey rolled her eyes and looked at Diego, who shrugged. A red dot appeared right behind the yacht's silhouette in the radar. It was something big.

"Wait, wait, Josh! Seriously, there's something in the water!" Kailey yelled, alarmed.

Diego frowned. "What's that?" He asked.

"I... don't know," Josh admitted. "But it's sizable. Kailey, could you check outside?"

She rolled her eyes and looked back at Diego, and he shrugged once more. "Ugh, alright. I'll be right back," she said.

Kailey stepped out to take a look at what was swimming alongside the boat. Outside, Kailey spotted the shadow as she leaned closer and grabbed the railing, trying to get a glimpse. She was very curious as well as scared, the shadow was substantially big. She then leaned closer, but the shadow faded in the water. Disappointed, she returned to the cabin.

"Uhm. It disappeared." She said disappointed. "I have no idea what that was, but it was huge," she explained.

"A big dolphin, perhaps." Diego shrugged it off confidently. "Costa Rica is home to many dolphin species, I'm sure it's just a dolphin." He added.

"A really big one", she said, side eyeing him.

Josh was listening, so he asked, "What did you see out there?"

"Not sure, I only managed to see a blue and black paddle-like tail," she replied.

Diego looked at her, irritated. "Again, it's just a big dolphin. There's nothing to worry about."

Diego seemed to care very little, he thought he knew the country very well, but he was wrong. His confidence wasn't matched by the unknown dangers of the island and its waters. The genetic advancements had concealed much lurking danger, to the point where long-gone wildlife had returned, and was lurking among the forests and waters of the island.

Soon, Josh stopped the yacht at the beach. He then turned off the engine and started unloading the supplies.

"Here you go, Kailey". He said as he handed her baggage.

While Josh was unloading the boat, Diego came out running, he was enthusiastic about the trip. "Hey, dude, get my stuff off the boat, I'll go get some stuff for the night; it's almost five and the night falls at six here," he said as he leaped from the boarding ladder.

Josh and Kailey ignored him and kept unloading their stuff: a campaign tent, matches, canned food, fishing rods, backpacks, among other stuff that would last for the week.

"And here's the last thing," Josh handed Kailey a gun. She frowned as she grabbed it.

"A gun?" She asked, curiously. "Why would we want a gun?"

"One never knows, alright? Besides, it's a desert island; other people could be here, waiting to do any harm."

"I suppose."

The island seemed uninhabited, but they didn't know what was lurking in the density of its forests.

From a distance, Diego waved at Kailey. She looked down and saw a pile of firewood; he had collected sticks from around the beach to make a bonfire at the night. Diego was the expert on camping; his father would take him to the woods every summer break, where they would spend weeks camping. He certainly was a very experienced camper, and he really knew what he was doing.

As night approached, Diego lit a bonfire with the sticks he had collected earlier, and sat on a log along with Josh, and Kailey sat on the opposite side on a rock. The day had been exhausting, and they planned to explore the island the next morning.

"Seriously though, that old man was creepy," Kailey said.

"He looked drunk," Josh grinned.

Diego laughed, "I mean, he seemed kinda serious, you know?"

"I don't care, we're here; let's just enjoy ourselves, alright?"

Kailey looked at Diego, "so, you're an expert camper, huh?" She asked teasing.

Josh looked at him, who had a slight grin on his face, and then looked at Kailey, "he's the guru of camping! Look at him, he's proud."

Kailey laughed.

"You make me blush, Josh," he said.

"Oh, come on you two; kiss already, "she laughed.

Diego and Josh exchanged glances. "What?" Diego asked as he laughed. "I don't know!" Josh replied laughing as well.

"You seriously are pathetic." Kailey said as she patted them.

Suddenly, the sound of sticks breaking came out of the foliage behind Kailey. Diego's face shifted to a serious expression. Kailey frowned and looked at Josh, who was staring at the dense forest behind her. Kailey looked back, but didn't see anything.

The guys seemed uneasy. "Is… everything alright, guys?" She asked.

"It's nothing."

"Yeah, don't worry, maybe we're just tired."

As the fog floated above the waves, the temperature dropped to 19 degrees Celsius, and soon, it began to sprinkle. Diego suggested they enter the tent before the rain started. However, as Diego stood up, the trees behind Kailey started shaking.

"Uh, guys, what's going on?" She asked when she saw their faces, "what's behind me?" She asked terrified.

They were paralyzed. Soon, a nine-feet-tall lizard came out of the forest. They saw a massive crocodile-like creature balancing against the tent; soon, Josh grabbed a burning stick and threw it at the lizard.

"JOSH WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Kailey yelled. "THE GUN, GET THE GUN," she exclaimed.

Diego ran away the opposite direction as fast as he could, screaming. The animal swung its tail, launching Kailey in the air, to then land in the dense foliage, losing consciousness. Josh looked at his hands, noticing the bruises that the burning firewood gave him. He ran to the tent's direction to get the gun. The creature roared, exposing a narrow-long jaw filled with long sharp crocodilian teeth. Josh screamed and tried to run back, but the animal grabbed him by the leg. He immediately felt a stabbing pain, and the warmth of his blood running down his calf. When the creature released him, he tried to stand up, but the animal hit him with the snout, revealing an aqua-colored stripe that covered its face and eye. The animal then grabbed him by the other leg and threw him to the sea before stepping on him, leaving him critically injured.

From his far left, Diego's screams could be heard; the animal began to chase him until it lost him in the foliage. Diego looked back in horror, and in a desperate act, he entered a mangrove, moving through the roots and mud with difficulty.

"What… the… fuck was that!?" He exclaimed while trying to walk among the roots in the water. "I felt that something was wrong… I knew it… I should have told them…" He kept talking, "that old man… I knew we should have listened… crap, Josh, why do you always get me in trouble?" He yelled, blaming his best friend, even when he had ignored the old man as much as Josh did.

A few minutes had passed; he kept walking until he stopped at a broken fence. He frowned and went past it. Around thirty meters past the fence, he saw what seemed like a broken car. Half the car was buried and the vegetation, which was starting to take over the vehicle, he could barely make out some green patches, but it wasn't clear if what was green was the car's paint, or the moss growing on the car's surface. All he could manage to recognize were some red stripes painted on the doors. He got closer and looked through the window, trying to spot what was inside. There, he saw a gracile lizard sleeping inside on the back seats. The animal had a beige belly and brown back with red stripes along the neck, back and tail. It had a long neck and slender head, with bright blue spots that ran from the back of the eyes to the tip of the snout.

Then, Diego leaned forward to the front door; suddenly, the vehicle's CD-ROM turned on, it had the volume at max. A distorted voice started speaking: "On yo- your left, yOU will b- be- be able to see t- the- the beautiful Segi- gisa- saurus, a predator from the Jura… ssic." The voice faded away, and a screech came out from the device.

Soon, the animal woke up abruptly and looked at the CD-ROM with a sharp turn, and then looked at the window. Diego leaned back with a jump. The animal stood up with a leap, revealing its gracile body. Soon, the Segisaurus jumped out of the car through the back window that was broken. Diego screamed and started running the same direction he came from. He kept running along the beach until he got to the yacht. Next to the yacht was Josh, he was badly injured. Diego could barely see him, the bonfire had extinguished, but the moon was at its fullest, letting him see through the thick fog with difficulty.

"Josh!" Diego whispered after recognizing him. "Come on bro, let's get you in the boat," he said trying to carry Josh to the yacht. He was speaking too fast, almost forgetting to breathe. "Look at you… your calf, you must've lost a lot of blood," he kept talking, "that damn thing… we should've listened to the old man, "he said softly. "Where's Kailey?" He asked, "my God, she must be so scared. That thing took us by surprise."

Josh could barely speak or move. His face was swollen; the animal had hit him so hard that he lost consciousness for a few minutes.

From a distance, Kailey emerged from the foliage, limping and holding her belly; a stick had pierced her stomach when she fell.

"DIEGO?" She cried. "Is that you?" She could barely see his silhouette through the fog.

"Kailey! Over here!" He replied.

"You're alive! Thank God you're alive!" She was sobbing, "damn it, there was a gun inside the tent."

On the other side, he was trying to get Josh on the yacht, but it was difficult to climb up the boarding ladder carrying Josh on his shoulder.

Soon, the trees started shaking violently. Kailey yelped as she looked back; just to see that the lizard was back, however, it wasn't alone this time. This time it was joined by another individual, both emerging from the bushes. It was way smaller, a baby, roughly the size of a Bulldog.

Kailey tried to run desperately trying to follow Diego's voice, who finally managed to pull himself up. He then dropped Josh on the cockpit and jumped back to help Kailey up the boat.

The animal roared emitting a powerful low-pitch sound, similar to that of a crocodile and a lion at the same time. The adult pushed the baby encouraging it to attack the invaders, but the youngster ran behind, seeking protection.

Diego managed to push Kailey to the cockpit, and took Josh to the cabin; Kailey closed the cabin's door after entering, and let herself fall on the sofa.

"Start the engine!" She shouted, crying.

Diego started the yacht and accelerated through the thick fog. Ten meters... twenty meters... thirty meters... soon, the yacht had come out of the fog. Josh was tended on the floor, he could barely move, the animal had caused him some serious damage, his leg's skin was ripped apart, and his calves were covered in blood. Meanwhile, Kailey was trying not to move much to relieve the pain. The stick had gone all the way through her stomach.

"When we get there, there'll be doctors waiting for us," Diego said, "I already made the call."

She turned her face to him slowly, and passed out.

PLAYA NEGRA

Laughter and chatter filled the air on the beautiful Playa Negra, on the west coast of Costa Rica. Tourists and locals alike relished in the serene setting, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sound of the crashing waves. Children were building sandcastles, families sharing stories, and the beach thrived with lots of families enjoying themselves.

Amidst the chill scene, a sudden anomaly disrupted the peaceful ambiance. A distant glimmer, something swiftly growing larger, and it was hurtling toward the shore at an alarming pace. Initially mistaken for a distant boat, the peculiar object quickly evolved into a looming figure, heading straight for the unsuspecting beachgoers.

Panic sparked among the people as the glittering shape materialized into a rapidly approaching yacht. The once festive atmosphere turned chaotic in a matter of minutes. Parents urgently grabbing their children out of the sea, beachgoers dashed in all directions, and the jovial mood morphed into frantic disarray.

Shouts and screams merged into a cacophony of terror, blending with the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. Sand kicked up by the wind and the sheer force of the speeding yacht sprayed across the beach, blinding those closest to the inevitable disaster.

People's faces contorted with fear, their shouts filled the air, merging into an unrelenting chorus of panic. People's warnings and desperate cries to escape the path of the yacht dominated the once-peaceful setting.

As the yacht crashed onto the shore, the ground trembled beneath the stunned onlookers. The sheer force of the collision sent a shockwave through the sand, causing a cloud of fine particles to rise in a hazy whirlwind, adding to the disorienting chaos.

In the midst of this chaos, a man braved the hysteria, tentatively moving towards the capsized vessel. His slow approach seemed eternal as the people gathered around the yacht. Inside the yacht, a haunting silence permeated the air, shattered only by the chaotic commotion outside. As the man peered cautiously inside the vessel, his eyes widened in horror, catching sight of the grotesque scene within. Diego's lifeless body sprawled awkwardly over a knife, Josh motionless in a pool of blood, and Kailey's throat brutally torn apart, bearing the marks of brutal violence.

A shiver of terror ran down his spine as he stumbled backward, his gasp joining the already frenzied atmosphere on the beach. The unexpected horror inside the yacht far surpassed any nightmare anyone could have imagined. Yet, as he recoiled from the scene, a movement caught his eye. Something slinking out of the darkness within the cabin, an eerie silhouette, emerged from the shadows. Its gracile body moved with a sinister grace; its gaze fixated on the chaos outside.

The man's horrified scream seemed to echo within the cabin as he leaped back from the cockpit. The Segisaurus followed. Its movements unnaturally swift as it ran to the forest, getting lost in the foliage. The sight of the creature further amplified the terror among the people, increasing the panic through the crowd.