Chapter 4

War’s End

The Battle of Natural Bridge is over, and 2,100 people are lying dead on the battlefield. The death toll is even larger than that; though, as some of the Confederate soldiers’ corpses are resting at the bottom of a T-Rex’s stomach. The men killed by the Raptors look like victims of Native American savages, their skulls torn open and their brains strewn about the grass. You can see some of the remnants of the T-Rex’s victims: an arm here and there, one man found a foot at the base of the woodland area that the dinosaurs emerged from.

Though the battle is won, the North faces a new problem; one that Abraham Lincoln had predicted from the moment that this plan came into construction: dinosaurs are loose in the South and the North has unleashed a weapon that they have no idea how to stop. The destruction doesn’t end with this battle, but the war is ended here. History tells us that Robert E. Lee didn’t surrender to Union forces at Appomatox Courthouse until April 10,1865. Though; as said earlier, the course of history is altered because of this battle. Conditions of Southern surrender are much different than those seen in the real surrender document. The new treaty; though still containing some elements of the original, does have some elements altered. African American slaves are still freed, the CSA is still disbanded (reuniting the country), but the South has asked something absolutely necessary of the Union: the dinosaurs that are currently roaming free and still causing terror throughout the Southern half of the United States must be stopped and the Union must begin efforts to repair the damaged South.  

The date is April 15, 1865. The American Civil War ended just 5 days ago. Abraham Lincoln has been relishing in his victory, proud that his country is finally United again. It’s late at night and Lincoln is in a theater filled with people. Ford’s theater. Lincoln and his wife; Martha, are watching a play called “Our American Cousin”, which depicts a young American who goes to England to claim his family estate from his relatives.  At 10:15; while watching the play, Lincoln is shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth, an American Actor and a Confederate sympathizer who had performed at Ford’s theater before. His brains are scattered about the theater and a gaping hole is visible at the back of his head, where the bullet entered. John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln’s assassin, steps onto the stage and yells “Sic Semper Tyrannus!”, Latin for “thus always to tyrants!”.  

Booth escapes the theater and it takes days for federal troops to find him. Hiding in Maryland, Booth’s assassination of President Lincoln is not taken lightly. Most are vengeful towards him and want him to be brought to justice (even former Confederate General Robert E. Lee is distraught by Lincoln’s death), but some see him as a hero. One man is attacked by an angry crowd after uttering the words “It served old Abe right.” in response to the news of Lincoln’s death.  

Lincoln’s assassination is seen as a victory in the South, even though they have already lost the war. The North is enraged, but they know that they still have a hold on the South. The dinosaurs have yet to be stopped, but the man who initiated the project is dead. How can they move forward from this great tragedy to deal with another issue? The South; while joyful of Lincoln’s death, still wants to know: what are they going to do about the mess they made? We’ve already lost enough from the war, now these beasts are going to ruin a time that is meant for peace.