by Logan Jacobs
I took Becka’s hand and steadied her on her feet, and she wiped some happy tears from her face. I left a few kisses in her hair while she sniffed and giggled, and then we turned to look at her mum’s home.
“Nice place,” Kat said and strolled over from her Jeep.
“So cute,” Hae-won agreed. “Your mum has good taste.”
“Let’s go!” Becka said, and she pulled me by the hand into the garden. The blonde limped as fast as she could up the path, and I could feel her palm sweat and tremble when we reached the door.
“Ready?” I asked, and I hoped more than anything that we would find Becka’s mother alive and well behind the door.
Hae-won and Kat stood behind us, and they both put a hand on Becka’s shoulders.
“Okay,” Becka whispered. “Here we go.”
She reached out to the golden doorknob and twisted it, and to my surprise, it opened without resistance.
My stomach dropped.
It couldn’t be a good sign that the house was unlocked, and Becka must have had the same thought, because she covered her mouth and gasped.
“It’s okay,” I reassured her. “Do you want me to go in first?”
“I think so,” the Brit whispered through her hand. “Please, Jason, I can’t handle seeing anything bad in there.”
I gently let go of her hand, and I swung my rifle around to my chest as I stepped into the house.
The door creaked when I pushed against it, and there were no lights on inside, but the daylight behind me illuminated the hardwood floor and pale-yellow walls.
I was in a small corridor with a narrow staircase to my right, and a closed, white door stood to my left. I took a moment to listen for any signs of life, and even though I really didn’t want to, I sniffed the air to check for a death scent.
To my relief, it smelled fresh and clean in here. That could be a good sign.
The girls waited silently on the front step, and I started to make my way to the white door.
I gently pushed it open and walked into the dim room, and after a quick scan, I could tell I was alone. I flicked the light switch on, and a cozy living room was revealed.
It had a gray sofa, a large television, and an assortment of trinkets displayed over a fireplace. The colorful, striped rug led out into a kitchen with white tiles, and a little dining room was at the very end of the house.
I travelled carefully through each room in turn and surveyed every corner, but then I lowered my rifle the slightest bit.
“There’s nobody here,” I called, and Becka came hobbling in to join me.
“What?” she gasped as she frantically looked around. “Mum? Mum!”
“We’ll check upstairs,” Hae-won said at once, and she led Kat to the stairway.
Then Becka limped into the kitchen and then into the dining room.
I felt nauseous as I watched her face become more and more desperate, and she eventually slid down onto one of the wooden chairs in the dining room. I made my way through the kitchen to join her, and as I took one more glance around, I noticed the knife block on the counter was empty.
“Hey,” I said gently as I knelt beside Becka. “This doesn’t mean anything. There’s no signs of a struggle or a break-in, so she must have left by her own choice. Maybe she’s just gone for some food, and she’ll be back soon.”
I didn’t want to give Becka false hope, but there was something about the house that made me believe her mum was still alive. If there had been any kind of fight, surely there would be at least a smashed glass or smear of blood.
And who kept a knife block around the house if they weren’t going to store knives in it?
The blonde sniffed, and I gently wiped a tear from her soft cheek as she bit her lip.
Hae-won and Kat’s footsteps raced back down the stairs, and both girls looked eager to speak with Becka. Their eyebrows wrinkled with worry as they hurried to the table, but then they shook their heads as I met their gaze.
“She’s not here,” Hae-won announced. “But I noticed something weird while we were looking around up there. There’s a bunch of picture frames that don’t have anything in them.”
“So?” Becka asked.
“So,” the Korean continued. “A bunch of them had little titles, like ‘baby’s first bath,’ and ‘Becka’s first day at school.’ Becka, I think your mum took the pictures with her, which means she must have left by her own choice.”
The blonde looked up at Hae-won with wide eyes, and I could see the glimmer of hope come back to her.
“The knives are gone, too,” I quickly added and stood up. “On the counter top in the kitchen, there’s just an empty block.”
“It’s really empty?” Becka asked and clutched the table’s edge.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Super weird, right? She must have armed herself.”
“Of course she did,” Kat firmly agreed. “I’m guessing this woman is where Becka got her badassery from. She’s out there somewhere, and I bet we find her before the day’s out.”
It was a bold claim, but I was grateful for Kat’s positivity because it was clearly what Becka needed.
The blonde Brit nodded vigorously and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before she stood up.
“We should check next door,” Becka decided. “She’s such a gossip. She was always around the neighbors. Janey lives on the left. They would sit in their gardens with wine and chat shit for hours.”
“Then maybe they’ve teamed up.” Kat nodded. “Let’s go check it out.”
We headed back through the kitchen and living room, and I watched as Becka’s eyes darted over every inch of the house as we made our way outside. As soon as we were outside, I glanced up at the sky, and Kat suspiciously glanced down the street.
It was bizarre that there were no signs of dinos, and even though this was a good thing, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled. Everything was just so untouched, and the normalcy was more concerning than half the dinos we’d seen today.
The neighboring house looked similar to Becka’s mum’s house. It was the same white stone, and even had a garden swing near the door. There weren’t as many flowers over here, and the paint job on the door was a dusty blue.
Hae-won tried the handle, and once again, the front door swung open as if someone was expecting visitors.
“What the hell?” Kat muttered, and we stepped inside together.
The layout was identical, but the decor was much more minimal and crisp. There were no yellow walls, and everything from the stairs to the little door on my left was white.
“Let’s do it,” Kat said as she nudged Hae-won, and the two girls jogged upstairs.
I took the same path through the house as I had before, and I only found white curtains, white tables, and a brown leather armchair.
The place was empty.
“Okay, what the fuck?” Becka scoffed as she threw her arms up in the air. “Where the hell have they gone?”
“And why?” I asked. “If this place is somehow dino free, why would anyone want to leave?”
We looked around the neat rooms one more time, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to see. No blood-stained weapons in the sink, and no hastily written letter attached to the fridge.
When Hae-won and Kat returned from upstairs, they just shrugged, and we all stood in the neat little kitchen in silence.
“Is there anywhere else she might go?” Hae-won asked as she drummed the white countertop. “Any place in the town that could be safer? Like a community center or something?”
“There’s a little library,” Becka sighed. “But I don’t think that would be much bett… oh, my god.”
“What?” I asked as the blonde put her hands on her head.
“The castle,” Becka replied. “Raven Hall! Mum always went there to do hair for events! Weddings and stuff like that, you know? I think she might have even had a key for the staff entrance.”
“There’s a castle here?” Hae-won asked. “But this place is so
tiny. Does every town in England just have its own castle?”
“Didn’t you say your dad has an island?” Kat snorted.
“He doesn’t own the island,” the Korean replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “He just has a huge base on it.”
“Did you say ‘huge base?’” I cut in.
“Plus a private jet,” Kat added with an arched eyebrow.
“This is not about me right now.” Hae-won shrugged. “Becka… you mentioned an ancient castle?”
“It’s not old-looking anymore,” Becka said. “They pretty much turned it into a modern hotel and redid all the rooms and everything. It’s quite swanky. There’s a big bit for golf and stuff. It’s to the east just a bit out of the town.”
“You think your mum’s gone on holiday for the apocalypse?” Kat asked, and I could tell she was fighting against a smirk.
“Yeah, I thought this was a rescue mission,” Hae-won snorted.
“Guys,” I chuckled. “If Becka thinks this castle is where her mum is, then we need to go check it out.”
“Of course,” Hae-won agreed. “I just hope this one isn’t filled with ghosts or falling stairs.”
“I… what?” Kat asked, but we were already hurrying back out of the house and into the garden.
Becka ran as fast as she could on her injured leg, and I helped her into the Jeep before I rushed over to my motorcycle and started the engine.
Hae-won and Kat were right behind us, and the pair had their engines running in a matter of seconds.
“She has to be there,” Becka said while she wrestled with her seatbelt. “I bet Janey’s there, too. Those two probably decided to team up and camp out in the castle. There’s probably a dungeon and everything to keep them safe.”
“To the dungeon!” I cheered.
“To the castle!” Hae-won whooped. “Which way, Becka?”
“It’s right near one of the cliff sides,” the blonde Brit replied. “It’s about ten minutes away from here.”
We left Becka’s mum’s house behind and set off toward the beach. It had been a punch in the gut to find that house empty, but we’d found our stride again, and I knew we’d all do anything we could to figure out where Becka’s mum went.
There was dense woodland around us as we left the town and made our way toward the sea, and I made sure to keep an eye on the trees for any sudden movements.
The roar of our three engines rang out over the green fields around us, but after several minutes, I thought I heard something else in the distance.
“Guys, slow down for a sec!” I hollered. “I think I hear something.”
Sure enough, once we all rolled to a halt, there were dull thuds coming from nearby. They were heavy and methodic, like large footsteps or the swing of a massive tail.
“I guess Ravenscar isn’t immune to dinos,” I whispered as I glanced in my side mirror. “Let’s hope we don’t run into whatever that is. Keep your eyes on the trees and stay on your guard.”
The girls nodded while we proceeded at a slower pace, and Becka pulled her rifle into her lap as she peered out the Jeep window.
“When we reach the end of these trees,” Becka hissed, “there will be a huge cliffside to the left, and on top of the hill is Raven Hall.”
I nodded, but I had a sense of dread as I felt the vibrations under my tires grow stronger.
“Whatever that noise is, I think we’re headed right for it,” I said. “Becka, be ready to shoot.”
“I am,” the blonde Brit assured me.
We all slowed down just as we neared a fork in the road, and there was an ornate, golden sign waiting. The sign told us to take a left for Raven Hall, and as we turned the corner, I finally saw what was making all the noise.
Then we all hit the brakes.
There was a huge building way up the hill, and a low fortress with mini turrets and sprawling greenery surrounded the structure.
Outside the bounds of Raven Hall, a gathering of large dinosaurs prowled the grassy grounds, and none of them were the same species.
It was hard to say exactly how many dinos surrounded the building since our view was partially blocked with trees, but I could see at least five giant beasts, and none of them seemed interested in attacking each other at all.
They strolled around the perimeter with slow, methodical thuds, and every dino in the tribe, no matter their species, kept their eyes fixed on the castle.
“What the hell?” Becka whimpered as we stared up at the array of dinos. “What are they doing?”
“I’d rather not speak my mind,” Kat muttered.
“Jason?” Becka squeaked.
“It… looks like they’re working as a team to scope out the castle,” I said as a cold sweat ran down my back. “There must be people inside.”
Chapter 11
“Holy shit,” Becka whispered, and Hae-won mumbled something in Korean.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the way the dinos were moving.
They walked in a slow and steady circle as if they were trying to intimidate the people inside Raven Hall. They had acres of land to roam on out there, but their path stayed near the building, and even from this distance, I could feel their footsteps through the ground.
“There’s a whole fucking selection up there,” I said. “That’s a spinosaurus and an allosaurus just plodding along together like buddies. We’ve never seen this before.”
“Mum,” Becka whimpered, and her face was utterly drained of color as she looked up the hill.
Then a rattling scream rang out above us, and the rest of the dinos looked toward the sky as the sound of massive wings approached.
“Get in the trees,” I hissed as I leapt off my bike, and we all raced into the cover of the dense woodlands.
Our feet kicked up dirt as we sprinted away from the road, and we only stopped when we had gone a few rows of trees deep. Then we dove behind the trunk of a large oak tree, and I rested my finger on the cool, metal trigger of my rifle as the heavy flapping sound drew closer.
The treetops provided an effective barrier, and although we could see the vague shape of something in the sky, we were shielded from view.
The shadow hovered above us for a moment, and it wavered back and forth over the area. Then the shape finally moved on with another rattling scream.
The four of us waited, and none of us dared to make a sound as the winged creature carried on its way.
After a few minutes had passed, Hae-won motioned for us to stay still, and she silently edged closer to the road. Her ninja-like footsteps were so light that she barely left any marks in the dirt, and her raven-black hair swung behind her as she crept forward with her rifle at the ready.
I kept my rifle aimed at the treetops and waited for Hae-won to peek out to the hill.
The Korean gave us the thumbs up, and the rest of us jogged over to meet her.
Then we all looked out from behind the trees to see a creature almost double the size of a pterodactyl swoop low over the crowd of dinosaurs.
It was a slightly brighter green than we had seen on flying dinos before, and it had a yellow helmet-like addition to its beak.
The massive wingspan narrowly missed the head of the spinosaurus, but none of the land dwellers snapped at it or tried to attack. Instead, they just kept their slow walk going, and a few of them roared into the sky.
“So, what have we got?” I whispered. “A spinosaurus, allosaurus, whatever the hell that flying thing is, and I can see another big one on the other side.”
“I think there’s two on the other side,” Hae-won said as she went on her tiptoes. “We’ll see them when they move around, since they seem to be walking in a slow circle.”
“Am I high on painkillers, or is this actually happening?” Becka asked.
“Unless we’re all having the same hallucination, it’s real,” I sighed. “This is fucked up, what are they all doing? They’re not even attacking the place. It’s like they’re trying to come up with the best plan of action bef
ore they make a move.”
“Brainstorming dinosaurs,” Hae-won said as she shook her head slowly. “This is new.”
“Not too new,” Kat muttered and kept her gaze on the castle grounds. “You saw the video from Peterborough. Those allosauruses did the same thing.”
“Shit,” I gasped. “You’re right. Those dinos waited for the gate to open.”
“Yep.” The soldier sent me a sidelong glance, and the muscle in her jaw tensed.
“Should we attack?” Becka asked. “We could use the grenade launchers.”
“No,” I said. “I mean, if we can find a way in without being noticed, then I say we do that. We have no idea how many other dinos are in the area, and so far, they’re all huge. Becka, you said your mum had a key for a staff entrance. Is that around the back?”
“Uhhh, sort of,” the blonde replied, but her eyes were still fixed on the scene up the hill. “It’s around the side. The side nearest the cliff edge.”
“How are we going to get all the way up there unnoticed?” Kat asked as she studied the hillside. “If we go around the side of this hill, then we’ll be mostly out of view from this group. But by the time we get near the castle, these dinos will have circled around, and there is no way we could sneak past.”
“Especially with the one in the sky,” Becka added.
“The grenades,” Hae-won insisted. “We don’t need to use them on the dinos, but if we fire one off in the other direction, it might distract them long enough for us to get in.”
“You just really want to blow something up, don’t you?” Kat asked.
“Yes.” Hae-won nodded with an evil, but still very adorable, grin.
“That could work.” I grinned. “If we get most of the way over there unseen and then send a grenade into the fields, it will at least give us a couple of minutes.”
“Why don’t we just do it now?” Hae-won asked. “Get them out of the way to begin with.”
“I don’t think so,” I said as I glanced up at the circle of dinos. “The drive around is too far for us to make it before they lose interest in the grenade. I don’t know what the fuck is going on with these guys, but if they’re smart enough to plan an organized attack, then they might be smart enough to work out a distraction. The first grenade could fool them, but what if the second one didn’t?”
