by Logan Jacobs
There was a loud roar outside, and the group all looked warily at the boarded-up windows as they shook with a set of heavy footsteps.
“Uhhh,” Kat said. “Do you guys just sit and eat soup with giant dinosaurs stomping around outside?”
“I think it’s chili today,” Debbie replied as she peered over at the food being dished out. “It’s always bloody chili.”
“Smells good to me,” I said. “But Kat has a point, do you guys have some kind of guard system? Is there a plan?”
“I’ll bloody stab the cheeky bastards if they come in here,” Debbie said as she grabbed a bread knife from her makeshift tool belt, and she waved it around in the air like a vigilante. “That’s the bloody plan.”
“Mum,” Becka sighed. “You realize you can’t kill them with a fucking knife, right? We have military-grade weapons, and I still got my leg mauled.”
“You what?” Debbie yelled, and then she bent down to try and pull up Becka’s pant legs. “What happened? Who did it? I’ll kill ‘em!”
“Um, a spinosaurus,” Becka mumbled as she shooed her mum away. “But it's already dead, and I’m fine, so stop fussing!”
Before her mum could fuss over her anymore, Becka led us over to the tables, and the rest of the group started to take their seats. Our plates were already piled with steaming chili, and I resisted the urge to wolf it down like an animal. I hadn’t eaten since our pasta last night, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had home-made chili.
Once we were all seated, I dug in as politely as possible, and Hae-won moaned with approval after just one bite.
“How long have you all been here?” I asked the group. “And when did those dinos start creeping around outside?”
“We’ve been here since the start,” a red-haired man piped up from across the tables. He had green-rimmed glasses and a freckled face.
“It was my idea,” Debbie announced and laid a cloth napkin on her lap. “I said to Janey that this would be the best spot.”
“Are you all from Ravenscar?” Hae-won asked.
“Mostly.” The red-haired man nodded. “There’s one couple who were on holiday, but the rest of us are locals.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I said. “So, you all know each other?”
“Yeah, I’m Harris, by the way,” the man replied.
“He’s the doctor,” Debbie added. “Good thing we got him on board, eh? Most precious member of the team.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Harris laughed. “We’ve got Stu, he’s a farmer. Allison is the vet, so she has loads of medical knowledge, too.”
“If you’re a cat,” Debbie snorted, and then she pointed at the Corporal. “Ha, she can help you, at least. We need an honest soldier in the group, but an honest to god bombshell of a soldier is even better.”
The girls laughed, and I gratefully took another bite of my food. It was mostly beans, tinned tomatoes, and a small amount of rice, but it was seasoned to perfection, it felt luxurious to eat hot food after our journey.
“So, tell us about your trip,” Harris said as we ate. “I can’t believe you made it all this way, are you all at Cambridge?”
“Kat isn’t,” I said with a nod to the Corporal. “The rest of us were just students who got lucky, I guess.”
“Jason’s an amazing fighter,” Kat quickly added. “He’s saved our asses on multiple occasions.”
“We all do our bit,” I countered, but I sent the beautiful soldier a smile. “None of us would have made it alone.”
“I don’t know,” Becka laughed. “I think Hae-won would have managed.”
“Is that right?” Debbie asked, and she eyed the Korean beauty and winked. “Bet you’re the feisty one, eh? The little quiet ones always are.”
Hae-won blushed and smiled while she shoveled more chili into her mouth, but then there was a loud thud outside, and the entire room shook.
I glanced at Harris, but none of the locals seemed especially bothered, and I wondered if they really understood how much danger they were in.
“Have you seen the doorways on your up here?” the man with the lip ring asked. “The dino doors?”
“That’s Mikey,” Debbie said through a mouthful of food. “He worked in the little store.”
“Doorways?” I asked. “Do you mean the portals? Those tears in the universe that the dinosaurs come out of?”
“That’s it.” Mikey nodded. “They’re fucking creepy, I saw one just before I came up here. A whole bunch of little flying ones came out.”
“Yeah, we’ve seen them,” I answered and wiped my mouth on a napkin. “They’re all over the place, but we’ve noticed more and more as the days have gone by.”
“It’s getting worse,” Kat agreed. “Not to mention the nesting.”
“There are eggs down near the surgery,” Harris said. “I don’t know what they belonged to, but they were just about the size of me.”
“Woah.” I whistled. “That’s not good. We’ve seen how hostile the dinosaurs get around their nests. They were deadly to begin with, but it’s a whole new level of slaughterfest out there now.”
“So, what’s the deal with the ones outside?” Becka asked. “How come you’re all just sitting in here while they stomp about in their gang? I don’t mean to be a prat, but you’re mental to let this go on.”
“They only started doing it a couple of days ago,” Harris sighed. “I don’t know which one got there first, but each time I risked a peek outside, there seemed to be a new one.”
“And they just walk around?” Hae-won asked. “They don’t try and break in?”
“Not yet,” Mikey said grimly.
“Why don’t they just break down the walls?” Harris asked as he glanced at the doorway. “That’s what I don’t understand.”
“They’re planning,” I said. “We’ve seen a lot of dinos on our journey, and they’re becoming more organized, like real hunters rather than just mindless killers.”
“It’s true,” Kat agreed. “And by the looks of things, they’ve even started to form alliances with other dinos.”
The other members of the group were quiet as we spoke, and I got the feeling none of them were exactly well-practiced in combat with the creatures.
Or maybe they were in denial.
As luxurious as Raven Hall seemed to be, it wouldn’t take long for the herd outside to tear it apart if they decided to. Every dino that joined the herd before then would only make them stronger, and no one in here seemed prepared to handle the situation.
If we were going to spend time in the castle long term, we would need to help out the locals with some kind of plan.
“So, Jason,” Debbie said as she leaned around Becka to look at me. “You got my baby girl here all the way from Cambridge. Can I trust you to do a wine run for me next?”
“You’ve been stuck here without wine?” Becka gasped. “How have you even survived this long?”
“It’s been a ballache, I’ll tell you that much,” Debbie scoffed. “This place was meant to get a big delivery of food and drink for a wedding right before shit hit the fan. The truck never made it, so we’re stuck with the pitiful contents of the freezer.”
“There’s tins of beans in the cupboard,” Mikey said. “Fuck knows why. Who has beans at their wedding?”
“Probably for staff meals,” Harris said. “Along with a few other tins, and all the cake in the freezers, that’s about all we have.”
“Cake?” Hae-won asked.
“So much wedding cake,” Harris groaned. “As a medical professional, there are only so many times a day you can justify having vanilla cream for a meal.”
“We could do a food run,” I offered. “I mean, we got all this way, I’m sure we can handle securing more supplies.”
“Really?” Harris asked as he peered over his glasses. “You would do that? But how on Earth would you get past those creatures?”
“We did it once,” Becka said. “We can do it again.”
“You’re not going anywhere, missy,” Debbie scolded. “You’ve got a sore leg. You need to lie down.”
“I don’t need to lie down,” Becka groaned. “I laid down enough in the hospital, I want to help my man and friends.”
“Becka,” I said. “Your mum’s right, the more you rest, the sooner you’ll be back to your old self.”
“I like this one,” Debbie laughed. “Have you got an available dad around?”
“I’m afraid he’s happily married in the states,” I laughed.
“Shame,” Debbie sighed. “But in all seriousness, I don’t want you kids getting mauled by those bastards the second you get here.”
“Will there be anything left in the shops?” Kat asked. “Or in the houses even?”
“I think most folks brought any supplies they had with them,” Debbie said. “But Mikey said the shop will be fully-stocked.”
“Well, it should be,” the young man carefully replied. “I wasn’t there when this all went down, so I didn’t take anything.”
“That’s no guarantee,” Kat warned. “People could have looted it by now.”
“Maybe,” Mikey said. “But we don’t really get a lot of visitors, especially now.”
“I know where the shop is,” Becka huffed as she put down her fork. “I could lead the way, and make sure no one gets--”
“We’ll manage, don’t worry,” I cut in and put a hand on her thigh, and the blonde Brit sent me a small smile. “Harris, you said there’s a nesting spot near the doctor’s office?”
“That’s right,” Harris said and adjusted his glasses. “Stay clear. I brought most things of use from there, so there shouldn’t be any need to swing by.”
“There’s one out near the beach, too,” Mikey added. “Dunno what those eggs are, but they’re not too big. Maybe the size of my forearm”
“We’ll stick to the sheltered roads,” I decided as I scooped up the last of my chili. “If we stay close to the edge of the woods and the houses, we’ll have more cover.”
“You really need to be careful,” Harris warned, and he put down his fork before he leaned in closer. “There’s something bad out there. Something unlike those other creatures. It’s so much faster. When it passes, the other dinosaurs go quiet.”
“They do?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes.
“Not one roar,” the red-haired man confirmed. “Like they don’t want to draw much attention to themselves all of sudden.”
“Oh, God,” Becka groaned. “What is it, then? A t-rex?”
“T-rexes aren’t too fast,” I replied. “And spinos are supposed to be bigger. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t keep up with that triceratops herd we saw earlier. Not for long, anyway.”
“Then what--” Becka’s next question was cut off with a roar that shook the room, and Harris’ face was suddenly drained of all color.
There was a rattling screech and flapping of wings outside, and the herd around us sounded like they had started to scatter. The sudden flurry of footsteps made chili bowls crash onto the hardwood floor, and the two children in the room dove under the tables.
Some members of the group raced out of the main hall, and a few of them joined the kids in hiding.
I looked at the girls, and as the roars grew louder, it was clear something terrible was on its way.
Chapter 12
I leapt up from my seat at the table while the walls shuddered with each thunderous step. The girls jumped up beside me, and we heard the roar of the incoming dino echo over the countryside.
No other roars answered in response, and the sounds of the fleeing herd had vanished.
Then Debbie reached under the table and pulled out a horrifying homemade weapon. It was a large, pointed stick with several sharp blades attached to the end with about a pound of masking tape.
The entire group stayed quiet as a third roar erupted, and one of the younger women in the group looked like she was about to faint.
The carefully boarded up windows left no means of seeing the danger that had arrived, and all I could do was stand ready with my rifle in the hopes that the creature wouldn’t get curious about what was inside the castle.
“What exactly is it?” Becka whispered as a deep rumble of a growl rang out.
“A giganotosaurus,” Harris muttered. “We weren’t sure at first, but my son has a book with him that is basically a dinosaur encyclopedia.”
“Those are bigger than t-rexes?” I asked. “I know spinos are supposed to be the largest.”
“A bit bigger than a t-rex,” Harris replied. “The spinosaurus is slightly larger, but this one is fast. Really fast. My son said it shouldn’t be, based on what his book says, but we’ve watched this guy run from the upper floors, and it’s scary how fast it moves.”
The dinosaur roared again, and then it felt like a mini earthquake shook through the ground as it started to run. It was hard to say which direction it was headed, but the distant cry of one of the other herd members signaled that a fight was about to take place outside.
The room shook so violently that I was sure the chandeliers above us would crash down, and it was hard to even stand up with the vibrations that ran through the hardwood floor.
There was a massive thump followed by a wail, and it sounded like the giganotosaurus had run into whichever dino it reached first.
“They’re fighting,” Hae-won hissed. “I suppose this one isn’t part of the herd?”
“Sounds that way.” I nodded as another thump shook the walls. “The giganotosaurus did not come to play nicely.”
“That big fucker,” Debbie muttered as she brandished her DIY spear. “He comes around every damn day causing a big scene. If he tries to get in here, I’m going to show him a thing or two.”
“Should we try and go out and take a look at this thing?” Becka hissed.
“You most certainly will not,” her mum scoffed, and Becka pursed her lips at the woman’s scolding tone.
The new arrival roared once more, and then fast footsteps pounded around the side of the hotel before the herd member screamed out in what sounded like a pained cry. There was a guttural snarl shortly after, and the heavy footsteps of the giganotosaurus thundered away from Raven Hall.
It took almost two full minutes for the sound to fade into the distance, but the other dino could still be heard as it slowly dragged itself away in the opposite direction.
“Have they gone?” A young redheaded boy asked and peeked out from under the white tablecloth.
“It sounds that way,” Becka said in a soothing tone.
I made my way over to one of the boarded-up windows and saw that the nails had been hammered in shoddily. One of the small wooden planks was barely hanging on, and I carefully pulled the edge of the smooth wood and slowly lowered it so I could see out onto the grounds.
The girls came over to my side, and we all peered out at the green countryside.
The allosaurus was in the distance, and it slowly dragged its shredded right leg as it stumbled away from Raven Hall. It seemed that the rest of the herd had disappeared from the castle for the time being, but the grass was torn up where the scuffle must have begun.
“The allosaurus is injured,” I reported. “Pretty badly, from the looks of it.”
“So, Giganoto isn’t their pal,” Kat concluded. “At least we know some of the dinos are still keen to fuck each other up.”
“Do you think it knows we’re in here?” Becka asked. “All the others seemed to have it figured out.”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted as I watched the injured allosaurus hobble through the field. “But if it wanted to get to us, it probably would have. Maybe it’s just a waiting game until it catches on to our scent, or maybe it’s got its own organization somewhere out there.”
“This is mental, Jason,” Becka muttered as she glanced back at the group. “This place is not safe, and these people are all going to die when those things decide to attack. I didn’t come all this way to save my mum just so she
could become dino food in a week.”
“You say save…” Hae-won whispered. “But your mum does not seem like the damsel in distress type.”
“She’s got at least eight cooking knives on her,” Kat snorted. “And did you see that ultra-shank she made? She’s one bad bitch.”
“Deb did not even flinch when that giganotosaurus showed up,” the Korean chuckled. “She is feisty.”
“Hey, she needs protecting,” Becka hissed. “My mum will not be harmed. Not by anything! She needs me!”
I smiled at her determined scowl, but I decided not to weigh-in on the topic. After all of Becka’s worrying, I’d sort of expected her mum to be crying into a teacup and dressed in a muumuu when we found her, but I had no complaints.
Badass beauty with a slightly dirty mouth was fine by me.
Overprotective daughter? Cute as hell.
The girls continued snickering over Becka’s huffy attitude, but then I noticed a shape in the sky and realized the flying dino had started to slink back from wherever it had been hiding. It swooped down over the injured herd member before it made its way back up toward the castle, but it didn’t attack the vulnerable beast.
“Do you need this?” someone asked.
I turned to see the small boy had gotten out from under the table. He had red curls and freckles just like Harris, and I guessed he was about eight. He held out a large book with a picture of a t-rex on the front.
“It has all the different kinds,” the boy said. “But I can tell you all the ones out there if you want.”
“Wow.” I smiled encouragingly. “That’s awesome, I’d love some help. Do you know what the flying one is?”
“Dsungaripterus,” he replied without missing a beat.
“That’s a mouthful,” Becka laughed. “What’s your name?”
“Joey,” the boy replied. “I know all about dinosaurs. My dad gave me this book last Christmas, so I know everything about them.”
“Woah,” Becka said. “You sound like a pretty important person, then. The official dino advisor of Raven Hall.”
