Jurassic War

by Hinton, Charles

  In another part of a business district, The Marines fired on a herd of triceratopses. Several Marines were smashed and stabbed by the

  creatures’ horns. Many of creatures were killed by the Marines’ rapid firepower.

  A colonel called Hutton on the radio, “General, we have to retreat!

  Our troops don’t have the proper artillery power to kill these dinosaurs instantly! We need more support fire because of the size of these

  creatures!”

  “Pull all your men back! We’ll pursue the attack tomorrow when we have support from the Army.”

  Halfway’s helicopter landed and Johnson greeted him. As he viewed thousands of Johnson’s troops and many of tanks. Halfway said, “They

  look excellent. Get them moving for battle right away. We have a large area to cover.”

  “Sir, it will be dark soon. I suggest we move them in the morning.”

  Frowning, Halfway retorted, “Wars aren’t won during the day, Johnson!

  Have your troops move now! And get me a damn jeep!”

  Angry, Johnson shouted, “Yes, sir!”

  Later, the Army reached the L.A. suburbs and was attacked by a herd of ceratosaurs. The Army’s tanks fired with tremendous firepower,

  killing many, and the rest retreated.

  The Army continued sweeping through the suburbs, firing on every creature that was in its range. Halfway was filled with joy over the Army’s progress and the killing of the dinosaurs without suffering casualties.

  Later, in the middle of the night, the troops rested. Halfway’s jeep drove to Johnson’s. “I didn’t order you to stop moving your troops,”

  Halfway said.

  “Sir, the troops need rest,” Johnson said.

  Upset, Halfway shouting and pointing his fly-swatter, “Johnson, wars aren’t won by resting! Get your damn troops moving now! And that’s

  an order!”

  “Yes, sir!” Johnson said angrily.

  As the troops moved, the ground started rumbling. Panicking, Halfway shouted, “Earthquake!”

  Mark, in the back of Halfway’s jeep, said, “I’m afraid not, General, that’s the sound of brachiosaurs and triceratopses heading this way.”

  Surprisingly, several dinosaurs stampeded toward the tanks and troops.

  The brachiosaurs stepped on tanks, several soldiers, crushing them.

  Tanks were knocked over and crushed by the triceratopses. Loud screams were heard as numerous troops were pulverized.

  When the stampede was over, the dinosaurs had left a horrible scene.

  Thousands of troops died, some crushed in their tanks, some smashed

  to death and their equipment demolished and scattered.

  Johnson looked at his devastated army. In a rage, he shouted at Halfway, ”You bastard, this is your fault! You couldn’t wait for the troops to attack during daylight!” He punched Halfway in the face, making

  him fall from his jeep.

  Halfway’s eye swelled. Holding it, he shouted in a rage, “You fat, white garbage! I’ll have you court-martial!”

  “Do it, you eight-ball head! I’m pulling my troops out of this area!

  There’ll not be any more attacking tonight!”

  “Fat boy! You can’t do that! I’m the boss around here!”

  “Watch me!”

  Halfway shouted to Mark and Larry as Johnson walked away, “You two saw that fat bastard punch me?”

  “We haven’t seen a thing,” they answered, looked at Halfway and laughed as he held his battered eye.

  “All I need is one witness to have him court-martial. At least my aide saw him.”

  “Sir, I’m sorry I didn’t see a thing,” Ben said.

  Halfway frowned. “You damn whites are always looking out for each other! I’ll get that bastard!” he said.

  Miles away, at an Air Force base, two guards were posted at the front gate. One heard a sound and asked the other, “Did you hear that?”

  “Yes.”

  Their eyes widened as they saw three rexes charging toward them. They fired their weapons but were overpowered, and the rexes swallowed

  them.

  A siren alarmed the base, and the rexes ran toward an airstrip and destroyed the grounded planes. Jeeps crammed with guards with weapons arrived and shot at the rexes, but the jeeps were destroyed, and the

  guards were overpowered and killed by the rexes, who then quickly

  left the base.

  Clover was informed of the attack. Distressed, he made a phone call to Halfway, who was still at Johnson’s camp. “Sir, I have terrible

  news, three large dinosaurs attacked my base, killed several troops

  and destroyed planes.”

  “How the hell did they get there?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did you pursue them?”

  “No, sir. We’re in a state of confusion, and we don’t have planes available to track.”

  “I hate to bring the Navy into the war, but we need their planes.”

  Halfway hung up the phone and asked Mark, “How in the world did these creatures locate the Air Force base?”

  “General, animals communicate, just like humans. The birds could have told the rexes where it was located. These creatures aren’t stupid.They know humans are out to destroy them.”

  Chapter 9

  Early next morning, Halfway was sitting in the briefing room, sipping a cup of coffee and looking anxious. One of his eyes was swollen shut from Johnson’s punch. Ben came in and asked, “General, you want more coffee?”

  “No. Where’re Mark and Larry?”

  “They’re in the mess hall.”

  “Get them. The meeting will begin shortly.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Halfway,” Johnson said, entering the room, “I’m sorry about my actions. I lost my temper. If you want to court-martial me, I understand.”

  “It’s not your fault, it’s mine for letting a fat-belly, out-of-shape bastard like you sneak attack me.” Halfway said and grinned. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to court-martial you.”

  He quickly stood and punched Johnson in the eye, making him fall backward to the floor. Halfway grimaced, “Now we’re even. Get up and take a seat! You fat bastard!”

  Johnson, surprised by Halfway’s action, groaned from the pain as his eye swelled and got up.

  Standwall entered and asked, “What happened to you guys’ eyes?”

  “None of your damn business!” Halfway shouted angrily. “Take your seat or you’ll have one too!”

  Jittery from the threat, Standwall quickly sat.

  An Asian man came in. “Good morning, gentlemen.”

  “Take a seat, Admiral Chun,” Halfway said.

  Sleepy looking, Clover followed.

  “I haven’t forgotten that you called me an asshole, Clover,” Halfway said. “Why do you look tired?”

  “I’ve not had a chance to sleep because of the attack last night.”

  Larry came in, holding a box of doughnuts with Mark beside him and asked, “Any of you, chaps, want a doughnut?” Larry said.

  Standwall grinned. “I’ll take one,” bit in to it. “Oh, delicious!”

  “Try the jelly, chap,” Larry said.

  Frowning, Halfway looked, “Will you two stop! This is a briefing room, it isn’t a damn doughnut shop!”

  “General, why are you so moody this morning?” Mark asked.

  “Done of your damn business! Take a seat!”

  Hutton came in. “Good morning everybody-”

  “Shut up and take a seat!” Halfway shouted. He began his briefing. “Last night we lost two thousand troops. I’ll have a press conference shortly to explain the loss. I’m including the Navy in our new operation called DD Day. It means Destroy Dinosaur Day. We’ll demolish everything in sight to terminate these creatures. I don’t care if we have to destroy the entire city.”

  “General, my Navy Seals can terminate the rest without mass destruction,”
Chun said.

  “Admiral,” Standwall said, “the Marines couldn’t do it. They’re under the Navy.”

  “Neither could your Special Forces,” Chun said.

  “What are you saying, that your Navy Seals are better than my Special Forces?”

  “Yes.”

  Upset, Standwall stood and made a fist. “You, slant-eyed bastard!

  I’ll kick your Chinese ass!”

  “Try it, white trash!” Chun stood and got into a karate stand.

  “Sit down you two! We’re not here to fight among ourselves! Save it for the dinosaurs!” Halfway shouted.

  Mark grinned. “Look who’s talking-”

  “Shut up, you wimp!” Halfway yelled.

  Angry, Mark was fed up with Halfway. “I’m tired of your military crap, you, mean bastard!”

  Mark punched Halfway in the face, making him fall off his chair.

  Halfway’s staff was astonished.

  A brawl erupted: Mark, Larry and Clover were fighting Halfway and Hutton while Standwall fought Chun, and Ben fought Johnson. The

  briefing table was turned over, chairs busted, and clothes ripped

  as they brawled.

  The door opened and a man appeared, frowning as he watched them, “What the hell is going on here!” he shouted.

  Halfway turned, wiped dripping blood from his mouth. Surprised, he yelled, “Attention, gentlemen! It’s the President of the United States!”

  The brawl came to an abrupt halt and all came to attention.

  The President walked back and forth in front of them and said loudly, “What’s going on here? You’re acting like kids! If I wanted kids to

  command this war I would have hired some!” Then he stood directly in

  front of Halfway. Spitting as he shouted, “General Halfway! If you

  can’t get yourself, your advisers and commanders together to supervise this war correctly and win it quickly, I’ll relieve you from your command and make your life miserable! Do I make myself clear, General?”

  Serious, Halfway answered, “Yes, Mr. President!”

  “You and Mark have a press conference in an hour. Get yourself cleaned up, you look like hell!” The President left.

  Halfway joked, “Boy, his breath stinks!” The joke broke the tension, and everybody laughed. “Well, gentlemen,” he went on, “we’ll continue this briefing after the press conference. My aide will get somebody to straighten up this mess. I suggest you change your uniforms because

  you all look like hell, too.”

  They looked at one another and laughed.

  In a field, a tank from Johnson’s division went astray in the woods.

  The driver stuck his head up, looked around and said to his co-driver, “The area is clear. Let’s stretch our legs and take a smoke break.”

  Outside the tank, the co-driver asked, “Where are we?”

  “We’re almost out of the suburbs. Our unit isn’t far from here,” said the driver.

  “That crazy Halfway thinks he’s Patton, having us move like dogs, but I’m glad we escaped the dinosaurs’ attack last night,” said the co-driver.

  “Can you imagine being smashed to death or eaten by one of those things?” asked the driver.

  “No, and I don’t want to imagine. I feel like I have diarrhea. I’m going into the bushes.”

  “Be careful, a dinosaur might bite you on the ass,” the driver joked and laughed.

  “Dinosaurs are miles from here. Do you have toilet paper?”

  “No. Here, use this paper bag.”

  The co-driver took it and entered the bushes. As he squatted, he heard a dinosaur roar. Frightened, he pulled up his pants and ran toward the tank shouting, “Dinosaurs! Let’s get out of here!”

  He and the driver jumped into the tank. A rex blocked its path, growling, showing its teeth as it came toward the tank which repeatedly fired

  at it, wounding it. making it, back up. Angry, the rex growled louder and charged the tank, biting its barrel, flipping the tank on its side. The impact knocked, the passengers unconscious and smoke filled the tank. The rex’s feet pounded it, hitting its gas line. The tank exploded in a gulf of flame, killing its passengers and the flame spread to the rex’s body. The rex screamed as the fire burned its body to death.

  The Presidential plane was flying back to Washington. The President was by its window and beside him was his Chief of Staff, who asked,

  “Mr. President, how was the meeting between Halfway and his staff?”

  “Bob, it was a disaster. They were surprised to see me. They’d been fighting like cats and dogs. The best commanders in the military acting like kids. There’s no excuse for their behavior.

  “When I opened the briefing room door, they were fist fighting and the room was in shambles. Halfway’s uniform was torn, one of his eyes was half closed and he was bleeding from the mouth. He looked like

  he’d been in a boxing match and lost.”

  Bob laughed. “Do you think the civilians started the fight?” he asked.

  “It’s doesn’t matter who started it. Their original purpose was to create a strategy that would quickly terminate the dinosaurs with

  minimum casualties.”

  “You should relieve them from their command.”

  “I can’t do that because I put restrictions on this war, and if I fired them, they probably would go to the press and say, the reason they didn’t get the job done was because of my restrictions. Now there’re none and if they can’t do the job now, I’ll fire them.”

  An aide handed the President a phone and said, “Mr. President, it’s the Secretary of Defense.”

  “What is it, Jack?”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “Calm down, Jack, or I’ll hang up.”

  “I was informed by Admiral Chun, that the creep, Halfway is planning a major attack, like World War II, on less than a thousand dinosaurs.

  I’m the Secretary of Defense. Why wasn’t I informed by you or him?”

  “Jack, I never thought that this war would come to this. I recently gave orders to him to do anything necessary to terminate the rest

  of the dinosaurs. I’m sorry you weren’t informed.”

  “If you give him anymore orders, please inform me, Mr. President.”

  “I will, Jack.” The President gave the phone back to his aid.

  Nationwide TV programs were interrupted by news of the war. A news anchorman reported, “Today is the second day of the war with the dinosaurs.

  Last night thousands of U.S. troops were killed in a stampede by

  plant-eating dinosaurs, and many civilians died from military bombing or being eaten by dinosaurs.

  “Due do this massive loss of civilians and troops, Congress voted to declare war on dinosaurs. Senator Stewart’s reaction was”-

  The TV cameras switched to the senator who was on the steps of the White House with reporters and saying, “This is the first time in history that war has been declared on animals, and I hope that our military forces will defeat them. This vote will give the President more power to

  do what’s necessary to eliminate these dinosaurs.”

  The cameras switched back to the anchorman. “Our reporters talked to people on the street about the war. Here’s what they said.”

  The camera switched to a reporter who was asking a person walking down a street, “You have a minute, sir? What’s your opinion about

  this war with the dinosaurs?”

  “Our troops shouldn’t fight dinosaurs. The government should recruit hunters to terminate them.”

  A reporter asked a man sitting in a bar, “Sir, what’s your reaction about this war with the dinosaurs?”

  “First of all there should have never been a dinosaur zoo, and it’s about time we have war with something. If I were younger, I would

  sign up to fight these creatures. And I hate dinosaur meat!”

  A reporter asked a person in a supermarket. “Miss, what is your rea
ction to this dinosaur war?”

  “Oh, it’s terrible, it’s raised the price of dinosaur meat.”

  He asked another person, “Sir, what’s your reaction to this war with the dinosaurs?”

  “I hate it, I can’t go back to L.A. I have no home, the military bombed it.”

  A reporter asked a person sitting on a step, “Sir, what’s your reaction to this dinosaur war?”

  “The American people shouldn’t have to pay for it. They should make that director of that damn dinosaur zoo pay. It’s his fault for having those cages built cheaply.”

  The reporter asked another by the step, “Miss, what’s your reaction to this dinosaur war?”

  “It’s a shame people lost their lives and homes from the war. I hope the government can reach a peace agreement.”

  The TV cameras switched back to the anchorman. “Shortly, General Halfway who’s in charge of the military operation, will have a press

  conference. We’ll bring you that conference live.”

  In a corridor outside an auditorium, Halfway donned dark sunglasses. “Are you ready for the conference, Mark?”

  “Not really, General. Does my jaw look swollen?”

  “Yes, it does. Will you have trouble talking?”

  “Well, it hurts a little when I speak.”

  “Does my lip look swollen?”

  “Yes. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard, General.”

  “Let’s meet the press, Mark, and hope for the best.”

  They entered the auditorium and a crowd of reporters started screaming questions, while cameramen took pictures as they headed for the stage.

  Q: General, last night there were heavy troop losses. Can you explain why?

  A: I underestimated the plant-eating dinosaurs. They attacked our

  troops by surprise, but it won’t happen again.

  Q: Mark, why are these plant-eaters attacking?

  A: When any animal is cornered it will attack. If you can remember,

  many of them were bombed to death.

  Q: General, two hundred dinosaurs killed thousands of your troops