Dark Island

by Matt James

  “There was a wall…” Mack explained, breathing hard. “It was blocking something from entering the city.”

  Well, that explains that.

  It also suggested—established—that there was an even bigger world beneath the one Ian and his team had found themselves in. What other horrors dwelled beyond the broken barrier? Was this thing the worst of the worst, or were there things that hunted it as well?

  The three-digits dug into the wood and stone directly in front of Ian and Mack’s feet. As one, they scurried away, but kept watch. Both were frozen in abject fright, but they each needed to see the behemoth for what it was too.

  Huh?

  Connected to its wrist was something Ian was hoping not to see given the discoveries he’d made in the pit. A membrane of thick, leathery skin grew out of the joint. Ian knew what it meant. The creature could fly—maybe not for long periods and maybe it could only glide. Nevertheless, it had wings, which terrified him more.

  A burst of air forced Ian and Mack back again, as did the animal’s snout and head. Luckily for them, it was looking up. They were currently in a blind spot beneath its lower jaw.

  Its jaw was long and thick, like the crocodilian Razanandrongobe and the hands were that of a raptor. Ian could barely see its giant, black eyes. They would be perfect for seeing at night, or in its case, in the darkness of the underworld. It wasn’t blind like the raptors, nor was it completely scent-based like the drongo. It had the best of everything. An exemplary hunter in all phases of the game.

  The neck and chest appeared after twenty feet. The “thing’s” arms were longer than Ian expected, but it also made sense. The membrane needed to be long enough to support its girth, which meant its arms necessitated the additional length.

  Like a bat.

  Ian’s skin broke out in goosebumps. This isn’t a Roc… This is something else—something new.

  It was the same as the classic dinosaurs from his childhood. No one really knew what they actually looked like. Everything that had been “discovered” so far, was nothing more than conjecture. Like a human’s skeleton, a dinosaur’s remains only told a part of the story.

  “New” was a relative term too.

  New to Ian was something he.d never seen or heard of before. The mammoth before him wasn’t “new” at all, quite the contrary. It was old—ancient.

  “It’s a dragon…”

  Ian looked at Mack. Her words were muted, barely audible, but they spoke volumes. If these cavernous ecosystems existed all over the world, and the majority of the creatures living within them were somewhat similar… Then, it was very possible that the giant before them was the inspiration behind the dragon mythology around the planet. Every culture had one. That meant that there were entrances to the world below, possibly multiple entrances, on every continent.

  Maybe Africa’s entrance split off with Madagascar as it moved away from the mainland? Ian shook all over.

  While the “dragon” had bat-like arms, its hindquarters were all drongo, as was its tail. The membrane Ian saw earlier seemed to connect between the creature’s front and back legs, like a sugar glider. When not being employed, the wings would fold up along its flank. It also meant that this thing wasn’t a flier, but it used the air to soar through the sky like a carnivorous, hundred-foot-long hang glider from hell.

  Its length was Ian’s best estimation under the circumstances. It could’ve been another ten or twenty feet long for all he knew. And who knew if the one in front of them was even the largest of its kind. Ian guessed it wasn’t… If there were similar subterranean world’s around the globe, why would their beast be the biggest?

  But given their bad luck, it might be true.

  Regardless, Ian’s stomach rolled at the thought. It also rolled when the ground beneath their asses fell away. Thinking quickly, Ian held onto Mack, tossed his spear away, and unfurled his grabbling hook. The talons snagged a still intact section of boardwalk to his right, biting into it as he and Mack swung down to the lowest level of the cliff-built city, tumbling together when they hit.

  As they did, Ian could hear gunfire echoing from above. Babo and Nash were under attack and there was nothing either of them could do to help. The closest stairs had been annihilated by the passing giant, and the next closest were on the other side of the newly made gap in the first level’s boardwalk.

  “Down!” Mack said, moving off.

  “Down?” Ian asked, following her.

  She shrugged and slid onto her belly. “Maybe we can get its attention somehow and save Babo and Nash?” She started climbing an invisible ladder of some kind. “Then we can lose it in the narrower tunnels.”

  Without arguing, Ian followed her example and laid on his stomach. Then, he swung his legs out over the ledge and felt for…grooves in the stone facing.

  He grinned and continued down as fast as he could. Mack was definitely an explorer through and through. Whether she admitted it or not, or even knew it about herself, she lived for situations like this. Cool, Ian thought, because he did too. He was utterly shocked at what they had discovered, afraid of it, but it didn’t consume him.

  Literally…

  The ground came fast, and Ian stumbled, struggling to meet it. Mack caught his arm and got a good look at him. Her face said what her mouth didn’t.

  Ian looked like shit.

  Felt like it too.

  More roars and shots resonated around them as they ran for the opposite side of the cavern, around the fire and the graves. Ian couldn’t tell what they were earlier, but now, only feet from them, he knew. He guessed the dragon, possibly even the one laying waste to the city above, was the cause of so many deaths, and it was exacting its long-awaited revenge.

  Emptying the last of his reserves, Ian put on as much speed as he could. Then, he slid to a stop, knowing what he needed to do. The relic he had collected from the watchtower was designed for this exact purpose, he knew that now. It wasn’t to warn the people living here of an incoming threat from above, or even that of one from a rival tribe, or that of raptors and oversized crocs.

  It was designed to warn of an attack from below.

  From this world’s ‘Harbinger of Death.’

  Untying the war horn, Ian got his first good look at the beast.

  It’s back was covered in armored plates, similar to that of the average crocodile. But like everything else on the creature, the plates were huge and looked as solid as concrete. The rest of it looked remarkably like the drongo, except for the front legs. Those were all raptor.

  A hybrid of both? He shook his head. No, it’s the ancestor of both.

  “Ian, whatever you’re going to do, do it now.”

  Nodding, he pressed the two-foot-long horn to his lips and blew as hard as he could, feeling his face flush. The effect on the monster was instantaneous. It halted its assault on the city, and on Babo and Nash, and turned its ugly mug on Ian and Mack. Even from far overhead, Ian could see it sneer at what the sound indicated. The people that had imprisoned it had blown the same horn.

  This thing is really old. His eyebrows raised. Or it meant that the people who settled here had only recently perished.

  Regardless, Ian had just made a real-life dragon very, very angry.

  “Well,” Mack said, gently taking the horn from Ian and looking it over, “I’d say that worked.”

  Then, in all its horrifying glory, the beast leaped from its perch atop the settlement, opened the enormous wing-like membranes, and began its demonic, firelit descent…right for Ian and Mack.

  Ian glanced at her, then to the horn, taking it back. Then, he looked back up to the airborne creature, sighing. “Yeah…” His shoulders slumped. “It did.”

  28

  Together, Mack and Ian ran for their lives toward the narrow cave entrance she and Nash had just used. The massive creature pursuing them had yet to touch down, but it would eventually. The cavern was huge, yes, but it wasn’t that big.

  “What’s on the other side?”
Ian asked as they ran.

  She laughed. “Big trees, lemurs, giant fossa, elephant bird, big-ass bugs, dinosaurs…”

  Ian smiled. “That’s it?”

  He opened his mouth to speak again but was stopped by a large boom and a roar. They turned in unison and found their dragon bashing its way through the bonfire, throwing flaming debris everywhere. The blistering heat seemed to have little-to-no effect on it either.

  Fireproof dragons… Wonderful.

  Mack knew it wasn’t really a dragon, but it was the closest damn thing she’d ever seen to actually being one. Unlike Ian, Mack wasn’t an expert in the world of Madagascan predators—past or present.

  “It’s part raptor and part Razanandrongobe.”

  “Razana-what?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

  “You haven’t seen a drongo?” He nodded. “Good… You don’t want to.” They backed away slowly, still moving toward the tunnel. “Basically, it’s a fast-moving croc with long legs and a nasty disposition.”

  “Croc?” she asked, recalling something. “Nash and I saw the remains of something that looked like that. Its bones had been picked clean.”

  Ian’s eyes widened. “By what?”

  “Really big beetles.”

  “Beetles?”

  “Yep,” she replied, “and they had huge bladed growths on their faces. Basically, weaponized rhinoceros beetles. There were too many to count.”

  The ground shook, breaking off a large section of the ceiling. Unfortunately, it fell short of their foe, crashing to the ground behind it. Holding onto one another, Mack and Ian continued their escape. Mack preferred to turn and flee, but Ian seemed to think that not provoking it was a better idea and slowed down.

  “Movement-based sight?” she asked.

  The dragon dipped its head lower and looked right at them.

  “Nope,” Ian replied.

  It snarled, its throat vibrating like a crocodile’s, emitting a low, gurgling sound. Another, house-sized piece of rock fell from the ceiling, smashing a section of the gravesite just to the left of the creature’s head. The beast was waltzing straight through the dead… The lethal object’s arrival didn’t faze the monster, though. It didn’t flinch at the prospect of its skull being flattened.

  “It doesn’t fear anything,” Ian whispered.

  Mack leaned in closer to him. “That makes one of us.”

  His eyes met hers, and he took her hand and squeezed it hard.

  They moved faster now but kept walking backward, never once turning their backs on the demon from the deep. Opening its large mouth, it blew out a long, noxious breath, sending with it some of the heat from the still smoldering debris.

  Fire breath from a dragon… Mack couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t the classic version you saw in the movies, but it was damn close. Regardless, Godzilla had nothing on this thing.

  Looking over her shoulder, Mack noticed that they were about to enter the tunnel. It was going to be a tight squeeze for the creature. She prayed it would be forced to stay put, or what she wanted more, was for it to give up and return home.

  The caverns beneath the ones she’d already traversed must’ve been enormous. She could hardly fathom the few she had explored so far.

  Bigger than even those. She shook her head. Wow.

  Ian squeezed her hand and pulled, dashing into the darkness. Mack didn’t fight it, taking off with him. The dragon responded instantly and pounded forward, roaring the entire time. She couldn’t see it, but she felt it moving closer.

  “Don’t stop!” Ian yelled, still clutching Mack’s hand. They wouldn’t be separated again. She squeezed back and picked up the pace, matching his stride.

  The tunnel broke apart around them between the quakes and the determined giant trying to shove its way through. The pitch of its roar raised as Mack and Ian put more and more distance between it and them.

  It sounded frustrated.

  It sounded pissed off.

  Good riddance.

  They dove into the next chamber just as the mouth of the tunnel caved in on itself. Mack rolled and landed on her back losing her wind in the process. Ian took the blow on his shoulder, turning onto his hands and knees, standing with little effort. Leaning down, he helped Mack stand and checked her over.

  “Nothing phases you, does it?” Mack was even more impressed with Ian now. He hadn’t panicked and gotten them killed. He stayed in control and waited for the right opportunity to act.

  He shrugged. “Everything down here moves with caution. My guess is that they don’t see well,” Mack smiled. “Obviously…” he added quickly. “Their other senses are off the charts, though, but the tremors are throwing them off.”

  He looked off. “Wow.”

  Mack saw that he was looking at the trees in the distance of the dimly lit space. She could barely make them out after being accosted by the light of the city’s large bonfire. “What, those?”

  He nodded. “Bigger than the ones Bob and I found…” His voice trailed off. She could tell he was worried.

  “He’ll be fine,” Mack said, putting a hand on Ian’s shoulder. “Babo and Nash can take care of themselves.”

  Ian shook his head. “He’s in really bad shape—lost his… He’s not good.”

  Mack nodded. “Nash is in bad shape too. He had a run-in with a kickboxing ostrich.” Ian smiled but didn’t question her. He trusted her assessment.

  “Elephant bird, huh?”

  She nodded. “Beautiful to look at. Moved like lightning.”

  They started off toward the forest. “Sounds like the fossa we encountered.”

  “Ours too, but the lemurs took care of it.”

  “Really?” Ian was stunned.

  “Yeah. They tore it to shreds—saved Nash and me.”

  Ian bit his lip. “They helped us too. They have definitely had nonviolent contact with people before.”

  “I agree. They weren’t hostile in the least—friendly even!” She looked at him. “They were protective of us.”

  Ian took off his hat and scratched his head. “Incredible.”

  Mack tipped her chin to the cap. “Where’d you find that?”

  He begrudgingly handed it to her.

  “George Washington University?” she asked, reading the name.

  “Um…”

  They stopped.

  “What’s wrong, Ian?

  “It belonged to Abigail. She was wearing it when she, well, you know.”

  Mack’s eyes darted to his. “You found this here?”

  He nodded, but his eyes said there was more to the story. They were wide, like he had seen a ghost.

  It hit Mack like a gunshot.

  “Oh, my god.” She embraced him. “I’m so sorry.”

  They parted, tears running down both of their faces. She’d only just met Ian, but she knew what all of this meant to him. Finding Abigail’s body… Mack had no idea what to say. Nothing she could do could make Ian feel better about seeing what he did.

  So, she smiled. “She’d be proud of you.”

  Wiping his eyes, he laughed. “For what?”

  “For never giving up.”

  He shook his head. “See…that’s where we see things differently. She wouldn’t be proud. She’d be disappointed because I never found the strength to move on.”

  Ian turned away, but Mack didn’t let go. She pulled him in and kissed him hard. For a moment, Ian resisted. Then, he didn’t, giving into her. A slight tremor quickly parted them, and they both inhaled deeply before releasing their breath.

  Mack smiled and winked. “I’d say that’s a good start.”

  Ian took in a long gulp of air and looked back toward the rubble that had just been their exit. The rocks bulged and moved with another quake.

  Mack and Ian didn’t wait around to see if it was their dragon pushing its way through or not. They set off at a brisk jog, Mack leading the way, having been here before. Well, she sort of knew where they were going. She remembered the trajectory from th
e fallen tree to the tunnel within the cave wall. All she had to do was lead them back the way she and Nash had come.

  Soft hoots broke out when they entered the tree line, earning a grin out of Ian.

  “Seems that you really did make some new friends.”

  She shrugged. “I’m pretty damn likeable.”

  Ian rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to say something else. She could tell he wanted to add a snarky comment about being likeable. So, instead, she said something.

  “You should know…”

  She gave Ian an air kiss, and winked, pulling ahead of him. Mack really liked Ian…a lot. But under the circumstances, they needed to stay focused on not dying and keep it in their pants until further notice. Playful flirting wasn’t harmful, but if it went any farther, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t get to see how things progressed topside.

  The ground shattered around them, cracking and sliding apart abruptly. One after the other, the gargantuan trees fell into the ever-widening void. Behind Mack and Ian, the chamber’s wall also split. Eventually, if it was still trying to break through, the beast would make a second appearance. In front of them used to be an expanse dotted with the enormous trees. Now, the terrain was filled with large boulders and broken trunks of the same trees, both of which grew in numbers as the ground continued to buck and lift…and fall.

  Another tree disappeared below, the expanding crevasse chasing Mack and Ian to the right. Then, another fissure opened in front of them, causing them to change course back the way they needed to go.

  One of the hundred-foot-tall trees landed ten feet to their left.

  A chunk of rock the size of Mack’s entire two-story home slammed into the churning terrain to their right. While light enough to see by, the cavern’s ceiling was shrouded in darkness. Eventually, a stone would fall, completely unseen, and crush them both.

  Maybe even the entire ceiling itself!

  There were multiple sounds—cracking stone echoed around them and screeches from frightened creatures—all mixed together. Mack and Ian would need to deal with more than just Mother Earth as they moved forward. The things that called the interior of the island home were still out there, lurking in the dark.