The plesiosaur was coming at them again, its great tail swishing back and forth as its head ploughed through the water like a torpedo.
“It’s catching up,” Ash called, his teeth clashing together as Big Yellow bounced on a wave.
The four accompanying drones swooped towards the approaching monster, but it was too low in the water for them to cause it any bother. The plesiosaur raised its head and dove underwater. A second later it breached the surface, its tail pushing its bulk up and out of the water in a spinning motion. The beast’s fins and long neck effortlessly swatted three of the drones from the sky. The plesiosaur splashed down and the fourth drone was taken out by a cloud of white spray.
To Ash’s shock, when the plesiosaur resurfaced it was closer than ever. Blood seeped from an eyeless socket and a large chunk of flesh hung from a deep wound on its snout, only attached by a few sinewy strands. Suddenly everyone’s watches started beeping, quickly followed by percussive blasts in the distance. Ash watched a series of volcanoes erupt, spitting fire and flaming rocks. Big Yellow seemed to be slowing. He could feel and see the ocean being sucked out beneath them.
The plesiosaur dived again and resurfaced right outside Ash’s submersible chamber. It opened its jaws so wide he could see the fleshy innards of its throat. Razor sharp teeth filled his vision as the animal lunged. Ash raised his arms and shrieked. Big Yellow jinked to the side. There was an horrendous grinding noise and the craft span sideways, making Ash’s harness dig painfully into his ribs.
Big Yellow skidded sideways, groaning. When the sideways motion abruptly stopped, Ash found himself shrouded in darkness. He wondered if he was dead or had been swallowed by the monster and was in it’s stomach.
“Get out,” Becca yelled. “Get out now!”
Ash realized the darkness surrounding him was sand. His portion of the chamber had dug into the sandy ocean floor. He unhooked himself and turned to see Babs push the chamber hatch open and clamber outside. He followed behind Marty. They climbed out and slid onto the wet sand. Becca dropped down beside them.
Ash noticed the plesiosaur, no more than ten meters away, crunching on shards of yellow metal and glass. The ground started to rumble and a trio of distant volcanoes erupted, spewing flaming rocks and smoking debris high into the sky. The ocean continued to recede.
“It ate Minea,” Harper screamed, dropping to the sand from the second chamber and pointing at the plesiosaur. “Jesus Christ, Becca, it ate Minea!”
Ash noticed the front of the chamber in which Minea, Harper and Marissa had been seated was missing, cleaved off. Marissa was still seated, staring blankly forward at the gaping hole. The only movement was the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
“You lot, get to the trees. Run,” Becca shouted. “We’ll follow. Quick!”
Ash could see the white crest of the approaching wave now. His feet just weren’t obeying his command to run. Becca dashed around Big Yellow and clambered into the damaged chamber.
“Run,” Marty said, tugging at Ash’s arm. “Come on!”
The wave was rising up now, coming at terrible speed. The sea-floor trembled and little stones and shells skipped across the waterlogged sand. The plesiosaur shrieked and bounded towards Big Yellow, clearly intent on finishing what it had started. Becca dropped out of the chamber and Marissa slid along the glass and splatted beside her, onto the wet sand.
“Come on, Ash,” Marty shouted, dragging at him.
Suddenly the message to run, that Ash’s brain had desperately been trying to feed to his feet, connected. He turned and fled towards the trees for all he was worth, terrified as the roaring wall of water grew louder and louder and the rumbling ever more ferocious. His leg muscles screamed with the effort of trying to run on the wet sand, which his feet kept sinking into. He couldn’t get an effective purchase. He couldn’t run fast enough. They weren’t going to make it. Marty’s bladed legs seemed to be doing just as badly as his feet. It was hopeless. They couldn’t possibly make it. The roaring sound was so loud now. Death was careening towards them.
Babs and Harper raced either side of Ash. He looked over his shoulder at Marty, Marissa and Becca, who were only a few meters behind. The plesiosaur was hissing, shrieking and attacking the carcass of Big Yellow. The enormous approaching wave made the creature look puny, like a child’s plaything.
They’d nearly reached the trees. Ash began to believe they might actually survive and fresh energy flooded his aching muscles. There was no undergrowth as far as he could see. The palm trees were scarred and their trunks swollen with water. It stank of decay. In an instant, the plesiosaur’s shrieks were silenced. The wave was seconds away. Ash dashed into the tree line. To his right he saw Marty turn and his eyes widen. Marty shouted something but the deafening wave drowned him out. Feeling specks of water on the nape of his neck, Ash reached for the nearest tree. He clasped his arms around the trunk, like a pirate grabbing the mast of a doomed galleon crashed on the rocks, and took a deep breath.
The wave hit him with unimaginable force, tearing him from the tree instantly. He shielded his face as impact after impact smashed against his body. He span like a sock in a washing machine. Miraculously, the survival suit reacted to the impacts, becoming rigid and protecting his body from the worst of them. But it would only take one blow to the head to finish him. His lungs burned and he knew that any second now, he’d not be able to resist the urge to inhale.
* * * * * *
Confusion struck as Ash opened his eyes to see a small green crab nipping at his finger. His knuckles looked bloodied and raw. The little crab raised its pincers and scuttled away, snapping.
“S… so hot,” he groaned, pushing himself up to see a familiar face. “S’like an oven. Babs?”
“He won’t wake up,” Babs said, crying and cradling Marty in her lap.
Her face was covered in grime and scratches and her blond hair was caked in thick mud. Had it not been for her survival suit under her ragged clothes, she could have easily passed for a cave person from prehistoric times.
Ash crawled towards her and shook Marty’s arm. His aching body felt wretched as he moved. He held a hand under Marty’s nostrils. Warm breath brushed his fingers.
“He’s alive,” Ash said, reaching for his canteen, but it wasn’t there. “Got water?”
Babs nodded, she unhooked her dented canteen, removed the lid and held it to Marty’s lips. Marty coughed as the water dribbled into his mouth. He spluttered, then moaned and looked up at Babs and Ash.
“Hope I don’t look as bad as you two,” he said, giving a half smile then closing his eyes. “I think I… think I broke my leg.”
“What d’you mean,” Babs said, frantically checking him for injuries.
“Your thigh?” Ash asked, looking at Marty’s legs. “Which leg?”Only one of Marty’s prosthetic limbs was still attached.
“Up there,” Marty managed, chuckling softly. “My leg. It’s broken.”
Above them, Marty’s prosthetic limb was mangled in the fork of a tree.
“Bad joke, Marty,” Babs said. “You can’t do that to us.”
“I’ll get it,” Ash said. “I’m sure we can bend it back into shape.”
“Where are the others?” Marty asked. “Help them first.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Babs said. “You go. He’s right.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, go.”
Ash pushed himself up. Every bone and muscle in his body pulsed with pain. He winced and scanned the area. Towards the beach he spotted the wreckage of Big Yellow. Only one chamber remained intact. Absolutely everything else was twisted and smashed. Surprisingly, the lights in the smashed cockpit still seemed to be functioning.
“Oh no… Minea…” he said, remembering what had happened.
He felt a deep, stinging guilt at having taken such a dislike to the woman. He’d never wanted her to come to harm. Now she was dead. He felt like he was somehow responsible.
“It’s
not your fault,” Marty said, sitting up and staring towards the wreckage. “You didn’t do it. Go find the others. We can’t save the dead.”
“Okay,” Ash said, grateful for a task to stop him imagining what had happened to Minea, what could soon be happening to all of them. “I’ll come back.”
The going wasn’t easy on the sodden ground, which sucked at his feet. Detritus and fish parts lay strewn amongst muddy puddles and palm fronds. It was a complete disaster zone, like one of those disasters you saw on the news every now and then. The ones that always seemed distant and unreal, in faraway lands. Even standing amongst the carnage it didn’t feel real.
Everywhere he looked, hardly anything was whole or identifiable. Hungry crabs were emerging from every nook and crevice, to start their busy work of devouring the spoils. The smell was off-the-charts disgusting. He’d never smelled anything so foul. He stumbled onwards, through the trees, holding a hand over his nose and breathing through his mouth to try and stop himself vomiting.
Rounding the wreckage of Big Yellow, he heard a soft moan. Through watering eyes, he spotted feet poking from behind the intact submersible chamber, which was so covered in mud he couldn’t see through it. He dashed forwards. It was Becca. She was alive. He ran towards her. She dropped the stick she’d been using to protect herself and gave him a dazed smile.
“Thank god,” she said softly, her voice barely audible. “Have you found anyone else?”
“Yeah, Babs and Marty. They’re almost in one piece. Marty broke a prosthetic, but other than that they’re fine. I think we can fix it.”
“Thank you,” Becca breathed, wincing as she shifted. “Find Marissa and Harper. Go on. Thank you, Ash. The Hero of Christmas lives.”
Ash noticed a hole in her survival suit, which was covered in blood. It took him a moment to realize the white thing protruding from the bloody wound was her forearm bone.
“Tell me what to do,” Ash said, crouching down, trying to disguise his swelling panic. “You can’t leave that exposed with all this around. It’ll get infected.”
Becca eyed the wound, closed her eyes and nodded.
“You need to push it back in,” she said. “Get some sticks for a splint. Use some cloth from my clothes. Bind it tight. Then push.”
Ash searched around him and selected a few sticks, each about twenty centimetres long. He then tore two lengths of cloth from the tattered remains of his clothes, he chose the cleanest parts. He wrapped one of the pieces securely around Becca’s arm. She screamed and tears streaked down her face, clearing little pathways in the grime on her cheeks. She sucked in quick breaths as Ash worked.
“You ready?” Ash asked, mentally preparing for what he had to do.
“Just do it,” Becca cried. “Quick, jus… Aaagghrrg nngggg… nnggggg.”
Before Becca had the chance to acknowledge the pain that would follow, Ash squeezed the bandage. With a sickening, squelching pop, her bone clicked back into place. Ash shuddered. Becca’s eyes rolled and white foaming flecks formed at the corners of her mouth. She continued to make grunting breaths, through gritted teeth. Ash picked up the sticks, then used the other piece of cloth to lash them to her forearm. He worked fast to minimise the pain. When he finished, Becca manipulated her fingers and cried out.
“That’s much better,” she said, coughing and staggering to her feet. “Let’s find the others.”
“You stay here. I’ll…”
“No,” she grunted. “I can hear Harper. Come on.”
Ash followed Becca towards the sounds coming from the beach. She stumbled onwards, using tree trunks for support. The tortured wailing noises coming from the beach disturbed Ash to his core and his skin nettled. What on earth could make such a terrible sound?
“Look what you did,” Harper screamed over the moaning. “It’s your fault. None of this needed to happen. You did this, you stupid animal.”
Through the trees, Marissa was standing motionless on the beach, staring out to sea. What the hell was Harper doing? Why was he screaming at her?
“Hurry up and die,” Harper screamed, crying now. “I can’t listen to you. Why did you do this?”
Then Ash saw it. The plesiosaur was lying on its side, impaled on a snapped tree stump that had skewered straight through the creature’s chest. Its head lay on the sand, its nostrils flaring as it snorted rattling breaths. It opened its mouth and cried as Ash approached. Its teeth were stained with blood, some of them shattered. The remains of Minea’s empty suit hung from one side of its mouth. The animal released a soft moan. Ash couldn’t help but feel sorry for the dying creature.
“It killed her,” Harper cried, running at Becca and throwing his arms around her.
“I know,” Becca replied, yelping in pain and hugging Harper with her good arm. “Shhhhh… shhhhh.”
“It killed her and we’re gonna die too.”
“No we’re not,” Becca reassured. “Reece is coming. We’ll be leaving soon. Marissa, honey, are you okay?”
Marissa turned and cocked her head, her expression terrifyingly calm behind the matted brown hair draped across her face. She looked like a ghost from one of those Japanese horror films.
“Come here,” Becca said. “It’s okay, hon. We’re leaving.”
“Oh dear,” Marissa said, calmly looking at the sky.
The world slipped into slow motion as the huge shadow fell across the group, turning the air cold. Two claws reached towards Marissa, who simply looked at them blinking and smiling vacantly. A giant pterosaur gripped her shoulders, then beat its wings and lifted her from the beach.
“Nooo...” Becca screamed. “Nooo, god, nooooo!”
Shadows streaked across the beach as more pterosaurs circled. The giant reptiles’ wingspans were the width of tennis courts.
“Get to the trees,” Becca screamed. “They can’t get you in there. Hurry, everyone off the beach.”
Ash watched, horrified as Becca staggered into the open, waving her good arm.
“Come and get me you bastards,” she screamed. “Come on, take me too…”
“What are you doing?” Ash yelled.
“They won’t eat her right away,” came Becca’s chilling response. “It’s breeding season. They’ll try and feed her to their young. They won’t eat her right away. Come on y…”
“Stop it, Becca,” Harper cried. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t let her die alone,” Becca said, hunching forwards and sobbing, her face screwing up with pain as she clutched her broken arm to her chest.
Ash raced from the trees and pushed Becca out the way as a pterosaur swooped for her and missed, its claws raking the sand. Becca screamed in agony. Ash hoisted her up and pushed her into a stumbling run, towards the tree line.
“Take care of them,” Ash said. “I’ll go with Marissa. Come and find us. You can track us,” he said tapping his watch. “I won’t let her die. I know you can find us.”
Ash ignored the screams for him to stop. He ran out across the sand, fully aware of the beating wings behind him. Huge talons hooked over his shoulders. The resistance of the wet sand beneath his feet vanished and his legs left the ground.
Lanterns
B ecca watched helplessly as Ash was lifted from the beach and carried aloft by the pterosaur. What had he done? The stupid boy had gotten himself killed. She could see both Marissa and Ash hanging below the giant winged beasts, which banked and flew over the trees.
“Get back into the trees,” Becca yelled at Harper hysterically. “Stay away from the beach, back now!”
A pterosaur swooped down and dug its talons into the stricken plesiosaur, who lifted its head and shrieked abysmally. Blood gushed from the freshly raked gouges across its skin. The flying reptile sank its teeth into the plesiosaur’s hide and shook its head vigorously, tearing at the flesh. The plesiosaur tried to swat the pterosaur with its neck, but the effort was too great and it sagged to the ground, whining, its nostrils flaring, breathing so fast it would surely h
yperventilate and black out. More pterosaurs landed and began attacking the defenseless creature. One of the pterosaurs stripped off a chunk of skin, thick with fatty blubber. It threw its head back and slurped it down its gullet.
“Leave it alone,” Harper screamed, backing into the trees. “Stop it, go away!”
“Run, Harper,” Becca said. “Just run!”
The poor plesiosaur gave a plaintive whine, then exhaled its last gurgling breath as its tongue slid out of its mouth and flopped onto the sand. The pterosaurs were in a frenzy now, their toothy beaks dripping blood as they gorged themselves on dripping blubbery flesh.
“Will they be full now?” Harper called, his voice high and full of panic. “They might not come for us anymore…”
“They won’t come into the trees,” Becca said, panting and hobbling towards Harper. Vibrations moving through her broken arm were unleashing excruciating bolts of pain every time she took a step. “Aggghhh… come on, follow me. Oooow… they won’t risk coming in here and getting trapped.”
“What are they worried about getting trapped by?” Harper said, looking through the trees as they moved, nervously searching. “What else is in here?”
Becca wished she could give an answer that would allay the poor kid’s fears, but there wasn’t anything good to tell him. She wanted to tell him they’d be going back to base soon, that they’d soon be leaving this hell-hole of a planet once and for all, but that wasn’t on the cards anymore. Now Ash and Marissa had been taken, everything had changed. They’d be stuck on this beach for many hours yet.
One positive was that the plesiosaur carcass would feed a whole lot of dinosaurs, which would take the group off the menu for the time being. If there was an easy meal to be had, a dinosaur would always choose that over wasting energy on a hunt. They were big animals that used a lot of energy on the day to day. Wasting unnecessary energy on added exertions was something they only did when absolutely necessary, when starving hungry. On the flip side, the carcass would attract all manner of meat-eaters like moths to a flame. Soon the area would be swarming with aggressive, hungry killers.
Jurassic Earth Trilogy Box Set Page 15
