by J. T. Cross
“We’re not slipping, I know that much. Maybe a large tree branch or something broke loose and lifted the front end up.”
It was then they heard an impossibly low moaning sound. As if responding to the sound, another hornlike sound filled the clearing. The front of the helicopter was picked up again.
“This is just not happening,” Marcus said out loud.
She watched him muscle his way up past her into the cockpit.
“I’m going to get a look out the window and see what the hell is going on,” he said.
Using the copilot seat for leverage, he pulled himself up and peered out the right side of the window.
“We have to get Kelly now,” she yelled.
“I’ll go out and get her as soon as I see what we’re up against.”
“What do you see?”
“There’s something pretty damn big out there. It’s coming in under the front of the copter and lifting us up. I need to ID that thing before we go out,” he said as he pulled himself up higher and glanced down over the nose again.
“There’s no time, Kelly’s out there. I’m going out to get her.”
The front of the helicopter fell with a crash, but she managed to stay on her feet. Once again they were level. A loud bellowing sound came from the front of the helicopter, so loud it seemed to vibrate the walls of the cabin. She could feel the fuselage shaking and heard tree branches snapping at the front of the copter.
Christie looked into the cockpit area and saw Marcus struggling to get back on his feet. Clearly, having been at the front of the helicopter up on the copilot’s seat, had only made his fall worse. She couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
She glanced back at Stuart. “Stay in the helicopter!” she said and jumped out the hatch door, stumbling as she landed on the ground. For a moment she was on all fours then pushed herself up and ran straight for Kelly in the middle of the clearing. As she reached her, she dropped to her knees.
“Are you all right?” she asked looking her over quickly.
Kelly didn’t answer but pointed over her shoulder at the front of the helicopter. “Mommy, look. It’s so big,” she said her eyes wide.
Christie stood, picking her up, and turned around. Her mouth hung open. “That can’t be,” she said softly.
Towering above the front of the helicopter was what she was uniquely trained to identify as a full-grown woolly mammoth. Its eyes looked straight at her, exuding intelligence and confidence. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Except for its somewhat shorter coat, it looked exactly like the pictures in her books back home.
Its ears fluttered and it shook its head. It took several steps toward her and Kelly and then held its tusks high and bellowed. The roar from the mammoth shook her insides as she felt them seemingly turn to mush. She had never been so full of fear and wonder at the same time. She closed her eyes and opened them again. The creature was still there. It was real.
She wondered if she should run back to the helicopter with Kelly. She glanced at the hatch and saw Marcus standing there, a blank look on his face, staring toward the front of the helicopter. Obviously, he didn’t know what to make of it either.
She focused back on the giant creature as it raised its trunk up and seemed to smell the air. She guessed it was trying to pick up her scent to determine what type of animal she was.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Marcus moving toward her. Then he was at her side.
“Give me Kelly. I’ll run with her back to the helicopter,” he whispered.
They stood there for seconds in what seemed like some sort of standoff. The mammoth smelled the air again then became more agitated. She watched it raise its trunk high and trumpet a blast so loud it hurt her ears. It began raking the dirt with its front foot.
“That’s a threatening motion it’s making. I think it’s going to attack us,” Christie said.
“We better run, and fast,” Marcus whispered.
“Mom, watch out! Behind you.” She looked at the helicopter and saw Stuart standing in the hatchway pointing to something behind them.
She turned and saw three dire wolves moving out from the trees and approaching with their heads low to the ground, their eyes focused on her.
“Oh my God, they’re back,” Kate said.
The one in the front was the largest she had seen. Its growls seemed to be emanating from deep within its chest. The other two began to circle around behind it, appearing somewhat hesitant to approach any closer. She looked back at the lead wolf. She didn’t sense any fear in it.
Marcus slowly took Kelly out of her arms. “On the count of three, we run for the hatch,” he whispered.
“One, two—” He didn’t get a change to say three before the mammoth charged around them, straight at the three wolves. The largest wolf sprung up at its head, grabbing its trunk in its massive jaws.
The mammoth trumpeted in pain, picked up the wolf, and slammed it on the ground causing it to release its grip. Stunned, the wolf attempted to get to its feet but fell back on its side. The mammoth raised its foot and brought its full weight down on the wolf’s head. It let out a loud whine then she heard a crunching sound. The other two wolves backed off to the edge of the forest.
Christie stood still, stunned by the sight, unsure of what to do next. The mammoth charged at the other two wolves and they fled back into the trees. It grabbed a small tree at the edge of the forest and shook it fiercely then turned and came back into the clearing, over to the dead wolf.
Christie felt Marcus pulling her back away from the middle of the clearing. Together, they slowly backed toward the helicopter as she watched the mammoth pick up the dead wolf with its trunk and throw it across the clearing into the trees.
It turned and looked at them, then walked back to the front of the helicopter. It made a low-pitched fluttering sound and, from between the trees, a baby mammoth walked into the clearing.
“She was trying to protect her calf,” Christie said. “I don’t think she was concerned with us at all.”
“I’m glad you know that. Let’s get back in the helicopter while we still have the chance,” Marcus said and carried Kelly to the hatch, setting her in the cabin.
After helping Christie in, he climbed up, grabbed the door and latched it shut. She watched him take a deep breath as he leaned against the hatch and stared out the window.
After a few moments, he turned from the door. “Let’s get our things together. We need to head out for that village as soon as the mammoth leaves,” he said and walked to the rear of the cabin.
She moved to the hatch window and stared at the mother and its calf. There it was right in front of her, another animal that shouldn’t exist.
“I can’t believe what we’re seeing,” she said to Marcus.
He glanced up at her. “Yeah, big ugly wolves and an overgrown shaggy elephant. Real cool. I’m thinking we need to focus on getting the hell out of here,” he said as he walked to the back of the helicopter and sat down.
She looked back out the window at the mammoth. How in the world could it have survived, she wondered. She watched it for a while and then slowly came to realize that it wasn’t interested in leaving the clearing.
Chapter 7
Victor spewed a barrage of profanities as he and his men finally reached the base of the mountain. An hour of struggling and a hard fall had not improved his attitude. The two men focused their eyes on the ground and kept to themselves as Victor gradually calmed down.
He climbed off the quad and pulled out a canteen, drinking down several swigs of water. He ate an energy bar while he considered their next move. After the last bite, he walked over to the two men.
“They have an hour’s head start. We’re going to have to try to make the time up the best we can. I’m going to be pushing hard. You guys need to keep up.”
He climbed back on his quad and started the engine. He pulled away without looking back, his rear tires spinning and spitting dirt behind him. The two men accelerated
hard and slowly caught up with him.
Victor led them in an easterly direction around the southern base of the mountain. After thirty minutes of hard riding, he stopped and took out his compass. He studied it for a moment.
“We need to head back to the north if we’re going to find their tracks.” Not too far in the distance he saw more trees beginning to pop up. It began to remind him of the area in which he had last seen Luc.
He pointed to the north. “We’re going to hug the base of this mountain and see where it takes us.” He pulled away from the men and began working his way through the boulders and increasing number of trees.
As they rode farther north, Victor noticed the air becoming warmer and muggier. At one point he stopped and took off his jacket, strapping it to the front utility rack. After a quick drink of water, he wasted no time continuing onward.
They rode hard for another thirty minutes after which Victor began to see something shimmering in the distance. As they got closer, he realized it was a waterfall.
Ten more minutes of riding brought them to the edge of a lake fed by the waterfall. Victor rode to the eastern most edge of the lake where it emptied into a river and climbed off the quad.
“Another damn obstacle. How lucky is Moon, anyway?” he said in disgust and angrily kicked a rock into the water.
Pulling out his binoculars, he began scanning eastward to where the river disappeared into the distance. He didn’t see a trace of Luc or the others.
He scanned back up the northern side of the river and up and around the lake. A momentary reflection from the shoreline caught his eye. He carefully examined the area with the binoculars until he found a shiny object that didn’t appear to belong there. He couldn’t quite make it out but it appeared to be moving back and forth.
He put the binoculars away and walked toward the area where the lake fed the river. The sound of rushing water filled the area. He stared at the water flowing out of the lake and down through a large crevice in the rocky shelf.
The roar of rushing water intensified as he stepped to the edge of the crevice and looked down into the white storm of water seeking its way to lower ground. Twenty feet down it exited the rocky interior and emptied into a large basin that flowed into the river.
He judged the width of the crevice to be no more than five feet, a distance he felt confident he could jump.
He backed away from the edge and looked at his two men.
“Stay here and wait for me,” he said.
He took off running. As he reached the edge, he jumped, soaring over the rushing water below and landing several feet past the other edge. He looked back at the two men and grinned then turned heading for the lake.
When he reached the lake, he hiked along the shoreline toward the object. A large smile spread across his face when he reached the object and found it was a plastic water bottle being pushed back and forth by the breeze. This was exactly what he had wanted to find. It was proof that Luc and his party had come that way.
He picked up the bottle and noticed the bottom looked melted. Strange, he thought, and threw it down. He began searching the area until he found a rock-free patch of damp earth that clearly showed knobby tire tracks.
He studied the tire tracks for a moment. Someone had spun the tires on their quad at that spot and shot dirt and small rocks behind them. It was clear they had been accelerating toward the river.
He followed the intermittent tracks to where they met the river. He continued hiking a short distance along the riverbank until he spotted more tire tracks on a patch of bare dirt.
There was now no doubt in his mind, which way they were headed. Exactly how much of a head start they had he didn’t know but he doubted it was much more than an hour.
He jogged back to the crevice and, backing up five large paces from the edge, ran toward the opening and jumped. Once again, he soared over the chasm and landed on the other side with room to spare. He walked up to where his two men were standing, having a smoke.
“I found their tracks. They went east along the other side of the river,” he said.
“How are we going to get the quads to the other side of the river,” Turner asked, glancing at Russell, and then back at Victor.
“We’ll have to look for a good spot to cross. Until then, we’ll just have to keep our eyes open. The banks of the river are soft. The moment they try to climb up the embankment, they’ll be off the rocks and we should be able to see their tracks. We all need to keep our eyes focused on the other riverbank.”
He climbed back on his quad and started the engine. “We’re moving out.”
Turner and Russell flicked their cigarettes into the lake and climbed on their machines. They started the engines and waited for Victor to take the lead.
Victor suddenly felt better. He had a plan. Luck was back on his side and he felt confident he would soon gain the upper hand. Luc and his little band of losers were riding along the north side of the river heading deeper into the valley and that was fine with him. It would make it that much easier to hide their bodies.
Chapter 8
Christie sat in the back of the helicopter cabin at the small conference table opposite Marcus. They had been discussing their options as they waited for the mammoth and its calf to leave. She was beginning to feel drowsy and guessed they had been waiting at least an hour. They had both agreed it was too dangerous to go out into the clearing as long as the animals remained.
Christie set upright and stared at Marcus. “Oh, my gosh. I need my camera. I can’t believe I haven’t taken any pictures of the mammoths, yet,” she said standing up.
She grabbed her field pack, pulling out her digital SLR. She removed the lens cover and rushed toward the hatch, switching on the camera as she walked. She looked out the window and saw that the mother and calf were still there. She zoomed in on the mother and began taking pictures.
As she worked, the magnitude of the moment began to hit home. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take pictures of a species that was long thought to be extinct. The thought occurred to her that she might become famous, if they managed to make it out of the valley alive.
Marcus walked from the back of the cabin and stood behind her. “Having fun?”
“I don’t know if I’d call it fun, but this is a paleontologist’s dream come true.”
“I guess it would be,” he said as he glanced out the window from behind her. As she continued taking pictures, the mammoth slowly moved to the edge of the forest with the calf close behind.
It turned its head and glanced straight at them. She took several more pictures after which it turned and headed into the trees with its calf following close behind.
Christie waited by the hatch window a few minutes longer until she was sure the mammoths weren’t coming back then put the lens cover back on her camera. She removed the memory card and put it in a plastic case then slipped it in her pocket. She inserted a fresh card in the camera and stored it in her backpack.
“Stuart, Kelly, put on your jackets and come up here,” she said. The children went up to the front and sat on the seat next to her.
“We’re going to be leaving in a few minutes,” she said, as she looked the two children over. She noticed Kelly’s shoes were not tied very tightly.
“Tie your shoes in a double knot,” she said. Kelly retied the laces, making sure they were snug.
Kelly kicked her feet and smiled. “How’s that?”
Christie smiled at her daughter, “Much better. You don’t want them coming untied.”
The three of them waited for Marcus as he made one last check of his backpack. Christie watched him zip the top flap closed and slip it on.
“Everybody ready?” he asked.
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Christie said then put on her backpack. Once on her back, it felt lighter than she had expected.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Marcus said and pulled up the latch and swung the hatch door outward. Jumping out, he quickly checked t
he area then helped Kelly and Stuart down.
Christie hopped out behind them and walked into the clearing. She looked around, trying to get her bearings.
“How are we going to know which way to go?” she asked.
“I’m almost certain the cabins were to the south,” he said pointing up to the top of the slope the helicopter had slid down during the crash. “When we get up there we should be able to see more,” he said.
Marcus closed the hatch and led them to the base of the hill. “Well, we’re off to see the wizard,” he said and winked at the kids. He turned and began hiking up the slope.
Christie grabbed the children’s hands and took off after him. She immediately became concerned as Marcus was pulling ahead of them because Kelly couldn’t keep up.
“Wait up. You’re going too fast,” she yelled up the slope.
He turned and came back to them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was going so fast. Let’s see what we can do,” he said and squatted down next to Kelly.
“Would you like a piggyback ride, young lady?”
Kelly smiled and shook her head yes.
He looked up at Christie. “Think you can pick her up and set her on my shoulders?”
“I can, but she’s pretty heavy,” she said.
“I’ll be fine.”
Grabbing Kelly under the arms and lifting her over Marcus’ backpack, Christie sat her on his shoulders. He stood up as Kelly wrapped her arms around his neck.
“How’s that?” he asked.
A smile broke out on Kelly’s face. “I can see everything from up here.”
“That should make things easier,” he said. “Ready to try again?”
“Okay,” Christie said, thankful that he was such a nice man.
Marcus once again started the climb up the slope. Christie took hold of Stuart’s hand and started off after him. She noticed that Kelly’s weight slowed him down just enough that she and Stuart could now keep up.
Halfway up the slope, Stuart tried to pull his hand out of hers. “Mom, let go. I can walk by myself.”
