Z. Apocalypse

by Steve Cole

  A low grumble sounded in Zed’s scaly throat.

  ‘If it helps, I’ve got something for him,’ Zoe called.

  Adam jogged over and saw she had already grouped the food and drink into separate piles. Adam was still hungry, but he supposed rationing made sense.

  Zoe patted a pile she’d made of all the raw and frozen meat Keera had grabbed on her shoplifting spree – burgers, chops, joints. ‘For Zed.’

  ‘Gone in one gulp,’ Adam observed.

  ‘It’s meant as an offering. A gift to show I accept he’s the alpha male in our pack.’ She shrugged. ‘It might encourage him to look out for me. Some modern animals do a similar thing in the wild.’

  ‘It might, yeah. How come you’re so smart?’

  Zoe smiled sweetly. ‘I didn’t waste my life playing videogames.’

  ‘When I’ve finished this crutch for you, watch I don’t kick it away.’ Adam carried the meat back to Zed and dropped the lot in front of him. ‘Here you go . . . Zoe wants you to have this.’

  With a snuffling snort, Zed pushed his head forwards and wolfed down the lot, packaging and all. He licked his lips, then settled back down again.

  Adam pushed the plank forwards with his foot. Zed reached out with a clawed finger and sliced the top of the plank clean away.

  ‘Seemed to do the trick, Zoe,’ called Adam. ‘Uh . . . you got anything to draw with over there?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I was afraid of that.’ Grimacing, he used a shard of bone and some bear blood to scrawl the rough outline of a crutch onto the plank, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

  Zed grunted understanding, and with slow, steady movements began to carve. Wiping his fingers on his thermal coat, Adam stared with queasy fascination. It still freaked him to see an animal so alien imitate human actions.

  ‘Ad . . . lar . . .’ Zed breathed. ‘Gone?’

  ‘Dad’s been taken, yeah.’ Adam played the voicemail yet again.

  ‘Mur . . . mansk.’ The giant paused. ‘Seven-two-zero kilometres . . . from here.’

  Is that all? Adam sighed. Guess it’s better than thousands. ‘We think Keera can take us to the base.’

  Zed snorted, pushed the makeshift crutch aside, and slumped forwards as if in a sulk.

  ‘I guess you’ve finished, huh?’ Adam carefully picked up the hunk of wood; it fit under his arm, and he and Zoe were similar heights. It was heavy, but hopefully it would do.

  He took it over to Zoe, who by now was sat in the middle of a sleeping bag, hacking clumsily at the fabric with a penknife. Her fingers couldn’t hold the blade very well but she kept stubbornly trying.

  ‘Hey,’ she said, smiling as she saw Zed’s handiwork. ‘Not bad.’

  ‘It’ll give you splinters,’ he warned her, ‘but it might just work.’

  She scrambled up with his help, and leaned on the crutch experimentally. ‘It’ll work! Fantastic. This jacket’s so padded it’ll stop it digging in.’ She dropped back down to the sleeping bag. ‘And once I’ve made some mittens out of this thing, I’ll be protected from frostbite and splinters.’

  ‘Sleeping-bag mittens, right. I saw Bear Grylls do the same thing on the Discovery Channel once.’ The feeble joke did little to lift Adam’s spirits as he sat down beside her, sticking his hands in his pockets. ‘It’s like another planet here. So cold and deserted.’

  Zoe nodded. ‘And cut off from the outside world.’

  ‘Apart from my phone with the internet on it, duh.’ Adam called up the browser, hoping he had enough credit to connect; who knew how much data cost to download here? He typed News dinosaur monster into the search engine.

  Slowly, the results came through. The headlines made for depressing reading. It seemed there had been sightings of dinosaur creatures all over the world – and many sites were linking them to the attacks on the White House, Westminster – and the destruction of the Israeli parliament. Pterosaurs had been sighted over Moscow and Beijing. Conspiracy theorists were blaming the appearance of these impossible animals on everything from flying saucers to mass hallucinations caused by nerve gas. The British and Israeli prime ministers, and many European heads of state, were flying out to emergency meetings in Washington to share information; China and the Russian Federation had not been invited.

  ‘Getting anything?’ Zoe asked.

  ‘No,’ Adam lied, putting the phone away. Why upset her as well as myself?

  ‘I can’t stop thinking about Colonel Oldman and Dr Marrs playing us for suckers like that.’

  ‘They were so convincing,’ Zoe admitted. ‘But think about it. Oldman brought my mum to New Jersey and Dr Marrs brought your dad to the Pentagon. Once they had Keera they used her as an excuse to bring all their targets together under one roof.’

  ‘You mean they could kidnap Dad and Eve and kill Keera at the same time.’ Adam shook his head, sickened. But however much the facts seemed to fit, he just couldn’t quite believe it was true.

  A heavy impact outside jolted Adam alert. He spun round – to find Keera had returned.

  ‘Told you,’ said Zoe.

  Three fresh-killed walruses were crushed up inside Keera’s long beak. Slowly, almost waddling, she dragged her kills over to Zed, spat them out, then retreated, keeping her head close to the ground.

  ‘Your trick again . . .’ Adam turned to Zoe, almost dumbstruck. ‘Did you get the idea from Keera?’

  Smiling faintly, Zoe shrugged. ‘Or maybe Keera got it from me?’

  Zed accepted the meal without even a glance at Keera, sinking his teeth deep into the carcasses. The disgusting squelching noises didn’t last long; the walruses were swallowed in three greedy gulps. Then he shifted onto his side and curled his tail around himself. Keera settled in the far corner, picking at her wings with her beak, grooming herself with quiet chittering noises.

  ‘Looks like we’re one big happy family,’ Adam muttered. ‘Now, when Zed’s ready, I think we should get moving.’

  ‘Then I’d better get finishing my new fashion range. Ta-daa.’ Zoe modelled one ragged-cut mitten, her left hand stuffed between the lining’s inner and outer layer. ‘Tie some of the loose thread round the wrist and it should stay on OK. What do you think?’

  ‘I think I’ll have to make myself a pair of those for the journey.’ Adam picked up the scissors and attacked the thick fabric. ‘What’s for tea tonight?’

  ‘Crackers and cold baked beans.’

  ‘Ugh. Any leftover polar bear . . .?’

  Adam kept up the forced humour, hoping to distract himself from the ordeal that lay ahead. Night might not fall here in the land of the midnight sun, but still he could feel the darkness closing in.

  Chapter 14: Over the Edge

  IF I LIVE through this, thought Adam, I won’t leave school to be a dressmaker. He had just hacked eyeholes in two of the several sleeping bags Keera had liberated from who knew where. Now, if he and Zoe wore sleeping bags over their heads they’d be able to see out. And if they wore another sleeping bag over their lower halves, they’d have full body protection from the elements. Zero points for style, but it might help them survive the freezing flight ahead.

  Seven-hundred-odd kilometres – Zed should be able to cover that in six or seven hours, Keera probably less. Adam looked at the two incredible, magnificent creatures, both sleeping soundly now on the warehouse floor, and felt a growing sense of anticipation.

  ‘We’re packed and good to go,’ Zoe announced from behind him.

  Adam turned to find her hobbling closer with the crutch, dragging yet another sleeping bag behind her with all their food and drink inside.

  ‘You look like a low-budget Santa.’ Adam held up the sleeping bags he’d butchered. ‘Put these on. Much better look.’

  Zoe struggled into the sleeping bags with some difficulty. Adam was wondering if it was OK to offer her help when Keera burst awake, her wings stretching open, a cry escaping her bloodstained beak. Zed’s eyes snapped open and in seconds he was on his col
ossal feet, tail sweeping behind him, claws raised and ready to fight. But Keera was shaking her huge head again, hitting it against the floor and clawing at the flesh above her eyes.

  ‘She’s not getting better,’ Zoe murmured, abandoning the upper half of her insulation to peer properly at Keera. ‘I thought you said Z. animals healed quickly?’

  ‘They’re supposed to,’ said Adam, disquieted. He looked at Zed, whose dark eyes were looking brighter, trained on Keera and missing nothing.

  But as quickly as the fit had come, it seemed over. The pterosaur shook her wings, placed her head on the floor just inside the warehouse doorway, beak pointing at Zoe. Then she opened her jaws.

  Zoe sucked in her cheeks. ‘What an invite.’

  ‘Looks like Keera’s ready to go.’ Adam turned to Zed. ‘Are . . . are you ready? I know it could be dangerous.’

  The low rumbling growl in Zed’s throat signalled some kind of agreement. The huge beast stepped forward, bent over and scooped up Adam in his arms. Then he grunted at Keera, as if to say, Got a problem with that?

  Adam held very still, aware how close he was to the steel-like prongs of Zed’s claws. ‘Uh, Zed, I’d love to go with you. Let me just get my layers on first, huh?’ He looked at Zoe. ‘You’d better put on the other bag, so her saliva doesn’t put you to sleep.’

  Zoe nodded and let him pull it over her head and shoulders. When she was tightly wrapped, he helped her shuffle across to Keera’s glistening mouth. The stench of blood and raw meat made Adam hold his breath.

  ‘Isn’t this cosy?’ With Adam’s help, Zoe managed to drag herself inside the gooey space. ‘Guess there’s room for the food too.’

  ‘Don’t eat it all at once.’ Adam put the bag of provisions in beside her, followed by the crutch. ‘Good luck.’

  ‘Yeah. And you.’

  Keera’s jaws swung all but closed, letting air in through the bars of her sharp, spiky teeth.

  While Adam clambered into his own sleeping bags, Zed hunched forward. There was a wet crunching sound, and then the familiar gnarled, stubby wings peeled out from his back.

  Once Adam had positioned the bag’s eyeholes over his head so he could see out, he stood with his back towards Zed and held up his arms. ‘Here we go then . . .’

  Zed wrapped his arms around Adam – it was like being hugged by two overfed boa constrictors. Squashed up against the dinosaur’s tough, scaly hide, Adam tried to keep calm as he was carried to the doorway in a few loping strides – and then, the sickening rush of take-off rearranged both heart and stomach.

  Oh my God . . .

  The speed of their ascent, combined with the icy chill of the wind, took Adam’s breath away. It was freezing cold out here, raw and uncomfortable. And yet, as they rose higher and higher into the blue, Adam couldn’t help but let loose a whooping cheer of exhilaration. He glanced to his right and saw Keera had quickly caught up, wings spread wide, powering through the air beside them.

  The warehouse – their shelter and respite from the Arctic wilds – was lost from sight in seconds. Now there was only the rolling wilderness.

  Adam had gone flying with Zed in his dreams so many times, but the anticipated sense of joy and freedom soon faded. So much had changed since he and Zed had shared their first adventure. Back then it had been the two of them, alone, simply trying to find and rescue his father. Now the stakes had risen to the max. Governments of the world were involved with the Geneflow menace – and it seemed that corruption and betrayal ran to the very top.

  Adam stared down at frozen lakes and snowbound forests as the landscape blurred by. He wondered how Zoe was feeling right now, unable to walk or fend for herself. What was his dad doing right now? How was he feeling? What about Eve, was she OK?

  But the question that hammered hardest in his head was as big as it was simple: What are Geneflow really planning? If their base was in Russia, perhaps Marrs and Oldman had been telling the truth about Geneflow accepting Russian money in exchange for . . . what? For all he knew, Geneflow’s scientists had thousands of dinosaurs waiting to unleash yet more havoc and devastation on the world . . .

  The questions nagged, while the answers kept their distance, out of reach.

  The bitter arctic winds swept them over the tundra. As Zed flew raggedly onward, Keera matched his pace. After a time, it started to snow and Adam moved his face away from the eyeholes to avoid the stinging blizzard. He grew tired and sore in his insulated prison. His thoughts turned to longings for water, for a cooked meal or a change of clothes.

  After at least an eternity, Zed abruptly climbed higher into the sky. Heart jumping, Adam looked out ahead through his peephole. Barren mountains formed a partition between here and the horizon. But as he was lifted over the peaks, the view opened up into something incredible. Below, the mountains fell away sharply into a spectacular canyon, as wide as a motorway and who-knew how deep, its bottom lost in freezing fog. Level with the mountaintops on the other side of the sheer drop was a bleak plateau, its boundaries blurred by the mist . . .

  Keera gave a sharp, warning cry and blurred into stealth mode. Moments later, Zed followed suit. Adam wished he could turn invisible too – because below, in the centre of the plateau, he spied a clutch of concrete skyscrapers surrounded by smaller buildings; a drab, boxy town.

  Oh my God, is that it – the Geneflow base?

  But even from here, Adam could see something was wrong. The streets, pavements and offices were all empty. Where are all the cars? Where are the people?

  It was a ghost town.

  Abruptly, Zed veered away from the buildings and circled down towards the edge of the canyon, where a stretch of higher ground shielded the creepy city from their view. As he landed with a jolting lurch in the thick snow, Zed turned visible once more. He put Adam down a little too close to the canyon’s edge for his liking; snow swirled in a wild flurry as the wind whipped it over the edge.

  ‘We’ll have to get closer to that ghost town,’ Adam announced, struggling out of his thick fabric shroud. ‘Zed, Dad and Eve might be being held in one of those buildings. They’ll probably be wearing anti-stink, but . . . can you get any scent?’

  Zed sniffed the air, then snorted, shook his head. He seemed distracted, looking all around, alert, his tail twitching.

  ‘What’s up?’ Adam asked.

  Suddenly Keera shimmered back into sight, gliding into land close by. She touched down gracefully, despite her huge size, and moments later her jaws yawned wide to reveal Zoe.

  The girl had already pulled the sleeping bag from her head and shoulders and now struggled out from inside. With the crutch gripped in her swaddled hands, trailing her other sleeping bag like a fantastical tail, she looked dirtier and more dishevelled than ever. Adam hurried to help her up, but she waved his arm away; he left her to it and got the food and drink instead, pulling out some Sunny D and gulping it down. He wasn’t normally a fan, but after hours of thirsting in the air it tasted fantastic.

  As Zoe finally managed to stand with the help of the crutch, he passed her the bottle. She drank deeply while he liberated some breadsticks from the bag.

  ‘Where’d you and Keera get to?’ he asked, crunching noisily.

  ‘She took us in for a closer look at that ghost town,’ Zoe explained, pulling off her mitt and grabbing a breadstick herself. ‘There’s an airstrip on the far side of those skyscrapers, and it’s been cleared of snow.’

  ‘Someone’s used it recently . . .’ Adam felt nerves spark in his guts. ‘Someone must have been flown in!’

  Zoe nodded as she ate. ‘No sign of anyone living there though. It’s weird. Most of the buildings are the same style, and kind of run down.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Well, towns and cities sort of change over time, don’t they? New bits are added on, old bits are built over.’ Zoe shivered in the cold and grabbed another breadstick. ‘This place looks like it was all built in one go and no one’s come back since.’

  ‘Apart from whoev
er was on that plane.’ Adam saw that Zed was still jumpy, looking all around, and found himself doing the same.

  ‘Hey, is that a cave?’ Zoe pointed out a round shadow in the snowy sweep of the nearest hillside. ‘We should probably stay out of sight while we work out what we do next.’

  ‘Anywhere we can shelter has got to be good.’ Adam peered more closely at the opening, which was maybe fifty metres away and half hidden by snow. ‘Should be room for Zed and Keera too . . .’

  But then Keera made a low, eerie chittering noise in the back of her throat; a sound that spoke of danger. With her hopping, birdlike gait she closed the distance to the cave in seconds.

  And then something large and grey burst out in an explosion of snow. The violent movement sent Keera clattering upwards into startled flight. Zed roared in warning and Zoe clutched Adam’s arm as a clay-grey creature, almost twice their size, pushed out from the icy space inside. Stubby metallic quills sprouted from its shoulders and torso. The reptile snarled and snapped its jaws as it stood in the cave entrance.

  Weak with terror, Adam recognized it in a heartbeat. Utahraptor! He’d been hunted by crude, vicious creatures like this on Raptor Island – he had called them Brutes.

  Before he could yell out any kind of warning, Keera descended with a nerve-scraping screech, legs kicking at the scaly monster, driving it back into the cave. But a second Brute jumped out and bit deep into her left wing. Zoe screamed as four more of the clay-grey monsters emerged and set about her like rats attacking a cat, snapping and tearing at her flesh with a terrifying bloodlust. Keera’s yowls were drowned out by the barking, snapping pack of Brutes as they hauled her inside the cave.

  Mercifully, Adam’s view was blocked as Zed stood in front of him and Zoe, a vast, scaly shield. He was so much bigger than the raptors; in the natural way of things they’d never dare attack.

  But these creatures weren’t remotely natural.

  As the bloodied Brutes scuttled out from inside the cave – six, seven, maybe more – they broke instantly into a charge for Zed, jaws stretched wide to reveal their carving-knife teeth to full effect.