Dinosaur World 2

by Logan Jacobs

  “We should grab some clean clothes while we’re here,” Becka suggested. “Something that might be more comfortable than dirty jeans.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I said. “But survival gear comes first.”

  Becka nodded then started toward the stairs. I walked to the rows on the right side of the store and moved as quickly as I could between the shelves. I found camping grade backpacks near the front and grabbed one for each of us. I added some of those little sets of travel accessories, complete with bottles, toothbrushes, and even mini toothpastes.

  I also found microfiber towels, which were a lot more efficient at drying and would take up a lot less space than a traditional towel, as well as charging packs that ran off batteries, which were conveniently located in the same section.

  Next came luggage straps, a heavy duty belt with clips that might prove useful, and the chemical lightsticks in a variety of sizes. The lightsticks I grabbed included small ones for fishing and heavy duty ones for emergencies. I figured that meant they put out a good deal of light and would probably be handy if we found ourselves without power.

  One row over I found the lanterns I’d wanted. There were some really large ones that had other functions as well, but I settled on a pair of the basic models that could run on regular ‘C’ batteries that would be easy to move around but would still be able to provide us with plenty of light.

  There were plastic rain ponchos, LED flashlights, and plenty of bungee cords available, and I even found a box of compasses and some mini fans that could be plugged into the laptop. And then, at last, in the final row, I found the tents and sleeping bags. I grabbed three sleeping bags that were lightweight and not bulky, but warm enough to keep us protected from the worst of winter.

  The real question was what did I want in a tent. There had to be enough space for three adults inside, but I didn’t want something that we couldn’t carry easily if we had to make our way on foot. The pop up tents were tempting since it meant less time wasted setting up camp, but there weren’t any small enough to fit into a backpack. I finally settled on a three-man backpacker tent and added it to my growing collection of must-have items.

  As I made my way back toward the front of the store, I threw in some extra parachute cord and as many boxes of protein bars as I could carry. It was quite a load, and I had no idea what the girls had managed to find. If we had to lug all this stuff around by foot, we would definitely have to lighten the load.

  “What have you got, Hae-won?” I asked as I spotted the Korean in one of the aisles.

  “Hi, Jason,” the dark-haired woman greeted me with a smile. “I found all this cooking stuff. There are pans that fold into each other and thermoses and these fold up spoons and forks.”

  “That’s great,” I replied.

  “I also found this tiny stove,” the Korean girl said and passed over a single burner travel gas stove.

  “This is perfect,” I said as I looked at the stove. “Now we can cook if the power cuts off.”

  “Yes.” Hae-won smiled. “There is also a small grill. Do you think we should take that, too?”

  “How small?” I asked.

  “Here,” the Korean woman said and pointed to a carrying case with the barbeque inside. Packed up like it was, the thing was about the size of a regulation basketball. It wouldn’t fit in our bags, but the case did have a long strap on the side that would make it easy to carry.

  “We can take it,” I said. “It’ll be easier than trying to create a firepit to cook over, but if we have to start trimming back on what we’re carrying, we can stick with the stove. Grab some of the fuel canisters as well.”

  “Okay,” Hae-won replied as she tossed fuel canisters into her pack and then slung the strap of the grill over her shoulder.

  “Here, put this in, too,” I said and pulled off a pack with a flint lighter keychain inside. “I’ll take another one, too, just in case.”

  “Always good to have a back up,” the blue-eyed woman laughed as she looked at my haul.

  “Hey, this is for all of us,” I replied. “I’ve got super strong backpacks and sleeping bags for everyone. And I even found a tent that folds up really small. Of course, we could always share a sleeping bag if you’re worried about having to carry so much stuff.”

  “I suspect we will share the sleeping bag many times,” Hae-won replied. “But I would still prefer to have my own. Sometimes a girl needs her privacy.”

  Hae-won winked and started toward the stairs with her collection of cooking utensils. It was hard to move quickly with so much gear, and we made a ton of noise as pots, pans, and everything else clanked against each other. I glanced toward the door, but no one else had appeared yet, a small miracle after all the noise we’d made getting in here.

  The second floor turned out to be the clothing section, and we found Becka near the back picking through a rack of all weather jackets. She looked up when she heard our noisy approach, and she smiled as she took in our loads.

  “I’ve always wanted to win one of those raffles where they let you go crazy in the store and keep anything you can toss inside the cart in ten minutes,” the blonde noted.

  “I’m guessing camping gear wouldn’t be at the top of your list of items you’d grab,” I replied.

  “No,” Becka sighed. “I always imagined it would be some really nice designer dress, or maybe some Louboutin heels. Sadly, there’s nothing like that here. I did find some good, strong clothing and these jackets. I wasn’t sure about sizes so I grabbed a nice collection. There’s some shoes just over there as well. They’ve got those lightweight hiking boots, and I grabbed a pair of those as well as some running shoes. You two should pick some out as well.”

  “Oooh, I like this shirt,” Hae-won said as she picked one up and held it in front of her. It was a long-sleeved orange tee with what at first glance looked like red dots, but as I got closer, I realized they were human skulls.

  “I thought you might,” Becka replied. “Here, this pile is for you, Jason. You might want to check the sizes.”

  I nodded, set my collection on the ground, and then picked through the clothing pile Becka had indicated. It was mostly hiking gear, all designed to be tough, durable, and to varying degrees, waterproof and UV resistant. There were even packages of underwear and extra t-shirts, and a couple of flannel shirts for cold weather.

  “I’d say you nailed the size,” I replied as I stood up. “I’ll go check out the shoes while you two finish here.”

  The girls barely acknowledged my remark as they laid out several jackets and debated which colors were better suited for which outfits. I shrugged and moved to the shelves that ran along the side wall where the shoe collection was prominently displayed. I was surprised to see just how many shoes they had, though they covered the range from running shoes to waders to sandals, and at the very end, hiking boots.

  After examining the options, I finally settled on a pair of gray boots in my size that were lightweight, waterproof, and sturdy-looking. I kicked off my now destroyed sneakers, grabbed some of the heavy socks, and tried on the boots. They were a bit stiff, but I knew they would soften and mold to my feet once I’d worn them. Satisfied with the boots, I found a decent pair of sneakers in my size as well, and then returned to the girls with the shoes and an armload of socks.

  “Which one do you want?” Becka asked when she spotted me and held up two jackets. “They aren’t waterproof, but they’re lightweight and water resistant. It should help a bit when it rains, but it’s too hot to wear a raincoat.”

  “I’ll take that one,” I said as I pointed to a navy blue pullover option with a zipper that opened up the neck a bit. “Did you find anything besides clothes?

  “Yes,” Becka said and sounded mildly offended. “I’ve got a ton of water bottles. I grabbed the plastic ones mostly but there are a few metal ones as well. I wasn’t sure which would be better, but the plastic ones aren’t as heavy.”

  “The insulated metal ones will keep the w
ater cooler longer,” I noted. “That might be good in the summer.”

  “That’s settled, then,” the blonde replied. “So I hear you found us some new backpacks. Which one is mine?”

  “I just grabbed three that looked like a good size,” I explained. “I started filling the green one, so you can pick from the other two.”

  “I want the black one,” Hae-won said and grabbed the pack off the floor.

  “That’s fine,” Becka said. “I’ll take purple.”

  I looked at the piles of gear and clothing we had collected, and I wasn’t convinced that we would be able to pack everything into the backpacks. But with some creativity, we managed to fill the packs with the clothes and all of the smaller items, and we still had space left over. The stove, the grill, the tent, and the mattresses were still sitting on the floor, but I wasn’t worried about those. It would be easy enough to attach the rest of it to the outside of the packs if we had to and for a moment, I flashed back to a scene from some old western of forty-niners heading off into the hills of California to look for gold with packs that looked a lot like ours.

  “I saw some small red propane canisters near the front when we came in,” I said as I looked at the extra space in my bag. “I’ll grab a couple more on the way out. Hae-won, did you want to look at shoes?”

  The Korean considered her backpack for a moment, then shook her head.

  “The shoes I have on are nearly new and very comfortable, and I grabbed an extra pair from my dorm room,” she replied. “I don’t want to carry too many shoes.”

  “Not possible,” Becka remarked.

  “Then let’s get out of here,” I said as I chose to ignore Becka’s comment.

  “I can start Tim!” the dark-haired woman said as she held out her hand for the key.

  The Korean girl looked so excited at the prospect that I sighed and handed over the key. Hae-won grinned, snatched up her backpack, and headed for the stairs at a fast trot. I half expected to hear her tumble down the steps as she swayed under the pack, but she kept her footing, and I saw her bound across the floor toward the exit.

  “The extra fuel canisters were over here,” I said as I detoured toward a display of ‘don’t forget’ items for your hiking adventure. Becka and I added extra bottles of fuel, sunscreen, and even some water purifiers, just in case the water in the north wasn’t as clean as Becka claimed.

  We had just about filled the packs when the horn on the carrier honked. Both Becka and I jumped in surprise, and looked toward the entrance. Hae-won rolled the window down on the truck and started to wave us toward the truck.

  “We have to go!” Hae-won shouted. “Get in the truck!”

  “Now what?” I muttered as I ran toward the vehicle with Becka right behind me.

  Hae-won threw the passenger door open, and Becka and I leapt inside. I clambered over Hae-won to take the driver’s seat, and then I looked around for whatever had caught Hae-won’s attention.

  “Crap,” I said as I took in the pack of black striped dinos moving in formation along the road.

  “They’re not coming toward us,” the blonde girl noted. “Maybe they don’t know we’re here? Or maybe they don’t think the truck is food?”

  Becka was right. The dinos were moving cautiously, as if they weren’t sure what to make of the truck or the noise it made. Several sniffed the air as if testing for the scent of other living things, while the rest stared at the truck with a hungry gaze. Two of the dinos stopped and called out a signal to the rest of the pack, and then the whole formation froze in place.

  “What should we do?” the blonde girl asked.

  “Maybe they don’t know we’re in here,” Hae-won suggested. “If we wait, perhaps they will pass by us.”

  “I’m surprised they didn’t attack right away when you hit the horn,” I said.

  “But the truck doesn’t look or smell like another animal,” the Korean pointed out.

  “That hasn’t stopped them before,” I replied.

  “This is creepy,” Becka added. “Why aren’t they moving?”

  “They may smell another dinosaur or something,” I said as I followed the gaze of the pair that had sounded the warning.

  A shadow flew overhead, then, and the pack lifted their heads toward the sky and roared. There was an answering screech from above, and then I caught sight of a Pterodactyl as it swooped in low over the buildings.

  “Maybe the Pterodactyl will finish them off for us,” Hae-won suggested.

  The Pterodactyl’s appearance set the pack into motion again, and after roaring at the lizard bird again, the black-striped raptors started down the street again. The horde was heading straight for us while the Pterodactyl swooped overhead, and the two sets of predators were about to collide right where we were.

  “Hang on!” I warned as I gunned the engine and then released the brake.

  Timothy flew down the street, right into the middle of the pack of raptors. I saw two bounce of the armored carrier’s hood, and a thud from beneath the truck meant we’d run over at least one more. I skidded to a halt a few feet on, just as the Pterodactyl made its own dive along the street. It skimmed past Timothy, and a squawk went up from the surviving raptors.

  “That was awesome!” Hae-won said with a broad smile on her face.

  “Yeah, but there’s still a lot of them, and they’re starting to come after us again,” I noted as I checked the rearview mirror. “Becka, get your gun ready. I’m going to drive through them one more time. I want you to start firing as soon as we hit them. Don’t worry about a kill shot. Just shoot as many as you can. That should keep them from trying to follow us and maybe give that Pterodactyl something to occupy itself with.”

  “I can try,” the blonde girl said as she pushed her backpack of supplies into the rear of the truck and adjusted her weapon.

  I put the carrier into reverse just as the dark shadow returned. I did my best to keep Timothy on the road, though it was hard to see everything that was behind us. I could see the raptors were torn between the approaching truck and the giant lizard that circled overhead, and while a few were smart enough to break formation and head toward shelter, most remained in the center of the road like pins in a bowling alley.

  Becka rolled down her window, and as soon as the first thunk sounded in the carrier, she leaned out just enough to start shooting the gun. Blood splashed onto one side of the windshield, and I could hear glass tinkling as well. I kept backing up until we were well past the pack, and then I slammed on the brakes.

  “I hit some!” Becka cheered as she pulled herself back inside.

  “Great job!” I shouted. “Strap in and close the window. We’re getting out of here.”

  I took a last look at the raptors. The pack was seriously diminished, and lizard bodies were spread out across the road. A few still twitched, and one even tried to raise its head and call to the others. Another one with a bullet wound in its leg limped along the sidewalk, and two more stood in front of a building and roared at the sky as the shadow drew closer. That was all the warning I needed as I turned Timothy around and barreled back toward the campus.

  I drove blindly at first, simply determined to escape the raptors and the Pterodactyl. We spotted another armored carrier parked at the end of a street that had been blocked off with metal barricades and tried to sneak by without being spotted. Hae-won finally had me pull over near a long-since raided deli so she could check the map, and then the Korean guided us back to the campus on as many small back streets as she could.

  It was nearly noon by the time we arrived at the gate, and despite our extended absence, everything looked exactly as we had left it. I sighed in relief and was about to climb out of the carrier when Hae-won placed a hand on mine.

  “We will move the cars,” Hae-won said as she pointed to Becka and then to herself. “And then you can move Timothy back into place after we are inside the campus again.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “There are three cars. Won’t it be
easier if we all move a car?”

  “We’re not moving them far,” Hae-won replied. “This will be faster and safer.”

  “Yeah, we’ve got this,” the blonde agreed.

  The two women jumped out from the carrier and moved toward our car barricade. The two consulted for a moment, and then Hae-won slipped behind the wheel of an old Mercedes while Becka climbed into the Alfa Romeo again. They backed the cars back onto the street and parked them alongside the curb, and then Hae-won moved the third car.

  I started to ease Timothy back into place, and I waved the girls on through before I sealed the gate completely. Becka waved and stepped through, but Hae-won stopped and then pointed toward something on the campus.

  I turned to look and heard myself growl. Six distinctly human shapes were walking across the quad, on a course for the gallery. I had no doubt these were the men who had been lingering around the edges of the campus, and as I’d feared, they had taken advantage of Tim’s absence to get access to our base. I didn’t want to shoot them, but I would in order to protect what I now thought of as our home.

  “Let’s go,” I declared as I dropped from the carrier with my rifle in my hands.

  Chapter 13

  “What are we doing?” Becka asked as she scrambled to catch up with me.

  “We’re going to confront them,” I replied. “If they’re friendly, then fine, we’ll ask them to leave and not bother us again. If they’ve come to steal our supplies, then we’ll deal with them.”

  “Are you going to shoot them?” Hae-won breathed with a note of excitement.

  “Only if I have to,” I replied as I stopped and looked at the girls.

  They were both wide-eyed, and though they held their guns the way I had taught them, I wasn’t sure that either one was ready to shoot another human just yet. Despite the awe in her voice, Hae-won looked pale and uncertain, while Becka looked grim and refused to meet my eyes.

  “Okay, we don’t want to go over there armed to the teeth,” I noted. “That will set the wrong tone if we want to talk. I’ll take one of the military rifles, and we’ll lock everything else inside the carrier.”