by Greig Beck
An inhuman screech made him jump. It had come from at least half a mile away. Suddenly all the sounds of the jungle ceased. The screech came again, and it had a secondary effect – whatever had been approaching them changed course and sped up, bullocking its way toward whatever beast had cried out, the sound of challenge, pain, or distress too enticing to ignore.
Kurt exhaled, long and slow. Only then did he realize he had been holding his breath. He licked his lips, which had gone bone dry from his rapid breathing, and turned to his boss.
“We’re done for the day.”
CHAPTER 18
Something screeched and Megan jumped to her feet. “Shit – that was close. I should check it out.”
Carla looked up briefly. “No. If you’re here to help, you can do that by keeping a lookout. And you’re right; it was close. So if we need to pack up quickly, three pairs of hands are better than two.”
Jian sat back and rubbed his eyes with a forearm, careful how he used his gloved hands, which were smeared with Eohippus blood. “They are exactly the same parasite. I just can’t determine the cause of their hyper-aggressive attack on the epidermis.”
Carla nodded and rubbed her itchy scalp, then went back to looking through the scope. “We expected that; I always thought that the difference would be in the environment, not in the animal population or the arthropod parasites. But take a look at this …”
She shuffled out of the way and allowed Jian to look through the scope.
He twirled the dials. “Normal blood cell shape, normal serum.”
“Keep looking.” Carla leaned in closer.
The entomologist changed magnification, then pulled a face. “I see it.” He moved the slide a fraction and squinted back down the lens, then looked up at her. “What is it; spoor, maybe?”
“Maybe. But if we drew some blood from a different animal, or better yet, a different species, and saw that same micro-fragment, wouldn’t that be informative?” She raised one eyebrow.
Megan joined them, their conversation piquing her scientific curiosity. “Something interesting?”
The scream exploded out of the jungle again – closer this time – and Megan cringed. Something was being torn apart literally a few dozen feet away. “What the fuck is that?”
Carla looked up and pulled a face. “I don’t know, but it sounds like it’s having a bad day.” She went back to her work, but looked worried.
Megan grinned nervously, and was about to respond when they heard the sound of trees being pushed aside only a dozen feet from their clearing. She frowned – it had come from the opposite side to the loud screeching. Something else? she wondered.
“What was that?” Carla whispered, getting to her feet.
Megan vainly hoped it was Matt and the guys returning, but the sound had been so heavy, so …
The crushing of trees came closer and then something nightmarish pushed into their clearing. Megan had a fleeting impression of massive horns and teeth, tiny eyes in a skull too wide for the brutish body. It was a rhino, skinless bear, alligator … nightmare, a melange of beasts welded together by massive plates of muscle and sinew.
Jian leapt to his feet and screamed in Mandarin, fear causing his English to escape him.
Carla grabbed Megan’s hand and crabbed backward as the huge creature descended on Jian. Megan pulled free from Carla and lifted the only thing she had to throw – the microscope.
It shattered on the massive snout, but the piggishly small eyes never left Jian. The creature came into the open space, its bulk filling the enclosure. Megan heard screaming – her own voice. The sound hurt her ears.
*****
The trek back was slow, cautious, and nerve-racking. Kurt stopped at every thicket of dense jungle that didn’t afford a complete view of the area, fearful of what could be hiding just behind the curtain of deep green. It was a difficult job, as the lower growth was high and thick enough to hide a double-decker bus. However, no one complained.
The big bodyguard raised his hand, and the group crowded up behind him. They had been following their own trail back to the campsite, and now had come to a jungle crossroads. Kurt waved them forward, and they stepped out onto a veritable road – the ferns, fronds, and vines had been flattened, and a fifteen-foot wide path had been ground out of the jungle.
Kurt called Joop forward; everyone followed. He pointed at several additional marks and indentations.
“Thoughts, Professor?”
Joop walked back and forth for a few seconds and then looked up. “Quadruped. Big – possibly fifteen to twenty tons. Not pad-footed like an elephant, but claw-toed.”
Kurt nodded. “Great. Four-footed and fucking big as a house.”
Joop frowned and crouched, examining one of the footprints. He put his hand on the massive pugmark. “Strange.” He shook his head, looked back to the group and shrugged.
“I don’t know what it is, or even what family it might be associated with. Certainly not a contemporary animal, and not a reptile.” He grinned at Steinberg. “Shall we get the nets ready?”
Matt peered down at the deep indentation. “Maybe one of your lost herbivores that’s spreading the cycadoid seeds?”
Joop nodded. “Has to be – there have been very few, if any, large carnivores that were quadrupeds. Most of the saurians were bipedal, and the distant mammal record is free of anything this large.”
“Wait here.” Kurt jogged down the broad, flattened pathway, traveling a good hundred feet before yelling to the group. Matt was the first to join him. He was on one knee by a relatively small pile of cone-shaped packages. The smell was a giveaway – dung.
Kurt didn’t look happy. “It’s what I thought, and what I smelt a while back – carnivore.”
Matt looked at the brownish-green bulbs. “How can you tell? Looks like elephant shit with slightly less vegetable matter. I can see some large plant fibers in there.”
Joop answered from behind him. “Not plant fibers, crushed bone shards. He’s right; it’s carnivore spoor all right – longer and thinner, denser and tapered at the ends due to a more effective digestive system. Very little energy remains in the waste. Also, the smell is a giveaway – an abundance of sulfides.”
Joop looked around, listening, then turned back to Kurt. “It didn’t bother hiding it – means it certainly isn’t afraid of much.”
Kurt grunted. “Mega predator.” He turned to Joop. “Well? Give me something?”
Joop looked pained. “I don’t … it just shouldn’t … exist. I have no idea what it is.”
“Fucking experts.” He turned to Steinberg. “We are not equipped to deal with something this size – we’re bottom of the food chain here. I suggest we take our bird and head for home—”
The screams came from the west – everyone knew who they belonged to.
Matt took off blindly, sprinting down the flattened track. From behind him, he heard Kurt’s voice, ordering him to stop. Then came the sound of pounding feet.
*****
Matt made good time on the open path. He hadn’t thought what he would do when it came to an end – when he came face-to-face with the gigantic, unidentified predator.
Kurt was just behind him, the large man’s longer legs easily matching Matt’s pace. The rest of the team were strung out in a line behind them. He knew he was being foolish in the extreme, but logic had vanished even before the last note of Megan’s scream had died out.
He literally fell into the clearing, dragging in deep breaths and trying to make sense of the scene.
“Megan!” He went to charge off again, intending to do a loop around the perimeter, but a huge weight crashed into his back, flattening him.
“Stay down and shut up.”
Matt grunted from the weight – Kurt had him pinned. He tried to turn over, wrestling with the larger man.
Kurt pressed his forearm across his neck. “You’ll get us all killed, you dumb fuck. You know better than this.”
Matt dragged in a f
ew deep breaths, and soon his oxygen-starved brain started to see the irrationality of what he was doing. He nodded, and Kurt stood, dragging him up.
The rest of the team came into the clearing cautiously.
“Blood.” John examined a huge pool of sticky material already being covered by flies from above and worms coming up through the sodden, loamy soil.
“Human?”
“No idea. But little coagulation, so it wasn’t spilled all that long ago.” He looked at the three-foot wide stain and looked around. “That looks about it. Doubt it was a mortal wound, judging by the amount of blood, but certainly deep. They could have escaped, unless …” He pursed his lips.
Matt finished for him. “Unless the victim was carried off.”
“Well, perhaps, but animal attacks, especially savage ones by large predators, cause a lot of pattern spraying of fluids …”
“Thank you, doctor.” Kurt had been walking the edge of the clearing. He came into the center of the group. “The creature came in where we did, and went out through there.” He pointed. “I also see the beginning of an additional entry from two or three people who went into the jungle there, before the rest was flattened by the beast’s pursuit.”
Matt ground his teeth. “They went in, and the creature followed.” He felt the knot in his stomach tighten. “So, we go after them.” Matt started to walk toward the exit path.
“Whoa there, Professor, we’re not talking about dropping down to the local 7-Eleven to pick up some groceries here. We need to think about this. Not everyone should go. That path is headed into the interior, and this is not a benign place, if you haven’t already noticed. We go back to our base camp at the pool, obtain additional supplies, and then we see who needs to undertake a rescue attempt, and who needs to return through the sinkhole.” Kurt turned to Steinberg. “Maybe send Moema back with a message.”
Steinberg nodded. “Sure, I can do that.”
Matt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you fucking crazy? Every second counts here. Fuck the supplies, fuck the bird, and fuck you.”
Kurt walked over and put a large hand on his shoulder. Matt batted it away but the big man stayed in front of him. “I need ammunition Matt; we should also take the flares – if not for signaling then at least as another potential weapon. I’ll go with you, but the objective has got to be to save people, not throw more bodies into a meat grinder, so to speak.”
He waited, staring into Matt’s face. “When we find her – and we will – I want to be able to help, really help … don’t you?”
Matt’s gut roiled, but he knew Kurt was right. He looked down at his watch. “Still a lot of daylight. Okay, let’s get the supplies.” He spun and headed for base camp – fast.
Matt was moving quickly back along their partially obscured trail. He dripped with perspiration, and his face, arms, and legs were lashed and scratched by jutting branches and hooked tendrils from plants that reached out to bind him as he bullocked his way through.
He would have run all day and all night if need be – the thought of Megan being pursued, or worse, in some prehistoric jungle made him feel sick. He was first to the clearing, and he immediately fell beside his pack, rummaging through the pockets, pulling out food bars, water, anything he thought might be useful.
Kurt crashed down beside him and did the same. He spoke without looking up. “Go through the other bags as well – take spare food, flashlights, and anything we can use as a weapon. Also bandages, iodine …” He paused. “And take a pack – we don’t know how long we’ll be out.”
Matt stopped stuffing things into his already full pockets, closed his eyes for a moment, and settled his breathing. His mind whirled and nerves clouded his thinking. He needed to calm down and focus if he was going to be of any help. He thanked fate that at least Carla and Jian were with Megan.
Steinberg lumbered into the clearing and bent down, hands on knees, red face puffing and pulling in long, ragged, wet breaths. He called to Kurt and waved him over. Matt watched as he spoke to his bodyguard, who frowned and craned his neck toward his boss with a look of incomprehension.
Joop joined Matt, packing his bag. He motioned toward the movie producer.
“I think he wants to go back, now … and he wants Kurt to go with him.”
“Bullshit.” Matt’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed as he watched. “He’ll just slow us down. As far as I’m concerned, that prick can go anytime he likes.”
Joop grunted. “Yes, but not Kurt; we need him if we are going to find our colleagues.”
Matt stopped packing and stared at the pair. Kurt now had his hands on his hips, and Max was jabbing his finger into the man’s chest. Kurt was shaking his head, but his eyes were downcast – Matt guessed that Steinberg’s will was wearing him down.
Matt stood, announcing loudly, “We’re ready. Let’s go.” His eyes were on Kurt, waiting to see what he would do, but it was Steinberg who responded.
“I’m afraid you’ll need to carry on without us. Although, a better suggestion is we all head back, and rally a larger party to perform a more formal, better-equipped rescue.”
Matt nodded slowly. “And that would take how long to organize?”
“No more than a few days – weeks at most.” Steinberg looked away from Matt’s fiery gaze.
“But …” Matt felt his frustation overwhelming him. “But, you’re covered in the mites. You can’t go back yet.”
Steinberg swung back, looking bored. “Got plenty of DDT wash, and a change of clothes waiting. We’ll be fine; let’s get moving. Kurt?”
Kurt was standing slightly apart from his boss, looking out into the jungle. He turned slowly, his face grim.
“Max, I think you know that in a few days, there might be no one left to rescue. If it was you lost in this place, would you want us to abandon you?”
“No one is being abandoned, and I don’t like your tone, Mr. Douglas.” He turned to the group. “What I’d want is for someone to make a courageous decision that was best for everyone. It is grossly irresponsible to risk everyone, and I won’t do it.” He shrugged, looking regretful. “Sorry Professor, I’m in charge. You can take whatever supplies you need, but you’ll need to go on alone from here.”
Matt’s mouth dropped open in disbelief, and then his fists balled. He could feel the blood rushing to his head. A hand came down on his shoulder.
“Not alone; I will also stay and search for our friends.” Joop slung his pack over his shoulder.
Steinberg shrugged, indifferent, until John also came and stood beside Matt. His face wrinkled in surprise. “Ah, fuck, John, don’t be an ass.”
John sighed. “Maxwell, I know and you know that the amount of blood in the clearing indicated that someone is going to need me. I’ve got to go with them.”
The movie producer seemed about to argue, then his mouth turned down in disappointment. “Okay, okay, fine. Good luck to all of you.”
Matt wasn’t prepared to give up just yet. “Kurt, we need you.”
Kurt kept his eyes on the ground. He grimaced, then shook his head slowly.
Steinberg took this as a rebuttal to Matt’s request. “As I said, good luck. Come on Kurt, we should be going while there’s plenty of light left.” He turned again to Matt. “Once we’re away from the interference, we’ll call in some support.” His brow creased in sympathy. “I think you’ll appreciate that we can’t wait for you at the Ndege village.”
Matt crossed to stand in front of the big bodyguard. “Kurt, he doesn’t need you; we do. Moema can guide him back.”
Kurt lifted his head and made eye contact for the first time.
“Don’t make this more difficult, Professor Kearns. Joop, please assist Kurt in getting the bird bagged for transport through the sinkhole.” Steinberg pulled his facemask from the pack and checked its light.
“He’s right.”
Steinberg froze. Kurt continued to hold Matt’s eyes, and for a moment, Matt wasn’t sure who he was r
eferring to.
“Moema knows the land here better than I do. I led all these people in, and I’ll damn well lead them all out.” Steinberg got to his feet, his face turning red. Kurt went on, now facing his boss. “Bottom line, if it was you lost in this place, I’d damn well come and find you.”
“Fuck it.” Steinberg went to slam his facemask on the ground, just stopping himself at the last moment. He charged up to Kurt, muscling Matt out of the way, and took hold of the big man’s forearms.
“I’ll give you twice the bonus I offered.” He paused. “Triple.” He smiled in what he thought was his most disarming fashion. “Come on, Kurt, you know we don’t have the equipment or people for a full-scale search. And we certainly don’t have the right armaments.” He nodded at the lone gun on Kurt’s hip.
Kurt stepped out of the man’s grip. “They’re competent people. If they’ve stuck together, maybe we can find them all quickly, and be back by morning.” He looked at Matt. “But if they’re scattered, then I’m afraid we can’t spend more than a few days searching. Agreed?”
Matt looked away, while the others nodded their assent. He wasn’t leaving without Megan. Sure, they had some problems, but there was no way he could live with the knowledge that she might have been alive, and for the want of an extra hour, or day, or however long, she could have been found.
Kurt turned to Steinberg. “Good luck.”
Matt watched the movie producer for a few more seconds. The man was still slightly red in the face. He looked at Matt and shrugged, his mouth set in a wry smile.
Matt smiled back. “You’d better pray we find them. Because you’ll never get that bird back into the States without Carla’s approval. It’s simple really – she doesn’t come back, the bird doesn’t go back. And it will have all been for nothing.”
Steinberg’s eyes burned into Matt for a few seconds before his smile returned.
“You let me worry about that, sonny. But I’ll tell you right here and right now, I could have a team of fifty jungle specialists and medical experts here in two days. Just think about what you’re doing. If you’re still looking in two days, you’ll regret this. I just wanted to help.”
