Yesterday's Flight

by Martyn Ellington

  Marcus said, “Me and William will take the look-out!”

  Amy replied, “Ok, but remember keep a look-out on the water too.”

  “In the water,” Nick interrupted Marcus.

  “You not heard of crocodiles, Nick?” Marcus replied. “You can’t see in the water. Look on the surface for tell-tale signs!”

  William and Amy nodded back to him in acknowledgement.

  Slowly they approached the river. At full stretch they lowered the water containers into it and started to fill them, placing them one by one back on the bank as they did. Amy kept a watch on the surface of the water watching for any tell-tale signs of predators under it.

  William scanned the trail looking and listening intently. He could feel the adrenaline rushing around inside him his heart beating fast, he was on full alert and he was damn sure he wouldn’t be caught out again.

  After what seemed an age to him he heard the words he had been waiting for, “Ok, we’re done,” said Marcus.

  Each taking two containers; the four of them started their passage back to the safety of the plane.

  William knew he couldn’t relax. Even though so far it had passed without incident or even a sighting, he knew it was when they had relaxed last time they were caught out.

  They had made it half-way up the trail; still sticking close to the tree line when they heard a noise. A cry, almost a bark, and William froze.

  Marcus moved up next to him. “Is this It? Is this the noise you heard last time?

  William shook his head, “No, this is a different one.”

  “What do we do?” asked Nick.

  William placed the water containers on the ground. “Leave these here, we’ll head into the shrub line and hide.”

  “Leave them here? We can’t just leave them,” Nick protested.

  “Unless you can run while you’re carrying them you’ll have to, they’re no good to you dead!”

  “William’s right,” Marcus agreed. “Leave them here, we’ll come back; no-one will take them, there’s only us here.”

  The bark came again, closer this time. It was answered, then more joined in and now William could feel the vibration under his feet. He turned to the other three, “Can we go now?”

  Placing the containers down, they backed away into the tree line and lay low. The vibrations became stronger, but not as strong as William remembered; the bark came again, then the shadow was cast over them. There was more than one animal, there was a herd, smaller than the one William had seen previously by the water before the T Rex had come, but no less impressive. Walking squat on all four legs they had bony plates running the full length of their backs with sharp ridges that protruded from the sides.

  Amy slowly raised herself up and headed back on the trail as the last straggler passed.

  “AMY! what the hell are you doing?” William’s voice was a mixture of anger and frustration.

  When she turned he could see the look of wonderment and excitement on her face as she waved at the three men still cowering in shrub line. “Come see this, it’s amazing.”

  Marcus was the first to raise himself out of the ditch followed by Nick and then William. They joined her and watched as the herd made its way slowly and purposefully towards the river.

  “Shit, looks like we made it just in time,” Marcus said.

  “They wont hurt you, not unless they feel threatened anyway,” replied Amy.

  Marcus looked at her. “And just how in the hell do you know that?”

  She smiled, still looking at the animals as they turned the corner and started to disappear. “Because they’re herbivores, they’re called Edmontonia, they’re plant eaters.”

  William let out a little laugh, “Ok, good, we have a dinosaur expert.”

  Amy laughed with him. “Not really an expert but I know a few of them.”

  As the last one rounded the corner and vanished Marcus turned to pick up the water. “Come on, boys and girls, it’s time to head back.”

  “Hang on,” Nick said. “We have the water, but what about the food?”

  “Good point,” William said.

  “What you got in mind?” asked Marcus.

  Nick clenched his teeth and turned to Marcus, “You got your gun?”

  “Yeah, but why?”

  “Those things that have just passed the Edmo…whatever they are, their heads are about so high.”

  Nick placed the flat of his hand against his chest, “We can’t penetrate the skin but I bet at close range that 9mm would go through the skull?”

  “What? You have to be joking, don’t tell me you think this is a good idea, Marcus,” Amy snapped at him, but Marcus was taking it seriously.

  “Look, we don’t have any food, apart from some micro crap still in the galley and that ain’t going to last too much longer and nor will the power for the oven. We have to eat, he’s right.”

  Amy turned to William; the look of wonderment long gone and now replaced by sadness.

  William shook his head, “I don’t like it any more than you do, but we have to eat.”

  Nick shrugged his shoulders. “So, are we or not?”

  “If we do,” said Marcus, “how the hell do we get it back to the plane? It would weigh a couple of tonnes.”

  “We don’t take it all back, we kill it, take what we need and then leave it,” Nick replied.

  “Aw, great, Nick, so we waste it as well as kill it?” Amy interrupted.

  Nick had a frustrated look on his face. “If we have a rotting carcass under the plane who do you think it will attract?” We’re best off leaving what we can’t carry as a decoy.”

  “I agree,” Marcus said, “but we’ll need to come back. I have no cutting blades with me and we have nothing to carry it in. I suggest we get the water back tonight, eat what’s left in the plane and go hunting in the morning when we are prepared.”

  “I agree,” William said, “I think we should head back now.”

  Amy sighed and turned to Nick, “It’s typical, no-one has ever seen a dinosaur and the first one you see you want to blow its brains out and eat it.”

  “I don’t want to,” Nick replied, “but if we don’t we will die slowly of starvation, you want that? Because I don’t!”

  The walk back to the plane was a quiet one with Marcus and Nick in front and William and Amy behind them again.

  Sarah saw them making their way from the tree line and as she had promised she headed down and opened the cargo door to let them in.

  Slowly they managed to get all eight water containers into the hold before she closed and secured the door. Now safely back on the plane, William relaxed and made his way back up to the passenger compartment.

  As the light faded and the day gave way to the night they switched on the few overhead lights they needed to safely make their way around the plane. Only the low mutterings between Nick and Marcus in the galley and hum of the microwave oven cooking what was left of the supplies shattered the silence that now fell over the plane.

  It was dusk, it was the time when the noises of the day fell away and left an uneasy peace until the night creatures came out.

  As the time passed, darkness now completely surrounded them, shrouding the aircraft in a blanket of black nothing.

  William made his way through the plane heading for the flight deck, he climbed into the pilot’s seat and settled back pulling his blanket over him and pushing the pillow down behind his head. As he turned on his side to look out of the side window he felt a cold draught on his face. He noticed the side window was open and realised that Sarah must have forgotten about it. He reached over and pulled it shut, fastening the catch. He didn’t want any prehistoric moths joining him tonight. His eyes scanned the blackness but of course he couldn’t see anything of the world outside. Instead he listened and he could hear the usual noises, cries, howls and others he couldn’t describe even to himself; but tonight he could hear something else, something was moving around outside close to the plane. He could hear
the footsteps and he could hear it rubbing against the metal fuselage. He wasn’t worried, he knew they were safe up here but even so he was happier when it stopped and moved away, and only then did he settle down and eventually fall asleep.

  Marcus woke William soon after sunrise. “Come on, sleepyhead, we’re going shopping.”

  William didn’t reply, he knew Marcus’s tone of sarcasm by now and he knew it was best not to rise to it; especially as he had just woken up.

  “Ok, Marcus, I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Marcus gave him a heavy tap on his shoulder and headed back towards the galley.

  William passed by Sarah and Holly on his way from the flight deck to the galley and both were still sound asleep. He pushed the curtain back to find Marcus, Nick and Amy waiting for him.

  “Morning,” said Nick. “Sleep ok?” William smiled. “As best as I could, I guess.”

  “Do we need to wake Sarah up for door duty?” asked Amy.

  Marcus turned and replied, “No, I think this time me, Nick and William will be able to handle this. You stay here.”

  William readied himself for the fight he was sure would follow, but to his surprise Amy didn’t challenge him.

  “Ok, then, let’s get this show on the road,” said Nick.

  William opened the cover leading down to the hold and headed down. Nick, Marcus and Amy followed him. Once they were by the door Marcus picked up a towel he had placed there the previous night.

  “What’s in the towel?” asked Nick. As he did, Marcus slowly unrolled it to reveal three hunting knives. Each one had a thick moulded handle that was attached to a long blade, serrated on one side and razor sharp on the other.

  “Where the hell did they come from?” William asked.

  Marcus smiled. “I had them in my luggage down here.”

  “And you didn’t think to bring them yesterday or even tell us you had them?” Nick replied.

  Marcus turned to Nick, “Didn’t think we’d need them for water, besides, I had my gun.”

  William shook his head. “We wouldn’t need them? Why wouldn’t we need them?”

  Marcus didn’t answer; he didn’t like being pursued in this way and decided he didn’t want this conversation anymore and the look that came across his face told the rest of them not to keep pushing. Instead he offered Nick and William a knife each and tucked his into the strap he had put around his right thigh.

  After the three men had left and started on their hunting expedition, Amy sealed the door shut and headed back up to the flight deck to keep watch. This time Marcus led them away from the plane under its right wing; trying again not to leave a definite trail which would prove easy to follow.

  Pushing through the thick shrubbery again they came out onto the trail leading to the river. Marcus stopped at the edge of the tree line and turned to William and Nick, “You two ready for this?”

  William shook his head, “Not really, Marcus, but if we want to live!”

  Nick remained silent. Even though this was his idea, now the time came to carry it out and slaughter an animal, he couldn’t help but feel a mixture of trepidation and regret even though they hadn’t done it yet.

  “Ok, then, let’s go.”

  Marcus set off waving them forward with a large arc of his right arm. The trio pushed on down the trail watching and listening; they were all very aware that while they were hunting they could easily become the hunted. Eventually they came to the place where they had seen the herd yesterday. Today there was no sign of them. They pushed on up the trail towards the river. The sun was high in the sky shining in scattered patterns through the tree canopy. Nick pulled his phone out and checked the time. William sniggered at him, “What time you got then?” Nick looked at William and smiled. “Yeah, I know, force of habit, don’t know what difference it makes, anyway the battery is about to die.”

  William pulled his phone out now and checked it; one bar showing for the power.

  “Got you checking yours now!” Nick said. “What’s yours showing?” he asked.

  “One bar, William replied. I reckon about 12-hours before it bleeps and dies.”

  Marcus continued ahead of them oblivious to them comparing their cell phone batteries.

  After another hour the three of them turned the bend and came upon the river and then stopped, around 300-yards ahead was the herd.

  “Ok, men, this is what we do.” Marcus gathered Nick and William close to him and went on to describe the plan - as he called it. Once he was sure they understood he dispersed them off to get ready to flank one of the animals that stood at the rear, if it bolted.

  Marcus slipped quietly to the very edge of the tree line that ran parallel to the river. Slowly he made his way towards what he thought was an older animal. It was large compared to the rest but it stood towards the edge of the herd, almost on its own and at the rear of them. As he approached it he pulled the 9mm pistol from its resting place in the back of his belt, gripping it tightly, he carefully and as quietly as possible released the safety catch then cocked the barrel knowing that the first bullet was now in the chamber and ready. He reached the tail; it was thick and immensely strong. Looking at it he could see the muscle definition even through its thick hide. He passed the huge solid rear legs; he could see the side of it moving in and out as it took deep slow breaths, its armour plating expanding and contracting as it did. He got to its front legs. It raised its head and turned it to look at him and Marcus froze, he was eye-to-eye with it.

  Marcus could tell it didn’t know what he was and why should it? it had never seen a human before. The animal stared at him, squinting trying to work out if this strange-shaped animal was a threat or not. It continued to stare at him as it chewed on his food. Marcus stood perfectly still; any sudden movements on his part now and he knew it would bolt or worse: charge and he knew he would have no chance - not even with the gun ready.

  Time seemed to stand still until its head moved back to take another huge chunk of vegetation. “Finally,” Marcus thought. He moved again coming slowly alongside its head. He pulled the gun up and steadying it with both hands, he moved the barrel closer to the side of its head. Gritting his teeth he wrapped his index finger around the trigger. The tip of the barrel was now only inches away from its skull and Marcus could feel his hand starting to shake and he knew it was now or never, he knew he had to do it. As if by itself the muscle in his index finger started to tense, curling his finger in until slowly it overcame the resistant of the trigger.

  A single shot rang throughout the forest and as the gun kicked back in his hand the large animal collapsed in front of him, lifeless and limp. Instantly the herd bolted. Cries and barks sounded in alarm as they started to stampede away from them leaving their fallen behind.

  William and Nick came out from their hiding places and walked towards Marcus. As they approached him from behind he was standing upright with his head bowed down staring at the carcass that lay in front of him; its huge bulk now lifeless and still. He stood with his legs apart and his arms hanging down limply at each side, the gun still hanging from his right hand; smoke still escaping the barrel.

  “Ok, now what?” asked Nick.

  Marcus turned to him, ‘What do you mean, now what?” Marcus replied.

  “What I mean is, which bit do we take and how?”

  William moved closer and knelt down beside the body.

  “No, really, Marcus, which bit do we take?” asked William as he looked up.

  Marcus laid the gun on the ground, its barrel still too hot to tuck in his trousers. As he stood back up he pulled the hunting knife from his holster and stabbed it deep into the flesh of its hind leg. With the knife standing up out of the leg he turned to William, “We take whatever our knives can cut through and it’s not going to be that armour on its back, we take the hind legs and leave the rest.”

  William stood up and moved next to Nick. They each pulled their own knives out and followed Marcus in the butchering of their kill. Eventually t
hey removed both rear legs and bound them together with vines they cut down from the surrounding vegetation. With the three of them only just able to lift what they had cut off they started the slow walk back to the plane.

  Tony and Sandra had followed the trail since they were ambushed. They had drunk and replaced the water they had taken that day, many times, and survived on fruits and berries they had found as they had walked. Apart from the usual noises that menaced them during the day and haunted them during the night, they had not seen any more dinosaurs as they had now resigned themselves to saying. At first they had trouble believing it let alone saying it out loud but now after what they had witnessed they both firmly believed that nothing else could shock them, they hadn’t seen any more because they had decided not to walk along the water’s edge. They both figured that this would be where their greatest chance of a meeting occurring and because of that it was the best place to avoid.

  To replace their water supply Tony would go down to the bank under the cover of darkness and fill the bottles up using a long stick he had shaped to hold them under the water. The sun was high in the deep blue sky. Tony looked up and wiped the sweat that ran freely down his forehead. “Is it me or is each day getting hotter than the last?” he asked Sandra.

  “Don’t complain, dear, it could be worse,” she replied.

  “Worse, how the hell could this be worse?”

  “Well, if we have somehow gone back in time we could have ended up in the ice age!”

  Tony smiled, Sandra always knew how to improve any situation.

  “As usual, dear, you’re right…of course.”

  They continued further on until the trail started to narrow and forced them back towards the riverbank and a blind corner that made Tony stop. On the other side of the river the bank rose steeply and vertically up around 15 ft.

  “What is it?” Sandra asked him.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. “I just have a feeling. There’s something. I can hear something. I think we need to cross the river and get up higher.”

  Sandra started off but Tony grabbed her arm and pulled her back. His grip was tight, almost painful. She turned to scold him over his grip, but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. The last time she had seen this look was a few days ago when he had pulled her into the bushes before the group they were with were ambushed. Tony released his grip a little and pulled her arm round, guiding her in behind him tight against the tree line that ran along side of the riverbank. He turned and faced her, a look of determination was evident on his face. He raised his index finger to his lips,“Shhh!” then moving his finger back he pointed to the spot she occupied and Sandra knew what he meant and then he turned and started slowly ahead towards the bend in the river.