by Dan Decker
“She did not come out once,” Jill said in a hushed tone as she exchanged a glance with Mike. There was something they were not telling us, but judging by her blushing face, I doubted it had anything to do with Sandy.
“Not even to the latrine?” I asked. “What about Erik?”
“He’s fine, just sleeping,” Jill said.
“You didn’t leave camp, did you?” I asked.
Another exchanged glance, it was shorter this time, and more on the part of Jill. Mike was doing his best to avoid eye contact with her or us.
“Answer the question,” Sharon snapped.
“We slipped away, but not for long.” Jill folded her arms and studied the ground.
“You were supposed to stay in camp.” Sharon looked between the two of them. “How long were you gone? Be precise.”
“Thirty minutes, no more,” Mike said, while at the same time Jill said, “An hour.”
“And what were you doing?”
Jill’s face was now bright red. Mike cleared his throat.
“We were tired of being left in camp and just wanted to do a little exploring.” She must have noticed Sharon’s disbelieving look. “We were jealous of Vince’s find.”
Sharon let out an exasperated sigh. “You two need to keep it together. Today was your last time watching camp.” She looked at Harold. “You’re going to take over.”
“That’s for the best,” he said. “I’ll do a better job keeping an eye on our wounded than these two yahoos did.”
Jill nodded while turning beet red and Mike took the pronouncement as well without argument.
Sharon leaned in toward the tent. “Sandy, are you okay? Do you need us to bring you something? Food? Water?”
Sandy groaned, sputtered, and managed to say one word.
“Okay.”
Sharon shrugged. As the others wandered off, I remained outside for several long minutes, listening for any other sound that might give me an indication of how she was doing.
All was quiet.
Her one-word response had been gruff but the others had taken it without question.
Of course, they had not seen zombie baby capybaras following a strange prehistoric lizard.
Nor had they seen that guy’s big brother.
I ran my fingers through my hair and stalked off to my tent where I stayed all night, choosing to have granola bars for dinner rather than join the others.
16
Three days passed with little to report though I was on constant alert and barely slept. We had further unearthed the object. This had been no easy task and taken considerable effort. In a normal situation a scientific expedition would have taken weeks or months to do something like this, but a feverish anxiety had overtaken everybody and we wanted to dig as quick as possible. Once we had uncovered ten feet, we had tried to move it but had been unable to do so, even with every member of the away team pushing on one end.
We had fully uncovered the seams and exposed a rectangle that was the right size for a door, but there was no handle that would give access to whatever lay inside. Everybody had a theory about what the object was made of and what it might be, but we had been unable to prove anything.
Saving the big question for later, we focused on its makeup. The prevailing theory was that it was some sort of metal but there were others that thought it could be a rock. I could not make up my own mind, and depending on where I looked could see it either way.
The mass had to be significant and I doubted Sharon’s idea of pulling it out with a helicopter would be viable.
I had not made any new discoveries nor seen any more dinosaur-like lizards or zombie capybaras.
Nor had I seen Sandy.
Others were now worried about her as well, but they thought she was sick and would just get over it. She had apparently been out of her tent once to use the latrine, grab some water and a little food, but nobody had seen her since.
The others had spent most their time with the space ship—that was what we had taken to calling it, even though we did not believe it alien in origin—or talking about it. When they were tired of that, they pontificated about the dinosaur. Any other thought of undertaking an expedition to another location had evaporated as a possibility. I had started to do occasional patrols around the excavation site, looking for baby capybaras while hoping to avoid the giant lizard. I figured that the lizard would not get close while there were so many people around.
I kept my machete in hand just in case because I was not under any illusions what would happen if the creature wanted to ambush me.
By all appearances Sandy’s condition had not improved and Erik’s had worsened. I was thinking the time was fast approaching for me to report to Sharon my concerns about Sandy and Erik, the other larger lizard, and the baby capybaras.
I was shy about doing so emptyhanded and was hoping to discover at least a sick baby capybara that I might exhibit as evidence. The last thing I wanted was to have Sharon and the others write me off as crazy and suspicious because I was making assertions I could not prove.
If I produced a live specimen we could compare Sandy and Erik to the capybara.
Even though we had not fully uncovered the spaceship, Sharon had insisted we start a full excavation of the surrounding area, hoping to unearth other artifacts. Our working theory was that this was an object of curiosity from an ancient civilization. We were planning to dig in a ten-foot radius out from the ship. It was a difficult task as there was vegetation and trees in the way but we still had several weeks before the end of our expedition.
We had already torn up the area as best we could while skirting the trees.
On the one hand it seemed a waste of effort. We had nothing to indicate there would be anything else other than the spaceship, but on the other, I was dying to know the origin of the object.
Three days, I mused as I started another circuit just outside the excavation site, and still no sign of the capybaras.
I figured that could be significant but had no idea why.
The forest was quiet as I stopped to wait, wondering if I should just give it up and focus my energy instead on the excavation.
A little break doesn’t hurt.
Sunlight broke through the trees and vines and thick plants. My pantlegs were wet with water as where my arms from brushing against the plant life.
Even though it was warm, I shivered.
The hairs on my arm stood on end and I spun, afraid something might be watching me. The shadows made me pause as I rotated in a full circle while scanning my surroundings. I could not shake the feeling I was being watched.
I decided to push on, thinking of how Sandy had said little more than two words since that first encounter.
I must find something before bringing this to the others.
It was impossible to avoid the plant life, the damp leaves imparted their moisture to my shirt and pants as I passed.
Was it even possible to be dry in a rain forest?
It did not seem likely. Between the perspiration and the rain, it felt like I had been covered in moisture the entire time I had been here, even while I slept.
The nervous energy continued to build in my chest, even though I was not seeing anything that made me think there was danger nearby.
I brought up my machete, hoping that the reminder of the heavy blade in hand would give me some measure of comfort but it only heightened my tension.
One step after another I returned to the excavation, moving to slide past an overgrown bush instead of hacking at it with my machete. I could see the pavilion over the top of the other side.
I pushed past a large fern and came face to face with the lizard, it was kept from view of the others by a vine covered fern.
It hissed and without forethought I took a swing.
I was never one of those boys who got into fights on the playground. I had never hurt a living thing in my life. I suppose it was instinct that made me move, slashing at the creature. I might have been fast
but it was faster.
My blade cut through air.
It had been there one moment but gone the next, disappearing into the undergrowth like a ghost. I brought up the machete while spreading my feet so I would not lose my balance if I needed to attack again, but it did not return.
That was not my imagination.
As the seconds became minutes, I stood in the same spot, afraid the slightest move might be interpreted as a provocation and bring out the monster.
Daring little fellow. The ship was just on the other side of the fern.
I had gotten a much better look at its teeth. They were sharp and could probably crunch through some of my smaller bones. Its front claw was undoubtedly the source of Erik’s wound; if not this one, another of similar size.
It seemed like it had been waiting to ambush me, almost knowing that I sometimes patrolled the edge of the excavation.
My quick thinking with the blade had taken it off guard.
My heartbeat was already pounding, but it only increased when I realized I had just brought up my machete before coming face-to-face with it.
Sweat dripped down my skin.
If I had ignored my instincts I would have been dead.
After several long moments, I tore my feet from the ground and headed to the pavilion, surprised again at how close the lizard had been willing to come.
I was done looking for capybaras.
17
Everybody was gathered under the pavilion even though it no longer rained. They were distracted so I avoided awkward questions about where I had been.
They didn’t notice I was almost attacked just right over there.
My heart stopped when I saw that Sharon held a small soft cooler filled with eggs.
Five of them.
Even without being told, I knew they were the progeny of the lizard I had seen, the size and shape made me think of dinosaur eggs.
I was not the only one.
“I have never seen anything like this,” Sharon said, looking at the box with wonderment, holding it up close and obscuring everybody else’s view. “First that small lizard and now this. Have we stepped into a land lost in time?” She looked at the spaceship. “Or is it something else entirely?”
Others responded to her words, but I tuned them out as I studied the eggs.
“Put them back,” I said my voice almost a whisper. I spoke louder. “We must put them back. We don’t know what they are. We do not know how they will react when they find their eggs missing.”
My words interrupted several different conversations and drew all eyes in my direction.
“What’s that now?” Sharon asked with an incredulous look. “It sounded like you think we should put them back.”
“We know nothing about these creatures. What if they have paternal instincts? It will notice its missing brood. We must return them and observe the nest from a distance, waiting to see what comes.”
Sharon bristled. “Not every discovery on this trip has to be yours—”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand. This is not about credit. This is not about furthering our exploration. This is about survival. These creatures could rip us apart. That lizard I killed was mean and probably just a baby. These eggs came from something twice its size. We do not want to make them mad.”
“You’re talking nonsense. We are not putting back our chance to return with live specimens of your find. Living animals of this significance will surely warrant further funding for a return exploration. No. My decision is final. We’re keeping them.”
She took a moment before speaking again and nodded as if thinking something important she did not say aloud. I doubted it was significant, I thought she was just trying to prove her importance by appearing to think about things at a higher level than the rest of us.
“We must move up the date of our extraction. The specimen you collected, this spaceship, and now these eggs practically mandate we do so. We must get that specimen’s body back in as good of condition as possible.” She paused. “These eggs need to hatch in a lab.”
Leaving early was probably for the best, but what good was an early extraction if none of us were alive to go because the parents of those eggs came looking for them?
Something told me they would come for their eggs.
“You did not see that lizard when it was alive. It studied me as if trying to figure me out. I would not go so far as to say it was self-aware, but there was intelligence behind those eyes. If you had seen it, you would say we should put the eggs back.”
“I didn’t get a chance, did I? Whose fault is that?” Sharon handed the eggs to Mike, who judging by his triumphant look, appeared to be the man who found them. “We are leaving with the eggs and that is final. I can’t help feel there might be things you know but aren’t saying. Care to enlighten us?”
I realized my hands were balled into fists and uncurled them.
“This is a mistake, Sharon. It is a good idea to call the extraction team early, but taking these eggs is pushing our luck.”
“I’ll take it under advisement.” She looked at her watch. “Let’s pack it up for today and head out.” After a wistful look at the spaceship. “It’s a shame we can’t move it, perhaps we could have it airlifted if we can dig it out in time.” She let out a sigh. “These eggs won’t keep. I’ll radio out first thing, once we get back to camp.”
18
I was the last to know we were in trouble because I hiked at the rear that late afternoon.
Sharon was at the front and I wanted nothing to do with her. Mike was right behind her with the eggs so it seemed prudent to put as much distance between them and me.
It was not until we were halfway back to camp that I realized being in the back might be more dangerous. By that time, it was too late to do much other than grasp the handle of my machete a little tighter and close the distance between me and the next person.
When my foot slipped and I almost went down, I spun in place after finding my balance, afraid the lizard was about to come out of the forest to rip open my abdomen. When nothing happened, I increased my speed, occasionally using the tip of my machete to balance against a tree when I started to feel myself slipping.
Sweat trickled down my face as I came around a bend and saw the closest member of our group. My heart pounded when I saw it was Mike. I had not remembered him falling behind Sharon. He held the small cooler in front of him as if he carried gold.
In my mind’s eye I saw a lizard jump out of the shadows, land on Mike, and tear out his jugular, all in one smooth motion.
I had been in a hurry before but now wondered if it might not be better to let Mike get further ahead.
The machete scared it off once before, but I doubt it will again.
It had been afraid because I had surprised it, the next time would be different.
I thought of its smaller brother, how it had given Sandy and me an appraising look. These creatures were smart.
I kept Mike within sight but stayed well back from him. If he was attacked for his foolhardy decision to carry the eggs, I did not want to be a casualty too.
A scream cut through the late afternoon like the call of a hunting animal, only it was visceral and vaguely remnant of a human, though it was something more tortured.
I quickened my speed, assuming Mike—who had just gone around a curve out of view—had been attacked, so I was surprised when I saw he was still very much alive, standing in the middle of the trail.
“Did you hear that?” Mike asked.
I was about to make a sarcastic reply when the cry came again, cutting off the words that had started to form on my lips.
I continued on, pushing past him. I had wanted to get ahead of Mike, but could not help wonder if I had just put myself in more danger.
19
The Amazon jungle can hide many things and grows like mad. During the short time our camp had been in place, the vegetation had grown immeasurably on all sides and throughout camp. Continua
l effort was required to fight off encroaching vines and undergrowth to keep the place from being overrun.
If we had not been there to maintain it, I would have expected our camp to quickly disappear.
The screams made me want to run the other way, but I had no better place to go and knew what lay behind in the oncoming dark. I had no illusions of my ability to live in the wild, even without prehistoric animals in the mix. If we had been in the mountainous regions of Colorado I would have had a better shot of surviving but certainly not here. I would not last a week without the others and a regular supply drop.
Our campsite was not visible until I was almost on top of it, but I was familiar enough with the area to know I was close.
When the screaming stopped, I did too.
I had known I was headed into a tenuous situation, but now, I had no information. At least the scream had given me a direction to go.
I waited, hoping Mike would catch up, but he did not.
He probably did the smart thing and turned around.
I moved again, shaking my head and gripping the handle of my machete.
That lizard was not going to run a second time if it came at me again. I doubted I would know it was there until I was bleeding out on the forest floor.
I mentally prepared for the worst, thinking my teammates would be dead, killed by Sandy, the lizard, or both.
A breeze shifted the plants in front of me and I caught a glimpse of a red tent. Nothing else moved. That last ten yards were some of the longest of my life. I expected to find somebody, but the tents were still and my teammates were gone.
Or so it first appeared.
As I shuffled into camp I noticed somebody’s legs sticking out from underneath the folding table.
I froze.
When the leg twitched, a sense of relief washed over me. At least they were still alive. I approached with my machete up and recognized Jill’s boots.
I looked forward when I heard movement in the jungle beyond where she lay but there was nothing, only some branches twisting in the breeze. I expected that whatever had attacked Jill was nearby and about to come for me.
