by catt dahman
People nodded.
“Go on,” Scott urged.
“We don’t understand and never will, I think. Something happens, and the storm grabs airplane and boats. They crash here. Or they crash close and are washed up. I think a few survive. On the other hand, we have an island of dinosaurs. We see no planes searching for us. I think the storm puts some of us in places we don’t understand and that are not quite connected to the places we knew before,” continued Stu.
“We’ve already decided that,” Helen added.
Alex sighed and continued, ”We decided that, sure. But now we know that Stu is right. It’s all related to where we were. People, the legends are right. No one ever is found later. Do you get it? We are one of the many that vanished. This is it. Stu gets it.”
Lilly cocked her head and said, “I don’t get it.
“We’re not going back. There is no back. There is here. We’re not going to be found. This is home now. The end.”
Helen felt tears in her eyes.
“They all washed up. Just like we did. If any made it, where are they? Nowhere. The dinosaurs got them,” Stu said, angry again. “It isn’t bad enough to crash. It isn’t bad enough to vanish like the rest, oh, hell, no, we get the fucking dinosaurs as well. Talk about great luck.” He tossed a rock at the wrecks.
The rock didn’t matter very much, but it thunked a rotten board just as a snort bellowed from the water. Had everyone not watched Stu throw the rock and watched it hit the board, no one would have seen what was swimming toward them.
They were therizinosaurs, creatures that Alex had only read about a little and considered to be more theoretical than real because they were so unusual in the dinosaur world. These were far smaller than scientists thought: they were only fifteen or twenty feet long and weighed only a ton, except for that, they were as theorized. They could walk on four legs or two, but their forelegs were exceptionally long and tipped with claws like a sloth.
Bluish grey, the animals had pot bellies and loved the ocean and swimming. Omnivorous, they liked to find fruit in the trees but were equally as happy to catch fish and were happy with small prey. They had big teeth that could handle meat or vegetable matter.
There were a dozen of them, and the first two were close to the shore.
“Alex?” Helen called.
Alex didn’t know what to say to Helen, but they only had seconds. If they ran to the trees, the animals would come after them and hunt them down. They were able to climb a little and dig under trees. They couldn’t outrun them either. Going into the water was out. There were no choices.
“Go to the wreck. Hide.” Alex yelled. He grabbed Lilly and pushed her to run.
The first beast lumbered out and decided his pack would take down the smaller prey since the fishing had been poor that day and they were hungry. The youngest of his pack were very hungry, in fact. They had complained a lot this day. In the creature’s memory long ago, he had hunted this area and found prey that smelled like this. Several times. Sometimes the prey had been dead, which was fine, and sometimes they were alive and fresh, which was better.
Those times, the small prey had run and fallen on the sand, but his kind had eaten them. This place had been the site of many successful hunts although sometimes the hunts were years apart. Only once had they found prey a few days apart in this place, scared creatures who huddled and been easy to catch and eat.
Scott and Helen ran full out at the wreckage, not knowing that this was what had befallen the other people who survived the ship wrecks and landed in this spot. The therizinosaurs always hunted here and found those survivors as they waited by the sea for help that didn’t come.
Alex dove under a timber as the first creature’s head banged into the old wood, snapping boards. It was lucky that there was metal that held him back. Dagger-like claws slashed the air, and Alex crawled in deeper, staying close to the sand and aiming for the heart of the ruins. He saw that Helen and Scott were close, but one of the therizinosaurs came too close because it was smaller and able to get into the debris.
Scott thumped it on the nose and used his spear to stab the animal in the eye.
The air exploded with ferocious squeals and roars as the injured animal retreated, confused and angry. Boards and beams shifted and fell. The snaps of wood breaking was as loud as the screeching of the animals; they were in a frenzy.
One of the larger therizinosaurs smelled blood and fear and jumped on the smaller ones, biting at his throat. Another joined in, snapping at the animal’s belly. With his eye destroyed, the small creature found itself unable to fight back; his vision was off.
In the wreck, Helen covered her ears.
Scott pulled her to a small cavity that was under an overturned boat. Because the tides had worried at the sand, they were able to find a low place and get into that, hiding like animals in a hole.
At the end of the wreckage far from Scott and Helen, Stu tried to find a hiding place. He felt hot breath on his neck and smelled a fishy, rotten scent that made him feel sick. He tried to get a beam between him and the monster, but the wood snapped easily as a therizinosaur pushed and clawed, digging at the timber. In seconds, it would have an opening and would snap Stu up and eat him.
Stu didn’t plan anything, but Lilly was beside him and was screaming. He meant to stop her from making noise or get her out of his way as he tried to get farther into the wreckage, but as he spun with Lilly in front of him, the therizinosaur caught her in his claws and yanked. Shocked, Stu stared with his mouth wide open. Lilly was gone in a flash.
As she was pulled out and away from him, her head snapped against a beam, and she was knocked unconscious; her arm was ripped across rusty metal and was almost torn off. Blood spurted in fine droplets as a spray. The therizinosaur was momentarily distracted by the fight on the beach, aware that his pack members had taken down a weak, injured member and were feeding. Then he went back to his own kill and pulled again. Lilly’s arm caught another snag and separated at her shoulder. Her body was taken, but her arm fell to the ground.
Stu took that time to lunge into a small pocket under several beams, skittering away. He saw Andrea staring at him from her own spot on a higher ledge of wood where she squatted, hiding behind what had been the aft of a ship. Her eyes were huge, dark blue, and horrified. She accused Stu with her stare. He wondered what she was thinking; she had to know it was an accident. Maybe.
Stu watched her watching him and then looked at Lilly’s arm. Outside the wreck, the therizinosaur ate her, clawing, ripping, and feeding happily. Only her arm was left. It didn’t look like a real arm, but Stu vomited.
Mick climbed around and found Stu, whom he nodded to and then climbed up to Andrea who didn’t react, just sat frozen. Mick moved quietly, climbing and staying low so he didn’t draw attention.
“Andrea, come on; let’s get in a little deeper. This wood won’t hold,” Mick told her as he pulled at her hand. She didn’t look at him, didn’t say a word, and didn’t move.
The therizinosaurs still tried to get in, but some hadrosaurs were headed to the water as a herd and went still as they heard the battle. They smelled blood and fear on the air. Very carefully, they inched backwards into the trees, but the therizinosaurs saw them and snorted and roared. It would be easier to kill the hadrosaurs in the jungle than to ferret out the prey that hid in the wreckage, and they had already been stabbed and poked in their noses several times.
The leader of the therizinosaurs pack made noises, and his followers dropped their food and ran at the hadrosaurs, chasing them, darting through the trees, undergrowth, and vines, and moving fast along an old trail. It was a long time before the screeches and reverberations of roars faded into the distance.
Alex called, “We need to go back to camp. Now. Let’s go; head over to that log, and watch the trees.”
He climbed out, wiping away algae and sea weed. He saw what remained of Lilly and shuddered. She was partially eaten and was mostly snapped bones and raw, bloodi
ed flesh. The therizinosaur was in the same shape. It was disgusting that a human and a monster were left in the same condition as meat to be picked over by crabs, birds, and small dinosaurs. Already compys were coming over to investigate, chittering happily.
Alex didn’t have time for the corpses but urged Helen and Scott to hurry. Stu joined them, his face white with shock and fear. Lastly Mick helped Andrea from the wreckage. She was shaking visibly, white as paint, and had no facial expression. Her big eyes stared into space, and she barely reacted to Mick’s orders.
At the log, they took only a second for a quick drink of water, grabbed their sled, and began to hurry back. Andrea jogged along when told to and stopped when told to. She was a manikin that moved when given orders.
“Andrea, can you talk to me?” Mick asked when they stopped at the plane wreck.
She didn’t say a word.
Mick shook his head and said, “She’s in shock. I guess seeing Lilly…they…you know. They were a couple.”
“A couple of what? Huh?” asked Stu.
Mick sighed, “A couple. Together.”
“Gay?” Stu asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
Stu snorted and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I guess.” He watched Andrea. If she spoke, she would tell that it was his fault Lilly was killed. In fact, it could be said that he used her to save himself. Had he? He wasn’t positive. He hadn’t planned to move her in front of him, but he had done it, and at some level, didn’t he know she would be taken instead? Had she not been there, he would be dead, eaten on the beach.
What if she told? He could deny it, but the suspicion would be there, and then everyone would wonder and think it was possible he had done that. Would they throw him out of camp for murder? Was it murder? Had he killed her? He couldn’t think straight.
He didn’t want to be tossed away. Andrea, if she told, could cause that. He had found his place, kind of, and Kelly seemed to be on the outs with his brother Tom who was really sick and had only one arm; he couldn’t protect Kelly. Stu could. Stu could do a lot that Tom couldn’t, and now he was the alpha of the Jones family.
Andrea might make Kelly hate Stu. Just when things were edging his way, she could ruin this; after all, she was an outsider and gay. How unfair was that? Hatred for her surged, along with the shock of causing Lilly’s death, and it mixed with the pressure of the last few days, his despair at realizing that there would be no rescue, ever. To top it off, his desire to be the top male and to win Kelly, whom he thought was the top female, made his hormones surge.
While the rest drank water or coconut water, he drank the weird water from the pool that he had poured into his bottle, thinking it would strengthen him. His muscles were slowly building, and he was becoming stronger and more focused on survival. He was entering into an anger he had never known. While he had always been an angry, envious person, he was now becoming more.
“Stu?” Helen asked again. He was staring at Andrea and not responding.
“Huh?”
“I said are you okay? Any injuries? Did you see when she was killed? My God, Andrea watched, I guess,” Helen said.
“Yeah. I saw it. It was horrible,” Stu said robotically. “She was ripped apart, but she hit her head, so I think she was knocked out.”
“Thank, God. I hope this is temporary for Andrea.”
“Yeah,” Stu said. What if it wasn’t? He would watch her, and if she seemed about to tell, well he would….
He paused. And blinked. What would he do? Was he actually considering killing her; that might be the best.
Stu rubbed his temples as thoughts assaulted him too fast for him to deal with. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking. He wouldn’t ever intentionally harm anyone. He hoped.
“We need to go faster. I promised to get more purslane for Joe, and it’s all over those rocks by the first shipwreck,” Helen said as they walked.
Alex said, “I thought therizinosaurs were a fluke, a theory. I never dreamed…. Sue will be amazed. I hate losing Lilly. They were safe in the plane and now look. We’re going back after losing another person.”
“I don’t guess we need to keep going out if this is what happens,” Scott said.
“Why bother? We know now,” Stu added.
“I don’t know anything,” Alex said. “We know nothing. We only know we are where the ships and planes go. And dinosaurs. Maybe a storm brought them. We know nothing.”
No one had anything to add.
They knew nothing.
Chapter 10: Day Five, Evening
Marshal’s group was upset over the loss of Lilly and gathered around Andrea, but she didn’t react to anyone or anything. She ate when told to but was mechanical. It took a long time to tell all that the group had seen and what they thought. They were divided on theories about the shipwrecks, some saying it was coincidence, and some saying it was a Bermuda Triangle curse.
Alex explained that it didn’t matter.
They agreed on a few things: to stay together in a safe place, to reinforce the camp, maybe with a line of sharp spears turned outwards around the perimeter of camp, and not to expect help to rescue them. They had played with the idea and said it was so, but on the evening of day five, for those in a boat wreck, they accepted that they were going to be there forever.
Kelly was surprised when Stu helped her with the patients. He shrugged and said she needed him and smiled, but the smile chilled her. She went along with him and let him help.
Earlier, Shelly’s baby was stillborn with the cord wrapped around his neck, and Kelly was unable to save his life. It had been a depressing day, ending with the news about Lilly. Vera was doing better, Amanda was still alive, which was a good surprise, and Tom was hanging on.
“I can bandage him,” Joy told Kelly.
“I’m still checking.”
“I’m okay, Kelly. You’ve done enough to me,” Tom said dully.
“She saved your life, Tom. Some appreciation?” Stu reminded Tom.
Tom glared at his brother and said, “Stu, when you have your arm hacked off and burned, then you can give me advice.”
Stu was aware that several were near as Tom lay by the fire next to Joy. Kelly was impressed with his improvement and swore by the water as saving his life. Stu felt cross with Tom and replied, “It was to save you. Damn. Would you rather be dead?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know Kelly anymore. I trusted her. You…she…I was betrayed. I said no, and you did this to me.” He nodded to his stump. It was less painful, but the memory of the slashing and charring was bright in his mind. He couldn’t stop remembering how if felt with every stroke of the machete. He had wanted to die. And then, when it couldn’t get worse, it did; they burned him. All of them played a part, but in his mind, he focused on Kelly and hated her. He equated her with the anguish.
“You should have talked it over with him. You could have given him your little mystery pills that Davey the druggie gave you or given him pot to smoke,” Joy told Kelly.
“Hey!” Davey glowered at Joy.
“I had to do it fast,” replied Kelly but felt unsure now.
“Right. You didn’t give him a choice. You didn’t give Amanda a choice. Since when do you dish out life and death, Kelly? Don’t people get a choice to die if that is their decision? Where’s the respect?” continued Joy.
“You’d have let Tom die? You sure are cozy with him to want that,” Stu said viciously.
Joy made a face and answered, “I don’t want him to die. I’m the only one who thinks people need a choice about being tortured.”
Kelly walked away to sit alone. Stu followed her, sitting next to her and patting her back. To his surprise, in a few seconds, she turned and cried against his chest. He held her.
Davey watched and whistled, saying, “Wow. I can’t keep up with all this changing.
“I think Kelly is doing the best she can. Can you imagine being in her place and making the choices she has? You should preach less, and think more, Joy
,” Helen chimed in.
“Or what? You’ll slap me again?”
“Helen slapped Joy?” asked Davey as he leaned in closer. He had dropped his slang but had an urge to add Dude.
Joy felt ganged up on and responded, “She did. And for no reason except I told her the truth.”
Helen bit back a response.
“I thought you’d be nicer now that you’re getting some from Scott.”
“That’s uncalled for. Mind your business, Joy. Maybe you’re mad because Tom is too sick for you to take advantage of him again.” As soon as Helen said it, she regretted it and looked at Tom, tilting her head with remorse.
“Whoa,” Davey said, “seriously?”
“Helen, enough. Far too far,” Tyrese called.
She nodded and walked away with Scott who was slack jawed that Helen had blurted out that information. Now, everyone knew.
“Screw you all,” Tom said. He didn’t say anything else except in whispers to Joy.
They had to move into the wreck when the troodons came to the edge of the jungle and made noises at them, hooting and roaring. They came down the beach a little way but retreated, unsure of themselves. It was enough to crowd the interior of the broken yacht and have most stand around with spears and clubs.
If that weren’t enough to have everyone angry at everyone else and have the troodons threatening them and scaring them witless, another storm came up. It was good to fill the water buckets, and it washed clothing and other items such as sheets and blankets, and bandages that they set out, but the rain pittered and plinked down into the wreck, making many move around or position a can to catch the water so they weren’t drenched.
The wind was stronger but not dangerous. It howled and moaned as it whipped through the wreck, making it hard for anyone to sleep. Loud thunder added more noise.
