by Russ Watts
“I’d be able to rest better if the radio was off. Listening to it isn’t getting us anywhere.”
“It stays on,” said James firmly. “I want to hear more.” He had gone through at least half a dozen bottles of beer, and Mackenzie was only too aware that an argument was no more than a split second away. “There’s some wanker on now trying to say these things aren’t even real. Listen to this moron.”
“…only we’re not, are we? We’re talking about subterranean creatures, abominations rising from under the ground, surfacing right now, and taking us on as if they hadn’t a care in the world.
“Trent, this is preposterous. Next, you’ll be telling me that sea monsters are swimming around the Pacific and, and, and… the whole thing is farcical, simply farcical. Some bored teenagers create a video of a grainy-looking image that they tell us is a dinosaur, put it on the internet, and you’re all sucked in. Listen to me, this is insane. There are no monsters. There are no dinosaurs. Mythical creatures are exactly that—mythical.”
“Doctor Allenby, what would you say to those who claim to have seen these monsters? I mean, we’re not talking about an isolated sighting. This isn’t one of those times when a whacko spots Elvis working in Walmart. We’re getting numerous reports now—”
“Trent, if I may. Your Goliaths are about as real as the tooth fairy. Earthquakes are both scary and deadly, and deserve to be treated with the healthy importance that we usually reserve for them. Let’s not degrade them by suggesting they are anything more than a natural scientific occurrence.”
“I’m just going to bring in Professor Justine Keystone here, Doctor Allenby. She is a zoologist at Washington State, and has analyzed the latest pictures of these Goliaths.”
“Thank you, Trent. I think it is extremely important to recognize what we are dealing with here, and not sweep it under a rug like Doctor Allenby would have us do. These things are very similar in nature to other animals I have studied. Take your typical spider, for example, which will catch a fly to drain it of its blood. These Goliaths that we are witnessing rampaging across America are after blood too. But they are so much more aggressive than any kind of spider I have ever studied. Their size and agility is astounding. I have been discussing the situation at length with my colleagues and the supposition at this point in time is that these are mutants, some sort of long lost cousins to the dinosaurs. It is quite feasible that they have surfaced now after living underground or in a deep network of unexplored caves somewhere, perhaps beneath the Mojave or Yellowstone. Perhaps they were already here and have really only just awoken. There are vast areas of the ocean unexplored, so who’s to say that there isn’t something buried beneath the ground that we haven’t come across before? I was one of many who signed the petition against resuming nuclear weapon testing, and it is clear to me that what we are seeing is the fruit of—”
“Justine, you almost sound like you envy these things, that you admire them? You do realize that you sound more like an obsessed fan than a professor.”
“So you will at least admit they are real then?”
“Look, we don’t know anywhere near enough about these animals, let alone if they even exist or not, without you going and classifying them on your own just so the whole of the scientific community can kiss your ass. Even if these things supposedly did exist, then how do you suppose they have remained undetected for so long? This isn’t a fly or a fish we’ve potentially uncovered, this is a huge animal. Something like that can’t live beside us on this planet, not in peace anyway.”
“Doctor, I’ll agree with you on one thing. We don’t know enough about these things. We don’t know their lifestyles, mating habits, reproduction ability, lifespan—we need a thorough analysis in a laboratory where the country’s best minds can work on this. Doctor, I assume you are familiar with the Goliath Tarantula that dwells in the rainforests of Southern America? Its fangs are one inch long, its body a foot long. These are ancient predators we are talking about. Out of human reach, they grew much larger than their domestic cousins. There’s no reason why something else couldn’t have grown to the size we see today. If these things developed and lived underground, or at least out of range of mankind’s touch, then with no natural predators they may have reproduced very quickly. How, we are not sure yet. With an abundant food supply, their population would be able to spread rapidly.”
“Justine Keystone, you haven’t changed one bit. Come on. That food supply you talk about is human beings. How can you be so blasé about the death of so many and come on here to extort your bizarre theories without any substance or facts to back them up? Trent, can we move this conversation onto something more serious? I mean, really? Really? The only footage we have is poor, and I am very sceptical about the validity of where it has come from. Show me a dinosaur in downtown San Diego, and I’ll show you a big fat liar. As for Justine and her crackpot theories, frankly, she is pissing in the wind and you know it.”
“Doctor, you’ve always been jealous of me. Why don’t you…?”
The discussion turned into an argument and Mackenzie gave up. It was impossible to listen to any coherent debate about what was going on out there. The so-called experts were arguing amongst themselves whilst people died.
“The Moerkhanee won’t be brushed aside so easily. They are as strong as the Gods and as lethal as the most poisonous substance known to man.” Akecheta stood up, stretched his arms up into the air and then down to his toes, before finally crossing them. He yawned. “And sadly, as real as my back pain.”
“This is bullshit,” said James. “The Moerkhanee are just kids’ stories. You’re not buying this, are you?” His eyes wandered around the room and nobody met his gaze except Mackenzie. They locked eyes for a moment, neither of them wanting to back down. It was Vic who spoke that made James look away.
“I’ve seen this movie,” said Vic. “You know, the one where everyone bands together and holes up in some shopping mall?”
“Yeah and it usually doesn’t end well for everyone,” said Maria. “The old woman never makes it out.”
Mackenzie cleared his throat. “So let’s change the script.” He knew what everyone was thinking. If they stayed in the store then finally they would get caught; that somehow the Goliath would get in. “Let’s get out of here. We wait too long and eventually we will run out of food and water. Or perhaps we wait long enough and that thing out there will find a way in. Either way, we all die. Sitting around waiting for help that may never come, it just seems…pointless. We need to be proactive about this and find a solution instead of waiting for one to fall into our lap.”
James clapped Mackenzie and stood up excitedly. “Now that’s more like it. A man of action, I like it. So there are some smart people in this room. Let’s figure it out, figure out how to get past that thing, right?”
Akecheta looked at James disapprovingly. “Just don’t get your hopes built up, James. It’s one thing to talk about getting out of here and quite another to actually go through with it. Don’t forget some of us already tried and lost that fight.”
“Yeah, well they were unprepared. We’re going to be ready for it next time. Right, Mac?”
Mackenzie nodded slowly. He had no idea what they were going to do, but he was at least prepared to discuss it and see if they couldn’t come up with something. The radio hadn’t told them anything of use. The phones still didn’t work, and the only time they had found a signal was up on the roof. It would be suicide trying to retrieve the phone, so for now they had to be masters of their own destiny.
“Mac, I’m going out front,” announced Akecheta. “Anyone care to join me? I want to keep a watch. We need to know when, or if it resurfaces. There’s always a slim chance that someone else might pass through. We’d hate it if some transport came through and we missed it. Those two backpackers came from somewhere, right? So as long as we’re quiet, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to keep a watch going in the front of the store. I mean, if you’re okay wit
h that?”
“I think it’s a good idea,” said Maria. “I’ll come with you. There’s also always the chance it will just leave. Slim I know, but we wouldn’t want to be sitting here on our asses for no good reason.”
“I’ll leave you to hammer out the plan,” said Akecheta as he scooped up two water bottles from beside Mackenzie. “You come up with anything, you let me know.”
“Say, James, do me a favor, please?” asked Maria. “Keep listening to the radio for me. They might have news about this area. Just listen out for Baker, see if they mention it at all. My sister’s there and…well I’d just like to know if she’s okay. Times like this, family comes first, no matter what.”
“Sure thing. Baker. Got it.” James had no intention of listening out for any such thing. He wanted out, that was all. With Maria and Akecheta out of the way, he could try to convince Mackenzie that they had to do something. He seemed to be the only one with any kind of belief that they didn’t have to accept their fate. Vic was a pushover and would do whatever James told him to. James knew if he could get Mackenzie on side, he would start to get the whole group on his side. Picking up another bottle of beer, he brushed against the knife inside his jacket. Soon, he told himself. Just be patient.
“Be careful.” Mackenzie watched as Maria and Akecheta left the room. He was worried that going out there might draw its attention, but it already knew they were there. It could attack any time it wanted, so they may as well keep a look out and try to be prepared for when it returned. Mackenzie was under no illusion that at some point it would return. Its return was a case of when, not if. He stroked Laurel’s hair. She was tired. Behind the tiredness in her voice, though, was worry. They were both worried about Amy too. Getting out of Maria’s cramped store was becoming more and more urgent with every passing minute. There were more of those things out there, and he had to know Amy was safe. Quite how they were going to get back to civilization he didn’t know. Getting to San Diego felt impossible. He couldn’t even figure out how they could get more than six feet from the store. There was still something puzzling him. On the roof it could have picked them all off. Why had it left him and Akecheta? Why had the Goliath backed off at the last second?
Mackenzie felt a tugging at his sleeve, and he turned to find Alyce gently pulling his arm. He looked over at Michele, but she was asleep. At least her eyes were closed. Given what had happened to Myles, it was probably for the best.
“What’s up, Alyce?” Mackenzie attempted a smile. The girl hadn’t said much, but she was old enough to understand what was going on.
“I finished my book.” Alyce pointed to a large book on the floor by her mother. “Snow White is my favorite. I love the evil queen too. You should read it. It’s a very good book. I think it’s the best book ever, actually.”
Mackenzie felt his heart beating and wished he could bring Myles back for her. Alyce was a precious girl, innocent and honest. He had no doubt that she thought Snow White was truly the best book ever written.
“You know what, Alyce, you remind me of Snow White. I think one day you’ll meet a prince and get married, and maybe even be a Queen yourself one day.”
“Don’t be silly, I’m not going to get married. I told David Frobisher the same thing. He’s in my English class. He said we should get married, but I told him I’m not ready.” Alyce sighed and looked down at her shoes. “I’m just not ready for that kind of commitment.”
Stifling a laugh, Mackenzie thought how much Alyce reminded him of Amy when she was younger. She had an old head on her shoulders. “You know, Alyce, it’s okay to be scared. We’re safe in here. The monster outside is sleeping now. The monster is really like the evil queen. It’ll never be able to get you, not while we’re all here to look out for you.”
Alyce nervously bit her lip. “I wanted to ask you something, Mr. Mackenzie. It’s just that mom is asleep.”
“Sure, what is it?” Mackenzie let Alyce lean in closer, so close that he could still smell the sweet kiwi and pomegranate shampoo she had washed her long pigtails with that morning. “If you want another book to read, I’m sure that we can find something else for you in here. I think I saw some books over in a box over there. You want to get—?”
“No, sir, I…I need the bathroom. I don’t want to go on my own. I wanted to ask Daddy, but…”
“Oh, right, the bathroom.” Mackenzie’s heart strings were pulled close to breaking point. She wanted her daddy and had thought that Mac would be the next best thing. It was good she didn’t know the full truth of how Myles had died.
“I’ll take you,” said Laurel as she pushed herself up off Mackenzie.
“I thought you were sleeping?” Mackenzie saw Alyce’s face brighten as Laurel slipped her hand around the girl’s.
Laurel shook her head and then winked at Alyce. “I was just pretending so Mr. Mackenzie didn’t try to tell me one of his long boring stories. He didn’t try to tell you one, did he?”
Alyce giggled. “No, he didn’t.”
“Good. Believe me they are really boring.”
Alyce giggled.
“Come on, Alyce, let’s go. I need a bathroom break, and the truth is I didn’t want to go on my own. Will you come with me? Please?” asked Laurel as she winked at Mackenzie.
Alyce glanced at her mother, but Michele was out of it, her eyes closed. She definitely wasn’t pretending to sleep.
“Okay, I’ll look after you. Come on then, we don’t have all day.”
* * *
“What is it?” asked Akecheta.
“What is it? Everything, Akecheta—everything.” Maria rubbed her eyes and sighed. They spoke in whispers. “I’m worried about my sister, about how Michele is coping, about how we’re going to explain what happened to Mr. Stepper, about…about fucking everything. Mackenzie’s cuts were deep, especially the laceration to his leg, and I did what I could. He really needs proper medical attention. As far as our situation goes,” Maria said, wandering over to the front of the store, “well, it’s pretty fucked up.”
“Can you see it?” asked Akecheta. He stood by the counter, waiting for a reply.
Maria shook her head. The dusty ground in front of her store was still. An achingly blue sky seemed to pulse with life above the smoldering remains of the tour bus. It was late afternoon, and the heat had yet to leave them. Experience told her it would take a while, but when the dark crept up on them, they would get cold quickly. She really didn’t want to spend an entire night in the store. As she looked around for any sign of the monster, she noticed in the distance that the blue sky was turned to gray. Dark clouds blotted the picture perfect sky that looked like lumps of clay ready to be molded and sculpted into anything she could imagine. All she could picture was that poor man, the backpacker whose life had been so cruelly wiped out. Although the Goliath had eaten his remains, a dark bloody splodge on the ground outside marked the spot where he had died.
“No, I don’t see it,” said Maria quietly. “It’s still underground. I can see the hole it made in the road where it can sit and wait us out. It’s out there, waiting for us. Waiting for us to make a move, to make a mistake, and then…”
Was it waiting for them? Maria shivered in the sunlight that was beaming in through the store front. A breeze blew some fine sand in under the front door. “The country’s gone to hell, Akecheta.”
“Maria, don’t think like that. We’ll get through this. We’ve got to get these people home. We’re… I’m responsible for them. I’m not staying here waiting for it to come get us. I need to get to my family, you’ve got your sister to think about; we’ve all got our reasons to get out of this mess.”
“I don’t see that we have any choice but to wait for help. For some reason, that thing out there isn’t attacking us right now, but you step outside and it’ll go for you, same as it did Mr. Stepper. I don’t understand what it is, or what it’s doing here. Maybe it’s licking its wounds. The bus exploding must have hurt it, at least.”
“Th
is isn’t fair, Maria, this just isn’t fair. My family…” Akecheta ran his hands through his thick hair. “I need to know my family are all right. Even if I don’t make it, I need to know they’ll be okay, looked after. Maria, please, if anything happens to me…”
Maria returned to the counter. “Akecheta Locklear, I’ve never heard you talk like that in all the years I’ve known you. Stop this nonsense. Things are pretty bleak right now, yes, but we’ll get through it together. Right?”
Akecheta looked at Maria, and she looked back at him with fire in her eyes.
“Right?”
Akecheta looked outside, at the large hole in the road where the Goliath hid. He knew he had to relax. It was as if he expected the monster to jump up out of the hole any second and charge at them. He kept seeing it, remembering how it had been on the roof; how it had cut Myles in half and almost killed him and Mackenzie. “Together. We stick together. We’ll make it, Maria.”
Maria began to rummage around beneath the counter. “The others are listening to the radio out back, so they’ll keep us up to date with any developments. I’m sure this will be taken care of soon. I still have faith that someone is looking out for us.”
“I just want that thing to leave.” Akecheta looked beyond the monster’s lair at the burning bus. Without transport, how were they going to get away from it? It was too far to go anywhere on foot. There had to be an alternative to hiding in Maria’s store all night. Akecheta looked at the darkening sky, recognizing the developing storm clouds. It would probably pass over, or not even fully realize itself. They often blew themselves out.
“Maria—the Kelso Depot building across the street—would we be better off over there?” Akecheta asked. “The glass front of your shop worries me. All that broken glass is dangerous, especially if the storm comes up and starts blowing things around. We’re quite exposed in here. We could do with some better protection. The Kelso Depot is a lot bigger than your store.”
Maria weighed it up. “Yes and no. It’s bigger and stronger, true. But other than the visitor center, it’s deserted now. The café closed down; there are no toilets, no facilities, nothing. At least here we have plenty of food and water. There’s a bathroom out back which might be basic, but it’s better than nothing. I suppose we might get across to the Depot in my car, but I don’t see much point in going. We certainly wouldn’t make it on foot.”
