by Russ Watts
“Can you help us?” asked Mackenzie. He ducked as a mortar shell exploded to the right of the store, showering them all in masonry and dirt. “We could use a ride.”
“Sorry, man.” The soldier shook his head. “We’ve got no time to be giving civilians a lift. We’re getting out asses kicked out here.”
The soldier abruptly left them and raced away to rejoin his platoon. Mackenzie knew the soldier had thought Alyce was his, but his mind instantly thought of Amy.
“Laurel, Maria, get down and cover Alyce.” They needed more cover. Spotting one of the doors that had been ripped from Maria’s car, Mackenzie reached out and grabbed it. It wasn’t going to do much, but with all the bullets and shrapnel flying around, anything felt better than nothing. He took what he hoped would be a last look at the Goliath. It was pounding at the ground, clawing at the dirt with its stubby nose and claws, obviously aware it was losing the fight and needed to retreat. It was sending a massive amount of dirt into the air as it attempted to dig a hole to freedom. Flashes and explosions ripped through the air around it as the military tried to keep it confined and above ground. Fire flashed everywhere and rockets hurtled through the air at speed toward the monster.
“What’s going on?” asked Laurel as Mackenzie ducked behind the wall, dragging the car door with him.
“It’s nearly over,” he said as he shuffled forward, trying to get as close to her as possible. “Just keep your head down, say your prayers, and this will all be over soon.”
What if the Goliath managed to dig itself underground before the airstrike hit? What if the monster, that had survived so much, escaped the blast? How would they manage to get away then, to get back to civilization, or whatever was left of it? Mackenzie heard the approaching jet planes. The time for questions was over.
“I love you, Laurel.” Mackenzie wrapped his arms around her. Maria was huddled in close, while Alyce and Beers were beneath them. There was literally nothing left to do now but wait.
It was a few seconds later when they felt the airstrike hit. The resulting blast sent shockwaves through the air, knocking them off their feet. The car door was wrenched from Mackenzie’s grip. Even with their eyes closed the darkness was lit up, and the fireball was visible for miles around. The sound of the explosion was enough to make their ears ring, and though it was over in a second, it was a while before any of them felt brave enough to stand up.
“Is everyone all right?” asked Mackenzie as he brushed himself down. They had tumbled from their hiding place, but the wall had done its job and protected them from the blast.
“We’re good,” said Maria as she stroked Alyce’s hair. The little girl held Beers in her arms, and the dog was shaking.
“Are you?” Laurel wiped her husbands’ face. He was covered from head to toe in gore that caked his face.
Mackenzie nodded. “I’m fine.” He stepped out into the road and began to march toward the crackling fire that surrounded the store.
“Mac, get back here, it’s not safe.”
“I need to know, Laurel. I need to know it’s over.”
As he advanced towards the point where he had last seen the Goliath, he became aware of how quiet it was. The battle had finished, the screaming had stopped, and even the ground was still. It didn’t shake or tremble, not even the slightest. It was eerily quiet. Up ahead was a massive fire, burning wildly. Dark smoke drifted into the air and something in the fire popped and sizzled.
As he walked closer, he saw movement through the smoke. Obscure figures were jogging away toward a jeep that roared away as soon as the last of the men had gotten on board. He saw a tank in the distance, a circle of soldiers walking around it. Then he saw a lump of flesh in the road ahead with dark red blood congealing around it. The thick meat was scorched, and the black skin on the outside was at least five inches thick. The piece of burnt meat was at least ten feet across, and had to be from the Goliath. There couldn’t be any other explanation. It wasn’t a man, nor from any coyote or snake; something that big could only be from one thing.
Mackenzie wafted away the smoke that permeated the air and choked his airwaves. The smell was disgusting, but he had to know. He had to see it for himself. He walked past another hunk of meat, this time even bigger, long enough to block the entire road. There were long deep welts down the skin, and the meat had turned black. Mackenzie broke into a jog. The fire was welcoming him, encouraging him to see what it held. The flames rose high into the air, and the pall of smoke seemed to reach the stars. Mackenzie’s spirits sank when he saw the hole. The ground was beginning to slope down, and he knew it was the Goliath’s tunnel. It had escaped. It had clearly been injured, but it must have somehow managed to dig a tunnel and escape the airstrike. The loose dirt beneath Mackenzie’s feet was difficult to navigate, and he began to slip as he walked down. Nothing was going to stop him from continuing into that dark hole though. He wanted to know for sure. He wanted to see it, to find proof what had happened to it.
“You there, hold up.”
Surprised to hear another voice, Mackenzie spun around to find a soldier walking towards him. The man had a pistol pointed at Mackenzie. He was tall, with a shaved head and thick black eyebrows. He wore khaki from head to toe above his black boots.
“Name and rank?”
Mackenzie held up his hands. “No, sir, I’m not with any unit. I’m just a civilian. We were—”
“You shouldn’t be here. What’s your business?”
Mackenzie lowered his hands. “What’s my business? Well I’d like to know first of all that you killed that fucking thing.”
The soldier stared back blankly. Mackenzie could feel his nerves fraying. After everything they had been through, he had no inclination to get involved in any discussion about what he was doing here. He had precious little energy left and didn’t want to waste it on this man. At the same time, Mackenzie knew he couldn’t afford to piss him off. He remembered what had happened to the last witness, the woman in Goodsprings who had become a liability once they had used her.
“Look,” said Mackenzie approaching the soldier, “I brought my family here for a vacation. This was supposed to be a nice day out, you know? Visit the Mojave, see the sights before joining my step-daughter in LA.” Mackenzie couldn’t keep the exasperation from his voice. He had reached his limit and just been pushed over the edge. “I’m just a used car salesman from Milwaukee. I’m on vacation with Laurel, my wife. She always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, the Salt Plains, the Mojave—she’d always been into that stuff. Personally, I’d have settled for a cold Coors in front of the flat-screen watching the Brewers, but I’d do anything for my wife. If you’ve got someone special, you’ll know exactly what I mean. So I decided I’d take my wife on her dream vacation. Only problem is, she never dreamed about seeing a Goliath. I guess we got lucky. A big fucking dinosaur went and interrupted our pleasant little vacation. It killed just about everyone else on the tour group. It killed and ate several people right in front of me and damn near killed me too. So you want to know what I’m doing here? I’m going to make sure it’s dead. I want to see its dead body with my own eyes. I want to dance on its grave and spit on its fucking corpse.”
The soldier took a step forward and eyeballed Mackenzie. Smiling, the soldier raised an arm and pointed in the direction of the massive fire that still burnt nearby, a few feet below. “Why didn’t you just say so? Take a look, just be careful.”
Mackenzie nervously turned his back on the soldier, half expecting him to put a bullet between his shoulder blades. Nothing happened though, and Mackenzie slid down the declining ground a few more feet until his feet hit a large rock. Standing carefully, Mackenzie peered through the smoke. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, but when they did a large smile spread across his face.
The Goliath’s body lay in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the pit. The tunnel it had dug itself to escape hadn’t gone deep enough, and the crater had only served to help contain the fire. Evidently the air
strike had been a success.
The monster’s extended abdomen was swollen and carved open to reveal brightly colored entrails that wound down over its belly like magnificent snakes. The creature’s innards were coated in a dark green slime that gave off a foul stench. Mackenzie looked at the monster burning, its entire body consumed by fire. It was dead. Searching for the head, Mackenzie carefully picked his way over the ground, until he saw it. There, split in two, was the Goliath’s head. Most of the skin had been burnt away exposing its white skull, dripping with crimson blood. One red eye remained open, and Mackenzie stared into it. There was no life there. It was soulless. The Goliath was dead. Finally, it was dead.
Mackenzie began to laugh. He laughed at the sight of the dead beast, at the absurdity of it all, and then noticed the soldier approaching him. He forced himself to stop, to get his feelings under control. His laughter was threatening to turn to tears, and there was still a long way to go. He couldn’t afford to give in now.
“So what now?” asked Mackenzie.
The soldier turned up his nose at the repulsive odor coming from the rotting beast. “It’s only one. We have a lot more work to do yet. We’re pulling out. Next stop is wherever they send us. Plenty more of those bastards out there.”
Mackenzie had to try, even though he suspected he knew the answer. “Look, I don’t suppose you’ve any room for…”
The soldier shook his head. “Sorry, sir. We lost a lot of men, and a lot of vehicles in the fight. We can’t take you anywhere. I’ll call it in, see if there’s anyone nearby who can help. Honestly, you’re better off staying put tonight. There’s going to be a lot of fighting. You’d be better off waiting and calling for assistance in the morning.”
“Right.” Mackenzie thought about it. “Maybe we can shelter here tonight. There are supplies in the old store we can use.”
“Very good. Take care of your family.” The soldier turned and trudged away, leaving Mackenzie alone, thinking about what he’d said.
Take care of your family.
How the hell was he supposed to do that? The Goliath was dead, but now they had new problems. It would be getting cold soon and putting a roof over their heads was going to prove difficult. Was there any water? What would they do about Alyce? Mackenzie steadied his hands and headed back towards the others. He heard an engine in the distance and knew the army was leaving. They had a job to do, and he couldn’t hold it against them for not giving them a ride. That didn’t make it any easier though, knowing they were on their own for now. Being out here alone was almost as scary as being out here with the Goliath. He didn’t know how to survive out in the exposed desert at night.
When he reached level ground and had cleared the worst of the smoke, Mackenzie took a couple of deep breaths. He had to keep it together. Laurel needed him. Amy was still out there, probably scared shitless that her parents were not coming. Well, he had no intention of dying out here in the desert. He was going to take Laurel and the others, get to Amy, and get home. The more he thought about the future, the less worried he became. The shaking stopped and he knew he had to focus on what he could do, not on what he couldn’t do. Laurel and Amy were his whole world and if the Goliath couldn’t split them up, then nothing could.
“Well?” asked Maria as Mackenzie returned to the destroyed store.
Mackenzie let out a chuckle as he saw her, Laurel and Alyce. “It’s dead. I saw it.”
Maria nodded and tears welled up in her eyes. “Thank God.”
“You hear that?” Laurel bent down to Alyce and smiled. “The monster’s gone. You’re safe now honey.”
“And Beers?” Alyce looked up at Laurel and Mackenzie as she held the whimpering dog in her arms.
“And Beers,” replied Laurel.
Mackenzie heard the distant echo of the army convoy disappearing across the desert. The few men left were headed for the bigger cities. They were going to need all the firepower they could muster to take down more of those Goliaths.
“It’s a long way back to Baker,” said Maria. She bent down and picked up a crushed water bottle. All around her lay the contents of her store, including the walls and roof. It was all gone, every last piece. The Goliath had decimated the building and everything around. If they looked carefully, they might be able to find a couple of blankets, but anything approaching a decent shelter for the night was out of the question. “How are we going to make it?”
“We have to,” said Mackenzie looking at Alyce as she tenderly stroked Beers behind the ears. “We just have to. A soldier out there said he’d call in some help for us, but I think they’ve got bigger problems. I wouldn’t expect help anytime soon. We’re going to have to use what we have.”
Laurel looked despondent and took Mackenzie’s hand. “What about Amy? Are we supposed to spend the night out here? With that thing out there? I need to know Amy is all right. I need to…”
Laurel’s eyelids fluttered and Mackenzie saw her head spinning. He gripped her hand tightly and waited for the dizzy spell to pass. “Don’t worry, okay, I’ll figure it out.”
Laurel opened her eyes and smiled, but Mackenzie knew it was forced. She was worried about Amy. She was worried about making it through the night, and he had to admit so was he. With the Goliath rotting out there, it would attract rodents, coyotes, maybe even snakes. It wasn’t a pleasant thought of having to spend the night with a creature they had just spent all day trying to get away from. He suspected the temperature dropped quickly once the sun set, so they were going to have to work fast to find protection from the elements too.
“Laurel, we’ll get to Amy as soon as we can.” Mackenzie wished he could say something more reassuring, but nothing came to mind. He was trying to avoid confronting his fears that not only would they not make it to Amy, but that she had come upon trouble herself. At least one of those monsters had been seen in San Diego.
“Don’t know about you folks, but I’m getting cold.” Maria stood behind Alyce and put her arms around the girl. “Whatever we’re going to do, we’re going to have to do it soon.”
Mackenzie stared out at the burning body of the monster. The fire was dying out, and the stars were dancing above it, shimmering through the fading smoke. How ironic would it be to die from exposure having survived the Goliath’s attacks all day? Mackenzie wished he had pressed the soldier more. Maybe if he had shown some urgency, demanded help instead of asking for it, maybe he could have persuaded one of them to give them a ride. He had been so relieved that the Goliath was dead he hadn’t really thought about much else. He knew that questioning himself wasn’t achieving anything, but where should they start?
A distant boom was followed by the crack of thunder. Once it had passed, Mackenzie thought he heard the familiar rumbling of an engine. “Hey, does anyone else hear that?”
They listened. Laurel heard it, then Alyce, and finally Maria.
“I think they’ve come back for us,” said Laurel hopefully.
Maria rubbed Alyce’s shoulders and back, trying to get some warmth into the girl. “Amen to that.”
It was definitely an engine, and it was getting closer. They waited impatiently until they finally saw it. Mackenzie doubted the army would send anyone for them, but soon enough he spotted a vehicle coming down the road. It managed to avoid falling into the pit where the Goliath lay and appeared through the smoky haze on a direct course for the Kelso Depot.
Laurel gasped. “Mac, is that…?”
“Okay, now I’m seeing things,” said Maria in disbelief.
As the school bus pulled up to a stop beside them, Mackenzie approached it. The door swung open, and a man behind the wheel yelled out.
“What the heck are you folks doing out here?”
“That’s a good question. We could fill you in if you could give us a lift.” Mackenzie edged closer to the bus, intrigued as to who would be driving a bright yellow school bus out in the Mojave at night. “We ran into some…trouble.”
“I can see that.” The driv
er put the bus into park, jumped down from his seat, and stood in the doorway. “Don’t suppose any of you happen to know the way back to the West coast? I’m lost as hell out here. Every direction looks the same. Saw the fighting a way back and thought I might be able to get some help.”
“If it’s the coast you’re looking for, you’re going the wrong way,” said Maria.
“Tell you what,” said Mackenzie brightly. “If you can give us a ride, we’ll get you on the right road. Mister…?”
The driver jumped down onto the road and held out a dusty hand. “Norman. Been a hell of a day. Hell of a day. Hop on up.”
Mackenzie introduced himself, and ushered the others on board. Once Maria, Laurel and Alyce were safely sat down, he thanked the man again.
“Please, no need for that,” said Norman smiling. “Just get on up and make yourself comfortable. It’s a long way back to LA, and boy have I got a story to tell you.”
THE END
Read on for a free sample of Escape From Dinosauria
Acknowledgements
My fantastic publisher Severed Press regularly produce good quality novels, which you can find at www.severedpress.com
The Goliaths are fictional creatures of course, but with technological advances, nuclear weapons still available, and so much of the planet still unexplored, are we really sure of what is out there waiting for us? Imagine if man wasn’t the dominant species on Earth…
If you have enjoyed reading this, then please consider leaving a review and pay a visit to my website www.russwatts.co or look at my other titles:
The Afflicted
The Grave
The Ocean King
Devouring the Dead
Devouring the Dead 2: Nemesis
Hamsikker
Hamsikker 2
Hamsikker 3
THE BETRAYAL
He was the boss, and everyone knew it.
“Some people forget,” George Tanaka said, a twinge of unfamiliar sadness humming through his voice. He took another sip of Cristal and looked out his office’s massive picture window. While he gazed across the tropical jungle that had become the capital of his multi-billion dollar empire, he wondered when he had last felt regret. He was familiar with disappointment because he had high expectations, but sorrow was new and uncomfortable.
