As Marcus rounded the next curve, the road opened up on a long straightaway. He grimaced as he realized that the trees on this mile and a half long straightaway were scarce. He glanced upward and saw the pteranodons swooping down for the kill. He yelled at the girl to hold on and they both leaned forward as Marcus turned the throttle as far as it would go. The bike shot forward like a rocket.
The pteranodons were coming and they were coming hard. With the angle they had on him, Marcus wasn’t sure he could make it to the trees before they were on him. He leaned further forward urging the bike to go even faster. At the last second, they made it far enough that the closest pteranodon had to pull up and fly above the trees as they shot through the next copse of trees not bothering to slow down.
Marcus knew they would keep coming. They needed to find shelter and wait them out. He thought about calling the MAV back to him and decided against it. Luckily, being in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, they were under cover for the next several miles. The forest didn’t open up until they were closer to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. This is where Marcus was heading, if they could make it. The Center had been renovated along with most of the other buildings in the park just prior to the outbreak of the virus. Hopefully everything was still in working order. The pteranodons were still soaring above and they weren’t about to give up a potential meal.
He opened up the throttle again and streaked for the Center. Luckily, he had enough jump on the pteranodons that they couldn’t make it before he ran the bike up and through the front doors. He slid the bike across the large domed front entranceway that was probably a hundred feet across. Marcus jumped off the bike, ran back to the entrance, slammed the doors shut, and engaged the safety locks. He looked around quickly and went through the Center to double check everything. He checked all the entrances and all the other doors to see that they were safely locked down. Due to all the terrorism that was rampant during the last fifty years, most public buildings were equipped with an emergency lockdown system and lucky for Marcus and the girl… the Visitor Center’s system was operational. Marcus was also glad that whoever had been there last had left the front doors unlocked.
Chapter Nine
The girl wasn’t saying anything. She just walked and limped along quietly with her arms crossed tightly to her as he checked everything. He kept trying to talk to Jocelyn but for some reason the earpiece was malfunctioning. He may have broken it in all the excitement. He finally gave up and finished clearing the building. Satisfied that they were secure, he turned to the girl.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She sniffled a little and said, “I’m okay.”
“Well let’s try this again. We were interrupted before by Jocelyn speaking in my earpiece and I wasn’t for sure I heard your name right,” he said as he stuck out his hand. “Hi. My name is Marcus.”
She stuck out her hand and took his, “My name is Savannah.”
“Well, Savannah, do you go by Savannah or something else?” he asked.
“My friends all called me Savvy. You can call me whatever you like,” she said.
“Well, Savvy, It looked like you had yourself in a little predicament. What happened?” he asked.
Hesitant at first, she walked over to a chair and sat down. Then she finally spoke, “Well, it all started when I was with a group of older adults that were trying to make it to an army base down in Florida that we had heard about. We had some intelligence on that group that’s been causing so many problems. They are called the Jackals and we wanted to let whoever was in charge know what they were up to.
“Anyway, there were about twenty-five of us. I was the only one riding a motorcycle. My dad had bought me a motorcycle when was only five so I knew how to ride. We had enough fire power to fight off or at least get away from most of the dinosaurs running around but when we got to Knoxville, we were ambushed by a large crew of Jackals… and just like their name, that’s what they are. We had been fighting for over an hour when we realized that they were going to eventually get us. Sam, who was our leader, told me to get on the motorcycle and try to get away while they were still fighting. I took off but a couple of the Jackals saw me. It wasn’t easy but I was able to get through the city and away from them.
“After that I started to turn back but decided to keep going and try to make my way to Florida. I came down through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and then through Gatlinburg. I was going to try and go through the Smokies and keep away from the cities. I didn’t want to attract attention. About a mile from here, I ran into a big t-rex and had to go a different direction. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, I ran into the allosaurs and they almost got me. They missed me but caused me to wreck and I was barely able to get to the bridge where you found me.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked.
“I’m okay. Just a few scratches and a sore ankle. It’s not broken. I just twisted it bad running from the allosaurs,” she said.
“Well, Miss Savvy, we are going to stay in here for a little while and see if those pteranodons lose interest. You can sleep if you want to. I’ll keep watch,” he said.
Savvy thought about it for a minute and decided that it was a good idea. She was worn out and needed the rest. She got up and walked over to a couch that was in the visitor’s center, she dusted it off the best she could, laid down, and was asleep about the time her head touched the couch.
Chapter Ten
Wynd watched as the MAV shot around the bend and then slid to a stop in front of the cabin. The doors opened and people started getting out. There were four adult women and three children. She walked down the steps as the woman got out of the driver’s side and walked over to her. There was something very familiar about her. She had to be Marcus’ sister Kim.
The woman stuck out her hand and said, “Hi, my name is Kim. What’s yours?”
Wynd grasped her hand and said, “My name is Gwyndolyn but most people just call me ‘Wynd’. You must be Marcus’ sister. I can see the resemblance.”
“I hope that’s a good thing,” said Kim laughing.
“Oh, it’s a very good thing,” said Wynd smiling broadly. Wynd realized then she was overly enthusiastic about what Kim had said and blushed and quickly looked down.
Kim smiled at her and then went through the rest of the introductions. Wynd introduced them to Rom and Twig who had exited the house about the time Wynd was being introduced. Kim started to say something else when she was interrupted by Jocelyn’s voice from the MAV.
“Wynd, it is imperative that I take the MAV back out and meet Marcus. His chances of survival depend on it. Marcus’ last orders were to stand down. By his assessment he thinks he will be okay but the latest incidents have drastically lowered his chances. I am no longer able to communicate with him except by using the drone. I was able to see him and the girl make it safely into the Sugarlands Visitor’s Center. I’ve had the drone scanning the area for the past hour and I have spotted the Jackals searching the area. I can only assume that they are looking for the girl. He gave me the command that in the event that something happens to him, you are in charge. Do I have your permission to go after him?” said Jocelyn.
“Absolutely, but I’m going with you,” she said.
Kim spoke up at that time, “You need to stay here and help everyone get settled. I’m going. I have combat experience and he’s my brother.”
Wynd started to protest but quickly realized what Kim was saying was true. She would only get in the way and Kim was best suited for it. Kim was experienced but that wouldn’t keep Wynd from worrying.
“Okay, but first let’s get you armed and ready to go,” she said as she led Kim into the house and down to Marcus’ man cave. It took Kim about ten minutes to suit up with armor and weapons. In another ten, Kim and the MAV were loaded up and gone.
As they left, Wynd took all the visitors on a tour of the large two story cabin. Luckily with a little maneuvering, she was able settle the entire group into diff
erent bedrooms. Marcus was going to have a house full. After being alone for so long, he might have a hard time adjusting she thought, as she laughed to herself. The thought of Marcus brought her back to reality. Marcus was in danger and all she could do was pray.
Chapter Eleven
“You had better strap in,” said Jocelyn. “I’m going to try to get there the fastest way possible and it might be rough.”
Kim strapped herself in using the harness. It was sort of dizzying as the MAV flew along. She hadn’t travelled that fast since before the virus. They sped up to the road that went off the mountain, slid sideways as they hit the old pavement, and rocketed off the mountain at breakneck speed. Kim pulled the straps tighter and held on for all she was worth. She hoped Jocelyn had all the right calculations because sometimes they were within a couple of feet of the edge of the mountain as they sped along.
Curious, as they hit a long smoother patch of road, Kim asked, “Do you ever make a mistake driving?”
“It is entirely possible for me to make a miscalculation of the different surfaces that we are driving on and not have an optimum ride but the chances of that are only about nineteen percent. Because of the speed of which we are traveling, I have made several errors since leaving the compound. However, you would not have noticed because the errors are limited because of the accuracy of my calculations. They are well within the standard deviation used for all transportation issues. Relax. At our current rate of travel and barring any trouble our estimated time of arrival should be in five to six hours. If Marcus actually starts coming this way, the time will be greatly reduced,” said Jocelyn.
Kim sat back and watched the scenery as the MAV flew down the highway. When the area was clear she noticed that sometimes they would reach eighty to ninety miles per hour. Although the big MAV was almost soundproof, you could hear the big tires roaring as they streaked along the highway.
Several times along the way Kim noticed that the MAV went airborne. She came to the conclusion that sometimes it was just easier to close her eyes and hope for the best. Watching was doing nothing to help her nerves.
Chapter Twelve
Savannah was still sleeping as Marcus walked around the visitor’s center. He kept checking to make sure they didn’t get any unexpected guests. For the most part, Marcus thought that the area was probably clear of most of the dinosaurs. If it continued this way, they could leave first thing in the morning. It didn’t look like the weather was going to be a problem either.
He was thinking about the events over the past few days. He had seen more dinosaurs in the last few days than he had seen in a while. Marcus was wondering if they were developing a different migratory pattern and that was why these dinosaurs were migrating southward. About the time he was thinking about this, he noticed a light and then several lights coming from the road from Gatlinburg. It was hard to see in the dark but a light flashed on one of the vehicles. He looked closer and was able to the see the emblem painted on it. It was the Jackals. They were still hunting the girl.
He ran back into the main room and shook Savannah awake.
Groggily, she said “What’s wrong?”
“The Jackals are here, we’ve got to run,” he said franticly as he took a rope from under the seat of the motorcycle. “I would give you the helmet but I have to use it for its night vision.”
Marcus moved astride the motorcycle and turned to her and told her to get on behind him. He then took the rope and wrapped it around him and her several times and tied it. “We will be riding over some possibly tough terrain and we won’t be going slowly. I don’t want you falling off the bike. You do as I do. When I lean forward, you lean forward. If I lean sideways, you lean sideways. It will make the ride a lot easier if you work with me on this.”
After a couple of minutes he had them strapped together. She had her arms wrapped tightly around him. He could see the fear in her face. Marcus turned the motorcycle on. The Solar Force engine was quiet as a mouse. He didn’t turn the lights on. He clicked it into gear and leaned forward with Savannah leaning forward also. He flipped his face shield down and turned the throttle to the max. The rear wheel started smoking as it was spinning on the floor of the center as they shot across the room and out the main entrance.
They nearly collided with a couple of the goons that had made their way to the entrance. There was some shouting and the Jackals were quick to get into action. Marcus could hear gunfire as the darkness engulfed them as they started the trek up the mountain. There were a few motorcycles riding with the Jackals and they gave chase immediately. Luckily Marcus had a top of the line bike and it was built for speed. The added weight of the girl slowed them somewhat but he was able to stay ahead of them and make a little time.
The climb up the mountain was full of twists and turns. Marcus really hadn’t noticed how bad some of the turns were when he had gone off the mountain but at the speed they were going it was all he could do to hold it in the road. He glanced back and could see the lights of the motorcycles in the distance and even more headlights further down the mountain. They didn’t have the luxury of the night vision face shield he was using.
As he looked ahead he noticed that ‘The Loop’ was coming up. ‘The Loop’, as it was called, would slow Marcus down because the road goes completely in a three hundred and sixty degree loop, but it would also slow the Jackals down when they got there. As Marcus and Savvy passed under the bridge that completed the loop, Marcus noticed a huge dead tree leaning precariously over the road. He took two grenades out of his pack. As he slowed and they crossed the bridge going across the loop he tossed them down as best he could to the base of the tree. He gunned the throttle and they took off again. They had barely gone twenty-five yards when Marcus heard and felt the concussions of the grenades going off. He eased off the throttle but didn’t stop, although he looked back down to see how well it had worked. The grenades didn’t do a lot of damage but it was enough to bring the tree down across the road. It wouldn’t stop them but it would slow them down.
He turned the throttle as far as it would turn as he took off again. Occasionally he would glance and see the lights getting further away. He cleared the top of the mountain, shot through Newfound Gap, and streaked across the top. Finally able to concentrate on his surroundings again, he nervously looked around for any possible dangers. He did spot a few dinosaurs but nothing that had the potential for trouble. His biggest worry at the moment was wondering if pteranodons hunt at night. At the speed he was going he wasn’t worried about any land based dinosaurs. ….that is, unless they were blocking the road. Pteranodons were a different thing altogether. Although the night vision helmet had good range, Marcus was worried that a pteranodon could be just on the peripheral edge of its capability. It could swoop in and be on them in a matter of seconds. They had been lucky so far.
A red light began flashing on the far right of the helmets face shield and a message began scrolling across the screen. Jocelyn was sending a message. Marcus slowed the motorcycle and eased off the edge of the road. He had forgotten that Jocelyn was probably still watching everything with the drone.
“Warning: Reinforcements from the Jackals are on the way to Cherokee at the foot of the mountain. ETA: forty-five minutes. Also…Massive migration of dinosaurs heading through the Nantahala River Gorge so beware.”
The Nantahala River Gorge was where Marcus was heading. This narrow valley was his route home. He sat and thought for a minute. Deep in his thoughts, he felt a small tap on his right shoulder. It was Savannah. He turned and looked at her.
She said, “Is everything okay?”
“I just received a message via my face shield that there is some serious danger ahead. We can’t go forward and we can’t go back. I’m just trying to figure what our best chance would be,” he said. “Hang on.”
Marcus made up his mind. Going back was not an option. This was the way home and he would just ‘wing’ it. They took off and finished crossing the mountain. The air was cool this
time of year in the valley. In the mountains, it was downright cold. Marcus’ adrenaline kept him from feeling it but he could tell that Savannah was getting cold.
He had guessed she was about thirteen and she was probably average height for a girl that age. She was somewhat skinny and had long brown hair. As they continued riding he could tell she was squirming trying to stay warm. It helped some as they came down the mountain. It was still cool but at least it wasn’t cold. Near the bottom, he eased the motorcycle off the road and paused for a second to look ahead. He didn’t see any lights ahead but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Marcus was afraid he was walking into a trap. All he could hear was the stream rolling as they continued travelling down the outskirts of Cherokee.
Marcus had been to Cherokee several times before. Cherokee was one of the reason’s Marcus’ parents always liked vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains. His parents had told him that he could trace his ancestry back to Cherokee and the Cherokee Indians. His great, great, great, great grandfather, Silas Rainwater had lived on the Cherokee reservation.
The red light on the head’s up display started flashing red again. Jocelyn scrolled a message through the helmet that basically told him that they were surrounded. The group behind him had cleared the tree at ‘The Loop’ and was about ten miles away.
Each of the narrow valleys that converged in Cherokee had Jackal gangs that were advancing on him. The way the valleys were situated in that area basically meant that they were trapped. He gunned it and raced towards the highway that went into the Nantahala River Gorge. They were about a mile from the intersection that took them to the gorge when gunfire started to his left and he swerved out into a field next to an old school. About that time he heard a huge boom in front of him. Marcus hit the brakes as an explosion on the ground erupted in front of him. The blast from the explosion threw Marcus and the girl off the bike to one side and the motorcycle went out of control and crashed in to an old set of monkey bars on the school’s dilapidated playground.
The Reunion Page 3
