“Kind of ironic the way these evolution-deniers end up back in time before their kind actually evolved,” Wynooski said, as if Reverend and his people could not hear her.
“Everyone who believed in evolution got killed!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“They didn’t die because they believed in evolution,” Wynooski said. “You are talking nonsense.”
Rumbling with angry disagreement, the crowd became restless, surging forward.
“Wynooski, have you ever had a thought you didn’t express?” Carson asked.
“Ranger, this isn’t helping,” Nick said.
“‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them’,” Reverend said in his deep booming voice, quieting the crowd. “Genesis 1:27 says ‘man’ was created in the image of God,” he thundered, “and that is not man!” Reverend finished with a dramatic sweep of his arm, pointing down the hill. Amens erupted, rallying to the side of their leader. Jacob and his family stood at the rear, holding one another, concerned.
“‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground’,” Reverend boomed. “Every creature that moves along the ground, no exceptions, and those things marching on God’s sanctuary will bow before God and man or they will suffer God’s wrath.”
The vehemence of Reverend’s words frightened everyone into silence, even Wynooski. Gently, Nick tried to reason with Reverend.
“They are coming here for a reason,” Nick said. “Maybe sent by Satan but maybe brought by God for his purpose. There is only one way to know their reason for coming here, and that is to talk with them. Let me meet with them. If they kill me, then you’ll know they came for war. If they let me live, maybe I can find out what they want.”
Reverend hesitated. In Nick’s short experience with the reverend, he found the man swung between reasoned caring and irrational religious fervor like a clock pendulum.
“Might as well talk,” Carson said. “They’ve got us cut off anyway.”
Members of the Community were looking over the edge and toward the gate, where armed men stood with rifles poking through the wrought-iron fence.
“We’re surrounded,” one of the men at the gate said.
Still red-faced, Reverend slowly got control of himself, considering the options—there were few. Talking or fighting were the obvious choices, and talking did not rule out fighting.
“Speak with them if you must,” Reverend said.
“Thank you,” Nick said. “Norm, keep things together while I’m gone.”
Gah, sitting against the wall of the church, waved. Now Nick looked at Wynooski and Carson Wills. He wanted someone to go with him, but Wynooski was a know-it-all who could not keep her mouth shut, and the Dinosaur Wrangler would not volunteer unless his life depended on it.
“Let me go with you,” Officer Conyers said, leading Torino forward.
“I’ll be going with Dr. Paulson,” Wynooski said, butting in.
“I’ll take Officer Conyers,” Nick said. “The horse might impress them.”
“Then you should ride,” Conyers said, indicating the stirrup.
“I don’t know how to ride,” Nick said.
“Just sit on him,” Conyers said. “I’ll lead him.”
“I can ride,” Wynooski said.
Ignoring Wynooski, Nick let Conyers guide his foot into the stirrup and then gave his bottom a shove, helping him onto Torino. Nick had not ridden a horse since eighth grade, and he hated it then. His eighth-grade mount had refused all Nick’s commands, going wherever it wanted to go, and it wanted to go to the barn. So far, Torino was different, standing patiently, waiting for direction.
“Okay, let’s go,” Nick said, hanging on to the saddle horn.
Conyers led Torino to the gate, waiting while the chains were removed and the gate opened. Three Inhumans waited down the road, several more stood farther back. Nick found them fascinating creatures, with grayish green skin, large eyes, and three-fingered hands. Their weapons meant they were tool-users, so clearly intelligent, but evolving from a different root than humans. Gently rocking on Torino, Nick studied the Inhumans and, as they got closer, their tools. Nick was shocked. The tips of their spears and the shafts of their knives were made of the same orgonic material found on the moon.
Leading Torino, Conyers stopped a few yards from the creatures, the Inhumans more interested in Torino than in Nick or Conyers. Engrossed, Nick looked down at them from his perch, appearing imperious. Finally, one of the creatures broke the silence, its voice like a xylophone played softly.
“Got that?” Conyers said, smiling, one hand holding the reins, one hand on the butt of her gun.
“Help me down,” Nick said.
Moving slowly, Nick slid down the side of the horse, trying not to look awkward, but failing.
“I don’t understand,” Nick said, approaching slowly, hands open.
One of the creatures separated and came forward a few steps, mimicking the open-hands gesture.
“I mean you no harm,” Nick said, stopping a few feet away from the Inhuman.
The large eyes stared blankly, blinking once, twice, showing no understanding.
“What are they?” Officer Conyers asked. “Can they even understand us?”
“Not our verbal language,” Nick said.
“Do you know sign language?” Conyers asked.
“It’s up to them,” Nick said. “They came to us.”
The Inhuman watched the exchange between Conyers and Nick intently, making no more sense out of the human language than Nick could theirs. Now the Inhuman opened the palms of his three-fingered hands, slowly folding one hand into a pointing finger, and then slowly raised his arm, pointing into the sky. Following the point, Nick saw the oncoming asteroid.
“The asteroid?” Nick said. “You mean the asteroid?”
Its facial skin taut, the Inhuman showed nothing resembling an emotion. Thin lips on its snout did not, or could not, curl into a smile or a frown, and without eyebrows, there was nothing to arch. If there were emotional cues, they were too subtle for Nick to discern.
Now the Inhuman slowly lowered himself into a squat, brushing a broken piece of asphalt clean, then untying a leather pouch hanging from its belt. One by one, the Inhuman extracted stones of different sizes. Putting the largest down first, the Inhuman arranged the other stones around the first. When finished, there were five stones arranged around the larger stone. Then the Inhuman repeated its point at the asteroid, then took the claw of one finger and scratched a line past the larger stone, directly to the third stone from the center.
“I can’t believe it,” Nick said.
“What?” Conyers asked.
“They know about the asteroid and they know it’s going to hit Earth.”
Watching the humans talk, the Inhuman waited patiently.
“The sun,” Nick said, pointing at the larger rock. “Mars, Earth, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn,” Nick said, pointing at each rock in turn. “They know all the planets visible to the naked eye.”
“If they have been watching the sky, they couldn’t miss that,” Conyers said, pointing to at the asteroid. “Is it just me or is that asteroid brighter?”
“We don’t have much time,” Nick said.
Nick looked around, finding a small piece of crumbled asphalt. Taking it, he looked the Inhuman straight in the face, and then held up the piece, pointing at the glowing dot in the sky. Then Nick put the piece on the line scratched by the Inhuman, and dragged it along the line, tapping it against the third rock from the sun. In response, the Inhuman spread his arms wide, opening his palms, and then turned to the Inhumans behind him, singing a few sentences. When he did, a cacophony erupted among the others, sounding like a prepubescent boys’ chorus.
Now the Inhuman extended its arm, bowed slightly, took a
step back, and motioned down the road. Unsure he understood, Nick simply stared. The Inhuman repeated the motion.
“He wants us to go with him,” Conyers said.
“It looks that way,” Nick said. “But why?”
“Something to do with the asteroid?” Conyers offered. “He brought those pebbles to show us something.”
Intensely curious, Nick longed to go with the creatures, but there was not enough time. The asteroid would strike soon, and they did not want to be on the planet when it hit. Nick shook his head no, and then pointed back up the road at the gate where the humans waited.
The Inhuman repeated the “come with me” motion, and again Nick refused. Still showing no emotion, the Inhuman dug deeper into his pouch, to pull out something and hand it to Nick. It was a Dinosaur Wrangler patch.
“Get Carson down here,” Nick said.
Conyers swung up into the saddle, galloping the short distance to the gate, yelling for Carson. Reluctantly, Carson came through the gate, arguing with Officer Conyers, who finally convinced him to walk down the road. Staying close to Torino and Conyers, Carson came to Nick, eyes on the Inhumans, looking like he would run at the slightest suspicious movement.
“What’s this about?” Carson asked.
“This,” Nick said, handing him the patch.
Unconsciously, Carson touched the logo embroidered on his breast and then the patch. “It’s one of mine,” Carson said. “Where did it come from?”
“He had it,” Nick said, indicating the Inhuman.
“But how?”
“Did you take anyone else to the Mills Ranch?”
“Handled it myself,” Carson said, clearly puzzled.
“So no one else from your business knew about the Mills Ranch?” Nick asked.
“Just Jeanette. She handles the calls.”
“Would she come looking for you?” Nick asked.
“Jeanette? It couldn’t be,” Carson said. He agonized, rocking back and forth, looking up, then down, and then screwing up his courage. “Where did that thing get this?” Carson asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Nick said.
Seemingly interested, even perceptive, the Inhuman had watched the humans talk, its unreadable face moving slightly back and forth as each human spoke. As Nick and Carson looked at the Inhuman, it repeated its bow and arm motion, indicating they were to follow. Nick raised an open hand saying “Wait,” then walked with Carson and Conyers, still mounted, back to the gate. Inside Reverend waited.
“They know about the asteroid that is going to hit the Earth,” Nick said, loudly enough that the crowd could hear.
“Of course they do, it’s brighter than the moon,” Wynooski said.
“Somehow they’ve plotted its course and know the asteroid will intersect the Earth, and for some reason they want us to go with them. I think it’s related to the coming asteroid, but other than that your guess is as good as mine. They also have one of Carson’s Dinosaur Wrangler patches. We don’t know where they got it, but I’m going to go with them to find out. The rest of you need to find your way out of here. Officer Conyers can lead you back to where she came through. Can you find your way back?”
“If someone can get me back to the hill where we met up, I can find it from there,” the officer said.
“Jacob?” Nick called. “Will you take them back to the hill?”
“What about the Inhumans?” Jacob asked, his wife and daughters pressed against him.
“Bring it on,” Crazy Kramer said, shaking his machete as he came to stand by Jacob.
“If we go with them, I think they’ll let you go,” Nick said, realizing that the compound was deathly quiet, all listening intently.
Accepting the responsibility, Jacob started forward, but his petite wife pulled him back.
“Reverend, what should we do?” Leah Lewinski shouted.
Others called out to the reverend, looking for direction.
“Can we really go home?” someone asked.
Reverend looked at the ground, shaking his head in disappointment, then stood erect and pulled off his sunglasses dramatically, dark eyes sweeping the crowd. “This is your home,” Reverend said. “This land is your home, not their home,” indicating the Inhumans. “It is true that you might be able to go back to the world with these people, but ask yourself why? God brought you here. If God wants you to return, he will send you home.”
Guilty looks spread through the crowd, everyone avoiding the reverend’s eyes.
“We have come to a choice-point,” Reverend continued. “I have decided to go with the demons, to confront them with the power of God, to turn them from their ways and to save their souls if they have any. I ask that the rest of you remain here, praying without ceasing for our enemies and that I succeed. I promise you that I will return, and we will be a Community once more.”
Nick waited a respectful few seconds to speak, but Wynooski did not.
“What a lot of hooey,” Wynooski said.
“Ranger, that’s enough,” Nick said before she could do more damage. “That asteroid,” Nick said, pointing at the sky, “is going to strike the Earth very soon, and it will kill everything bigger than a cockroach. The only chance for your Community to survive is to go with Officer Conyers and try to find your way back to the present.”
“Exactly,” Wynooski said.
“That’s your choice,” Reverend said. “God, or the world.”
Silence followed, then the crowd began to murmur, and soon debate broke out, people taking sides, families squabbling, couples arguing. Jacob and Leah talked quietly to one side, Jacob doing most of the talking, Leah most of the listening. Finally, Jacob and his family pushed through the milling crowd to Nick.
“We’re going back,” Jacob said.
“Bring it on,” Crazy Kramer said, coming to stand with Jacob.
“I guess Crazy is going with us,” Jacob said.
Now the Community began an agonizing split, as choices were made.
“So be it,” Reverend said suddenly. “If God is not tugging at your heart, then you must go.”
More arguing erupted, more families and friends split, some parents arguing over their children. In the end, half the Community, about a hundred people, had decided to go back to the world they had come from. The parting was painful, those staying begging the others to stay, those going pleading for their friends and family to leave with them. Nick noticed that more of the families with children decided to go, although several families elected to stay behind. Reverend talked with his bodyguards, giving instructions. Then, Reverend hugged each of his four wives in turn. Nick realized all would wait for the reverend.
Clearly hurting from losing half his flock, Reverend looked grim, as sure that those leaving would regret it as Nick was that those staying would die. To his credit, Reverend did not preach again to the leavers, and reluctantly, Nick did not try to persuade those deciding to stay. Honestly, he was not sure that those leaving could escape anyway. A quick look at the growing dot in the sky told Nick that if they did not leave soon, no one would make it.
“Give us some guns or something,” Carson said, pleading with Reverend.
“We’ll be safe,” Nick said, trying to reassure Carson.
“We’ll be safer with guns,” Carson said.
Reverend turned to his bodyguards, asking for their pistols. Nick declined a gun, but Carson and Reverend took revolvers. Both checked to see if they were loaded.
“Spare ammo?” Carson asked.
Reluctantly, the guards gave Carson a handful of cartridges. Reverend accepted some too, but declined more when offered. Now the guards argued with Reverend, begging to accompany him. Reverend refused, however, asking his bodyguards to protect his wives until he could return.
Puzzled by the number of humans coming from the compound, the Inhumans backed up. Nick, Reverend, and Carson separated from the column. Jacob, Conyers leading Torino with Gah in the saddle, and Crazy Kramer were at the head
of the column, waiting for the Inhumans to clear out of the way.
Several Inhumans came up the road, weapons ready, unsure of what was happening. Looking past Nick and the others, they chirped and chimed, gesticulating and pointing.
“It’s Crazy,” Reverend said. “He is a fierce warrior.”
“Jacob,” Nick said. “Hide Crazy in the crowd.”
Reluctantly, and noisily, Crazy Kramer relented, working his way back in the column. The Inhumans settled down but continued to argue. Finally, the argument was settled, and the leader made the “come with me” gesture. Nick and the others moved forward, the Inhumans parting, letting them through. Jacob’s column held back, letting the Inhumans march away. Behind them, those remaining closed the gates of the church compound, watching friends and family march away.
As Nick rounded the corner, he was shocked to see dozens of armed Inhumans. There were many more than seen from the compound.
“Does this look like they came in peace?” Reverend asked.
It did not. Nick realized the hatred between the humans and Inhumans was deep and wide. With Inhumans in front and behind, they followed the ruined highway, curving around the hill, toward the unknown. Looking back, Nick saw the column of humans come off the hill, turning the other direction, Gah mounted on Torino, waving good-bye. Some of the Inhumans saw the humans leaving and sang out dismay, shaking weapons, only to be shouted down by other Inhumans with voices resembling muffled police sirens. Reluctantly, the recalcitrant Inhumans fell silent, many throwing hate-filled looks at the fleeing humans. Seeing the reaction, Nick finally discerned one of their emotions. It was hatred. Then the ground shook.
33
Marines
The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Sixty-five Million Years Ago
Unknown Place
John tumbled into Lieutenant Weller, who was on his knees, trying to get to his feet. Five more marines tumbled down the slope, quickly getting up, weapons ready.
Dinosaur Thunder Page 22
