Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series Omnibus Edition (Books 1 - 4)

by Peebles, Chrissy

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of silver, and my gaze darted above me. The flying disk hovered over us, and a sharp, high-pitched hum pierced the air. When the carnivorous lizards’ attention shifted, I heaved a big sigh. Thank God! But really, wasn’t the UFO only adding to my worries?

  Letting out unearthly screams, the pack of dinosaurs shook their heads and stomped their feet. Somehow, the flying disk distracted them—or maybe it was even controlling them. Either way, I wasn’t keen on sticking around to find out.

  The T-rex let out an ear-splitting shriek and suddenly hurled me through the air. I landed on my back with a thud, right in the black sand, twisting my ankle in the process—the same one I’d gotten stuck in the hole earlier and the exact same one I’d hurt when I had ran from the UFOs the first time. It was also the same unfortunate foot that I’d broken on a hike with Mike and Jack a year earlier. Sharp and sudden pain surged through me. I tried to crawl away as I recovered the breath knocked out of my lungs. Apparently, the dino didn’t like the loud buzzing noise that was coming from the flying disk and decided to ditch me. That was at least one thing to be thankful for. I could deal with a little pain, as long as it meant being released from the jaws of a Tyrant Lizard King.

  Mike ran over to me. “Casey? Casey?” he repeated over and over as he gently scooped me up.

  Slowly my eyes focused on his face. “Mike.”

  He tried to help me stand. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, but he didn’t look convinced as I fell back down on my butt. “Honestly, I am.”

  “We gotta move or those things are gonna make a floor mat out of us,” he said.

  Scrambling to my feet, I held on to the most low-hanging branches as I moved toward a thick tree to seek cover. The ground shook beneath our feet; the tree trembled, raining palm-sized leaves down on us as the dinosaurs continued to stomp all around me. I wondered how the heck we managed to get stuck in the middle of the herd.

  “Those pounding feet are so darn close,” said Mike. “It’d be so much easier if this UFO could just give us a ride out of here.”

  I shot him a disbelieving look. “Boy, only you could get excited about little green men hatching their offspring inside your belly. I bet you’d lose those six-pack abs you’re so proud of.” Who in their right mind would beg to be an abductee? I could only imagine what horrors the beings had in store.

  He shook his head, crestfallen. “Ain’t happenin’. Wait! You said you don’t believe in aliens. You and Jack said those pilots are probably military.”

  I turned away from him and back to the flying disk. “I dunno anymore. I guess I’m undecided. Nothing here really makes sense.” Suddenly, a loud squawk jarred my train of thought. “What the heck was that?”

  Mike cocked his head and pointed. “See it?”

  “What?” I asked. All I saw were giant feet pounding the forest floor in a fit of rage, sending a thick cloud of leaves, dirt, and pebbles into the air.

  “That thing…over there by the prickly bushes. Look at those nasty-looking claws!”

  I peered through the leaves, into the foliage. Some twenty-five feet away stood what at first appeared to be a feathered bird with an elongated flat snout. As I looked closer, I realized it was not a bird at all. Instead, it was a feathered dino—a two-legged one, about as tall as the average Great Dane. It had the most stunning black and white plumage and a unique white face with a big patch of black extending over its eyes and halfway down its gray snout. Even though its mouth was closed, I could still see its protruding teeth, which reminded me of a saw blade. The creature’s neck, the back of its head, and its entire chest were dirty—white and fluffy. The thing cocked its S-shaped head, swung its stiff, thin tail, and puffed out its chest.

  Its legs, while long and thin, like a turkey’s were surprisingly strong and nimble, allowing the creature to jump effortlessly to the top of a large limestone boulder. I stared at the long black arms folded against its body and three-fingered hands, shuddering at its sharp claws. My gaze drifted down to the even bigger claws on its bird-like toes. But there was something alarming about the creature; the second toe on each of its feet had a huge sickle-shaped, five-inch claw, I assumed for slashing the throats of its unfortunate prey. A wave of terror shot up my spine at the sight of it.

  “What the heck is that thing?” asked Mike.

  “I dunno, but we need to get the heck outta here!”

  “What do you think it eats?”

  I let out a long breath. “From the looks of that claw, anything it can slash and tear apart.”

  Mike’s mouth dropped open as my horrified gaze locked with his.

  I hated to ask the dreaded question. “Do you think it’s a…a raptor or something?” I bet Jack would know.

  His eyes bulged. “That’s what I was thinking. Pretty different from the movies, huh? I don’t remember them having feathers in the Spielberg rendition. I don’t remember them being so small either, but I sure do remember that killer claw on its toe.”

  “Me too,” I said with a shudder as the blood drained from my face. Whatever the animal was, it was definitely a predator—a killing machine. It wasn’t as big as a T-rex or even as big as one of those Jurassic Park raptors, but it looked just as hungry, and I was sure it could rip through flesh just the same. Get me out of this slasher flick already!

  “If I remember right, raptors were scary hunters,” said Mike. “I wonder if it picked up our scent somehow. Boy, it sure has guts stealing prey from a pack of T-rexes.”

  “Well the name raptor means “thief”.”

  Mike forced a smile. “No need to worry though. I think we can handle one little raptor.”

  I patted him on the back. “Maybe so, but let’s get outta here. I don’t want to mess with it, especially if it might call its friends over for a dinner party.”

  Mike sucked in a deep gulp of air as he gazed out across the terrain. After a moment, he took a step back, shaking my shoulder. “Oh no!”

  “What?”

  “You were right about that little raptor get-together. Look! There’re more of those suckers peeking out of the bushes, practically licking their lips. This isn’t good—not good at all. C’mon!”

  Taking a steadying breath, I motioned in the opposite direction of the raptors. “Let’s try this way.” Just as I took a few steps forward, a dozen or so feathered freaks burst through the vegetation, blocking my path. I gasped and jumped back as flashing jaws snapped at my feet. Barks and whistle-like sounds came from every direction. I spun in a slow circle, fear coursing through every cell in my body. “Oh my gosh! The r-raptors… They’re just…they’re everywhere!”

  The raptors reminded me of a pack of hungry wolves, circling around, ready to pounce. I squeezed Mike’s hand tightly. The predators eyed me and Mike up and down, as if trying to size up their adversaries—or their lunch. I glanced down at the forest floor, my eyes searching for the biggest weapon I could find. I finally settled on a long stick. I waved it in the air, hoping to scare the vicious killers off. I desperately tried to remain calm, but my knees wobbled and threatened to give out any second. Low growls pierced my ears, and the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. I could barely force the awful words out of my mouth. “Wh-what now? We’re…gosh, we’re just surrounded!”

  Mike gripped a stick in his hands, his gaze darting around nervously. “There’s no way we can take on a pack of hungry raptors. Look at those teeth…those claws…and… Hey! Maybe the ship can beam us up—like right now!”

  Even though I wasn’t sure what was floating around in those big silver disks, maybe Mike didn’t have such a bad point. As much as I feared the aliens, I had to hope they were the lesser of two evils. Being eaten alive was a frightening thought, and the little green pilots might be easier to reason with than a pack of hungry prehistoric miniature killing machines. Plus, there was always the chance—no matter how small—that the ships were piloted by humans who would take us to a government rese
arch facility, debrief us, and then send us home. If there was ever a beam-me-up-Scotty moment, this was it.

  I glanced at Mike, overwhelmed by emotion. Even his strange logic was starting to make sense, and that scared me most of all. I gripped Mike’s hand and tried to keep my voice steady. “You’re gonna have to get the raptors to back up for a minute so I can get the UFO’s attention.”

  “Piece of cake. I’ll hold ‘em off. Just don’t get too close to the T-rexes.”

  I nodded. Without another word, Mike darted out from the safety of the tree and started charging the raptors with nothing but a long stick. As he shouted, the startled raptors hissed and drew back. Gulping, I took a few brave steps out into the open. I glanced up at one of the towering dinosaurs as it pounded its giant foot on the forest floor. I was standing way too close for comfort. The Earth shook, and vibrations shot up my legs, mud splattering against my face. Be brave, Casey, I told myself. Forget the T-rexes. Forget the raptors. Just focus on getting that ship to beam us up. As risky as it was, it was our only chance for survival—our only shot.

  I swallowed back my fear, wiped my eyes, and then started hopping up and down, shouting, whistling, and waving my arms frantically at the silver disk hovering in the sky above me. “Hey, aliens! Over here! We need your help! Beam us up with that blue beam of yours! Just get us the heck outta here!”

  * * *

  Mike warded off the raptors with a long stick while I continued to yell and wave my arms frantically at the UFO. I tried to shout over the high-pitched buzzing sound emitting from the aircraft to keep the T-rexes frozen in place…well, except for their pounding feet. The T-rexes continued to stomp all around us, shaking the ground like an earthquake. I hoped the occupants of the ship would hear my desperate plea and beam us up from the horrifying situation we faced.

  Standing dangerously close, a raptor let out a bark-like call. I gaped at the dino’s rows of bladed teeth. The raptor lunged. Crushing jaws snapped, missing my throat by mere inches as I swerved to the right and whacked the creature on its snout with my life-saving stick. I shuddered, but I had given the thing one heck of a blow because it stumbled away like an old drunk.

  Mike yanked my arm, pulling me back under the tree for cover. “Sorry! That one…it slipped past me. Are you…you okay?” he said between ragged breaths.

  My chest heaved. “Yeah, I’m all right. I hope acting like a crazy yelling nut got E.T.’s attention.” I waited for the aliens to fire their blue beam once again, just like they had when they took Jack. I also kept a close eye on the circling raptors that were now squawking like a noisy flock of birds. Glancing up, I bit my lip. Seconds passed. Okay…any minute now. Would the occupants of the ship take me up on my offer?

  I waved my arms as I yelled once again. “Hey UFO, come and get us!” Nothing’s happening. My gaze flew to Mike’s and I said, “Why aren’t the aliens coming for us?”

  “I dunno,” he mumbled.

  My heart pounded in my chest as sweat trickled down my back. “If they don’t get a move-on, we’re gonna be raptor food.”

  “I don’t get it! They’ve been after us all flippin’ morning, but now it’s like they don’t wanna touch us with a ten-foot pole.”

  “Maybe they decided they only want Jack,” I said.

  Mike heaved a sigh. “Why? Because he knows a dictionary by heart?”

  “Well, yeah. That’s primo DNA.”

  “If that’s the case, then why’d they bother paralyzing the T-rexes?” he asked. “Obviously, they want us alive, too, so why aren’t they beaming us up, especially with the raptors on our heels?”

  “I’m not sure,” I answered. “Maybe this is their version of reality TV or something and they’re munching on moon cheese while they watch us make complete idiots out of ourselves down here.”

  The disk still hovered above, as if they were deciding whether or not to take me up on my offer. Finally, it dawned on me what was happening. “I know why they’re not zapping us up!” I said, my voice wavering.

  Mike turned to face me, his eyes wide. “Why?”

  “If they try to pull us up, they might get a T-rex caught in that tractor beam of theirs. That just might cramp their style, not to mention crash their ship.”

  “You’re right! Let’s move a little further back from the dinosaurs and try to get Scotty’s attention again.” He took a step forward, shielded his eyes, and scanned the landscape. “We need to find the best spot—someplace where we can wave them down without getting trampled.”

  A cold chill ran through my body as the raptors worked in coordination and closed the circle tighter. I bit my bottom lip hard in order to stifle a scream. “How do we back up from the T-rexes when the raptors are closing in?”

  Before Mike could answer, a creature broke the perimeter of the circle and approached, just staring at me as it let out tiny barks. Waving my stick around like a modern-day gladiator swinging her mighty sword, I aggressively thrust my stick down toward the raptor’s eyes. Its gaping jaws clamped around the stick, breaking it in half with one vicious bite. “Crap!” I hissed between clenched teeth.

  Mike gave the raptor one giant kick. The creature let out a loud screech and ruffled its feathers. Mike continued to poke at the snapping creature with his long stick as I backed up to search for a new weapon.

  All I could find was a rock, and I lobbed it at the creature with all my might, striking the raptor in the chest. It screeched again but didn’t budge an inch. Letting out whistle-like sounds, the little monster strode closer, as if to stand its ground. The raptor’s yellow eyes narrowed into slits. My breath came in rapid bursts as I looked for a way out. Maybe this thing can’t climb. “Start climbing the tree!”

  To the right, a blur of black and white caught my eye. Another raptor lurched. They might not have looked like the movie-star raptors, but they were definitely as crafty and cunning and beyond intelligent; one had distracted me while the other blindsided me. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. A giant slashing claw came just inches from ripping my stomach as it tried to gut me like a fish. Sheer terror overcame me, as I let out a long shriek. A white beam from the UFO swept across the raptor, and the thing dropped to the ground with a thud, followed by a hiss. I sucked in a trembling breath as Mike wrapped an arm around my waist.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, squeezing me even tighter.

  “If it weren’t for the UFO, I’d have been ripped to pieces.” I quickly scanned my surroundings as I took a deep breath to stop my hands from shaking. All the raptors were lying on their sides with their legs extended. They were limp and passed out on the grass—or dead. Their eyes were closed, and their jaws were hanging open, a thin black tongue hanging out of their mouth, showing off a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. I kicked at the bundle of muscle and zebra-colored feathers. There was no movement other than its feathers swaying in the light breeze. “And to think, back on the beach, when we saw those T-rex footprints, I laughed about fighting a creature with feathers.” My voice shook as I clutched my heart. “And this darn feathery thing, only as big as Scooby-Doo, almost gutted me. We gotta go!”

  Mike squatted down and ran a finger across the raptor’s giant black claw that was shaped like a talon on a hunting bird.

  “Are you crazy? What’re you doing? Get away from that thing!” I warned.

  The raptor’s yellow eyes popped open, and Mike jumped back with a startled gasp.

  I grabbed his arm tightly. “It’s obviously not dead. You need to stay away from it.”

  The T-rexes seemed pretty upset about still being held against their will. Roars and snarls continued to echo through the high-pitched sounds emitting from the UFO.

  Mike peeked through the palm-sized leaves. “Why do you think the aliens are helping us? They took out the raptors, and they’re still paralyzing the T-rexes.”

  My gaze darted through the opening in the thick ferns, focusing on the ships. “If they’re aliens, what good are their lab rats in pieces?”
/>   “Right. You’ve got a point.”

  “Yeah…so move it!”

  He blew out a long breath and looked away. No doubt he was pondering something, like a better escape plan, but time wasn’t on our side. We needed to run…NOW!

  I yanked his hand again. “What’s there to think about? We have half the prehistoric museum waiting to stomp on us or bite off our limbs so they can feed them to their offspring.” My gaze narrowed as more leaves rained down. “I said to MOVE IT! The UFO got rid of the raptors for us, so that means we don’t need the little green guys anymore.”

  “I agree. Scratch getting beamed up.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m really not in the mood for being experimented on. I do really like my six-pack abs and wanna keep ‘em.”

  “Let’s go then. Now’s our chance.”

  “No, no, no! That’s exactly what the space dudes want. The moment we scram into the open, they’ll zap us up, just like they did Jack.”

  Vibrations shot up my legs from the trembling ground. I cast an uneasy glance at the stomping dinos. “I dunno. Playing dinner’s not an option, but I’m not sure if it’s any safer to go on an intergalactic hitchhike either. I say we do something for our health and make a run for it.”

  Mike ran his fingers through his damp hair as he scanned the trees to our right. “The city wall’s about—I dunno—maybe five hundred feet away. If we’re fast, we can make it there, and maybe we can scale the wall now that we’ve had all that practice getting out of that stupid pit.”

  “Impossible!” I looked up at the towering wall that stretched for miles. It was a thick stone fortress, much taller than I’d imagined when I first saw it from so far away. “Unless either one of us can morph into Spiderman, I doubt there’s any way we can climb to the top.”