by C. G. Mosley
Dave nodded, his face flushed red with embarrassment.
“I think that sounds like a helluva plan if I do say so myself,” Eric said. “What do you think, Annie?” He asked the question in such a way that suggested he was merely trying to include her in some small way.
Annie smiled a pleasant smile and took a deep breath. She then looked around the room at the men surrounding her. “I think you’re all going to die,” she said, still smiling.
For a few moments, no one in the room said anything, but finally, Glenn Hardcastle spoke.
“That’s funny,” he said dryly. “I think I recall saying that very same thing the other day.”
“Well, then you’re officially the only sane man in this room,” she replied to him.
Hardcastle bobbed his head toward Eric and flashed him a sly grin. Now it was Eric’s turn to scowl.
***
Everyone else in the conference room had left, and only Eric and Dave remained. Dave had actually gotten up to leave with the others when Eric asked him to stay a moment.
“I need you to do something for me,” Eric said. “And I’m afraid you’re not going to like it.”
Dave didn’t like the way that sounded, but he shrugged it off. “Lay it on me. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
Eric smiled and took a deep breath. “Hardcastle and Cruz are going to make an attempt to capture the juvenile tyrannosaur tomorrow. I would like for you to accompany them.”
Dave sighed and smiled nervously. “Are you sure about that? You know neither of those guys like me very much…Glenn especially.”
Eric waved the suggestion off. “I know. They will obviously complain at first, but once those guys get down to business—well, just trust me when I say that the last thing they’re going to be focusing on is you. Capturing a young tyrannosaur could potentially be more difficult that catching an adult one.”
“And you want to send me with them?” Dave asked, dumbfounded.
Eric nodded. “This is the biggest sale we’ve ever made. I want to make darn sure everything goes through as smoothly and as quickly as possible. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by assuming our biggest challenge is going to be capturing the super-croc. We don’t have a lot of time to waste chasing this juvenile rex. I want someone I can trust in the trenches with these guys on this one. Just your mere presence will be enough to keep them focused and determined to succeed on the first attempt. And if they don’t—I mean, if they’re sandbagging, I want to know about it.”
Dave chewed his lip as he considered everything Eric had just said. He didn’t like it, but he was beginning to understand that this was just one more instance where Eric was placing him in a position of authority.
“Can I count on you to see that Cruz and Hardcastle bag that T-rex tomorrow?” Eric asked.
Dave nodded. “Of course,” he said. “You can count on me.”
Eric smiled, clearly pleased. “Alright then, I’ll let the guys know so they can get all of the complaining they’re going to do over with.” He turned to leave the room.
“No,” Dave called out behind him.
Eric turned to face him, a puzzled look on his face.
“Let me be the one to tell them,” Dave said. “Glenn isn’t going to ever show me any respect until I show him that I’m not intimidated by him. I’m sure I’ll bump into him at some point between now and tomorrow. Just let me break it to him, and maybe somehow I’ll be able to reason with him.”
“Reason with him?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, you know—make him understand,” Dave said. “I want him to understand my role here.”
Dave’s words made Eric laugh. “Okay, hot shot,” he said. “Break it to him yourself.”
Eric then left the room and no sooner had the door closed did Dave suddenly begin to regret his decision.
Chapter 11
As soon as Jonathon caught sight of the familiar shroud of mist that surrounded the island, he felt a chill run up his spine. He glanced over at Silas and imagined the big man was having a similar reaction at the same moment.
“Never thought I’d see that sight again,” Silas muttered softly.
“Me either,” Jonathon replied. “A small part of me wondered if it would even still be here.”
Silas looked at him, confused. “Why wouldn’t it be here?”
Jonathon shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, this is the Bermuda Triangle, is it not?”
Silas chuckled and nodded. “I suppose so.”
“Are you having second thoughts, son?” Henry asked as he quickly placed a hand on top of his hat to keep it from blowing away.
“Absolutely not,” Jonathon replied sternly. “I didn’t come all this way with the island in sight to stop now. I’ve got a job to do and I’m going to do it. But I stand by what I originally said: I really wish you’d stay on the boat, Dad.”
“Not going to happen, son,” Henry said, and now he too stared at the wall of mist that inched closer to them with every passing moment.
“I’m taking us to the beach on the opposite side of the island from where we landed seven years ago,” Silas said. “From what I remember, the fountain was closer to that side, and it should keep us from having to cross that large valley in the center.”
“Good idea,” Jonathon agreed. “We’ll skirt around the wood line—where it meets the valley. That way, we’ll have a better view of what is around us and the chances are less likely for something to surprise us in the dense foliage.”
“I remember the wood line surrounding the valley,” Silas said. “It seems to be the safest way and the ATV should be able to navigate through the brush and cross whatever waterways we encounter. I seem to remember at least one stream.”
“And what about your tyrannosaur?” Jonathon asked reluctantly.
Silas looked at him, and it was as if he was trying to read Jonathon’s mind. It was hard to tell in that moment if Jonathon was being condescending or if he genuinely wanted to know.
“We’ll get your water first,” he finally responded. “Then I’ll bag my tyrannosaur.”
The ship began to drift into the shroud of mist, and all of the men felt a sudden cool dampness wash over their faces.
“I can’t see anything at all,” Henry said, excitement evident by the octave change in his voice.
“It will not last long,” Jonathon assured him.
No sooner had he said the words than the fog began to thin out until finally it only remained high in the sky above them and behind them. Sunlight never made it to the island, and at first glance, it appeared that nothing at all had changed about the beach since the survivors escaped it seven years prior. The island remained a sad and gloomy sight, just as they remembered it. Silas and Jonathon even noticed the old shipping container that they’d gotten the ATVs out of all those years ago. It was still settled into the same position from which they’d found it, although the base of it seemed to be buried a little deeper in the sand.
After Silas dropped anchor and packed all their gear into the back of the amphibious vehicle, the three men spent a great deal of time wrestling with the crane to get it lowered safely into the calm waters below. Once they accomplished the unexpectedly difficult task, they each made their way down a ladder and into the vehicle.
“Alright, everyone strapped in?” Silas asked.
As soon as his passengers confirmed that they were, he reached toward the right side of the craft and pulled the heavy hinged cage over the top of them and latched it in place. He then throttled the vehicle forward and the trio slowly drifted toward the beach.
“Alright,” Jonathon said, glancing toward Henry. “When we get to shore, it won’t be long before you see some things that are going to knock your socks off.”
“Oh, I’m quite sure,” Henry said.
“No, Dad,” Jonathon cut him off. “Whatever you’re expecting, I promise you you’re not expecting enough. Dad, the first time you see a tyrannosaur lum
bering across the valley, for the first time in your life, you’ll feel real fear.”
“Alright,” Henry said quietly, unsure how to respond.
“Don’t panic. If you panic, you’ll yell or shout, and all that will do is draw more carnivorous dinosaurs our direction. If you panic, you’ll almost certainly make bad decisions that could not only jeopardize yourself, but Silas and me too.”
Henry grabbed Jonathon’s forearm tightly. “Son, I fear you’ve forgotten who you’re talking to.”
Silas glanced over at Jonathon and chuckled.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Jonathon said. “I’m just trying to prepare you.”
“After living with your mother for nearly fifty years, the dinosaurs should be a piece of cake.”
Silas laughed again, but Jonathon remained stone-faced.
Henry’s face softened a little and he said, “Look, son, I know what you’re trying to say, and I assure you I’m taking all of this deadly serious, but give your old man a little credit…and how about giving me a gun while you’re at it.”
“There are six rifles in the back,” Silas said. “Didn’t even bother bringing handguns; they won’t do any good.”
“Did you bring any knives, Dad?”
“Oh yeah,” Silas muttered, remembering the stories Jonathon had told him. “Henry, I hear you used to throw knives professionally with the Misses.”
“Well, I threw them at the Misses, yes,” Henry replied. He pulled back his jacket, and Silas and Jonathon were both momentarily stunned at what they saw. “Does this answer your question?” Henry asked as he proudly displayed no fewer than twelve short throwing knives strapped to the liner inside his jacket.
Jonathon shook his head in disbelief. “That’s my dad.”
***
Once Silas piloted the amphibious vehicle onto the beach, he immediately sought out a path that the vehicle could maneuver through the dense tropical terrain so that they may find the valley nestled away at the heart of the island. Jonathon had taught him that such paths existed if you searched for them due to the frequent traffic inflicted by the islands large reptilian residents.
The only downside to using one of the dinosaur-made paths was the dinosaurs. The chances of encountering one on the very paths that they used was pretty high, and when Silas expressed his concern about that fact, Jonathon quickly reminded him that there were far more herbivores on the island than carnivores. “And besides,” he added playfully. “You assured us the cage on this vehicle would keep a tyrannosaur out.”
“And I stand by that!” Silas snapped. “But that doesn’t mean I want to tempt fate either.”
“Oh my God,” Henry said suddenly, utter amazement in his voice.
Jonathon whipped his head around to see what had gotten his father’s quick attention. He smiled when he saw it. “Stop the vehicle for a moment, Silas,” he said.
The vehicle lurched to a sudden halt, but Henry’s gaze never left the large majestic animal that moved slowly through the dense foliage roughly twenty yards away from them. The dinosaur was quite large and it walked on all fours. It had a long tail, and a head that was similar to that of the duck-billed hadrosaurs, but without the duck-bill. The hind legs were disproportionately larger than the much smaller front legs. The animal was a deep gray color, similar to that of an African elephant.
Jonathon leaned close to his father and whispered, “I believe it’s an Iguanodon.”
“Ah,” he replied. “Does it—er, will it eat us?”
“No,” Jonathon answered. “It’s an herbivore. It’s not a threat to us as long as we leave it alone.”
“Well, then by all means, let’s leave it alone,” Henry whispered.
“Alright, Silas,” Jonathon said. “Let’s move on…no sudden movements though. If we startle that thing, we could possibly attract unwanted attention by a carnivore.”
Just before Silas began to pilot the vehicle away, he felt a very faint vibration originate from the steering wheel that was gripped tightly in his hands.
“Did you feel that?” he asked, looking over quickly at Jonathon.
“Feel what?” Jonathon asked softly. He instantly became attentive when he sensed a hint of concern in Silas’s tone. He whipped his head around in all directions.
Silas didn’t respond; he just stared forward, his hands still wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.
“What’s wrong?” Jonathon whispered, still looking around in all directions. “Did you see—?”
He immediately quit speaking when he felt it too. There was a very subtle vibration originating from the ground and suddenly the Iguanodon noticed it too. The large dinosaur lifted its head and sniffed the air. Jonathon could see the large creature’s eyes widen as it seemed to sense a sinister presence approaching.
“Something’s coming,” Henry said, unable to hide the fear in his voice.
Jonathon looked over at Silas. “We need to go…now!”
Silas nodded and immediately throttled the vehicle forward. As he did so, a massive dinosaur crashed through the dense jungle foliage and released a deafening roar. The dinosaur stood as tall as a tyrannosaur and had a mouth full of sharp teeth, but that was where the similarities ended. The carnivore had a large sail-like structure that blossomed from the vertebrae of its back. The “sail” was a reddish-orange color and had black stripes running vertically every several inches and resembled those of a zebra. The head was similar to that of a crocodile, and it had a long snout with teeth that seemed too long for its mouth.
“What is that thing?” Henry yelled as Silas frantically wheeled the ATV away from the danger.
“Spinosaurus,” Jonathon replied, and he immediately began rummaging the back seat for a rifle.
“We’re never going to outrun that thing!” Silas said as Jonathon returned to the front seat with the largest rifle he could find.
“No, but maybe we won’t have to,” Jonathon replied as he readied the weapon.
“And how is that?” Silas asked.
“It wasn’t coming for us; it was coming for the Iguanodon,” he explained.
At that moment, the large Iguanodon came charging alongside the ATV as it had clearly chosen to flee the Spinosaurus in the same direction as they had.
“You mean that Iguanodon?” Henry asked as the large herbivore galloped past them.
Jonathon gritted his teeth and turned to aim the rifle at the Spinosaurus that was in pursuit—he wasn’t sure which prey the animal was focused on. What he was sure about was the fact that the animal was closing fast.
“What are you waiting on, shoot it!” Silas said, glancing over his shoulder.
Jonathon aimed the rifle toward the dinosaur’s skull, but he was reluctant to fire it.
“What are you waiting on, son?” Henry asked.
Jonathon was staring at the dinosaur’s eyes. He said nothing.
Silas again glanced over his shoulder to see where the animal was, and much to his dismay, he estimated the dinosaur was a mere thirty feet behind them. At the pace the animal was running, it would be on top of them in less than a minute. When he looked back ahead, the Iguanodon was still lumbering just in front of the ATV.
“Shoot it!” Silas screamed again at Jonathon.
Jonathon again remained silent. He kept the weapon trained on the animal’s skull, but he stopped short of pulling the trigger. Henry looked over at his son and contemplated snatching the rifle from him.
“Son, if you don’t take the shot, we’re going to die,” he said pleadingly.
The Spinosaurus was now bearing down on them, and it again released a roar that nearly made Henry pass out. Jonathon lowered the rifle and looked over his shoulder to Silas.
“Hit the brakes,” he commanded.
Silas snapped his head around and looked at him as if he had gone completely mad. “Are you nuts?” he asked.
“Just do it…now!”
Silas took a deep breath and did as he Jonathon requested. He jammed his foot o
n the brake and the small amphibious vehicle came to a sliding stop. As it did so, the Spinosaurus continued stomping forward, and Silas feared that it was going to stop and give the roll cage on the ATV a good test. To his utter amazement, the animal stepped over the vehicle as if it wasn’t even there and continued its pursuit of the terrified Iguanodon.
“I don’t believe it,” Henry said, grabbing at his chest.
The three men watched as the Spinosaurus quickly caught up to the Iguanodon and immediately sank its long teeth into the helpless animal’s back. The Iguanodon wailed a pitiful cry and collapsed onto the sandy soil. The Spinosaurus then plunged its crocodilian snout into the animal’s gut and the bloody mess that followed made Henry nauseous.
“How did you know?” Silas asked, amazed.
Jonathon shrugged. “I wasn’t totally sure, but it looked like the Spinosaurus was focused totally on the Iguanodon. If I’d taken a shot at it, I’m sure that would’ve changed immediately and we’d probably be in deep trouble about right now.”
Silas took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “I don’t remember seeing one of those the last time we were here,” he said as he continued to watch the animal eat.
“I didn’t either,” Jonathon said. “As if the tyrannosaurs weren’t bad enough.”
“Let’s go find your water and get out of here,” Silas muttered as he drove the ATV away from the carnage in front of them.
Chapter 12
Glenn Hardcastle jerked the refrigerator door open and snatched an ice-cold long neck from the top shelf. He used the bottle opener fastened to the side of the counter to remove the top. The small metal cap made a small tap as it hit the tile floor and Hardcastle made no effort to pick it up. Instead, he turned the bottle up and didn’t stop until he’d chugged down half of its contents.
Suddenly, Dave Turner entered the employee break room and, as soon as he caught sight of Hardcastle, he became noticeably uneasy. Dave had always known Hardcastle, like most of the other employees at Gill Enterprises, didn’t like him. He’d expressed his concerns about how the employees on the island viewed him to Eric, but his boss always seemed to downplay it and chalk it up to nothing more than grade-school jealousy. Eric made no bones about the fact that Dave was, despite his youth, his right-hand man. He put a great deal of trust in Dave, something he rarely did with anyone else. Dave knew more about his clients and business deals than anyone else on the island too. All of the other employee’s roles at Gill Enterprises consisted mainly of getting the product out to the buyers. It was no big surprise to Dave that the other employees disliked him so much, but that still didn’t change the fact that it bothered him. Nevertheless, he dealt with it.
