by C. G. Mosley
The male tyrannosaur raised and cocked its head sideways as it peered into the direction of the sound. Dave peeked out of the broken end of the log and watched as the dinosaur began to trot off to investigate the strange noises originating near its home. The animal had lost interest in him just as quickly as it had found it. Dave, for what seemed like the first time in an eternity, relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. As he did so, for the first time, he felt a tremendous amount of pain radiating from his right leg. He glanced in the direction of the pain and found the source of his discomfort: a jagged stick pierced straight through the back of his calf and protruded diagonally through the front of his pants leg. He wanted to howl in pain, but the fear of the nearby tyrannosaurs hearing him kept him quiet.
***
“What is that thing doing?” Henry asked as he and the other men watched the tyrannosaur’s strange behavior.
The large animal seemed to be stomping at something on the ground. The dinosaur resembled a kid doing his damnedest to try and smash a bug with his sneaker. The act was almost comical, and probably would have been, if they had not been aware that an injured man was near the ruckus.
“I’m not really sure what he’s doing,” Jonathon whispered. “These animals have been gone for 65 million years and there is so much we don’t have a clue about.” He held the binoculars up to his face and observed the tyrannosaur’s muscular legs rise and fall to the earth repeatedly. It seemed to be smashing a log to bits. “I don’t see the man anywhere. I don’t know if the rex is trying to get him…or if he’s after something else.”
Suddenly, the clacking of repetitive gunfire began from somewhere near the wood line. Jonathon spun toward it and focused the binoculars. He watched in awe as another tyrannosaur towered over a man lying on the ground. Jonathon recognized the man as the driver of the jeep they’d already witnessed roll over once mere minutes earlier. He then scanned the environment further to the west and found another jeep parked nearby with a trailer attached. There was a large machine gun turret on the back, and a man seemed to be putting every bullet he had at his disposal into the tyrannosaur’s back.
Jonathon looked on and could not help but feel a small amount of pity for the animal as the injuries began to take their toll. The dinosaur slowly tried to turn to face its attacker, but in doing so lost its footing and crashed to the earth. The man on the ground appeared to be very bewildered, but he swiftly seized the opportunity and made a dash toward the other jeep.
“I’ll be damned,” Silas said. “He’s leaving!”
Jonathon lowered the binoculars and returned his attention to the other tyrannosaur. Upon hearing the commotion from the wood line, the dinosaur turned and trotted away to investigate.
“Now’s as good a time as any to check on that other fellow,” Henry said.
Jonathon peered through the binoculars once more toward the large log the tyrannosaur seemed so interested in. He spotted two feet protruding from one end of it and realized his father was right. If they were going to save the man, now was the time to do so. He glanced over at Silas.
“Drive straight for that log,” he said, pointing. “It’ll only take a moment to figure out if that guy is dead or alive.”
Silas shook his head, and the expression on his face suggested that he wanted to protest. However, he also knew he was outvoted by the father-and-son duo. Without saying a word, he mashed the accelerator on the tiny vehicle and sped in the direction of the log.
As they approached, Jonathon scanned their environment for dinosaurs. It seemed the frightening tyrannosaur had done a marvelous job of clearing the area. He saw a herd of triceratops several hundred yards away moving in the opposite direction, but aside from that, he spotted no dinosaurs in their vicinity at all. Silas brought the vehicle to a stop next to the log, and the men immediately noticed movement from the protruding feet. Jonathon quickly opened the caged door above his head and clambered out onto the ground. He then pulled the large hunting knife from the sheath on his belt and approached the man.
“Are you hurt?” he said rather forcefully.
There was a pause and the man’s feet suddenly became still.
“Look, we don’t have a lot of time,” Jonathon said. He looked around to survey the area for danger again. “Are you hurt or not?”
“My leg,” the man said. The words sounded as if they were spoken through clenched teeth.
“What about it? Is it broken?”
“No,” the man replied. “Can you pull me out?”
Jonathon glanced back at the ATV, and Silas stood up and aimed his rifle toward the log.
Without saying another word, Jonathon reached down and began to pull the man out by his ankles. It startled him when the man howled in pain, but he continued to pull until the man was completely exposed. It was then that Jonathon, Henry, and Silas noticed why he screamed.
“Ouch,” Jonathon said, staring at the gruesome wound. The stick protruded from the front of the leg by about seven inches and probably a couple of inches less in the back.
After briefly surveying the injury, Jonathon looked over the strange man. He was young and slim, with a mop of brown hair. He was a good-looking kid and so out of place for an island such as the one they were on.
Jonathon held out a hand and the young man reluctantly took it. He then pulled him to his feet. The young man again yelped in pain.
“You got a name?” Jonathon asked.
“Dave,” he muttered.
“Dave, grab the side of the ATV with both hands, will you?”
Dave really wanted to ask why, but he was in too much pain to care. Besides, his leg hurt so badly now that he was standing, all he wanted to do was lean against something to get his weight off of it. He limped over to the vehicle and did as he was told. He grabbed one of the roll bars across the top and for the first time noticed Silas pointing a gun at him.
“Wait,” he said, startled. “Why are you pointing that thin—OWWW!”
Jonathon jerked the stick from Dave’s leg before he’d even known what was happening. Dave released several curse words and tears streamed from his eyes. He fell to his hands and knees, and Jonathon thought he was going to throw up.
“Come on, Dave,” Jonathon said, grabbing him by the back of his shirt collar.
Dave was nearly choked as he was dragged upward, but he was in no condition to fight back. Jonathon motioned for him to get into the vehicle, and with Henry’s assistance, he got in. Jonathon climbed in behind him and pulled the cage shut over his head.
“Where to now?” Silas asked as he put the vehicle in gear.
“Let’s get across the valley first,” Jonathon answered. “Then I’ve got some questions for our new friend here.”
Chapter 18
The juvenile tyrannosaur produced the best roar it could muster, but it was more comical than intimidating. The young dinosaur made a noise that more closely resembled the trumpeting sound of an elephant than that of one of the most fearsome predators to ever walk the face of the earth. It was still inside of the battered trailer, parked safely inside the dark hangar.
Eric Gill grabbed the bars of the animal’s cage and stared at its frightened, confused eyes. Were Dr. Cruz’s and Dave’s lives worth this? he thought. He turned to face Glenn Hardcastle and George Powell, doing his best to contain the bitter mixture of anger and sorrow he now felt.
“You’re certain that nothing could’ve been done to prevent this disaster?” he asked rather quietly.
Hardcastle sighed before speaking. “I’ve already told you—”
“Then tell me again,” Eric interrupted. This time his words were anything but quiet.
“I tried to lure the parents away from the nest, just as I’ve done many times before,” Hardcastle said. “But this time, for whatever reason, the female gave up on chasing us and headed back to the nest. The male still pursued, and I had to deal with him before I could go after the female. The male attacked my jeep, and Dr. Cruz was killed. While th
is was going on, George and Dave were being attacked by the female. I got there as soon as I could…”
Glenn paused and jerked his hat off his head. He rubbed his eyes and wrenched at the hat before giving another hard look to Eric. “There was nothing I could do,” he muttered. “You have to believe that.”
Eric glanced over at a wide-eyed George Powell. “Is that what happened, George?”
George set his gaze upon Hardcastle; he’d noticed the slight variation in Glenn’s story. It was Glenn that had taken Dave, and it was Dr. Cruz that had remained with him. He knew that Hardcastle had made the change because Eric would’ve been furious if he’d known Dave had been carelessly put in harm’s way.
Glenn Hardcastle’s eyes seemed to beg him to concur with his story. George considered telling the truth, but what difference would it have made? If Dr. Cruz and Dave had swapped places, the end result would’ve almost certainly been the same. He took a long moment to give Glenn a hard gaze, as if to say, you now owe me big time.
“That’s what happened,” George said finally, turning back to Eric. “There was nothing we could’ve done. We didn’t even have time to bring back their remains.”
Eric trusted George, and with his reassurance, he considered the matter closed. They now had the juvenile tyrannosaur, and there was only one animal left to capture to fulfill the order. There would be plenty of time to mourn the losses of his men later. Right now, he had to focus. He would need another paleontologist. Fortunately for him, he had several applicants begging for him to call them. He walked over in front of George and Glenn. Both men stared at the ground, and regardless of what he felt about Hardcastle, Eric could tell the man was visibly shaken by what had occurred. He grabbed both men by the shoulders.
“You did well, gentlemen,” he said, forcing a smile. “Let’s not let their deaths be in vain. It’s time to finish the job.” Eric turned to walk away, but stopped abruptly as a thought occurred to him. “Oh, one more thing,” he said as he turned to face them. “News of what has happened is going to eventually get out,” he said. “However, I don’t want any of you volunteering any information to Annie until I say so. It’s probably best just to keep it as quiet as possible until she leaves at the end of the week.”
The two men stared at him, bewildered.
“It’s taken me months to convince her to visit and make her feel that this is a safe place. I don’t want to undo all of that work. Can I count on the two of you to keep this quiet?”
“Well, yeah,” Hardcastle replied. “But why is she so afraid of this place? She’s never even gone outside of the fence since she’s been here.”
As Eric opened the door to leave, he turned back to face Glenn. “She’s been here before,” he answered. “Before any of us, and she’s seen things like what you have seen today.” Eric turned away and closed the door behind him.
“Then she’s got to be one of the looniest people on this island to even fathom coming back here,” Hardcastle muttered under his breath.
***
“Okay, I prefer to do this the easiest way possible,” Jonathon said as he dragged Dave out onto the ground.
They’d driven for a very lengthy time until they found a wide clearing inside the jungle and just north of the great valley where Dave had been attacked. The surrounding terrain was lush and vibrant with tropical flowers and many colorful birds. Jonathon surveyed the area for any dinosaur remains, and when he found none, he felt the area would be safe enough for an interrogation.
Dave winced when he fell upon the ground, the throb of his aching leg forcing him to do so. “I prefer easy,” he said. “Please…you have nothing to fear from me.”
“Oh, we know that, boy,” Silas growled at him, a handgun gripped firmly in his right hand. “The only one with something to fear right now is you.”
Jonathon raised a hand to stifle Silas’s threats. “Tell us what you’re doing on this island and why you were being chased by those tyrannosaurs,” Jonathon said.
Dave sighed deeply and slapped at a mosquito biting him on the neck. The jungle was full of mosquitos. “We were trying to lure the parent tyrannosaurs away so that we could catch one of the juveniles at their nest.”
Jonathon stared at him, surprised at his answer. “You were trying to catch a juvenile tyrannosaur?”
Dave nodded and looked away.
“For what purpose?” Silas growled. “Do you have a death wish, son?”
Dave continued to look away from his captors and said nothing. Jonathon looked at Silas and Henry; all three men were bewildered.
“He asked you a question,” Jonathon said. “Messing with tyrannosaurs? That’s just nuts, kid. Why on earth would you do such a thing?”
“I can’t tell you,” Dave said, suddenly realizing he was on the verge of giving away the secrets of Eric’s enterprise.
Jonathon was taken aback. “What do you mean you can’t tell me?” he asked. “You’ve got a lot to tell us so you better get started.”
Dave shook his head and remained tight-lipped.
“Who was the other man with you?” Jonathon asked. “Are there others like him on this island?”
Dave remained silent.
Silas barged forward and grabbed Dave off the ground by his shirt collar. “We don’t have time for this!” he spat. “Answer his questions!”
“I’m sorry,” Dave stammered. “I can’t tell you any more.”
Jonathon could sense the young man was afraid and they didn’t really want to hurt him. But, he also realized their lives could be in danger. They had to find out what this kid knew before roaming the island any further. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand grip his upper arm.
“Let me have a try,” Henry said softly.
Jonathon chuckled and adjusted his hat. “No offense, dad, but you’re not exactly the intimidating type.” He began to walk away when his father jerked him back.
“I have my ways,” Henry said.
Suddenly, Jonathon caught on to his dad’s suggestion. He smiled. “Alright, Dad, get him to talk.”
Henry took a moment to survey the land around him for a large tree. He finally found one he felt would suit his needs and began to approach it.
“Silas,” he called out. “Grab the rope from the ATV and the both of you tie our young friend to this tree. Make certain that he is unable to move.”
Silas grabbed the rope and then began to shuffle Dave toward the tree. Dave tried to resist at first, but quickly discovered doing so caused greater discomfort in his injured leg. He had no choice but to go along with their demands. With Jonathon’s help, Silas tied Dave tightly against the large trunk of the tree.
“Come on, guys,” Dave said nervously. “Is this really necessary?”
His captors made no reply, and it soon occurred to Dave that he was actually trying to seem more intimidated than he was. These men did not strike him as the type that would harm another human being, but at the same time, it seemed that it would be in his best interest to make them think that he believed they would. They seemed to be buying it—for the moment at least.
Satisfied with Dave’s fixed position, Henry carefully removed his coat and placed it on a nearby boulder. He left it opened so that the inside pockets were exposed. Dave caught a glimmer of shiny metal reflecting light off the afternoon sun and squinted to try and make out what it was. Henry reached over and removed one of the shiny metal objects and held it up for all to see. It was a small knife, and Dave felt his pulse quicken.
“What are you going to do with that?” Dave asked, his voice raising an octave.
Henry tossed the knife into the air, end over end. He caught it effortlessly by the blunt end. “Son, there’s no reason for anyone to get hurt,” he said, turning away. “Just tell us what we want to know.” Henry had walked about twenty-five feet away from Dave’s tree.
Jonathon and Silas stood a safe distance to the right of where Henry stared Dave down. Jonathon stood with his arms crossed and Silas towered next to
him, the rifle slung over his shoulder. Both men’s eyes were as attentive as a kid on Christmas morning. Silas leaned over and whispered just loud enough for Jonathon to hear.
“You sure about this?”
Jonathon nodded, then whispered back, “Just watch the old man work.”
“I told you,” Dave stammered again. “I can’t tell you the things you want to know. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you guys saved me. But that still doesn’t mean—”
A knife hurtled out of Henry’s hand end over end at lightning speed. The blade pierced deeply into the meat of the tree trunk all the way to the hilt, just mere inches from Dave’s right thigh.
“Whoa!” Dave shouted. He instinctively tried to escape, thrashing and jerking his body from side to side. The rope cruelly refused to budge the slightest bit. “What are you doing? Are you nuts?”
Henry retrieved another knife from his jacket. “My wife seems to think I am,” he quipped. “Now quit all that squirming around; it’s been a while since I’ve done this. The blades may not look rusty, but believe me, kid, when I tell you that I am!” He hurtled another knife at the tree and again the blade sank deep into the tree’s flesh, this time just inches off Dave’s left thigh.
Jonathon smiled broadly and Silas held his hand over his mouth in amazement.
“Are you ready to talk yet?” Jonathon asked flatly.
Dave, though paler in complexion than he had been, remained stubborn and shook his head in defiance. Before Jonathon had an opportunity to speak again, two more knives whistled through the air and landed into the tree, one on either side of Dave’s torso. This time, the knives were even closer, and one of them had managed to cut the fabric on the left side of Dave’s shirt. The sight of the torn cloth worried Jonathon.
