Cretaceous Sea

by Will Hubbell

  "How about food?" asked Con.

  "There'll be food, too."

  "And how do we get to this paradise?" asked Joe.

  "The route will depend on the plane," replied Rick. "How far can we get on its batteries before it needs to recharge?"

  "The energy storage system is different from batteries as we understand them," said Joe. "The panels always kept it near maximum. I don't know how far we'll get without the panels working."

  "Could we fly over open ocean?" asked Rick.

  "I wouldn't try it while it's dark."

  "Then we should head north, skirting the shore of the se-away until we can fly above land to the east coast of North America. If we travel north along the coast, we should reach some less damaged areas."

  "Why head north?" asked Joe. "Won't we be heading into the cold?"

  "It's the darkness that will make things cold, not the lati-tude. We can wait there until the sunlight returns, then fly to southern Africa."

  "If we want to end up in the southern hemisphere, why not fly to South America now?" asked Con.

  'That would only work if we could make it all the way in one trip," said Rick. "We'd be flying right over the impact site, and there's open ocean between North and South Amer-ican in this period." '

  "So we go to Africa in two hops," said Joe.

  "That's safest," said Rick. "If we run out of power in the darkness, we'll be over someplace we can land. Someplace better than here."

  "It should work," said Joe.

  "As long as you can fly in the dark," said Rick. "You can do that, can't you?"

  "Yes ... in principle," said Joe. "That holographic map also works as a night guidance system, though I can't say I've ever tried it."

  "Do you think it's safe?" asked Con.

  "With vertical takeoffs and landings, it won't be too risky," said Joe.

  "Before you know it," said Rick, "we'll be sitting out the darkness in our snug little cabin." Con imagined a cozy log cabin in the woods with a fire in the fireplace. Her full stomach gave her such a sense of well-being that the vision did not seem implausible. She yawned contentedly.

  "We should bring back the rest of the meat," said Rick.

  "Yeah," said Joe wearily. "You're right. It's sitting in the river." Con got up. "Let's get it over with."

  "You need to stay here and keep the fire going," said Joe. "It's getting dark again, and we'll need it to guide us back."

  "I can pull my weight," said Con. "You don't have to coddle me."

  "I'm not," said Joe. "This is a job that needs to be done." Con looked like she didn't quite believe him, but she agreed to Joe's plan. He left the gun for her to cut more wood, then headed to the river with Rick. Although they carried flashlights, they did not turn them on in order to con-serve the batteries. The fire on the far hills still provided enough dim light for them to make their way. They walked along the riverbank, which had been cleared by the fire.

  "It's a ways up," said Joe. "We won't need to turn on a flashlight until we reach the bend."

  "Let's hurry. I don't like leaving Con alone."

  "She's got the gun," said Joe, "but I feel the same way."

  "Maybe she'd better come along," said Rick. "That fire should burn on its own."

  "I wanted her to stay behind because we have to talk... about her ... and come to an understanding"

  "An understanding?" said Rick. "What do you mean by that?"

  "There are only three people in the world," said Joe. "Two men and one woman. We need to set things straight."

  Rick looked at Joe. In the dim light it was impossible to read his expression. "What things?" he asked warily.

  "I'm her papa now."

  "Her what?"

  "Her papa—her father—but not like that poor excuse Greighton."

  "Her papa? You said she was a rich bitch."

  "She's not rich anymore."

  "So now she's only a bitch," said Rick.

  "Don't use my words against me," said Joe angrily. "Things change. I owe her."

  "Owe her what?"

  "My protection," said Joe, "and I will protect her."

  "What's gotten into you?"

  "I don't owe you an explanation. All you have to know is this—You may be the only young man in the world, but that doesn't mean you're entitled to her."

  "I never said I was."

  "Good," said Joe. "She has to choose you by her own free will. That means she's free to refuse you, too." Rick looked suspiciously at Joe's shadowed face, wishing he could see his eyes. "And choose you instead, I suppose."

  "I wasn't thinking like that at all," said Joe, sounding in-sulted. "That's why we need to talk. She's probably worried we're going to fight to see who drags her off into the bushes."

  "Come on, Joe, she knows we wouldn't do that."

  "Does she? You don't sound convinced yourself," said Joe. "Women need to worry about such things. They have a lot at stake—they're the one's who get pregnant. Con's no fool. She's worried. We've got to let her know where things stand."

  "And where do they stand?" said Rick.

  "I'm her papa. You want to marry her, you gotta ask me."

  "Who said anything about marrying?"

  "I did," said Joe. "And I'm a strict father. I won't see her hurt. Do I make myself clear?" Rick was taken aback by Joe's intensity. "Look, Joe, I haven't really thought about it."

  "You need to," said Joe.

  Rick didn't know how to respond. The depths of Joe's feelings and the unusual form they took surprised him. They would be more understandable if Joe had declared his rivalry for Con. Yet, as bizarre as Joe's behavior seemed, it appeared benign. Maybe he feels bad about misjudging her, he thought. Or, perhaps, this has something to do with Nicole. When Joe broke the silence, his voice was friendly and calm again. "I'm on your side, Rick, I really am. It's just that I'm on Con's side more. It's the least I can do."

  "I'd never, never do anything to hurt Con," said Rick. "She needs to know that," said Joe. "I can't just say

  'I'd never hurt you.' It'd sound phony."

  "I'm not saying you should," said Joe. "Actions speak louder than words. Don't take her for granted. Pay attention to her needs and not just the ones she talks about. Sometimes, those are the least important." Rick sighed. "You make it sound complicated."

  "It is complicated," said Joe. "Only a fool thinks it isn't."

  "And how did you learn how to do things right?"

  "By doing everything wrong," answered Joe.

  CON POKED THE fire with the branch, pushing the logs together so they burned more vigorously. The fire was comforting despite the heat it gave off. It was still too hot to enjoy that, but the light was welcome. Only a few small fires still burned in the vicinity of the river. Dark-ness was reclaiming the land. She wondered if it was day or night above the thick clouds, not that it made the slightest difference. She wanted to put another log in the blaze and turned on the gun to cut one. The rows of in-dicator lights appeared on the gun's side. She noted that two of the red lights, which indicated the charge, were no longer lit. She reconsidered the need for another log, then turned off the gun. The partly eaten dinosaur limbs still lay on the flat rock. Con sat down and pulled off a piece, eating from appetite rather than hunger. With a little salt, this would be good, she concluded. It tastes better than the one Rick shot. She hoped their journey would end close to the sea, where they could make salt. With even the vestige of her appetite sated and the fire burning high, Con thought of other comforts. She looked at her filthy body. Those parts not caked with mud were coated with soot. A bath was certainly in order.

  Not wishing to rummage through her duffel bag with greasy hands, she decided to find clean clothes after she bathed. There was just enough light from distant fires to make a flashlight unnecessary. After ensuring the fire had enough wood, she headed for the river. Once she reached its shores, she searched for a spot where the water was more than a few inches deep. She had to walk a ways before she found
a suitable spot. Even there, only eight inches of brown water flowed over the muddy bottom. Con took off her shoes and her clothes and tried to clean them as best she could. In the darkness, it was impossible to tell if she had done any good. She folded her "clean" clothes and placed them on her shoes and attempted to wash herself.

  The water felt good, but gritty with ash and dirt. Con recalled her remark to Sara about "smelling like myself." The concept had taken on more pungent meaning. She reeked. Pretty soon, she mused, / won't even notice. She thought of how Sara might react in her situation. The idea of Sara bathing in a muddy river was simultaneously amusing and saddening. Con bathed standing up because of the ooze on the riverbed. After a while, she assumed she was a clean as she could get. She left the river to stand on its bank and try to wash the mud from her feet. Then she put on her shoes and carried her wet clothes back to the fire.

  RICK AND JOE found the Hypsilophodontid and butch-ered it as best they could. It was small for a dinosaur, but it was still a heavy animal. Both of them had to strain to flip it over so they could remove its other hind limb. Rick tried to cut off its tail, but it was sheathed in bony tendons. He settled on the forearms and shoulders, the remaining haunch, and strips of muscle from the back and upper tail. The meat made a heavy and bloody load.

  As they headed back, Rick said, "We should cook all of this tonight, it'll keep longer."

  "I suppose you're right," said Joe with a sigh, "but I'm pooped."

  "So I am I, but we can sleep in before we dig out."

  "Remind me to phone room service and cancel the wake-up call."

  They struggled along the riverbank and were glad when their fire appeared in the distance. Soon they could see Con standing before it, holding the gun. As they ap-proached nearer, Rick saw she had changed her clothes. Once they were in the circle of firelight, he could plainly see she was wide-eyed with fear. He also noticed that the gun was turned on and the safety was off.

  "Con!" said Rick with concern. "What happened?"

  "I went bathing in the river," she said in a frightened voice. "When I came back, the meat was gone!" 24

  RICK EXAMINED THE GROUND FOR FOOTPRINTS, BUT THE

  baked earth offered no clues about the creature or creatures that had raided the camp. "I wasn't thinking," he said. "I just assumed that the fire had driven off the wildlife."

  "What do you think it was?" asked Con.

  "I'd guess it was a small carnivore," said Rick, "like the one I shot."

  "A nightstalker?" said Joe.

  "I prefer Noctecorreptus greightonae," said Rick.

  "Well, Con's namesake just stole her breakfast," said Joe. "You'd better cook some more." Cooking all the meat was the most sensible thing to do, yet Rick wanted with all his being to put it off. He fought the impulse, knowing they couldn't afford to let their pre-cious food spoil. Even cooked, it wouldn't last long. Every step of preparing the meat required all Rick's effort, for he felt completely drained. He imagined that the others felt the same way. He removed the thick hide, then sliced the muscle beneath into strips for Con to cook on the embers. The end product of all this labor was black and stiff and looked barely edible. Rick wished they could smoke and dry the meat into jerky, but there was nothing at hand from which to construct a drying rack. The fire had stripped the land of its resources. While Con and Rick worked, Joe stood guard. Once, he thought he saw a pair of eyes reflecting the fire's glow, but they disappeared by the time he grabbed a flashlight. If it was the thief, it was its only appearance.

  By the time all the meat was cooked, it was so dark they had difficulty finding the plane. Not daring to leave the food untended, they carried it all as they blundered about. When Joe's flashlight finally shone on the plane, Con's clean new shirt was covered with charred grease. She was beyond car-ing. They secured the food inside the plane, then, leaving its lights on as a beacon, headed back to the fire for the rest of their belongings.

  Following in the rear, Joe found himself stumbling in the darkness. "Damn!" he cursed, as he tripped over something. "We should've brought a second flashlight."

  "We'll get the drill down eventually," said Rick.

  "Yeah, about the time the batteries go dead," said Joe.

  "By the time that happens," said Rick, "some of the dust will have settled and we'll be able to tell day from night."

  "What I want to know is how that damned dinosaur of yours finds its way in the dark," said Joe. "I swear it was watching us."

  "I only assumed it was a nightstalker," said Rick. "I don't know for sure."

  "With a name like that," said Joe, "isn't it likely?"

  "If it's a Noctecorreptus, the answer's simple," replied Rick. "It hunts mammals, and the mammals of this period are nocturnal. It has huge eyes and well-developed olfactory lobes."

  "So what it can't see, it can smell?" asked Con.

  "That's about it," said Rick.

  "Oh God!" Con said in a shaky voice. She imagined the nightstalker watching her as she bathed, trying to decide if she was edible.

  Rick sensed her concern. "They eat rat-sized prey. That's what I found in the stomach of the one I shot. They're prob-ably scavengers, too. Most small carnivores are. That ex-plains why one might have stolen our meat."

  Con was calmed by Rick's answer, but not completely. Who knows what an animal will do when driven by hunger? She reflected that, on this matter, she might be more expert than Rick. She was very aware of how powerful hunger could be.

  When they reached the fire, they retrieved a second flash-light from a duffel bag. With it, the return trip was quick. They entered the plane and spread the damp contents of their bags on the floor to serve as bedding. It was still hot and close in the plane, but it was safe. Very soon, everyone fell into the dreamless sleep of the exhausted.

  AN EMPTY STOMACH woke Con. It was dark, but day and night were meaningless distinctions. Mingled with the odor of mud and sweaty bodies was the smell of charred meat. Her mouth watered at the thought of it, but she would not permit herself a single bite before Rick and Joe ate, too. Instead, she groped for a water bottle and had a drink. The bottle was nearly empty. Before long, they would have to refill it at the river. Hopefully, they would need to do it only once.

  Lying in the dark, Con imagined what their new home would be like. She assumed they would be able to reach the eastern seaboard in the dark. Rick had told her the Appalachian Mountains would be as tall as the Rockies. She pictured a seaside forest with towering mountains in the background. The dinosaurs would be gone, but along with fish, reptiles, and birds there would be small mam-mals to eat. Perhaps she could catch some to raise as livestock.

  Facing the fire and its aftermath with Rick and Joe had made it possible -for her to envision a life with them. Their bonds had strengthened and, with them, her hope that things would work out among them. She wasn't ex-actly sure what form their arrangement would take, but she was less worried about it. Con sensed that both Joe and Rick cared for her, but in different ways. She cared for them, too, enough even to deny her hunger.

  RICK WOKE NEXT. Feeling for the water bottle, he touched an arm, and heard Con whisper, "Is that Rick or Joe?"

  "Rick," he whispered back. "Have you been awake long?"

  "It's hard to tell, I can't see a thing."

  "The next few days will be the worst of it. Every-thing's up there—debris from the impact, soot from the fire, and rain clouds, too."

  "Rain," said Con wistfully. "What a lovely idea."

  "It'll pour soon as it cools a bit. A lot of water was evaporated during the impact and afterward by the heat."

  "I'll take it all. I could use a shower." Con sniffed. "You could too." Rick gasped in mock indignation. "What a personal remark!"

  "More a scientific observation."

  "You hungry?"

  Con snorted at the question. "What do you think?"

  "No point in waiting for sunrise to eat."

  "Shouldn't we wait for Joe?"

  "That meat wi
ll probably spoil before we can eat it all. We should eat as much of it as possible before it does."

  "You don't need to ask me twice. My only problem is finding the food in the dark."

  "Why don't you use a flashlight?" said Joe.

  "Did we wake you?" asked Con: "I'm sorry if we did."

  "That's okay," Joe replied. "The walls in these rooms are paper thin. Think about that before you try any hanky-panky."

  "Rick mentioned breakfast. . ." said Con.

  Joe laughed. "Back on your favorite subject. Breakfast sounds good to me." He felt around until he located a flashlight, then turned it on.. The light made everyone squint. He found the meat and handed a strip to Rick and two strips to Con before taking one for himself.

  "That's not fair," said Con.

  "I know," said Joe. "You can have more when you finish that."

  "You know what I mean," said Con.

  "It seems to me," said Joe, "that 'fair' means everyone gets what they need. Would it be fair to give the same portions to an adult and a child?"

  "I'm not a child," said Con.

  "You're missing my point," replied Joe. "In terms of our food requirements, Rick and I are children, and you're an adult. I know I kid you about your appetite, but I'm serious now. In the lean times to come, you'll' need to get more if we're all to suffer equally." He saw Con's eyes were beginning to tear up and turned off the flashlight. "We should save the batteries."

  "Joe . . ."

  "We need to take care of each other," said Joe. "To do that, we have to understand each other." Con swallowed with difficulty. "Thanks, Joe."

  "Don't think about it. I only hope someone would do the same for Nicole." Rick, Con, and Joe ate in silence for a while, each absorbed in private thoughts. Rick eventually broke the quiet by asking Joe for the flashlight. "I need to step outside for a moment." Con quickly wiped her wet face before the light went on. Rick pressed the button on the wall, and the opening appeared. The air that came into the plane was slightly cooler than earlier, but now it was humid. Rick walked out of view, then returned in a min-ute to shine the light into the holes around the plane. One of the holes around a landing leg was filled with a rock.