“Cry me a fucking river,” Susan said.
“I don’t expect you to believe me, but I am sorry for killing you. I can’t explain the feelings I had that day that led me to do it. It was a driving force, and I gave in to it. I don’t expect your forgiveness either. Please just know that I am sorry, and I’ll do anything you ask of me from now on to try to make it up to you,” Alex said.
“Just stay away from me. You and that cunt of a girlfriend can be happy together. I don’t want anything to do with you ever again,” Susan said.
“Leave me out of this,” Natasha said. “Yes, I was seeing Alex, and I knew he was married. But I knew there was no love in your marriage. I…I was hoping you’d give him a divorce. But you wouldn’t, and you threatened to destroy his career if he left you. I’m not proud of what I did with Alex behind your back, but I was in love. Your hatefulness is what led up to this happening.” She turned to Alex. “And you, you killed a woman. Your wife. That was a woman who you once loved dearly. What kind of person can do that? I don’t want anything to do with you. I wish I didn’t even have to look at you again,” Natasha’s voice cracked, and she broke down in tears.
Suge rose from his spot, sat next to Natasha, and put his arm on her shoulder.
Coop brought a closed hand by his face and flexed his fingers. That was a lot of drama, but at least it was out in the open. He needed to keep the ball running. “Who would like to speak next?”
“I’m not the only murderer on this trip,” Alex said.
“What? Please explain yourself,” Coop said.
Alex slowly nodded his head, and said, “There was so much going on during the Troodon battle. Chief was already dead. Natasha, Logan, Meat, Caveman, and Ron were off to the side, so I doubt that anyone saw what happened in the tree. I was hanging on, trying to see how the battle was going, and looking to see if Natasha was safe. I didn’t just fall out the tree. I was pushed—kicked, actually. Matt brought his foot down onto my back and knocked me to the ground.”
“Matt wouldn’t do that! He was your friend—a close associate. You’ve known him for years,” Natasha said.
“Yeah, I know him well enough to realize he was trying to make time with you,” Alex said.
“I always avoided his advances. You know that,” Natasha said.
“You did until this trip. We couldn’t spend any time together, so you started getting real chummy with him. With Susan out of the way you spent all your time with me and left him out in the cold. I guess jealousy got the best of him. We were in the tree together with a gang of Troodons on the ground. One swift kick, and I was out of the picture. Matt could have had you all to himself. I guess whatever about Patagonia pushed me to kill Susan also pushed Matt to kill me,” Alex said.
“As inclined as I am to say bullshit to Alex’s story, I do find it intriguing,” Coop said. One murder was believable. Two added a strangeness which presented other questions.
“Alex and Susan weren’t the only ones murdered,” Natasha said.
All heads turned Natasha’s way.
She removed Suge’s hand from her shoulder. “Me, Clint, and Logan had just barely escaped a pack of Velociraptors. Just as we were about to meet up with Matt and Ben in the Warthog, the T-rex that attacked—Clint lured it over by the edge of the cliff. The weight of the Rex and the two grenades Clint set off collapsed the edge and sent them falling to their deaths by the riverbed. Logan and I went over to look, and I saw them both dead. Logan hugged me while I cried. Meat—Clint, saved our lives, and I know he mainly did it for me. I remember saying I needed Matt. Logan’s body stiffened when I mentioned Matt’s name, which I did think a bit strange at the time. Then Logan said he saw Clint moving by the river. I was shocked that he could live after the fall and turned to look. The next thing I know, I was falling to my death. Logan pushed me over the side.”
“Unbelievable,” Coop said. “What would possess him to do something like that?”
“The boy’s a tutti-frutti, probably had a thing for Matt,” Bats said. “Logan’s a tough son-of-a-bitch. I like him. I didn’t figure he had a mean streak like that, though.”
“I’m finding it hard to wrap my mind around how three civilized people could change so drastically at the same time and murder people close to them,” Coop said.
“It was the weirdest thing,” Alex said. “It’s like my jealousy clouded my judgment. There’s something in Patagonia affecting us.”
“I don’t feel any different,” Suge said.
“Us either,” Ron said, and patted Don on the knee.
“Me neither,” Caveman said.
“I’m my same loveable self,” Meat said.
“The past is the past. I know it’s easy to say, but I hope Alex, Susan, and Natasha—that you can push all the past events aside and concentrate on surviving. If we get out of here somehow, we can deal with the past issues then. Can you three do that for me? Will you do it for us?”
Natasha said yes first, followed by Alex. Susan nodded.
“Great,” Coop said. “I’ll tell my story, but since I was the last to die, I’ll bring the others in my group to speak first. Don, you were the first to go. Tell us what happened.”
“Well, you know, I just learned from that phone call that Ron was missing. Well, hell, we’ve been together all our lives. I could feel that he wasn’t alive. I was grieving so badly that I didn’t see that big petro-sarus swooping down to get me. Took me right on off and fed me piece by piece to her chicks. That thing plucked off an arm, and I yelled Roll Tide! It yanked off the other arm, and I cried Roll Tide! After it took my legs and two more Roll Tides, I looked up into the sky, and I swear I could see the Bear’s face forming in the clouds. I bet he has the best football team in heaven,” Don said.
“You know he does,” Ron said.
“Roll Tide!” the brothers said in unison.
“Okay…thanks for sharing, Don,” Coop said. “Bats, you were giving the Spinosaurus hell with the fifty. I don’t know if you know this, but it did eventually die, but not until after its tail knocked over the Mule, with you in it.”
“Yeah. I barely remember that. The Mule tipped over, and my face and head hit the windshield at an angle. Things went black after that,” Bats said.
“I’m sure you broke your neck,” Coop said. “Suge, that other Spinosaurus was on your heels when its companion ran me into the cave. Did it end quickly?”
“Yeah, fortunately, it did. Still hurt like a mutha, though. Those jaws crushed my chest like it was an empty toilet paper roll. I didn’t last long after that.”
“Long story short, the Spinosaurus that pulled me out of the cave dropped me to the ground and started eating my head first. The fall hurt and broke some bones, but I didn’t feel a lot from the bite,” Coop said. “Next?”
Meat raised a hand, and said, “You know my story. I danced with the adult version of the T-rex we ate. I set off two grenades before we fell. I don’t remember anything after that.”
“I had Troodons on me like pit bulls. They tore me apart and ate me alive,” Chief said.
“That’s my story. Roll Tide,” Ron said.
“Mine too,” Caveman said. “Ain’t no sense reliving it. Are we done here? I’m ready to leave.”
“I guess this is about as close as we can come together,” Coop said. “This will have to be our Kumbaya moment. If everyone is ready, let’s gather a few more rocks we can use as weapons and head south. Keep your head turning at all times, and say something if you see something. Stay in a group, and don’t wander too far off from the pack.”
“What happens if one or more of us dies on the trip? Do we come back here for them to be reborn?” Chief asked.
“I’ve thought about that,” Coop said. “I think the best plan is for survivors to continue without the others. Our goal is to reach the Mule and contact help. If just one of us survives, we can tell the story and get help. Remember, though, we all died at different times, but we all came back at the same t
ime. So for whatever reason, that might happen again.”
“Yeah, but Bats and I died since our first resurrection. We came back immediately,” Alex said.
“Good point. Hell then, I don’t know what to expect. If anyone dies and ends up back here, they can make their own choice whether to stay and wait for others or leave. Can’t live without food or water very long, so I suspect everyone will try to make it on their own,” Coop said.
***
As far as Coop could tell, the beginning of the tree line was a good one thousand yards away. He felt vulnerable, as he was sure the others did, walking on the dirt and volcanic rock terrain with only a rock in each hand for protection. At least they wouldn’t be taken by surprise. With no water and no vegetation, except for a green moss-like plant covering some of the rocks, there was no reason for any dinosaur to hunt the land.
“This is not going to be easy,” Natasha said. “We’re only halfway to the trees, and I already feel blisters on my feet. I wish we at least had shoes.”
“Blisters will turn into calluses eventually. You’ll just have to find a way to push yourself through the pain,” Coop said.
“That’s easy for you to say. You men have been conditioned for situations like this. I haven’t trained for survival missions,” Natasha said.
“I didn’t mean to sound so insensitive,” Coop said. The onset of osteoarthritis had the joint in his left big toe burning. This wasn’t going to be a cakewalk for him either. “We can only move as fast as the slowest member. We’ll try to take it easy for the first few days until our bodies adjust.”
“I wish I had a pair of drawers. I don’t like Mr. Happy swinging in the breeze. One of them flying lizards might think it’s a worm and try to peck it off,” Caveman said.
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Suge said. “It’s too small for one of them to see it.”
“Yeah, well, you ain’t worried because yours looks like a black anaconda. It’ll scare the dinosaurs away,” Caveman said.
“Why does the conversation always come back to penises?” Susan said. “Don’t you men ever talk about anything else?”
“Sure. We talk about women. This just ain’t the time or the place,” Caveman said.
Alex moved up from the group’s rear and walked alongside Coop. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“Go ahead,” Coop said.
“The commodities you took the Mule and your men to find, where you all died, did you find them?”
Coop chuckled. “Yeah. I found them. I found them moments before I was attacked in a cave by some small theropod and then eaten alive by the Spinosaurus. Kind of ironic.”
“Can you tell me what was so goddamn important out there for you to risk your lives like that?” Alex asked.
Coop didn’t slow his pace and looked behind to read the faces of his men. A few showed signs of indifference; no one shook their head in disapproval. “Okay, I’ll tell you. Diamonds, but not just any diamonds. These are red diamonds—some of the rarest in the world. The value of the ones Hawkins and Prescott found were estimated to be worth over five hundred million dollars. And there may have been more to find in the cave. We just didn’t have time to explore. There’s no telling what secrets Patagonia is hiding.”
“If we all would have stuck together in the Warthog, we would have made it there and back again alive. It wasn’t a good plan to split us up like that,” Alex said.
“It’s easy to armchair quarterback. But the Warthog was too big to take it all the way to the cave, remember? The reason your group was killed is because you were careless. If your group had stayed in the Warthog, you’d all be alive,” Coop said.
“Yep, I let the excitement of the trip and others of the group cloud my better judgment. It’s my fault we were ambushed by Troodons,” Chief said.
“We couldn’t come all the way to Patagonia and just spend it cooped up in the Warthog. All of us wanted the adventure. We just underestimated the risk,” Natasha said.
“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Chief,” Coop said. “I had my head up my ass when we got to the cave. I had let my guard down—we all did. We thought the threats were isolated to certain areas. We didn’t know every tree had a potential predator behind it.” He paused and thought a minute. “Maybe there is something here in Patagonia that affects the way we think.”
“Could it be something in that nasty smelling shit the volcano is burping into the air?” Alex asked.
“Don’t know. But if there is, we need to be here for each other. If one of us starts coming up with some strange ideas, the others need to try and get them back on track,” Coop said.
“I don’t know if that’ll work,” Suge said. “If we’re all affected, it might be like a bunch of drunks try to rationalize with another drunk. Right now I feel like I have a sound mind. I hope it stays that way.”
“I feel fine. I’ll feel better after I kill something, though,” Bats said.
“Yep, the man needs his medicine,” Caveman said.
Same old Bats, Coop thought. The man had asserted that he needed to kill something every few days in order to maintain his sanity. Taking on dinosaurs with stones and fists, though, seemed like a stretch. Coop hoped killing lizards and other small reptiles would satisfy Bats’ need.
The group made it to the tree line without any surprises. The ground had grown cooler and softer, which was welcomed relief. Short grass replaced the harsh tundra that led back to the volcano.
The trees were of the palm variety, tall and branchy, reaching into the Patagonian sky. Having some cover overhead made Coop feel less exposed, although wondering what might be hiding behind the trees negated that minor comfort.
Everyone remained quiet as Coop led them past trees as they snaked their way around large roots. A time or two they heard a nesting pterosaur flap its wings. The flying reptiles were in the trees’ canopies, hidden by thick leaves. This confirmed there was life on the western side of Patagonia. Coop just hoped that as on the eastern side near the mountains, this side would only support life of small theropods and other creatures of a lesser threat.
The tree line gave out after fifty yards and opened up again to a flat grassy area. Coop raised his hand when they reached the tree line’s edge and surveyed the surroundings. Farther ahead, no more than a couple hundred yards away, another tree line started.
“We good to go or do we need to rest?” Coop asked.
“I’m afraid that if I stop walking my feet will start to hurt too bad for me to go any farther,” Natasha said. “We haven’t been walking that long anyway.”
“We need water,” Susan said. “I’m good to go.”
Only the two women answered, and really they were his only concerns. He knew his men didn’t need the rest, and that Alex would fall in line with the majority.
“Okay, let’s go. Like before, I’ll lead. Keep the women in the middle. Ron and Don will bring up the rear,” Coop said.
“Those trees look a little different up ahead. Different varieties. That may mean there’s a water supply nearby,” Alex said as the group plodded on.
“If we find water, will it be safe to drink?” Natasha asked. “We don’t have any way to filter it. We don’t have any way to boil it either.”
“You can’t drink water out of a stream without puttin’ a bunch of critters in your stomach,” Caveman said. “Whatcha’ do, is go near the water’s edge, and dig a hole until you find water. The ground acts like a filter. That water comin’ out of the hole is safer to drink. It’s better if the ground is sandy. Sand is a better filter than dirt—gives you cleaner water too.”
“It’s just a chance we’ll have to take,” Suge said. “Be ready for some explosive diarrhea, though.”
“I can hardly wait,” Natasha said.
SKEER-AK!
The pterosaur’s cry sent invisible, paralyzing tentacles in the air. Coop turned around in time to see the flying reptile skim the tree canopies behind them and swoop down on Don. The pter
osaur was huge. It looked as big as a fighter jet. It landed on the ground and had Don trapped under one of its leg claws to the ground.
“Quetzalcoatlus!” Alex yelled, and ran for his life.
The Professor wasn’t the only one to flee. The others made a mad dash for the tree line, except for Ron.
Coop only hesitated for a second before following. He had thought about throwing the rocks in his hands but realized such effort was useless.
The beast was a fascinating sight to behold. Anyone taking a first glance would think a strange looking giraffe held Don underneath its back leg. Coop thought it stood at least twenty feet tall. Its front arms served as front legs, and the pointed wing tips folded neatly away from the ground. The neck stretched from its body to its skull by more than ten feet, and the same brownish hair covered the neck as the body. Its stork-like beak didn’t appear to have any teeth when it opened its mouth to let out another shriek. The beautiful green crown on its head looked out of place—like it was painted.
As Coop ran for the trees, a dark shadow moved past him. Another Quetzalcoatlus joined the fray and landed in front of the fleeing group. Chief, Susan, and Bats veered to the left while the other six hung right. Both groups were near the trees.
Before the group of six could make it to safety, a third Quetzalcoatlus landed and blocked the way. Suge, Natasha, and Meat split one way and headed to the tree line. Coop, Alex, and Caveman made it past the trees to safety—barely escaping the snapping jaws of the late arriver.
Don screamed for his life.
Ron hurled curses at the pterosaur after the two rocks he’d thrown did nothing to deter it. The reptile’s long neck came down and snapped air as Ron ungracefully jutted backward.
Coop, Alex, and Caveman hid behind a large tree trunk and watched, powerless to do anything to save their companions.
Lost World II: Savage Patagonia Page 6
