Clan World

by Jim Kochanoff

  “Are you telling me we just blew away? Come on, we couldn’t have gone far. You’re not that light.”

  “Maybe not, but these sand storms can come out of nowhere and I should have seen the signs. But right now, heading out into the wrong direction will just make it worse.”

  “Won’t your father and your clan come looking for us?” I asked, puzzled by his behavior.

  “Nobody will be coming for us,” said the voice of my least favorite person. I turned around. He carried animal meat that looked freshly skinned. We might be lost in a bad place, but Abraham was all business.

  “I found one of my animals dead in a sand drift. I have prepared a meal for us. We’ll need food. It may be a while before we get rescued.”

  “Glad he didn’t find a dead clan member,” I whispered under my breath. Abraham looked at me, but if he heard my comment, he chose not to respond. And that was fine with me.

  “Do you know where we are?” Lucaz asked and shook his compass as if it wasn’t working properly. I didn’t understand. The wind couldn’t blow us that far away from camp, could it?

  “Nothing. It’s like all sense of direction is lost. I can see why people who wander off to die here never return.”

  “But you guys can get us out? Right?” I asked while the two of them looked at each other.

  “Educate her.” Abraham jabbed his finger at me. “I’ll prepare the meat.” He walked over to a pile of rocks and started a fire.

  Lucaz motioned to me. “I don’t know what your clan taught you as a child, but the Wastelands are one of the most dangerous areas of our world.” Considering what I had already seen here, that was saying a lot.

  “Why? What is here? What is so terrifying that both of you are so unnerved?” He was silent for a few seconds, crafting a response. Just when I was about to ask him again, he spoke.

  “No one knows what is here, because no one returns. It is a black hole. Many of us speculate that dangerous animals must kill all those that enter, while others feel that they are poisoned either by the food or air.”

  “Seems like neither is true.” I gestured around us.

  “So far,” Lucaz answered, “but we really don’t know what will happen next. Maybe whatever is going to kill us is just around the corner.” The desert was silent. If death was nearby, it sure was quiet about it.

  “Why can’t we just walk out of here? What’s stopping us?” I was frustrated that I didn’t understand the full picture. He must think I was a total idiot. He took out a compass.

  “There is no magnetic field here — no way to predict which way is north or west.”

  “Follow the sky then?” I pointed upward.

  Lucaz shook his head. “There are particles in the air that reflect anything in the sky and any landmarks of any distance. If I try to follow an object for any length of time, its location will change. Not because it’s moving, but because the refraction of light isn’t accurate. We could be tracking mirages for hours, even days, before we find what we are looking for. Chances are we won’t live that long.”

  “And no one’s coming to find us?” I asked, depressed.

  “From the outside the waste lands, the distortion appears. People become lost very quickly if they enter. Others have tried sending rescue parties and never came back out.”

  “But your father,” I started.

  “My father will try, but no one will listen. His autism makes it hard for others to follow him. He won’t be able to get any other clan members to help.”

  “Same with the Hunter clan,” Abraham said from behind us. “Our clan has a pact: no one goes into the Wastelands. Ever. Not to rescue. Not for any reason. It’s not worth the risk. We’re on our own.”

  “So what’s the big plan?” I folded my arms defiantly, but I had little power. I didn’t know anything about this place and there was no way I was getting out on my own.

  Abraham pointed to the hills in the distance. “We head over there. Maybe if we can get some elevation, we can see a way out of here.”

  “And if we walk in circles before we can get there?”

  “Then we die,” Abraham said matter-of-factly. “You seem to escape every situation you get into; let’s hope your good luck will rub off on us.” He smirked. I knew he didn’t believe in any good fortune from me. We gathered a few belongings that had been blown with us. Lucaz gathered some of his mechanical components and wires into a small leather case.

  “Waste of space, if you ask me,” Abraham sneered. “We need food and water. Anything else is going to weigh us down.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m not asking you to carry anything for me,” Lucaz responded. Burn. I was liking Lucaz’s attitude. It didn’t seem like anyone intimidated him. I wished I could be more like him.

  As the two got ready, I sat on a nearby rock, watching the desert in front of where the hills were located. What was so dangerous out here that no one ever returned? Were we kidding ourselves? Should we just bury ourselves in the sand and wait for the inevitable?

  Something black caught my eye. Its dark wings fluttered, catching a thermal and floating. If only we could fly out of this mess. The bird’s features were hard to make out, but it looked like a crow. Figures — no matter what world, crows seem to be a universal bird. The crow’s wings slowed its descent, and it floated down onto a mound of dirt. In a way, it gave me hope. If this animal could survive here, then maybe so could we? It shook its wings as if shaking the dust off its body. It looked down as if it saw something to eat.

  A large jaw with jagged teeth erupted from the sand, engulfing the crow. It tried to escape, but whatever the creature was, it was far too fast. The crow disappeared, and only its feathers in the air remained. Seconds later, whatever had jumped up from the ground was gone. I could have sworn that there was a lump in the ground where the crow once was. Lucaz stepped in front of me.

  “Stop!” I yelled with more force that I had planned. He grimaced.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, what?” Abraham said from behind. “We’re not getting any closer to those hills by sitting here.” He walked forward, and for a split second I felt like letting him walk onto those mounds and being eaten as well. Unfortunately, my conscience kicked in.

  “Don’t move too far forward. Look closely at the sand over there.” I pointed at the ground. Lucaz kneeled, and Abraham stared. I could feel their doubt.

  “There is something over there.” Lucaz motioned.

  “There are mounds of dirt.” Abraham squinted. “What’s the big deal? The wind can create all kinds of shapes on the ground.”

  “Well, the bump over there just ate a crow, so unless you want to become its next victim, I would tread carefully,” I warned. For several seconds none of us spoke, just stared at the ground in front of us.

  “If you’re right, the dunes are made up of living land mines, eating whatever walks through them.” I shivered at. This would be no walk in the park. My feet were rooted to the spot.

  “We can walk around them or stay here and die. Since we know they are there now, we can give them a wide berth,” said Abraham, starting to take me seriously. “Did you see how far they can reach?”

  “No,” I answered truthfully, although I would still like to shove him into one. “The crow landed right on top of it. Don’t touch the mound. They must be able to feel motion or body heat.”

  “Enough talk. We need to get moving,” Abraham ordered, used to giving commands. But he was right, we could analyze this all day. Avoid the mounds and we might get through this place alive. Lucaz untied and discarded my bonds. Abraham made a face.

  “Where is she going to run to?” Lucaz stated. “Besides, she just saved our lives. I’m surprised she didn’t lead us to one of those mounds and let us get eaten.”

  “The thought did cross my mind,” I answered truthfully.

  “Besides, we can retie her up at night,” Lucaz said. Abraham grunted, which was his equivalent of agreement.

  We grab
bed our supplies and walked, slowly at first, making sure we didn’t take any missteps. Abraham walked first (which I was pleased about), and Lucaz and I walked together behind him.

  “What do you think they are?” I pointed to an upcoming mound.

  Lucaz rubbed his chin as if contemplating a big explanation. “I don’t know.” He shrugged, but I wasn’t buying it. This guy was smart, but he had a habit playing dumb.

  “Come on. Could they be a man-eating gopher?” I asked.

  “Naw. I don’t think they could live in the ground for so long. The heat would dry them up. Maybe a worm with a mouth at the surface but the rest of the body well underground. You saw it. What do you think it was?”

  “All I saw was teeth. Could be a worm or maybe some type of plant.” As we walked closer to one of the mounds of dirt, our voices started to drop. Abraham made a motion with his finger to get us to shut up. He was probably right. Still, I’d like to yell and have the thing come up and take his head off.

  The area directly in front of us contained a large cluster of the mounds, almost like a small colony. Abraham pointed to the right at an open area that circled the mounds. I looked down and noticed a small hole at the top of the mound, almost like a breathing hole.

  “I guess it’s not a plant,” I whispered. The mound shook slightly, as if my voice activated its movement. Abraham drew his fingers across his throat. I wasn’t sure if he was telling me to shut up or if he was going to kill me if I spoke again. Didn’t matter; I did not want to see those teeth.

  I looked up and in the sky I saw wings in the distance. Another crow? Or something else?

  As we walked, Lucaz kicked a stick, which sailed through the air. My heart jumped as I watched it bounce and land on one of the mounds. I expected an explosion of dust, but the mound remained still. The stick lay on top as if nothing had happened. Why?

  “Maybe the creature senses body heat or flesh instead of motion,” Lucaz said. I didn’t want to stick my hand in the dirt to test that theory. I heard an animal cry. Abraham was pointing to the sky. The bird in the air was much larger than a crow.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Pterodactyl. Let’s just hope it’s flying alone. A flock of those would be hard to avoid and they love any meat. Human or otherwise.”

  “Do you think it can see us?” I asked, but the creature was already heading to our location. It was flying lower — we were faced with death in the ground and from the air. We were in the open and we had to move fast.

  Abraham broke into a full-on run and we ran to catch him. I heard something whip through the air, then it caressed my leg. It was wet and slimy, but I didn’t stop running. Whatever it was, it didn’t get a firm grip on me. Lucaz and I looked at each other and I saw fear in his eyes. Neither of us knew what we were dealing with and nowhere was safe. I lost track of Abraham but suddenly the ground exploded in front of us. The row of teeth was as long as my body and the creature had no face. It was segmented like a worm but with gritty hair that was covered in sand. It bellowed at usand I could smell death on its breath. A thought that might save our lives occurred to me.

  “Don’t move!” I commanded Lucaz. He made a face. The eyeless beast turned its head to the right, as if looking for something, movement, I thought, but couldn’t be sure. I knew we couldn’t outrun it, but we might be able to evade or confuse it. Behind us I heard another roar as another creature awoke from its dirt nap.

  The creature in front of us rotated its head, trying to find us with its touch. It had to be blind. Maybe all the years underground had taken its sight but enhanced its other senses.

  “What’s your plan?” Lucaz asked through clenched teeth. “We can’t stand here forever.” He was right. The only idea I had would require me to move. I had better be quick.

  I reached in my pocket and pulled out one of the pieces of meat that Abraham had given us. I tossed it high into the air. The wormlike creature detected my movement but also the piece of meat tumbling through the air. It tried for the meat first. Unfortunately for the worm, it wasn’t the only thing that saw what I threw. The pterodactyl came hurtling down and grabbed the meat with its talons. The worm creature was not impressed and tried for the dinosaur. The pterodactyl evaded its massive teeth and grabbed the worm with its talons. It split the worm in two causing blood to spray me in the face. The blood stank and if I’d had time, I would have stopped to vomit.

  “Guess the worm didn’t stand a chance,” I yelled but realized that the pterodactyl was still watching us. The worm was just an appetizer. We ran.

  “Any more ideas?” Lucaz asked.

  “How about you come up with something?” I suggested. We only had seconds before the bird would dive toward us. I could feel the wind of its wings and I turned to face it, not wanting to die with my back turned. The pterodactyl came at me and just as I was about to avert my head, a worm shot up from the dirt. It wrapped itself around the right talon and tried to bring the dinosaur down to the ground. The pterodactyl fought to snap the worm in two but suddenly arched its back and screamed in pain. A second worm rose from the dirt and grabbed the other leg. A third worm snapped its razor teeth at the pterodactyl’s wing and gouts of blood sprayed the ground.

  “Run!” Lucaz commanded. The worms had prey and we had a small window to escape. The worms shot out of the ground like geysers, wrapping around the pterodactyl until it was hard to see the dinosaur’s skin, it was so covered by worm bodies. The pterodactyl gave a death roar as it was dragged to the ground. The sounds of teeth and spraying blood rippled through the desert. We climbed as we got to higher ground. The sand beneath us writhed like a living thing and I imagined how horribly (yet quickly) death would come. Ahead of us, Abraham, who had avoided all the danger, motioned us closer.

  “Thanks for your help,” I spat sarcastically, wondering how he had escaped unscathed while Lucaz and I had barely survived.

  “Pene, I think we are alive because of Abraham’s help,” Lucaz said as he pointed to a spear in the back of the now-dead pterodactyl.

  “You can thank me later.”

  I guessed I was still a valuable prisoner. Fortunately, I didn’t see any more mounds in the direction we were heading.

  “Thanks,” I replied icily. “Good thing I warned you about the creatures in the sand.”

  Abraham looked back at me but avoided a response and trudged ahead.

  Lucaz grabbed me by the shoulder. “You don’t need to continually antagonize him. We’ll have to work together if we are going to escape the Wastelands alive.”

  “Try telling that to future Clan leader.” I pointed. “He accused me of murder just so he can show how important he is. He doesn’t care about what’s true.”

  “So what is the truth, Pene? You maintain you’re innocent — but why hasn’t your clan come out to defend you?” And there it was. Lucaz’s comment was obviously right. In this world, each clan supported its members. A clan member was your family, and family defended each other. I’m sure Lucaz assumed that since no one was defending me, my clan assumed I was guilty. Should I tell him the truth? Would he even believe me? That I had no one to turn to. Then another thought crossed my mind.

  “The truth is that Armor clan believed in my innocence! Enough that its two future leaders protected me from other clans and dinosaurs. It’s funny how quickly you believe one clan and disregard another one.” Lucaz looked defensive, but I could see my point registering with him. We walked in silence for the next few minutes, but I could tell he was mulling it over. Finally, my frustration got the better of me.

  “What is it?” I asked, and Lucaz flashed a surly look as if he didn’t want to answer. I prodded him again. “Come on — if we have to walk this desert together, you might as well talk to me. It’s kind of boring looking at the same terrain over and over again.”

  “I don’t know how to say it, but I believe you. You don’t act like a killer, yet I get the feeling you aren’t telling me the full truth.” Perceptive. I was never
a good liar.

  “So how do I gain your trust? Prevent you from walking into another man-eating worm?”

  The fact was not lost on him, and he smiled. “Tell me about yourself. Do you have siblings? Where are your parents?” A loaded question. How much did I want to tell him about my past?

  “I don’t have any brothers or sisters, and my father is dead. I was living with my grandmother before I came here. My clan is small, but I have a few friends.”

  “And your mother?” My mind raced. Where was she?

  “I don’t know. I thought she died when I was young. Now I think she is still alive, maybe watching me right now, and I’m trying to find out why she left.” I gazed at Lucaz, not sure why he cared about the family I had lost. Then I remembered what he had said about his mother.

  “You didn’t tell me how your mother died.”

  Lucaz gave a funny look, like I was asking a bit too much from him. What could his mother have suffered through?

  “Can you two keep it down! They’re going to hear you.”

  They? Abraham put a finger over his mouth. I had been so caught up in talking with Lucaz that I hadn’t seen the terrain change. We were at a small rise, looking down into a shallow valley. The “they” he referred to were dozens of corrals circling a cluster of main structures in the middle. I’d bet there was something important in those buildings. Inside the cages were all types of dinosaurs, but few were like the ones I had studied as a kid. It felt like a concentration camp meant to trap these creatures until someone decided they could be released to the wild.

  Perhaps the animals did not live naturally, but people controlled their development. The underground lab with the camera footage made more sense now. Someone was doing more than watching these animals — they were controlling them!

  14

  Breeders

  The complex was massive. Dozens of dinosaurs roared with pain and anger. Their fear was palatable and it made my skin crawl. As much as I did not want to be hunted by these things, someone was manufacturing their strength and intelligence. Why? I ducked around the rock we were hiding behind and looked at the boys.