Spider stooped and felt the water. “It’s hot, but not unbearable guys. This is probably why there isn’t any animal life here and plants are all withered. I’ll try going out a bit and see if it gets hotter.”
“Be careful Spider. This is all volcanic activity. We might be able to cross here, but sleep here? I don’t know. What if something erupts while we sleep or deadly gas spews from one of those vents?”
Bill laid his hand on Jim’s shoulder and smiled. “Jim... Look I know you well enough to know Rocky’s death is weighing on you, but boss... this could be the only chance we have for a good night’s rest. If it works out, we can use it as a base to explore to the west and the south for a way down. Once we work our way around back to the mountains to the west, we can work our way back here and get the rest of our supplies. Amal has been carrying the backpack you carried down for Rocky or it would have been lost. But we all are carrying far too much and if we can stash it here on the island...”
Jim nodded because he knew his long time friend was right. The humidity and steam in this part of the valley was far greater than the higher valley where they had crash landed. The higher eastern valley where the gap they had flown through had cooler air flowing in from the mountains to the east that mixed with the valley’s air. Now here deep in the second valley, there was just the volcanic heated air. He knew Bill was right they couldn’t go on carrying so much. This new valley had widened unexpectedly towards the south and a base to operate from was a good idea. Jim nodded to Spider.
“Ok Spider, proceed...but be damned careful... And tie the rope around you in case you pass out from some unseen gas or quicksand.”
Spider smiled and tied the rope about his waist and slowly stepped out into the swamp. It took nearly a half hour, but Spider finally reached the small island in the middle of the bubbling swamp. He had carefully staked several small sticks into the mucky bottom so his comrades would have a path to follow around the bubbling water and steam vents.
Soon all six men stood on the firmer, higher, ground. As it turned out the redwood sized tree was mostly hollow and turned out to be the perfect shelter. They could actually stand upright in most of it and the rear, tighter part, would make a great storage area.
Using the grasses and heavy, thick mud blocks that were cut from the muddy island, a crude adobe wall was formed and framed with large dead branches for support.
A crawl through door allowed entry through the foot thick adobe wall and it could be covered with smaller branches they tied together to conceal the opening from the outside. The tree had a few holes that allowed for ventilation and smoke removal and the only large hole in the roof was covered by more branches...and all this was accomplished in the remaining three hours of light. Finally the guys pulled the limbs in front of the small door opening and settled in for the night.
The guys had come up with a safe base to operate from in hours and were dead tired.
Once they got used to the sulfur smelling mud they realized it would cover any human scent should some creature come their way.
That night they would rest well and as they discovered the next morning, safely. Not one track could be seen anywhere on the muddy island.
And so the southern area exploration began. Fearing they would have to return if their trip was longer than planned, Will climbed one very tall tree at the northern edge of their bubbling swamp base. Almost two hundred feet up, he managed to get his walky-talky to reach the cave and the very relieved girls. Before the signal was completely lost Will managed to tell them about the larger swampy areas beyond the mountain gap and informed them the plans had changed, they were going to stay out for several weeks and they now had a safe base. He even told them they had found some tasty little chicken sized dinosaurs that Jesus had prepared. And he smiled as he remembered they did taste like a gamey chicken... Then the signal was lost.
Now with everyone relieved that their news had reached the cave, the guys settled down to search for a way down the mountains... and hopefully home.
Chapter 9.
The days turned to a week and with only one short contact to the cave, the party knew they had to move on regardless. The entire southern mountains had been checked around to a point west of their base camp and the weary men returned to the bubbling swamp and their base.
They had searched an area all the way back from dead south of their base, to due west of it. Seven and a half days of walking through jungles, swamps, and rocky terrain. Soaking wet from almost daily showers and walking in swamp water at times chest high, the guys were glad to see their branch door was intact. Inside the large hollow tree they had previously made an adobe fire pit and now exhausted, pulled off their sopping clothes and dried them near the fire as they ate their first warm meal in days... Scutellosaurus burgers without the bun...and they weren’t bad!
Amal took the remainder of the carcasses out and buried them under the water in the thick mud after weighing them down with rocks. He came back in and pulled the heavy branches back over the opening and sat back down.
“Well guys the rain finally stopped and I did a little check around, no tracks.”
Bill nodded as he sniffed the heavy sulfur scent in the air. “How could anything smell any scent in this damned swamp? ...Smells like nasty dino-farts.” That brought some much-needed humor to the soggy, exhausted men. Their clothes drying by the fire and soon the party of explorers were relaxing and chatting as if they were home sitting in a backyard visiting.
Talk about their pasts, Jim and Bill swapped war stories, but nothing about where they were was brought up.
Little talk about their disappointing trek up to this point was made and slowly one by one they nodded off. After sleeping for nearly a day, their clothes and boots now dry, they packed up their remaining supplies and prepared to leave the next morning.
Upon arising Jim slipped on his dry clothes and chuckled, “Get your clothes on guys... I’m tired of sitting around with a bunch of naked men.”
Will roared with laughter, “But the girls would have had some good laughs about this.”
“Yeah...” Bill laughed, “...especially about us getting our spare clothes sopping wet carrying them through the swamps.” He pulled his shirt over his head and leaned back.
“Well it’s too late to get started today. Don’t get me wrong, I want to find a way down as much as anyone else, but another day of rest sure won’t hurt!” and the rest agreed with him.
That ‘extra’ day was spent lounging around and eating hot food as they never knew when the next hot meal might be.
Just before dusk, Jesus walked out to take a leak as the guys prepared to get one more night of sleep. Jesus rushed in and one look told the men something was amiss.
“Senor Jim... How big of a footprint would you guess that thing that got Rocky had?”
That question now drained the color from all their faces as Jesus led the men to the far side of the tiny island. Sure enough, there were several three toed footprints. They were about five feet from claw to heel... It was a Raptor-like footprint and it had been walking around the edge of the island they had been using for a toilet. Luckily it was far from the tree, but still too close for comfort.
“Christ, how could I have been so damned stupid?” Jim muttered as the men scanned the area for any other signs. “We should have walked out into the water so our scents would have dispersed, instead of digging a sewage pit... SHIT!” he slammed his fist into this other hand... then shook his hand in pain. “I gotta stop doin’ that!” he smirked.
Bill grinned, “Hell Jim, we all thought we were safe here. You can’t blame yourself.”
“Guys... don’t you realize something this stupid could have gotten one or more of us killed. Suppose one of us had come out to piss when that thing was here? Tonight at least one of us stands guard and listens for sounds...and listen good. Remember that freak of nature snuck up on Rocky and me in an instant. In the morning we’ll check out the holes in this tree before we ope
n the door.” Jim looked at his friends in a serious stare... “No more mistakes! They could be our last!”
The men nodded in agreement and crawled back inside and pulled the limb door back to the mud wall. Each man stood two-hour watch so they would be all rested for the morning.
The next morning rolled around and after looking through every hole in the tree, Will cracked the branch door and slowly pushed it away from the wall. He peaked through the door and pushed it open a bit more.
Jim’s arm shot out grabbed Will, and jerked him back by the seat of his pants just as the door and part of the adobe wall disintegrated and tree splintered. A strange odor filled the tree. Will looked back toward the opening as both Jim and Spider dragged Will toward the narrower and stronger rear part of the hollow tree.
“Christ! Is that...” Will shouted.
“Yeah...” Jim replied as the light was blocked out by the side of the deadly creature’s head, its eye searching for its prey. “I got a whiff of it...that weird musky scent. I remembered smelling it when Rocky was killed. I knew it had to be out there.”
Will muttered loudly as he stared back at the huge half face that covered the door.
“Man, I’m glad your sniffer was working.” He glanced at the huge face in the tree opening, “Shit...was that ever close! I owe ya Jim.”
Spider slowly crawled back toward the front of the tree as the huge Raptor tore at the tree entrance with its teeth. It stopped and looked back to see where its prey was at.
Suddenly from the dark came a huge reddish-orange fireball from the flamethrower that blasted the huge Raptor in the face. As the burning napalm stuck to its head, it opened its mouth to scream in pain, but nothing came out...
“So that’s why it got so close, that bastard is mute.” Amal muttered. “Or it makes a sound we can’t hear. But then...” Amal’s face froze as he realized Spider had not only set fire to the Raptor, but the tree entrance as well.
Jim shouted to his party, “To the rear... the big hole at the back.” The six ran back to a large hole in the ceiling of their tree base they had covered with branches. As two men made footholds by clasping their hands together, the rest were boosted up onto the huge tree’s side. The tree on its side was eleven feet from the ground, and they hid behind several limbs that were the size of a normal tree. As one man would crawl out, he’d find good cover and duck down as the remaining men were pulled upward. Soon all were out and hiding among the many limbs as they searched for any danger.
Off in the distance the huge new cross-species of Raptor was running into the jungle still smoking from the burning Spider gave him. Spider grinned at the guys, “Well guys, I think I gave him a good burn and maybe even blinded him on that side.”
Bill watched the creature stumbling into the dense jungle.
“By the thrashing its making, I’d say it’s in a lot of pain...maybe it won’t come back.”
Will sighed loudly. “Scar followed us all the way down here... I think we just pissed it off.” He looked at Spider. “Pal, I sure hope you’re right that you blinded it, that advantage might just save our asses.”
“Scar?” Jesus looked at Will. “Now you start naming the dinosaurs? Mother of God, next you’ll be teaching them to fetch!” this got Jesus a middle finger from Will and the suggestion that he give that a name. Nervous soft laughter erupted as the men gathered up their gear and climbed down.
Amal chuckled, “Like you named Rex, Rex?”
Bill nodded, “Point taken.”
Jim grinned nervously, “Anyhow, we’d better use this time to get our asses out of here before Scar comes back for a little revenge and lunch.” Without any hesitation the rest of the men slid off the tree and headed in the other direction Scar had left. They were now glad they had taken the time to mark a path through the bubbling swamp to the northwest. Jim had pestered them to make an escape route, and now his over-cautiousness had won out. The bubbling swamp was much wider, deeper, and hotter this way. The Raptor they now had dubbed Scar, would hopefully have to go the long way around and this would give them precious time to escape should it come back.
The party headed straight for the towering cliffs to the west and picked up where they had left off days before. This time they moved much quicker as they risked panicking the huge plant eaters that plodded in the swamps near the cliffs. All the time hoping that if Scar returned, some of the swamp omnivores would prove to be much more tempting than their scrawny little bodies.
One day, two, and then three, with no sign of Scar...or of anything that looked like a way down the mountain. As all the mountains they had checked before, they towered thousands of feet over them and nary a cave insight.
Traveling northward along the western cliff they looked for anything that might be a way down, or even a cave, a crevasse, anything...but they found nothing!
One time a flesh eater of some unknown species headed toward them, but following Spider’s lead, they shouted and slammed limbs on trees and actually succeeded in driving off the flesh eater by stampeding the huge longnecks at it. The creature was no match for the thundering behemoths as they not only knocked it down, but several stepped on it and the sounds of huge snapping bones echoed throughout the swamp. The nearly dead carnivore slowly sank into the mud of the swamp with a gurgling roar from its crushed lung. It was firmly stuck in the mud and the party moved on at a quicker pace.
As the men climbed to a high rocky ledge for the night, in the fading light they could hear the screams of the crippled beast as other flesh eaters came in for the kill. Even into the blackness of night, rending and eating sounds could be heard... Then suddenly all sounds stopped and in the eerie silence all eyes popped open.
Only one creature they were aware of that made no sounds and was scary enough to hush the smaller meat eaters and swamp denizens... Scar!
Eventually the guys drifted off and morning eventually came as the shadows vanished early as the sun rose in the east and washed the west valley cliff in its early blinding light. Most just laid there trying to find the strength to get up after a fitful sleep.
The ledge they had spent the night on was just wide enough for one man and each had tied themselves closely so the wouldn’t roll off during the night.
“Well good morning gang.” Jim sleepily muttered to see who was awake.
Spider’s voice mumbled something and Jim sat up, still harnessed with rope, and looked at Spider sitting on the ledge, legs over the side.
“Jim, it is morning alright, but good?” he pointed below.
Jim’s eyes and several others looked below and saw Scar looking up at them. Jim looked at Spider and mused, “Is that fucker licking his lips?”
Spider looked back down and chuckled, “Does it even have lips?”
Bill opened one of his eyes and looked at the guys peering over the ledge.
“Christ guys, people are trying to sleep here.” But as everyone pointed downward Bill’s face froze in horror. “Aww... Really? ...It sucks to be us.”
The beast just stood there gawking at them with its one good eye. Now and then Scar turned its head to reveal burnt scaly skin and one completely white eye. Pieces of burnt flesh hung from its right side along the face and neck. Jim looked over as Bill swung his legs over the ledge.
“Damn Spider you sure did a job on old Scar.” He chuckled as Scar did a jump that wasn’t close to grabbing anyone’s feet.
“Not to mention he seems really pissed.”
“Who’s pissed?” Jesus asked as he leaned on his elbows and the other four men pointed downward. Jesus looked down and sleepily muttered... “Oh... Don’t think pissed is the word.”
“You know gang, that bastard is covering the only way down. The ledge doesn’t go any further south than where Will is and it only appears to go north up to where the cliff has that outcropping...it...” Jim looked at his friends.
“I wonder if we...”
Bill, who was the furthest north, untied his short sleeping leash and crawled a
long the ledge toward the split in the cliff face. There was a ten-foot tall, rocky column jutting upward from the ledge as the ledge vanished between the cliff and the column of solid rock. Bill slid behind the column, tied the longer rope around his waist, and then tossed on end to the guys.
He braced his back to the cliff face and put his feet against the column...nothing! Soon four of the six men had all crushed together and mimicked Bill. There was no room for Spider so he securely anchored their safety ropes to the pitons Marti had made for their trip. Now their ropes, as well as they, were safely strapped to the cliff.
The men strained and the column cracked, but wouldn’t dislodge. Spider noticed the narrowest part of the column of rocks had a smaller base on the outside just below the ledge. Using the hammer, he began to drive extra pitons into the narrower base. Once he had several in, he slid over the side of the ledge. He would hang from one and drive in the others a few whacks at a time as he swung toward them. Cracks began to appear. Small at first, then larger as the other four strained with all their might. Back and forth Spider swung from the rope and at the end of each swing; he would smash the piton into the outcrop’s base a bit deeper.
Spider swinging from the rope high above was more that Scar could take as he began to leap upward, snapping at Spider. Every time he did Spider saw the cracks widening and grinned as he shouted gleefully, “Scar is helping us!”
Again Spider, with every swing, he slammed the hammer on the steel pitons hard as he could. There was a loud series of cracks and Spider yelled something as he tried to swing out of the way of the crumbling column. A loud cracking sound reverberated around the ledge and the huge column of rock slowly began to fall outward in one huge ten foot tall, spike-like chunk...
Valley of Lost Time. Page 9
