by K D McNiven
From the moment Rourke had walked through his door, he had scarcely been able to contain his excitement. Who in their lifetime would ever have a chance like this? He had graduated from Boston University with a PH.D. in forensic anthropology one year before Rourke. They had traveled to dozens of sites across the map together and had developed a close friendship over the years. It seemed only right that they would have this opportunity to discover a live dinosaur together.
The road worsened. It had poured buckets of rain all day long and though it had lessened, only a drizzle presently, the jeep lurched brutally as he slid off into ruts. At least the jostling kept him more alert. He glanced at his watch. 2 a.m... He still had another two hours ahead of him. In an unexpected turn of events, the jeep struck a rut and slid sideways, coming to a dead stop.
“What the hell,” Jake groaned, gritting his teeth.
He gunned the engine and the jeep fish-tailed but didn’t budge. Mud spewed like lava from a volcano, splattering even onto the windshield. He smacked the steering wheel with his palm, grumbling as he unfastened his seat belt and twisted around to search for something in the back of the jeep he could put under the tire to gain traction. The only thing he could spot was a couple of cardboard boxes. He figured if he cut them down, he could use them as a sort of ramp.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his survival knife, got out of the vehicle and began taking supplies out of the boxes. Once the cardboard had been cut into sections, he walked to the front of the vehicle to determine how best to situate the pieces. Annoyed, he got down into the mud shoving an assortment of items to the front of the tires and went about collecting twigs and bits of foliage he found that might prove useful. It wasn’t long before he had an armful of spindly branches and a few handfuls of moss. He could only hope this would work, as he happened to be in the middle of nowhere. In fact, he hadn’t passed a single vehicle for more than four hours. If he couldn’t manage to get unstuck, he’d either have to walk out, which would be suicide this time of night, considering the wild animals, or spend the night in the jeep and hope someone came along to winch him out.
He crawled back on his knees, grabbing the bumper to pull himself onto his feet, then stopped abruptly. Off several feet into the thick backdrop of tangled trees and brush, Jake heard a snapping noise. It sounded like small timber breaking under the weight of an animal. His eyes widened. Grabbing his flashlight, he directed it in the area he had heard the sound. There it was again! Only closer now. His breath caught in his throat as he drew himself onto shaky legs. The golden light from his flashlight caught sight of the bushes shaking, followed by more cracking and breaking of limbs.
Without further delay, he made a mad dash for the passenger door and swinging it wide, hopped inside. He slammed the door, heart racing and cranked on the key. The engine revved. Throwing the gear into first, he punched the pedal. The tires spun. More mud flying in every direction. They should have rented a jeep with a top, he concluded, his breath coming in sharp, pulses. He looked wildly from side to side. It could be a Jaguar and realizing they were the third largest cat in South America, he knew it wouldn’t have any trouble pouncing on him.
Once more, he gunned the jeep until finally the tires grabbed hold and the jeep lurched forward. He released his breath. He certainly was fully awake now. Whatever it happened to be, he was only too happy leaving it behind.
***
Upon rising, Meg found Jake had already made it back from Belém. He and Rourke were seated around one of the dining tables looking over a map of the area and sipping at a mug of coffee. Sleepy-eyed, Meg shuffled across the room, grabbed a Styrofoam cup and poured herself some as well. The rich smell awakened her senses. She hadn’t slept a wink and needed a good jolt of caffeine to enliven her.
“Mornin’,” she mumbled, sitting down at the table.
“Get any sleep?” Rourke asked.
“Not much. How was your travel, Jake?”
“Don’t ask,” he chuckled. “A bit of a nightmare actually. The jeep got buried to the axle in mud and some creature was tearing out brush thinking to get its teeth in me.”
“Fortunately, you got back here in one piece then,” she answered, sipping gingerly at her coffee and finally starting to wake up.
“We’re going over the lay of the land to determine where the local villages are located. We may opt to go a bit deeper into the interior,” Jake replied, moving on to the upcoming events.
“Oh?”
“We’d like to follow the trail and see if there’s a place of origin. Maybe some eggs were preserved somehow…we just don’t know what we’ll find,” Rourke chimed in. “The one thing I do know, we need to watch each other’s backs. Even if we discover we’re dealing with extra-large caiman, they’ll be aggressive, and we’ve already seen the damage they’re capable of.”
A slight chill ran through Meg, remembering the piles of bones. No one needed to remind her of their deadly physiognomies. And topping it off, the horrible nightmare that happened to Richard. Rourke was right though. They needed to keep an eye out for one another.
Chapter Twelve
⁂
Jake and Rourke set out to prepare to connect one of the cages to the ship’s A-Frame hydraulic-driven crane, located at the stern. They would ease the cage down from the research ship and tether the cage to the zodiac and let the cable out slowly as the zodiac made its way toward the beach. Their intention was to set the cage up on shore. The most challenging part would be once they hit the shallow shore. They would have to leave the safety of the boat in order to drag it the remainder of the way onto the beach. They were glad to have many helping hands as the cages were heavy and difficult to maneuver. The thought of being vulnerable in the water didn’t happen to be at the top of their list of fun things to do. Yet with no other choice, they would have to manage.
The whining of engines rumbled across the deck as Cory began the lift. Ropes were secured to hold the cage steady while being lowered to the water, then connected to the stern of the zodiac. There would be a lot of drag, and the going would be slow. However, it wasn’t long before the team loaded into the guts of the zodiac and Kyle kicked in the motor. In seconds, they bobbed over the soft swells ever so gradually as the cable edged its way off the mounted spool on deck, Kyle making every effort not to get slack in the line.
Ten minutes passed before the keel brushed the sandy bottom. Kyle killed the motor, raising his hand to the research ship to let them know they would be disconnecting the cable from the cage. Rourke hopped out over the side and along with Jayden, they pulled the zodiac up onto the beach, then rushed back out to help the others haul the cage out from the water.
“Two more cages to go,” said Rourke. “Not right now though. Let’s head toward the river and see if we find any fresh footprints.”
The team walked slowly along the banks. Some earlier prints they had marked out with small yellow flags had been washed away. Up ahead, approximately four yards, they discovered another set of prints that made a deep well, revealing the weight of the animal would be nearly five metric tons and using their tape measure, logged its length at thirty-five feet.
Rourke shook his head, a wide smile parting his lips. He pulled off his canvas hat, wiping his forehead with his sleeve to wipe off sweat threatening to drip in his eyes.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. His eyes flickered up to take in the expression on the team's faces. They were in awe.
“Look at this,” came Jayden’s voice from upstream.
Everyone turned, starting toward him.
“What did you find?” asked Meg, hurrying her steps.
When the team caught up to him, they stared at Jayden’s discovery. Skeletal remains, nearly complete. There were a few bones missing such as one of the legs and a couple of ribs. Other than that, they had conclusive evidence it was indeed a Purussaurus.
“This is incredible,” Jake said. He bent on one knee, studying the remnants. “Only skulls have
been discovered over the years—found here in Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, the Peruvian Amazon, and a couple of other wetlands. Determining the length and size has all been guess-work up until now, depending on the skull measurements. Here we have the whole enchilada!”
There was no doubting Jake’s exuberance. Everyone chuckled at his almost boyish demonstration as he slapped his thigh with his waterproof Boonie hat and let loose a holler. Yet, it happened to be the same reaction they all had when they’d first discovered the prints.
Meg went back to work, focusing on her camera lenses, and began taking snapshots alongside Rourke. She had gone on a few expeditions with him when married, and had watched with keen interest what a paleoanthropologist did—much the same as a marine biologist, jotting down notes, taking stock of fossil evidence, logging details as to where the remains were found using GPS for accuracy, and bucket loads of photos. The excitement in the air was palpable.
“We need to call in a larger team of archaeologists, anthropologists, and a few more paleontologists to determine how any of this is possible,” Rourke said. “First, we need to establish how many Purussaurus we’re dealing with. We aren’t observing fossil remains as you can see. These are thriving creatures. Look at these bony plates along the spine. They’re called osteoderms. Several pieces are still attached, dried by the sun—see the leathery patches curling up along the Purussaurus vertebrae? I’d say this creature has been dead a couple of months at the very most. Decomposition happens a bit more rapidly here in the jungle taking into consideration the ambient temperatures, heavy humidity, and scavengers.”
Meg busied herself, measuring out the skull’s length, her eyes flashing with surprise. “Can you believe this? 1400 mm!”
“Almost five feet!” Jayden said, mouth gaping.
“How the devil did Richard escape being eaten?” Kyle asked. He too, astounded by the measurements. All of a sudden, the enormity of the beast became a reality. In a flash, the realization of what they were up against smacked Kyle in the face. Aware of the possibility they might encounter this prehistoric caiman, a chill coursed through him. Never in his life, had he ever thought to be a part of a discovery of this magnitude.
“What saved Richard was that the Purussaurus tooth pierced the corner of his shirt and Richard managed to cut himself free, giving him time to reach the surface and be pulled into the boat. Regrettably, the beast caught his foot. Because they have morphological similarities of the extant Crocodyliform, when they catch their prey, they roll. Because we had a firm hold on him, his foot was ripped away,” Rourke explained. “If we’d happened to have been in shallow waters, the beast wouldn’t have had the ability to spiral because of its size.”
“The teeth are measuring four inches and curve inward,” said Meg. “You can bet if this guy got hold of you, you’d never wrench yourself free.”
“Trying to scare the hell out of us, Meg?” Jayden said with a nervous laugh.
“With the size of its SVL, I could nearly stretch out inside,” Rourke said while inspecting the snout.
Meg glanced up at him, her face scrunched. “The SV what?”
“SVL. Snout-Vent-length. Look at the size of it.”
“I hope you’re not considering trying it out?”
Looking amused, he replied, “Is that a note of concern for me, Meg?”
“Get over yourself, Rourke.”
He chuckled and turned back to his study. He settled back on his haunches while scribbling down his thoughts along with the measurements Meg had taken. Even though he made light of it, deep down he knew all of them could be in grave danger. These were aggressive beasts that liked to ambush their prey. Even now, they could be tucked away in the dense jungle fauna just waiting.
“Because we promised Camilla to go upstream and see if we can locate the culprit who’s been dumping oil in the river, we need to follow through,” Meg said. She stuffed things into her backpack, looking around to see who was on board.
“Absolutely,” replied Rourke. “We can do some more investigation deeper into the interior.”
“I’ll go back and get the jeep,” said Kyle. “Meet me at the road leading to the village.”
Everyone began gathering their belongings and started walking back down the beach. Having seen the enormous size of the Purussaurus made them feel jittery. Expectant. They were out there somewhere, and not too far away.
“Because there will be limited space in the jeep would you two mind taking the zodiac back to the ship and load up another cage? We won’t be long. When we return, we can help you get the cage onto the shore. I’ll give you a heads up when we’re heading back, that way you don’t have to wait it out here on the beach.” Rourke passed a glance over at Sean Duregger and Jacob Lisek’s who had offered to join the team.
“No problem,” said Sean, all for Rourke radioing them so they didn’t have to spend leisure time on the beach. When the whole team stayed together it was less stressful, at least that was Sean’s take on it.
The drive was quiet. Not too surprising since this time they were venturing much farther into the rainforest than the last time. They stopped frequently to take up samples of water, noticing the oily residue on the surface had increased significantly, cueing them to the fact they were getting closer to the source.
Another mile through the mucky so-called road, they spotted a large shed. On the southern side of the outbuilding were stacks of barrels. Many had fallen over, most of them rusted out with trails of oil leading to the river.
“Guess we found the culprit,” Meg said.
“Looks like it,” Jayden agreed, craning his neck to inspect the ground.
Rourke turned off the key and pushed open his door. Meg and the others followed. They walked over to the barrels where Rourke knelt brushing two fingers across the surface and bringing them to his nose. “Yep. Definitely oil.”
They made a slow circle around the outskirts, keeping their eyes on the lookout for the person responsible. At first glance, there didn’t appear to be anyone around, or so it seemed since no one came out to confront them. Only the howl of monkeys could be heard, echoing from the canopy of trees.
“Hello!” Rourke called out. “Anybody here?”
Silence followed. He shrugged as he continued to the back of the building where he spotted an old rickety truck set up on wood blocks, the tire missing.
Meg caught sight of a sheet of variegated metal. She walked closer to inspect, her eyes widening. A leg extended out from the edge. Her heart pounded. Someone had gotten buried beneath. She bent down and tugged ever so slightly, calling out to whoever might be underneath, a scream dislodging from her throat when she found herself holding a severed leg. Blood soaked through the torn pant leg, the anterior artery and tibial nerve dangling over the hunks of flesh. Opposite, she spotted several pieces of flesh, flies swarming. The blood had barely had time to coagulate—the beast could not be too far from there.
Immediately she let loose of the leg, falling backward on her rear. Turning her head, she fought back the urge to vomit.
Rourke helped her to her feet, cradling her briefly until he knew she was all right, then proceeded to check out the rest of the area to make sure there were no more victims. He walked over to where a couple of stairs led to an entryway. Without knocking, he opened the door and let himself inside. The house was adequately supplied with kitchen essentials and some old furniture. A few rodents clambered up the walls. There was still coffee in a half-full tin cup on the table.
Rourke called out as he went into another room. Empty. Far as he could discern, there had been no female living there. Except for pieces of flesh, and blood-soaked ground, he couldn’t find any sign of anyone else, nor anything left of the victim, except for the few scraps that is. He searched the perimeter until he found what he was looking for. Outside the building, implanted in mud, he discovered more Purussaurus prints. A tell-tale sign who the culprit behind the attack was and not some other species like the leopard, notorious fo
r catching victims unaware.
The rest of the team stood like statues, barely able to breathe. Fighting fear, Jayden rushed over to Meg, dropping his arm over her shoulder for support. “You doing okay?”
“I feel nauseous.” Her voice trembled. In fact, her whole body shook uncontrollably from the grisly encounter.
“How about I take you back to the jeep?”
“I would like that, Jayden. At least until I know I’m not going to lose my breakfast.”
Rourke glanced up as the two of them left the area. He hadn’t missed the arm draped like a comforting blanket over her shoulder and the way Jayden quickly moved to her side for reassurance. Again, he wondered if they’d become more than friends? The thought bothered him more than he cared to admit. Nevertheless, he had to remind himself, he no longer had a place in her life and if she’d moved on, he’d have to support her decision. Not an easy thing to digest, he somberly reflected. Being this close to her again stirred up incredible memories. Ones he needed to push into the dark recesses of his mind.
“One thing,” Jake said, turning to Rourke. “We can’t be sure he’s the owner of this place. Something we need to determine before calling in a cleanup crew.”
“Hadn’t considered that. It is possible when the attack came, the owner made a mad dash out of here—assuming the leg belonged to someone else.”
“Should we wrap it up and take it to the authorities for a DNA test?”
“Good idea, Jake. I don’t seem to be thinking clearly.”
Jake grinned. “Meg, isn’t it?”
“Yes and no.”
Rourke began walking through the area to find something they could wrap the leg in. After locating an old blanket wadded up in the corner of the overhang, he covered the leg, a grotesque reminder of what could happen to any one of them if they happened to be attacked by one of these fierce creatures.
