“I scared to death, but I’ve come to terms with it. I think. Come on, we need to get to a safer spot. I’m sure more scavengers will be coming. Can’t pass up free meat…”
She turned and began walking away.
I stood and hurried to catch up. Megan and Max did too.
No one spoke for the longest time. We walked and walked and walked. Hours passed and still we walked.
Finally, the woods gave way, but not onto something I expected. A vast lake sprawled before us. So vast, it reminded me of Lake Superior.
“You think it’s fresh water?” Max asked.
“I doubt it,” Megan said. “We’re under the ocean. There’s no way fresh water could happen down here.”
Something I read a while ago surfaced in my mind. “Not necessarily. This place has to be surrounded by volcanic rock and of course it’s blanketed in sand. If the salt water is filtered enough through all of that…”
Hannah chuckled. “You’re a gift that keeps on giving, Wen.”
“But,” Megan said. “What if that’s not the case here? I don’t see anything drinking from it.”
“Doesn’t mean something isn’t,” Max said. “It’s a pretty big puddle, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Haven’t I told you to shut up yet?”
“Eh…no?”
“Shut up.”
“Jeez, lady.”
“You’re not very good at the shut up game, dude.”
“Well, to be fair, there aren’t any prizes, so…”
“Alright,” Hannah said, defusing the banter. “We can test the water. One of us needs to go in and read the levels.”
“The mechs can do that?” I asked.
“Yes. Once fully submerged, use the command words: Water Status. Whatever is in the water will be displayed.”
Everyone fell quiet for a moment.
Then Max said, “Well, who’s the Guinea pig this time?”
I shook my head. “I’ll go.”
“Are you sure?” Hannah asked.
“Might as well. Otherwise, we’ll be standing here debating who will go in for hours.”
“Listen, you little dictator,” Max spouted. “I will not be—okay, just kidding. Be safe in there.”
I chuckled, rolled my eyes, and stepped into the lake. The bottom was yellowish sand where sparse weeds sprouted. As I walked deeper in, the sand turned to mud, and the weeds grew thick. They wrapped around me like loving tentacles, those weeds. Caressing. I shoved that thought out of my mind and continued until the water was over my head. A water that was crystal clear, to a point. Beyond what I could see was endless blue. A deep blue, much like an ocean.
“Water Status,” I said.
“Calculating,” a mechanical voice responded.
I waited, watching all the blue in front of me. A few strange-looking fish, about half my size, darted in front of me, then out of sight.
A mild beep and… “Calculation complete. Results: H2O. Minerals detected. Freshwater vegetation detected. Analysis results: Potable after boiling for pathogens.”
“You guys hear all that?”
“We did, Wen. Come on out and we’ll get a drink.”
I pulled myself out of the mud, began to turn—
It exploded out of the blue, mouth open, jagged teeth gleaming.
I managed to crouch low enough to avoid the massive jaws when they snapped shut a foot or two above my head.
“Wen? Wen? Are you okay?” Hannah asked, near to shouting.
“Yeah,” I managed as the monster slipped back into the depths. “You guys see it?”
“Yep,” Megan said. “Get out of there.”
“What is it?”
“Think of a teenage Roofus, and you’d be close.”
“Shit,” I said.
“Yeah,” she said. “Get out of there. Its jaw pressure will definitely puncture the mech.”
I stared at the deep blue for at least a full minute, then said, “Reverse thrust, fast.”
I shot backward with so much force I exploded out of the water and skipped across the beach toward with woods before I could say, “Stop!”
I tumbled into a tree and laid there for a while as my equilibrium reset itself. My stomach soured. Hell, it felt like all my organs were jumbled up inside. I didn’t move, trying to stabilize my breathing and let my body realize I wasn’t tumbling anymore. It took a bit of time. All the while, the others were calling my name and threatening to cut the mech open with their laser to save me.
Luckily, before that happened, I managed, “I’m…okay. Hold on.”
“Shit, lady,” Max said. “Don’t do that to a bro.”
I kind of, oddly, took comfort in that. He considered me family, in a way. And even though I liked him, I wasn’t sure if I considered him very close. Until that moment, anyway.
“It almost got you,” Megan said. “About seven feet from the beach, it missed your feet by like an inch. Maybe less.”
“Hey,” I said. “Thanks for the update…dick…”
She laughed, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. I was getting feelings for her, which wasn’t good. Not just cozy friend feelings, but…intimate feelings. I almost loved her…
Which was stupid, because I doubted anyone that beautiful could ever love me.
Regardless, I sat up and they helped me to my feet. The Flex Mech stabilized my balance until I could do it on my own.
Once this was set, I said, “So, it was a hybrid?”
“More or less, yeah,” Megan said.
“You said it was like a teenage Roofus.”
“Yep. Close enough. I saw characteristics of Mosasaurus and Liopleurodon. Might as well have been his baby.”
“Holy hell,” Max said. “What if it is? What if that’s why he hasn’t moved from the trench?”
“How would he know his baby is in there, though?” I asked.
“A father thing, maybe? He sensed his baby. He tried finding his baby, but the tunnels are all blocked and he’s too big so…he stays there. He waits.”
It made sense, and if true, really delved deep into why Roofus remained in the trench for so long. Was the thing in the lake his long-lost baby? Possibly. Not like a DNA sample could be taken. Even if he had been unthawed by the rising water temps…why wasn’t his son or daughter much larger, if he/she had been born before the Ice Age, or whatever? That was the one fact that held me back from completely believing. Because, while Roofus was frozen, wouldn’t his offspring keep growing if trapped in a sustainable environment?
Then again, if assumption was key, maybe the one in the lake was something like Roofus’ distant grandson or granddaughter?
“We should probably get away from the beach too,” Megan said. “From some of the research I’ve done, Mosasaurus could shoot out of the water to grab their prey off the beaches.”
We quickly backed away from the beach.
“Okay,” Max said. “Now what?”
“We go around,” Hannah said.
“Around? Am I the only one who sees how damn big this lake is?”
“We can’t swim across,” Hannah said. “Going around is the only option.”
“Or…” Max stepped in front of Hannah before she could turn to leave. “We go back to that pile of rock and blast it apart with our lasers and get the hell out of here.”
No one could see anyone’s expressions through the mechs, but I felt the rage boiling through Hannah just the same. Did droids feel emotion? The more I wondered, the more decided to forget it. Hannah wasn’t a droid. She was scared, like the rest of us. She just showed it differently.
If she was a droid, I’d find out sooner or later.
“That would be suicide right now,” Megan said. “I bet that Spinosaurus is crawling with all kinds of meat-eaters.”
“So, what? We can cut ‘em down with our lasers.”
A long sigh filled my speakers and I wasn’t sure if it was Hannah or Megan.
That mystery was solved in another
few seconds.
“If you want to go back and take on an army of hungry mutated dinos,” Hannah said, “go ahead. We’re going around the lake.”
Max fell quiet for a tick or two, then…
“Oh, this is bullshit. You know how fucking long it’s going to take us? Days. Wen? You’re with me on this, right?”
It was my turn to sigh. “No. I think we should go around too.”
“Well, you’re an idiot, just like these two, then. Why risk dying of starvation and thirst when we could be out of here in hours?”
“Because,” Hannah said, “for the hundredth time, there are too many carnivores in that area. We wouldn’t be able to cut them down fast enough. Did you hit your head on something? Because your common sense isn’t working.”
“Har…har,” he said. “Didn’t know droids could crack jokes, but…there it is, folks.”
He was slammed to the ground before any of us could really comprehend what happened. Hannah sat on top of Max and said, “Laser.” She pointed her right arm at Max, the barrel of the laser glowing blue.
“Jesus Christ,” Max said. “W-What the shit? You’re gonna kill me?”
“Oh,” Hannah said, her voice very low, very calm. “Oh, I could. I could. No one would ever find you either because I’d feed you to our new pal over in the lake there.” She chuckled. “Yes. I could kill you right now. Just give me one more reason…just…one more, Mr. Funnyman.”
“Holy hell, Hannah,” Megan said. “What are you doing?”
I couldn’t find any words. I was about to watch Hannah kill one of her long-time members. Someone who stood by her through whatever the hell they’d all been through over the years. And if she could do that…how easy would it before her to kill me as well?
Hannah said, breathing heavily, “All you men are the same, are ya? You all think you know what’s best and a woman shouldn’t lead. Am I right? Of course I’m right. Time doesn’t change how a man treats a woman. Ending you now…that would be one less prick out there, ruining women’s lives.”
“What…what the actual fuck are you talking about?” Max asked, sounding on the verge of tears. “Hannah, we’ve been friends for 10 years. What’s going on with you?”
“Well,” she said. “Droids don’t have feelings, right? They don’t care, right? If I killed you right now for assuming I’m a droid and not remembering all the years we fought side by side, would I still be a droid? Or a woman scorned? Because, at this point, it doesn’t matter. Does it…”
“Hannah,” Megan said. “You know he gets like that when he’s scared. That defense mechanism he has. He didn’t mean anything he said.”
“And you,” Hannah said, glancing at Megan. “You just let him go on about this like it’s nothing. We’ve been friends for longer and still…you take his side a lot. Why is that? Are you lovers?”
“I—um, no. Hannah…you know I’m into women…”
I glanced at her too, heart filling. So, she really was a—
“Then I expect a stronger stance from you. Especially here. This place is bad. We need to get out, but if he keeps on being stupid…”
She left it hanging there in the air, as though we knew the rest. I could speculate but didn’t want to. All I wanted was for her to stop and be a leader again and not…well, whatever she was doing. I fully got what she meant. And even though Max was over the top with his bullshit, he wasn’t being a total ass. Just scared and coping. A defense mechanism, like Megan said.
Of course, I didn’t really know those people that well either, so…
“I’m sorry,” Max said. “You know I didn’t mean anything by the droid comment. I just…this is all so messed up. Please. I’m sorry, Hannah.”
She kept the laser glowing on him for a full minute, then said, “Stop laser.” The barrel lowered into the forearm of the mech. She stood and stepped away from him.
“Okay. We’re going around this damn lake. Maybe there’s a safer beach where we can collect and boil some water to drink. Here’s the thing: we need to keep moving if we want to get anywhere. We can’t go back. All we can do is keep moving. Sooner or later, we’ll find what we’re looking for.”
And just what are you really looking for, Hannah? I thought.
There seemed to be an underlying agenda now. One only Hannah knew about and wouldn’t share it with rest of us. Or…maybe I was just so scared and tried, my brain wasn’t clicking on cylinders.
I didn’t know and just wished we’d get going. I felt too exposed on the upper beach of that lake. Anything could pop out and eat us up at any time.
It took a bit to wait for Max to gather himself. When he did, we began our journey around the lake.
As we walked, I couldn’t pinpoint the source of the uneasy sensation crawling through me.
Something felt wrong. Off…
10
A thick wall of green jungle to the left, the glasslike lake to the right; we were sandwiched between two dangers.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And the uneasy feeling worming its way through me made it 10 times worse. I tried shrugging it off as being paranoid but knew that was stupid.
“Something’s watching us,” I muttered.
“Huh?” Megan said. “What?”
I shook my head. “You can’t feel it? Like something watching us.”
“No. I think you’re just overly tired and stressed to the max. A majority of the predators, the carnivores, they’re no doubt enjoying their Spinosaurus feast right now.”
Maybe she was right, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t shake it. Something was out there. Something watching and waiting…
Or, it could be my damn imagination working overtime too.
Regardless, I followed the others. I kept an eye on both the lake and jungle. I listened to the cries of birds or whatever perched in the trees making noise. Maybe smaller dinosaurs? Lizards? Did birds exist during the time of dinosaurs? I didn’t think so, but who knew for sure? Most claimed birds were descendants of dinosaurs. Which had evidence to back it up. So…yeah, whatever.
Hours passed until finally Hannah told us to stop at a small beach.
“Wen,” she said, “your mech is equipped with a scoop for digging. Get some water in the scoop and we’ll use a laser to boil it. We’ll have to get out of the mechs for a while, people.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Max said, who had been completely silent after Hannah attacked him.
I didn’t know what unnerved me the most. His jokes and oddball claims, or his silence. In all reality, I think I liked him when he joked and such. At least he was letting out steam. Unlike now, where he was bottling. And if that bottle grew too full…what then?
“Wen? Are you going to gather that water?”
I shook my head. “Yeah. Sorry. Woolgathering.”
“Quite alright. That scoop is about a liter. Should be enough to sustain all three of us.”
“Okay,” I said and crept toward the ripples of water over the sand.
Unlike before, there were a few small waves to the lake. Was it possible for a lake to do that? Be different in different spots? Again, one more thing I didn’t know.
I kept an eye on the water beyond the beach, searching for a dark mass that would indicate something lurking. But all I saw was blue.
“Uh,” I said. “How do I call for the scoop thing?”
Hannah, for the first time in a while, genuinely chuckled. “Just say Scoop.”
I sighed. Probably something I should’ve realized by now. Everything in the mech is a simple, one, or two-word command. I rolled my eyes at my own duhness and said, “Scoop.”
From out of the lower left forearm, what resembled an actual scoop-shovel shot out up to the wrist to where I could grab the handle. I grunted, kneeled, and gathered water in the scoop. Then I turned to the others, who were already out of their mechs.
Luckily, the mechs detected sound outside as well as through comms because Hannah said, “Now boil it using your laser. Sh
ould only take a couple seconds. Not very long, or you’ll melt the scoop.”
I nodded. “Laser.”
The narrow barrel rose out of my right forearm. I pointed it at the bottom of the scoop and squeezed my hand into a fist. The blue beam soon turned the scoop red. The water roiled, then became a rolling boil.
“Give it a full two minutes,” Hannah said. “We’ll have to place the scoop in the lake to cool it faster.”
I stood there, watching the lake water boil and wondering if we’d ever make it out alive. What if the tunnel we came in from really was the only one?
All thoughts of the place being fabricated fled my mind. Because of the lake and its vastness. Because of all the strange, yet familiar fauna. All the real life…there’s little way it was all created to store these mutated dinosaurs.
So…how were they mutated? Radiation? Or evolution? And why did both feel wrong? Again, so many questions with no answers. So, I placed the scoop in the lake and watched the water around it steam and sizzle until it didn’t anymore. I held it there for almost an hour.
“Okay,” Hannah said. “Let me test it.”
I lifted it out of the water and turned to find her right beside me, waiting. I nearly smacked into her.
She dipped a finger in, frowned. “Tepid. Not quite cold. Another half hour might do it.”
I nodded, although I really didn’t want to do that. I was thirsty. I wanted to drink. Needed to drink. No matter how warm the water was. Still, I did as I was instructed and let the scoop cool more. I watched the shore, making sure nothing was near. Thankfully, there were no dark shadows. The waters appeared clear and blue. The mini Roofus wasn’t following us then.
Or, if it was, it kept its distance.
Of course, I was probably just being paranoid.
“Okay,” Hannah said. “Lie down and get out of the mech. We’re going to drink the water now.”
Her tone…it was so…dull. Very monotone and direct. Unlike before entering that odd lost world under the ocean. She was indeed different, and possibly still in some state of shock for the attack. Nearly…robotic.
Still, I did as she said and got out of the mech. By the time I climbed out, sweaty and adjusting to the strange air, most of the water was already gone. I watched them use their hands like cups. Scooping and drinking. Scooping…and drinking.
Below The Earth Page 10
