Jurassic Island: A Prehistoric Thriller Page 8

  "Joseph, we have to get out," Colt said.

  "We're dead either way," Joseph said.

  "You still got that handgun?"

  "Yeah."

  "Roll and pop up firing. It'll be a strange noise to them. Maybe it'll scare them away."

  "Yeah…okay. On three."

  "No," Colt said, feeling the sting of the talon that sank into his arm. "Now."

  He half-slid and half-rolled away to the other side of the tree, glad that these dinosaurs hadn't been smart enough to figure out the concept of trapping them in on both sides.

  When he made it out, Colt immediately got to his feet. Next to him, Joseph was getting to his knees, bringing the gun up. He squeezed the trigger and then looked down to the gun, perplexed.

  The safety, Colt thought. Are you kidding me?

  "The safety!" Colt yelled as he started to run. "Check the safe—"

  The words were knocked out of him as something hard and large slammed into him from behind. He went flying forward and landed on his chest. The wind slammed out of him with such force that he couldn't even cry out at the pain of the weight on his back and another burning slicing sensation along the top of his right shoulder.

  He heard a roar from on top of him but he couldn't turn around to face the monster. He could only wait for one of two things: Joseph to finally come around and fire a few shots off or for the thing on his back to tear into him and kill him.

  As it turned out, neither of those things happened.

  For a horrifying moment, the pressure on his back increased but then the roar of the thing stopped abruptly. This was followed by an immediate relief on his back as the weight of the dinosaur was removed. Screaming, Colt scrambled to his feet and turned around.

  What he saw wasn't much of a surprise but it was still an enormous relief. Liu had come seemingly out of nowhere and used his one good arm to run the beast through with his katana. He had stabbed the creature all the way through the neck and then brought the blade up, nearly slicing it all the way through its head.

  As Colt took this in, Liu removed the blade and wheeled around for his next victim. Colt did the same, doing his best to size up the situation. He saw eight of the dinosaurs, all the same breed. They looked like an approximation of velociraptors, only a little larger. One of them was currently slamming its body against a tree, peering up into its branches. Colt saw that Leslie was up there, clinging for dear life. There was still no sign of Ken.

  As for the seven remaining dinosaurs, they were beginning to understand that these foreign creatures they had been chasing were capable of violence. The creatures moved together slowly, sizing up Colt, Liu, and Joseph.

  When Colt's eyes fell on Joseph, he discovered why the man had not been able to get a single shot off. He was standing still, absolutely frozen. He looked to be in shock, still holding the gun in his hands. His eyes stared ahead, past the dinosaurs and the threat of death, into some oblivion that only he could see.

  "Liu, what do we do?" Colt asked.

  "Get the gun. Move slow. I will keep them off for now."

  It seemed like an impossible task for even Liu to pull off, but after all Colt had seen him do to this point, he trusted him. Colt slowly walked towards Joseph, angling inside his line of vision and hoping to break his stupor. But no…he continued to stare at nothing, his body immobile and unmoving.

  "Joseph," Colt said, keeping his voice low. "I need your gun, okay?"

  There was no response. Something inside of Joseph had come unhinged and Colt wasn't sure if he'd ever return from it.

  "Hey. Joseph…"

  Colt was directly beside him now. Realizing that he was not going to be able to get through to him, Colt reached out for the gun. He nearly had his hand on it when Joseph did something that Colt had not been expecting.

  He screamed. It was the loudest, most ear-splitting shriek Colt had ever heard in his life. It dwarfed graveside wailing and ventured into the territory of absolute lunatics.

  The noise spooked the dinosaurs just as badly as it had spooked Colt. At the sound of the scream, they ditched their approach of being slow and calculated. Instead, they broke into an all-out kamikaze attack. The one closest to Liu sprinted towards him, head down and charging. Liu swing his katana out, slicing into the meat of its stomach. The raptor stumbled a bit but turned around quickly, going back for another attack as two others quickly closed in on him.

  Meanwhile, Joseph continued to scream. Frustrated and scared for his life, Colt did the first thing that came to mind. He drew his right arm back and punched him squarely in the mouth. Joseph's eyes flickered for a moment, his frozen state now broken. He stumbled backwards and fell on his ass, dropping the handgun in the process.

  Colt dove for it and grabbed it before Joseph knew what was going on. Colt brought it up quickly, just in time to see an approaching raptor leaping over the very log that he had been hiding under moments ago. Colt fired off two shots as it was in midair. It bucked back and hit the ground. It squealed out in pain as it got to its feet, looking at Colt as if it wanted to take another run at him but deciding that it had had enough.

  It retreated into the jungle, still wailing in pain, its screech a high-pitched whine. Its brethren took notice and paused for a moment. Liu took advantage of the situation by running yet another one through. He simply jabbed his katana through the midsection of the raptor closest to him and withdrew it; it took less than three seconds.

  The dinosaur hit the ground and the others started to back away…all except one. This one was defiant and apparently pissed off that its prey was putting up such a fight. It sprung back on its haunches and leaped at Liu. It happened very fast—too fast even for Liu.

  He brought the katana around but not fast enough to thwart the attack. The raptor took Liu to the ground far too quickly for Colt to get a good aim. By the time he had the gun leveled, it had already darted its head down and done its damage. Liu let out a single scream and then went quiet. Colt heard the wet tearing sounds as it tore into Liu's body and couldn't wait a moment longer.

  He pulled the trigger five times in rapid succession. Three shots took the lead raptor in the chest and face, causing it to stumble back and kick wildly in pain. The other two shots went wide but it didn't matter. The noise from the gun and watching too many of their kind be killed had been enough for the remaining raptors. They turned tail and retreated into the jungle, roaring in frustration and defeat.

  Colt stumbled over to Liu's body, hoping there wasn't too much damage. He had survived a ride on a pterosaur, then falling thirty feet or more. Maybe he would make it through this, too.

  But no…the raptor had gone in for the kill. Most of Liu's neck was missing, his head barely attached. His eyes stared blankly up at the sky.

  Colt looked away, humbled by the fact that this man had saved his life no more than two minutes ago. And now he was dead…another death at the expense of Joseph Thornton's stupid quest.

  Colt looked over to Joseph and saw that he was looking around like a man that has just woken up from a bad dream. Colt was slightly happy to see that he had busted his lip with the punch. The temptation to give him another one was strong, but Colt was interrupted by the sound of Leslie, leaping down from her tree. As she came walking over to them, Colt heard the bristling sound of leaves from behind him. He turned and saw Ken stepping out from the folds of a large leafy plant.

  "Colt, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't have a weapon. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do."

  "I know," Colt said. "It's okay."

  Leslie, Ken, and Colt gathered around Joseph. He looked up to them with that still-bewildered look in his eyes. Colt had to take a step back because the urge to punch him again and again was still incredibly strong.

  Colt could tell that Leslie wanted to say quite a bit but didn't trust herself to speak. He easily recalled her reaction to seeing Suzanne and Harvey's bodies crushed on the ground earlier. Watching Liu die violently on top of witnessing creatures
that should have been extinct going on the hunt had also no doubt taken its toll. Colt was sure it would take its toll on him eventually, too. But for now, he was more worried about staying alive and getting the hell out of here. He could deal with the emotional trauma of it all later.

  "We're leaving," Colt said, looking directly at Joseph.

  Joseph nodded, but looked past Colt and into the unexplored jungle beyond.

  "Stop it," Ken said, noticing the look of longing on his face. "You can do whatever you like. Go on in there and keep exploring. But as for me, I'm leaving."

  "Same here," Leslie said.

  "You're all right," he said softly. "And I'm sorry." He looked to Colt then, finally getting to his feet. The I’m sorry had been meant for Colt…maybe because Colt had nearly died when Joseph had locked himself down. Colt saw him look at the gun for a moment, still in his hands. Colt was glad that Joseph didn't ask to have it back, because there was no way in hell he was going to give it to him.

  "Let's head back then," Ken said. "I don't feel like waiting for another stampede to pass through here. Next time it might be something bigger."

  That was all the motivation they needed. Tired, ragged and beaten, the four of them started forward, headed back to where they had entered.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  "The good news," Ken said, looking up to the jagged ceiling hundreds of feet overhead, "is that we can't be any more than two miles away from the place where we repelled down."

  "And the bad news?" Colt asked.

  "Well, there's lots of that," Ken said. "We have no idea what sort of other killer animals are waiting for us out there. We're ridiculously unprepared in the way of weapons. And when we do get back to where we came in at, at least one of us is going to have to climb back up that long-ass rope."

  "About that," Leslie said. "What was the original plan to get back out?"

  "To find an alternate way out or, at the worst, to have someone—probably me—scale back up and hook up the winch to pull the rest out. Let's be honest…in our excitement, no one really thought that far ahead. I'll take the blame on that one. But to be fair, that decision was made in the midst of everyone being attacked by a monster that is supposed to be extinct."

  "Forgiven," Colt said.

  "Thanks."

  Before they had left Liu's body, Colt had picked up the katana. He'd also taken the sling in which it had been carried, carefully removing it from Liu's mauled body. Colt wore it across his back now, surprised at its weight. Colt also carried the only gun in their possession, a basic handgun that looked like the same sort that policemen used. Colt knew close to nothing about guns, other than they made him uncomfortable. Therefore, he had no idea why he had the only one among them. He thought about offering it to Ken, but Ken was busy using his skills to make sure they found the safest way out of here.

  Colt assumed that because he had both weapons, Leslie and Ken trusted him with their lives. They saw him as the leader now. Joseph, on the other hand, would never do such a thing. This was HIS expedition and as far as he was concerned, he'd be calling the shots even though he had been bullied into turning back and getting topside again.

  If they could.

  "Oh," Ken said. "More bad news. Without the sun or any real horizon line, I doubt I'm going to be able to lead us directly back to where we came in. But we'll come to end of this cavern for sure. From there, we just cut to the left and stay along the wall. We'll eventually get there."

  "Are you saying we're lost?" Leslie asked.

  "I'm never lost," he said. "Besides, this is one big ass hole in the ground. It can't be but so hard to get out of here, right?"

  No one said anything to this. Colt was well aware that they were in nothing more than a huge hole in the ground, but it was a hole that went on forever…a hole that held an entire lost world inside of it. That fact alone was awe-inspiring, but he was too busy fearing for his life to appreciate it.

  As they headed back towards where they thought they had come in at, Leslie began to take samples of the plants with her. They would all stop to let her work but would get antsy and start to fidget after thirty seconds or so. Leslie worked quickly, just as anxious to get out of there as anyone else.

  As she collected her third sample, Ken reached into his pants pocket and removed his iPhone. "So, an admission…while I was cowering for my life in that plant, watching Liu and Colt save the day, I did the only thing I felt I could do to contribute to the trip."

  This said, he opened up his photo gallery. He showed them several pictures of the dinosaurs that had attacked them. He even had a rather blurry picture of Liu warding off the first raptor that had attacked him. It was a monumental set of pictures and, really, the only solid proof that they had to prove that something extraordinary was occurring on Spectre Island. But at the same time, the fact that Ken had been snapping pictures while Colt was close to death and Liu was moments away from being nearly beheaded stirred a raging hot anger in Colt.

  "Hold on," Colt said. "You mean to tell me that you used that moment as a distraction to get some pictures?"

  "Yes," he said. "It was either that or stand there like a useless knot on a log. I mean, I have some sweet apps on my phone, but nothing that would scare off dinosaurs."

  Colt stalked forward, his fists clenching. "You smartass. You could have…could have…"

  "Could have what?" Ken challenged. "The only thing I could have done was to run out and scream, hoping to distract them. And if I had, I might be just as dead as Liu is."

  "He's right," Joseph said. "At least with these pictures and Leslie's samples, we'll have SOMETHING to take back with us. This way, all of these deaths won't have been for nothing."

  Colt gave him a leering grin. "You're unbelievable," I said. "The people that have died today…you think it's really worth whatever the hell this place is? You think it’s worth the fame of discovering some lost world?"

  "I do," Joseph said. "Do you have any idea how important this discovery is?"

  "Of course I do! But you essentially purchased these people. Not even that…you hired them. They died without even getting the money. And they did it for some ego trip that you can't outlive."

  "Colt," Leslie said. "Hold on. I agree with you that the deaths today were basically paid for, but he's right in a way. This discovery…it's beyond monumental. This is going to change so much."

  Colt sighed and turned his back to the three people that had survived this far with him. He knew that Leslie was right…the things they had seen today would change the course of history. And without the tech and video crew on the other ship, they had to make do with the little equipment they had. While it had been a piss poor time to take pictures, Ken had done the right thing in snapping them.

  Still, Colt was not about to admit defeat. Not at all. Nor would he admit that Joseph's line of logic was correct.

  "Fine," he said, wanting to end the argument and pick up the pace. "Ken, I'm sorry. That wasn't fair of me. Now, can we please just get going?"

  Leslie carefully placed her last sample into her book bag and then nodded. "Ken, lead the way."

  Looking as if Colt had truly insulted him, Ken led them forward. Colt did not like the confused look on his face. Ken was their best chance of getting out of here quickly and while his talents were diminished in this foreign and enclosed environment, Colt still dared to hope that he could do it.

  "Hey, Leslie," Joseph said once they got started walking again. "Those things that attacked us back there. Were those velociraptors?"

  "That's what I thought at first," she answered. "But these weren't as fast as a typical velociraptor. They were also a little larger. It was in the same family, though. It was definitely some form of a dromaeosaur."

  "How many kinds are there?" Ken asked.

  "Well, it's estimated that…shit!"

  Her curse surprised them all, causing them to stop and turn around. Colt brought the gun up right away, scanning for any threat.

  "What i
s it?" Colt asked.

  "No…nothing like that," she said. She was looking to the ground and lifting up her foot. "I wasn't watching where I was going. I ran right into this rock."

  Embarrassed that he had reacted so severely, Colt lowered the gun. He barely gave the rock a glance and took several steps forward before Leslie spoke up again.

  "Hold on a second," she said. "Guys…what the hell is this?"

  Ken hunkered down by the stone and passed his hand over it. Joseph leaned down for a better look, too. Not sure why a rock was so interesting, Colt gave in and joined them.

  At first, he couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. But as he put the meaning of it together with their current location, he started to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  The stone was about two feet high and three feet wide. It had clearly been removed from somewhere else and set here on purpose. More than that, though, was what he saw ON the stone.

  Words had been carved into it and they did not give a hopeful message. They all huddled around and took it in.

  R.I.P

  DONALD HUGHES

  ??? - 1943

  "Oh my God," Leslie said.

  "Um…guys," Colt said, his eyes moving from the stone and examining the rest of the immediate area. He began to point and they all followed the course of his finger.

  There were three other stones sitting in the same fashion, all within three out four feet of one another.

  "Gravestones," Joseph said. "Here? What the hell?"

  Of course, no one had any answers. All there was in the seconds that followed was silence and, in the distance, the cry of some long ago beast that seemed to mock their disbelief.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  They looked at the gravestones, trying to understand how something so natural and human could be in such an unnatural and inhuman place. They stood in absolute silence, the echo of whatever had roared moments ago making a thunder-like noise that was trapped in the air.