The Extinction Series | Book 6 | Primordial Earth 6

by Higgins, Baileigh

  “Seth. Wake the others.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s something in the water.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know, but you’d better wake the others.”

  Despite her efforts to remain asleep, her eyes fluttered open, and she sat upright in her bunk bed. Stifling a yawn, she asked, “What’s going on?”

  Seth banged on the cabin wall. “Everyone up. We’ve got company.”

  “Company?” Tony asked, leaping out of his hammock as if electrified.

  “Something’s coming our way, and it’s probably not friendly,” Seth replied.

  “Not friendly?” Brittany repeated, and her mind conjured up all sorts of horrible things. “Like what? What’s in the water?”

  No one answered her frantic questions, rushing about to pull on their boots and grab their weapons. Frustrated, she cried, “Someone, tell me what’s going—”

  A colossal crash sent her flying from her bunk bed. She hit the opposite wall and fell to the floor with a crash. Pain stabbed into her head and ribs, but she ignored it. Adrenalin chased away the cobwebs of sleep and shocked her brain into an active state. Scrambling to her knees, she crawled underneath her bed and grabbed her spear.

  She gripped the smooth shaft in both hands and jumped to her feet. Outside, chaos met her eyes. Seth clung to a beam, his expression shocked. “Rogue, no!”

  Brittany grabbed his shoulder. “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know. She’s gone,” he replied.

  “Gone? What do you—”

  A second crash sent her rolling across the deck, and she forgot about Rogue. The deck listed downward, and she slid into the railing, drawn by gravity. A wall of water splashed on board, soaking her to the skin.

  Sputtering, she pushed her clinging hair out of her face. A deafening roar caused her to wince, and she gaped in horror as a creature rose out of the river. The thing was monstrous, half-dinosaur and half-crocodile. A Spinosaurus!

  It grabbed the boat’s railing with one claw and snapped at its nearest victim, Paul. Paul screamed and threw himself to the side in time to escape the beast’s wicked maw. Tony yelled and ran forward, stabbing at the beast with his trident. The weapon impaled the monster’s snout, and it pulled away with a bellow.

  The boat was pushed further back, and it got swept around a bend. It washed up in the shallows, the bottom scraping along the rocks and sand. Thrown off-balance, Brittany nearly went overboard. She lost her grip on her spear, and it flew out of reach. “Oh, shit.”

  Unarmed, she crawled toward the kitchen on her hands and knees. Suddenly, the Spinosaurus reared out of the river. Water streamed from its algae-ridden hide and dripped onto the deck.

  Jessica opened up with her rifle. The Remington R25 punched several holes into the creature’s side. It roared in agony, and blood spewed from its throat. The beast was mortally wounded, dying. Still, it attacked. It was unconquerable, a prehistoric monster on a scale never seen before.

  A swipe of its tail sent a bench flying. It crashed into David, and he fell overboard with a splash. Paul jumped in after him, followed by Tony. Jessica continued firing with Bear standing guard over her like a guardian angel. Seth added his shots to the fray, wielding the pistol with his left hand. A couple of bullets found their mark, but the rest went wild.

  Enraged, the Spinosaurus zoomed in on Seth. He was the nearest, still clinging to the beam. It snapped at him, missing by a few inches. It tried a second time, and Seth ducked down just in time. The jaws closed around the beam, and it splintered into a gazillion pieces.

  Driven to save Seth, Brittany dashed the final few feet into the kitchen. She yanked open a cupboard and pulled a black box from within. Nestled in cut-out foam rested a flare gun. She loaded one flare and pointed it up at the sky. “Look at that, you monster!”

  Brittany pulled the trigger, and the flare launched into the sky with a whoosh. The Spinosaurus tilted its head back and stared at the strange light, snorting when it exploded into a bright star pattern.

  But the strange sight didn’t distract it for long, and it honed in on Seth with evil intent. Jamming a second flare into the gun, Brittany ran toward the beast. She howled like a banshee, drawing its attention to her.

  The creature opened its jaws, and its head snaked forward to crush her flesh. She aimed the flare gun at its gaping throat and took her last shot. The blazing flare blasted into the Spinosaurus’s mouth, and it exploded at the back of its gullet. Screaming with agony, the beast reared away from the boat. It clawed at its snout and chest, shaking its head back and forth.

  Brittany raised both her hands above her head with a triumphant cry. “Yes, I did it! Die you—”

  She broke off mid-sentence when a terrific blow hit her in the side. Flying through the air, she landed in the shallow water on the other side of the boat. With a grunt of pain, she struggled upright, wiping the water from her eyes.

  The Spinosaurus, defeated, at last, fled toward land. It stampeded past her, one foot missing her by a couple of inches. Clinging to the side of the boat, she watched it crash onto the beach where it took its last shuddering breath. A mournful cry whistled from its chest before it sagged, and its single yellow eye glazed over in death.

  With a sob of relief, Brittany let go of the boat. She waded toward the shore, pausing when Seth leaned over the railing. “Are you okay?”

  Brittany nodded. “I’m fine. I’ll see you on land.”

  “You saved our lives, you know? That was a terrific stunt you pulled,” he added.

  “It was nothing,” she replied with a shrug, but elation filled her inner being with a heady rush. So this is what it feels like to fight for your life and win.

  “What about the others? And Rogue?” she asked, not forgetting her friends for an instant.

  “We’re all okay, I think. Except for Rogue. She got lost back there,” Seth said. “I’m grabbing my things, and then I’m going to look for her.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Deal. See you in a couple of minutes,” Seth said, and he disappeared from view.

  Brittany set her sights on the beach. Pain radiated up her side and into her skull, but she tried to ignore it. The cold water sent shivers up her spine, and she longed for warmth.

  When the shaking got worse, she paused, pressing one hand to her forehead. A dizzy sensation caused her to sway, and a gray mist marred her vision. “What the hell?”

  Before she could take another step, her legs wobbled, and she pitched face-first into the river. Panic set in, and she fought to get out of the water, but her strength leeched away in a rush. Bubbles streamed from her mouth, and fluid stole into her lungs. Her last thought before she lost consciousness was of her mother, and the knowledge that she’d never see her again. I’m sorry, Mom.

  Chapter 9

  Rogue pushed through a thick stand of trees. A wall of vines blocked her way, and she tore at them with her bare hands. A sharp pain in one finger caused her to yelp. “Ow, damn it.”

  She’d ripped off a fingernail, and the raw flesh throbbed to the beat of her heart. She sucked on the painful digit, swallowing the metallic blood.

  With her free hand, she continued onward, desperate to reach her friends. Seconds later, she stumbled into a clearing. The water gleamed on the other side, and she broke into a run. “Seth! Brittany! Is anyone there?”

  Her headlong rush brought her to a sandy beach, but an enormous bulk blocked her way. She stopped so suddenly, she fell flat on her ass. “Holy shit.”

  Sand sprayed in every direction as she struggled to get away from the creature in front of her. It took a few moments for her to realize the thing wasn’t moving.

  Frozen to the spot, Rogue stared at the dinosaur. The rising sun broke out above the treeline, and the growing light illuminated the monstrosity in front of her. “I can’t believe it. It’s a Spinosaurus.”

  The smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils, and she gagged. On
her hands and knees, she crawled forward.

  The beast’s jaws gaped open, and a singed hole marred the back of its throat. One eye was nothing but a bloody pit, and bullet wounds covered its face and body.

  Rogue sagged with relief. “It’s dead.”

  She rose to her feet and edged around the dinosaur. Its wicked teeth gleamed in the light, and one yellow eye seemed to watch her every move. At any moment, she expected it to rear up and crush her with its fearsome teeth. Nothing happened.

  Swallowing her fear, she turned her back on the creature and ran to the water’s edge.

  The Water Lily lay in the shallows, one side submerged, the other sticking up in the air. Debris floated on the surface, and she splashed into the water. “Seth? Where are you?”

  “Over here,” he cried, emerging from the cabin. “Thank God, you’re safe. I was on my way to look for you. Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. Where are the others?” she asked, knee-deep in the river.

  “I’m okay,” Jessica called out with Bear at her side.

  A clump of reeds quivered, and David appeared, walking with a limp. Paul and Tony shadowed him.

  Seth jumped across the railing and splashed toward her. The moment he reached her, he crushed her to his chest. “I’m so sorry. I almost had you, and then you were gone.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said. “But, the Spinosaurus. It’s dead. How?”

  “Brittany saved us,” Seth said. “It kept attacking, over and over again. We tried to stop it, but nothing seemed to work until Brittany shot it with a flare.”

  “She killed it?” Rogue asked, filled with admiration.

  “The first shot distracted it, and the second went down its throat. It trashed about before storming off. Next thing I know, it collapsed on the beach.”

  “Wow. Brittany really saved the day, huh?” Rogue looked around. “Where is she?”

  Seth frowned. “She was here just a few minutes ago.”

  “I don’t see her anywhere,” Rogue said with a frown.

  “She got swept overboard when the Spinosaurus hit her with its tail.”

  “Is she okay?” Rogue asked, worry gnawing at her gut.

  “I checked up on her, and she seemed fine. We were supposed to meet up here on the beach,” Seth replied, his expression strained.

  “Yeah, but where is she now? Brittany?” Rogue called. “Brittany, where are you?”

  Silence. Thick and heavy.

  “Brittany!” Rogue tried again. When she still got no answer, she said, “We need to look for her. Something’s wrong.”

  She turned this way and that, searching for her friend. The others joined in, calling out Brittany’s name and wading through the shallows.

  Rogue ran down the beach and combed the reeds next to shore. Her eyes picked up on a flash of color, and she sprinted toward it. “Guys, she’s over here.”

  Brittany floated face down in the river, wearing her favorite purple t-shirt. Her body bobbed up and down in the water, lifeless.

  “No,” Rogue cried.

  She grabbed Brittany’s arm and hauled her onto the sand. A quick check revealed her friend wasn’t breathing, and she tipped Brittany onto her left side. With the flat of her hand, she pummeled her back without mercy. “Breathe, damn it. Breathe.”

  Brittany spasmed, and water poured from her mouth. She coughed and flopped about before sucking in a couple of lungfuls of air. Color returned to her lips, and she groaned.

  Rogue slapped her wrist twice. “Brittany. Talk to me. Say something. Anything.”

  Brittany’s eyes fluttered open, but her gaze remained unfocused. She clutched her midriff with both arms. “It hurts. It hurts so much.”

  “What hurts?” Rogue asked, searching for signs of blood or injuries. When she found none, she sat back on her heels, perplexed. “I don’t understand.”

  “Please, it hurts,” Brittany repeated. She grabbed Rogue’s hand in a painful grip. “Make it stop. Make it stop!”

  “I don’t know what to do,” Rogue said, at a complete loss.

  “Let me have a look,” Jessica said, shoving her aside.

  She lifted Brittany’s shirt and gasped. Purple bruising mottled the skin, covering most of her torso.

  “What’s wrong?” Rogue asked with bated breath.

  “She’s bleeding internally,” Jessica said.

  “What?” Shock reverberated through Rogue’s system. “Do something.”

  “There’s nothing to be done.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Rogue said, shaking her head. “You have to help her.”

  Brittany writhed on the ground, screaming in agony until her voice grew hoarse.

  “Please, Jessica,” Rogue pleaded. “Help her.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Look at her. She’s suffering,” Rogue insisted.

  Jessica shook her head. “I can’t save her, but…”

  “But what?”

  Jessica jumped up and ran to the boat. Moments later, she returned carrying her backpack. From within, she pulled out a first-aid kit. It contained a metal case filled with syringes. She stuck one into Brittany’s arm, injecting a clear liquid. Then she sat back on her haunches. “That’s the best I can do for her.”

  “What was that?” Rogue asked.

  “Morphine.”

  “Morphine?” Rogue said, confused.

  “It’s a powerful painkiller,” Jessica explained.

  “A painkiller? That’s all?” Rogue cried. “But that won’t heal her.”

  “I’m sorry, but nothing can.”

  “No, you don’t understand. She can’t—”

  “It’s okay,” Brittany said, her breath wheezing in and out of her chest. Bloody froth lined her lips, a clear sign that her lungs were filling up with blood. “It… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  “But you can’t die,” Rogue said, leaning forward. Tears streamed down her face unchecked. “What about all the adventures we were supposed to have together?”

  Brittany managed a tremulous smile. “I guess, you’ll have to go on without me, but I’ll be watching.”

  “No!”

  “P… promise me you won’t look back,” Brittany insisted.

  “I can’t. Not without you.”

  “Please. I need to know one of us got to live our lives to the full.”

  “No, it’s not right.”

  Brittany convulsed, spewing blood from her lips. It spattered onto the ground, and flecks of the fluid stained Rogue’s shirt. She stared at the crimson spots, unable to equate them with her friend. She’s still so young. How is this even possible?

  Rogue looked up when Seth placed a hand on her shoulder. “She’s dying, Rogue. Let her go in peace.”

  “I… I…” The truth of his words coursed through her veins like acid, but she couldn’t deny it any longer. “I promise.”

  “Where’s David?” Brittany asked.

  “I’m here,” he said, moving closer.

  “Tell… tell my mom, I’m sorry, and I love her,” Brittany said.

  “I’ll tell her,” he said, his dark eyes somber.

  “And tell Aret not to doubt herself. She’s a born leader.”

  “She’ll get a fat head,” David said.

  Brittany chuckled, but it devolved into a fit of coughing. “Just… tell her.”

  “I’ll give her the message,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Brittany said with a faint smile. She turned her head. “Paul?”

  He dropped to his knees next to her. “Brittany.”

  “Take care of Sandi. She needs you. She always has.”

  “I will,” he replied, his voice hoarse.

  Brittany smiled, her teeth stained with red. “I’m going to miss you all. We had it good, didn’t we? Just a bunch of kids running around the Zoo causing trouble.”

  “We had it good,” Paul agreed, squeezing her arm.

  Brittany looked at Rogue. “This isn’t your fault. Remember that.”<
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  “I’ll try,” Rogue said. She reached for Brittany’s hand and cradled it on her lap. “You were the best friend I could ever hope for.”

  “Yeah?” Brittany said with a hint of her old spark. “Even though I tried to sabotage you when we first met?”

  “Yup,” Rogue said with a sad smile. “Even then.”

  “I… I’m…” Brittany trailed off, and her face slackened as the life fled from her body. Her head dropped to the side, and her eyes grew dim.

  Rogue pressed both hands to her face, and a sob burst from her lips. It felt like her chest was on fire, and her body shook, wracked with grief. “She’s dead.”

  “Come on,” Seth said, coaxing her to her feet. “Let’s go.”

  “Go where? She’s gone,” Rogue wailed.

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” Seth said, wrapping his arms around her.

  “We’ll take care of her now,” Bear said in his deep rumble.

  “Okay,” Rogue said, too filled with sorrow to fight.

  She allowed Seth to lead her away, but cast a final look over her shoulder. Brittany lay on the ground, her hair forming a golden halo around her head. Her eyes stared into the unknown, and she looked fragile. Broken.

  It was a sight Rogue would never forget as long as she lived. A scene branded into her soul, forever reminding her of the fragility of life. If she can die, we all can. There’s no such thing as luck or fairness. It’s all just a game. A gamble.

  Chapter 10

  Rogue stared at Brittany’s freshly-dug grave with dry eyes. She was all cried out and had nothing left to give. She felt cold, numb to the world. Her friend was dead, and that was all there was to it.

  Tony and Seth lowered the wrapped body into the hole, and Bear dropped in the first shovelful of earth. One by one, the men took turns filling the grave. They topped it off with a layer of rocks to discourage scavengers, and Paul planted a wooden cross at the top end.

  Afterward, Seth asked, “Would anyone like to say anything?”

  David stepped forward and cleared his throat. “I do.”

  “Go ahead, David,” Seth said.

  “Sandi and Aret aren’t here today, but I know what they’d say if they were. Brittany was the best of us. She was fun, daring, clever, and loyal. If one of us got into trouble, she was the first to take the blame. If one of us got picked on, she was there to defend us. Headstrong and brave, she never took no for an answer. I will miss her more than I can say.” David dashed the tears from his cheeks and took a step back.