The Extinction Series | Book 6 | Primordial Earth 6

by Higgins, Baileigh

  “Thank you for your kindness, Kat,” Casey said. “If possible, I’d like to meet with you tomorrow to discuss the storage of my plane.”

  “I’ll see to it, never fear,” Kat said, standing up to shake Casey’s hand.

  Patti and Casey walked out, leaving Callum alone with Kat. He eyed her with extreme caution. “I guess I’m in trouble.”

  “That depends,” Kat said, narrowing her gaze.

  “On?” Callum asked with a tinge of hope.

  “First, I want you to tell me exactly what you plan to do,” Kat said. “I assume you have a plan?”

  “Och, aye. A good one too, but I warrant ye’re input will make it even better,” Callum said, packing out the charm.

  A smile tugged at the corners of Kat’s mouth. “You always know just what to say.”

  “That I do, lass. That I do,” Callum said, closing the distance between them. He gathered her into his arms. “But before we discuss the plan, what’s the real reason behind my summons?”

  “Your summons?” Kat asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Aye, I heard ye were out looking for me high and low. What was so urgent that it couldn’t wait until tonight?” he asked, drinking in the sight of her features. To him, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world. The scars merely granted her character.

  “Okay, but you might need to sit down,” she said with a teasing smile.

  “What is it?” he pressed.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Those words were enough to undo everything that held his world together, and it all came crashing down in an instant. His mouth worked, struggling to communicate the whirlwind of emotions that raged within his chest. “What?”

  “I’m pregnant,” she repeated.

  When he didn’t answer, she said, “Do I need to spell it out for you? I’m having a baby.”

  Joy distilled down to its purest form, raced through his body. With a whoop, he lifted Kat off her feet and swung her through the air. Finally, he crushed her to his chest, fearing to let her go. “Today, ye’ve given me a splendid gift, lass. The gift of life. I’m going to be a father.”

  Chapter 15

  They drove through the streets of Kalama, and Rogue gazed about her with interest. If she’d expected something different from Portland, however, she was sorely disappointed. It was just as Jessica had described it: Small, derelict, and empty. It was little more than a ghost town.

  Bear wound through the city center, swerving around the potholes and ditches. It wasn’t easy going, and at times their pace slowed to a crawl. Shops and businesses flashed past, their windows broken and their interiors pillaged. Empty shelves yawned open to the elements, and cars rusted away in abandoned parking lots.

  There was plenty of life. Just not the human kind. Nature had reclaimed much of the town. Ivy and moss crept up the walls and strangled the lampposts. Rats and cockroaches scurried through the choked alleyways, and Rogue even spotted a feral cat. It hissed at them before disappearing in a flash of white and orange.

  “Did you see that?” Rogue asked, twisting around in her seat.

  “What was it?” Jessica asked.

  “A ginger cat.”

  “Huh. That’s rare. They’re usually grey or black.”

  “I saw a white one once,” Seth said. “White with three black paws.”

  “I’ve encountered a few dogs too,” Bear said.

  “In Portland?” Seth asked.

  “Uh-huh, years ago. The Watch killed most of them off. They were a liability, attacking Prime’s hunting and raiding parties every time they went out. Now, there hasn’t been a dog near the city in years.”

  “Interesting,” Jessica mused. “I’ve seen signs of other animals out here too, and lots of people in Vancouver have pets.”

  “They do?” Rogue asked with surprise.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen folks with cats, dogs, and birds. Mostly cats, though,” Jessica said. “What about Prime?”

  “Most people barely have enough to look after themselves, let alone a pet,” Rogue said. “Sure, I’ve seen rats and cats aplenty in the streets, but they’re wild.”

  “She’s right. The only domestic animals in Prime are the ones bred for food or labor,” Seth said. “Like the cows, pigs, and horses.”

  “It seems our cities differ in many ways,” Jessica said.

  Rogue leaned back in her seat, mulling this new information over in her head. In Prime, pets were unheard of, but animals such as cats and rats weren’t uncommon. They were transported back in time along with humans, and the toughest had survived throughout the years. But what about the outside world?

  She posed the question to Jessica. “I wonder what else is out there?”

  “Anything could be roaming around in the wild,” Jessica said. “Wolves, bears, cougars. It’s anybody’s guess what roams around in these parts.”

  “I’m sure it’s not just animals either, but dinosaurs too,” Rogue said.

  “What do you mean?” Jessica asked.

  “My mentor taught me everything he knew about dinosaurs, but he said he didn’t know all of it. He couldn’t, because only a fraction of all prehistoric species had been discovered in the future.”

  “So, you’re saying all kinds of undiscovered dinosaurs could be out here,” Jessica said.

  “That’s right,” Rogue said.

  “I’ve seen some weird things out in the forest,” Seth said. “Things I’ve never seen on the pages of a book.”

  “I’m sure you have,” Rogue agreed. “You lived out there on your own for a long time.”

  “You did?” Jessica asked with surprise. “I’d like to hear about that someday.”

  “We’ll see,” Seth said, waving her off.

  Rogue grinned. He hated talking about himself, and Jessica stood zero chance of learning anything about his time in the forest alone. Even I didn’t know all of it, just bits and pieces.

  Soon, they left the center behind and entered the suburbs. The abandoned houses were even worse than the looted city district. Faded picket fences peeked out of the waist-high grass and rusted mailboxes listed on the sidewalk.

  It was a lonely sight, and she could imagine what it must’ve been like once: Children playing in the yards with anxious moms watching their every move, dads laboring over a barbeque fire, dogs barking, and cars rolling past on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

  It was the kind of life she would’ve had without the Shift. She’d most likely have gone to college, had a career, met a nice guy, and settled down with a couple of kids. But that wasn’t her life and it never would be. I’ve got everything I need right here.

  With Kalama in the rear-view mirror, they took the freeway north to Vancouver. After more than twenty years, there was little left of the road. Ditches, potholes, patches of slippery moss, gravel, and tussocks of brush marred the way. At times, the path disappeared completely or veered off a cliff.

  Those times were the worst. They had to navigate the raw terrain as best they could, bushwhacking it all the way. Rogue clung to the bars of the Jeep like a monkey, bracing her legs against the jolt of the vehicle.

  It didn’t take long for the shine of adventure to wear off. In its place was pain. Sore joints, stiff muscles, neck spasms, and a pervasive headache. She clenched her jaws so tightly, she was worried her teeth would crack.

  When they stopped for a break around noon, Rogue almost fell out of the Jeep. Her legs wobbled, and she leaned against the nearest tree. A few sips of water was all she could manage. Food would only make her sick, and she didn’t want to chuck in the backseat.

  Jessica joined her, rubbing her lower back. “Having fun yet?”

  “Oodles and oodles,” Rogue replied, closing her eyes against the stabbing headache in her brain.

  “Hey, guys. Hungry?” Imogen said, offering them strips of salted meat.

  “No thanks,” Rogue said, eyeing her smiling face. “Why are you so chirpy? I think I lost my guts somewhere back there.”
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  “Uh-huh, the road is awful,” Jessica agreed with a grimace.

  “It’s not so bad in the van,” Imogen said. “I piled my seat high with blankets and pillows.”

  “Lucky duck,” Rogue grumbled.

  “We can swap,” Imogen suggested.

  “No, it’s okay. I just hope we get to Vancouver in one piece,” Rogue said.

  “We will. I just know it,” Imogen said, her voice cheerful.

  When she walked back toward the van, Rogue asked. “Is she always like that?”

  “Worse,” Jessica confirmed. “She’s a glass-half-full kind of gal.”

  “Must be nice. I’m a who-the-hell-drank-my-water kind of girl.”

  Jessica laughed. “Me too, and whoever it was, had better watch out.”

  They got back into the Jeep and the bone-jarring journey resumed. Rogue tried her best to suffer in silence and even dozed off at one point. She suffered a rude awakening, however, when Bear slammed on the brakes. They slid to a halt in a cloud of dust, and she jerked upright. “What the hell?”

  “Sh,” Jessica said, pointing ahead.

  A herd of Zuniceratops was crossing the road. There were at least fifty of them, and Rogue watched with bated breath as they huffed past the vehicle. As ever, the beasts reminded her of miniature Triceratops, only a lot meaner.

  The last one in the group paused in the middle of the road. It eyed the Jeep with beady eyes before it charged for no apparent reason. It rammed into the metal grill, shoving them a few yards back.

  Rogue cried out and clung to her seat. The Zuni snorted and pawed at the ground. Before it could charge again, Seth pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot. It hit the ground, sending up a shower of earth between them and the beast.

  The Zuni squealed in anger and shook its head. It looked ready to attack again, but a second shot dissuaded it. Instead, it stormed after its mates and disappeared into the undergrowth.

  With a sigh of relief, Seth tucked the gun back into its holster. “That seems to be that.”

  Bear started the Jeep’s engine, and they continued on their way. Luckily, the metal grill had prevented serious damage to the radiator.

  Rogue sighed, glad for the narrow escape. “Damn Zunis.”

  “They’re nasty creatures,” Jessica agreed.

  “Yup, but they taste pretty good,” Rogue said with a satisfied smile.

  “Yeah? You’ve eaten Zuni?” Jessica asked.

  “The Exiles used to breed with them while they lived at the Zoo,” Rogue explained.

  “The Zoo?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “And we’ve got nothing but time,” Jessica asserted.

  “If you insist,” Rogue said with a shrug.

  “Start from the beginning, while you’re at it,” Jessica suggested.

  “The beginning it is.” Rogue told Jessica about her life before and after the Shift, growing up in Prime, the fatal attack by the Quetzalcoatlus, her sentencing, going over the wall, the trials she’d faced, and being rescued by Seth.

  “That’s quite the story,” Jessica said with a low whistle. “You’ve been through a lot.”

  “I suppose,” Rogue said with a shrug.

  “But what about the Zoo? I still want to hear all about that,” Jessica said.

  “It’ll have to wait,” Seth said, glancing at them over his shoulder. “We need to find a safe place to stay for the night.”

  “Is it that late already?” Rogue asked with surprise. She looked around, shocked to discover that dusk had fallen while she’d talked.

  “Where are we?” Jessica said, leaning forward to look at the map.

  “Up ahead lies Tacoma,” Bear said.

  “Tacoma? That’s just over a hundred miles from Kalama,” Jessica said.

  “That’s right,” Seth said.

  “It took us the entire day to travel a hundred miles?” she said with a frown.

  “Considering the terrain, I feel we made good time,” Seth said.

  Bear nodded. “He’s right. The roads are terrible.”

  Jessica fell back in her seat. “I suppose. I was hoping for more, though.”

  “We all were, but we’re done for the day. Keep your eyes peeled for a suitable place to overnight. Somewhere secure,” Seth said.

  “You should tell the others,” Jessica said, pointing at the van. “Who knows what lies ahead in Tacoma?”

  “Good idea,” Seth said. Bear pulled over and he jumped out. After a quick discussion with Tony, Imogen, and David, he returned. “Let’s go.”

  They entered the streets of Tacoma with caution, driving slowly. To Rogue’s eyes, it didn’t look all that different from Portland or Kalama. It had the same derelict feel to it, and she fought against the wave of disappointment that threatened to overwhelm her. Is it all going to be like this?

  Rogue shook off her misgivings with a determined effort. She’d promised Brittany she’d live her life to the fullest, and she was. One more ghost town wouldn’t change that. She knew there was wonder out there. She just had to find it.

  Chapter 16

  Rogue leaned over the side of the Jeep, studying the buildings as they flashed by. None of them looked either safe or secure. Not even close. The doors and windows yawned open, and many had collapsed in on themselves.

  “See anything?” Seth asked.

  “Not yet,” she said, shaking her head.

  “We’d better hurry. It’s getting late,” Seth said.

  The gathering dusk was rapidly giving way to night. The sun had dropped below the skyline, and a hushed quiet reigned over the land.

  “What about that?” Jessica said, pointing at a sturdy structure made from red brick with a tiled roof that curved into a high peak. Broad steps led to a terrace that circled the entire property. “It looks like an old Asian restaurant.”

  Rogue studied the ornate front entrance with interest. A faded sign read: The Golden Dragon, and two dragon statues stood on either side of the heavy wooden door. Besides its looks, she could see why it had grabbed Jessica’s interest. The restaurant’s windows were small and barred, and the front door was solid. Undercover parking provided shelter for their vehicles, and the building was still intact.

  “It looks good to me,” Rogue said.

  “Let’s check it out,” Seth agreed.

  They pulled into the parking area, and Rogue climbed out, stretching her stiff muscles. She grabbed her spear, preferring it over the gun Jessica offered her. “No, thanks. I’m not used to guns. I’ll probably just end up shooting myself in the foot.”

  “Fair enough,” Jessica said, “but remind me to teach you how to use one. It might save your life one day.”

  “Alright,” Rogue agreed.

  The rest of the group gathered around, and they approached the entrance to the Golden Dragon with caution. The door was unlocked, and Seth shoved it open with one hand. When nothing jumped out at them, they stepped inside.

  It didn’t take long to determine that the place was abandoned. A thick layer of dust covered the interior. It coated the furniture and permeated the carpets and curtains. Every step caused a puff of dust to rise into the air, teasing their nostrils.

  Rogue wrinkled her nose. Though not allergic, the stuff had her eyes watering, and she fought against the urge to sneeze. It was a lost cause. Within seconds, all of them were wheezing nonstop.

  “I guess this will have to do,” Seth said, his eyes rimmed with red.

  “Yeah, but I propose we set ourselves up in the bar area,” Jessica said. “No carpets.”

  “Good idea,” Seth said, smothering another sneeze.

  With the decision made, they closed the front door. Bear barricaded it with an ornate chest meant for decoration, and they retired to the bar area. Jessica appeared from the janitor’s closet with a couple of brooms and feather dusters. Together, they cleared the worst of the dust away and settled in for the night. They left most of their supplies in the van, taking only their backpacks
along with some food and water.

  Rogue chose a corner bench for her and Seth. The leather was cracked and the sponge interior moldy, but it was comfortable. In the back, she found a cupboard filled with moth-eaten tablecloths. She draped a couple over the bench, topping it off with their blankets. The rest she handed out to the group.

  Tony scouted around the bar and found a bottle of scotch, much to everyone’s surprise. It had rolled underneath one of the bar fridges, waiting for someone to find it. He waved it around with a grin. “Looks like we’re celebrating tonight, folks.”

  “Celebrating what exactly?” Jessica asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

  Later that night, he commandeered the kitchen and prepared a big pot of stew. The smell of pungent herbs, salted meat, and beans filled the air. Dozens of candles flickered around the room, chasing away the gloom, and it felt almost festive.

  After a hearty meal, Rogue joined the others at the bar. She perched on a stool and accepted a glass of scotch from Tony. “What’s it like?”

  “Like the nectar of the Gods,” Tony said. “A bottle of fine single-malt whiskey like this is a treasure.”

  “And after more than twenty years, it’s been aged to perfection,” Bear added, swallowing his glass in a single gulp.

  “I don’t know,” Rogue said. If the stuff was anything like the liquor the Prime taverns brewed up in their basins, it was vile. She’d seen the after-effects too and avoided alcohol like the plague.

  “Go on,” Tony said, cocking his head. “Or are you scared?”

  “I’m not scared,” Rogue protested. She glanced at Seth, but he avoided her look. With a dubious shrug, she took a sip. “Holy crap!”

  The fiery liquid poured down her throat, setting everything in its path alight. Her eyes burned, and her taste buds revolted beneath the heady assault. She gasped for air like a fish on land, slapping the counter with her palm.

  The bar erupted into laughter, howling with glee at her discomfort. David nearly fell off his chair, forgetting his grief for a moment. Jessica chuckled into her glass, while Bear’s entire body shook with mirth. Even Seth joined in, fending off her murderous glare with an apologetic grin. “I’m sorry, but you should’ve seen your face!”