by Logan Jacobs
It was a tight fit, and the youngest boys were in the very back amid the bags while the youngest daughter sat on her mother’s lap, but we managed to squeeze everyone inside. Hae-won turned the key, and another K pop song started to play. The Korean scrambled to turn off the music, much to the disappointment of the children.
“I want to listen to music,” one of the boys called from the back of the van. “We haven’t done that in ages.”
“Mum says the dinosaurs will find us if we do,” the other boy in the back added.
Hae-won turned the music back on before either mother could tell us to keep it off, and the five kids in the minivan all started to bounce along to the music, as did the beautiful blue-eyed Korean, the bombshell blonde Brit, and the parakeet.
We drove back toward Norman Road and turned onto Saxon Road. There were still no signs of dinosaurs nearby, and we turned onto Padholme at a leisurely pace. As we neared the post office, more businesses started to appear, and I heard the mothers begin a discussion about the food offerings at one of the restaurants we passed.
“Still clear,” Hae-won called out as she made the turn onto Eastfield.
“Hey, look,” one of the young girls called out a moment later. “Mushu!”
It took me a moment to remember that Mushu was the small dragon in Mulan, and that was probably what the girl was referencing rather than the Chinese restaurant we’d driven by a few minutes ago. The girl was pointing out one of the windows, and I realized that something had attached itself to the glass. It was just under a foot long, from the tip of its snout to the tip of its tail, which ended with a patch of feathers that reminded me of fletchings. The forelimbs were part of the wings, and at the moment, the small claws were hanging onto the edge of the window for dear life. It did look like a Disney character come to life, with wide eyes and bright yellow stripes, but I doubted this one would be very friendly if it got inside.
“We have a hitchhiker,” I announced.
“Where?” Becka asked as she tried to peer over her shoulder and past the crowd of people.
“I think I can knock it off,” I said.
I nudged the dog under the seat and swapped places with the older boy. I was face to face with the small dino, and it snapped at me when I leaned in closer for a good look. The teeth, I noticed, weren’t very long, but they came to sharp little points that could probably cause a lot of damage if they grabbed hold. I ran the window up and down a few inches, but the little lizard held on.
“I need a knife or something to pry it off,” I said.
“Can’t we just leave it?” Mrs. Hepplewaite suggested. “We can let the soldiers at the plant deal with it.”
“We could,” I agreed. “Unless there are others.”
“But it’s cute,” the girl who had spotted the dino replied.
“Those teeth aren’t very cute,” I said.
“Shit!” Becka barked from the front seat as the minivan suddenly swerved.
“What is it?” I called out as I tried to keep my spot in the chair.
“Flying things!” Becka called back. “They’re just attaching themselves to the minivan.
I looked at the windshield and saw the larger versions of the thing on the side window drop onto the hood of the minivan and grab hold of any surface. Hae-won swerved around the road to try to shake them off, but more kept dropping out of the sky. I heard something thump against the roof of the minivan, and a moment later, a larger head with sharper teeth peered over the top of our ride and peered at me through the glass. This one looked decidedly less friendly than the first one, and it raked its claws down the window as it tried to find a way in.
“I’m not sure we’ll make it back if they keep landing on the van,” Hae-won warned. “They’re starting to cover the windshield, and one of them just ate the wiper blade.”
“Maybe we should have stayed,” Livvy whined as a large face scowled at her from the other side of the window.
“Up ahead,” I called out to Hae-won. “Pull into the carwash.”
“What…? Livvy started to ask.
“Carwash!” I called again.
Hae-won nodded, and at the last moment, she turned into the carwash I’d spotted. We drove over the sidewalk, and the jolt knocked two of the creatures from the top of the van, but more piled on.
“Head for the line,” I said. “I’m going to get out and turn it on.”
“Are you crazy?” Becka demanded.
“Just cover me,” I said as I worked my way back to the sliding door.
“How?” Becka retorted. “They’re all over the window. They’ll get inside if I try to open it.”
“Just be ready to drive through as soon as I turn it on,” I said.
“Do you know how?” Hae-won asked.
“If it’s like the one I worked at during high school summers, then yes, I do,” I said. “Okay, I’m going. You folks pull the door shut as soon as I’m out.”
I took a deep breath, counted to five, and then opened the door just wide enough for me to jump out. Almost immediately, one of the dinos on top of the van and one clinging to the side tried to crawl inside. I used the rifle butt to knock the one along the side from its perch with a blow to the head, and I used the momentum on my backswing to smack the one on the roof back from the edge.
The door slammed shut, and I ran toward the building. There were still two cars in the line, and I hoped that meant the place had been open when all this started and that no one had thought to lock the doors. I could hear nails clack against the blacktop, and then I saw a shadow from above start to close in on me. I ducked at the last second, and one of the dinos swooped by, its talons just missing my skin by less than an inch.
I was at the door to the waiting room by then, and I yanked it open and ducked inside. I slammed the door shut just as another flying dino started its dive, and it hit the glass with a hard splat and tumbled to the ground. It was still for a moment, and then it wobbled to its feet and looked around. I locked the door while it tried to decide what to do next, and then I went to find the main controls. I just hoped the bird dinos weren’t smart enough to follow me to the back side of the building.
I did a quick check out the back door, but none of the bird dinos were around. I ducked out as quietly as I could, and I did a quick survey of the tunnel itself. There was one car inside, which I would have to move, but nothing that would block Hae-won from the track. The key, I was happy to see, was still in the master switch, and after checking the options, I decided the minivan deserved the full treatment.
The car wash sprang to life with a clanking sound from the chains, followed by a whizzing sound and a spray of water. I ran along the edge of the tunnel to the abandoned car, which had started to inch forward toward the blowers. The driver had bailed without even closing the door, and I hopped inside and landed on a seat that was still damp and moldy. I slammed the door closed, let the pulley carry the car to the end of the line, and then popped off the track before the car was completely clear.
The minivan was already heading toward the back of the building with most of the bird dinos still attached. A few sat in the lot and watched the car wash, and when I drove the car toward them, they scattered for a moment before converging on their new target. I was already out of the vehicle by then, and I shot the closest bird dino with the Glock before it could even land on the hood, and I took out another one as it dropped onto the side mirror. That left two more, which changed course and flew up into the limbs of a nearby tree.
I ran back through the tunnel and saw that Hae-won had the minivan in position. A few of the bird dinos stared at the carwash with concern, but most were too busy scratching and pecking at the minivan to notice. I slipped behind the controls, set the minivan up for the full treatment, including the hot wax and the chassis spray, and then let the machines do their jobs.
As the car wash came to life again, several of the dinos opted to fly away, and as the minivan moved into the tunnel and the first of the bru
shes, two more quickly leapt away. And then the minivan was inside the heart of the system, and squeals of protest went up from the remaining dinos as they were hit with blasts of soap, run over by bristled brushes, drenched in wax, and finally subjected to a gale force wind.
I spotted several dino bodies in the tunnel, some still twitching, but I was able to run by them without drawing their attention. On the other side, I found the minivan waiting for me, looking spotless except for the scratches in the paint. Three more dinos were nearby, all wandering aimlessly around the parking lot like frat boys after a kegger.
Livvy opened the door for me, and I jumped back inside and reclaimed my original seat. I squelched when I sat down, and I realized I was soaked through.
“You’re wet,” one of the boys pointed out.
“So I am,” I replied as Hae-won pulled out of the parking lot in a cloud of burnt rubber.
“Where’s Mushu?” the girl who had first spotted the dino wailed.
“He had to stay with the big dragons,” her mother replied. “Just to make sure they were okay.”
The girl looked like she was about to start bawling, but the volume went up on the stereo system and several Korean girls began to ask ‘Who Dis?’ to a heavy beat.
“I’ll bet you like this song,” Becka yelled above the thumping rhythm.
The girl looked confused for a moment, but as the rest of the kids in the car started to bop along, she caved and joined in. I heard the cat start to meow, and the parakeet soon started to whistle. Livvy looked like she was ready to walk all the way back to her house, especially when every kid in the minivan started to sing a completely different song, but we made the crossing over the parkway and the power station towers came into view.
Hae-won pulled up to the guard station, and the man on duty, a burly guy I’d seen in the mess tent, peered inside. Becka turned down the volume on the K pop, but the kids were still singing at the top of their lungs.
“I thought you were getting supplies,” the man said as he stared at the rest of the people in the minivan.
“Yeah, well,” Becka hedged. “We might have also run into one of the engineer’s family members.”
“Christ,” the soldier muttered. “We’ll be feeding the whole bleeding town next. I don’t suppose you brought anything useful with you, like food or penicillin.”
“Don’t be snarky,” Becka replied.
“It’s just like the other families that we brought here,” Hae-won pointed out.
“And the brigadier was quite clear that we weren’t taking in any more strays,” the soldier said.
I saw Hepplewaite crossing the guest parking lot and heading toward the barricade. He looked joyous as he approached, and positively ecstatic when one of his girls popped into the space between Becka and Hae-won and waved at him.
“The father’s right there,” Becka said. “Are you going to make us dump these people out on the sidewalk here?”
“I should make you all stay out here,” the soldier replied. “You violated orders.”
“Then let me talk to Walston,” I said.
“Don’t need to,” the soldier insisted.
“Call him anyway,” I said as I nudged my way to the door.
I pulled on the handle and started to step out, but the soldier raised his rifle in my direction. I heard Livvy gasp and one of the boys whimper, but I held my hands up and waited on the edge of the minivan.
“I didn’t say you could leave the vehicle,” the soldier said.
“What’s going on?” Hepplewaite demanded as he stopped on the other side of the barrier. “That’s my family in there. And that’s my minivan. Which looks like it was just washed. Did you stop to wash it?”
“It was on the way,” I replied.
The second soldier on gate duty had disappeared back into the shack when we’d first driven up, and he now reappeared with a frown of his own.
“Walston wants to talk to the boy,” the second soldier said.
“I’m assuming you mean me,” I snickered.
“Step down slowly and move toward the shack,” the first soldier ordered. “Keep your hands up where I can see them.”
I obeyed, and I left a nice trail of sudsy water behind me as I moved toward the wooden structure. Hepplewaite started to follow, but the first soldier waved him away with the rifle. The engineer stopped, and then he turned to look at the minivan with an anguished expression.
The phone was already off the hook when I stepped inside, and after looking toward the man with the rifle, I picked it up slowly and held it to my ear. I could hear someone breathing on the other end, and I hoped that Walston wasn’t as angry as he sounded.
“Brigadier,” I said.
“Are you insane?” the officer demanded without preamble. “How am I supposed to take care of all these people?”
“It’s the last group, I promise,” I said. “None of the other engineers have family nearby.”
“We had an agreement,” Walston continued.
“We will still take your package to Scampton,” I said. “Just as soon as it’s ready. In the meantime, we can help you scavenge for food and medicine and whatever else you think you might need. We’ve gotten pretty good at that.”
“And when you’re gone?” the officer demanded. “How am I to tend to their needs then? No, this is beyond the pale. I can’t let any more people inside.”
“If you don’t, we won’t stop at Scampton,” I said.
“Then I’ll have you arrested right now,” Walston said. “And you can spend the rest of… whatever this is in the brig.”
“Are you really going to build a brig just for the three of us?” I asked. “And then you’ll have to feed us and take care of us instead of these other people, and waste time having soldiers watch us instead of the perimeter.”
“Effing yank,” the brigadier muttered. “I feel like I’m the angry police chief in one of your bloody American cop movies.”
“We won’t make any more runs to rescue anyone’s family members,” I said. “We’ll stay here until your package is ready, and then we’ll head north to Lincoln. After that, you can pretend you never knew us, and you can be the hero for saving all these people.”
“I can’t feed all these people,” Walston argued.
“Yes, you can,” I said. “Just send out groups to find what they can. You’ll be fine. And that’s the cost for us to take the package to Scampton.”
There was a long pause, though I could still hear the other man breathing. There was a ding as an email arrived and the sound of paper being shuffled before the dusky-skinned officer spoke again.
“No,” Walston said, “the terms of our first agreement were clear. If you want this next group to be admitted, that’s a new agreement.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “What new agreement?”
“I need a hand with an assignment,” Walston said. “I’m sure you noticed the helicopter that arrived earlier.”
“It was hard to miss,” I agreed.
“Well, there was an important passenger on board, and I think you’re just the lot to help him with his quest,” Walston said.
“His quest?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, a holy quest, even,” Walston replied. “So, if you accept my terms, you and your two friends will report to my office ASAP. If not, the whole lot of you will be stuck on the other side of the gate.”
What could I say? I didn’t want to abandon the Hepplewaites and their neighbors outside the gates, nor did I want to drive them back to their neighborhood. We’d already pressed our luck for the day, and whatever drudgery Walston had in mind, he still needed us to carry the package to Scampton, which meant the duty couldn’t be too dangerous. We could still leave in a day or two and be free of the power station once and for all.
“We’re on our way in now,” I said.
Chapter 14
The lobby desk was empty as we stepped into the building, and we turned toward the office section while Hepplewa
ite led his wife, children, and newly minted sister-in-law and nephews toward the back door and the tents. A handful of soldiers were scattered among the cubicles, mostly working on stacks of paper. They glanced up as we passed by, but no one tried to stop us as we approached the brigadier’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” came the order from the other side.
I glanced at my companions, who both nodded, and then I opened the door. The brigadier was in his usual spot behind the desk, with a pot of tea carefully positioned near his right hand. He was back to two guest chairs, and one of those was currently occupied by a lean man with graying hair and horn-rimmed glasses. The stranger sniffled and held a handkerchief up to his nose, which even hidden beneath the piece of cloth, I could tell was large and round.
“Oh,” Becka said in surprise when she saw the stranger. The blonde Brit performed something like a quick half-curtsy, as if she wasn’t performing a ritual only half-remembered from childhood.
“Come in,” the brigadier said. “And meet Jerome Rhys, the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
The Archbishop didn’t stand up as we approached, though he did place his handkerchief on the edge of the desk and hold out one pudgy hand for us to… do something with. He didn’t hold it out for a handshake, and while I debated what I was supposed to do, Becka grasped the man’s fingers in her hand and did another weird almost-curtsy. Since I wasn’t about to go through those kinds of antics, I made do with a nod of the head, as did Hae-won.
The Archbishop frowned at our improper greeting, but the hand eventually retreated and found the handkerchief. He waved it in the air for a moment, then he smiled at everyone who was gathered in the room.
“Allergies are terrible this time of year,” the church man declared. “And I do think these dinosaurs have only made it worse.”
“What brings you to Peterborough?” I asked in a friendly tone, though the look I gave Walston was more suspicious.
Walston actually sighed, and then he fiddled with the teapot. The army man lifted the lid, sniffed the steam that escaped, and then filled the two cups with tea. He pushed one across the desk to the Archbishop, along with a sugar bowl and a creamer, before pouring a second cup for himself.