by Logan Jacobs
“Hey, what’s that smell?” Hae-won cut in, but it took a few moments for the stench to hit my nose.
If I thought the dead cows were bad, this new smell was a thousand times worse, and it wasn’t long until we could see what had caused it.
There was a small hill over to the left of the road, and halfway up was a farmhouse complete with a barn and neatly fenced in fields. Four decaying allosaurus corpses were spread over the fields and near the door of the house. The windows of the farmhouse were all broken, and the barn looked like the door had been trampled down.
“Shit.” Kat whistled as we drove past the scene. “Whoever lived there put up a pretty good fight.”
“Doesn’t look like they made it, though,” Becka said with a wrinkled nose, and she pointed to a pile of clothing and bones which had been stripped of anything else.
The dino bodies had little black clouds of flies all over them, and I glanced warily at the rest of the hill as I watched for any survivors.
“Let’s speed things up,” I said. “Before something bigger comes to check out the smell.”
Our light banter quieted down after the farmhouse, and it felt like we had all just been reminded how severe the situation was. The aquarium had been fun, but the real world had turned into a horror show. Just because we were close to Ravenscar didn’t mean we could let our guard down.
I remembered reading that most car accidents happened on the driver’s home street because people got lazy and cocky when they felt secure. Now, more than anything, I had to make sure we all reached Becka’s mum in one piece, and that meant being on high alert every second of the day.
As we reached the road to merge onto the highway, we slowed down to a halt and looked at the scene before us. The wide road of the A64 was the worst destruction I’d seen yet, and not just because of the amount of abandoned vehicles.
It was clear something rampaged down the road while people were still in their cars.
There were crushed mini cars everywhere that were almost flattened by the weight of whatever dino had been here. The gray concrete was scratched with claw marks as wide as my bike, and there were human limbs stuck out of various broken windows and doors.
I looked over at the girls, and we exchanged silent glances of horror and sadness.
“Fuck this,” Becka spat as we stared out at the mass of destruction. “Fuck all of this.”
“This feels dangerous,” Hae-won said as she glanced over her shoulder. “It’s so exposed here.”
“I don’t think we have much choice but to drive on,” I replied. “This is the fastest, most direct route. It could add another day to the journey if we take a longer way around. We just need to be careful and watch each others’ backs.”
We started to drive onto the highway and immediately had to take a single file through the mess of broken metal and glass.
“Watch your tires, Kat,” Hae-won called from the front of the line. “It’s easy enough to miss the glass with our bikes, but it will be trickier for you.”
“These babies are military-grade,” Kat assured her. “More heavy duty than a motorbike’s tires. Not that I want to push my luck. I’ve only got one spare.”
I tried to make sure and kick any large obstacles out of the way for Kat’s Jeep, and we slowly weaved through the crushed cars as we started off down the highway.
There was a smell of stale smoke and rancid meat in the air, and for once, I wished the English weather was worse so the rain would cover some of the stench.
The trail of destruction left by the huge dino stretched on for miles, and we soon got into a rhythm of weaving between the debris and communicating any upcoming obstacles.
Eventually, it seemed that whatever rampaged on the highway must have veered off into the surrounding countryside. The crushed cars became less frequent, and the claw marks disappeared. The road became clear enough for us to drive together again, and I sighed as we passed yet another overturned motorcycle.
“Remember when we thought the countryside had it better?” Becka asked. “I guess things are bad everywhere by now.”
“There’s less people in the countryside,” Kat clarified. “But that doesn’t mean there’s less dinos. If anything, it means they will be fighting more as the food supply is less.”
“Especially if they’re only after human meat,” Hae-won added. “And it seems they are definitely becoming pickier with their meals.”
There was a huge, ear-piercing roar from the opposite side of the highway, and we all swiveled our heads to look over at the right side fields. There was a small pond visible just in front of the start of a stretch of woodland, and although we couldn’t see what had made the noise, I noticed the top of some trees shake as something ran through them.
“It’s not coming our way,” I said quietly as the trees parted away from us.
“Why doesn’t that make me feel better?” Kat asked as we sped up, and another chilling scream rang out over the highway.
“Holy fuck,” Becka gasped, and she slammed her brakes on as a tiny dinosaur ran out in front of her bike from behind a truck. We all stopped and watched as the little lizard trotted past.
It was about the size of a Labrador dog, lightish-green in color, and had huge dark eyes. The dino scuttled behind a car and peeked out at us as it made a strange clicking sound.
“I’ve met these little guys before,” Kat said as she peered over the front of the Jeep. “They’re herbivores, but they will bite the hell out of your fingers if you get too close. We weren’t totally sure, but one of the guys at the power plant said they were called gasparinisaura.”
“That’s a mouthful,” I said as we heard a scuttling noise, and a second tiny dino raced over to its friend. “Why didn’t we call dinosaurs ‘Gregs’ or ‘Joes?’”
“I guess people didn’t think we would be saying the names so often in everyday life,” Hae-won snorted. “Those little dinos are kind of cute, at least. I think there’s another one coming.”
We waited, and sure enough, a third of the little creatures raced across the road, and then the three of them hurried out into the grass under the highway barrier. They disappeared into the long grass, and their clicks rang out as they ran.
“I don’t care if they’re cute,” Becka said as we started off again. “I almost broke my neck braking for those little bastards, and who knows how long it is before the vegetarian ones get as angry as the others?”
“I think the nesting will speed that process up,” I replied. “They might not want to eat us, but if we endanger any of their babies, I’m sure they would have no problems with attacking.”
We drove in silence for a while. The blue sky above us only had a few wispy clouds that drifted by, and we managed a good half hour without any more dino sightings.
As we drew closer to the coast, more and more little cottages started to appear along the sprawling countryside around us. Each one we passed had some signs of struggle or violence, with shredded paint on doors and blood-spattered driveways. One of the houses had a swing set that had been trampled to the ground, and a garden full of garden gnomes were smashed beside it.
“Little gnomes didn’t stand a chance,” I muttered to myself.
“I think we should reach the water soon,” Becka called over her shoulder. “We’ll get some good views of the coastline and beaches, provided they haven’t been overrun with dinos.”
“Nothing like a bit of fresh air,” Kat called, although she didn’t smile when she spoke.
“Hey.” I spoke up as I sensed spirits in our group had dipped during the gory drive. “We did it. We fucking made it halfway across the country and left a line of dead dinos behind us.”
“And we have each other,” Hae-won added as she sat a bit taller on her motorbike. “We wouldn’t have made it alone.”
“And we never had to try to,” Becka agreed. “Well, except for Kat. So proud of you, by the way!”
“Thanks,” the Corporal laughed. “I prefer the
team I’ve got now, though.”
The girls all smiled at one another, and I reminded myself of how much we had been through together. We couldn't lose sight of our hope now. We were so close, and the promise of settling in and hunkering down for once lifted my own spirits by about tenfold.
Becka had been right, and we soon drove by Scarborough, which was right on the coastline. It was a stunning view as the water appeared beside us, and there was a thin strand of beach beside the rolling waves. The water was a deep sapphire this morning, and for a moment, I forgot about the horrors that could be lurking under the surface.
“Woah.” Kat whistled as she leaned out of her Jeep for a better view. “That’s gorgeous. I wouldn’t mind taking a board out there. Well, if it wasn’t infested with dinos.”
“You surf?” I asked, and I was yet again amazed at the soldier’s casual hotness.
“I used to,” the Corporal answered. “I don’t know if I would be too great anymore, it’s been a couple of years.”
As we drove along the edge of the town, we could see the very British seaside holiday shops. There were abandoned ice cream stands, cheap B&Bs, and tourist shops with windows full of postcards. I kept a closer eye on the water beside us, though. For the most part, the water seemed calm enough, and I reckoned any disturbances would be heard before we saw them.
“Hey, guys,” Hae-won muttered in an anxious tone. “I don’t like the look of that building.”
I followed the Korean beauty’s stare to a tall hotel that sat a little further ahead. It was painted sky-blue and had something large on top of the gray tiled roof.
“What is that?” Becka asked as we got closer. “It’s not moving.”
“Oh, crap,” I said as the shape became clearer. “It’s a nest.”
The pile of large sticks had two eggs poking out of the top, and it clearly belonged to some kind of flying creature. It was sheltered on one side by the hotel chimney, and I scanned the sky for the sudden arrival of the parents.
“We need to move quickly,” Becka hissed. “They won’t have left far from the nest.”
“Should we get off the main road?” Kat asked quietly as we drove past the hotel.
“I think we have a good view here,” I said and glanced at the open doorway. “Let’s just hurry up.”
We sped up and left the hotel behind us, and we stayed quiet and kept close to the sidewalk so the buildings shielded us from view of the sky slightly.
There was a body face down on the sidewalk as we drove past a convenience store. A man with blond, blood-stained hair was in a pool of his own blood, and Hae-won whispered something in Korean as we passed him.
“Poor bastard,” Kat sighed. “I wonder how much the population has fallen in the matter of a few weeks.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was halved,” I replied as I glanced at the body in my side mirror. “Especially after seeing that video you showed us. Some of these fucking dinos are killing us off and leaving the meat behind, but that’s all the more reason to fight for whoever’s left.”
The town of Scarborough was relatively silent from there, and we didn’t see any living humans or dinos as we soared alongside the buildings. We passed a pair of human legs with no torso that sat in the middle of the road a few minutes later, and we swerved around it without too close an inspection.
The beach on our right started to widen, and the sand stretched out before the gentle waves.
My eyes drifted to the open ocean, and I couldn’t help thinking of my far-off family. I wondered how they had dealt with the attacks, and how many of them would even still be alive. Hae-won had heard from her Father, and we would soon be with Becka’s mum, but it was impossible to know when I would be able to contact my parents in the States, never mind see them again.
My thoughts of my parents were cut short when I spotted a huge mound nestled in the sand right beside the road, and Becka suddenly hissed for us to throttle down so we’d be quieter.
All of us followed suit, but it was too late.
The enormous lump on the beach rose up to reveal a spinosaurus covered in sand.
The length of it could rival a t-rex, and the fan along its back had a bite mark at the top. Underneath the dino was a large nest of eggs, and all hope of going unnoticed was lost as the creature swung its neck around and looked straight into my eyes.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
Chapter 7
We throttled up to race off down the highway, but the giant dinosaur leapt out of its nesting spot with a terrifying speed and lunged into our path.
The ground shook as the spinosaurus hit the road, and it stumbled on impact and let out an earth-shattering roar.
All of our brakes screeched to a stop.
“It jumped in our way instead of straight onto us!” Becka yelled. “What the hell?”
“Up the side streets,” I hollered, and we turned sharply away from the huge beast.
The dino raced forward and lunged again, and it managed to lumber its massive body right in front of us while the long tail swung around and barely missed Hae-won as she skidded to a halt.
The dino bared its razor-sharp teeth as it blocked the side street into the town center. Once again, the four of us struggled to get turned back around, and the thuds of the spinosaurus rang out behind us as it barreled after.
“We need to get away from the nest,” Kat yelled.
“There’s enough of us to hurt it,” I hollered. “Becka, Hae-won, can you guys try and divert its attention so me and Kat can shoot?”
“We can try!” Becka shouted behind me as we raced back onto the main coastal road.
“Let’s go toward the nest,” Hae-won said. “It will follow us over to them if we go near the eggs!”
“Oh, fuck,” Becka groaned as the dino screamed. “Fine! Jason and Kat better blow its bloody head off before I piss myself, though!”
“Jason!” Kat suddenly yelled from the window of her Jeep. “There’s another side street coming up! If we go up there, the girls can take over as a distraction.”
“Got it!” I nodded, and I looked in my side mirror to see the huge predator storming along behind us.
It shook the road with every step, and as its tail knocked into houses and signposts, Hae-won and Becka started to yell as they sped up and overtook me.
Kat’s Jeep swerved sharply to the left into a narrow street, and I followed behind her. We sped down the short length of road and drove behind the nearest building to shield ourselves from view as the dino thundered past.
“It worked,” I said as the creature tore off after the girls, and it didn’t even try to follow our scent. “Let’s go. We’ll need to stick to rifles, it’s too risky to use grenades with Becka and Hae-won so close to it.”
“Agreed,” Kat nodded. “Let’s go put a dozen bullets in its fucking skull. We’re going to need its focus kept on the girls for as long as possible.”
We drove back down the narrow side street, and the enormous tail end of the dino lumbered ahead of us.
The curly-haired soldier grabbed the radio from her belt and held the steering wheel with one hand.
“You guys need to be as noisy as possible,” she yelled into the device. “We’re coming in hot behind you, but we need a clear shot with no fangs coming after us. Over.”
I heard the girls start to yell various forms of abuse at the dino, and it was hard not to laugh hearing Becka’s well-bred English accent scream out that the dinosaur was a heaping arsehole.
They circled back and sped a wide perimeter around the beast on their bikes, and as it tried to lunge after them, the beast toppled to the street. The ground shook once more, but the girls were speeding off again, and as Hae-won ordered the spinosaurus to get up off its fat ass, I saw our chance to shoot.
I skidded to a halt as Kat hit the brakes at the exact same time, and I grabbed my SA80 and took aim at the reptile’s skull.
“Ready?” I asked Kat, who leaned out of her Jeep with her rif
le.
“Fire,” the Corporal said, and we both shot at the spinosaurus in unison.
The dino’s movements meant that we didn’t hit the center of the skull, but we both managed to get our bullets lodged into the side of the head. The spinosaurus screeched and whipped its head around to find its attackers as blood and shredded dino skin flayed from the side of its face.
“Oi! Scarface!” Hae-won shouted as she sped around the dino’s feet. “Look over here, you bloody piece of shit!”
Both me and Kat wasted no time in taking another few shots, and our second attempts hit the beast in the neck. The wounds spurted with blood, and the dino looked unsure on its feet as it roared and took a lumbering step toward us. Becka sped over as close to the beach as she could get, and that seemed to work in catching the dinosaur’s attention.
The blonde Brit was dangerously close to the nest.
The spinosaurus roared with a vengeance, and I took the opportunity to drive slightly closer before I propped up my rifle again.
“We’ve almost got it!” Kat hollered over the report of my weapon, and I fired two bullets right into the dino’s chest.
Now, blood oozed out onto the concrete from the dino’s many wounds.
Hae-won and Becka slowed their bikes and looked back from down the road, but the dino seemed disorientated and unfocused on any of us.
Its long tail thrashed around, and it swayed on the spot with a dull groan.
“Guys?” Hae-won’s voice said over the radio as she hit the brakes. “Can you hear something?”
“Jason, behind you!” Becka shrieked, and I whipped my head around to see a second spinosaurus pelt down the road toward us at full speed. The ground shuddered as signposts rattled loose from the shop fronts, and I realized the injured dino we’d just filled with bullets had a boyfriend in town.
Or a girlfriend. It didn’t make much of a fucking difference. This one was just as pissed off and slightly bigger.
“Holy shit!” Kat screamed. “We’re too close to the nest! We need to get further into the town!”