by Logan Jacobs
“A second one?” Hae-won screeched.
“It must be its mating partner,” Kat said hurriedly. “And I’m guessing it isn’t super happy that we just blew its buddy into oblivion.”
“Drive!” I yelled, and we all revved our engines and peeled off.
There was a fork in the road just ahead, and although the left would take us around the coastline and to the Hall quickly, the route was too exposed. It was all emerald hills with virtually no trees for cover.
“We need to take the right!” I called out and throttled up. “It looks like there’s woodlands for cover!”
We swerved to the right, and I looked back to see the second dino screeching at the smoking remains of its mating partner. Just as it turned its head away, we disappeared around the bend.
“I hope they haven’t reproduced yet!” Kat said as she glanced over her shoulder. “I would not like to see the size of their dino babies.”
“I don’t think it saw us turn this way,” I hissed. “But it definitely has our scent and could track us.”
“We need to lose it.” Kat nodded. “I have a feeling it might storm through those trees at any second.”
Footsteps started to pound through the ground at a rapid pace, and it definitely sounded like the second dino had taken off after us. Judging by the lack of shattering branches, it must have started to run down the road rather than try and cut us off through the trees, and this bought us a little more time.
It also confirmed that the creature was on our scent, and it was mimicking our movements with accuracy.
I remembered Harris telling us just how fast this giganotosaurus could get, and I could already tell the massive footsteps sounded faster than the t-rexes we’d dealt with before.
I didn’t want to find out how speedy it could be when it spotted its prey.
A drop of rain struck my cheek, and I glanced up to see the sky had started to darken with gray clouds that rolled above us. As I tried to formulate a plan, the rain started to come down in a light shower, and I suddenly had an idea that I wasn’t exactly sure would work.
“Guys,” I yelled as we turned around another wooded corner. “How would you feel about getting really dirty?”
“Jason, I know we were teasing you earlier, but this is not the time to make innuendos!” Hae-won yelled.
“No, I mean literally!” I hollered. “Finding the muddiest field we can and fucking caking ourselves in it?”
“To cover the scent.” Kat nodded. “Do you think that will work?”
“I have no idea!” I admitted. “But this thing is gaining on us, and if we don’t lose it soon, then we might not make it back to the castle.”
“This sounds insane!” Kat yelled. “But I’ll do it if you think it will give us a shot!”
“This entire situation is insane,” I replied. “We might as well try it. Look at the field coming up after this next house. Let’s turn in there and drive through as many filthy puddles as we can.”
“Okay,” Kat said. “But if we get too dirty, it will clog the wheels of your bikes, so be careful.”
I nodded as another roar echoed over the countryside, and I knew the dino would be turning the corner behind us soon enough.
As we sped past a small house, we took a sharp turn to the left and through the open gate of a large, empty field. The rain had started to collect in some of the holes in the ground, and I held my breath as I sped through the first puddle. Dirty water sprayed my bike and pants, and I drove straight through another puddle that splattered the side of Kat’s Jeep.
“Isn’t the rain just going to wash this off anyway?” Kat asked as she aimed at the mud.
“Eventually,” I hollered. “I’m just trying to get a head start! A few minutes where it can’t find our scent is all we need.”
We zig-zagged through the field until our vehicles had a good splattering of mud encased on them, and our lower halves were filthy from the puddles.
“Get ready, guys!” Kat said as she spotted a pool of water in a ditch ahead. “I’m about to cover those pretty faces of yours.”
I braced myself as the curly-haired soldier tore through the ditch, and dirt flew up from the ground and over me and Hae-won’s upper bodies.
The Korean spat out a mouthful of mud, and I had to wipe dirt from my eye as we sped back out of the field.
“Keep on the grass,” I said. “We’ll leave a stronger scent trail if we drive on the road like this.”
We kept close to the fields as we soared along the countryside in our filthy vehicles, and I heard the dino’s thundering steps slow just a bit as we turned another corner. Then we reached the side of the hill, and another sharp turn sent us driving off out of view.
“Holy shit,” Kat breathed. “Did it work?”
We couldn’t see the dino in our mirrors, but I had a feeling it would be sniffing the air and trying to work out where its prey had disappeared to. The hill with Raven Hall was straight ahead of us, and if we could just make it another few minutes, then we would be back to safety.
It looked like there weren’t any dinos up at Raven Hall at the moment, and we might just make it back without being spotted.
“We’ll be in range for the radios to work soon,” Kat said. “I’ll holler at Becka to make sure she’s ready to open the door for us.”
The footsteps of the giganotosaurus began to quicken again, but they still weren’t as fast as before.
“Let’s get around to the other side of the hill before we drive up,” I called out to the girls. “Looks like we’re going to be home soon.”
“Becka,” Kat said as she held down the button of her radio. “Becka, we’re almost back. Stand by and be ready to open the door, over.”
“Thank fuck!” Becka’s worried voice replied. “I was about to grab mum’s knife collection and hobble off to find you all, bloody hell! Uh, over.”
I grinned at the sound of my English lover’s voice, and we reached the bottom of the hill without attracting any more attention to ourselves.
We drove around until we were near the cliffside, and then we started to make our way up toward the trees where we’d hidden our vehicles beforehand.
The huge dino roared behind us, and the footsteps sped up even more. I glanced down at my bike and realized the rain had washed away nearly all of the mud, and I shot a glance at the girls as we neared the hilltop trees.
“I think it found us,” Hae-won said as we screeched to a halt under the cover of the branches.
“Open the door, Becka,” Kat said as she held the radio. “We’re coming in.”
We jumped off our vehicles, and Kat threw open the Jeep doors so we could grab our precious supplies.
I grabbed one of the heavy crates and piled a few more books on top of it, and then I hauled it out and started to make my way over to the staff entrance. The girls each grabbed a box and grunted as they lifted the storage units over the wall. We went as quickly as we could manage with the amount of supplies we had gathered, and Becka threw the staff door open the second we reached it.
“There’s one crate left,” Kat panted as we dropped the heavy boxes onto the pantry floor, and Becka started to drag them further inside.
I glanced at the distance to the Jeep and decided to make a run for the last of our haul.
“I’ve got it,” I assured the others. “Stay safe in here.”
“Be careful,” Kat hissed.
I nodded before I sprinted out over the gravel. I could hear the gigantic dino coming closer, and the Jeep vibrated as I reached the passenger seat. Then I grabbed the two teddies and stuffed them into the last box before I kicked the door shut with my boot. The dinosaur’s roar was unnervingly close as it tore up the hillside, and I saw the girls’ urgent expressions from the staff door as I stumbled back over the stone wall. I pelted toward the doorway as sweat dripped down my neck, and then I took a last lunge and barreled into the pantry.
Becka slammed the door shut and locked it quickly.
>
Then I dropped my crate and helped Kat pull the large freezer in front of the door again, and the two of us huffed and puffed in the effort until sweat drenched my brow. I winced against my sore back and straightened up, and I was fighting to catch my breath when Becka flung her arms around me.
I stumbled as she forced a wet kiss onto me, and our tongues knotted at once. The other girls giggled as I squeezed my blonde lover’s ass and devoured her lips, and when she finally stopped kissing me, she kept her face right up near mine.
“Ew,” the blonde Brit whispered. “Why are you all muddy?”
“Dino disguise,” Hae-won said, but then we waited quietly to listen out for the dino’s next move.
The dino’s footsteps had slowed down, and it sounded like it was near the top of the hill. We listened to it roar with a vengeance, and after a few moments of echoing snarls, it started to circle the castle with steady, thunderous steps.
“Mission accomplished,” Hae-won sighed.
“Almost,” I countered, and I dug in my pocket to pull out the necklace I got for Becka.
I didn’t even need to tell the blonde Brit that it was for her. She squealed and snatched it from me the second she saw it, and the other girls chuckled as she jumped up and threw her arms around my neck.
“I love iiiiit!” Becka squealed as she shimmied her legs in the air.
“I love you,” I chuckled.
Then I let her cover my muddy face in kisses, and when she finally hopped back down to the ground, she sent me a glittering smile.
“Will you put it on me?” Becka asked.
“I can do that,” I replied, and I took the necklace while she gathered her blonde hair up in a messy heap on her head. “So, did any other dinos appear while we were gone? I’m pretty sure we’ve gotten rid of the original herd that was around?”
“Oh, no,” Becka said grimly. “There were more. I don’t know how many fucking buddies this lot have, but I think the herd is much bigger than that little group we originally saw.”
“Great,” I snorted and finished clasping the necklace on her slender neck. “Are they just going to keep crawling out of the woodwork every time we kill off a few?”
“Well, there was the spinosaurus from before,” Becka said. “A couple other dinos looked like utahraptors because, you know, we’ve just missed having those fuckers around, but the second that giganoto’s roar rang out, they all scattered.”
“I wonder if it will go after the others,” Kat said as she wiped mud from her forehead. “We need to come up with a permanent plan. That thing could knock down these walls in a second if it wanted to.”
“Yes, but don’t I look pretty in my new necklace?” Becka asked and shimmied her chest.
I grinned and admired the way the purple charm made her brown eyes pop.
“You look stunning,” I assured her.
“Blindingly gorgeous,” Hae-won one-upped me.
“You always look beautiful, but the purple suits you,” Kat said more seriously.
“I love all of these compliments,” Becka sighed. “You’re all so right.”
“Let's get our supplies into the hall,” I laughed. “Then we can figure out what to do.”
“And maybe take a shower,” Becka added with a wrinkled nose. “No offense, but you smell like grass and dino blood.”
“It’s all for the cause,” I chuckled.
We took the crates of supplies out of the pantry and through the lobby to the dining hall, and it looked like the whole group had set up camp together. The tables and chairs were pushed to the side, and they made a pile of cushions and bedding in the middle of the floor for people to sit on.
“You made it!” Debbie gasped as she raced over to us, and her belt full of knives clinked dangerously as she ran. “Lord, you look like shit! Ugh! You smell like shit!”
“Mum,” Becka scoffed. “They smell like heroes! They killed a bunch of that herd for you all and brought back loads of supplies.”
“I’m not complaining!” her mum insisted. “You bloody stars, I thought you were fucked, to be honest, but Becka promised you would make it back in one piece.”
Becka’s mum grabbed my cheeks and gave them a squeeze, and then she yanked the lid off the crate that I held.
“Fucking hell, lads, they brought booze!” she hollered to the ceiling. “Oh, I could kiss you, you handsome yank! I can see why Becka loves you.”
I laughed as we placed the boxes down and opened them up to show off our bounty.
The locals came over excitedly to examine our wares, and a few chuckles or gasps rippled through the group as they dug through books, tins of food, or held a bottle of wine out to show to their neighbor. They all had smiles on their faces and wide, grateful eyes, and I didn’t really mind being covered in mud all of a sudden.
“There’s another one in the pantry,” I said, and one of the young men hurried off to retrieve the final box.
It was just good to see our efforts paid off and brightened everyone’s days a bit.
Overall, we’d had a hell of a lot of fun picking everything up, anyways.
“We got shit loads of stuff,” Kat said. “Loads of long-life food, drinks, games.”
“Is that a PlayStation?” Joey asked with wide eyes as he peered into the crates.
“Sure is.” I grinned. “Maybe someone can help you set it up, and we can play together later.”
“Yes, please,” the little boy said, and then his eyes winded even more when he noticed the candy bars.
“I don’t know who is in charge of the rations,” Kat said. “But hopefully this means we can have a bit more fun with our meals, and perhaps get utterly shitfaced once we’ve gotten rid of our giant dino problem.”
“Here,” Hae-won said as she took some games out and handed them to Joey. “You can play some board games until the PlayStation is ready.”
“You’re really cool,” the little boy said, but then he turned bright red when Hae-won smiled at him.
“Right, everyone be careful with the booze,” Debbie scolded the group. “You pass it around like that, and it’s bound to shatter! Here, we’ll organize it all on the tables, alright?”
Debbie took full control of the rationing, and she strutted off while she directed the others through unpacking everything. The four of us smiled and watched the beautiful woman do her thing for a minute or two, but then I felt soft fingers stroking my arm.
“So, what happened out there?” Becka asked with worried eyes.
“We took down a few of the herd members,” I said. “Then we got into the town and raided the shops. Giganoto appeared just as we were leaving, and it obviously was tracking us, so we blew him up with grenades before he could get far, and then his mating partner appeared. That’s the one that chased us here.”
“Oh, God,” Becka groaned. “So, that one outside is the second one? Just our luck.”
“Yeah, that’s when Jason had the idea to cover our scent,” Kat sighed. “To be fair, it let us get away enough to not be spotted, but now I have mud in my hair. These curls don’t like being matted.”
“You still look gorgeous,” I assured her, and the soldier blushed as she grinned. “As much as I want to take a long shower with all of you, I say we get cleaned up quickly and then come up with a strategy to secure this place once and for all.”
“Agreed,” Hae-won sighed. “I’m hoping the showers are still working here?”
“Yeah, they are.” Becka nodded. “Mum says the water pressure is amazing, too. I got us a room, by the way. It’s a deluxe suite, and the bed is fucking huge.”
“That sounds amazing,” I groaned. “I want this dino out of the picture as soon as possible so I can enjoy the bed with you all.”
“Horniness is good motivation.” Becka winked. “And that bed is big enough for all of us to have some fun in. Lots of fun.”
“Okay,” I said as I tried to focus on the task ahead, and not on the promise of my three stunning girls.
Naked in bed.
All at once.
“Let’s go clean up,” I announced. “Do you think we could get some clean clothes?”
“I’ll ask Gerald, he’s a staff member here,” Becka said. “I mean, he was before all of the shit hit the fan. He still dresses in his uniform and runs around like a little butler, it’s adorable. I think mum fancies him.”
The blonde Brit squeezed my arm for a second before she strode over to the dark-haired man. Gerald had started to count the packets of pasta from our boxes, and he nodded as Becka spoke to him.
I couldn’t hear any signs of dinos in the area, and I wondered if the giganotosaurus had followed us up the hill or moved on. I walked over to the window with the loose panel and carefully peeked out onto the grounds. Then I jumped when I saw the huge dino out in the field only halfway down the hill. It wasn’t moving. It just stood silent, and it swayed slightly as it stared up the hill at the castle.
I quickly shifted back out of sight from the window, and I replaced the wooden panel as quietly as possible.
“What is it?” Kat asked as she tried to hurry over to me without starting a panic. “Is it out there?”
“Yeah,” I said warily. “And it's just standing there, watching. It’s not doing anything.”
“That’s creepy.” Hae-won shuddered as she joined us. “It sounds like the dinos in that video Kat showed us, just before they attacked the power plant.”
“You’re right,” I said as I remembered the horrifying footage. “They just waited until they had their plan. They were so patient because they knew it would pay off eventually.”
“I don’t like this,” Kat said. “That thing is plotting, and every second, it gets closer to attacking.”
“Hey,” Becka said as she rejoined the group. “Gerald says he'll grab some clean clothes for you guys if you want to shower.”
“We can shower later, “I said. “Let’s just pull on some new clothes, splash water on our faces, and get to planning.”
“What’s the big fucker up to?” Becka asked as she started to lead us into the lobby.
“He’s just standing watching the castle,” I replied. “Like the dinos in Kat’s videos.”
“Eurgh,” Becka shuddered. “The sooner we can get rid of him, the better.”