by B. C. CHASE
The soldiers began firing on the beasts, but to little effect. The looming giant took thunderous steps to track the escaping people. Zhang screamed as one of the smaller dinosaurs leaped onto his back and sent him sprawling to the floor. He shouted, “Zhou! Help me!” Doctor Ming-Zhen was the last one to the stairs and spun his head around at the sound of Zhang’s plea. But he couldn’t see Zhang because the deinocheirus was standing there, its colossal head plunging down like a freight train toward him. He gripped the Star of David pendant from his neck as a series of images flashed through his mind.
The pendant embedded in the deinocheirus fossil.
Jia Ling hiding the pendant in her pocket.
Standing in front of the museum skeleton, an inexplicable terror beating in his breast.
The pulse-pounding shriek of the dinosaur was in his ears, a blast of hot, rank breath. As if time had slowed, he saw darkness closing around him, the foot-long serrated teeth framing his vision.
United Nations
Wesley pulled back from the sights. He gazed into Kelle’s teary eyes. And he released the weapon.
“Wes,” she cried.
He touched her jaw and she cupped his hand. He said, “Thank you.” And he kissed her.
They slipped out of the press box unnoticed. The lobby was nearly empty as they entered it, hand in hand. Without wasting a second, they pushed through the doors and out into the bright sunlight. The street was busy. People were going about their business. As they crossed it, Wesley’s chest swelled with a strange sense of joyous freedom. He breathed easily, deeply, and enjoyed the hot sun on his face. “Let’s get out of here,” he smiled to Kelle.
“What made you change your mind?” she asked.
“I realized I love you. I love you more than revenge, more than anything.”
Across the street, concealed behind a bush next to the UN building, a hairy, red shape sat. The orangutan followed Wesley and Kelle closely as they jogged down the side street, until they disappeared from view. Then she turned her attention to the UN door.
When the hairy ape pushed the door open and scampered across the lobby, the security officers shouted. They chased it up the stairs, but trailed behind. And when she approached the long-barreled gun, perfectly situation on the tripod, the door was shut behind her. She gripped the trigger.
And the orangutan smiled.
Paradeisia
Doctor Ming-Zhen felt a jolting impact and saw the floor rushing at him. His head hit, and he looked up just in time to meet Chao’s eyes as the deinocheirus’s jaws closed over him. He barely had a moment to recover from the shock before he scrambled up the stairs after the others. It was four flights, and he saw the deinocheirus jerking its head back to swallow, like heron swallowing a fish.
Reaching the top of the stairs, they sprinted for the staircase that led up to the gondola platform. The deinocheirus raised its head to peer at them and shrieked, the sound echoing in the expansive glass building. They passed the laboratory equipment that had been erected and started mounting the stairs just as one of the smaller dinosaur reached the top of the staircase from the hotel. It quickly loped across the visitor’s center floor, cutting the air with its feathered arms like an Olympic sprinter. With an impressive leap and a few flaps, it landed on the gondola platform, blocking their path to the last gondola. The dinosaur squawked at them and raised one taloned foot as if to prepare to strike, spreading its feathered arms and opening wide its mouth. Adriaan shouted, “Gonzales!”
“Out of my way!” Gonzales shouted, pushing through the others. He fired the machine gun at the animal, and it dropped to the floor in a feathery heap.
Suddenly Abael leaped up and wrenched the gun from Gonzales’s grasp. Backing toward the gondolas he aimed at the cluster of people. “No one move or you’ll all die!”
Aubrey screamed at the sight of three small dinosaurs at the base of the staircase. They hissed as they gingerly mounted the first steps. They seemed to be a little unsure about stairs.
Abael was stepping backwards, closer to the gondola. The group of people moved toward him as the dinosaurs reached the top of the stairs. “Stay back!” he warned.
“Stay calm! We’re not doing anything!” Henry said. He glanced at something above Abael.
Abael sneered, “The gondola has a bomb that will explode when it reaches the portal. Only I know how to disable it!”
Without warning, a giant head swooped down and a set of huge teeth skewered Abael through the chest. The deinocheirus raised its head, Abael’s body flaying as it dangled from its jaws. Adriaan bolted straight for him and gripped the weapon, but Abael didn’t release it. As the deinocheirus swung its head off the platform, Adriaan was carried off with it.
“Adriaan!” Gonzales shouted. “Let it go!”
The deinocheirus shook its head, sending Adriaan whipping up and down, smacking into the underside of its jaw. The dinosaur reached a hand up to flick Adriaan off. He landed on the platform and Gonzales hastened to help him to his feet. “You’re a crazy son-of-gun, you know that!” he shouted as they all ran to the gondola.
“Never got to tangle with a beast half that big before,” Adriaan said.
The nine-foot dinosaurs followed the people’s movements closely as they entered the gondola, but kept their distance. The dinosaurs seemed nervous about how easy a meal they would be to the deinocheirus at the platform’s height. As Doctor Stoneham tried to board, Gary handed Jeffery to Stacey and blocked his path.
“Oh be a good chap,” Doctor Stoneham protested.
Gary punched him in the nose, sending him sprawling backwards. “You’ll have to catch the next one.” Then he jumped to pull the door down closed.
Lady Shrewsbury was at the front of the gondola and asked, “How does one start this thing?”
Doctor Kaufmann said, “We can’t start it from in here! It can only be done from the—”
Suddenly the hologram of Jinkins appeared under the windshield and said, “Hello adventurers! It’s your Bwana here! Your return from Paradeisia will begin momentarily. Please be seated and wait for the harnesses to lower and fasten. The gondola will not move unless everyone is buckled in securely!”
“Hmm,” Doctor Kaufmann said, scratching his head.
“Well you heard him! Take your seats!” Lady Shrewsbury exclaimed, flitting her hands.
From outside there was a muffled scream. The small dinosaurs were attacking Doctor Stoneham. One leaped up to slash his chest with one of the outsized talons of its foot. He spun around and clambered against the gondola, pounding his fists on it. “LET ME IN, PLEASE, LET ME IN!” Blood from his chest smeared on the glass and he cried like a child.
The harnesses lowered down and snapped into place and the gondola began to move.
One of the small dinosaurs had clamped its jaws on Doctor Stoneham’s neck and yanked him back from the gondola. Swinging its head to cast him onto the floor, all three began to feed.
As the gondola pulled out of the visitor center, the deinocheirus leaped onto the platform and followed it with its gaze.
Outside, the night sky was dominated by a magnificently proportioned black circle outlined by light. It was growing, dominating more and more of the sky. A number of brilliantly blazing meteors were streaking across the horizon, billowing trails of embers in their wake. The massive mountain peak ahead was illuminated with a brilliant fountain of lava.
“He’s really ending this world!” Doctor Kaufmann said. “Jinkins is ending this world, just like he said.”
“With enough time for us to get out, I hope,” Henry said.
The gondola picked up speed quickly, climbing up the valley beside the river.
“Oh no,” Nimitz said.
“What?”
“They’re following us.”
Everyone spun their heads around to see the large deinocheirus trailing the gondola not more than thirty yards away. Over two dozen smaller dinosaurs were racing over the grass with effortless bounds.
Behind, far in the distance, a wall of water was rolling over the forest, collapsing the trees underneath and pushing an ever-larger mass of debris in front. The long, tall necks of behemoth dinosaurs fell in the turmoil.
The deinocheirus was gaining. Soon it was running alongside the gondola, which was at its shoulder height. It leaned in to snap at the gondola, but its teeth slid off the glass. The gondola swung back and forth from the rail like a pendulum, but didn’t slow down.
“Don’t worry. These gondolas are very strong, as Gonzales and I well know,” Henry said.
“You could survive a nuclear blast in here,” affirmed Gonzales.
The vehicle shuddered as the deinocheirus struck it again. This time it swung wildly and the lights flickered.
Henry gripped his harness, tightly. Aubrey put a hand on his and said, “Don’t worry, Henry. We’ll be okay.”
He smiled awkwardly. “Not a fan of amusement park rides, you know.”
She smiled, “I know.”
The deinocheirus roared in frustration and snapped a third time. The metal groaned as the gondola swayed and the lights went out. In the darkness, the vast number of meteors became apparent, with streaks of all sizes filling the sky.
Ahead, a stampede of the large mammals they had seen before was thundering down the valley away from the erupting mountain peak. They interrupted the pursuit of the deinocheirus and the gondola swept past them toward a dip in the rail where it entered the chasm in the earth. The gondola was slowing, moving only by the power of its own momentum. As it reached the dip in the rail, it slowed to a stop.
“We won’t make it,” Henry said.
Having pushed through the stampede, the deinocheirus was stomping up behind them. The wall of water was enveloping the visitor’s center at the far edge of the valley. The deinocheirus slowed as it reached the gondola. Leaning its head down to peer inside, it squawked and fluffed the feathers around its neck. Then it gave the gondola a final push. The vehicle inched forward and began the descent straight down into the black abyss.
“Hang on!” Adriaan shouted.
Aubrey grasped Henry’s hand as the gondola coursed down, vibrating severely and gaining tremendous speed. From the top of the cliff above, the deinocheirus perched on the edge and roared furiously down at it.
Lady Shrewsbury screamed, joined by Aubrey, Adriaan, Gonzales, Nimitz, and Jeffery. The wind blasted the gondola as it plunged into total blackness. Then, abruptly, tremendous g-force rammed the passengers into their seats as it rounded the base of the chasm and leveled. The gondola traveled for some distance, its speed gradually decreasing until it finally came to a stop, lightly rocking on its hinge. There was total silence for a moment until Lady Shrewsbury said, “Well, that was rather anticlimactic. I think I should like a refund.”
“Let’s see where we stopped,” Henry said.
“Well at least it provided a soft cushion to land on when we jumped out of the gondola,” Aubrey said. They were loping down the enormous hill of bat guano.
“It did, that,” Henry said. Then to Doctor Kaufmann he commented. “Not sure what made you think you could sell this as paradise.”
“This wasn’t here before, of course,” Doctor Kaufmann said defensively. “And besides, you’ll find climbing, walking everything is easier. Your bodies have been perfected.”
“I do feel pretty amazing,” Aubrey said.
Henry laughed.
“Why are you laughing?” Aubrey asked.
“You’re on a mountain of cockroach-infested dung and you feel amazing.”
Something large caught Aubrey’s eye. It was an eight-foot long millipede-looking creature making its way across the feces.
Lady Shrewsbury exclaimed, “Merciful heavens, what is that?”
Doctor Kaufmann explained, “It’s an Arthropleura. It eats plants.”
“Appears to have broadened its palate,” Henry said. The arthropod had stopped and was lifting a dropping to its mouthparts.
“So how are your Edward Greens fairing on this terrain,” Lady Shrewsbury nudged Henry.
He replied wryly, “Quite well, thank you.”
As they hurried on, Lady Shrewsbury said, “I would say that this entire business is a perfect example of what comes of lofty expectations. Better to wish with moderation.”
“Here here,” Henry said. “I’ve never been disappointed by hoping for mediocrity. The world is made of mediocrity.”
“You two are such downers,” Aubrey said.
They reached the base and stared out over the cave lake. A concrete pier was on the edge of the water.
“Well at least we made it this far,” Henry said.
“Yeah, I’d rather die here than be eaten by dinosaurs,” Aubrey said.
“What’s that sound?” Nimitz asked.
Everyone listened intently. Donte said, “It sounds like rain to me.”
“The tidal wave,” Adriaan said.
They stared out the cave opening to the base of the chasm. A brisk breeze blew their hair. Then a massive waterfall crashed to the base of the chasm with a thunderous roar. Joining that was a stream of lava that steamed furiously as it touched the water.
They stood there, blasts of hot and cool air hammering their bodies.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Stacey said. She looked up at her husband, “This is the end.”
Gary put his arm around her and pulled Jeffery close. “Well,” he said. “At least we’re a family again.”
Stacey smiled.
“I’m sorry I didn’t realize how important you both were until I lost you.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Stacey said.
“Henry,” Aubrey said. The kinkajou was still perched on her shoulder. “I’m pregnant.”
“You’re what? How? But we never!”
“No! It’s not you!” She gazed into his eyes. “I was pregnant before I got on your plane. That was the last thing my ex-boyfriend did before he dumped me.”
“Well, I have skeletons in my closet, too. I’ve had so many gene therapy treatments to change the way I look or my acumen... I’m a human encyclopedia of genes. The truth is, I don’t know who I really am.”
“Hmm, well, to me you’re just Henry,” she smiled. “As Jinkins said,” she touched his chest, “it’s what’s in here that counts.”
“Thanks.”
The water was beginning to push around the mountain of guano. The lava had formed a steaming hill at the entrance to the cave. He pulled her close with one arm and reached for Lady Shrewsbury with the other. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for being the mother I lost. I’m sorry I never appreciated your effort.”
Lady Shrewsbury patted his arm, “You are most loved, Henry. Most loved.”
Suddenly there was splashing sound from behind them. They spun around to see a gondola bursting up from the lake and speeding toward them. The top parted in the middle and slid down open. As it neared the dock, Doctor Pearce was visible inside.
Doctor Kaufmann exclaimed, “Pearce! It’s about time!”
“Had enough paradise, yet?” he smiled. “Let’s get you out of here.”
The gondola stopped at the dock and they all began to board. A rush of water began to splash around their ankles. When everyone had taken seats, the gondola started to spin around on the joint that connected it to the rail, but it was a slow process. The water was lapping up around the rim of the gondola wall and started to spill in. Aubrey’s heart started thumping in her chest with anxiety as debris pushed up against the vehicle.
“This might be a problem,” Doctor Pearce said.
Once it had made a complete 180 degree rotation, the sides began to slide up to prepare for submersion, but it wasn’t fast enough. Inside, warm water was sloshing around their ankles. There was a groan as the top came together and the joints sealed shut, blocking out the water. The gondola moved forward with a jerk and quickly began to submerge. Once they were u
nderwater, Aubrey let out a sigh of relief. They sped through the beautiful underwater cave chambers and reached the place where the spinning radiance of the portal flashed before them in a continuous spiral of light.
“I don’t suppose this can go any faster?” Adriaan said.
“Not really, no,” Doctor Pearce replied. “Why?”
“Because of that!” he pointed behind them where a wall of blackness was approaching. The cave walls, the water everything in sight was seeming to vanish and give way to the blackness.
Doctor Kaufmann said, “Jinkins is extinguishing this world. This universe is terminating!”
“This universe?”
“Yes, this universe!”
The gondola began to shake as it entered the portal, the blackness closing in from behind. The light was so bright and the shuddering so violent that Aubrey screamed and closed her eyes.
“THE PORTAL IS CLOSING!” she heard Doctor Kaufmann shout. She opened one eye and saw nothing but white, her stomach tightening against the overpowering feeling that she was falling.
Layla
“Stop her!” the figure screamed, a piercing shriek in her ears. Layla was sprinting as fast as she could. She could hear Doctor Katz thrashing through the foliage behind her. She doubted she could make it. At least in this place she could run faster than she ever could have on earth. A crevasse was ahead, a gap she wasn’t sure she could clear. When she reached it she started to jump, but the rock was slippery and she slid, tumbling end over end between two walls of rock. Her head hit the wall and she pounded into the ground, knocking the wind out of her. For a second she wasn’t sure if she could get up, but she was able to and looked to the light where the crevasse gave way to rising ground. She ran for it, looking back over her shoulder to see Doctor Katz easily clambering between the two rock walls, one foot and hand on each. She reached the rise and quickly found herself out of the gorge. For a moment she hesitated, unsure of the direction, but made a guess and ran for it. Through more forest, down a slope, and into a sloshy swamp. Doctor Katz was closing the distance. The edge of the forest was ahead, the mossy ground, the water. But she Doctor Katz was upon her, knocking her face down into the swamp. His eyes hot with rage, his veins bulging, he spun her around and shouted into her face, “YOU CAN’T LEAVE US!” His Star of David Pendant dangled over her. “I LOVE YOU!” He tried to kiss her, his hot breath making her shudder, but she squirmed. He pressed her arms against her body. “We will both die here. And we will join them. Together.” His weight was on her and he grappled her neck. The water quivered around them. “When we are together as one spirit you will love me, too.” The water danced again, and Layla felt the ground shake under her. “David! Please no!” she pleaded. She thrashed around wildly trying to free herself, but he was stronger and his hands began to close in around her neck.