by Logan Jacobs
“So what books should we look for first?” Becka asked as she set her supplies on the table next to the printer.
“Survival books are good,” I replied. “As are books like this. If we could find something about native plants in England and which ones are dangerous and which ones are edible, that would help, too.”
“That all sounds like something that would be in a nature section,” Becka replied as she looked around the endless rows of books. “But I’m not sure where that is.”
“Let’s take this stuff downstairs and then check the card catalog,” I suggested.
“I didn’t know anyone still had one of those,” Becka said in surprise.
“I found it the other day,” I said. “I figured it was easier than trying to guess the password for the librarian’s computer.”
We carried our finds back to the ground floor and left them stacked by the door. I could hear voices coming from the computer room and figured that Hae-won had found the videos she was interested in. I hated to admit it, but there was a sense of relief that she was still busy, and I wouldn’t have to face her just yet. Although both women had assured me that they were fine with me sleeping with both of them, I wasn’t quite ready to find out if that was really true. Becka looked relieved as well, though she quickly plastered a smile on her face when she caught my glance.
I directed the Brit toward the card catalog, where we spent several minutes trying to work out what subjects would even apply. We finally found a clump of books on the first floor that included things like books on fishing and foraging for mushrooms. We followed the signs to a section near the rear of the library, and started to scan the available books. The first few shelves were more like dictionaries for biology students, with detailed information on birds or trees or insects. Since none of those were part of our current problem, and the books were all heavy and hard to carry, we skipped past those and moved on to the next group.
“These might have something,” Becka said as she looked over the options one row over from me. “There are biographies and autobiographies for explorers and such. They might have some survival information.”
“Why don’t you flip through them and see if any of them look helpful,” I replied. “I’ve got some books over here on fishing, and I think the foraging books should be here, too.”
“Will do,” Becka replied as she picked a book from the shelf and started to read through a few pages.
I studied the books on fishing, but most seemed focused on just one type of fishing. There was an entire tome dedicated to fly fishing in the American northwest, and a smaller field guide to fish species of the Black Sea. I finally found a more general book that described the different methods for fishing and included a long index on the different types of knots and how to tie them.
Further on, I found the shelf dedicated to foraging. I had no idea there were so many books about mushroom hunting, but then I remembered that the British Isles were wet all the time. I also remembered how much money truffles could bring in and decided it wasn’t that odd after all. Since I didn’t have any need to find truffles, and I had no interest in training a truffle-sniffing pig, I skipped past those and tried to find something a little less specific. Near the end, I found a book that had been written for hikers that detailed what edible plants grew wild in England and where to find them. There were plenty of pictures, and the section on mushrooms even provided tips on how to easily distinguish the poisonous varieties from the nonpoisonous.
I perused a few more shelves, but nothing leapt out as being useful. I finally added a book on native animal species, just in case we finally made it out of the city. Satisfied I had enough to at least help us survive, I wandered back to the row where Becka had found the biographies.
“Find anything helpful?” I asked.
“A few things, yeah,” the blonde woman replied. “I think these two books are the best.”
“I’ve found some information on fishing and foraging,” I said. “And one on native animals, in case we ever encounter any of those again. Let’s go see how Hae-won is doing.”
“That sounds marvelous,” the Brit said as she stood up and stretched. “She must be nearly done by now. And even if she isn’t, she can finish it back at the gallery.”
“Is someone ready for some wine?” I teased.
“Absolutely,” Becka replied in her most posh accent as she collected the two books she had selected.
We made our way back to the computer room, where we found Hae-won in front of a screen with her face set in a scowl.
“Oh, that’s not a good look,” Becka said as we stopped next to Hae-won’s chair. “No luck on purifying water?”
“Oh, I have that,” Hae-won sighed as she sat back, “It’s just hard to find info about South Korea. Are you both done?”
“We are for now,” I replied and gave her a small grin. “Do you want more time to--”
“No,” she interrupted as she shook her head. “I’m not that worried about my parents. My father is a capable man, so I’m sure they are fine, and I am getting a bit hungry.”
“I could use some dinner as well,” Becka said.
“We can work on our plan for tomorrow while we eat and then finish up the research afterwards,” I said.
“Something tells me you’ve already got a plan for tomorrow,” Becka said.
“Just an idea I had for finding more supplies,” I explained. “Especially supplies we’ll need if we decide to hit the road.”
The blonde’s eyes lit up for a moment, and she raised her arms as if to hug me, but then she just let out a giggle, dropped her arms, and smiled widely at me.
Hae-won watched us for a moment, then shut down the computer and stood up. “You two are being very strange.”
“He’s an American,” Becka huffed. “He’s always strange.”
“Look who’s talking, Brit,” I replied.
“I understand what is going on,” Hae-won laughed as she collected her pages.
“Oh, really?” Becka snickered.
“Yes.” Hae-won smiled at both of us as she pointed to the door. “Ready?”
“Sure,” I said, and then the three of us walked back to the front door. I picked up the hunting rifle and the printer, while Becka gathered up the extra supplies and one of the two remaining guns.
“You’re on lookout,” I said to Hae-won. “Why don’t you hand those printouts to Becka so you’ll have both hands free in case that Pterodactyl comes back before we make it inside.”
“Sure, Jason,” the dark-haired girl replied.
Becka accepted the sheets of paper, and then the Korean girl picked up her gun. With a nod from me, she cracked open the door and studied the quad. Even though the door was glass, we were still cautious about simply stepping outside, a lesson we’d learned the hard way. Hae-won stepped outside, and I saw her scan the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, and then she stepped far enough away from the library to get a look at the dome.
“Okay,” Hae-won said as she opened the door again. “The big bird is still gone.”
Becka and I stepped outside, and the three of us ran across the quad as quickly as we could with our supplies and my bad ankle. Hae-won was a perfect scout, staying just ahead or behind us and always watching both the ground and the air as we moved toward the gallery. Still, it was a huge relief when we arrived at the heavy door, and I sagged against the wall for a moment once we were safely inside.
“Jason, are you okay?” Becka asked.
“I’m fine,” I assured the two women. “I think I was expecting something to attack us, and it’s a relief that we made it back okay.”
“I agree,” Hae-won said as she started to pull off her armor. “I thought for sure that Pterodactyl would swoop down on us.”
“Well, it didn’t,” Becka said as she also began to remove her armor. “So now it’s time for some wine and some food.”
We finished removing our armor and moved the barricade back into place. We sta
rted upstairs with the printer, supplies, and weapons since I figured the swords and guns were well overdue for a sharpening and cleaning, respectively.
“It’s not that late,” I noted as I set the second printer on the counter. “Should we finish a few more chores before we eat?”
“I will set up the printers,” Hae-won replied. “It will be nice if I can print off two instead of one.”
“I can flag the important sections in those biographies,” Becka mused. “So we don’t have to keep flipping through the pages.”
“I’ll clean and sharpen the weapons,” I added.
“Right, I’ll pour us some wine, then,” Becka said. “Just to help ease the stress of the day.”
Becka poured some wine into three plastic cups, and then we each settled into our tasks. The weapons were long overdue for a cleaning, but the ammo bag hadn’t included the proper materials for the guns, and we didn’t have much in the way of heavy cloths for the swords. Still, I did what I could and soon everything looked shiny if not exactly brand new.
“Should I start some dinner?” Becka asked after several hours of contented silence. “It is nearly dinner time.”
“I wouldn’t mind getting cleaned up first,” I said as I held up a greasy hand for inspection.
“Nor would I,” Hae-won added as she scratched at her scalp. “I feel very grungy, and I would like to put on some of my own clothes.”
“Right.” Becka nodded. “Well, you go first, Jason. We’ll go after you.”
“Yes, I want to read a bit more,” Hae-won agreed. “I’ve found some interesting material that I want to finish.”
Hae-won didn’t offer any more information on what she’d found, and Becka waved me away with a shooing motion. I shrugged, grabbed my supplies, and headed for the restroom for my daily sink bath.
The water was still flowing, thankfully, and though it took me nearly twice as long as usual, I managed to scrub away the grease and grime of the day and even managed to clean my hair really well. By the time I returned to the staff room in a t-shirt and checked pajama bottoms, I was rosy cheeked and smelling fresh once again. The girls were still at the table, Becka still buried in the books, and Hae-won at the computer.
“You look happy,” Becka observed when she spotted me in the doorway.
“It’s amazing how much better you can feel after getting clean,” I replied as I sat down at the table and took another sip from my wine.
“So, who’s next?” Becka asked as she glanced at Hae-won.
“You go,” the Asian girl said without looking up from the computer. “I can finish this while you are washing.”
Becka nodded and then collected her own kit. She gave me a wink as she left the room, and I watched her lovely rump until it was out of sight. I turned back to Hae-won and the stack of paper next to her elbow.
“How’s it going?” I asked and gestured to the clay with my cup.
“Well,” Hae-won replied with a smile “I wanted to see if there was something else we could use the chemicals for. Maybe find a way to kill dinosaurs.”
“Any luck?” I asked.
“There are a lot of ways to make bombs,” Hae-won noted. “But the basics are the same. I think we could do it, if we needed to. And most of what we would need would be available in hardware stores.”
“I can’t believe we’re thinking about making bombs,” I said. “But you’re right, it’s something we should consider. Especially now that the military is pulling back.”
“And it seems to work well for the military,” the dark-haired woman replied.
“True, although it also takes out half the town with it,” I remarked.
We were both quiet for a moment as we thought about the damage done to the centuries old college town where we now sat. The dinosaurs had caused a lot of it, but so had the bombs the military had been dropping recently. It felt like a no-win situation, and I really hoped we could come up with a better way to take down the giant lizards.
“We should check the news reports,” Hae-won finally said. “Maybe there is more news about the military?”
The room fell silent as Hae-won started to type on the computer while I checked my phone. The front page of every site I checked was about the official announcement from the day before, and what it meant for the citizens of The United Kingdom. The decision to pull back and focus on critical infrastructures seemed to have caught many people off guard. A few questioned the decision, but most commentators seemed to agree that the strategy would help save countless lives by ensuring ongoing access to clean water, electricity, and communications.
The dissenters all raised an interesting point, and one I’d been wondering about myself. The decision had come abruptly, which probably meant the power generators and water supplies were already in danger. But the government wouldn’t comment on that, merely stating that utilities were functioning as well as could be expected under the circumstances. It wasn’t the most encouraging statement from the government, and I was more convinced than ever that we were in danger of losing our easy access to power and water.
Buried on other pages were the reports on the dinosaurs themselves. They were still appearing, though there were fewer sightings of the large carnivores and almost no plant eaters like the stegosaurus we had seen. It was mostly smaller, faster, and meaner meat eaters, like the group we’d encountered. The government had set up shelters for anyone who had lost their homes, but I couldn’t figure out how they would protect the camps. The government answer to that was officially vague, which I decided meant the camps would be left to fend for themselves, just as the cities had.
It all pointed to a situation that would get worse before it got better.
“You two look grim,” Becka said as she returned.
“Just checking the news,” I replied.
“How’s it looking?” the blonde girl asked as she toweled her hair.
“Not great,” I sighed. “The government is sticking to their plan to defend the power plants and cell phone towers and leaving the cities. They’ve set up camps for people who lost their homes, but no one seems to know who’s going to protect the camps and how they’re supposed to get food and supplies. The dinosaurs are still appearing, though it’s mostly the smaller ones now, like the ones we saw today.”
“No wonder you’re scowling,” Becka sighed.
“I need a break from all this,” Hae-won said as she stood up. “I will go clean up.”
Becka took Hae-won’s place in front of the computer after the Korean girl had left. The Brit scrolled through the results, then shook her head.
“Are you still thinking about a supply run?” the blonde asked.
“We definitely should,” I replied. “We need to hit a pharmacy, and we need to find a camping store or something similar. We can pick up wood, coal, a small grill, maybe even a tent and some sleeping bags that we could use while we’re on the road. We should also find extra thermoses or sports bottles to carry water in.”
“On the road?” Becka asked excitedly. “You mean up north?”
“Eventually,” I said quickly. “There are still some problems we need to work out, but if we can find all the gear we need, then I think we might have to risk it. The city’s going to run out of food at some point, and the water and power will probably be cut off as well. Once that happens, the city will be unlivable.”
“I knew you would come around,” the blonde girl said and smiled at me. “It will be easier to grow things if we need to, and I’ll be able to check up on my mum.”
“First things first,” I said. “We need supplies we can carry with us. And I’d feel better if I knew we could get through on the roads, at least most of the way.”
“I can’t help you with the roads,” she replied, “But there’s a Mountain Warehouse not far from here.”
“Is that a sporting goods store?” I asked.
“It is,” she confirmed. “They sell tons of stuff for camping and hiking.”
“
Here, show me where it is,” I replied and pushed the laptop toward her.
Becka typed a few words into the browser and pulled up a map.
“Here,” she says as she pushed the laptop back to me, “it says it’s like a twenty to thirty minute walk from here. I don’t remember it being quite that long, but it looks farther on the map than I remember.”
While I studied the map, Hae-won returned wrapped up in a silky robe. She carefully stacked her bath supplies in a corner and then joined us at the table. She peered over my shoulder at the map and then pointed at the hovering red dot.
“Is this where you want to go?” the Korean asked.
“Maybe,” I said, “if we can figure out a good route to take.”
“Well, I think this is where the helicopter dropped that bomb the other day,” the dark haired girl replied as she pointed to a block near the campus. “We’d have to go around that.”
“That’s going to make the trip even longer,” Becka pointed out as she joined us.
“Isn’t there somewhere closer?” Hae-won asked. “This place will take us twice as long to reach as it took to get to my apartment if we go around the places that were bombed.”
“That’s the closest store that sells camping supplies,” Becka said. “There’s another sporting goods store a few blocks away, but all they sell is running gear.”
“Well, we do need to be able to run,” Hae-won chuckled.
“I can’t believe you just cracked a joke about that,” Becka laughed.
“I think we’re going to have to take Timothy,” I interjected. “It will only take us a few minutes to get there, and we’ll be able to fill the truck with all sorts of supplies that we wouldn’t be able to carry.”
“Why not the tow truck or one of those cars on the street?” Becka asked. “Aren’t you worried that the townies will notice and sneak onto the campus?”
“I’m more concerned about these mini raptor things,” I said. “They could probably tear a regular car apart, and the tow truck doesn’t have any place where we could safely stow whatever we grab.”