No Road Out

by M. J. Konkel

  When they got there, they split up with Jerry joining Lonnie and his group to gather things from upstairs. Jerry was gathering personal items from Alan and Daniella's bedroom. Lonnie was sure Jerry was trying to keep an eye on him and his pals. He started to empty shorts, t-shirts and socks out of a dresser from the son's bedroom. He glanced towards the door and quickly stuck something into his pocket. Tim was rummaging through the closet in the same room, pulling out old jeans, shoes and other items. Darrel was in the bathroom down the hall loading up on bandages, pain-relievers and other medications.

  After loading their backpacks with the rummaged goods, they headed down to the bikes and transferred the stuff to the child trailers. Jerry headed back towards the door to refill his backpack.

  Lonnie gave a wink to Tim. “I think that I should check the shed out and see what might be in there.”

  “Yeah., I think I should help you,” said Tim.

  “Me too,” chimed in Darrel after Lonnie gave him a kick in his shin.

  Jerry looked over at them. “You three, stay out of trouble.”

  “Come on! Us cause trouble?” asked Lonnie. He could feel Jerry’s eye on him as they ambled towards the shed.

  “That's why I said stay out of trouble,” yelled Jerry.

  Lonnie thought about telling Jerry to fuck off. That might make Jerry even more suspicious though and he didn’t want that prick snooping on him.

  As they walked towards the shed, Tim asked, “What's up, Lonnie?”

  “Just follow me, numbskull.” He led the way and as soon as they were inside he asked Tim, “You still got that lighter of yours?”

  “Yeah. Why?” Tim asked, pulling it out.

  “I was hoping he left something behind. I knew him. Look what I found in that boy's dresser.” Lonnie pulled out a long fat joint. “Their boy is a toker. Let's go out that back door over there and go where fuckin’ Comlin won't find us if he comes looking.” He led the way out back and around to where there was a corn crib. The crib had been smashed open on one side and most of the corn was gone, except for some husks. They sat down with backs against the crib and Lonnie took the lighter from Tim, fired up the joint, took a long hard drag on it before passing it to Tim. He held the smoke in, anxious for it to start giving him the effect he was seeking.

  “This is good shit,” said Tim after he inhaled and passed it to Darrel.

  “No. This stuff is pretty crappy. It just seems good 'cause we haven't had any for fuckin’ way too long,” Lonnie snapped, taking the joint back from Darrel. He was still irritated, but hoped that would end soon. “Still, it's better than none.”

  “It's clouding up. Looks like it is going to rain,” said Tim.

  “Yeah? Let it. I don't give a fuck right now,” replied Lonnie.

  They continued to pass the joint around until finally Darrel tossed the bit of glowing paper left down and they got up and walked back to the shed to grab a few items they could stuff in their backpacks. Lonnie was starting to feel like his normal self.

  “You’re a good friend,” said Tim.

  “Where’re you going with this?” asked Lonnie, suspicious.

  “I’m just saying you could’ve kept quiet about it, but you didn’t. You shared it with us. A true friend.”

  When they got back to their bikes, everyone was there waiting for them. Jerry stared at them, probably wondering they had been.

  “Found some good tools,” said Lonnie, holding up a pair of pliers he had snatched off a bench on his way back to the bikes.

  Jerry continued staring suspiciously at him. Lonnie decided he didn’t care what the prick thought.

  Jerry said, “The weather is turning bad. We should start back.,” He turned and led the way, heading back along the path through the three-foot high grass they made on the trip out. It started to drizzle. Lonnie got on his bike, feeling pretty good. As he started to pedal, it seemed like he was pulling a lot of weight. He stopped and got off his bike to check the cart. It had been loaded with some heavy items like canned goods, sugar and salt. He didn’t put those in there. Well, he smiled, he probably deserved that.

  When they were near the edge of the ridge about half-way back to the logging road, Darrel stopped and looked over the valley. “Man, that is pretty view!” he loudly exclaimed to Tim and Lonnie as they pulled up next to him.

  “You're high, dude. Keep it down,” Lonnie told him.

  “That joint wasn't that good. Just look at what is in front you, man.” Darrel said in a lower voice.

  “It's raining, dude. I'm getting soaked.”

  Jerry looked over his shoulder when he heard Darrel shouting and noticed they had stopped. He stopped too. “Let's go!” he shouted. Everyone else was heading across the field toward the logging trail. They all stopped then as they heard and felt a rumbling. They turned back to see the herd of hadros galloping past where they had entered the woods and down the trail.

  “Must be a freddie or some raptors up there,” said Jerry. “We should get out of here and fast.”

  “It’s not a freddie. Look! There is smoke up there,” said Ron, pointing back up north through the woods towards the direction of the Weigler farmhouse.

  Lonnie looked at Tim. “Shit!” he muttered too low for anyone else to hear.

  “Let's get out of here!” Jerry yelled.

  They raced across the field as fast as they could. Then down the logging road as fast as they dared as the rain was starting to make the path slippery. Despite the drizzle, the fire was advancing on them with the wind at their back. The fire ravenously fed itself on the relatively dry trees and brush. Lonnie was the last in line and could feel the heat at his back. Ahead of him he saw someone fall. It was Mary Jankins on a bike without a trailer. He saw Darrel and then Tim steer around her. Those assholes, he thought. Lonnie stopped and helped her get back on her back on her bike and sent her ahead of him. He was right on her tail. They raced faster, risking falling. Lonnie could see the fire to his right even with him and then passing him; it was still behind him on his left. A burning tree started to fall in front of him. He pushed hard on the pedals and went under it before he heard it crash across the path behind him. Finally, he reached the bottom of the road and was out into the field, racing across it towards the highway. There, they all stopped and caught their breath as the fire was not burning the wet green grass.

  *****

  The fire destroyed the rest of the Weigler farm, a couple of other farms, two houses at the bottom of the valley as well a large swath of woods. In each direction, it stopped only after coming up to a road or field.

  The Weiglers, after receiving all the goods from their house, donated the majority of it back to the community.

  The mushrooms that Lonnie and the gang found turned out to be morel mushrooms that were very tasty when fried.

  Chapter 31

  “I still don't think that you are ready for this,” Anne argued.

  “It is healed. It was just a broken toe. It wasn't like back when that spino tried to eat me, and the doc had to stitch me all up. Anyway, she let me take off the splint for good and said I can go back to my normal activities,” Johnny countered, annoyed with Anne over the hassle.

  “This is not one of your normal activities.”

  “She means that my toe is healed up and I am free to do what I please,” replied Johnny. Why couldn’t she just let it go?

  “I don't think she meant stupid things like this.”

  “Oh, now you’re calling me stupid. It's a hunting trip that will bring food in to the community. What’s stupid about that?”

  “You’re not stupid. This is stupid. Shooting greenbacks or hadros is hunting. Going after pentatops is bordering on suicide, and that’s just plain stupid! It's like that ledge thing all over again.”

  Pentatops were descendants of Triceratops and were two tons of pure fury. They sported the same three horns of the Triceratops plus two additional large spikes that came off the edge of the shield at the ten o'clock and
two o'clock positions. Johnny had heard the descriptions, but has not seen one himself. “We are taking precautions and, besides, I am going with Hank Straddler and Harv Zoper, guys who know what they are doing when it comes to hunting. I am just tagging along to get a story.”

  “Interview them when they get back. Or I should say if they get back.”

  “There is more to it than just the interview. I want to see a pentatops too.”

  “Have them take some pictures.”

  “Not the same. Some things you have to see with your own eyes to experience. Like when we saw those freddies.”

  “And see where that got us! We were almost eaten by them.” Anne sighed. “Did Hank or Harv ever try to hunt for one of these pentatops before?”

  “No one has! Which is why this is a good story.”

  “I guess I am not going to talk you out of this. Am I?”

  Johnny shook his head. “No way!”

  “I am going to get my gun then.”

  “Oh, no you're not.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “You weren't invited.”

  “Well, I guess that I will just happen to be hunting in the same woods as you guys.”

  “Oh, no you're not!”

  “They are free woods you know. You can't stop me.”

  “Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?”

  Anne shrugged her shoulders. “It is who I am.”

  “What am I going to do with you?”

  Again, Anne shrugged her shoulders and winked.

  Hank, Harv, Johnny and Anne circled through the edge of the woods as they were working their way to get downwind of the herd of pentatops that was grazing on a grove of small shrubbery out on a sand flat beyond the woods. They counted fourteen of the huge beasts. Harv thought the bigger bulls must weigh close to two tons. Or were they cows? They went deeper into the woods to stay out of sight of their prey, and then came out to where the tall old woods met some scrub brush and shorter new growth. The herd was about two hundred yards away straight in front of where they were crouching. Hank and Harv both thought that as the bushes that the pentatops were munching on were consumed, they would move to the bushes closer to the wood's edge. Suddenly, two of the beasts squared on each other and banged their horns into the shield crests of the other. That answered one question. The one with the shorter horns turned away and the one with the longer horns and a second pentatops moved away from the rest of the herd and headed away from their direction. Johnny realized that natural selection was favoring those with longer horns in the mating selection process. It wasn't just survival from freddie attacks that pushed development of the longer horns. Or maybe the mating selection process was being governed by ability of the winners to produce offspring that better survived freddie attacks. It seemed like the chicken and the egg question, only on a larger scale. Three other pentatops stopped their munching and came in their direction, proving Hank and Harv to be correct in their intuition. The beasts stopped about seventy-five yards away, and one of the pentatops started digging up the sand and then fanning the hole with its tail. Was this part of the mating process? After a while one of the pentatops plodded on until it was at the edge of the brush about twenty-five yards away from where they were hiding. The beast turned its huge gray broadside to them, and it was about the best possible chance they could ask for.

  “I'm thinking this isn't such a good idea,” opined Anne.

  “Hush!” scolded Harv. “Why did you even invite her?” he whispered to Johnny.

  Anne glared at Harv while Johnny bit his lip. It wasn’t any use trying to explain he didn’t invite her. He returned his attention to the pentatops. He as amazed at the length of the horns and the size of its head which was nearly a third of the beast. He took a few pictures of the pentatops and then turned his camera on Harv who slowly stood up, raised his rifle and then fired.

  The pentatops' head jerked up as if stung. Harv fired again. The pentatops did not drop, but instead turned and started charging towards them like a galloping tank.

  Harv and Hank fired two shots each at the front of the charging beast with no effect before they both yelled “Shit,” turned and sprinted. Johnny and Anne turned to run also.

  “He's too fast! He's gaining on us. How can something so heavy move so fast?” Johnny shouted as he glanced back at the angry pentatops.

  “Quick! Get up a tree,” shouted Hank. He and Harv quickly climbed a thick old oak that had a heavy growth of vines wrapped around it. They used the vines to help them climb.

  Johnny and Anne were behind them and they realized that they didn't have time to make it to the big tree. Anne tossed her shotgun aside and started to climb up a smaller oak tree that had some lower branches that they could grab onto. Johnny had only the revolver tucked into his pants and was right behind her.

  “Hurry!” Johnny screamed as he helped push Anne up first.

  “What do you think I'm doing. I climbing as fast as I can.”

  “Just make room for me!” Johnny shouted as he started to climb behind her.

  The pentatops was close behind and did not slow down. It raced right smack into the tree Johnny and Anne were taking refuge in. The whole tree reverberated. Anne lost her footing and looked like she was going to fall. He reached out to grab her and helped pull her back onto a thick branch. As Johnny tried to climb higher the camera strap that was around his neck caught on a branch. He took the strap off his neck, but then lost his grip on the camera and it fell. The strap caught on a branch just below him and Johnny climbed down to get it. As he stepped down onto the branch, it broke away from the tree, and he went falling to the ground with it. He landed with a thud right in front of the pentatops, no more than a few inches away. He could feel the steam coming from the angry beast's nostrils and it lowered its head. Without even thinking about it, he grabbed onto one of the long spear-like horns that reminded him of the tines on the front loader of the tractor that he used to ram into that freddie not so long before. Only now, the table had been turned, and it was the dinosaur that was trying to skewer him. From where he hung on to the three-foot-long spike, he could see one of the beast's large black eyes with its look of hatred. The beast started galloping with him hanging on as tight as he could, both arms and both legs wrapped around the horn. It was as if it was trying to run him down and run its horn through him. Johnny was hoping that it didn't just ram into another tree, because he was sure that he wouldn't be able to hold on if it did. But it appeared that the pentatops was not that smart as it just continued galloping, all the while staring at him with one eye burning with fury. It took him through low-lying brush, and his head and arms received countless scratches, but he hung on.

  He was starting to wonder how he was going to get out the mess he was in. He couldn't just jump off; that would result in him getting trampled to a pulp. Maybe he could pull out the revolver still stuck in his pants and shoot it in the eye like Jerry had done to that spino back at the motel. It was still likely to trample him though. He couldn't think of any good way to get off. Maybe he could climb up over the top of the beast and jump off the back or side of it. But that didn't seem very feasible with the jostling of the rough ride. He was likely to just fall and get trampled if he tried that. Suddenly, he felt himself in freefall. The pentatops had run itself off the edge of a cliff. He could see the river not far below him and knew that if he was under the beast when it went into the river, he would most likely die. He pushed off from the horn as hard as he could. His feet hit the water first and he sliced through until his feet hit the sand and muck of the bottom several feet below the surface. He felt an underwater wave, formed from the pentatops’s huge girth smashing into the water right next to him, hit him and push him a couple of feet away. He pushed off with his legs from the bottom back up to the surface and turned his head back towards where the pentatops hit the water. Its head was under the murky brown water, and its body was perfectly vertical. Its legs were frantically flailing in the water and air. Its ho
rns had gone straight down and stuck into the soft bottom of the river, dooming the beast. He swam to the shore, arms exhausted from clinging hard to the pentatops for so long. He climbed onto the muddy shore, turned onto his back and lay panting, knowing that he had cheated death still once again. He wondered how many more times he could be that lucky. The pentatops soon stopped kicking, having drowned.

  Hank, Harv and Anne came running up to the bank to where he and the pentatops went flying over. They were staring at the pentatops. Anne had her hands over her mouth. “Where's Johnny?” she cried.

  “Over here!” he called out.

  Harv spotted him and called out, “It is the Lord's will that you should live today.”

  “How are you doing?” shouted Anne.

  “Great. I got one for us.” Johnny pointed at the lifeless beast. “That was a blast!” He was laughing. “Can we go find another and do that again?” He hoped they didn’t really take him up on that.

  Chapter 32

  The months that went by since coming to Ridgeback were frustrating for the Professor. The days had slipped into May and then June, and he knew everyone was counting on him to figure out how to get them back to the world they left behind. He felt he had made no significant progress over that time. It was his fault they were there, and it was his fault he was no longer making progress in solving the mysteries of interbrane travel. He felt confident in his abilities as a physicist, but he was stymied. Gerjonsi would have solved this by now, but he was intellectually frustrated and unsure of what to do next. He had finished the calculations, and they showed that he was right about the energy requirements. But he had no idea how the lightning strike fit into the puzzle, and he knew that it must be the key. Tired of the problem, he let his mind wander off to the question of how sub-atomic differences in the history of the branes led to the huge macro differences that they observed. He realized that, because most of the history of the universe came before humans arrived on the scene, most of the other branes would not have humans. In fact, he was sure human-occupied branes would be only a miniscule fraction. He wondered if intelligence ever arose from some other species in any of these other branes. The temporary release from the tension of solving the big problem allowed a new thought to creep into his consciousness. He twisted it around and looked at it from totally different angle. He took that insight, twisted and contorted it, and then he had that special moment when his thought process seemed so clear, and the answer crystalized in front of him. “Could it be that easy?” he asked himself. “Of course! How come I didn't see this before? I was so stupid.” Excited, he got himself dressed and grabbed his laptop. He took it out to the van and generator that were given to him so that he had a place and a power source to run his computers. He started running the calculations and stayed up all night. By dawn, he was exhausted, but the equations with the numbers plugged into them made sense. He was also very excited. He had a theory that seemed to be right, and he had to tell someone. He went to take a shower to help wake himself up. Then he went down to the cafeteria area to get some breakfast and see who was up that he could share his new thoughts with. This morning of all mornings, he wished coffee was still available. Many people were already filling plates or seated in the cafeteria. The community had adjusted towards more people going to sleep earlier and getting up when it was light out. That didn't mean that there weren't still plenty of parties around the campfires after dark. It was just that they didn't go as late as when they had first arrived on the island. He found Joe, Karen and Judd Burser already sitting down enjoying a breakfast of fried fish fillets and fresh baked bread. Judd's legs were now all healed and he had lost the pouch on his middle. The latter was probably the result of replacing donuts with fish in his diet.