Last Train to Pangea: Death by Dinosaur

by Robert Turnbull

  Again the red dot found the eye and again the creature jumped back unsure what was causing the strange flashes in its eye. Over and over the dot attacked and each time the creature moved further away from the log. It snapped, twitched, and swayed, but this attacker couldn’t be dodged, nor did it leave.

  Finally with a loud protesting roar, the spinosaurus turned and headed back toward the trees to the west at a fast gait.

  With lightning fast speed Wes grasped Missy’s hand and began pulling her up the steep hill. Stumbling and flailing the pair dashed, climbed, and clawed their way to the top to find their friends lying flat in the bushes and watching it all.

  The pair looked up to see Sarge standing upon the large boulders, Boot’s M-16 in his hand…one of the ones that had a laser sight on it. Wes waved to Sarge, who in turn nodded and climbed back around to his guard position.

  “Looks like we owe Sarge our lives.” Wes smiled “Damned fine soldier he is.”

  “And smart.” Missy added as Mary burst through the wall of people and ran toward her sister…and skidded to a halt nearly falling as she quickly backed up and grasped her nose.

  “Ohhh…myyyyyy…God!” she mumbled through her pinched nose “You two smell like…”

  Wes shrugged and frowned “Dinosaur piss?”

  She grinned “To put it bluntly…yes.” And then proceeded to gag.

  Red was chuckling as he handed Wes and Missy each a bottle of water.

  “Sorry guys, that’s it. In this heat and as long as we’ve been here, we can’t spare anymore. Should be able to wash your hands and face, but not much more.” And with that he tossed Missy a bar of soap.

  She reached up to feel her mud caked golden locks and sighed knowing there was no way she was going to rid herself of the smell of dinosaur urine, and in this heat, the ‘mud’ was drying fast. She shrugged and slowly began to open her bottle, but Wes stopped her.

  “Here.” He muttered through his mud caked lips as he opened his and poured some on her hands so she could as least clean her hands. A splash more and her face followed and then repeated the favor for Wes.

  “Cord? How about heading back to the Quads and find us some clothes.” He pulled his shirt from his body “This shit is already starting to burn.”

  Missy was already ahead of Wes and from the bushes flew her soaked blouse and followed seconds later by her jeans.

  “Sis, be a dear and let me borrow a pair of your jeans.” She pleaded as Mary spun and headed back with Red to find them both something to put on. Missy knew they were in trouble as Mary had one pair of jeans on, and her last pair on the Quad.

  “I really wish now we could have taken more clothes.” She muttered and then looked at Wes and smiled as she quickly replied “But I know why we had to leave fast and light.” He managed a grin in between trying not to gag himself.

  Keeping a couple bushes between themselves and using the water sparingly, they managed to cleanse themselves of most of the heavy mud and urine, but even after several more offered their next day’s water supply, both still were covered in small red blisters and rash the next day.

  Still smelling, the pair spent the night curled up next to the boulders, Missy’s head on Wes’s shoulder…until she woke up and sniffed. She scooted away from him and he grinned.

  “Jesus Wes, I don’t know which one of us smells the worst.” She chuckled as she checked to make sure her borrowed shirt wasn’t showing her hidden interest in Wes’s bulging muscles. Missy giggled softly.

  What?” Wes asked.

  “Nothing.” Missy replied as she made sure her arousal didn’t show through the flimsy white shirt. “Just making sure that I wasn’t showing my navel.”

  Wes looked sheepishly at the lovely blonde “I am sorry about that…we never did get a chance for me to…”

  “Both of ya stink ta high heaven! Jesus, I can smell you two from ten feet away.” Snake chuckled “Sarge told me to come wake you two up. He and Boots went out early this morning and backtracked one of the Quads down the hill and back around to where you all were nearly eaten last night. They headed out about an hour and a half before returning.”

  “And?” Wes muttered as he tried to stretch out the kinks.

  “And he said all prairie south and west of here. There’s a small river about an hour away, lots of plant eaters, but said he didn’t see any of the two-leggers.

  Figured you two would be happy to hear about the water, plus we can replenish our supplies. Cord and Red took the second Quad back to the train, but couldn’t get too close because of deep mud and critters, but said it was still upright, but looked like the tracks had been swung outward into the prairie quite a bit, some bent, but couldn’t see a lot other than the train seemed intact through their binoculars…no sign of Sam or Jack.”

  Missy looked at Wes “Are we going back?”

  “Oh hell no!” Wes shook his head “We need water and things haven’t changed as far as needing to find that city Cassy told us about.” he sighed deeply, “I’m sorry, but I can’t risk anyone going back, and maybe losing people and a Quad.”

  He nodded to Snake and Snake headed back and the pair looked down the hill to where they had been the night before.

  There sat Sarge and Boots waving at them. Cord and Red pulled up next to them and in the distance the third Quad could be seen moving up. Those not in the Quads carefully picked their way down the steep incline.

  Snake walked back in their direction and handed them a couple of energy bars.

  “Sorry guys, you slept through breakfast.” he snorted and then in a sarcastic tone muttered “Oh wait, those are what we had for breakfast…so freakin’ yummy.” He motioned as if he were sticking his finger down his throat.

  “Personally I’d wait until you get down the hill, at least there is some water down there.”

  So the last three worked their way down to join the rest and the journey to find Boulder once again was under way.

  An hour later, they reached the river that was about fifty feet across. Sarge radioed that he and the rest would move on to a good shallow spot to ford the river a bit further downstream and leave two men behind to guard Wes and Missy while they took a much needed bath, clothes and all.

  Wes chuckled “Well, one thing is for sure, getting wet will sure be nice in this heat.”

  Cord smiled “Not to mention we won’t have to stand up wind from ya anymore.”

  Boots laughed “That’s for sure.” He took Wes’s radio and laid it on a large rock as Missy slipped into the hip deep water. The current was barely noticeable and Wes quickly joined her as Cord shouted after them.

  “Sarge just called, they’re across the river and headed back our way. He said just swim across and meet them on the other side.”

  Wes turned to acknowledge he heard…and froze! As he turned to face their guards he saw them frozen in place…and staring into the face of a triceratops less than seventy feet away. By the snorting and bellowing it suddenly made sure there was no question they were in its territory. It left no question if it had seen them or not. Wes and Missy were safe enough for the present, but Cord and Boots didn’t even dare raise their rifles.

  Missy slowly moved next to Wes “Can those things swim?”

  “Don’t know Missy.”

  “Why aren’t they shooting?” Missy whispered as the two of them peered over the two foot high river bank.

  “Any movement will no doubt startle that thing.” he sighed “Not to mention there’s no way a .223 round would even scratch that thing.”

  “What do we do?” she pleaded afraid to even move.

  “There’s no current to speak of…” he motioned slowly toward the other side.

  “No splashing, just breast stroke over, I can see the Quads coming.” He glanced around to see nothing had changed.

  “Tell Sarge to ready his BFG.”

  “BFG?”

  “He’ll know…I’ll tell ya later.” he quietly replied “Swim…and no splashing!” Mi
ssy nodded and began doing the breast stroke. Slowly and quietly she made it across to the other side to find Sarge and the others all sighting in on the huge creature that had their friends at a standoff.

  She climbed out of the water and looked at Sarge.

  “Are you going to shoot it?”

  Sarge was using one of the Quads to steady the huge .50. Without taking his eye from the telescopic sight he quietly replied.

  “Only if it charges, I seem to remember those things have a brain the size of a walnut or tennis ball or something. Christ even with this armor piercing bullet, I’m not sure where the brain is in all that skull…” he sighed “Just pray it gets bored and goes away.”

  “If it doesn’t?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Then I shoot…and we all pray.”

  Chapter 15.

  It seemed like hours, but in fact it was barely ten minutes since the standoff began, but nerves were being tested. Sarge’s men held their ground, but in the heat and the stress, Wes could see their knees beginning to wobble. Fearing heat exhaustion, he knew he had to do something…and fast. In the distance there were two more heading their way and they seemed slightly larger than the one his friends were facing down. Sarge tried the laser to the eyes, but the only response that got him, was a more panicked triceratops…the standoff continued.

  The group on the far side of the river stared in horror as Wes slowly got out of the water walked toward Cord and Boots and slowly grasped both of their M-16’s.

  He looked at the two men, shrugged and then slowly started walking toward the triceratops. He didn’t walk fast, nor slow, but at a normal gait…the beast didn’t move!

  Wes sighed raised both M-16’s in the air, screamed at the top of his lungs and began firing shots into the air as he moved toward the armored creature.

  It winced and moved backward a few paces, did a plodding spin, and trotted off toward the other two. Wes fired a few more shots, and then turned back to his men.

  “WELL JUST DON’T STAND THERE!” He headed toward the river, tossing the men their rifles as he passed.

  One flying but shallow dive and Wes came to the surface nearly a third of the way across only to see both men surface next to him, rifles slung over their backs. As Wes looked back to check on the three triceratops, Boots swam by him and sputtered…

  “They kept going…but I wouldn’t try that again.”

  Cord swam by and as he turned his head, he gasped “You dumb fuck, you tryin’ to get yourself killed?”

  Wes joined them as they headed toward the other side.

  “It was all I could think of at the moment.” The others tried to laugh but as they gasped for air, failed.

  Still gasping for air the three realized how out of shape they were as they reached the other side of the river…and a much higher bank. Sarge and the rest helped the men out of the water and up the steep bank. As Cord was pulled from the murky waters a huge head came out of the shallows with a burst of spray…and missed removing his leg by inches.

  “Tell me that wasn’t a big-assed crock?” Missy muttered as she bent down to help Wes to his feet “We were bathing in the same river that those things were in? I may never bathe again…unless it’s in a puddle not bigger than a tub.” That got a few chuckles as they watched the thirty foot prehistoric crock swim down the river.

  John pointed a bit farther up from where they had gone in at, and there swam nearly a dozen more.

  “If they had come down stream, you guys would have been toast.” he pointed out to the panting guys as the larger than usual crocks swam toward the bank.

  “Looks like your shots got them curious. Looks like that big one is looking for a place to get out of the river.”

  “Agreed!” Sarge grinned at Wes “What say we make like a tree and leave.”

  Red groaned and laughed “You just really said that? My God Sarge…”

  “Was just trying to lighten things up a bit Red.” But as he looked back there was a loud splash and he saw another huge croc fall back into the water only yards from where they were.

  “Ok, forget the bad humor, everyone on the Quads and let’s get the hell out of here.” That was one statement no one argued with.

  With everyone hanging onto, sitting, or standing on the narrow running boards on the Quads, they lumbered along at a speedy six or seven miles an hour, but soon they were well away from the river and one last look back, saw the crocs heading back upstream…and attacking the smallest of the triceratops as it drank.

  Wes looked sadly back “Kinda feel guilty about that little one.” he muttered “But in the long run, tis better it than us.” The rest didn’t look, but could hear the bellowing…and then the silence that fell over the prairie.

  However within a minute all the creatures in sight had gone back to grazing.

  “Guess that kind of thing is the norm around here.” Wes muttered softly and Missy gave him a little smile, she was more than happy it wasn’t one of them.

  Missy was driving the third Quad as she had been doing and Wes had hopped on the narrow black pipe that served as the running board and brush guard. He leaned down and told her to stop as he radioed for all to do the same.

  “I don’t want to blow any of the engines.” he ordered “Everyone off but the drivers.” One by one people jumped off as they slowed, and the trek toward their assumed destination resumed.

  Slightly after noon, Sarge and Red drove back to the river and carefully filled all the containers and water bottles they had. The rest stayed under the canvas stretched between the two roofs of the Quads, this was the part of the day that was the worst. Heat steamed up from the prairie and mirages glimmered everywhere. All the large clumps of scattered trees were now taken by sleeping dinosaurs…which left the open prairie and no shade for the new comers.

  All throughout the vast plain they could see the dinosaurs moving under the trees that spotted the grassy plains. It was far too hot for the Quads to move without stopping to cool down, even though they had water cooled engines. They were in a beautiful hell.

  A few hours passed and the guards noticed the small scattered herds of dinosaurs starting to come out into the open fields to graze and once again the small caravan moved out heading once again to the southwest. Now the herds were once again moving, Wes felt it was safe for them to do the same. He never said, but he feared that being the only ones moving in the open, some meat-eater might decide to risk the heat for a snack.

  ***************************

  Another day passed with no sign or any indication of civilization. Sarge had moved a few miles ahead with Snake so they could scout the rolling hills they had wandered into. Several hours passed and the sun was starting to get low on the horizon and Wes feared another night on the open prairie.

  The previous night he and two others on watch said they had spotted huge meat-eaters in the distance, but as fortune had it, they stayed miles away.

  “Holy shit guys! You are not going to believe this.” Sarge blared over his radio.

  “Come on up Wes, stay silent and stick to our heading, you’ll see us…the rest follow.” There was a pause “No present danger, but be on guard.”

  After a mile or so, Wes and Missy could see Sarge’s Quad sitting in a low spot between two of the rolling hills, and Sarge and Snake were lying prone on the hill top using his binoculars and peering through the high grass. Missy killed the engine and coasted next to Sarge’s Quad and stayed with the vehicles as Snake joined the two of them.

  “Sarge wants you with him Wes…I’ll fill Missy in on what’s goin’ on.”

  As Wes neared the top of the next hill, Sarge slid partially down to await Wes. Wes crouched as Sarge handed him the binoculars.

  “From that last hill back there it looked like the hills were playing out, so I thought it might be smart to park and scout, just to make sure there weren’t any of those nasty things ahead of us. You know the ones with big teeth.”

  “And there are?” Wes asked.


  “Things with teeth…naw!” he grinned “Nasty…dunno, take a look.”

  Wes crawled to the hilltop and looked through the binoculars…and his jaw dropped. He looked back to Sarge.

  “It’s a fuckin’ ship…and a big one at that!”

  “And smack dab in the middle of a sea of grass.”

  Wes took another look at the well preserved ship.

  “Looks like an old cargo vessel of some kind.” he turned back to Sarge “Could be a safe place to stop for the night.” He looked again as Sarge laid next to him, being careful not to show a silhouette against the low sun.

  “Maybe Wes, I’ve been watching since I saw it and nothing was moving down there. I figure about nine or ten miles. But you know as well as I do, if we look at it as shelter…something else might as well.”

  Wes nodded “Looks about right. Open prairie again so we can see anything coming our way.” He slid back off the top of the hill “Let’s do it!”

  By this time the rest had joined the two with the Quads and moving between the last two hills, they once again broke out into open prairie. Those on foot set the pace with a jog, as the Quads kept pace. As the sun got lower, Wes ordered everyone onto the vehicles and chanced a breakdown rather than arriving after dark. If they did break down, the Quad would have to be left until the next day.

  As the sun hit the tops of the jungle in the far distance, they arrived and got off to look around the perfectly upright ship. While the rest stayed at a safe distance a scouting party moved toward the ship.

  Sarge and Wes started walking around the ship to see if there was a way in.

  “Dammit Sarge, it looks like someone just laid this thing gently down in this grass and left it.”

  “Look there.” Sarge noted with a point. The ship had many buckled plates, but no holes to crawl into. “Well crap it looks like we do some climbing and…” He looked at Wes who was standing to the stern with his mouth open.

  “What?”

  “I thought this ship looked familiar…it’s…the…Cyclops.”

  “Huh?”

  Wes looked back at Sarge with a grin “The Cyclops vanished back in the early 1900’s in the Bermuda Triangle. All hands aboard and never a trace.”