by Russ Watts
“We’re going to give them a chance,” said Maria. “Follow me outside, holler all you can, and swing those bats around. I think we can confuse it, even if only for a few seconds. I’ll get whoever is out there over here. I don’t think we’ll have to go more than a few feet from the store.”
“I’m coming with you,” announced Mr. Stepper. He smacked the torch he held against the palm of his hand. It was not much of a weapon, but it was solid and better than a plastic toy. “You can’t do it all, Maria. I’m not much use in here, and I can be of more use to you out there. I’ll get whoever is out there back inside.”
Maria nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll do what we can. I’m not taking any chances though. If I say it’s off, we all get back here immediately. You know, there’s a ladder around back. When this is over, you can get up there and try for a signal. We need to get some real help out here.”
Leaving the back store room, Maria led Mr. Stepper, Vic and a reluctant James to the front. She opened the front door and a gust of wind blew her ‘Open’ sign to ‘Back Soon.’ She held the door open for the two young men, and Vic tentatively went outside. James remained in the doorway.
“I’m not going any further,” James said. “This is a waste of time. Look around. It’s not even here. There’s nobody here.”
Maria scanned the forecourt, but James was right. The bus was still where they had left it, and the hole in the ground appeared to be deserted. There was no one shouting, no one at all. Maria shielded her eyes from the sun, but she saw nothing.
“I don’t see it,” said Vic. “I don’t see anything.”
“We didn’t imagine those voices. Someone might be hurt.” Maria lifted her gaze to the Kelso Depot but saw nothing. The grand building stood motionless, empty, and yet something wasn’t right. Maria could sense it, like a pressure point building in her head. It felt like they were at that moment before a thunderstorm hits; when the air thickens and comes alive, and the very atoms squeeze and pinch each other in anticipation. As much as she wanted to believe James that there was nothing out here, she didn’t believe it. She knew it was close by.
And so were whoever those voices belonged to.
“Too bad,” said James as he hurled his baseball bat into the yard. “I’m going back inside. This is ridiculous.”
Mr. Stepper shook his head disapprovingly. “You can’t just quit when—”
It sounded like a bomb going off. One minute the bus was there, the next it was flying through the air. The monster appeared from behind it, roaring and charging through the desert toward the store. With every step of its heavy, powerful legs, the ground shook, and Maria almost felt pleased to see it. She wasn’t about to let it destroy her place, not after all the time and effort she had put into it.
The bus smashed back down to the ground, the windows all exploding outward and showering Vic with glass. A dust cloud blew out from the now destroyed bus, and James shouted for Vic to get back inside. A huge plume of dirt had been thrown into the air, and for a moment, Maria lost sight of the creature. She coughed as the hot air was filled with grit and grime.
“Mr. Stepper, you okay?” Maria felt suddenly alone. She could hardly see more than a few feet in front of her.
“Maria, get back here.”
She heard the order, but was disorientated. Someone ran past her, close enough to touch, but all she saw was a shadow in the air.
“Vic?”
“Maria, where are you?”
The dust cloud drifted through the air, and then the monster appeared. Maria wiped her eyes, watching as the giant materialized close by, silently, its head emerging first, then its red eyes glaring at her. Soon, its shoulders and arms followed, and then its giant body. It towered over her, casting the store into shadow as the bus settled and the dirt dissipated. The monster let out a bellow that made her bones shiver with fear. It was letting them know who was boss, letting out a roar that was to tell anyone in the vicinity that their days on this planet were over. It was time for something else to go to the top of the food chain. Maria’s hairs stood on end and her arms shivered despite the heat. This animal meant to kill every last one of them.
A male voice in the distance called out. “Hilfe! Bitte!”
Maria stepped forward, but couldn’t see anyone. The words were foreign, but the meaning was clear. Somebody was in trouble. She began waving her baseball bat around, to see if she had the monster’s attention. Was it looking at her anymore, or had it heard the voice? It was just standing there, as if waiting for a challenge.
Vic, encouraged by Maria and with the beer coursing through his veins, began copying her and waving the pathetic bat around. Standing alongside Maria, he started slamming it into the ground and shouting.
“Get the fuck back in here, Vic.” James remained in the doorway of the store, petrified. The thing standing out there was unnatural, and looked big enough to fight an army. Was it a dinosaur? It certainly looked like it would fit right in with those creatures. It undoubtedly lived to kill. This was no herbivore, but a real meat-eater, one that relished eating as much as it did killing. It seemed hesitant though, as if torn between stamping on the store, or wiping out Vic and Maria.
Mr. Stepper startled James from his revelry. He thrust the end of the torch into James’ chest and pushed him back into the store. “If you’re not going to do anything, then get back inside and help the others. Tell them what’s going on. Tell them to take shelter and hope to God this thing doesn’t come for us.” With that, Mr. Stepper rushed out to Maria’s side.
Glancing at Maria, Mr. Stepper took a tentative step forward and stared up at the monster. It was huge, more terrifying than anything he’d ever seen. It was hard to believe it was real, but the stench coming off its body, the sound of it, the sheer size of it, the thick scaly skin covering its legs that were themselves the size of a house, meant he had no choice but to accept it was real.
“What now?” Mr. Stepper tore his eyes away from the beast, and looked at Maria. “What the hell do we do now?”
Maria could sense it was about to move. She wasn’t about to let anything tear her life apart again. Tony being taken from her had almost destroyed her. This animal could threaten her, her friends, even her livelihood, but she wasn’t about to give into any kind of bully, no matter how much bigger than her it might be. She looked across at Mr. Stepper.
“Let’s send this thing a fucking message.”
She said a quiet prayer, and looked up into the monster’s eyes. “Come on then, you bitch. Come get some fresh meat.”
CHAPTER 8
Cold spread across Mackenzie, though it wasn’t just the dark corner of the store room. Fear gripped him, and he kept imagining the creature crashing through the walls, killing and destroying everyone and everything in its path. What was going on out there? Would Maria really be able to do anything to stop it? They had all heard the roaring, felt the ground shaking, and been waiting for the impact. When it didn’t come, Mackenzie suggested they go and check out what was going on.
“No way, Mac, you stay here with me.” Laurel had a firm grip on his arm. “We need you here. We need to stay put. You’re no good out there.”
“I’ll go,” said Myles. He gently stroked Alyce’s head, and kissed Michele on the cheek who was still trying to find a radio station. “I can’t sit back here waiting and wondering.”
Akecheta was tending to Chris, who was looking worse and worse by the minute. Sweat was pouring from his pale face, and he was mumbling incoherently. Mackenzie knew he needed a doctor, but how they were going to get him one he had no idea. They were trapped.
“No,” said Mackenzie. He pushed Laurel away, ignoring the hurt and fear in her eyes. “I’m not helping in here. I need to know what’s going—”
“It’s here. It’s fucking right outside.” James burst into the back room and stumbled to the floor. He reached out for the nearest beer and began to gulp it down.
Mackenzie frowned. “Where are the others? What
do you mean it’s here?”
James was panting, his breaths coming quick and short. He pointed to the doorway. “That fucking monster is right outside. They’re dead. They’re all fucking dead.”
Mackenzie waited for more, for an explanation, but James just began drinking again. Exasperated, Mackenzie snatched the bottle from James’ hands and threw it away. He grabbed him by the shirt collar, and hauled him to his feet.
“Mac, don’t,” pleaded Laurel. She could sense her husband’s frustration, but punching James’ teeth out wasn’t going to help anyone.
“What are you going to do?” James sneered. “What, you a tough guy? You tough enough to take on Chris’ dinosaur?”
Mackenzie looked at his wife. She was sat on the cold ground beside Michele, her back propped up against some shelving. She was now holding onto Michele, her eyes scared, her body trembling. Mackenzie looked around the room. All eyes were on him, all with the same question. What was he going to do? Myles was all too ready to join the fight. Mackenzie could tell he was angry with James, and Akecheta wasn’t far behind. Chris appeared to be out cold, and Mackenzie was ready to lay into James. Then he looked at Alyce. The little girl was cradled in her mother’s lap, holding onto her puppy. Her eyes weren’t full of fear, they were sad. She seemed resigned to her situation, as if sadness was all she had now. Even Beers was quiet.
Mackenzie pushed James away. “Stay here. Myles, keep an eye on him. I don’t trust him.” Mackenzie looked around for something to take out with him. He needed to have something in his hands, to just feel some weight so he didn’t feel like he was going out there empty handed. There was a rack of sunglasses in a corner, and Mackenzie grabbed it. He twisted the top of the central pole around, and lifted off the top. Brushing aside the glasses, he withdrew the shaft and held the makeshift spear in his hands. It was barely four feet long, but it was better than nothing.
“Mac, let me—”
“No, Myles, you need to stay here with your family.” Mackenzie needed to know there was someone back here he could rely on to protect Laurel. “Please. Just take care of everyone for me.”
“I’m going back out there,” announced James. “I need to make sure Vic’s okay.”
“So now you grow a conscience? Why bother?” asked Mackenzie. “Why not just stay back here where it’s safer.”
“I’m going. I don’t care what you think. Would you rather I stay here and keep Laurel company?”
The smirk on James’ face told Mackenzie all he needed to know. Maybe it was better that James did go with him.
“Fine. Move your ass. But you do anything to endanger me or my family, and I’ll take your damn head off.”
James had found another bottle of beer, and took it with him as he left the back room.
As the store began to shake again, and more items fell off the shelves, Mackenzie turned his back on Laurel. He couldn’t face her now. He had to do this. He would be able to do more to protect her by going out there, than staying back and doing nothing. More than that, he didn’t want to say goodbye. He didn’t want to acknowledge that this might be the last time her would see her. If he accepted that, then he may as well give in to his fear like James had. Clutching the metal pole in his hands, Mackenzie crossed through the doorway and headed for the front of the store.
Without turning back, he headed for the gargantuan monster outside that was threatening to destroy his world, vowing that one way or another, this was going to end.
* * *
Maria watched in horror as the huge beast stopped dead in its tracks just short of the store.
“What’s it doing? Why did it stop?” Vic looked alarmed, and motioned for James to come over. Though he had disappeared for a short time, James was back now, staring at him from within the store. Vic watched as James shook his head and took a step backward, away from danger. He raised a bottle to his lips, and smiled.
Maria watched as the monster just seemed to stand in the road, its head cocked to one side. Its fangs dripped bloody saliva onto the ground and its head swayed slightly, from left to right. Was it watching them, weighing the situation up, or waiting for something?
“Do you hear that?” Vic closed his eyes in concentration. “There, you hear it? It sounds like someone calling for help.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know where it’s coming from,” said Maria. “I’ve not seen a soul all morning and there’s no one else out here. I just don’t…” Then she saw them. “Oh no.”
A young couple were standing in front of the Kelso Depot, beneath a tall Date Palm. Both carried large rucksacks on their backs and wore scuffed walking boots. The woman was wearing a red singlet and had long blonde hair tied back in a bunch whilst the man with her wore a khaki colored shirt and shorts. He was waving his hands above his head and shouting something.
“Oh my God, we have to stop them before they get themselves killed. They must have been hiking and gone into the building earlier.” Maria looked at the monster and the two young people behind it near the Depot. There was no way of getting to them and no way for them to get to the store. The towering beast stood in their path, and she had no idea what to do. All she could think was that they had to distract the monster for long enough to get them inside. She waved the bat around again, trying to keep the monster’s eyes on her.
“Maria, this is useless,” said Mr. Stepper. “It knows we’re here and it’s not coming. Maybe it’s leaving. Maybe it hasn’t noticed them.”
“It has now,” said Vic. “Look.”
They watched in horror as the creature turned around and faced the two teenagers. The man in khaki stopped waving as the thing faced them. Maria could see the fear on his face and heard him calling out for help.
“Was ist das? Hilf uns. Ich bitte Site, etwas zu tun. Hilfe!”
The young girl too, fear aging her, screamed as the monster approached.
“Ich möchte niche heute sterben. Lassen Sie es nicht nehmen Sie mich. Ich will nur nach Hause gehen. Oh Gott. Hilfe! Oh Gott, ich…”
The monster exploded into action, racing across the open ground to them, charging with thunderous footsteps that rattled the teeth in Maria’s head. Its footsteps sent reverberations throughout the store, and within seconds, Mackenzie was at James’ side in the doorway.
“Jesus, what… ” Mackenzie felt rapidly drained of energy as he saw the beast charging across the open desert toward the other building. He heard the backpackers shouting, but his eyes were drawn up to the beast that was bearing down on them.
“Hey, over here. Over here! Leave them alone!” Maria began running after it, waving her bat around frantically, not thinking about anything but saving the two young tourists.
Mackenzie pushed past James who was blocking the doorway like a statue, his feet stuck to the ground with apparent fear.
“Mackenzie, get back here!” Mr. Stepper reached for his arm as he ran past, but he was too slow and Mackenzie ran after Maria, after the beast, after death. Vic began to retreat to the store, and Mr. Stepper found himself caught in a sort of no-man’s land, unable to determine whether it was best to fight or flee.
They were all far slower than the giant creature.
The two young backpackers abruptly turned and ran for their lives. The girl turned her back on the monster and ran for the side of the Kelso Depot as the young man with her sprinted toward the store. He tried to weave from side to side as he ran, weaving an erratic path across the street, as if dodging a hail of bullets instead of the outstretched arms of a resurrected dinosaur. It was close enough now to grab them, but it seemed momentarily confused as to which one of the tourists to go after.
“This way!” shouted Mackenzie as he beckoned the young man over. “This way!”
Maria screamed as the beast picked its target. “No!”
“Sagen, mein Vater, dass ich—”
The girl never finished her plea. She almost made it back inside the Depot before the thing got her. It practically jumped on her, placing a fo
ot on her legs, crushing them instantly, and piercing her back with a claw that shattered her spine in a second. The girl’s screams echoed across the desert, and her wails were reminiscent of a dying animal. The monster repeatedly dug its claw into her as she lay on the floor, plunging it in and out of her, penetrating her soft body, ripping apart the tissue and muscles as she helplessly lay there clutching at the dirt uselessly. The beast then lifted her up into the air, scattering the woman’s blood over the ground. In a mad frenzy, it quickly thrust her back to the ground with a sickening thud, slamming her body against the desert floor three times in quick succession. Finally, the screaming stopped.
The girl’s lifeless body lay prostrate on the ground as the monster retracted its claw. It lowered its head, devoured the body, and then turned to concentrate on its next meal.
“Run,” pleaded Mackenzie. He just couldn’t give up on the man although he sensed the monster had already decided the backpacker’s fate.
“Come on.” Vic waved his bat around aimlessly wishing it was a RPG or something he could actually use. “Fucking move it!”
The young male backpacker had stopped to look back at his girlfriend and was still several yards away from Mackenzie. Clearly torn between going back and standing his ground, the young man had succumbed to a sort of desperate numbness. His legs were dead weight, and the shock and awe of seeing his girlfriend killed had turned him into a zombie. He slowly turned back and faced Mackenzie. The expression on his face was quizzical, as if he couldn’t understand what was happening. It was as if he had wandered onto a film set and found himself surrounded by aliens instead of enjoying a rest break on the way to LA. The young man hadn’t seen everything of what had happened to his girlfriend, but he knew what it meant. He didn’t need to see it all to know she was gone.
Mackenzie saw terror in the man’s eyes as well, and sweat poured from his shaven head down his face, dripping from the end of his nose. It was an expression that Mackenzie was getting to see in too many people.