“It’s okay,” Caleb said, keeping his voice soft and pleasant-sounding. “It’s just a little baby. One of the eggs must’ve rolled back here and gotten covered up by all this junk. I can’t believe it didn’t get squashed.” He picked up another piece of meat and handed it to the hatchling, who seemed to be completely relaxed now.
“Just a baby!” Carlos hissed, trying to keep his voice down. “You mean a baby dinosaur! Caleb, just what are you trying to do here? We left our message, and there’s no one else in town. We need to get out of here fast before the T-rex comes back. We don’t have time to adopt a cute little pet man-eater!”
Caleb paused for a moment, scowling up at Carlos. What am I trying to do here, he asked himself. This is a baby Ceratosaurus, after all. It’s not like I could really keep it for a pet. The image of the gutted adult ceratosaurs suddenly flickered through Caleb’s mind, mingled with scenes from recent memory. Aunt Carol and Aunt Nina on the far side of the bridge, Bill in the subway tunnel, Theresa in the basement.
The little animal was already nearly full, only picking half-heartedly at the remaining chunks of beef. With a quiet, contented chirp, it moved forward and settled down on its belly, nestled up against Caleb’s knee.
Caleb looked up at Carlos with a determined expression.
“This is just a hatchling,” he said sternly. “If we leave it, it’ll die for sure. Its parents might have been dangerous, but we can teach it to be friendly.”
“What?” Carlos exclaimed. “How do you know these things can be tamed? This could turn into a very dangerous plan, Caleb.”
Caleb glanced down at the now sleeping infant. He gently wrapped his small hands around it and lifted it up, cradling it against his chest. The hatchling squeaked once and shifted uneasily for a moment, then settled back into sleep.
“How is this dangerous?” he asked, turning so that Carlos had a good view of the creature. “You’re right, I don’t know if it can be tamed. But right now, it couldn’t hurt a puppy, never mind a person. If it gets dangerous later, when it’s bigger, we can let it go. It would probably be big enough to survive on its own by then, anyway.”
Caleb rose gently to his feet and stared up at Carlos resolutely. “I’m not going to leave it to die.”
Carlos remained silent for a minute, staring at the sleeping hatchling. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head tiredly.
“Fine, Caleb,” he said softly. “Fine. As long as we get out of here now. I just don’t want to run into that T-rex.”
“Okay, then,” Caleb said happily. The two of them picked their way back out of the rubble-filled garage and onto the street. Caleb murmured to the baby ceratosaurus and stroked its downy feathers as Carlos set about straightening the horse’s saddlebags.
As Carlos climbed up into the saddle, the hatchling’s eyes suddenly popped open and it began squeaking loudly.
“You’re already hungry again?” Caleb asked it. The creature squeaked repeatedly and began squirming vigorously.
“Come on Caleb,” Carlos called, “let’s get going.”
“Just a minute, I think…” Caleb said, struggling with the suddenly agitated infant. He felt the animal slipping from his grip, and bent down just in time as the hatchling leapt free. It fell only a foot, quickly regaining its footing and scampering awkwardly down the sidewalk.
“No, wait!” Caleb cried out, running after it. Despite its unsteady gait, the tiny creature was surprisingly fast. Caleb was barely able to catch up to it as it bolted around the corner of the fire station.
Caleb skidded to a stop as he came around the corner. The baby dinosaur was crouched against the base of the wall, breathing rapidly with its eyes opened wide in fear. Carlos rounded the corner then, staring at Caleb angrily.
“Caleb, what are you doing?” he nearly shouted. “We have to go. Either let the dinosaur go or bring it with you, I don’t care. Just do it fast.”
“Wait a minute,” Caleb said, looking at the panicked infant. “I think something’s wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Carlos asked impatiently. He fell silent as the horse whinnied and reared up.
Suddenly, the afternoon air was split by a piercing call. The sound echoed up and down the empty streets, like a deep, low siren mixed with a thunderous growl.
Caleb and Carlos's eyes met for an instant, panic written clearly across their faces. Quickly, Caleb scooped up the baby ceratosaurus and tucked it inside his half-zipped jacket. He clung tightly to the shivering infant with one hand as Carlos helped him up onto the saddle. Carlos turned them around and started back onto Main Street, but Caleb cried out in a hushed voice.
“No, no,” he hissed. “Not this way! The baby ran the other way!”
“So now the baby’s in charge? I don’t think…” Carlos started to protest. He stopped abruptly as a long shadow stretched out onto Main Street from Vernal Ave.
With a muttered curse, Carlos pulled on the reins and turned the horse back up the side street, spurring it into a full gallop. Behind them, the roar came again, much louder this time. The horse, driven by fear, bolted down the empty street at high speed. Caleb could hear the growing sound of the tyrannosaur’s thundering footsteps, but he didn’t dare look behind him. They rode half a mile up the street at breakneck speed, then turned sharply onto a larger, eastbound road heading out of the city.
The pounding rumble of the dinosaur’s footsteps seemed to fade a bit as they rounded the corner. For a minute, Caleb thought that the ravenous beast might be falling behind, and he dared a look back. At first, it looked like they had indeed lost the tyrannosaur. Then, with another ear-splitting roar, the great beast came charging into view, bearing down on them at full speed.
Caleb thought he was prepared for the sight, but he was wrong. The creature was simply huge, even for a tyrannosaur. Nearly twelve tons of gargantuan muscle, bone and gleaming fangs, the animal sprinted down the road with terrifying speed. Its titanic legs pumped relentlessly. Massive muscles rippled under the armored skin with each stride, its clawed feet digging great gouges into the pavement. The huge tail swung back and forth in great arcs, a perfect counterbalance to the monstrous head. Caleb found himself locking gazes with the beast. The glaring green eyes remained fixed on the horse and riders like an eagle swooping down on a helpless rabbit. Beneath flaring nostrils, the animal’s cavernous mouth gaped open hungrily. Caleb stared with horror at the vast array of glistening teeth—the largest of which were bigger than Caleb’s forearm.
The beast was only about two hundred yards behind them, and showed no signs of tiring. Caleb peered around Carlos to look at the road ahead. He was dismayed to see that it continued in a straight line for several miles. With all of the weight it was carrying, their horse would never be able to outpace the hungry tyrannosaur.
Caleb scanned the surrounding terrain, looking for any place they might be able to hide in. They were quickly leaving the town behind, with densely overgrown fields and sparsely wooded areas stretching out on either side of them. Numerous homes and farm buildings stood at the edges of the fields, but the thought of the crushed bodies in the ruins of the fire station reminded Caleb that such hiding spots would be practically useless. He glanced back at the tyrannosaur again. It was closer now, by about fifty yards, and the horse was tiring quickly.
Suddenly, as Caleb was looking back at the tyrannosaur, a low whistle echoed from somewhere out in the fields to the southeast. He saw the beast’s eyes flicker toward the sound momentarily, and its nostrils fluttered in excitement. Caleb spun around to look out into the fields. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, as they passed a line of trees, Caleb spotted movement at the far edge of a large field.
Roughly a dozen animals were ambling along the edge of the field. They were large, about thirty feet long, with swinging, yellow-striped tails. They moved on all fours, with small, slender forelimbs and massive hind legs. Gracefully curved necks continuously dipped down to the ground as they grabbed mouthfuls of vegetation
in their duck-like beaks. Almost immediately, Caleb spotted the large, brightly-colored crests crowning their heads.
“Corythosaurs!” Caleb practically screamed.
“What? What did you say?” Carlos gasped. The old man had not yet spotted the distant herd of dinosaurs.
“It’s our chance!” Caleb cried. “Over there—those dinosaurs!”
“Good lord!” Carlos gasped. “More? Now what do we do?”
“It’s okay, they’re herbivores,” Caleb shouted. “T-rex food! Ride straight toward them—the rex will forget all about us as soon as it sees them!”
Carlos muttered something that sounded like a prayer and steered the horse off of the side of the road and into the field. Behind them, the T-rex let out another thundering bellow and veered off of the road after them. Almost immediately, the corythosaurus herd flew into a panic. A chorus of trumpeting hoots echoed across the field as the animals scattered in all directions.
“Quick, follow the bigger group!” Caleb shouted frantically.
Carlos turned them toward a group of five larger corythosaurs, who had bolted to the right. Though it was slowed by the rough ground and thick plant growth, the panicked horse was still faster than the bulky herbivores. In moments they had nearly caught up to the hooting dinosaurs. Caleb turned around to glance at the T-rex, letting out an involuntary shriek of terror as he saw how close it had come.
While the terrain had slowed the horse a bit, it had almost no effect on the tyrannosaur’s long, powerful strides. The beast was nearly on top of them now. Caleb could feel its hot, billowing breath as it charged ever closer, the sound of its footfalls like roaring thunder. Yet the rex didn’t even seem to be paying any attention to the horse at all. Its eyes were locked firmly on the fleeing corythosaurs.
Carlos looked left and right as the terrified dinosaurs weaved back and forth in front of him.
“Go!” Caleb screamed. “Go! Ride right through!”
Carlos shot a quick look back over his shoulder at the looming tyrannosaur, then spurred the horse forward as fast as it would go.
Caleb clung to Carlos's waist with whitened knuckles as they dashed through the midst of the racing corythosaurs. The T-rex bellowed again, its bone-rattling roar mixing with the piercing hoots of the frightened corythosaurs. The horse whinnied in terror as it charged through a forest of massive, swinging legs, pushed forward more by the presence of the tyrannosaur than by any influence on Carlos's part.
Caleb shot a last glance backward as they reached the front of the group of fleeing dinosaurs. Through the surging bodies, he was able to see one of the slower animals make a sudden turn to the left, trying to evade the tyrannosaur’s snapping jaws. The rex turned with it, however, using its thick tail as a counterbalance. The fleeing corythosaur bleated once in terror before the rex’s jaws clamped down on its left hip.
Caleb watched in horrified fascination as the rex jerked its head and pulled a huge chunk of bleeding flesh from the screaming herbivore. The rex slowed, its throat bulging as it swallowed the massive chunk of meat. The corythosaur bleated pitifully and continued for two more lurching steps before sliding to the ground. In seconds, the rex was on top of the thrashing dinosaur, tearing out more chunks of flesh before finally biting down on the corythosaur’s muscular neck. The animal jerked, then went limp with a loud crackling crunch—like the sound of snapping timber.
Caleb tore his gaze away from the grisly sight, burying his face in Carlos’s back. The sounds of the hooting corythosaurs began to fade as they rode off across the fields, but Caleb could still hear the rex give one last, triumphant roar as they rode south, away from Vernal.
Caleb woke hours later from an uneasy sleep, roused by Carlos’s sudden shifting in the saddle. It was late afternoon, and they had stopped next to a small, rocky stream.
“Why did we stop?” Caleb asked groggily. “Are we there?”
The baby ceratosaurus wriggled and squeaked impatiently inside Caleb’s jacket.
“No Caleb, we’re not back to the camp yet,” Carlos answered. He helped lower the exhausted boy down from the saddle, then climbed down himself.
“We just need to rest for a bit,” he said. “We’ll have to camp here for the night. I can’t push the horse any more today.” He pulled a blanket from the saddlebags and set it down against an old log. “Here—sit down for a while. You look even more tired than I am.”
Caleb complied, settling wearily against the soft wool. Carlos pulled a can of chicken soup from his pack, handing it to Caleb along with a bowl and can opener, then began gathering brush for a fire.
Caleb looked at the can thoughtfully, then opened it. The hatchling started squirming immediately, excited by the smell. Caleb poured the soup into the bowl, then carefully picked out the bits of chicken and hand-fed them to the tiny creature.
“So,” Carlos said casually, “I guess rescuing that little guy wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”
“What do you mean?” Caleb asked, stifling a giggle as the infant licked his finger with a tiny pink tongue.
“Well, maybe I shouldn’t admit this,” Carlos said, “but that critter just might have saved our lives.”
Caleb looked at the tiny animal, then back at Carlos. “Are you talking about when he ran away? Right before the T-rex came?”
“Yes. I don’t know how, but he seemed to know that something dangerous was coming.”
“Maybe he had already hatched when the T-rex came and attacked the fire station,” Caleb offered. “Maybe he could smell it or hear it coming back.”
“Maybe so,” Carlos replied. “At any rate, if he hadn’t gotten us over to that side street, we might have been caught by surprise before we could even get on the horse. It was a close chase, the whole way. Even a few seconds could have cost us our lives.”
Caleb stared back down at the ceratosaurus with a look of awe.
“Then again, maybe it was just chance, or coincidence,” Carlos continued.
Caleb shook his head, lifting the fluffy little hatchling up to snuggle against his chest. “No, I think you were right the first time,” he said, smiling. “I think he helped save us.”
Carlos chuckled. “I knew I shouldn’t have said it. Now you’ll never want to let him go.” He shook his head in mock disgust as he continued to gather more brush. “I bet you’ve even thought of a name for him already.”
Caleb grinned. “Of course.”
“Let's hear it,” Carlos prompted.
“Well, I was thinking maybe I would call him Charley,” Caleb said.
Carlos smiled, but Caleb could see a brief look of pain cross his face at the mention of his lost grandson.
“But maybe it would be better if we just shortened it to Chuck,” Caleb added.
Carlos nodded approvingly. “Chuck, then. That’s a good name. But how can you tell it’s a boy?”
“Actually, I can’t at this age,” Caleb said, shrugging. “But if it turns out to be a girl, I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“Probably not,” Carlos said, kneeling down to look at the hatchling more closely. He tentatively reached out to scratch at a downy shoulder, and the tiny creature chirped happily.
“Nice to meet you, Chuck,” Carlos said softly. “You found yourself a fine boy here. You take good care of him, hmm?”
Caleb smiled contentedly. “We’ll take good care of each other.”
CALEB WATCHED IN HORROR AS THE clattering mutant known as “Clank” shambled toward the doorway. Its squinting eyes gleamed like tiny red embers as it glared into the darkened hallway, seeming to stare right at Caleb. The creature twitched its spidery fingers, flexing wickedly hooked talons and rattling the countless shards of plastic dangling from its emaciated frame. Caleb tried to push himself back into the darkness, but the others were frozen in panic behind him, too nervous to move or make a sound.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, Joseph,” Bill said from behind the creature.
“I said be quiet,” Clank snapped, “An
d get the stun guns.” Without glancing back, it tossed a set of keys to Bill. Bill caught them and cast a cautious look at the other workers. They watched in silence as Bill calmly began unlocking a large metal cabinet.
“We never know when the Reaver’s loyal servants might stumble upon my secret projects,” the mutant continued. “We must be ever-cautious if we are to…”
Over his shoulder, Caleb could feel Chuck tensing for an attack. A low, almost inaudible growl began to rumble in her chest.
Clank took one more jerking step forward, then froze, its tiny eyes blinking in surprise. With a sudden hiss, its gaze focused on Chuck’s own glittering eyes, as well as the shadowy shapes of Caleb and the others. The frail mutant recoiled with a shriek of panic, stumbling backward awkwardly and nearly knocking over several cluttered tables.
“Spies! Spies!” it screeched. It shuffled sideways quickly, crouching behind a large bookcase. “Spies! And a wild beast!”
Bill simply stared at the screaming creature with a strange, almost sad expression. He quickly grabbed a small electric stun gun, then tossed several more to the other workers.
“What are you waiting for, you idiots?” Clank screamed, pointing a spindly finger in Caleb’s direction. “Seize them!”
Bill continued to regard the mutant with a sorrowful gaze. “I’m terribly sorry, Joseph,” he said calmly. He cast a look at the two men nearest the creature. One was tall and thin, with tangled hair, the other short and muscular with a shaved head. They returned Bill’s look with tense, excited expressions.
“Lucas, Tully,” he said, pointing at the trembling beast, “seize him.”
For a moment, the creature only stared at Bill in wide-eyed disbelief. As the others approached, however, it suddenly flew into a frenzy of flailing limbs and panicked screaming.
“You traitor!” it screeched, glaring at Bill with a look of complete and utter hatred. “You’re all traitors! I can’t trust anyone—not the Reaver, not you, not anyone!”
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