The Extinction Trials

by S. M. Wilson

  Which one? Galen? Reban Don?

  “Who?”

  He’d reached the door. He looked back for the last time. “Lincoln. We might not be blood but we’re as good as family. Just remember, he’s not.”

  The boat didn’t look anything like she’d imagined it. Dark and grey, it sat, sleek, in the water. The word Invincible was tattooed in black along its side.

  Seven days. That was how long it would take to get to Piloria.

  She must be losing her mind. Dell’s words had left her reeling and questioning her own actions. There had been no other chance to talk. She hadn’t been able to get to the bottom of what he’d meant about Lincoln.

  Things had moved so quickly. One minute they’d been at the Camp, the next they’d been transported to the ship.

  She’d been right about Lincoln being the poster boy – even if he hadn’t known it. As the transporters had taken them to Camp she’d seen publicity materials in all the streets, huge pictures of Lincoln and some blonde woman, both standing with their arms folded across their chests. It was perfectly posed, with Piloria as the backdrop.

  He’d been horrified. “Where on earth did they get that? I never posed for any picture.”

  She’d shrugged. Nothing surprised her any more. The Stipulators seemed to do whatever they wanted.

  The competitive edge that had been driving her these last few days had vanished. The voices in her head were back. Asking her what she was doing. Asking why on earth she’d want to set foot on Piloria. Why would she even contemplate stealing dinosaur eggs?

  All around her she could hear in-depth discussions. Most of the other competitors seemed to think about nothing but finding the eggs and claiming the rewards. A few were talking about maybe living on the other continent eventually.

  Storm watched as the others started to board. It felt strange. She loved the water. Even Lincoln nearly drowning in the Trial hadn’t scared her off. But feeling the water all around your body was different to being on a boat. Swimming in a loch was a million sectars away from crossing an ocean to another continent.

  “Ready?” The voice made her jump. Lincoln. He looked serious. He’d lost the easy manner he’d had in the servery when they first met.

  “I’m not sure.” She twisted the straps on her bag.

  “Well, make up your mind. Once the boat sets sail they’ll expect you to get off at the other side. Are you ready for that?”

  The big question. Was she ready? Because right now she wasn’t sure. “Are you?”

  “Of course I am.” He swung his bag up onto his shoulder as if it were as light as a feather.

  He paused for a second, looking her up and down, like he was about to say something. But instead he shook his head and strode forward. “See you on board,” he said and disappeared up the ramp.

  It was now or never.

  She sucked in a deep breath. She’d come for the food, but it wasn’t the rewards that called to her now. It was the chance to see a different land and its awe-inspiring creatures. Curiosity was flooding through her veins. Excitement too. It was a mixture of unknown, completely unexpected feelings. She’d never intentionally set out to become a Finalist. But there was so much to learn. So much to bring back and share.

  Could she really walk away from that?

  No. Not a chance. Her black backpack didn’t swing as easily as Lincoln’s had as she bumped it onto her shoulder. Piloria. Here I come.

  The sensation of being on an ocean-going ship was weird. After a few hours on board, at least half of the Finalists were vomiting over the side. Lincoln had to admit to feeling a little sick himself, but luckily not enough to part with any of the food he’d been eating.

  The sway of the boat was calming, peaceful. After the first night, when he’d almost rolled out of his bunk, he’d grown used to it. It was like being rocked to sleep as a baby.

  What didn’t help was sharing a room with nineteen other people. Thankfully, they’d split up the men and women on the ship. Storm was in another dorm. That suited him. Being around her confused him. He wanted her as an ally. She was smart, she was quick and she could hold her breath for longer than anyone he’d ever known. And that was as far as he could think.

  Decisions would have to be made – one way or another. She might be safer with him than with any of the other Finalists.

  The ship had slowed to a halt and a small boat had been lowered. It seemed the crew were used to catching their own fish. This part of the ocean apparently had the best-tasting catch and they were determined to get some.

  A few of the more adventurous Finalists had joined the crew on the boat to have a swim in the ocean. There wasn’t exactly much to do on the ship. Swimming was one way of keeping up their fitness levels for whatever lay ahead. Leif and Rune preferred brisk jogs around the deck against the bracing ocean winds, while Kronar hadn’t come topside the whole time he’d been on board. He really didn’t like water at all.

  Storm sat down next to them in the mess hall. “What’s the plan for today?”

  “No plan, just a bit more exercise,” Lincoln answered. “Who knows what the terrain will be like on Piloria. I want to hit the ground running.”

  “Sounds reasonable. What else?”

  Rune held up his spoon. “What else is there?”

  “I’m still a bit curious about what we’ll find when we get there,” Storm answered. “The Stipulators haven’t exactly been forthcoming. Has anyone looked at the supplies in their packs? Has anyone used anything?”

  “Of course I’ve looked, but everything we need for now is on the ship. Why use anything from our packs?” Rune was still eating.

  Lincoln glanced around to check if anyone else was listening. “I don’t trust the Stipulators.”

  He noticed Storm drop her spoon in shock. “Do you have to say that out loud?” she hissed.

  “I agree,” said Leif, whispering now, leaning across the table towards him. “There’s so much more they could have told us by now. The information is so limited I’m beginning to think we’ve been sent here as a human sacrifice.” He laughed under his breath. “I mean, think about it, a paper map, a compass, virtually no medicines, some crap food, clothes and a water bottle. Before I was only thinking about the Trials. But now that we’re here” – he held out his hands – “there isn’t exactly much else to think about.”

  Storm stared at him with her violet eyes. “What did you think they might tell us?”

  “Something useful, like more information about the dinosaurs,” Lincoln cut in. “How many in a pack? How do they hunt? How do they use their senses? Can they see us, smell us, hear us?”

  “Some weapons that might actually be useful against the dinosaurs,” put in Kronar.

  “Isn’t that the whole point?” said Storm. “We don’t have anything that works against the dinosaurs.”

  Leif leaned back in his chair. “You tell me. You must know more than the rest of us.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Storm snapped. Lincoln could see she was getting frustrated. It wasn’t news that the Stipulators couldn’t be trusted. What had they expected? And why should she know any more than them?

  Leif shrugged, staring off into space, clearly not wanting to go any further. Storm picked up her plate and marched off towards the servery again.

  The three Nordens shot glances at each other.

  “Why are you looking like that?” asked Lincoln.

  Rune shook his head. “Don’t you know?”

  “Know what?”

  He smiled. “Have you actually looked at Stormchaser?”

  “Of course I have. What do you mean?” He looked at her retreating back. Slim figure, muscled arms, tanned skin and a sheen of dark hair. He was lost.

  The three guys smiled at each other again. “Her eyes. Have you looked at her eyes?”

  They were certainly an unusual colour. “Yeah. What about them?” Lincoln was starting to feel self-conscious, shifting in his seat.

  Ru
ne sighed. “Have you ever seen eyes like that before?”

  “No. Why?”

  Leif shook his head and smiled. “Think again. You have. Who else has a set of eyes like that?”

  Lincoln was frantically trying to make sense of this conversation.

  Kronar lifted his eyebrows. “Reban Don?”

  Reban Don. Yes. The same eye colour. Distinctive. Why hadn’t he noticed?

  Then he realized. Reban Don’s eyes were hard, cold. They might be the same violet colour, but Storm’s eyes had warmth behind them. That’s why he hadn’t made the association.

  “Do you think they’re related? She hasn’t said anything, and he didn’t act as if he knew her.”

  The three pairs of pale blue eyes looked at him as if he were some kind of idiot.

  “What? She hasn’t said anything.” It was odd, he felt strangely protective towards her. He hadn’t exactly shared his own motives for becoming a Finalist with Storm, and he was sure there was something she wasn’t telling him. But he’d seen no sign at all that she had any familiarity with Reban Don.

  “There’s the eyes – and the way he watched her,” put in Leif.

  The words sparked an awareness in his brain. They were right. And he had noticed that. He’d thought it was strange the way that Reban Don had seemed to single out Storm with his gaze. Had Reban seen their developing friendship? Maybe that was why he’d been off with Lincoln too. He should have thought about it a little more.

  “If he is a relation she might get special treatment. It might be worth hanging around Storm,” said Rune as he started eating again. Storm was walking back across the room towards them, her food plate refilled and her eyes blazing.

  “But he’s a Stipulator. They don’t have families.” The words just came out automatically.

  Kronar gave a smile and shook his head as she approached. “Supposedly. But who knows?”

  Lincoln’s brain started to spin. Storm had her secrets – just like he did. But something as big as this? From what he’d learned of her so far it seemed unthinkable. But how well did he really know her?

  The first night on the ocean had been rough. The second, completely peaceful. Some waves were definitely bigger than others but the Captain let them know if they were in for stormy weather.

  So the first sign that something wasn’t quite right was when the ship gave a violent lurch to the side. Plates scattered from the tables in the servery and several people slid along the benches, landing on the floor.

  “What was that?” asked Kronar. “Did we hit something?”

  They all stood up and crowded towards the door as the second jolt hit. This time there was a different kind of noise, a scraping along the hull.

  They scrambled towards the exit, Kronar heading down into the belly of the ship and the rest heading up towards the deck.

  The deck was crowded; some people standing around the handrail were screaming. But it was the screams from the crew on the boat below that chilled their blood. The boat for the crew members and Finalists who’d opted to go swimming.

  “What is it?” Someone pointed towards a massive, pale grey shape cutting across the water amid a sea of red.

  “Get in the boat, get in the boat,” screamed one of the crew members to the few swimmers left in the ocean, who were fast-crawling towards the boat. Everyone was panic-stricken.

  Storm was still confused. “What is it?” she asked the person next to her.

  “I think it’s a megalodon.” The ship lurched again as the grey mass banged angrily against it, before disappearing beneath the waves.

  The tail of the giant shark whipped upwards, allowing the spectators no illusions about its true size. “Oh my, it’s as big as a transporter,” breathed one of the Finalists.

  In fact, the megalodon was nearly half the size of the ship. No wonder it made such an impact as it thumped into the hull. They were stuck in the middle of the ocean with a massive beast attacking – and there was no safe haven out here.

  “It’s got the taste of blood,” muttered the person next to her. “It won’t stop now.”

  The screaming continued from below as people scrambled onto the boat. Several of the crew members above on the ship stood next to the hoist, ready to lift the boat from the waves.

  The last person was frantically swimming for safety. Storm recognized him. It was one of the Finalists, Lopus Thran. He’d been good at the Trials. Fast on the cliff face, competent and strong in the water. She’d imagined he’d have a good chance of collecting some eggs.

  She blinked. One second he was there. Next, he was gone.

  There was a gasp around the boat, then shouts from below: “Lift us up. Lift us up now!”

  There was a blip beneath the waves, followed by a bright red pool rising to the surface of the ocean. Storm turned her head away, putting her hands across her eyes. She couldn’t bear to think about what had just happened.

  That was it? One snap of the megalodon’s jaws and a person just disappeared for ever?

  The crew started working frantically, trying to hoist the boat from the waves. Leif ran over to help, arms cranking the wheel as fast as possible.

  But it was too late – too slow. The megalodon rose from the waves, jaws wide, revealing rows of giant teeth. The boat was snapped in half in an instant. No time for thought. No time for action.

  Everyone screamed. The true magnitude of the megalodon was revealed. It wasn’t just big, it was enormous.

  Lincoln sprinted to the side, closely followed by Galen.

  They grabbed ropes, throwing them over the side of the ship towards the people still in the water below, scattered from the remnants of the boat. Others did the same. The megalodon wasn’t finished feasting yet and as soon as someone scrambled to hold onto the ropes, Lincoln and Galen shouted in unison, “Pull!”

  Others on the deck ran to help. Storm snapped out of her shock and moved to grab the rope behind Galen. She didn’t think about the effect of the thick-hewn rope on her skin. She didn’t think about her still-damaged fingers. She just pulled with all her might.

  The adrenaline surged through her body. With enough hands on the rope the weight of a person was negligible. Galen stayed at the front as he grabbed a man by the arms and hauled him onto the deck. Some of the crew members next to them did the same with another survivor. “Again,” Galen shouted, ignoring the quivering body lying next to him. The rope slid back down the side of the ship into the water. The strain was taken immediately as someone grabbed on to it. “Pull,” shouted Galen as he started heaving the next person from the water.

  Storm was pulling too. Anything to help. But after a few seconds of strain she felt an almighty thud. It knocked her clean off her feet and the rope sagged in her arms, the weight gone.

  “No!” Galen gave a shout as he tugged again on the rope – and its frayed blood-soaked end landed on the deck next to him.

  Storm rushed to the side. The ocean beneath her was empty, scarred with a cloud of red once again. There was no sign of life. No more survivors to be rescued.

  Her whole body started to shake and her vision clouded. She pushed herself away and started to walk without thinking, heading inside. People were still screaming on deck, others rushing to help those they’d pulled from the water. But Storm was at breaking point. Black spots appeared in her vision. She had to move. She had to get away. She couldn’t suck air into her lungs any more.

  She pushed through the door and walked down the grey metal steps towards the bunk rooms. Kronar was right to stay inside. It was the only safe place.

  Her mind was swimming, haunting memories flashing through her mind.

  She needed to get away from all of this.

  It took over an hour to find her. Most people had stood shell-shocked on the deck for a while after the attack. The megalodon had circled for a long time, snapping at floating remnants of the boat on the surface of the water. Red quickly faded to pink, the colour disappearing completely within a few minutes, leaving n
o trace of the lives that had been lost.

  The crew were quiet, moving silently, dealing with the equipment left lying around.

  Lincoln walked for ever. There wasn’t a bit of this ship he hadn’t explored. He finally found her at the lowest point Finalists were allowed access to, sitting alone in a dark corridor.

  He didn’t speak, he just slid down the wall next to her and sat on the floor.

  There was hardly any light in the corridor at all. But he could see the glint of wet tears on her cheeks and hear her rapid breathing. So he kept quiet. He just reached over and captured her hand in his.

  She didn’t pull away. She didn’t object. She just sat. Her breathing finally slowed and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

  “How many?” she whispered.

  “Seven. Three crew. Four Finalists.”

  Silence ensued. Both thinking about the people lost.

  “What about Galen?”

  “What about him?”

  She let out a long slow breath. “I didn’t expect that from him. I didn’t expect he’d help anyone else.”

  “I think he got a fright. I heard he’d been in the water himself earlier.” He paused for a second. “Do you want to go back up to the others?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. Let’s just sit a while.”

  He could do that. There was something soothing about being down here, listening to the throb of the engine, out of the way of the other crew members and Finalists.

  He was trying to push the thought of the megalodon from his mind. Trying not to picture its poor victims. He didn’t want to consider what actually lay in the ocean surrounding them. The loch had been bad enough.

  He had to stay focused. He had to think about Arta. Nothing else mattered. Winning the health care she needed was the only chance he had of keeping her alive.

  Family came first. Always.

  “Why did we come?” Her voice cut through the darkness, breaking his train of thought.

  “What?”

  He didn’t want to answer that question – he didn’t want to reveal his vulnerability to any of the other competitors, even Storm. So, he did what he always did. He turned the question around.