Why had this thought never occurred to him before? It was only here in this goddam depot, surrounded by monsters, that the fundamental difference between the two generations became clear to him. The children were the future. They would take charge of this planet, conquer it and make fun of their parents who always lived in the past and lamented the loss of a planet that they had been forced to leave decades ago.
“Marlene will come. And we’ll go home!” said Russell with as much conviction as he could muster.
It was getting darker by the minute. The trees merged into a black mass. The strip of orange on the horizon was becoming darker. Russell cursed under his breath. He was searching for one of the night-vision devices when the radio crackled. He leaped over to the device, lost his balance and fell flat on his face. Greg helped him up as Marlene’s voice sounded from the loudspeaker. There was hardly any background hissing, which must mean she was close.
“Russell, Marlene. Please report.”
Hastily, Russell picked up the microphone and pressed the speaker button. “Russell here. Where are you?”
“About half a mile away. We’ll be there in five minutes.”
Russell looked out of the window. He thought he could see the gleam of car headlights through the trees. Perhaps it was an illusion.
“Happy to hear that.”
“We need to know if the clearing is empty. Once we come out of the forest we won’t have any more cover.”
“I can’t see anything out of the window, but my field of vision is restricted. I suspect that some of the acid-spraying beasts are still hanging around in the vicinity.”
“We need to know exactly. Can you provide us with some light, as soon as we reach the clearing?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Good. See you shortly.”
Russell took a box of incendiaries from the shelf. They were filled with magnesium and would create plenty of light. He turned to his son and said: “I want you to lie down there by the wall. With your face to the floor.”
“Why?” asked Greg quietly. “What’s going to happen?”
“Nothing is going to happen. When Marlene and the others arrive, it could get a bit crazy, and I don’t want you to get hurt if one of those monsters is lurking outside the door.”
With the incendiary in his pocket and a rifle slung over his shoulder, Russell climbed up one of the shelves until he had reached the skylight. He suppressed a cry of pain as his injured shoulder bumped into a protruding box. Quietly he released the latch, lifted up the flap and stuck his head outside. Keeping his feet planted firmly on the uppermost shelf, he craned his neck first one way and then the other. At least none of the creatures were sitting on the roof.
However, he could hardly see anything in the dark. It seemed to be very quiet. When there were animals nearby, they usually made their presence known. Maybe they had given up. Russell turned to look southward. He had to squint, but then he saw a glimmer in the treetops of the forest. A few moments later, two pairs of headlights appeared on the hillside.
Russell pulled the pin on one of the grenades and threw it to the east. The ignited magnesium was so bright that he had to shut his eyes. He threw the next one in the opposite direction. With a loud hiss, a wall of flames was suddenly blazing on the clearing as the grenades exploded. The whole area was bathed in bright light. This would doubtlessly attract more animals, but once the rescue team was in the depot, they could wait till the creatures had moved on again. Russell looked toward the jeeps. Between the two jeeps, a lone wotan sprang out of the forest into the glare of the headlights. He was felled by a single shot. Russell looked around in every direction. No monster in sight!
He ducked back down into the hut, closed the skylight and climbed down from the shelf a little too fast, causing a sharp stab of pain in his left shoulder. Then he hurried over to the door and pulled back the heavy bolt. Rifle at the ready, he crept out into the open. The flames of the incendiaries bathed the open grassland around the hut in a flickering orange light. The crackling of the flames was loud—too loud to hear possible noises made by approaching monsters.
The jeeps drove through a gap in the sea of flames and reached the depot. The headlights faded and the puttering of the engine fell silent. A door opened and Marlene jumped out. She ran over to Russell, smiled weakly and they hugged briefly.
“Thank you,” said Russell. “And I’m sorry.”
“You should be. The drive here was anything but easy. If it had been up to me, I would have let you snuff it out here,” said Ben Hawke calmly as he sauntered up to Marlene’s side.
Marlene threw an angry glance at Ben and smiled at Russell. “Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t mean it like that. He came voluntarily—we all did.” She turned around. “Looks as if the coast is clear.”
“Right now, yes, but I wouldn’t rely on it remaining that way. You better come in.”
Marlene nodded. She turned to her crew: “Grab your weapons and equipment and get into the hut! Our journey is over for today.”
“Hey Russell!” Igor slapped him on the shoulder. He didn’t notice the bandage and Russell cried out in pain.
“Sorry,” said Igor sheepishly. “Is it bad?”
“One of the beasts almost got me, but it’ll be okay.”
“I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Same here. Didn’t go quite as planned.”
“That’s for sure.”
Russell was the last one to enter the depot. He closed and bolted the door.
“Aha, and there’s our trouble-maker!” said Marlene, and planted herself in front of Greg, who had just stood up again.
“I’m really sorry. I just wanted to be with my dad.” The boy was close to tears. It had obviously dawned on him that people had risked their lives for him and were still doing so. Russell still didn’t want to lay any blame on his son. It was his fault, not Greg’s.
Marlene hugged Greg and stroked his back. “It’s okay, sweetie. We’re not angry with you.”
Greg started sobbing again.
Exhausted, Eliot leaned against the wall before sliding down to a sitting position on the floor. “That was some trip, guys.”
Russell sat down beside him. “Did you have a lot of trouble? Wotans?”
“Man, you have no idea how many of those beasts were running around.” Eliot shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe how many creatures had made his life hell that day. “Must have been about ten times as many as we encountered on our last expedition. When we broke down, I thought we’d had it!”
Russell nodded. “Something’s going on here. We made it to the hut at the last minute. There weren’t that many, but they really frightened me.”
Marlene kneeled in front of him. “You said something about greyhounds that spat acid?”
Russell nodded and indicated his shoulder. “Actually it’s an alkaline, but it amounts to the same thing. Spat a nice big hole in my shoulder from a distance of thirty feet! And I only got a few drops. Most of it missed me, luckily.”
“A new species?” Ben was skeptical.
Russell nodded again. “Yeah, I’ve never seen these monsters here before.”
Marlene looked worried. “And then there are the snipers—more of them have been turning up around the observation post in the valley lately. It looks as if some kind of migration is in progress. That would also explain the high number of wotans east of the oil springs. The greyhounds may be pushing them out of their territory toward the post.” She scratched her head. “Everything is heading toward the post. But why?”
Russell slapped himself on the head. “Jesus! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?”
Marlene looked at him quizzically.
“The ocean!”
“What are you trying to say?” asked Ben.
Russell ignored him and looked at Marlene. “From the whale, I could see the ocean. But not where it ought to be.” He paused briefly. “It’s ten miles away from here at most. The coastline i
s shifting inland.”
Eliot shook his head. “Are you sure? How can that be?”
“My God!” whispered Marlene. “Drew’s research. The waterline in the canyon. It’s happening again. Now. At this moment! The ocean is advancing westward. The vast lowlands will become the new ocean bed. The animals are fleeing from the water, that’s the reason for their migration. If the water continues to rise, they’ll head for the pass and the observation post will be trampled down by migrating animals. Millions of starving animals will force their way up the valley and invade the colony. We’re screwed!”
Jack Neaman shook his head in confusion. “How can the ocean rise that high. Tides?”
“No. New California doesn’t have a moon. So it also can’t have any tides,” said Ben.
Russell stood up and looked Ben in the eyes. “You’re mistaken. This planet does have a moon. I saw it!”
“What?” Igor looked at him open-mouthed.
“I saw it from the whale. Beyond the curve of the horizon. It looks like the Earth’s moon, but obviously takes much longer to orbit—probably dozens of years. Now the gravitational pull is causing the ocean to rise.”
“A moon that orbits the planet in years? That’s impossible. It would have to be so far away, it would be beyond the gravitational field of New California,” objected Marlene.
“I only know that I saw it.”
“We’ll talk about it with Dr. Dressel. Maybe he can give us an explanation.”
“Do you really think the colony is in danger?” asked Igor.
Marlene turned around to him. “Imagine a million beasts of prey all saving themselves from being drowned by fleeing the valley. Since they will have mown down anything that breathes by the time they reach the observation post, they’ll be pretty hungry by the time they invade the colony.”
“But they’re only animals! We’ll just strengthen the post at the pass.”
Marlene laughed. “A fence won’t be much help against that kind of deluge. Whatever obstacles we put in their way, they’ll just knock ’em down. It’s already started! The attacks on the observation post; the vast number of wotans we saw today. More and more waves will break down the fences. The first wave will consist of wotans that can’t defend their territory any more. Then it’ll probably be snipers and these acid-spitting dogs fighting over the former wotan territory.”
The fire was dying down outside the window and bathed Marlene’s face in a diabolical shade of red that gradually faded. She spoke her final words into darkness. “The last wave will consist of all the remaining beasts left on the plain. And that wave will overrun our colony.”
Chapter 18
“Dawn is breaking,” said Russell. He pressed a hastily prepared cup of tea into Marlene’s hand.
“Anything to be seen?” asked Marlene.
“All quiet at the moment. We should get going soon.”
“Yes, as soon as it’s completely light. Wake the others!”
The night had been peaceful. They had taken turns keeping watch, with Russell the last one on duty. But nobody had really slept properly. Russell was shattered. He couldn’t stop coughing and was nauseous. He had toyed with the idea of sending Greg back with Marlene and the others and staying here at the depot to confront the creatures alone. He was sure he wouldn’t last long. But he had already caused enough trouble with his maverick behavior, and it was only fair that he now help the group that had come here voluntarily to get him and Greg back safely.
Russell sat in silence next to Igor, listlessly munching on the muesli that he had prepared with powdered milk. It was a luxury, really. Since they didn’t have any milk-producing livestock, this was the last taste of milk they would experience in their lives.
But Russell wasn’t able to enjoy it. He thought about the dangers facing the colony due to the advancing ocean and the hordes of animals. Marlene seemed to be convinced that the threat was imminent, but Russell wanted to hear the opinion of their biologist first. Still, he couldn’t brush aside the thought that his wish not to die a pitiful death from cancer might be fulfilled. But not the way he had wanted. Instead, he would die along with all the people of New California—including his family.
Russell shuddered. It couldn’t come to that! Perhaps their fears were unfounded and Jenny would laugh at them. But if not? Then they would have to find a solution. But first, they needed to make it back to Eridu in one piece!
“Okay, it’s time for us to get going,” said Marlene.
Igor and Ben stood beside the door. Ben pulled back the bolt.
“I couldn’t see anything out of the window, so I think we might at least make it to the forest in one piece,” said Marlene. She turned to Igor and Ben. “You two first, then Russell and Eliot. Greg, stay behind your father at all times and don’t leave him for a second! Understood?”
The boy nodded. He was pale but seemed determined not to show his fear.
“Good. Jack and I will keep up the rear. No funny business. Get to the jeeps and go!”
“I hope we don’t encounter as many animals as we did yesterday,” said Eliot.
“Let’s wait and see. Ready? One, two, three!”
Igor tore open the door and stormed out. Immediately, he stumbled backward into the hut, as if he’d run into a brick wall. At the same moment there was a hissing noise and the smell of burning meat rose in Russell’s nose.
“What the . . .” cursed Ben, who was pushed backward.
Igor slumped against Marlene and slid to the ground. Instinctively, Russell wanted to reach out for his head to protect him from the impact, but he pulled back his hands at the last second. In front of his eyes, Igor’s skull dissolved in a puddle of yellow, red, and white slime. The stench made Russell’s stomach turn.
Greg turned away, retching, and vomited on the floor of the hut.
“Holy fuck!” screamed Ben, and after a brief sideways glance at the body stormed out of the hut. Rapid gunfire. Eliot followed Ben and also opened fire.
Russell and Marlene’s eyes met over the steaming body of their comrade. “Jesus!” she whispered. With a single bound, she was also outside.
“Die! Die you motherfuckers!” Ben’s shrill voice echoed across the clearing.
Through the open door, Russell could see only Ben’s and Marlene’s backs. He turned to Greg. “Stand by the wall and don’t move until I say so!” Greg couldn’t take his eyes off Igor, but he nodded.
Russell released the safety on his rifle and ran out behind Donald Bell, but the offensive was already over. The barrel of Ben’s gun was still smoking. Eliot secured the left flank, Jack and Marlene the right. “Motherfucking monsters,” screamed Ben.
Five of the greyhounds lay dead in front of the hut.
Russell shook his head. They were waiting for us. The whole night. And they knew which side we would come out. Igor didn’t stand a chance.
Russell noticed a white spot on the wall of the hut next to the door. The wood was gradually dissolving. If Ben hadn’t been spun around by Igor, he would have been hit too.
Jack kneeled next to Igor’s body, wailing. “Shit! Fucking shit! My God, Igor! How could this happen?” He stretched out his arms and wanted to lift Igor up.
“Don’t touch him!” thundered Russell.
Jack stared at him out of blood-shot eyes.
“He’s covered all over in the stuff. If you don’t want to lose your hands, don’t touch him!”
“Pretty damn clever, these beasts,” said Marlene, scanning the area. “They move in formation and hunt in packs. Like wolves.”
“Perhaps a bit more dangerous,” said Ben, sarcastically.
“How far can those beasts spit that stuff?” asked Eliot, turning to Russell.
“I got the wound to my shoulder from a distance of about thirty feet.”
“Not quite the range of snipers, but they can certainly cause huge damage,” said Marlene. “Let’s get out of here quickly, before more of them turn up.”
“What do we
do with Igor?” asked Jack.
“We take him with us,” said Russell. We’ll wrap him in a poncho and load him on the back of the second jeep. Greg, can you get me a poncho and gloves from the shelf at the back?”
Ben and Eliot checked that the coast was clear, while Russell and Donald heaved Igor’s body onto the jeep. The rising sun bathed the grassland around the depot in reddish light. Only a few little clouds scudded across the sky high above them. As the temperature rose, wisps of vapor rose from the ground, and were blown away by the wind in the direction of Mount Fairweather. The rocky peak loomed up in the north like a sentinel. But it couldn’t provide them with any protection.
“Oh fuck!” Russell heard Ben’s voice. He followed Ben’s gaze and nearly froze with shock.
“Greyhounds!” he whispered to Marlene, who was standing next to him. “Dozens of them. We have to get out of here!”
The animals trotted slowly but steadily into the glade. They weren’t on the attack, but once they caught the scent of humans, they could be here in two minutes. More and more of the scrawny creatures emerged from the forest.
“Mount! Immediately,” said Marlene in a calm voice.
Together with Greg, Russell climbed into the back seat of the first jeep that Marlene was driving. Ben had already swung himself into the passenger seat. Eliot, Donald, and Jack drove in the second jeep with Igor’s body on the back seat.
When Marlene and Eliot started the engines, the greyhounds perked up. Two of the animals started running straight toward them. The pack followed.
“Step on it! Quickly!” screamed Russell. He tried to judge the distance between them and the creatures. Perhaps a mile? Marlene drove off, wheels screeching, sped up to thirty miles an hour and headed for the edge of the forest. She swore loudly as she drove over a large stone that she hadn’t noticed. Russell and Greg were flung back and forth on the back seat.
“Can’t you drive faster?” asked Russell, who wouldn’t take his eyes off the animals, who were now only about half a mile behind them.
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