by Chris Hechtl
“Okay, Allen, you are in charge. Put half on rest; the others split between guard duty and gathering stuff to make fires,” Klinger ordered. Allen nodded. He turned to the others. “Fred, I'm leaving you here with them; take care of the professor,” he said. Fred nodded.
Klinger took Mat with him and rushed back to the camp.
~~~~~O~~~~~
The corporal arrived back at the camp to utter pandemonium. Klinger yelled for quiet and then called a meeting in the main quad at the center of camp.
When everyone was assembled, he took center stage. “All of you know about the Raptors right?” He asked.
The skipper waved it off. “I told them already,” he said, crossing his meaty arms in front of his chest. Klinger nodded.
Klinger pointed down the western beach “Well, there is a seal colony another two miles that way and guess who was in between?” he demanded.
That got people muttering in fear. They looked uneasily towards the flimsy beach wall.
“We're moving people; we have to get out of the way, or we're lunch,” Klinger told them.
“Where? Where can we go?” Quinn demanded.
“Well, I'll tell you where,” the corporal said. “The professor has been on to me to check out a cave. Well, I did; that's where we found him. That is where we are going; it is a fortress. One hell of a fortress, with thick rock walls and a ceiling to protect our flanks.”
That sparked a murmur of chatter as people talked about the idea. Many liked it, but didn't like being exposed outside of camp for the move itself. Klinger had to remind himself that a few people had yet to venture outside the camp walls. Some like Lita and Cookie were also old and would slow them down. Grimly, he vowed to take everyone.
“No! We make our stand here! Not out there where they can hunt us down and pick us off out in the open!” Shawn snarled, fists clenched. He stopped when the hunting scream of a raptor quickly ended open dissent. The camp swung into action and chaos once more.
Klinger set up a few of their precious claymores on the approach path of the raptors and detailed a lookout to stand guard. The guy was to light the long fuse then run like hell at the first sign of the pack.
Back in camp, doc had arranged for the wounded to move, starting with the lightest injured. They hobbled out on crutches or were carried on litters by volunteers. Jane Dask and her twins would go along with them.
It would take hours to walk to the cave, however. Klinger had several people as guards lightly ladened down with gear escort them. The group was fearful but grimly determined to get to safety.
Once they were out the defile gate, Klinger radioed to the cave, letting the guard know that the first team was away.
“Understood,” Allen replied. “Fred said to tell you the professor is running a low grade fever. He woke up briefly, took in some water, then went back to sleep.”
“Understood,” Klinger said, nodding to doc.
Cookie stayed with the others to pack. Teary eyed she packed her tools in wraps. Lita and Betty helped her, telling her to buck up. “It's not the move, darn it; it's that kid, the professor. He's such a good guy, so quiet and sweet. He doesn't deserve…” She sniffled.
Lita patted her hand. “Think of it this way, you've gotten experience here. Now you know what you are in for, and we're better prepared,” the old potter said. “And you can be right there to feed him up right,” she said. Cookie brightened with a sniffle.
Patty brought in things from the beach, sorting them into piles for priority and not. Klinger caught on and heartily agreed.
~~~~~O~~~~~
The girls showed them wheel barrows Roy had made out of wheels from the plane's tiny dumb waiter elevator. He had tried luggage wheels, but they had proven too small. “These are the best he and Quinn could come up with. I know there are more,” Eliza said, looking around. “Is he going to be all right?” She finally asked, deeply concerned.
“He'd better be. We need him,” Allen said grimly.
“Unlike some people we could do without,” the skipper said, giving the Roberts a dirty look. They sniffed and walk off, noses in the air.
Patty, Elsa and Mindy got out the gatherer back packs and loaded them up. Klinger set two guards on them and let them head out to the cave on their own. They left through the defile.
A half hour later another group signaled they were ready. Klinger frowned, now kicking himself for not holding the others up so they could go together. He shook his head and armed Quinn and Wilson. Grimly, Wilson put Dennis and Wendy in the center of the group with small packs and then led the way.
Klinger watched them go with mixed feelings. Some were going light with probably just clothes. A few were carrying luggage, most likely their own. Stupid or perhaps not. Everything was needed for long-term survival. But Patty was right; they needed to prioritize. He did approve of Quinn and Rogers carrying their smithing gear with them. At least some had their priorities straight.
Just after lunch he held up another group until doc was ready to go with the next wave of injured. Gunny Usher was with her. He squeezed Klinger's hand briefly and then they were off.
~~~~~O~~~~~
Arriving at the cave, doc angled her litter in around the bends to the first chamber. Her husband Fred had been busy using the on-hand materials to fashion what he could. They set up the litters and then she plopped down wearily next to Roy to check him over.
Fred was right; he was stable. She peeked at the wounds, tisk tisking about the messy sewing job. She could see the teeth marks in the flesh. She winced. The sharp teeth and claws had ripped through him, but fortunately nothing vital had been damaged. She'd have to open the wounds up to check for damage to his arteries, but since he wasn't bleeding heavily, he might have lucked out. The claw wounds on the leg were moderately serious on the outer thigh. He winced when she touched him. He opened an eye.
“How are you doing?” she asked softly.
“I've been better, Doc,” he croaked. She got him some water and had him drink. He coughed, then forced himself up. She helped him up to allow him to drink, then back down once he swallowed his fill. “Nothing vital is cut. Just chewed up a bit,” he said.
“A bit chewed around the edges, got it,” the doctor teased. He nodded. He pointed to his right foot. “Bastard even chewed my foot,” he grumbled.
She took the shoe off and checked. The shoe leather was punctured and the sock was bloody, but the wounds were small. She cleaned them with water and then bandaged them.
“Honey…” Fred said, sounding concerned.
“Go,” she said huskily. “They need you back at camp; I know,” she said. He pulled on her pony tail to make her look up, then leaned over her to kiss her thoroughly. She smiled as he let her go slowly. She patted his leg, then waved her husband off to go back to camp with the other volunteers led by Ashley and Allen.
“Bring back some of those cushions!” she called after them. “This rock is cold and damn hard!” She growled. Fred spun and gave her a thumbs-up, then adjusted his pack straps and nodded to the others. He took a spear and then they headed to the entrance.
Harris, Ashley and Tim were dubious about leaving the still-injured Wilson as their only guard, but Wilson and his daughter gave him a wan smile and nod. Dennis hefted a spear, looking like he was ready to use it.
Sandy noted the dogs playing with the armadillos but also that the creatures ate the scorpion things and the bugs. She told them to leave the animals alone. She had them pass that along. When one of the armadillos ate a scorpion about to attack Wendy, she decided to take care of them and became their protector. Wilson heartily agreed.
“Anything that saves my daughter's life is worth having around,” he said. Others reluctantly nodded.
“Darn, I was hoping to make a hat out of one like that guy in that Dukes of Hazard movie,” he quipped. Wendy turned a full voltage glower on him. He blinked in surprise, then held up his hands, fending her glare off. “I was kidding!” he said, voice rising.
She went over and put her small hands on her hips. “You leave them alone!” she growled, shaking a finger at him.
He nodded. “Yes, Ma'am,” he said, crossing his heart with a finger. That got a chuckle from the others watching the confrontation.
They passed the follow-up group almost to the cave. Allen pointed the group to the entrance and warned them about the tight turn at the entrance.
While Allen did that, Tim radioed Klinger with a sitrep.
“We'll have the next packs ready, and the third group will set out as soon as they get to base,” Klinger said.
“Cool,” Tim said. “I think we can manage one more run before dark,” he said. The others nodded grimly. They picked up the pace into a trot.
~~~~~O~~~~~
The group of one hundred hustled back to camp, making the three-mile journey there in under forty-five minutes, but they got there winded and dehydrated. They took a hasty break for water and food while Klinger explained the system and defenses.
Harriet and Harris led the third group to the cave. Susan surprised them by demanding to go along. She carried a pack of gear and ignored Catrina's pleas to remain behind.
“She's an adult, Ma'am; she can make up her own damn mind,” Harris said. He looked at the young woman. “Are you ready?” he asked. She nodded.
“We'll pray for you,” Catrina said, sounding mournful.
“Yeah, you do that,” Harris said, turning away. “Come on people, we're burning daylight,” he said, hefting his lances. Together they carried the last of the medical supplies, as well as most of the med tools, bedding, cook ware, and even some cushions.
Chase Mclintock radioed that the second group ware halfway there as Ashley and Harris finished organizing their team to go.
“Head ‘em up and move ‘em out!” Ashley said after a loud whistle. She waved her hand and then chopped it down. “Yo!” she said, moving out.
~~~~~O~~~~~
As day began to fade, the second team arrived and did a quick turnaround. They left within ten minutes, headed back with their load.
Klinger radioed the cave to keep the other teams there at the cave. “There is no point endangering people at night,” he said firmly. The Roberts and Mohammed family looked fearfully around the empty camp. They and a few others had remained behind still dragging their feet. Klinger judged they would shit or get off the pot by morning…if they survived until then.
The campers had an uneasy night, worried about the nearby raptors. Animals were flushed out of the woods by the presence of the predators. Many were agitated or just looking for a way to leave the area, trekking near the camp, making people jumpy.
~~~~~O~~~~~
The next morning all the hunters arrived an hour past dawn. Klinger had been up early; the camp had eaten a sketchy breakfast and had packed up, ready to go. Harris reported that Usher had ordered Elsa and her gather team to search the area and map it for resources. They were already running low on food and fire-making material. Klinger nodded.
The skipper checked the beach but came back shaking his head grimly. Klinger nodded.
The remaining baggage was cleared as was the remaining food, animals, and tools throughout the morning. Klinger remained behind to coordinate the defense and packing with Patty as the group left together.
Klinger snorted when he saw a couple guys heft pieces of the plane. They tried to hold the pieces over their heads with both hands, but the weight was too much. Before they were out of sight, he could see them shifting them about. He made a mental bet that they'd end up dropping the pieces along the route. That was fine; they'd pick them up eventually. At least they were on their way to the new home.
At noon the group returned and took on the remaining electronics and metal bits. Klinger took down the defenses, packing them as well. They reluctantly left some bits too heavy to easily carry for later salvage. The Roberts and Mohammed families quietly took their place at the center of the procession. Their dog was in the animal carrier.
Arriving at the cave, they found orderly chaos. Cookie and the potter were arguing like old hens over the proper placement of the kitchen, but there was a pile of wood and a smoky fire with something spitted on it.
They brought the gear inside carefully. Klinger was amazed when he got past the people milling about the entrance. They had set up the cave cells as rooms, even the Roberts were happy at having an area of their own, even if there was some water drippings from the stalactites above. The interior cell with the giant geode seemed to be a central gathering place, with small caves and clusters of people all around. They'd even gotten to the second level with crude ladders. He shook his head. Yes, they had a good group, a good group of survivors. They'd survive and thrive.
~~~~~O~~~~~
As night fell they had some of the roast and roots, then Klinger and the hunters who still had some energy left used the flashlights, including the ones the professor had contrived, to check the adjoining caves. They killed a few giant insects and a couple scorpions.
The more they explored, the more they were impressed; the cave with the crystal was off to the west of the waterfall and sparkled with the reflection of the water. It reflected light into a lot of the area.
They followed a cavern uphill to a peak, it topped out and then at another cell, this one was open at one end with the narrow river running through it to the waterfall. Upstream along the bank they found another cave; this one open to the air with the water cascading down the back to fill a pool that fed the river.
They returned to the open mouth, impressed by the view. Klinger looked out below. He immediately found trouble, spotting a raptor pack hunting nearby and some people racked outside. He tried to call them in and then swore; they hadn't set the damn radios back up. Instead they rushed off to bring the people in.
Klinger grabbed a pair of hunters and the armory crate in passing. People panicked as the Raptors pushed their way through the bushes and into the clearing. The animals took a look, then dropped their heads and made a threat display of hisses and feather shaking. The group rushed the cave just after the last person got inside, forming a bottle neck.
Fortunately, Klinger missed the crush of people as he shouldered his way through the crowd. He fumbled the lighter out of his breast pocket, lit the wick and then under hand tossed a lit grenade in front of a raptor who stepped on it. The animal faltered, then looked down in time to see it explode, tearing it apart in a shower of feathers and gore.
“Cool,” Klinger muttered as he lit and tossed another grenade at the Raptor that had followed. It was trying to corner the Wilson girl, but the explosion had set the animal off balance. It hissed at the shrieking girl, but her swinging club kept it at bay.
The raptor shied off when the echo of the second blast went off, long enough for the girl to get away. She climbed into a tight crevice. The animal hissed and clawed at the crevice while she screamed and poked back with the club. It looked at her, cocking its head this way and that for a moment before it cawed and ran off in a clacking of nails on stone.
One of the hunters set up the claymore just in time as the raptors turned on the humans. He fumbled to light it. Two of the hunters with bows were up in the cave mouth, peppering the raptors with arrows from above. Two of the animals fell while others hissed, looking up at the interlopers. Two more fell, one staggered and fell into the waterfall to be swept away.
Some of the wounded animals backed off, but the alpha was still viciously moving forward.
The claymore went off with a bang, throwing an off-balance Harris backwards to crash into a rock with a groan. The rocks embedded in the mine peppered the predators, shredding the alpha and throwing the remaining ones into full retreat. Klinger picked himself up and used his lance to kill the wounded animals, then called for the medics.
“Home sweet home never looked better,” he chuckled. “Did anyone order in? I think we've got some revenge to have…” he said, poking an animal. “If we can pluck it,” he said wea
rily as people cheered and clapped.
~~~~~O~~~~~
The next day it rained, trapping everyone inside. The experts judged it was late winter, most likely early spring. They spent the time getting acquainted with the cave and making it more of a home the best they could. The great thing about having a roof of rock was that they could have indoor fires and stockpile wood and other material up out of the wet.
Quinn set up the forge near the mouth of the cave, but it became clear that it would be in the way. He took it down and instead helped Allen and Roger set up the lights in some of the darker parts of the cavern that the geode's light couldn't reach.
Roy had a fever and signs of infection. The doctor shooed flies away, but he stopped her. He let the flies land on his wounded leg and arm, much to her disgust. “Doc, you know better,” he said. Weakly he told her the maggots will eat the dead flesh, debriding it to leave clean tissue.
She reluctantly nodded. “How do you know all this?” She had heard of the technique, but they used laboratory grown maggots in the hospital to fight gangrene. A cleaner method was a hyperbaric chamber, but that wasn't going to happen here.
“I've got an edict memory and a curiosity streak a mile wide, Doc,” Roy said weakly. She snorted at that, then wiped at his brow. He was tired, eyelids heavy. She quietly urged him to rest and then went on to check on her other patients.
~~~~~O~~~~~
Several days later they were still settling in. Using binoculars scouts watched the beach raptors tear up the camp, then move on to the next seal colony. That sucked, the hunters had been hitting the seal colonies off and on for meat. Now it would be gone, one way or another.
Scouts watched the Raptors warily. After an all clear, the team inserted into the camp and took a load back to the cave. They were nervous and, therefore quick, just grabbing whatever was closest to the gate and not lingering. There was some storm damage, but no signs that the animals had entered the camp other than some footprints in the dried mud.