Monsters In The Mist (The Island In The Mist Book 2)

by C. G. Mosley

  Chapter 32

  The moment that Glenn Hardcastle brought the jeep to a stop, Eric Gill hopped out and drew his gun.

  “What in the hell happened here?” he asked, his jaw dropped wide.

  The first thing he noticed was the fully-grown—and recently deceased—tyrannosaurus rex resting on top of one of his jeeps about fifteen yards out into the water. The next thing he noticed was the vast amount of bright red blood splashed and splattered all over the brilliant white sandy beach. In addition to the blood, he noticed a severed human leg and what appeared to be a portion of a man’s hand several feet away from that.

  “Oh my God,” Hardcastle said, stepping out of the jeep. He was seldom emotional, but the scene before him was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. “Dr. Nelson…Dave…Scott—Oh my God, they’re all gone!”

  Eric gritted his teeth and felt his pulse begin to race as the full weight of what had just occurred began to hit him. He scanned his environment once more, and as if the blood and gore of his deceased employees were not enough of a kick in the gut, he also suddenly realized that the trailer behind the jeep—the same trailer that had contained the juvenile tyrannosaur—was now empty, the metal door to the cage opened and closed lazily with the incoming surf.

  George Powell, seemingly unfazed and still focused on the job at hand, had swung the semi-truck into a wide semi-circle and then began to back the flatbed trailer containing the mammoth crocodile onto the sandy beach as close as he could get it to the water.

  Hardcastle glanced over at George and then over to Eric. “Well, what do we do now?” he asked.

  Eric spat on the ground, clearly disgusted. He swallowed hard, doing his best to contain his rollercoaster of emotions, and then turned his attention to Hardcastle.

  “We move forward with what we have?” he said with renewed determination. “Mr. O will have to understand the setback. We’ll meet with the croc as planned and deliver the juvenile T-rex to him later.”

  Glenn nodded and then began jogging toward the water.

  ***

  “Where is he going?” Silas whispered, his eyes focused on Hardcastle.

  Jonathon gazed out into the sea and raised his chin toward the large barge roughly a hundred yards off shore. “Probably to go and retrieve the cable off that barge. Then I’m guessing they’ll tie onto the croc and use the winch to pull it out there. Once on the barge, they’ll be ready for their package to be picked up.”

  Hardcastle waded into the water until it was waist deep and then he dove forward, seemingly prepared to swim the rest of the way.

  “Well, are we gonna stop him?” Silas asked, readying his rifle.

  Jonathon reached over and pressed the barrel of the gun downward with the palm of his hand. “There is no reason to,” he whispered. “Let him get a little further out and then we can take down Eric and George.”

  When he was convinced that Hardcastle was a safe enough distance away, Jonathon crept out from behind the large rock and rushed toward Eric with the handgun pointed toward the back of his head. Eric was standing beside the trailer, preparing to loosen the straps holding the Sarcosuchus down. He never knew he was being approached.

  “Stop right there!” Jonathon yelled, still pointing the gun toward Eric.

  Eric immediately pulled his hands away from the trailer and raised them over his head.

  “Jonathon?” he asked, his back still turned. “Is that you?” He didn’t sound surprised.

  “The one and only,” Jonathon replied, and he began peering in all directions in search of George Powell.

  “Did you have anything to do with all this?” Eric asked, clearly referencing the death and carnage that occurred at the jaws of the dead tyrannosaur.

  “Maybe,” he replied, still looking around. “George?” he cried out. “Where are you at?”

  “Don’t answer him, George,” Eric commanded. “I’ll be fine. Stay put.”

  Jonathon pressed the gun against the back of Eric’s skull. “On your knees,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

  As Eric complied, Jonathon thought he saw a shadow move under the trailer. George was apparently just on the other side of where they were.

  “George,” Jonathon called out. “I’ve got no problem with you. Just walk away and let me do what needs to be done. I’m not interested in hurting Eric; I just need to stop him.”

  Silas Treadwell stayed hidden behind the rock and kept his rifle pointed toward the end of the trailer. From the distance he was at, and the unique perspective, he could clearly see George’s legs moving beneath the gap under the trailer. George was moving slowly toward the back of the trailer and appeared to be planning a surprise attack.

  Silas waited patiently, and as George slowly moved into position at the back of the trailer, he took a deep breath, held it, and fired a shot toward the metal bumper just in front of where George was standing.

  The shot thundered loudly, and there was a loud clang as the bullet glanced off the trailers metal bumper. Silas was surprised to see George immediately fall to the ground and begin screaming.

  “I’ve been shot!” he screamed over and over.

  Silas darted out from behind the rock and jogged toward the fallen man that seemed to be writhing in pain on the sand.

  “Did you shoot him?” Jonathon asked, wide-eyed and surprised.

  “Absolutely not,” Silas snapped. “I hit exactly where I was aiming!”

  George continued to yell, and as he drew within twenty yards, Silas could clearly see blood on the sand. He could also see a handgun still in George’s grasp.

  “Can’t you see the man has been hit?” Eric asked furiously.

  “Toss that gun away!” Silas roared, ignoring Eric’s question. “Do it now, or I’m going to really give you something to scream about!”

  George immediately complied, throwing the gun wildly toward the surf. As Silas and Jonathon turned their attention to the flying gun, they suddenly realized what was happening, but it was too late.

  Glenn Hardcastle had just stepped back onto the beach and made a diving catch for the gun. Silas immediately pointed his rifle in Hardcastle’s direction and fired. The sand exploded at Hardcastle’s feet as he rolled across the ground, and in one solid motion, he regained his footing. He then immediately crouched to one knee and fired the gun toward Silas.

  Silas howled as the bullet tore through his right thigh and he immediately collapsed to the sand. He instinctively let go of the rifle and grabbed his wound with both hands.

  “No!” Jonathon screamed. He kept the gun pressed hard against the back of Eric’s head, and leaned toward him. “Tell your man to drop that gun, or I’m going to blow your head off!”

  “You do it, and I’ll finish the old man off!” Hardcastle yelled in reply.

  Silas rolled onto his side and peered over at Jonathon. He clenched his teeth and shook his head hard. Jonathon took the act as Silas’s blessing to forget about him. He then looked away from his injured friend and directed his attention to George Powell, still injured and lying on the ground.

  “Okay!” Jonathon shouted. “I won’t shoot if you won’t!”

  “Deal!” Hardcastle replied, and then he too directed his attention to George. “You okay buddy?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” George answered breathlessly. “Bullet ricocheted off the trailer and got me!”

  “Ah,” Hardcastle replied, and he glared over at Silas. “I guess you meant to do that old man?”

  Silas shook his head as he pressed hard on his profusely bleeding wound. “Nah…if I’d meant to do it, I’d have made it count,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Hardcastle eyed the blood that seemingly poured from Silas’s leg. The splotch of red on the white sand underneath him was growing wider every second. He then redirected his attention to Jonathon.

  “Okay, pal, here is the deal,” he said. “Your old friend here is bleeding to death and George is not. Now you can you stay right where you’re at and h
old that gun to the back of Eric’s head if that makes you feel safe, but while you’re doing that, your friend is going to die.”

  Jonathon felt his heart sink as he came to the realization that Hardcastle was right—and Silas saw it hit him too.

  “Don’t you even think about it,” he muttered, sounding half-groggy and half-angry. “This is just a flesh wound. I’m holding pressure on it. I’ll be fine.”

  Jonathon took a deep breath. He could see the color leaving Silas’s face…there was really no choice to be made. Slowly and reluctantly, he pulled the gun away from Eric’s head.

  “Good choice,” Hardcastle said with a smirk. He kept his gun pointed at Silas and commanded Jonathon to drop his weapon on the ground. Jonathon did as he was bidden and immediately jogged over to where Silas rested on the ground.

  “Hang on and remain calm,” he said, quickly pulling his belt off.

  Silas looked up at him and there was a glazed over look in his eyes. “I’m cool as a cucumber,” he replied softly.

  As Jonathon applied a tourniquet to Silas’s leg, Eric approached him from behind. He’d picked up Jonathon’s gun and now held it tightly in his right hand.

  “I should kill you both right now,” he said peering down at the both of them with a coldness in his eyes.

  “So why don’t you?” Hardcastle asked. He made his way toward the rear of the trailer, the winch cable in his left hand. “You alright, George?” he asked.

  “I’m okay,” George replied, finally getting to his feet.

  Eric watched as Hardcastle climbed onto the back of the trailer and attached the cable to the loop on the large harness wrapped around the Sarcosuchus. He glanced at his watch.

  “Our client is scheduled to arrive in about fifteen minutes,” he said. “You and George see to getting the croc loaded up and ready to go. I’ll join you after I deal with these two.”

  Jonathon wanted to protest and he wanted to come up with some sort of plan to stop them. But truthfully, none of that seemed to matter to him anymore. George remained behind and began limping around and loosening the straps holding the Sarcosuchus down while Hardcastle swam back toward the barge. Jonathon could only watch helplessly as the life seemed to slowly leave Silas.

  “He needs a doctor,” Jonathon said, still holding the tourniquet tightly.

  Eric knelt down beside them and reached over for Silas’s rifle.

  “Forgive me if I sound cruel, but quite frankly, I don’t really care,” Eric said as he stood back up. “Look around you,” he added suddenly. “There were several good men that were supposed to meet me here, and now all that is left is blood and body parts.”

  “I had nothing to do with that,” Jonathon replied trying his best to sound calm. “You took the juvenile tyrannosaur and the father followed its scent.” He paused a moment and looked up at Eric. “If there is anyone to blame for their deaths, it is you.”

  Eric sighed deeply and tightened his jaw. A rage built up within him that he hadn’t felt in years. He had been on the fence about what to do with Jonathon, but now he knew.

  “You know, I really didn’t want it to end like this,” he said, pointing the barrel of the gun toward the back of Jonathon’s head. “How dare you blame me for their deaths.”

  Jonathon did not turn to look back at him. “I just call ‘em like I see them.”

  Eric chuckled. He was amused with Jonathon’s arrogance; he couldn’t help it. “Well, if it’s like you say and their deaths are my fault, there is no reason for me stop with them,” he said as he thumbed the hammer back on the gun.

  Jonathon closed his eyes and quickly thought of Lucy. His heart began to ache as he came to the realization that not only would he never see her again, but he would also never get to see his child.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he whispered, a final last ditch effort to save not only his life, but Silas’s.

  “Oh, but I do,” Eric replied, smiling.

  A thunderous boom rang out, and once again, the sand turned red.

  Chapter 33

  Jonathon fell backward onto the sand, but for some reason, he felt no pain.

  Was I hit? he wondered. I heard the gunshot…am I already dead?

  Slowly, he opened his eyes and began feeling around his head for blood. When he found none, he began to survey his environment, and it was then that he spotted Eric, seated in front of him with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his chest.

  He was breathing very deeply and his teeth were clenched tightly. There was no mistaking the grimacing expressions etched on his face were driven by blinding pain.

  “Why?” he rasped. But he wasn’t talking to Jonathon. He was looking toward the front of the semi-truck.

  Jonathon blinked as he began to make sense of what was going on. Standing near the driver side door of the truck and holding a revolver, the barrel still smoking, was Annie. She was shaking, and there were tears streaming down her face. The gun she was holding was now pointed at George, who was now standing across from her with his hands raised.

  “Because you were about to kill him!” she screamed. “You were about to murder him!”

  Jonathon returned his attention to Eric. He wondered where the gun he’d been holding was at. He quickly noticed in lying in the sand next to him, but Eric seemed to have absolutely no interest in picking it up, and even if he did, he didn’t appear to be in a condition to use it. He then looked back down to Silas and the old man blinked and gave a weak smile.

  “Annie, bring me the gun,” Jonathon said as he clambered to his feet. He looked past her and could see one of the Gill Enterprises pick-up trucks parked up the road. “Why did you come out here? I told you to stay put.”

  Annie handed him the gun, which he immediately pointed at George. She said nothing and the tears continued to flow down her face. Jonathon embraced her and kissed her on the forehead. “It doesn’t matter,” he said with a smile. “You saved my hide.”

  Annie looked over at the gigantic prehistoric crocodile, and Jonathon watched as her eyes widened. The enormous animal breathed in and out deeply, and there was a rumbling sound with each breath. Suddenly, the Sarcosuchus lurched forward. Jonathon jumped back, startled.

  “It’s waking up!” Annie screamed.

  For the briefest moment, Jonathon thought she was right, but then he noticed the cable that was stretched out toward the ocean. It was suddenly tight with no slack at all. The prehistoric croc began to slide forward, and when Jonathon looked out toward the barge, he could see Glenn Hardcastle standing over the winch, waving at him.

  Jonathon knew he had to act fast. He grabbed Annie by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

  “Annie, Silas is hurt and he needs medical attention,” he said. “Is there anyone back at the compound that can give him that?”

  Annie looked down at the older man she hadn’t seen in years. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Is he dead?”

  Jonathon looked over at him, and truthfully, he wasn’t sure. Silas certainly looked like he may be dead, but he wasn’t about to assume that.

  “No,” he said quickly. “He’s not dead yet, but he will be if we don’t get him medical attention!”

  Annie stared at Silas and remembered how he’d saved her life when they’d been on the island seven years ago. She looked back to Jonathon, suddenly focused and determined. “Yes, there is a nurse on the staff—she can help.”

  “Okay good,” he replied. “Go bring that pickup truck over here so we can load him up.”

  Annie began sprinting toward the truck without saying another word. Jonathon noticed the Sarcosuchus was almost completely off the trailer and would soon be in the water. He looked back to Eric and noticed that he was now slumped over on the ground and appeared to be unconscious—or dead. George was still standing nearby with his hands in the air, his face ashen. Jonathon quickly grabbed the frightened man by the shirt collar and mashed the barrel of the revolver under his chin.

  “George, I don�
�t have a lot of time,” he growled. “At this point, you’re either with me or against me. If you’re against me, I’ve got no use for you anymore.” Jonathon pulled the hammer back on the gun. He never intended to use it, but he couldn’t allow George to realize that.

  George swallowed hard and was now sweating profusely. “What do you want me to do?” he asked, stammering.

  Annie brought the pickup truck to a sliding stop in the sand next to an unconscious Silas. Jonathon then grabbed George by the arm and all but dragged him to the truck.

  “Help me get him in the truck,” he commanded, gesturing toward Silas.

  Due to the injury to his leg, George wasn’t a lot of help, but somehow he and Jonathon managed to drag the big man into the bed of the truck.

  “Now, get in and go back to the compound with them. Keep Silas’s legs elevated,” Jonathon told him, pointing to the back of the truck. “You need medical attention too.”

  He then handed the gun to Annie. “You get back to the compound—don’t stop for anything.” He paused and eyed George a moment before looking back to Annie. “If he tries anything, kill him.”

  Annie nodded slowly and climbed back into the truck. She craned her head around in an attempt to get another look at Eric. Jonathon went out of his way to block her view. Annie looked up at him and asked, “What are you going to do?”

  Jonathon looked over to the Sarcosuchus. It was now being dragged through the sand and almost into the water. “I’ve got to stop them from taking that animal off this island,” he grumbled. “If I’m not back in another hour, my father and Charlie are in a ship just off the shoreline a little south of here,” he said, pointing. “You get to that ship—my dad will know what to do.”

  Annie told him to be careful and then sped away in the truck. Jonathon ran toward the Sarcosuchus and quickly climbed onto the large animals back. It was now halfway into the water, and he knew that once it was entirely in the water, Hardcastle would be able to reel it in faster. He made his way to where the cable was fastened onto the harness. It was his hope that he’d be able to simply unhook the cable, but he was dismayed to find that it was padlocked.