Darkest Night

by James Cherry

  "Amazing,” Ayako breathed.

  “That’s not all,” said Doctor Burch. He pulled out the plaster cast of the talon print from his pack and handed it to her.

  Ayako stared in amazement. She traded the tooth for the cast and examined it carefully, turning the cast over in her hand. She said, “Well, my first impression of the cast from its size and shape is that it appears to be a new class of Aves, possibly from the order Falconiformes. The thermal image we viewed revealed otherwise." She rubbed her temple in thought. “With four legs, teeth, and snake-like body, I don’t even know if I would even place it within the class of Aves."

  Suddenly, her face brightened as an idea popped into her head. She said, “It may be a distant cousin of the Archaeopteryx lithographica. We will need some help from a Paleontologist on this one and I know just the man.”

  "Who?" asked the doctor.

  "He is a friend from my days at the University. I believe you know of him, Doctor Hui-Ming Chin?" replied Ayako.

  Doctor Burch nodded in affirmation.

  She continued, "His main area of interest is flying dinosaurs. He recently discovered a new species of flying dinosaur in China. Did you ever hear about Archaeopteryx gigas?"

  Ron interjected, “What in blue blazes does that mean?”

  Ayako turned to Ron and replied, “It means ancient winged giant.”

  The doctor shook his head and said, "I never heard of that one. When did he discover it? What is it? I take it from the name it's a flying bird-like dino?"

  Ayako nodded and said, "It’s a new species of flying dinosaur with feathers and a forty-foot wingspan. He discovered it while on a dig in China three years ago. I believe it was dated back to the early Triassic period though I am not familiar with the rest of the particulars of this creature since I really don't have an interest in dinosaurs. Doctor Chin just might be able to help us with this new species though. I will contact him when we get stateside."

  "Please do that, It would be interesting to hear the point of view of a Paleontologist," the doctor replied.

  Doctor Burch glanced up and saw Bo had managed to get the new terminal in place while he and Ayako had been talking. Since he hadn’t had time to repair the damaged terminal, he had simply removed a working terminal from another location and brought it here.

  The doctor picked up his laptop and moved to a position close to the new terminal. Clearing debris from a spot, he sat on the ground and placed the laptop in front of him. As Ayako plugged the USB cable into the new terminal, the doctor started the arming process.

  Since Ayako's laptop had been damaged by the stampeding cattle the night before, he had the only working laptop. He would have to take safeguards to protect the data contained within.

  The doctor had originally wanted to place multiple terminals around this particular field, but had ultimately decided against it. Unlike the typical brushy configuration of the other fields, this one was square, flat, and devoid of scrub brush altogether, which allowed for one terminal to capture images throughout the entire field.

  The reason he had chosen this particular field to set up his observation post was because the local villagers had claimed it was a hotspot for attacks. More dead cattle had been found in this location than in all the other fields combined. It was possible the attacks were more frequent here because of the lack of brush, making the prey more visible to the night flyers above.

  The doctor gazed across the field and looked over the numerous cattle that were milling about. He knew the total cattle herd was huge, with over five thousand head spread out on over a hundred thousand acres. The rancher whom owned the cattle was a man by the name of Javier Martinez. Javier was originally a wealthy businessman from Mexico City and had expanded his business empire to include cattle farming. Javier had purchased land in the countryside surrounding Mexico City from locals at bargain prices. Within months, he had the landscape filled to the horizon with his cattle and had hired numerous locals to manage the animals. The local managers were all paid well and were extremely loyal to Javier. They had also been very forthcoming to the team in providing much needed information.

  The cattle roamed freely from field to field, since Javier had not bothered with fences. The open fields were divided by rocky areas interspersed with scrub brush and thinly wooded areas. In actuality, the entire land was one big open area with the only distinction between fields being old fencerows overgrown with tall wiry trees and the occasional sparse patch of sickly timber. The whole area was hot and arid, with almost desert-like conditions. A few small creeks meandered through various parts of the landscape, cutting a swath through the dusty ground. This offered the cattle much needed water and the few trees, which dotted the landscape, gave them some measure of shade.

  Doctor Burch knew that this particular field held over five hundred head at any one time. The grass was trampled to the point of non-existence, and the ground was hard packed by the weight of many passing hoofs. It was obvious the land was being overgrazed and probably the reason for the sickly cattle.

  After the events of the previous night, he wished he had placed multiple terminal units around this field. With multiple terminals, they would have captured images of the creatures in more detail from different points of view.

  He suddenly remembered the hard drive he had pulled from the terminal damaged by the stampede. Since he didn't have time to examine the hard drive from the damaged terminal at the moment, he would have to do that at a later date.

  The new terminal successfully booted without a hitch and the familiar split screen soon appeared with the thermal image on the left and the radar image on the right. As he settled in for the night and the excitement behind him, a wave of drowsiness threatened to overcome him. He was dead tired.

  The doctor turned to Ayako and said, "I am going to get some sleep now. Wake me if anything happens. I mean anything. I don't care how minor you think it is."

  "I will do that Doc,” Ayako replied.

  Ayako retrieved a rolled-up sleeping bag from a pile of equipment they had salvaged from the night before. The bag was tattered and dirty from the stampede the night before but was still serviceable. She tossed the pitiful thing to the doctor and turned to the laptop and took a seat in front of it.

  The doctor unrolled the bag and placed it on the ground. He turned to Bo and said, "Get some sleep. I can't have you wore out and unable to do your job should we come under attack. I need you fresh and ready to go. Ayako will wake us if anything happens."

  Bo protested, "Doctor, but I . . .”

  Doctor Burch smiled and cut him off, "No buts just sleep. That’s an order, mister."

  Bo nodded and smiled in return. Without another word, he walked to the front of the terminal and cleared the leaves from a circular patch as he prepared to sit down. Once he had the area sufficiently clear, he sat down in the newly formed nest and faced the open field with his back propped by the tree. The terminal, only inches from the top of his head, seemed to offer him some measure of security. He placed his shotgun across his lap and closed his eyes.

  The doctor, satisfied Bo was finally going to get some sleep, retrieved his backpack and placed it down as a makeshift pillow. He gently lowered his aching body down upon the rumpled and dirty sleeping bag, and nestled his head into the lumpy pack.

  Chapter 6

  There it was again, it was the sound of whistling wings. And soon he spied the shadowy shape of death.

  Bo raised his shotgun as the creature circled overhead. His thermal goggles clearly showed the streaking red object through the trees. Aiming with the night vision was impossible, so drawing upon his military training he pointed the barrel and did his best to judge speed and trajectory.

  He squeezed the trigger.

  Click.

  The gun failed to fire.

  A sense of panic and dread washed over Bo like a sudden wave. He hastily chambered another round and glanced back into the sky, only to see the creature, talons out, diving in for the
kill. He could see the face of the devil, mouth open with hunger and the eyes… they were glowing, evil, and calculating.

  The eyes.

  A talon grabbed him on the shoulder and shook him vigorously. He flailed out with his fists as he fought for his life.

  "Ow. God damn it," shouted the creature.

  Bo paused in confusion and he ceased his thrashing. Meekly, he opened one eye, then the other.

  Ron stood over him nursing his jaw. "You had a nightmare son. Damn, you have a wicked right hook. Damn near took my jaw off. Shit, boy, just what were you dreaming about?"

  Bo rubbed his eyes and looked around the camp. The first fingers of dawn were starting to lance across the heavens, bathing the area in enough light for him to see that everyone was staring at him with concern.

  He shook his head to clear the last vestiges of sleep and started to stand but promptly hit his head on something above him. The sharp blow caused him to sit down hard and he raised a hand to identify what had assailed him. His fingers came into contact with something smooth and cold. He glanced up and it took him a half a heartbeat to realize he had hit his head on the terminal unit. He hurriedly crawled out from under the terminal, stood, and looked around in puzzlement.

  Ron asked again, quizzically, "So, what in blue blazes were you dreaming about?" He added quickly before Bo could answer, "I had to take that gun away from you, tried to kill me you did. Lucky for me you had the safety on, you just kept pulling on the trigger so hard, I thought you were going to break it."

  Bo replied, "I really don’t want to talk about it. Just a bad dream, that’s all."

  Doctor Burch walked up and playfully hit him on the arm. "Buck up, soldier, nothing wrong with having a bad dream. Just shake it off and help pack up this shit."

  "I take it nothing happened last night?" asked Bo.

  "Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch," answered Marty from a distance.

  "It was still basically a new moon, why didn't the creatures come, doctor?" Bo asked.

  The doctor replied, "I am really not sure. Perhaps the creatures killed all the sick cattle. They appear to go after sick and weak animals, as the healthy ones may be too tough and dangerous for them to bring down. Or maybe they fed somewhere else, where there are more sick cattle.” He paused for a moment, lost in thought. He added, “Maybe they only feed once a month."

  "How is that possible?" Bo asked.

  Doctor Burch replied, "Some reptiles can go months without eating. Take the snake for example. After a snake eats a large meal, they may not eat for weeks or even months."

  "I don't see how blood is a filling enough meal to last any creature a month," replied Marty.

  Bo stepped back, not wanting to be caught in the middle of another ridiculous debate between Marty and the doctor. Marty’s question did have merit though so he listened intently as the doctor answered.

  "It may be filling enough for these creatures. If they gorge themselves, they could spend a month in relative inactivity and survive,” the doctor tapped his head, “and if you think about it, an animal with that size and configuration couldn't really swallow a whole animal and fly off. They would be too burdened with weight. Blood would be a perfect meal for a flying creature that only eats once a month.”

  "Bah, I don't believe it. Water is heavier than flesh so gorging on a meal of blood only would in effect be heavier than swallowing a whole animal," huffed Marty.

  Doctor Burch countered, "Take this into account. If the chupacabra were to swallow a whole animal such as a goat, the total weight of flesh and blood combined would be too heavy for it to take off from the ground. If the chupacabra sucked just the blood, it wouldn’t have to contend with the bulk the combined weight of flesh, bone, and blood.” The doctor paused before adding, “Just my personal opinion.”

  "You know what they say about opinions, don't you?" smirked Marty.

  "No, but I guess I'm about to find out," the doctor replied.

  Ron quickly moved to Marty’s side and leaned in close. He said, "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. I heard that one in the third grade. What's the matter, your brain still on a third grade level Marty?"

  Marty turned to glare at Ron for a moment, and then suddenly relaxed. He smiled and replied, "Touché, Ron, touché."

  Bo laughed and turned to his gear to begin packing for the long trip home. It would be one long day as there was a lot of work to do. All the terminal units had to be taken down and packed and all the gear stowed as they would return to the United States tomorrow.

  ***

  Doctor Burch whistled cheerfully and danced a little jig as he packed flashlights and lanterns into a box.

  Marty laughed at the spectacle and he just couldn’t resist poking a little fun at the portly man.

  Marty called out, "Hey, Doc, you know, you look pretty silly dancing over there, with your fat body and balding head. You ever thought about a career as a clown?"

  The doctor seemed unfazed by the remark as he just whistled louder and danced a little harder. He finally stopped after a few seconds and turned to Marty with a silly grin on his face.

  Marty, taken aback by the behavior asked, "Okay, what's up with you? This mission was a failure and you act as if you discovered Godzilla or something."

  "I did. I take that back, we did discover Godzilla or something. We amassed quite a bit of evidence here.” The doctor began to count with the fingers on his hand. “The tooth, the footprint, the thermal tapes from two terminals. I would call that a great success."

  "It's all inconclusive. The tapes are fuzzy, the footprint distorted, and the tooth is probably a fluke. Probably just a fossilized dinosaur tooth that got lodged inside the neck of the cow somehow," shouted Marty as he gestured into the air. He continued, "I am still going to talk to some locals later today and find out if someone is using raptor teeth as arrow points." He was flabbergasted at the doctor’s unprofessional demeanor. He added, as if an afterthought, "No wonder they call you Crypto David."

  "I'll take that as a compliment, thank you," said the doctor and he smiled and bowed in appreciation.

  Ayako interjected, "You know, Marty, I still have the bite impressions, the hair, blood, and tissue samples to study when we get stateside. We may have more evidence waiting to be discovered with those samples. Don't be so unprofessional and rule everything out as inconsequential."

  "Unprofessional? Me? Doc here is the one who is unprofessional. He sees conspiracy theories behind every bush. He spies gorgons, bigfoot, medusa, and unicorns in every forest. Wacky, if you ask me." Marty twirled his finger around his ear. "The only reason I am here is because I need the paycheck to get me through grad school.” He smiled wickedly and said, “Oh, and most importantly, to prove Doctor Burch for the quack he is."

  "Marty, the only reason I wanted you here was for an objective and rational point of view on any data we collected. I really never expected you to be this resistant to the evidence," the doctor retorted.

  "I am not resistant, just stating the facts. There is a rational explanation to all that has happened."

  "You have your theories, I have mine. You need to respect my theories, just as I respect yours. We will find out in the end who is justified."

  Marty rolled his eyes and said, "I would respect your theories if they were reasonable. Come on, Doc, how do you expect me to believe in flying monsters, vampires, and living dinosaurs?"

  "I never said living dinosaurs, interesting theory though," the doctor said as he scratched his chin in thought.

  "Theory? What? Never mind." Marty turned away, more than a little perturbed.

  ***

  After a good hour of packing and sorting, Marty and the team had loaded all the gear from the observation post into two SUV’s and were nearing the base camp. As the vehicles pulled to a stop, Marty wiped his sweat-covered brow, a little tired, very hot, and really irritable. The heat was unbearable, even early in the morning.

  Marty was ready for the truth. As the others vacate
d the vehicle so that they could pack up the base camp’s assorted gear, he hopped into the driver’s seat and shouted, "Hey, Doc, I'm going to the village to find out what really happened. I will be back in a few hours."

  Without even bothering to look up from a box he was packing, the doctor waved in acknowledgement.

  Marty shot down the gravel road. The trip was rough, his teeth were rattled by every bump and his rear was sore from bouncing. It was a short drive to the nearest village although he had to navigate through ruts, fallen limbs, and other obstacles that frequented the road. He avoided them skillfully and made it to the outskirts of the village in less than twenty minutes.

  Marty pulled in to a wide spot in the road just outside of the village and stopped the vehicle. He turned off the ignition and sat thinking for a while. The more the thought, the more he fumed over the doctor's unprofessional attitude. At one time the doctor was a respected Biologist. What had happened to that man changed his ways so radically?

  Chapter 7

  As Marty sat in the vehicle and brooded, a mob of children seemed to suddenly appear from nowhere. Giggling and laughing, they surrounded his vehicle as if he were sitting in an ice-cream truck.

  He stepped out of the truck, and was immediately inundated by the diminutive, unruly mob. With outstretched hands they shouted “dulce" and "confitar". Marty rolled his eyes and attempted to push through unsuccessfully. The mob pushed back, refusing to give way.

  “Move you little brats,” Marty shouted.

  The children just giggled more and tiny fingers began to probe his pockets. Marty slapped one hand away, then another, in a futile attempt to keep the kids from emptying the contents of his pockets.

  Marty backpedaled until he felt the cold steel of the truck door upon his back and let out a loud sigh in resignation. He reached behind his back and his fingers located the door handle. Quickly opening the door, he slid inside and slammed it shut. He searched the vehicle and located a bag of butterscotch candy that had been stashed in the center console. Loading his pockets down with a double handful of the treats, he took a deep breath and jumped out of the vehicle, right into the exploring fingers of the mob.