The dinosaur had a huge jaw with multiple rows of teeth and four fully developed legs that brought it onto the crowd in seconds. It tore into people like they were water. All I could see was a spray of blood and bodies. People had dropped me in order to escape and I tried to avoid their feet as I got up.
“Pene! Come on!” Jinn grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the carnage.
“I didn’t do it! I didn’t shot Luther!” I yelled back to her over the stadium’s screams.
“Of course you didn’t. Abraham is a jerk and a liar. We’ll sort this out later.” Jinn looked around and saw someone chewed to pieces by the dinosaur. An arm flew by. “Assuming we survive.” She pulled on my hand, and we ran as fast as we could away from the slaughter. The stage began to fall and crashed to the ground. My ears were hurting from all of the screaming.
“Where’s Tuko?” I asked, not seeing him around us.
“Don’t worry about him. He’ll meet us at the car.”
A woman screamed behind us as one of the beasts from the Hunter clan attacked her.
“What’s happening? Is the dinosaur causing the Hunter clan animals to attack us?” I asked Jinn as we tried to weave through the crowd.
“The animals are only tame when their masters are controlling them. People are dying, Pene. Some of the Hunter clan is dead and their animals are freed. Between the dinosaur, the beasts, and the stampeding crowd, more people are going to die. We’ll be two of them if we don’t get to the exit soon.” Our movement began to slow as thousands of people were trying to leave through the exits all at once. It became so packed in the crowd, I thought I was going to be crushed. Elbows and heads were swinging in every direction. Nobody was listening, and it was every person for themselves. In the bleachers ahead, I could see the Hunter clan with two of their beasts. Abraham was in front.
“There she is,” he mouthed at me from the middle of the crowd.
People are dying all around us, and he’s fixated on me.
The crowd spread away from us, trying to avoid the Hunter’s beasts. One of the them hugged the ground and looked like it was going to pounce on us. There were still too many people to allow us to move forward and a push from behind prevented me from turning back. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. I watched helplessly as the beast flew through the air to fix its jaws on my throat.
A huge leg swatted the beast in the air, and it was flung to the next set of bleachers. The dinosaur leapt with incredible speed and bit the head off the clan animal. Abraham and his clan began throwing their spears at the dinosaur’s hide. Some bounced off, but several stuck in its side. It roared with pain, but I had the feeling they were more annoying the dinosaur than hurting it.
“Don’t we have better weapons against that thing?” I yelled.
“Not allowed in the stadium — clans can’t bring any guns or weapons. The Hunter clans have to keep their spears to restrain their beasts,” Jinn replied as we made it to the exit. We ran through the archway, and I didn’t turn back to see if the dinosaur was pursuing us. What caused it to enter the stadium in the first place?
As we stepped outside, vehicles were careening everywhere. People were screaming and kids were jumping on anything that drove by. If the dinosaur didn’t kill us, a crazy driver would. Jinn was pulling my arm so hard, I thought I was going to trip and fall in the mud. We veered right, narrowly missing a truck full of boys driving at breakneck speed. Their white faces with black makeup stared back at me and they didn’t look friendly. We kept running and behind us I could hear motorbikes revving. They didn’t seem to have the same urgency as the others. For a second I thought I saw one of their arms pointed toward us.
“Pene! Pay attention! Once we find our vehicle, we’ll get back to the main gates. It’s not safe in the town as long as that beast is loose.”
“How did it get here in the first place? Those fences looked pretty strong.”
“I don’t know. Nothing has ever happened like this before. Maybe too many guards were at the stadium instead of watching the town.”
A motorcycle drove by very closely and I felt an arm brush against me.
“Watch it, Gearhead!” Jinn yelled at the biker. He came to a stop and looked back at us. I turned around and saw another biker coming toward us as well. We ducked around another moving truck and tried to lose him. The biker drove along the other side of the vehicle while the first one watched us and was directing the others. I felt like a sheep about to herded by a pack of wolves.
“We got a problem. Those guys are after us.”
“I know, Pene. They think you killed Luther. Probably feel they can get a reward for your capture.”
“But I didn’t do it!” I yelled in frustration while avoiding another car.
“We know that, but Abraham’s group holds a lot of sway. We need to get out of here fast.” She looked around. “Come on, let’s get a lift. It’s going our way.” A large vehicle that looked like a supersized tow truck was driving slowly enough to catch a ride. We jumped on the back with a couple of others and my hand grabbed a hook on a medal chain.
“Won’t the driver kick us off?” I asked.
“Not right away; he’s trying to get out of here quickly too. We just need to get closer to our car.”
A third biker began circling us on the truck, like a shark ready to take a bite out of a wounded animal. They were getting closer to us. Jinn threw a broken chain link at one of the bikers, who evaded it easily. The driver of the truck started shaking the vehicle back and forth, like a dog trying to shake off its fleas.
“I’m sorry I got you into this. You don’t have to get hurt because of me,” I said.
“You didn’t do anything. When we get out of this, we’ll sort this out. My father will help.” She grabbed my hand and I knew no matter what happened in this world, I truly had made a friend.
A hook came sailing through the air to the right of me, landing on the truck bed. A long rope extended from the hook back to one of the bikers. He was fishing and I didn’t want to be caught. Before he could reel it back, I grabbed the hook which was lying sideways on the truck and connected it to the tow chain. The tow truck made a right turn and since the biker didn’t let go of his end quickly enough, he was flipped into the dirt. One down.
Another biker came around the truck and lurched toward me. His arm missed, but before he could grab at me again, Jinn kicked at his bike, making him veer right. Unfortunately for the biker, another vehicle was coming toward him and clipped the bike. The biker tried to recover, but it was too late, and he went tumbling to the ground.
“This is fun,” Jinn yelled. “I could do this all day.” Then the tow truck stopped. The driver got out of his cab. He was a big guy with a dirty cut-off shirt.
“Get off my truck,” he growled. “I have enough problems without being target practice because of you girls.”
“Come on,” Jinn said, “our vehicle is just over there.” She pointed, but the driver didn’t even look.
“I’m not going anywhere until the two of you get off!” We looked at each other. We had no time to argue with this guy. We jumped off the tow truck, and the driver got back in and sped away. Now we were defenseless against the bikers and our car was far away.
“Get away from me, Jinn. They don’t want you,” I begged.
“They’ll want me after I knock a couple more bikers to the ground.” She grinned. She was about to get her wish. In the distance, I could see four motorcycles closing on us.
“Come on!” I yelled, and we weaved back and forth between several vehicles, trying to get lost in the commotion. The Chycle clan were relentless and focused on us as a target.
“We can’t be far,” Jinn called as the bikers shrank the distance in seconds. They were herding us from three directions, only leaving us one way to go. Then one of the bikers was run down by a car.
“Get in,” Tuko commanded. The biker lay on the ground ten feet away shaking his head. The bike was crushed under Tuko’s whe
els as he backed over it. We jumped into the convertible without needing any more encouragement.
“About time,” Jinn said without cracking a smile.
“You’re welcome,” Tuko answered with his usual stern expression. “But I don’t think the Chycle clan have given up yet.” He was right; we had taken one down, but two more had joined their group.
“Don’t suppose you can talk to them,” I said to Tuko.
“No. That clan acts first and asks questions later. They’ll keeping coming until they get you or we get them.” He revved his engine, and for once I felt like he was on my side. Something whizzed by me and was almost impaled in my chest.
“Watch out, Pene!” Tuko screamed. “My sister and I are risking our lives. How about protecting yourself?” He handed me a long wrench, and I figured it would make a great defensive weapon. I was right. About ten seconds later, a chain with a hook clanged onto the passenger door. I batted it away before it could grip.
“Nice.” Jinn nodded. I smiled and then regretted it. While I was silently congratulating myself, another hook had latched itself onto the trunk of the car. I bashed at the metal around the hook, but just made it a tighter fit.
“Watch the car!” Tuko yelled. I gave him a look that said Really? But I did feel a little bad. “I’ve got this!” He pointed ahead, and I nodded. He gunned the engine and headed straight for one of the parking area’s entrance gates. He pulled through and then turned hard to the right, pulling the chain around a pole. The chain held fast to the pole and was yanked out of the car. The biker wasn’t so lucky and didn’t let go in time. He flew off his bike into the field while his bike drove a few feet, teetered, and fell over.
“Oh yah!” Tuko raised his hand in the air.
“Way to go, bro!” Jinn screamed. I smiled until I saw what was coming.
“More bikers!” I pointed, but that was an understatement. There were dozens on dirt bikes, choppers, and several four-wheelers that looked like modified Jeeps. There was no way we could evade that many clan members, even in this chaos. They had the exit to the town blocked off. I had to let my new friends off the hook. This wasn’t their fight.
“We can’t go that way.” Tuko stated the obvious, watching the bikers form a wall, daring us to pass.
“We could go back the way we came,” I joked, pointing to the terror at the stadium.
“Clever idea, Pene.” Jinn slapped me on the back, apparently taking me seriously.
“Let’s go!” Tuko slammed the accelerator so hard, I almost fell out of the car. Teach me to not be serious! We raced back toward the stadium, going against traffic as everyone was escaping in the opposite direction. I saw worried faces running by. I didn’t know what was worse, the pursuing bikers or the dinosaur. Then the car sputtered, slowed down, and stalled.
“What the—?” Jinn asked.
“I don’t know!” Tuko yelled back in frustration. “You know this car breaks down all the time!” He tried turning over the engine again. It made a weak sound and did not start. “Stay in the car! I’ll fix this!” He popped the hood, and his head disappeared into the engine. The distance between the bikers and the car shrank. They would be on us in seconds. I had to draw their attention. I took my wrench and stepped out of the car.
“Where are you going?” Jinn asked.
“I’m making a stand,” I answered and watched as the bikers approached like a flock of hungry crows. The bikes at the head of the group were in the shape of a “V” and they coasted to a stop in a semicircle around us. I expected a group of angry teenagers waving weapons and yelling curses at me. This was worse. They were silent and made no motion to grab me other than to surround us. They didn’t move forward until the lead biker stepped off his bike. He was a tall adult, maybe late forties, with a square jaw and scar above his right eye. He gave no doubt that he was their leader.
“You have something of ours,” he said, looking at Jinn. He didn’t even look at me. I felt I was some possession to own.
“There is nothing here that is yours, Dero!” Jinn spat on the ground. Okay — she obviously knows him. That could be good or bad. Tuko slammed the hood down but didn’t say anything. Dero casually walked around the car, edging closer to me.
“You heard Abraham. She killed Luther!” He pointed straight at me, but he stared at Jinn. “She will go before the council for her sentence.”
“Abraham is full of crap. The shooter was farther back and had some type of rifle. Pene doesn’t even have a weapon. How did she shoot Luther, with her finger?” Jinn sneered.
“That is up to the council to decide. When the son of a chief elder accuses someone of a crime, no other evidence is needed.”
“I’m the daughter of a chief elder, and I say she didn’t do it! Guess we cancel each other out.” Dero looked behind us, and several of his clan got off their bikes.
“Whoa, Dero, chill out, man,” Tuko said, leaning casually against the car. His motion look forced, as if he was trying to look relaxed but didn’t feel it.
“Whoa nothing, Tuko, you’re backing the wrong side. Step aside, and no one has to get hurt.”
“Do I get any say in this?” I asked Dero as he looked at me for the first time.
“No,” he answered and reached for me with his right arm. I pulled the wrench from behind my back and slammed it into his side. I heard the satisfying sound of a rib crunching. He grunted and cursed under his breath but stopped moving forward. He looked behind him. “Get her,” he snapped at the others. I held my wrench for them to see as they approached cautiously. I aimed to get at least more one blow in before they took me.
Then the wall of the stadium exploded. A boulder sailed through the sky and crushed two bikers and a motorcycle. Everyone looked up. The dinosaur had come through the wall, its long tail lashing like a snake, looking for another victim. Its tail moved so quickly, it barely registered as it whipped three bikers into the air. Their landings would not be soft. I felt an arm on my shoulder.
“Get in!” Jinn commanded as Tuko restarted the car. The dinosaur charged, wiping out bikers with his tail like a ball knocking down bowling pins.
“That was stupid,” Tuko said to me without looking back. “You could have gotten yourself killed by attacking Dero.” He turned the car hard to the right to avoid one of the advancing dinosaur legs.
“Maybe next time I’ll let the threatening guy grab me. The offer to drop me off is still available. Then I’m not your problem.”
“Guys, can we like talk about this after the man-eating dinosaur is gone?” Jinn said. It moved with a bit of a limp, yet it still roared, its anger unabated. It moved its tail and a large boulder fell, crushing a parked car beside us. Then it looked down. I didn’t know how intelligent it was, but I could tell that it was looking straight at us. Its brain registered that we were there and that we were prey. It stopped advancing toward the remaining bikers and twisted its head to the side. Tuko saw it looking at us and accelerated. With most people escaping in the other direction, our way was clear.
“Is this car going to make it?” Jinn asked.
“We’re about to find out,” he answered and drove toward the large fence in the distance. Our exit out of town.
We hit a small rise and went airborne for a second. The car rattled as the wheels connected with the ground again. As I recovered, I looked back to see the dinosaur was crouched like a cat, watching us retreat. I knew when it sprung it would be close enough to grab us. We had to slow the creature down.
“You got something to drink in here? Like hard liquor?” I yelled to Jinn.
“Why? Not really the right time for this.” Jinn gave me a puzzled stare.
“Under the seat, in case there were any parties at the Gathering.” He grinned. I reached under the seat and felt a couple of bottles. I opened the alcohol and poured motor oil in the bottle. I remembered a history class where they talked about guerrilla fighters creating homemade bombs. Who says school doesn’t teach you anything important?
“I need a match!” I yelled at Jinn. She fumbled around her seat and pulled out a couple of loose matches, handing them to me. I popped the cap of the bottle. The beer reeked and made my nose crinkle. I shoved the rag pieces inside the bottle and struck the match. The flame fizzled, so I cupped my hand around it to block the rushing air. The flame caught, and the rag ignited. I threw the bottle as the dinosaur was leaping toward us. I didn’t have bad aim and it hit the dinosaur in the leg, causing the flames to drip down its skin. But if it caused it any discomfort, it barely registered as the distance between us shrank.
“Hit it in the face!” Tuko yelled. I repeated my steps with another match, but before I threw the bottle, I froze as I watched the beast’s face. Its eyes registered my presence. Violence and death were reflected back at me. I didn’t know if it had enough intelligence for me to consider it evil, but it wanted blood. It wanted my blood. I threw the bottle and hoped for the best. It rotated in the air and smashed above the left eye. The beast didn’t react right away and I began to think its skin was impervious to fire. Then the flames dripped down into its eye. The beast roared in pain, clawing at its face. Its pursuit stopped as its claws tried to gouge its own eye out.
“What the…!” Tuko yelled. I turned to the front of the car. The large gate was open and damaged. The entire left side was melted, like it had been sabotaged.
I started.
“What could have eaten through the wooden planks like that?” Jinn asked.
“Could an animal have done that?” I asked.
“Not one I have ever seen,” Tuko commented. “Right now, we need to get out of this town and away from all of this.” He gunned the engine, but as we approached, we noticed one car appeared to be stuck.
Clan World Page 3