Jurassic Hell
Page 12
“Help me.” Phoenix began to push on the boulder and the doctor joined her. “It’s all I can think of.”
The boulder at first refused to budge, but as they kept pushing on it, gravity took over. It slipped a couple of inches and then began to roll. It would flatten any of the fragile trees in its path, but Phoenix wasn’t so sure about the dinosaur. It at least would surely give it a nudge in the wrong direction.
“Darius, Karl, watch out!” Phoenix watched as the boulder picked up speed and began to bounce down the hillside right toward the dinosaur. Darius crouched down as it went past him, colliding with other boulders and smashing through the brittle trunks of the bushes and short trees. Phoenix saw Karl duck to his right, toward the edge of the plateau, dodging the rocks that were tumbling downhill.
The dinosaur reared up as the boulder approached. The creature let out another shuddering roar and then lowered its head. The boulder smashed into it and broke in half. Phoenix watched in amazement as the boulder was destroyed.
“Jesus, did you see that?” asked Max. “That thing is tough.”
Phoenix scoured the hill for Karl and Alex. “You sound impressed.”
“Aren’t you?”
“I don’t have time to be impressed when I’m trying to save my unit.” Phoenix scrambled to her feet. The dinosaur appeared to be dazed. It was tough but not impervious to pain. Evidently, the boulder had done enough to buy them a few seconds. Phoenix looked around for another way down the hill. To the left was the sheer drop that Karl had spoken of. There was little point in jumping hundreds of feet onto the rocks down below. Around to the west was their only chance. She didn’t know what sort of terrain they faced, but it was the only viable choice.
“Let’s move out. Follow me.” Phoenix grabbed the doctor’s arm and began to run. She saw Darius, Karl, and Alex all begin to follow her. They all had their guns out now and were firing at the dinosaur. It took a few steps back, and for a moment, she thought that it might back off. Maybe it had realized they could hurt it, that this was a fight it wasn’t going to win easily. The dinosaur snorted and then lowered its head and began to run at them.
“Shit,” muttered Max.
The hillside levelled out, and Phoenix found she was running through open land. The trees and plants abruptly stopped and she plunged into shadow. The island’s volcanic peak obliterated the sun and little appeared to grow here. The flat ground did not last long and the incline became almost impossible to navigate. The surface of the hill was slippery with shale and loose stones, and running was out of the question. She paused and the doctor stopped a few feet ahead of her.
“Why are you stopping?” he asked. “Come on.”
Phoenix glared at him. “I’m not going anywhere without my unit.” Her lungs hurt from running through the heat and her shoulder ached. Her jaw felt like it had taken a beating from a heavyweight boxer, and now her feet were struggling to gain traction in the loose dirt and rocks. “And neither are you. Wait there.”
Phoenix looked back. She shivered as the cool air on this side of the hill began to quickly cool her down. Looking at where they had come from, she saw Darius, rapidly followed by Karl and Alex. As soon as they reached the slippery ground, they slowed down too. They had escaped the hillside only to emerge in a much more difficult area. The incline and shallow, loose dirt threatened to trip them up every second.
“Come to me,” she urged. “This way.”
The dinosaur appeared behind them, and as it took a step into the shadows, it hesitated. Phoenix smiled. It knew this island, this ground, and it knew when to stop. Surely it wouldn’t risk following them here? It had to know it wasn’t safe. She could barely stand up herself and the weight of the dinosaur would surely be too much.
“Holy hell,” said Darius breathlessly as he reached Phoenix. He leant over and put his hands on his knees. “I need to work out more.”
Phoenix snatched Darius’ weapon off him and aimed at the dinosaur. She looked at its blue eyes and tried to pick one out. If she could blind it, then they would really gain the upper hand. She squeezed the trigger and the barrel clicked empty.
“Sorry, I’m all out,” said Darius. “I unloaded everything I had back there. Guess we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed and say our prayers.”
Phoenix watched the dinosaur take another step onto the hillside, hesitate, and then being to move forward. It was still coming, apparently unafraid of the dangerous slope they were on. She couldn’t believe it. She looked around for something else she could use to ward it off, but there was nothing. Scaling the upper peak was impossible and the only way down was to try and use the slippery ground until they reached the jungle. It would be nearly impossible to stay on their feet. They had to go on. If they fell, there would be nothing to stop them continuing down to whatever awaited them at the bottom. The hillside just dropped fifty feet or so and then disappeared. The jungle lay somewhere beyond it, and then the crystal-clear ocean, but Phoenix could not see what was in between. She suspected it would be a painful fall and very likely an even worse landing. The harsh landscape suggested this was not a place for humans. This was the dinosaur’s land. Maybe that was why it was still coming, despite the inherent danger. It wasn’t going to back off until they had left. They were the enemy here, they were the invaders; Phoenix knew they had to leave.
“This way,” said Phoenix. Karl reached her just as she began to make her way to the doctor. “We have to keep going, outrun that thing. It’s not going to stop.”
“Outrun it?” Karl dropped to his knees and opened his pack. He pulled out a grenade. “No chance. We have to take it out while we can.”
“You can’t use that here,” said Phoenix through gritted teeth. “You’ll bring the whole side of the mountain down on us. It’s too dangerous.”
“We’ll see. I’m keeping it handy. Just in case.” Karl jumped to his feet. “I think we—”
“Oh no, Alex. No!”
Phoenix heard Darius call out and looked over to Alex. The soldier had tripped and was scrambling to get to his feet. There was nothing solid to get hold of, and every time he stood up, he fell back down. The dinosaur was gaining on him rapidly.
“We have to do something.” Darius looked at Phoenix. “Please. We have to do something.”
Phoenix felt helpless. Their guns were useless, and they were reduced to their wits and fists. It wasn’t a fair fight. That was why they had to outrun it. They had to outsmart it.
“Karl? How good an aim are you?” Phoenix eyed up his grenade. “Can you really take it out from here?”
Karl shook his head. “Not without risking Alex too.”
As Phoenix watched Alex get to his feet, she knew it was almost too late. The dinosaur was right on top of him. She grabbed the grenade from Karl’s hand.
“Don’t,” growled Karl. “You can’t be sure of not hitting him.”
“Fuck it.” Darius began to make his way back across the slope toward Alex. “I’ll get him myself.”
“Darius, get back here!”
“We’re not leaving him behind,” yelled Darius. “We might be out of bullets, but we’re not out of balls.”
“God damn it, he’ll never make it.” Karl snatched the grenade back off Phoenix. “Darius, Alex, get down. I’m tossing the grenade. I’ll aim high. As soon as it goes, you get over here.”
Karl pulled the pin and drew back his arm. Sweat dripped off his muscles.
“I thought you said it was too risky.” Phoenix felt sick. She wanted to run after them too, to drag Darius and Alex back, but she knew there was no way she would make it. The dinosaur was barely twenty feet behind Alex and was gaining fast. Its weight if anything was actually helping it. Its huge feet crushed anything in its path, and even though Alex was bursting with energy and adrenalin, it wasn’t going to be enough.
“No time for anything else.” Karl threw the grenade as high and hard as he could. “Get down!” he yelled, and he pushed Phoenix behind him.
“You okay?”
Phoenix rolled over and looked up at him. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” She blinked. Dust ballooned above them and she heard more shouting.
“Get up,” said Karl as he put a strong arm underneath her. “I think we just pissed it off.”
Phoenix heard the mournful cry of the dinosaur as she struggled to pull herself up. The rocky ground felt like sludge. Her boots were sinking into the gravel, and it was only leaning on Karl that got her to her feet.
“Max, you all good?” she asked.
The doctor nodded, but his face was white. He looked as if he was in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
“Good,” said Phoenix, not really caring what Max was feeling or thinking. He was the least of her worries.
As the dust cloud began to clear, Phoenix saw what damage the grenade had done. Darius was doubled over, coughing and spluttering as he made his way back to them. Alex too was retching as the dust cloud dissipated. Evidently, Karl had thrown it far enough to avoid them and they were seemingly uninjured. Several rocks were tumbling down the hillside and the ground was trembling. It felt as if a volcano had been awakened. Phoenix saw the dinosaur struggling to maintain its balance behind Alex. The grenade appeared to have exploded close to it as blood poured down the monster’s left flank. The monster was bellowing with rage, pain, and frustration. A large rock the size of a minivan flew past Alex, narrowly missing him.
“Come on, come on,” urged Phoenix. As she held onto Karl, she felt her feet begin to slide downward. “We need to get away from here.”
“As soon as we’ve got our boys, I’ll be right with you.” Karl gritted his teeth. “This hillside is getting worse every second. I don’t know if—”
A dull boom reached their ears, sounding almost as if a submarine had hit the ocean floor. Yet it came from under their feet, under the hillside. The loose rocks around Phoenix’s feet began to move and the land began to subside. A waspy tree covered in butterflies began to tilt toward the horizon and the swarm of insects rose off it into the blue sky. She grabbed hold of Karl, but he was falling too.
“Alex, we gotta go now!” she shouted. The dinosaur was falling too, unable to sustain its balance anymore. It was like a huge skyscraper turning and twisting as it fell. The grey cloud thrown up by the devastated rock surrounding it reminded Phoenix of Iraq and the war-torn towns she had been through. The monster bellowed mournfully as it toppled—right over Alex.
“Help, I can’t—”
Phoenix saw the fear etched on the young soldier’s face. His feet were barely clinging to the surface of the hill, his forlorn face shrouded in the shadow of the beast.
Alex reached out an arm and Phoenix stretched her hand to him. He was too far away and she was moving away from him as the hill collapsed. Phoenix saw the dinosaur fall on top of Alex. He was submerged beneath its hide and then she lost everything. The hillside became a tumultuous river of rocks and dirt. She toppled over along with Karl and began to tumble down the hill, every bone in her body rattling and bouncing off the rocks hurtling around her. She heard the doctor cry out and caught a glimpse of his white hair as he flew past her. She tried to keep in contact with Karl, but he fell away from her. Her fingers reached for him, but he slipped from her and she just brushed his arm as he cartwheeled above her. Silhouetted up against the blue sky, she noticed he didn’t look afraid, just angry and frustrated. A large boulder with cold green algae on its underbelly struck her in the center of her back and she saw stars. Blackness took over her vision then and she felt her face strike the moving ground. There was nothing to slow her fall, and the world began to spin around and around. The blue sky, the grey dirt and rocks, Karl’s khaki uniform, and her own blood mingled to create a canvas of chaos. Her hands reached for something solid to hold onto, but she either grasped thin air or a handful of loose dirt that had no more power to stop tumbling down the hill than she had.
“Phoenix!”
She felt something warm strike her body and then she suddenly came to a stop. It was like hitting a brick wall and the impact knocked the breath out of her. She had come to rest against a large Psydrax Odorata, its roots slowly being torn up by the torrent of rocks striking it.
“Phoenix.”
The voice was fainter this time. Her head felt like she’d only just awoken from a vodka-coma, and the voice was barely strong enough to snap her into full consciousness. She rubbed her eyes, amazed that it was over, amazed that they hadn’t fallen over a precipice large enough to break all the bones in their bodies. The landslide had stopped. The warm object that had landed next to her began to move and she reached a hand out.
“Karl? Is it over?”
Blood trickled over her lips, and Phoenix wiped it away as she gently moved her hand over the body. As the fizzing stars disappeared from her eyes, she realized that it wasn’t Karl. The body was slimmer, and even though it was one of her unit, she knew it couldn’t be him. The tree she was leaning on jerked spasmodically and she gripped the leg of the man beside her.
“Ph—”
The body moved and she saw Darius looking at her through a haze of blood. It ran down his face from the numerous abrasions to his head. One of his arms had been twisted around and was undoubtedly broken. She felt more blood beneath the pant leg that she had hold of.
“Darius, what happened to the others?” Phoenix looked around, but the world had turned gray. There was no horizon, no ocean, no jungle, just an interminable endless gray of dirt and dust. She was half-buried in the loose stones and her body ached. Then Phoenix felt the ground beneath her begin to go again and she looked at Darius for answers that he didn’t have. “What happ—?”
The small tree gave away, its roots tearing up out of the ground. It sounded to Phoenix much like a hurricane ripping the roof off a barn. She had survived enough storms to know the sound when she heard it, and she knew there would be casualties from this. This was real. The hillside had collapsed in on itself, and they were all going to be hurting when it finally came to a halt. Phoenix was flung backwards and she lost Darius in the ensuing tumult. She continued falling, swept away in the swollen river of rocks. There was a roar echoing across the sky and she knew it wasn’t the island. It was the dinosaur. The monster wasn’t dead but falling with them, unable to stop. She felt something sharp bang against her head and open up a deep cut across her chin. Another rock bounced off her right thigh and her hands raked across the ground. It felt like it was going on forever. In trying to escape the dinosaur, they had only succeeded in making things worse. Is that what had happened to Tobias, Jane, and Ricardo? Had they encountered this thing too? The avalanche continued taking her down, and she had no idea when it would stop, or where.
Phoenix tried to scream, to plead for it to stop, to beg for it to be over for her and her unit, but when she opened her mouth, dirt rushed in. It was like being covered in snow, just as suffocating and encompassing, and she knew all she could do was ride it out and pray. Her sisters were thousands of miles away, probably ordering a latté to go with their blueberry muffin while considering how much more they could add onto their mortgage. The bosses at Space54 were safely in thei
r air-conditioned offices already planning the next mission into space, unaware of how many people they had condemned to death by sending them to this island. And Freddy might be waiting on his boat, or he might already be back home with his family, forgetting all about the stupid soldiers he had brought to the island of death. Slowly but surely, they were being butchered. They had underestimated the island big-time.
Phoenix became aware that suddenly her feet and arms and legs were no longer scrambling around in the dirt but free. She felt cool air embrace her and she found herself looking up at the sky. She felt like she was flying, free from the burden of responsibility for this mess, free from the dinosaur’s grasp on her unit and free from the island. God, how she hated it now. She hated that she had misjudged it so badly. She hated how she had to be the tomboy out of her three sisters. She hated how she knew she was going to die having missed out on so much life. Why couldn’t she be the one sitting in a coffee shop with a husband instead of bickering with Karl? Why couldn’t she be the one wearing Levi 501s and driving home for Christmas instead of sweating in a tent in the middle of a barren desert?
A man screamed next to her and she saw Max fly past her. It dawned on her that they had reached the edge of the cliff. The hillside didn’t slope down forever until it reached the jungle. The hill was as deadly as everything else on this forsaken, forgotten island. The blue sky above her was no comfort. It didn’t matter if she died in paradise or a ditch with her legs blown off: dead was dead.
Phoenix yelled in fear and then saw two men flying above her. Several trees were tumbling from the hillside amid a multitude of rocks which varied in size from golf balls to a 4WD. Then she saw the dinosaur. Its arms and legs were flailing uselessly, its monstrous body obliterating the sun. It looked like an airship slowly deflating, unable to maintain its place in the sky. She saw sunlight shine off its teeth as it bellowed and snapped its jaws. One of her men, too far away for her to be able to recognize, was right next to it. The dinosaur’s teeth were snapping at him, as if it wanted to try and eat them even while falling to its own death. Phoenix opened her mouth to scream and then lost her breath as icy cold water wrapped around her.