by Russ Watts
Don turned around and pushed his way through the thinning crowd back to the car. She was gone. Just like that, she was nothing more than a name on a list, third from the bottom. He could still smell her sweet perfume, and still remember her lips on his. It was Zola’s fault. It was Diablo’s fault. But mostly, it was his fault. He didn’t even know her family. He couldn’t do anything to fix this. He wanted her back.
Meghan, where are you? Don’t leave me now.
Don reached Amanda’s car. She was behind the wheel and he got in as she started the engine.
“Do you mind if we go? Hamish is going to meet me at my house. You want me to drop you anywhere? You want to go home and see if Meghan is there?”
Don shook his head. Last night was so fresh and clear in his mind that it was as if he hadn’t even slept. They had got back to Amanda’s house, and Hamish had swept Amanda up into his arms the second she’d got home. They had talked, briefly, and decided on what had to be done. Hamish wanted no part of it. He wanted to stay at his father’s bedside, as Curtis wasn’t predicted to last more than a few days. Don had convinced Hamish at least to help. Then he had crashed in Amanda’s spare room. He hadn’t wanted their sympathy over Meghan, nor did he want to hear his own grief. He set the alarm, and had slept fitfully since.
Don got up, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. They stank of salt water, blood, and guilt. There was a knock on the door as he pulled on his shoes.
“Come in.” Don saw Amanda enter the room. She had changed into fresh clothes, and wore plain jeans with a dark sweater. The bags under her eyes suggested she had not slept either. He was hardly surprised, given the circumstances.
“Did you sleep?” she asked him.
“A little.” Don didn’t want the conversation that came next. He was going to have to tell Amanda that Meghan was gone, and then Amanda would tell him she was sorry, and then he would probably break down. That was not how he wanted it to be, and he couldn’t handle it right now. There was only one thing he wanted to do, one thing he needed to do. “We should get moving, before…”
“Don, we have to go by Alvarado hospital first.”
“Damn it, Amanda, we don’t have time. We discussed this last night. Hamish has his own car. You and I need to…”
“Don.” Amanda stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. “Curtis died last night. He didn’t make it through the night. The doctors thought he was…” Amanda looked to the ceiling and her bottom lip trembled. “Hamish is…”
Don hugged Amanda and let her cry. Her body was warm and he just held her, waiting for the pain to subside. He held her until she got her emotions under control and the crying stopped. He kept his mind blank, as she shook against him, unable to let his mind go to that dark place as well.
“Go,” he said to her. “Go with Hamish. I’ve got Sam to help me. We’ll manage. I’ll get a cab and call you later.”
Amanda pressed a set of keys into Don’s hands and then walked away. She said nothing, nodding and rubbing her eyes as she left the room.
I need a drink. I could get the cab to stop at Mama Kitty’s on the way to the park. No, better to stop by mine, so I can get a real drink.
OCTOBER SATURDAY 18TH 08:34
Wild Seas Park was now permanently closed. As Don looked out of the truck’s window, he saw the devastation left behind by Diablo and his uninvited killer parent. It was a horrifying scene, and one he was all too familiar with. Death was a close friend of Don’s, no matter how much he tried to leave her behind. Many of the buildings were ruined, either destroyed by the monsters, or burnt down overnight. Several places in the park, including the main office and restaurant, were waterlogged and would be demolished. The park had no future now. They had tried to protect animals, to nurture them back to health and educate people, only for it all to be torn down in one night. Don saw the Freshwater Aquarium, now just a hollow in the earth. The fish inside were all dead, either eaten by Diablo, or suffocated when the aquarium had been destroyed.
Getting into the park had been much easier than Don had anticipated, which was a small mercy. He had been dreading having to argue and force his way in, or not getting in at all. The park was closed, and there were some police cars stationed outside to ensure that there were no trespassers or photographers looking for an unsavoury scoop for the front page. The clean-up operation hadn’t started in earnest, even though several hundred dead bodies still littered the grounds. The reality was that the city had been taken by surprise and no civil defence plan could prepare for a marauding Kaiju. Evidently, the city had been under attack for several hours last night, and the Wild Seas Park was only the first in a long line of casualties. Downtown San Diego looked like a warzone. There simply weren’t enough police to cover the ground required. They were spread so thinly that looking after a marine park full of the dead was low on the list of priorities. The Symphony Towers, the Hyatt, the Union Bank of California, and the Hilton, were high-profile skyscrapers that were no more than piles of rubble now. A state of emergency was called and the city was effectively a no-go zone. Don passed through two checkpoints from Amanda’s to the park. Each time, he plainly explained how he was on the way to the park to secure the animals that were still there, and help with the clean-up operation. There was no reason to doubt him, and so Don arrived at the park early. He picked Sam up on the way, who was one of his few living guards.
At the park entrance, Don used the same reason for needing entry. While most of the aquariums and buildings had been destroyed, a few were still intact, including the Petting Zoo and SeaLion stadium. It was a lie, but the police on guard had no idea which parts of the park were still standing, and so had let them through. It sounded feasible that the animals still needed feeding and looking after, and Don still had his Security ID card, so they asked no questions.
Whilst the local authorities desperately tried to deal with the overwhelming number of dead and dying, the army was being called up to help. The marines were first in attendance, and their priority was to find the monster and kill it. In the confusion, somewhere between the bombs and missiles that had rained down over the city overnight, it had escaped. It was agile, and had caused chaos everywhere. There were theories that it had been killed, perhaps crushed by one of the skyscrapers it had brought down. Others thought it had sought refuge in the San Diego River, while some thought it might even have gone as far as Lake Murray or the Sweetwater Reservoir. With so much ground to cover, nobody was looking at Wild Seas.
Don steered the semi-trailer left onto the Kumeyaay Highway. His cargo was quiet and still, and it needed to stay that way for the next hour, or it was going to become a very interesting journey. The first thing Don had done, on arriving at the park, was send Sam to gather up as many weapons as possible. Meanwhile, he had gone searching for more barbiturates or sedatives, anything he could use to keep Diablo silent. Don had used a tranquiliser gun last night to shoot three large rounds of Midazolam into Diablo, to make sure he stayed put in the holding tank that Sam and Selick had helped him move Diablo into. This morning, Diablo had been so still that Don thought he was dead. He had jammed the butt of a rifle into the creature, and soon found it was very much alive. It had lost a lot of blood, and was traumatised, but still breathing. Don pumped it full of more sedatives, and then unloaded a full clip into its other eye. Diablo was blinded, which was exactly how Don wanted it. He didn’t want the thing dead, not just yet.
“Don, you sure about this?” asked Sam. “Shouldn’t we just leave it to the army? They’re scouring the city looking for this thing, and we’ve got it in the back of a truck. I don’t think this is such a good idea.”
“You didn’t think that way last night, Sam. You said you wanted to hurt this thing, to get revenge for Terrick and James and everyone else it had killed. You can’t back out on me now.” Don drove slowly down the highway, not wanting to draw attention to his unusual cargo. He turned onto San Diego Freeway to bypass the city centre and any more roadblocks. A lot
of the city’s roads were blocked anyway, and the highway was the quickest route to where he needed to be. Don was also hoping to avoid any more potentially awkward questions, especially from men with guns, and so kept the truck at a steady sixty. “Look, your part in this is nearly over anyway. I won’t make you come with me any further than the Port. Once we’re unloaded and get it tied down, you can leave.”
Sam looked at Don. “Are you okay, Don? I mean, is this really a wise move? Look, why don’t we just put it out of its misery. We can cut its throat and dump it in the harbour. No one will even know it was us.”
“Put it out of its misery? Are you kidding me? This thing’s parent turns up and together they kill thousands of people. They killed Zola, Terrick, our colleagues and friends, people close to us. People close to me died, and you want to put it out of its misery? No way. I want this fucker to suffer. I want its mommy or daddy to know it’s suffering.”
“Don, this is insane. You can’t do this alone. Come on, man, just think about what you’re doing.”
“That’s all I’ve done, Sam. I’m thinking about the people who have died. I’m thinking about Meg…about lots of things. This is something I have to do, so don’t try to talk me out of it. I’m not expecting you to do anything more.”
They left the highway and entered the Port area where the smaller roads were surrounded by a cluster of low-rise buildings and warehouses. Don could see the harbour ahead. The last few days had been glorious sunshine, yet now, the sun had deserted them and a bank of dark clouds had rolled in, making the morning gloomy and cool. A slight mist trickled through the buildings as they drove past, and Don slowed as they drove close to the water’s edge. Eventually, Don pulled up next to a battered looking fishing trawler.
“This it?” Sam frowned. “The Mary-Jane. Looks like a heap of junk.”
Don got out of the cab and jumped down onto the ground, grasping the keys in his hand. “This is it. She’ll do fine.” He jumped onto the trawler and noticed the thick rope and tethers that had originally brought Diablo here. He was going to use the same ones to take it back. Amanda had been almost right; they should take it back out into the ocean and dump it. But Diablo had one more job to do before then.
Don instructed Sam to start uncoupling the semi and check on their freight, as he jogged up to the wheelhouse on the trawler. He looked at the wheel, the array of instruments and equipment, and suddenly doubted he could pull this off. It had been twenty years since he had last taken charge of a boat, and that had not been a commercial fishing trawler. He sat down on a cushioned seat and looked out at the open water. With the clouds brewing, there might even be a storm coming. He really didn’t know what he would do if there was.
Sam’s right, I should leave it alone. I don’t know how to drive this thing. If only Curtis hadn’t died last night. Damn, how selfish is that. You only want him alive so you can use his son. Maybe I’m not being selfish. Maybe I just want some freaking help. How can you leave me, Meghan, just when things were starting? Where are you now? I wish I could see your face again. I wish for a lot of things, but they never come true. I wish things had gone differently twenty years ago. I wish I had a beer in my hand and not the keys to a fucking trawler I don’t even know how to start. I need help. To hell with it. I’m not wishing for things anymore, I’m going to make things happen myself.
Don took his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the call log. Finding the number he wanted, he dialled, and hoped he would get an answer. Ryan picked up on the second ring.
“Don? Jesus, what happened?” Ryan sounded scared.
“You were right, Ryan. That beast came to the city. There are a lot of dead. A lot.”
“Jesus.”
The line went quiet and Don wasn’t sure if he should be asking Ryan for help, but he had to. He didn’t like to admit his deficiencies, but he wasn’t going to be able to do this on his own.
“Ryan, where are you? Did they pick you up last night? You back in town?”
“No, I’m still on San Clemente.”
“They didn’t get you? Did you ring Ravensbrook?”
“Yeah. He was going to send a troop over to see how bad it was. I was going to catch a ride back to the mainland with them, but they never showed. I guess things got a bit wild over there, and they had bigger things to deal with.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I found a corner of the mess-hall to sleep in. I started making myself useful and cataloguing what wasn’t damaged. There are plenty of supplies still here, and half of the guys didn’t even get to discharge their weapon before that thing… Anyway, would sure be nice to get home.”
“Well, I was going to ask you for a favour, but it seems like you’re the one who needs a hand. I’ll try to get hold of Ravensbrook, see if we can’t get you sorted out. Hang tight, Ryan. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Ryan hung up and Don felt very old. He ran a coarse hand over his head. He hoped Ryan might be able to help him with the trawler, but it looked like he was going to have to figure it out himself. Ryan was stuck on the island, and Don needed someone right here in the city. He went back down to the deck, and then over the gangway to the harbour where Sam was unlocking the back of the truck.
“Any movement in there?” asked Don.
Sam swung the back doors of the truck open and climbed down beside Don. “Nothing. I think it’s still out cold.”
“Good, that’ll make our job easier. There’s a crane on the trawler. We can move it with that. Once we get it on board, do you mind helping me tie it down? Then you’re free to go.”
“Sure.” Sam looked at Don. “I need to get home. Kelly would kill me if she knew what I was doing.”
Don patted Sam on the back. “Thanks for doing this. We’d better get…”
A car pulled up behind them and screeched to a stop. Don turned around to see the three occupants get out, expecting to see a squad car with guns pointed at him. Instead, the driver was Amanda, and the two passengers were Hamish and Jay.
“Amanda? What are you doing here?” Don felt something was wrong. She was coming to put a stop to it. She was going to make him take Diablo back and hand it over to the authorities. Hamish and Jay were the muscle in case he argued back. If only he had gotten Diablo onto the boat a few minutes earlier, he would be home free.
“Don, how are you?” asked Hamish shaking his hand.
“I’m sorry to hear about Curtis,” said Don, shocked. “Um Hamish, this is Sam, he was just helping me. He’s got nothing to do with this.”
Jay merely nodded and hung back, and Hamish let Amanda speak.
“Don, we’re not here to bust you. We’re here to help.”
“But you said…what about, you know… Hamish has just lost his father. You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous and…” Don didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t believe they had all come to help with his crazy plan.
“Don, my father died last night, and I’ve got the rest of my life to spend grieving for him,” said Hamish. “That monster you’ve got hidden in the back of that truck though, is the reason my father died. I owe it to him to get justice. I owe it to my mother, who is devastated and right now can’t stop crying.”
“Hamish, I can’t ask you to…”
“You don’t have a choice, Don. Amanda told me what you’re planning. I think it’s insane. I also think it’s not only the best thing to do, but the only thing we can do. Plus, the Mary-Jane is my boat, and I’m the captain. So you want to take it, you’ve got to answer to me.” Hamish took the keys from Don’s hand and marched off toward the boat as his voice cracked.
Don looked at Amanda. “He’s right. There’s nothing we can do for Curtis now, except try and sort this mess out. We created it, and we’re ending it.” Amanda pulled back the truck’s other back door and pinned it into place. “Sam, right? You want to help? Go help Hamish with the crane. I’ve got this. Jay, get up here.”
Don watched i
n amazement as Amanda and Jay prepared the harness with Diablo cradled inside, and heard the trawler’s engine kick into life. He jumped up into the back of the truck to help them attach the cables, so that they could get Diablo back on the boat.
“Amanda, I can’t promise how this is going to go down, you know? Anything could happen out there. I’m not sure you should be…”
“Don, shut up and hand me that lock. I’m not doing this for you, or for Hamish, or for Zola, or anyone else. I’m doing it because I have to. If I’d spoken up or made Zola listen to me, I could’ve stopped this. I believe that by keeping Diablo as we did, its mother came looking for it. Somehow, it tracked her infant here. I have to take some responsibility for this whole mess. If I didn’t at least try, I don’t think I could live with myself.”
Don knew there was no talking her out of it. He felt the same obligation that she did. He had seen that fiery look in her eyes before. With Diablo securely trussed up, the crane started to lift him out of the truck. Don watched as the monster was slowly moved onto the trawler. He wondered if it knew what was happening. It sure couldn’t see anything; he had made sure of that.
“You think it was its mother? That giant last night was Diablo’s mother?” asked Don.
“Why not? Is there any more protective bond than that of a mother and her young? We see it all the time. Dolphins and whales behave in the same way, so why not this? Whether it’s some long-lost relative of a Metoposaurus or not, its basic instincts are the same. It was trying to protect its young.”
“Was that what it was doing when it ate Zola? When it killed Meghan?”
“I think that was something else. Who’s to say animals can’t have cognitive reasoning or a conscience? Maybe it remembered Zola. If we could understand how they communicated, we could understand what was going on in their heads. I guess we’ll never know for sure. The Ocean King is pure evil as far as I’m concerned, but it’s also intelligent. I think it knew what it was doing.”