Sleep dragged at her eyelids, but she had one last thing to take care of for the night: Her wounded leg. Ugh, this is going to hurt.
With a grimace, she removed the cloth wrapped around her calf. Rogue hissed when she looked at the gaping tear in the muscle. The surrounding area was swollen and radiated heat. “Crap, it’s infected.”
She removed a wad of gauze from the first-aid kit and dunked it into the remaining hot water. After washing the wound, she squeezed antiseptic ointment into the cut. It stung, but not as badly as the spray of iodine she added for good measure. “Holy crap, that’s nasty stuff.”
At that point, she was ready for relief, and a handful of painkillers went down like a charm. She hoped the chalky tablets still packed a punch after such a long time and wouldn’t poison her instead. A chance she was willing to take. The sutures posed a whole different problem, though, and Rogue wasn’t sure she had to stomach for it. You have to. It’ll never heal if you don’t.
Biting down on a piece of wood, she attempted her first stitch. It was hell. Pure and simple. The needle had to be pushed through the flesh and the thread tied off properly before moving on. Each one burned like fire, and she was crying like a baby by the third stitch.
Halfway through, she collapsed. Her hands shook, and tears streamed down the side of her face. Her jaw ached from biting on the stick, and she’d likely have lost her tongue without it. It took a full ten minutes before she was prepared to carry on. Come on, Rogue. You can do this.
Eight stitches later, she tied the final knot and surveyed her handiwork. The sutures formed a jagged line of knots across the swollen skin—a real hack job by any standards. Bile burned the back of her throat, and she quickly wrapped up the leg with a clean bandage.
Afterward, she stoked the fire and crawled into the bedroll with a sob of relief. It was over. She’d done the best she could without antibiotics. Even if there had been some in the kit, they’d have expired long ago. All she could do now was rest. Rest and hope that her leg healed without further complications.
Chapter 18
Lillian clung to Corinne’s hand as they walked down the deserted street. In an instant, the world had changed, and she struggled to make sense of it all. Where had her parents gone? Where was her home? Or, was she the one that left while they stayed in the same place?
Indeed, nothing looked the same anymore. To the left lay the remnants of the city. Apartment complexes rose above her head, half of the interior exposed to the outside world. Office buildings gaped open to the elements, and the back-end of a car stood parked on the sidewalk. The front piece was missing. Wires hung from torn ceilings, and shattered glass crunched underfoot.
The rest was all gone.
To Lillian, it looked like someone took a giant knife and cut the city down the middle, just like a birthday cake. Only there were no streamers or balloons. No guests to sing happy birthday and no presents either.
Mike and the other lady named Kat walked in the front. Mike had his gun, while Kat carried a long knife. They kept a wary eye on the primordial forest that encroached onto the street from the right.
It looked like a scary place. The trees were bigger than any Lillian had ever seen. Each trunk was so wide it would take ten of her to circle it. Strange creatures flitted through the leaves, and weird calls echoed through the thick canopy. Little sun penetrated the thick foliage, and she wondered what hid inside the gloom.
Once, Lillian paused to admire a plant with dark green leaves and crimson flowers. She reached out to touch it, but at the last moment, Corinne yanked her hand away.
“Don’t do that!” Corinne yelled.
“Why not? It’s so pretty,” Lillian asked.
“Yes, but it might be dangerous,” Corinne explained.
Lillian frowned. “Like poison ivy?”
“Like that,” Corinne affirmed. “We don’t know anything about this place, so it’s better to be careful.”
“Okay,” Lillian said. “I won’t touch anything, I promise.”
“Good girl.”
They had walked for about an hour when Lillian tugged at Corinne’s hand. “I need to pee-pee.”
“What? Now?” Corinne looked around, uncertainty washing across her face.
“I can’t hold any longer,” Lillian said.
“Mike, she needs to use the bathroom,” Corinne called ahead.
Mike stopped in his tracks and surveyed the area. “Well, we might as well take a break.”
He unslung his pack and leaned against an abandoned car. Kat followed his example, and Corinne pointed to a nearby bush.
“Can you go behind that bush, sweetie?” she asked.
“Okay,” Lillian agreed. She’d gone outside before when they went camping, so she figured this would be the same.
“Don’t wander off, and call me if you need help,” Corinne said before removing a bottle of water from her backpack.
“I’ll be quick,” Lillian said. She hurried over and pulled down her pants, relieved to be able to empty her full bladder. While she tinkled, a chirping noise reached her ears.
Chirp.
Chirp, chirp.
She looked over her shoulder and spotted a strange creature not far from her. It stood just within the edge of the forest, dappled light falling across its body. It looked like a lizard on two legs but bobbed its head up and down like a bird. It had a long tail and feathers, too, an odd combination.
“What are you?” Lillian asked, staring in wonder. The dinosaur was small, as tall as her when she crouched. Surely, it couldn’t be dangerous.
Chirp.
Lillian smiled. To her eyes, the Bambiraptor looked rather cute.
Chirp, chirp.
She stood upright and pulled up her pants. Immediately, the raptor hissed, its feathers rising around its head in a threatening display. Two more of its kind appeared by its side, and the three dinos eyed her with intense focus. Another one stepped out from behind a tree. Now there were four.
Lillian’s smile faltered, and she took a step back. “Uh…Corinne!”
“What is it, sweetie?”
The raptors attacked.
As one, they rushed forward, their jaws gaping wide. The nearest leaped through the air as Lillian turned to run. It landed on her shoulders, its claws digging into her school backpack.
Lillian collapsed to the ground, and dirt filled her mouth as she screamed. Sharp teeth nipped at the back of her neck, and she wriggled like a worm to escape. More teeth latched onto her leg, digging into her jeans, while the other two raptors fought for possession of her foot. Fear coursed through her veins, and she lashed out with her arms and legs. But her position was awkward, and she couldn’t get any momentum.
“Mommy! Daddy!” she cried, calling for the only people in the world she fully trusted.
Suddenly, a loud boom filled the air. The weight on top of her disappeared, along with the many teeth that tugged at her clothes.
A hand dragged Lillian to her feet, and she was lifted into the air. Corinne’s soothing voice spoke in her ear, whispering words of nonsense. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’ve got you. Don’t cry.”
Lillian wailed like a banshee, her hands knotted into Corinne’s jacket. She bawled out her terror until Corinne’s words penetrated the fog in her brain. Slowly, her panic subsided until she calmed down. Hiccuping, she wiped the tears from her face. “Tho…those things tried to eat me.”
“I know, sweetie, but they’re gone now. You’re safe, I promise,” Corinne said, lowering her to the ground. “Here, let me have a look at you.”
After a quick inspection, Corinne determined that Lillian was unharmed. Her jeans, one sneaker, collared shirt, and school backpack bore the brunt of the attack. All she’d have to show for it were a couple of bruises.
“Is she okay?” Mike asked.
“She’s fine. Just scared out of her wits.”
Kat said nothing, merely eyeing Lillian with dark eyes.
“We should leave. Thos
e things ran off, but who knows what else lurks in these woods?” Mike said.
Corinne nodded. “Just give her a minute. Are you hungry, sweetie? Thirsty?”
Lillian nodded, her tummy rumbling.
“Here you go,” Corinne said, removing a couple of things from her stash.
After wolfing down a snickers bar and an orange juice, Lillian was ready to brave the world again. Remembering her manners, she said, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, sweetie. Ready to go now?”
Lillian nodded her assent.
Mike patted her on the head. “That’s a good girl.”
Once again, they set off, and another hour passed as they traversed the road. During this time, Lillian had the chance to process the attack. She turned it over in her mind, reliving the terror of the moment. It taught her two important facts: One, that appearances could be deceiving. Never again would she assume a creature was harmless simply because it looked weak. Two, it wasn’t her parents who saved her from the dinosaurs, but Mike, Corinne, and Kat. Therefore, she could trust them with her life. This made it easier for her to accept her new circumstances, and she followed their directions without argument.
That didn’t mean she’d stop looking for her parents, or her home, however. She was sure they had to be out there somewhere. She didn’t want to believe they were on the other side of the Shift. That thought was simply too much to bear. But for the moment, she was content to wait and see.
A few minutes later, they reached a crossing. After consulting a map, Mike pointed to the left. “Come on. It’s this way.”
Their new direction took them deeper into the city, and it wasn’t long before they saw other people. At first, it was just a couple of survivors like them, making their way to safety. They walked past a few abandoned cars and deserted shops. But soon, the trickle became a flood.
Bumper to bumper traffic clogged the streets, and people streamed down the sidewalks. Many had to abandon their cars as their engines had stopped running. Families were fleeing from their homes on foot, dragging their children and belongings behind them.
Full-scale looting had broken out with despairing shop owners tossed out of their own businesses. Looters ran past with TVs and other goods in their arms, even bagfuls of cash and jewelry. Others attempted to stock up on food and water with more than one fight breaking out over a loaded cart.
The sheer volume of noise had Lillian covering her ears. The honking of horns, breaking glass, screams, sirens, car alarms, and the occasional gunshot.
Through it all, Mike remained calm. He directed them through side alleys and threatened anyone who came near with his rifle. Slowly, he worked his way toward the hotel where a safe zone was being established.
“Are you even sure it’s there?” Corinne asked during a brief break spent huddled next to a crashed ambulance.
“I’m sure. Kat and I heard it on the radio,” Mike replied.
“Do those work over here?” Corinne asked.
Mike shrugged. “The Shift knocked out all of the new technology. It acted much like an EMP would, only supercharged. Everything new is dead. So is everything attached to a network. Satellites, cellphones, the Internet, electricity, landlines, and everything with a circuit board is fried.”
“How’s that even possible? It can’t all be gone, ” Corinne exclaimed.
“I’m sorry to say, but it is. Besides the charge frying everything new, we’re no longer a whole city. We’re no longer in the future or attached to wires and signals. Only the simplest of stuff like the ham radios still work.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’re on our own, right, Uncle Mike?” Kat said.
It was the first time Lillian had heard Kat refer to Mike as family, and she asked, “Is Mister Lewis your uncle?”
Kat shot her a sharp glance, it was neither unfriendly nor warm. “Yes, he is.”
Mike laughed. “You don’t have to call me Mister, Lillian. Mike will do.”
Lillian didn’t agree with him. She’d been taught to address strangers as Mister and Ma’am, a habit ingrained in her by her parents. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, he is. And no ma’am for me either,” Corinne said. “We’re your friends now. You can call us by our proper names.”
Kat snorted but remained silent.
Lillian thought it over. Friends. She supposed it was alright to view them as friends. They weren’t family, after all. “Okay. We can be friends.”
Mike smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Now, are you ready to go? The hotel isn’t far anymore.”
They struck out into the busy street, and the chaos enveloped them. They fought their way through the crowds, drawing ever closer to their destination. Lillian soon grew tired, but she didn’t dare complain. Nobody else did. Instead, she forced her legs to keep moving.
“Come on, sweetie,” Corinne said. “We’re almost there.”
Suddenly, screams broke out, and people scattered in all directions. Lillian grabbed Corinne’s leg. “What’s happening?”
Corinne never got the chance to answer as a giant monster charged toward them. Its huge head dipped in and out of the crowd, snapping at anything that moved. Blood sprayed into the air, and the screaming grew frantic. Its hind legs were the size of tree trunks, and they bowled over everything without pause.
Mike hustled them into the nearest shop. “Over there. Get inside!”
They’d almost made it when someone bumped into Lillian. She lost her hold on Corinne and whirled about in fright. An elbow hit her in the head, and she fell to the ground with a cry. On her hands and knees, she scrambled toward a nearby wall and pressed her back against it. “Corinne! Mike!”
The Tyrannosaurus rex charged down the sidewalk, one clawed foot crushing the hood of a parked car. It paused when it spotted Lillian, and its beady eyes fixed on her shaking form. It stepped closer, each movement sending a mass of vibrations through the concrete.
Lillian stared at the approaching nightmare and kept screaming. It was all she could do. Scream, and scream, and scream. She had no weapons, and no super strength. She wasn’t a comic book hero or a soldier. She was a nobody.
The T-Rex lowered its head toward her. Its lips peeled back to reveal teeth the length of her forearms. Rancid breath washed across her face, and she knew it was going to eat her.
Suddenly, Mike was there. He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and tossed her aside. She tumbled across the concrete and lay watching helplessly.
As the T-Rex closed in for the kill, Mike jammed his gun into its mouth and pulled the trigger. Bullets punched into the monster’s open maw, shattering bone and flesh. Blood poured from the creature’s ruptured cranium and misted the air.
The T-Rex reared back with a shriek of agony before it reacted in pure rage. It snapped at Mike, and its teeth closed over his torso. The dinosaur shook the man back and forth like a rag doll, the crackle of his ribs and spine loud in Lillian’s ears.
She reached out a hand in despair. “Mike, no!”
Next to her, Kat and Corinne cried out with equal horror. Yet, they could do nothing but watch as the scene unfolded.
With a rattling roar, the T-Rex dropped Mike’s mangled form before it collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash. It twitched a couple of times before it grew still. Dead, at last.
Kat sprinted toward her uncle’s body, cradling his broken form to her chest. “No! You can’t die, Uncle. You’re all I have left.”
But Mike was gone, his final breath leaving his lungs in a rush of blood. Corinne gathered the crying Lillian into her arms before shouting to Kat. “We need to go. We need to get to the hotel.”
Kat shook her head, her expression fierce. “No! I’m not leaving him.”
“It’s what he would’ve wanted, Kat. Please,” Corinne pleaded. “We need to get to safety.”
Kat’s shoulders shook as she lowered Mike’s body to the ground. She grabbed his gun and dashed away her tears. “Fine. Le
t’s go.”
“Come on, Lillian. We need to run,” Corinne said.
“No, I want to see Mike,” Lillian said, shaking her head.
“Mike is dead, sweetie, and we need to leave now.” Corinne hauled Lillian to her feet and dragged her by the arm.
At first, Lillian fought against her hold. She didn’t want to run, didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to go back to Mike and tell him she was sorry. But Corinne was relentless, and Lillian had no option to obey.
Twenty minutes later, they stumbled through the gates of the Prime Hotel. It was surrounded by high walls, and the vast grounds bustled with activity. Excavators, trucks, and loaders rumbled about while men wearing hard hats swarmed the building site. The hotel itself was still a shell, but transport trucks filled with furniture and other supplies kept arriving in a steady stream.
Armed policemen waved them to a field of tents set up in one of the clearings. Ambulances were parked in front of a field hospital, and wounded people were being rushed inside on stretchers.
A woman with a clipboard rushed toward them and took down their names, ages, and occupation. While Corinne did her best to answer, Lillian stared at the flood of desperate refugees streaming toward the gate.
They were pushed aside when an old school Bentley roared through the gates. The man inside paused to shout an order to the armed police before racing toward the hotel. Seconds later, the police formed a wall of firepower in front of the entrance.
The people streaming toward the hotel were turned away by the threatening barrels of loaded guns. One policeman picked up a loudspeaker and announced, “Citizens of Portland. The grounds are full. We’ve reached maximum capacity. Please, leave in an orderly fashion. Head to your homes or the nearest community center.”
The crowd roared with protest, jamming their fists in the air. Mothers with children pressed to the front, pleading with the police to take their babies. The policeman with the speaker shook his head. “Leave now, or we will be forced to open fire.”
“What are they doing?” Corinne asked the woman with the clipboard. “Surely, they have to let those people in. They’ll die out there.”
The Extinction Series | Book 1 | Primordial Earth Page 9