by Jack Halls
Water pooled behind the dead creature’s back as its body created a dam at the bottom of the ravine. The muscles in Gideon’s body relaxed even as they continued to shake from excess adrenaline.
Vincent slung his rifle over his shoulder and approached the lifeless jaws. He circled around the head, examining the creature up close. “No eyes,” he said. “Must use different senses to hunt.” He passed a gloved hand along its tough hide.
Takomi walked up and stood next to Gideon. “I really hope we don’t run into one of these things again.”
Vincent shook his head. “A predator this size probably has a huge territory. If I had to guess, I’d say it’ll be months before another one wanders into this area.”
Takomi turned to Gideon. “What’re you going to name this one, Gid?”
He stood there shaking his head. “I haven’t a clue what to call it.”
Padre’s voice in Gideon’s ear made him jump. “For now we’ll just call it a pesadilla.”
Gideon looked up to see Padre and Connor walking along the river toward them.
As they examined the carcass, Connor jumped up and landed on its back. “I’m impressed. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to take it down.”
“It’s not something I want to try again.” He reached up and stroked the creatures maw before he turned and walked away. “We didn’t come here to kill the wildlife. Come on, we’ve got to go back for the others we left in the forest. Is the rest of the crew safe?”
Connor jumped down off the creature’s back. “They’re okay. We left them halfway up the cliff, tucked into a shallow alcove. It’s like a little fort up there.”
Vincent was already jogging up the side of the ravine, searching for the best path. “Let’s get a move on before it gets too dark. David will be getting nervous.”
Gideon smiled at Vincent’s dry jab and followed the others back up the side of the cliff in the direction they’d come from. The armor made the otherwise daunting climb a mere inconvenience, and as he stood on the top of the cliff, he looked back down at the hulking mass of the pesadilla.
They took off at full speed for the fort, reaching it as the sun dipped below the hills on the far side of the ravine. Gideon had no idea what pesadilla meant, but the way Padre had said it, with a tone of respect and revulsion, made the word stick out in Gideon’s head. He repeated it in his mind, rolling it over and over.
“Pauline, define pesadilla,” he said quietly.
His AI responded immediately. “Pesadilla. Spanish. English translation: nightmare.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The Fort
THE “FORT” TURNED out to be a flat spot underneath an overhang that was too shallow to be considered a cave. Large boulders that had broken off of the overhang long ago were strewn about the area, affording a bit of protection. The twenty survivors left after the attack were in bad shape. Some had collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to move. Others huddled near the rocks at the back of the fort in silence.
Some, like Tawny, were doing what they could to improve the makeshift shelter before nightfall. Vincent, now in chief security officer mode, set about improving the fortifications. With the help of their armor, he and Connor were able to move many of the boulders to the perimeter, forming a kind of wall. Padre took Takomi and Gideon with him to cut down nearby trees, hauling them back to add to the fortifications. By nightfall, the little shelter looked more like an actual fort.
With the area secured and guards posted, they went about helping with what they could. Gideon and Takomi scoured the supplies, finding clean, dry clothes and passing them out to the others.
Gideon took a set of clothes and walked over to a woman who sat crumpled against the wall of the cave like a discarded doll. She stared ahead at the bonfire, even as Gideon approached. It was the mother of Garrett Preece, one of the boys from the academy. He tried to remember her first name, but couldn’t recall it.
“Mrs. Preece,” he said. She blinked but didn’t look up at him. “Mrs. Preece, I brought you some dry clothes.” At first, he thought she was covered in dirt, but closer inspection revealed the dark stains were blood, too much blood to all be hers. He went down on one knee next to her and reached for her hand.
The moment he touched her, she jerked away like she’d been shocked. She let out a tiny cry and stared in horror at Gideon’s face. He reached out again. “No, no. Mrs. Preece, it’s just me, Gideon Killdeer.” But the distraught woman kicked at him and backed away. Someone grabbed Gideon by the shoulder and jerked him backward.
“You’ve got your visor on, you idiot,” said Takomi as she pushed him out of the way. She knelt down and spoke gently to the woman. Slowly, Mrs. Preece started breathing normally, looking back and forth between Takomi and Gideon. Her eyes closed, and she threw her head back and let out an anguished wail. Before she toppled over, Takomi leapt forward to catch her. The woman broke down into wracking sobs, clutching at Takomi and burying her head in her arms.
Takomi sat with her, stroking her head and speaking softly. Gideon stood back, dumbfounded. A hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to see Padre, eyes moist, motioning for Gideon to come away. The two of them walked to an empty corner of the cave. Gideon remembered his visor and removed his helmet.
“I’m afraid what happened today might be too much for some of these people,” said the priest. “In fact, I’m not so sure it hasn’t been too much for me.” Gideon nodded. Padre looked around at the ragged bunch of survivors in the firelight.
He turned his attention back to Gideon. “I want you to know, I’ve been impressed with how you, Takomi, and Joseph have been handling things.”
“What do you mean?”
“I never would have imagined a scenario like this. Most kids your age would have panicked, or been overcome with shock after what you’ve been through.” He stole a glance back at Mrs. Preece, still sobbing into Takomi’s shoulder.
“Well,” said Gideon as he shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with this topic, “Ms. Drexel did tell us once that we Voidborn have grown up with better training.”
Padre shook his head. “I’m sure that helps but... in any case, keep doing what you’re doing.”
Gideon nodded. Padre patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk away. Vincent walked by at that moment and stopped in front of Gideon. The big man looked at him for a long time without saying anything. Finally, he spoke. “You look tired,” he said. He spoke softly, but his deep voice rumbled in the rocky enclosure. “Anyone not on guard duty should get as much sleep as they can.”
Gideon smiled and saluted. He wondered if Vincent would take his own advice. In any case, Gideon planned on following it to the letter. He looked around for a good spot to sleep. Takomi was still sitting against the rock wall with Mrs. Preece’s head on her lap. The disheveled woman had changed her clothes and was now fast asleep. Gideon walked toward his friend, but Takomi held up her hand and waved him off, pointing at Mrs. Preece.
Feeling dejected, he looked around again, finding Joseph on his knees spreading out his bedroll. Gideon grabbed his gear and made his way over. Joseph smiled up at him as he approached. “Looks like this fort will work out fine, eh Gid?”
Gideon looked around the camp and nodded slightly. “I think you’re right. It’s definitely better than any of our other camps.”
“Well,” said Joseph, standing up and stretching his back, “we didn’t know there were dinosaurs out here.”
“Hmm,” said Gideon, “I wish we would have gotten here earlier.”
Joseph’s smile faded. “You did what you could, Gid. What good does it do to beat yourself up over it? I mean, look at Connor. The man had a good cry when he found his wife and then moved on. Did what had to be done.”
Gideon shrugged. He looked over his shoulder at Mrs. Preece sleeping on Takomi’s lap, then turned back to Joseph. “I hope things start getting better. I hope we find everyone else.”
“I’m sure we will,” said Joseph. “They would have
landed with a big group of SFs. Guaranteed they’re doing better than us.”
Gideon nodded. “That makes sense. I’m sure you’re right.” He looked down at the ground.
Joseph looked at him for a while, then put a hand on his shoulder. “And your dad’s fine too. He’s smarter than all of us.”
Gideon looked up. “Thanks, Joe.” He pulled his own bedroll from his pack. “I’m dead tired, you know? Let’s get some sleep.”
“You’re one to talk,” laughed Joseph. “Your armor practically carried you here. I had to actually walk!”
Gideon laughed. As he turned and looked out into the night sky, the word pesadilla repeated in his head again. He drifted off to sleep, haunted by nightmares of terrifying creatures chasing him through a forest.
☥
In the morning, Gideon awoke to the sound of raised voices. The soft light of dawn was starting to creep into their fort. He stood and stretched his aching muscles, wondering why no one had awoken him for his watch. Joseph rolled over and peered up at him. “What’s all the commotion?”
“Not sure,” said Gideon, putting on his Sentinel Armor. Joseph stood and stretched. They moved to the edge of the shelter and looked down to see a small group of people arguing about something. Padre, Connor, Vincent, and Tawny stood on one side, and David stood on the other with several other crew members behind him. It only took Gideon a moment to realize that it was the same old argument they’d been having for days.
“You’re not even listening to me,” yelled David. “We’ve all been lucky so far, but now we know we’re in over our heads. I mean, look at that thing down there.” He pointed down into the ravine at the huge creature’s remains.
“Which is exactly why we need to look for the others,” yelled Connor. “We need to regroup and come up with a long-term plan. Something better than hiding in a little cave.”
“Not to mention, the rest of the crew may need our help,” said Vincent.
“We’ve got a defensible position here,” said David. “I say we set up a beacon and dig in. The others can come to us.”
“And what happens if the others are thinking the same way you are?” said Gideon before he could stop himself. He strode down the hill to stand above David and those that stood with him. “What if everyone is sitting around waiting to be rescued? I don’t care if you all stay here. I’ll go out there by myself if I have to. I’m going to find my dad and anyone else I can.”
David was taken aback by Gideon’s sudden appearance. “That’s very brave of you, Gideon,” he said, “but what about the rest of us? We don’t have your Sentinel Armor to protect us, and there are wounded people here. This overhang provides us with some protection, but if another giant creature attacks, we’ll need everyone here to repel it.”
“You want my armor?” said Gideon. “Fine. I’ll leave it here and go on without it. There are enough weapons for you to give me a rifle and a pistol.”
“That’s not going to happen, Gideon,” said Padre. “We’re sticking together. My AI estimates that the bulk of the crew is only a day’s march away from here, two at most. We’ll all be safer once we’re together.”
“You can’t force us to come with you,” said a woman standing behind David.
Connor picked up his pack and rifle. “You’re absolutely right. Anyone that wants to stay here can. Everyone that wants to continue on should be ready to leave in thirty minutes. We’re burning daylight standing around here squabbling.” He walked back up to the main encampment, followed by Vincent and others.
“You wouldn’t just leave us here?” said David.
Padre took three steps forward and looked up into David’s face, his teeth flashing in a pleasant smile. “Yes, we would.” He turned, grabbed his pack and rifle, and followed Connor back into the camp.
Gideon scrambled back up the slope and did what he could to get people ready to leave. Most of the survivors from the attack the day before were happy to be moving on in search of the main group, but a few of them had the same disposition as David and his friends. For a moment, Gideon actually thought some of them would stay. However, after they did the math, they relented, grumbling and dragging their feet.
With their increased numbers, the group moved much slower, and security became tricky due to the lack of Sentinel Armor. Several times they came across large animals. Instead of trying to guess if they were dangerous or not, the group decided to play it safe and go around each time. As they crested hill after hill, the beacons became stronger. Late into the afternoon, they came to the summit of a large hill, and Padre had them stop to rest. “I think we’re close enough for radio contact. Connor, why don’t you climb that tree and see if you can reach someone?”
Connor set down his gear and leapt up the tallest tree around. Once he reached the top, he started broadcasting on the common band. “This is Connor Hallows. Does anyone read me? Repeat, this is Connor Hallows. Does anyone read?”
The answer that came was so sudden and so clear that Gideon jumped. “I read you, Connor. This is communications officer Don Rich. It’s good to hear you’re alive.”
“Don! Good to hear your voice, too,” said Connor. “How many are with you?”
“Currently two hundred eighteen,” said Don. “Small groups have been trickling into our main camp here since we arrived, but we haven’t heard from anyone new in over two days. How many are with you?”
“There are thirty-two of us,” answered Connor.
“That’s great news,” said Don. “I’m sending up some flares to mark our position. Let me know if you see them.”
Gideon and the others looked around for several seconds. Three red flares streaked over the forest, and Connor’s voice came back over the intercom. “I see you,” said Connor. “You’re closer than I thought. I’d say about two klicks northeast.”
“Great,” said Don. “I’ll send some help your way to bring you in. See you in a few.”
Connor scrambled down the tree, jumping the last few meters to the ground. He had a grin that split his whole face, as did the rest of the group. The need to rest fled their minds, and they all had their gear back on in no time. Connor led the way, and Vincent had to keep bellowing to him to slow down and keep in defensive formation.
It wasn’t long before a woman’s voice came over their coms. “I’ve got eyes on you, Connor. Up here to your right a little.” They all looked up through the trees. Up the hill, a group of about ten people were waving down at them.
“Is that you, Hannah?” asked Connor.
“You’re damn right it is. You’re late to the party, Connor. But since you brought friends, we’ll let you off easy this time.”
“Thanks. You’re a real sweetheart,” said Connor as he climbed the hill. The rest of the group followed and exchanged warm greetings with the party that had come out to find them. Hannah McDermott was a petite woman, but judging by the way she carried her rifle and barked orders to the group, you’d think she was bigger than Vincent. Gideon mostly knew her as an associate in the agricultural school, but seeing her like this reminded him she was also part of the infantry. She didn’t let them swap stories for long, and soon they were headed off.
They followed Hannah up a steep hill for some time. At the top, they found another half dozen survivors guarding a makeshift lean-to. A cord ran out of the shelter and spiraled up a tall tree next to it until it ended at a small antennae array. Don Rich stepped out of the lean-to with a big grin on his face.
“Good to see all of you,” he said as he stepped forward and hugged some of them, waving at the rest. “Glad to see so many still coming in after all this time.”
Tawny Drexel made her way to the front of the group. “There should have been more of us,” she said as she hugged Mr. Rich. “It’s a miracle any of us made it here, to tell you the truth.” She related the story of the attack from the giant creature while Mr. Rich and his crew listened with open mouths.
“What a nightmare,” said Mr. Rich when she had
finished. “I can’t imagine... I’m so glad the rest of you made it.” He motioned for them all to follow him to the lean-to. “Why don’t you all rest a bit? We’ve got a little food and fresh water. Then we’ll get you to the main camp. It’s only about twenty minutes from here. As you can see, this is just a communications station. We’ve got this one and two more monitoring the radio traffic in the area in case groups like you come looking for us.”
“Have you seen my parents?” yelled Takomi from the back of the group. With that, a chorus of voices called out names of loved ones, asking if anyone had seen them. Mr. Rich had to yell over the top of them.
“I’m not the person to ask,” he yelled, quieting them a little. “We’ve been here manning this station since we crashed. They’ve got a list back at HQ of those who are accounted for, and those who are still missing.”
Padre spoke for the first time. “Who’s in charge anyway?”
“Devereux’s assumed command,” said Mr. Rich. “You’ll find him back at HQ.”
“Has he sent out any search parties to pick up stragglers?” asked Padre.
“I don’t know,” answered Mr. Rich. “We report back in with any pertinent news and they tell us how many crew members are accounted for. You lot make it an even two hundred fifty survivors. Other than that, we’re pretty much in the dark.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd. “So many missing,” whispered Takomi, gripping Gideon by the arm. They looked at each other, and Gideon couldn’t hide the fear in his eyes.
Gideon made his way to the front of the group. “Well, I’m rested enough,” he said to no one in particular. “Is someone going to show me where camp is, or do I have to find my own way?” A commotion rose through the crowd. No one wanted to wait any longer to find out what had happened to their friends and family.