by K D McNiven
“Checked everything. I know there haven’t been any strong winds to pull down the cameras. I can only assume something has knocked them down.”
Rourke and Meg looked at one another and shrugged.
“The only thing we can do is to take the zodiac back to shore and go inspect. Like you, I can’t imagine anything knocking them down…maybe one of them, but both?” Rourke looked puzzled.
“Yeah. Go ahead and take out the zodiac,” Captain Burke encouraged them.
Rourke motioned for Jayden and Kyle to follow them, explaining what had happened as they made their way amidship. Kyle walked to the side-mounted crane to lower the zodiac while the other three made their way to the stern.
Before loading into the zodiac, Rourke made sure they were adequately equipped with rifles and the tranquilizer gun. No way would they return without having proper defense. After the incident with Richard and then the man in the cabin, they couldn’t be careful enough, and as he scanned the faces of those going along, he could see their reluctance—not to blame them. It was a bit daunting heading out without the faintest clue as to what had taken down their cameras. Would they discover a Purussaurus trapped inside the cage?
He felt the icy-cold fingers of fear tracing his spine. Even so, he could scarcely contain the excitement pulsing through his veins, thinking they might actually discover a live dinosaur.
The skies were a slate-gray and a light spattering of rain spilled over the rims of their canvas hats. It only took a few minutes before their clothing was soaked through. A slight breeze whistled through the tree branches as the keel of the boat slid up onto the sand, Meg the first one over the side to help pull it to shore. Same as Rourke, she felt a rush of adrenalin pumping through her. He hadn’t spoken it, but she’d seen the fermenting thrill brewing in his eyes. She’d seen it before.
“Meg!” Rourke called out. When she turned, he tossed over one of the rifles.
Catching it in both hands, she smiled. “I feel safer already. Truth be known, I wouldn’t take another step without this.”
“I’m not sure these will bring down a beast that size, so if you see one, run like hell.”
“Thanks for bolstering my confidence.”
“In case we do meet up with one of these humongous monsters Jayden, would you stay near the boat, in case we need a quick get-away?”
“Sure thing, Rourke.”
Tensions stretched to breaking point, they slowly began their trek across the golden sand towards where they had stationed their cameras. As they walked, they discovered more footprints, looking only hours old. Could it be…
Meg could scarcely breathe. She felt the blood pounding in her ears, her heart racing. Her eyes scanned the perimeter in anticipation, resting on Rourke, who took the stance of a mighty hunter, his gun barrel sweeping from side-to-side on high-alert, his shoulders squared, his steps measured and slow, hair tousled, square jaw set tensely, and his tanned face dotted with droplets of sweat. Though he kept quiet, Meg knew he was as jittery as the rest of them.
Once around the bend, they stopped. The cage was empty. The stress of expectancy dispelled, briefly lowering their guard. Meg wasn’t sure if Rourke and Jake were relieved or disappointed. Knowing the creatures were still close by caused Meg to shiver. The cords in her neck were swollen, knotted with anxiety.
“Maybe the Purussaurus went on a rampage and knocked over the stanchions.” A nervous chuckle escaped Jake’s lips, panning the area to make sure they weren’t waiting for an opportune time to attack them.
Rourke smiled. “I know we’re a bit jumpy. Let’s hurry up, inspect the equipment, and head back.”
“Hell, yeah,” Jake replied, not about to squabble. “I’ll take a look at the one staked in the southern quadrant. You two go take a peek at the other.”
Rourke and Meg tromped through the tangle of underbrush, pushing their way back into the vines until they reached the prop. Thorns snagged their clothing, raked across their skin, leaving dotted lines of crimson blood. When they reached the marked area, they stood shocked to see the camera lying on the ground broken into hundreds of pieces.
“What the devil!” Rourke said, walking over to the destroyed remnants. He bent on one knee to inspect the damage. When he looked closer at the side of the camera, he shook his head and turned. He flashed a look of stupefaction at Meg. “Someone shot a hole through the camera.”
“What?” Meg gasped with surprise, squatting beside him.
“I don’t get it. Why would anyone disable the cameras unless they were trying to hide something?”
“Who would have done such a thing?” she said, brows furrowed. “What bothers me more, someone had to have been spying on us while we were setting the cameras into place. Gives me the creeps.”
“Not too comforting that’s for sure.” He pulled out a handkerchief from his rear pocket and handed it to Meg. “Here, you’re bleeding.”
“Those thorny bushes, whatever the heck they are, tore my arms up.” She dabbed at the bloodied spot on her arm, stopping suddenly.
Their heads shot up when they heard snapping timbers close by. It was not the sound of a small animal rushing through the underbrush, rather a large animal crunching brush and breaking limbs. Even through the ground, they could feel the vibration from the monster’s footsteps. Both scrambled to their feet, Meg thumbing the safety off her rifle to ready herself, her posture rigid with fear. In the back of her mind, she knew they would not be able to outrun the powerful beast. The realization caused her heart to thump wildly in her breast.
“Slowly, back out of here, Meg,” Rourke said pushing her behind him protectively.
Their eyes shifted right to left as they crept cautiously out of the confines of the forest. When they heard a loud shriek, they knew something had gone after Jake. As the screams penetrated the hot muggy air, the two of them bolted, throwing aside the last traces of branches from out of their faces and made a desperate dash towards the beach.
Meg threw a glance over her shoulder. She could see the shaking of shrubs and tree limbs, caught the movement of something large coming their way. Adrenalin coursed through her, seeming to be the only thing keeping her legs moving.
“Run! Run!” yelled Rourke as the beast broke through the undergrowth and headed straight for them.
The screams of Jake had long since stopped, and they both realized, sickeningly, Jake had been killed by one of these dinosaurs. Breath-ragged, legs feeling as if they would collapse, they continued pushing themselves forward, praying they would be able to escape the powerful jaws.
They could hear its feet pounding against the sand, closing the distance. It was gaining, its steps double their own. The expanse between them and the boat would be too far to manage, and Rourke determined that out-swimming it was out of the question because the Purussaurus would overtake them in no time. Panic surged through him. He had to do something quickly or neither of them would survive. In a last-minute attempt, he grabbed Meg’s hand, nearly dragging her behind him. Ahead was the cage. Without hesitation, he made a beeline towards it. Barely making it, he caught hold of the door, slamming it shut just as the beast rammed like a bulldozer against the frame. Meg let out a scream, the force of the collision causing her to stumble backward.
Rourke raised his rifle and took aim. All the while clinging to the bars to maintain his balance. As his finger drew back on the trigger, a shot rang out, striking the beast in its chest, and made a small hole the size of a quarter. A spot of blood seeped out, but the wound was not enough to stop it from its fierce aggression. As if further incensed by the wound, it continued its violent assault, banging solidly against the frame. Rourke swore, his face scrunched up in frustration. He raised the rifle yet again, training the weapon on the beast, and squeezed off two more bullets, each hitting the mark but not mortally wounding it or slowing it down.
The beast rammed the front repeatedly, pushing the door inward, enough so that it got its snout halfway through. Thankfully, two of
the bars had warped enough to stop the door from opening all the way. Rourke pushed with his shoulder to hold back the dinosaur, the beast’s yellow-slanted eyes fixated on them, its teeth gnashing at the bars. It had no intention of giving up on its pursuit. Backing out, it advanced again, its body weight throwing the both of them against the steel bars.
Meg shrieked and grabbed on tightly to one of the bars while the cage was tossed viciously. The Purussaurus continued ramming the cage, incensed, intent on getting at them. Its wide jaws gnawed at the cage, seeking to find a way in. Loud hissing noises came from deep within its throat. Over and over again, it bashed the cage, driving it closer and closer to the tributary.
One side of the cage buckled, pinning the door closed. Horror filled them as the cage slid dangerously close to the river. Terrified, they knew if it tumbled over the bank, the water would be deeper than the height of the cage, and the door would be impossible to open.
“We have no way out!” Meg cried out and grabbed Rourke’s shirt sleeve.
Rourke looked at Meg, saw the fear in her eyes, and he reached out, pulling her close. “Let’s try to ram our shoulders against the door,” he panted, not knowing what else to do. “We have to break it free!”
Both of them, shoulders down, bashed against the bars but it wouldn’t budge. Over and over they drove themselves hard against the steel rods, pain driving through their shoulders. Finally, they collapsed, realizing their efforts were futile.
The Purussaurus thrust its monstrous body against the side yet again, and the cage began to slide still further, the far corner already dipping into the cocoa-brown water.
Desperate eyes searched Rourke’s. More than anything he wanted Meg to be safely out of there, but he was helpless. Without being able to open the door, they were doomed. He knew it and as he gazed into her face, she was fully aware of their demise too. He reached out, grabbing her hand tightly, waiting in anticipation for what was sure to follow.
“I’m so sorry Meg. So…”
Two more hard hits against the side and the cage continued its downward trek, water gushing over Rourke and Meg’s feet, knees, thighs, and shoulder. They clung to one another as it tumbled over, sinking quickly, feet below the surface.
Hopelessly, they grabbed the door bars and holding their breath they continued pushing against it but it refused to give way. They only had a couple of minutes before their lungs would demand oxygen, then it would be over.
***
Jake had finished checking the camera at the south corner, finding the same problem as Meg and Rourke. The camera was shattered, a bullet hole the size of a silver dollar right through its middle. It would be a financial setback for sure, but they were assured they would be reimbursed by ORI. Some consolation, he thought as he gathered up a few pieces they could reuse and stuffed them into his pack.
When he turned to leave, he heard the cracking of branches, saw trees nearby quaking. Jake stood ramrod straight, unable to move. All he could do was stare while the sound of breaking timber echoed in his ears.
“Purussaurus!” he yelled to warn the others. Finally, able to gather his senses, he took to a dead run, occasionally throwing a glance over his shoulder. His heart was pounding fiercely. Trees were bending as the beast broke through into the opening. It threw its head back and roared. Dead tree branches fractured, making sharp cracking sounds as the creature closed in.
It was nearly on top of him. Somehow, he knew it would be a futile attempt, nevertheless, he dropped to one knee, aimed his rifle and fired. The beast answered with a loud hissing sound, its mouth wide open, and like a steam-shovel, scooped Jake off the ground into its mouth.
Jayden had been biding his time, sitting on the edge of the zodiac, hoping the others would get back soon. He heard loud screaming coming from the edge of the forest and jumped to his feet. As he started forward, he came to a dead stop after only a few feet. In the distance, he saw the terrifying profile of the Purussaurus. In its mouth, Jake. Mesmerized, he stared at Jake’s thrashing body, watched in horror as the beast chomped Jake in half with one bite.
Jayden remained rooted to the ground, unable to tear his gaze away. Blood pounded in his temples. He fought to grasp what he was seeing. The whole incident, surreal. He felt as if he was watching a horror film, with the exception he happened to be one of the actors. When the beast turned, he thought briefly it would make a mad run his direction. Instead, it rushed into the bushes, the same direction as Rourke and Meg had gone.
A moment later, he caught sight of them rushing from the tree line and onto the beach, running fast as they could in his direction. Jayden waved his arms, yelling for them to hurry, then spotted the beast breaking through the line of trees and scrub brush in pursuit. It grew apparent they would never have enough time to reach the boat. He stood lamely, not knowing what to do.
“Hurry!” he yelled.
It wasn’t until he saw the cage being rammed over the bank, he found his way back to the zodiac and began pushing it into the water, frantically trying, despite shaking fingers, to fire up the engine. He steered the boat to the mouth of the river, closing the distance between him and the Purussaurus. When he witnessed the cage tumble beneath the water surface, he panicked. All he knew; he had to work fast. Reaching behind him, he grabbed hold of the tranquilizer gun while stretching out on the boat. He propped the gun upon the inflated side of the boat to steady it and popped one of the darts in the end. Inhaling deeply, he took aim and took his shot.
Bullseye! The dart pierced the shoulder of the beast. Its head snapped up, looked Jayden squarely in the eye and began to charge forward, coming straight for him. Heart racing, he loaded another dart, knowing he had to make the shot. He trained the weapon on the charging creature, fought to keep it stable, then pulled the trigger. It kept coming. Jayden held his breath, he didn’t have any more darts and didn’t have time to get away. Feet from him, on the bank, the Purussaurus dropped.
“Booyah!” He shouted, raising the gun over his head in victory.
Without a moment to spare, Jayden headed in their direction. Fortunately, he had the gas-powered winch inside he could use to pull the cage free of the water. He motored the boat close as possible, grabbed the cable, jumped over the side and swam several feet to where the cage went down. He dove beneath the muddied water and locating the cage quickly, he secured the hook around one of the bars. No time wasted, he hurriedly swam back to the boat and leaped inside. Out of breath, he fired up the winch and began hauling the cage out of the depths. It wasn’t long before he had the cage sliding up into the shallows.
Meg and Rourke lay in a heap at the bottom, but Jayden heard the sharp intake of breath and knew he’d saved them by mere seconds. Thankful to still have the oxyacetylene torch, he headed out into the shallows, water rushing over his boots.
“That was as close as it gets!” Jayden huffed, setting a flame to the torch and began working at the bars. He knew it would take quite a bit of time and hoped the sedative he’d shot into the dinosaur would last until he managed to get them free. “You guys okay?”
“Now we are.” Meg coughed and blinked her eyes several times trying to get the grit out. “I can’t thank you enough Jayden. If you hadn’t acted so quickly, we would be dead right now.”
“I must have been on autopilot. All of it is a blur…sorry…about Jake, that is.”
“We should go back and look for him. Maybe he…” Meg’s words were struck off.
“N-no,” Jayden said. “I saw the Purussaurus kill him with my own eyes. You won’t find him.” His eyes looked haunted as he confirmed their suspicions. It would take a long time to expunge the gruesome nightmare from his mind. Maybe never.
Meg slumped against the bars, her shoulders jerking as she released a flood of tears. She knew how close Rourke and Jake had been. How many excursions they had gone on together. They were colleagues. Best friends. He would need time to heal from the loss and she was grateful he had not had to witness Jake’s death. In respon
se, she reached over and grabbed Rourke’s hand compassionately, her heart breaking for him.
She swiped away the tears with the palm of her hand and passed a side-glance over at Rourke. His face was hard. Unreadable. All the same, she knew their history and knew he was hurting.
Making several cuts through the thick bars, Jayden finally managed to make a hole large enough for them to crawl out through. No sooner had they gotten their feet onto solid ground, than Rourke hurried over to the tranquilized dinosaur. He stood for a long time, simply staring at the beast who had taken his friend's life. There were no words.
Meg stood mesmerized. Awed by the creature’s enormous size. “With the cage ruined, we won’t be able to secure it to do a study.”
“We’ll merely have to solder the cage back together, hope it holds, and try again,” Rourke replied. “One thing for sure, we’re going to find out who shot holes in our camera equipment, though I have my suspicions.”
“The people in the warehouse?”
“Who else? People avoid this area like the plague and for good reason. Whoever is holed up in there knows about the Purussaurus. I’m more than a little curious to find out what they’re doing inside...what their true reason is for being here.”
“I hate to be a spoiler, but I think maybe we should get our keisters out of here before this thing decides to wake up,” Jayden said.
Rourke shook his head. “Before we do, do you have your phone?”
“Yep.”
“Snap some shots to show Captain Burke.”
Jayden didn’t waste any time. He took several shots, his legs quaking. He couldn’t get out of there soon enough. After watching these beasts in action, he did not want to take any undue chances. He had to admit, he was grateful he would have the opportunity to speak about this unbelievable adventure and still be alive.
They waded back out into the stream and swam the short distance to the zodiac, hoping there wasn’t more Purussaurus swimming below the surface. Once they were safely back inside and Jayden fired up the motor, they relaxed back against the hard hypalon material of the inflatable.