A giant green something poked above the trees and then was gone again. I hadn’t been looking up, so I didn’t catch a good look at whatever that was. Maybe it was some bird or something. Something turned out to be the correct guess, as the same brontosaurus from earlier crashed through toward us. The blues still bit at the animal, but the dinosaur was distinctive in its pattern. The beast focused on stamping us out of existence. As we fled to either side, the lumbering giant swung its head like a club. Avant was knocked back 15 feet and collapsed in a heap. The sickening crunch of him landing told me he would not be getting back up. His sudden death was a stark reminder why men like us shouldn’t have families.
I then saw something I shouldn’t have. Something I knew was impossible. The zombies were not all biting. Some were just clinging on while the ones on the other side were biting. Several detached and ran towards my friend's corpse, devouring him. Were they riding the dinosaur? Dumb, mindless killing machines had figured out a way to ride a dinosaur?
Perhaps they tapped into some predatory instinct. Perhaps they knew how to make the dinosaurs flock.
“Move! Move!” came a distant voice.
Perhaps they had a way of motivating the beasts in a way no sane person would ever try. After all, who in their right mind would try biting a dinosaur?
“For all the peace! Move Pale Rider!” came the voice again. It was Solomon up in the tree.
I snapped out of my curiosity and pushed my beast away from the brontosaurus. I chose a path to the left that was cut when we first swept through the blue brain zombies. The brush was clear and perhaps the beast wouldn’t pick up the sound as much as cutting a fresh path would. My hands tightened on the reigns until my knuckles were white. I had a feeling my name, Pale Rider, was well deserved at that moment. I broke free to a valley, hoping to have a moment to think.
As I turned to look back, a head above the trees was looking at me. Of course! The dinosaur is tall enough that it can look above the trees to see where I was going. I decided to bail into some brush and try my luck at not getting stepped on.
It took little persuading my triceratops to flee. I forcefully chose a path with lots of bushes and hedges. When I felt the tree canopy was thick, along with the brushes, I leapt off the dinosaur. I landed on a hard rock that felt like a punch to the ribs. If I were lucky, I would escape this encounter with just a few bruised ribs. I ran away from where I had landed. I only had moments before my landing spot was stamped down into the earth. I froze in place, eyes wide looking at where I had just been. If I had been even a half second later, I would be human paste. I froze like a statue, partly to minimize sound, partly from panic.
The brontosaurus caught up to my ride and I heard a brief squeal as it got clubbed on the side. Not sure how blues figured out this trick, but they had done so in spades. They knew these dinosaurs far better than we ordinary humans. A chill went up my back at that moment. Maybe they were clearing the land of us. I knew that this land was too good of a deal.
Cursing myself, I moved through the trees and brush as quietly as possible. I wanted to reach where Solomon was last at. Perhaps his plan B or D or E or whatever, was something we could use. Perhaps he just had a way to escape and leave this land. It would be a long trek to get back home.
It took the better part of a tense hour to get back the ground my triceratops had made in minutes. I discovered the tree he had been up in. Thankfully, the tree was still upright. Yet, he was nowhere to be seen. There was only one option left open to me.
I kept sneaking down the path we had cleared previously. Perhaps if I was quiet and consistent with my pace, I would get out. Soft groans came from behind me. Of course! The blues who were eating my fellow rider. Apparently they wanted a taste of both of us. There weren’t many, but I didn’t know if they had a way to signal more dinosaur riders. We knew that their moans attracted more, but would it bring those riding the dinosaur? I tried to move quicker and made some darting movements around shrubs. Hopefully, I could lose the zombie tail I had gained. When I thought I was far enough away, I zipped into a small dark cave. It was risky because I wouldn’t know who was inside. Still, zombies liked shambling in the daylight. More prey outside than in caves. I took a vantage point near the opening of the cave to look out.
I saw my tail break through the brush. They had a pretty good scent for me. They didn’t appear to know where I was at for the moment. The only thing near me was the dripping of water. I knew that light sound wouldn’t cause suspicion, so I kept still. They pawed at the ground in an odd manner. Why did they touch the ground? Perhaps they saw a squirrel or an unusual indent? The dripping water behind me seemed to get a little louder. I looked back, but couldn’t spot where the drip was coming from. I didn’t see any streams or rivers near here, so I wasn’t sure why there would be dripping water. I heard it again, this time right beside me. An injured blue had been slowly scraping closer to me, and I had assumed it was water. The creature swung its jaws in my direction just as I moved my leg. That was close.
The other blue darted their heads in my direction. It was time to move again. I got about ten feet away from the opening of the cave, when the whole thing collapsed. A giant bang had caused the ground to move. Some distant boom toward the left was causing things to shake. I froze again. It couldn’t be…
The green dinosaur head appeared in the distant trees. It looked like the creature was head banging to music. Or perhaps it was fighting something off. I didn’t want to know what was going on. This time I used my adrenaline to the full advantage and moved out of there. I no longer cared about how much sound, or lack of sound, I was making. I had to get out. I had to get safe. I had to get home.
I zipped by several blue eating a deer. Only one looked up at me as I went past their feast. I didn’t care if they tailed me. I could outrun the blue horde for now. My legs started to burn from all the movement. I knew that I needed shelter and quick. I also knew that any idea of shelter would mean death. Zombies clung to the idea of shelter as if it were a ripe fruit. They just grew their numbers around any shelter and slowly clawed their way in. I didn’t know how long I could hold out this pace though. I stopped for a second and panted. My head began to swim as I saw white fuzz cloud my vision. If I passed out now, I wouldn’t wake up. Had to fight that white fuzz in my head and my eyes. I can’t pass out. I decided that a tree would be my best bet. Perhaps I could get high enough to hide under the leaves. Once I was sure I could move without passing out, I found the closest tree and began to climb. My zombie tail decided my shoes were not meant for climbing and pulled them off. They then went for my socks, hoping to get the foot next. I got up in the tree far enough where I could be safe, if just for a brief moment. I kept climbing.
I had found an excellent spot where two thick branches met and made a natural seat. I sat there, breathing hard and doing my best to keep conscious. If I passed out now, I would fall, and the zombies wouldn’t be the cause of death. That notion struck me as funny, and I laughed. It was a crazy hopeless laugh. That being surrounded by zombies and attacking dinosaurs, my death would come from falling out of a tree. The chuckle grew louder in my throat. To anyone listening it would sound like a mad cackle. Some crazed fool was laughing at the top of his lungs. I didn’t get long to enjoy this new flavor of insanity before the next one came crashing through.
I didn’t notice the branches above me thin out; I just saw them violently shake. I then saw a green flash and the branches near my feet disappeared, snapping and breaking free. The brontosaurus had heard my laughter and was now eating the tree I was in like corn on the cob. I scrambled into the middle of the tree, hoping to both escape notice and consumption. The pace set by the dinosaur felt hurried and unnatural. I saw most of the branches were not being eaten, but rather broken and spit out. My cover started to dwindle quickly. Once I was exposed, it would be a simple matter of a forward bite to end my life. With few options left, an idea came to my head. If I had blood left in my face, it would have drained at the idea. How
ever, with all the desperation, massive risk was no longer something to be weighed out. Finding a way to live was going to take a lot of risks, with steep consequences. I inhaled, squinted, and jumped blindly into the air.
The brontosaurus snatched branches where I had been. I clawed at the creature's neck, trying to gain a finger. I got a hold but was swinging violently with the creature's momentum. This movement felt like jumping onto a moving car. A dinosaur is not meant to be saddled in this manner, let alone with all the beast’s power and momentum being flung around. My arm curled in the wrong direction and snapped.
High on adrenalin, I ignored the pain as best I could and had enough presence of mind to grab hold with the other arm. I held through the swing but would not hold through the dinosaur swinging its head again. Luckily for me, the dinosaur didn’t swing its head again. Unlucky for me, the zombies that were controlling the brontosaurus took note of me and were advancing fast. I had found myself at the base of the neck of the dinosaur with mere yards before the zombies were upon me. I looked down at my broken arm. I flopped the appendage against my body several times. Again, a mad chuckle burst through my lips, and anger filled my eyes. Disgust filled my heart. Primal blood lust pounded in my ears like a war drum. These blue brain bastards had awoken the actual threat. I ran… at them.
As I neared, I leaned back and did a small jump towards them. The dinosaur moved almost immediately after my feet were off the rough green skin of the brontosaurus. My feet, held together, led my momentum and hit the lead zombie in the chest. It was a death move, falling on your back around zombies. If I had time to calculate a strategy, I would have never chosen such a crazed stunt. I was tired, hurt badly, and running on adrenaline alone. My feet connected squarely with the lead zombies chest. It got pushed back into the crowd. The shifting of position, and the dinosaurs movement ,threw a small crowd of zombies off. I was in a perfect position to one arm hug and hold the creature. It was an utterly horrible position, as the panicked dinosaur saw its opportunity to roll and smash the threat on its back. The ground came up quickly. I tried to release my fingers but found they wouldn’t let go.
I released too late and was thrown sideways into the air by the downward fling. It was enough to avoid most the damage. Unfortunately, my leg got caught under the dinosaur rolling on the ground and was crushed instantly. Blinding pain from both my arm and a leg crashed in. I passed out.
I don’t know how long I was out for. When I woke up, I didn’t understand. I knew something bad had happened. What was going on? Why was I outside again? Nessie?
A giant explosion fired above me, and blood rained down. The brontosaurus gave a death roar as if cursing the sky and fell on its side. Every inch was quickly soaked in the falling blood. I was amazed at how salty this blood was. Such an odd thought to think when your dying, how salty blood can be. I laid there, smacking my lips in a daze, breathing raggedly. Did I have to know what was going on? Such a beautiful day to fade off into.
“Pale Rider!” came a voice from a red tree. Wait, that was no tree. The head poked out from the tree trunk and revealed a giant red t-rex. Sharp teeth and fiery eyes looked around in hate and hunger. Upon its back was Solomon. He was letting go of the reigns around the t-rex and was holding a red baton. I stared at him approaching off the t-rex and passed out again.
“…Light, if I had not seen it. I hope one of us survives for this tale.” Solomon’s voice came through the fog.
How had he made up so much ground? He was just a tiny dot a moment ago. Now he was holding me and dragging me onto the t-rex. I looked at his hand and saw the red baton. It had string attached to it. Why was such a strong buff guy holding onto such a feminine baton? It took my mind a few seconds to connect the dots, but I had lost a lot of blood.
“Dynamite.” I croaked out, “Your plan D? Or was the D for dinosaur?”
He looked down at me, smiled, and said with calm care “Yes”.
“Crazy bastard” I commented to the sky.
“Says the man who leapt from a tree, did a wrestling move against zombies on a dinosaur, and somehow is still talking” Solomon retorted. “But that is not what baffles me. Men will do what it takes to survive. What baffles me is that you were laughing the whole time. Like this chaos was a fun enjoyable experience. If anyone is a crazy bastard, your it.”
He had a valid point. Maybe not. I wasn’t sure. What were we talking about again? Wrestling? Who was wrestling in the woods?
“I’ve patched your arm and made a stint for your leg. The bone didn’t rupture the skin, but I can’t guarantee you're not bleeding out inside. Let’s remove a path home.” Solomon then tied me to a makeshift chair he had created on the back of the t-rex. It looked like a lawn chair with the legs ripped off and missing most of the backing. Dark red stains and mud covered the tattered, cheap chair. I could not have picked a more glorious battle throne.
“Mush Doggie, Mush,” I told the red hulk of power beneath my legs. Solomon looked at me and a smile tweaked his lips.
“Crazy bastard. You are having fun.” He shook his head, took the reigns and slapped them hard against the t-rex.
I was out for several hours. The first time the t-rex’s foot fell on the ground, and the pain rattled through me, I passed out. Night had fell around me while I was in an endless black dream. I opened my eyes to the night and a fire nearby. The silhouette of a man sitting and sharpening his knife was evident. The slick sound the blade made on the sharpening stone reminded me of teeth on bone. Grinding, but with a wetness. My mouth was dry. I went to stand up but stumbled as my leg decided not to work. Foolish action, as I just remembered that I had a broken leg. My brain was on some sort of auto-pilot.
“Where…” I mumbled out. As I got a clear look around a saw a young blue standing and watching Solomon. The strong man appeared to not care about the young blue.
“Deeper in the forest.” He replied while keeping his eyes shifting around. His eyes darted to the side. He jumped up with a raised knife and started yelling incoherently. I then saw the blue running toward him turn around and run back into the night. He turned and shouted at the blue child, who also ran off into the night.
“The T-Rex decided to stop moving without a proper meal. Some blues were eating a deer, so I am letting the T-Rex eat that dead deer. They are testing us while their main force sleeps. They want us weak enough to slaughter easily. Or perhaps they hope we will draw more help and give them more to eat.” Solomon sat back down and resumed his watch. The T-rex scratched an itch on its belly with a leg.
“Are you.. Watching the dinosaur?” I asked him. My eyes darted over to the massive creature.
“Why would I watch that?” he asked with venom in his voice.
“Because they know how to ride.”
Solomon’s eyes stopped darting and focused back on me for a few seconds. Perhaps he was testing how lucid I currently had been. Realizing I was coherent, he then eyed the massive creature. His head moved around, trying to look from multiple angles to make sure the T-Rex was clean. I noticed movement behind him.
“Behind!” I yelled.
He twisted and screamed incoherently again. The blue brain ran back in the forest.
“This is going to be a long night, Pale Rider. Good thing I am smarter than you give me credit for.”
I didn’t remember ever insulting this man, but somehow he had taken offense. If I were unbroken, I would argue, but right now I enjoyed being alive thanks to this man.
“Do you have something planned?” I asked with a bit more pleading in my voice.
“If you don’t die from injuries and the blues don’t catch me off my guard,” Solomon said, “I have my plan E.”
“Plan E?” I asked. Maybe he was much smarter than me. I had only figured out one contingency, and we used that in the first few minutes. My re-group point was a last resort.
“Everyone” he replied back, smiling, but still darting his gaze around. “While you were drinking yourself stupid with Avant, I wen
t to most of the bar patrons and made them a deal. If I see them the next night, I will buy them all a drink. If I am not back in the bar, I will give them part of my share to come rescue me the next day. I haven’t stayed alive by being greedy.”
Rage filled me and I tried to stand up. Again, my broken leg refused to cooperate, and I shambled toward him.
“Some of those people have families!” I yelled up at him. “You may not be greedy, but you may have just broken families with this hellish plot of land.”
He didn’t reply. I couldn’t tell if he was feeling guilty or thinking of something else. If I could stand, I would punch him. The blues would surely see us fighting and take the moment to swarm. I wouldn’t have cared. You don’t risk family when farming; that’s the rule. I tried to sit and glare at this coward of a man. Saving his skin by risking others was not something to be casually thrown around. If we survived the night, I would no longer do business with him.
A giant bellow of a roar broke my gaze. The blues had the T-rex panicked, and the beast was stomping trying to squash them. The T-Rex broke its lead and started a frightened dash into the forest. Solomon looked scared. If that T-Rex came back through here, he wouldn’t have a chance against the thing. Yelling incoherently may be enough for a blue, but not for a panicked dinosaur. I could see Solomon’s posture shrink into a crouch and his grip on the blade tightened.
My rage not fully suppressed by surprise, I said “They stole your ride. Did you plan that? Plan T?”
Solomon tensed as if I had struck him. He turned toward me with murder and madness in his eyes. The stress had finally brought him up to the tipping point, and I had shoved him over with my comment. In the distance, moonlight showed trees swaying from the T-Rex’s attempt to shake its new riders. I could see the monster had failed or was trying to outrun them. Unlucky for me, it was circling back this way. Seeing the trees sway, the truth sank in. I had blues, dinosaurs, and a crazed man out for my blood. Here I was, next to a fire, with a broken leg and arm. A funny thing happens when you accept death. You can mock the process. I started laughing again. Loudly and without care. Who would kill me first? Who?
As Solomon raised his knife to thrust into my chest, the T-Rex stomped where Solomon had been standing. Solomon was knocked off his feet and stumbled to the ground. He looked up at the giant beast, about to squash us both.
It was then a second dinosaur, my original ride - the triceratops- broke through the brush. My dinosaur also had blues infesting it. Neither set of blues knew about the other. The horns of the triceratops dug into the side of the T-Rex. Out of a killer nature, the T-Rex ignored the biting blues and ripped the hind quarter out of the triceratops. The large red T-rex snapped its head firmly in a direction and threw the chunk into the night. The triceratops fell immediately. The T-rex staggered a few steps, then fell over with a loud thud. What blues didn’t get crushed disappeared into the forest.
Solomon and I were both lying on the ground watching in amazement. The power of these beasts was far from what we even could imagine. He looked over to me. For a second, I saw the murder return to his eyes. He then started laughing in my face. I joined in and we laughed together. I am not sure what the blues thought. Two men were laughing wildly in the night. Two men inches away from death multiple times.
It was then I saw a group of trees shifting in our direction. I could hear men screaming and coming toward us. It looked like Solomon’s plan “everyone” was working.
EPILOGUE
I hobbled up wooden stairs on a pair of crutches. Stairs and crutches were not a good combination. The process took me 10 minutes, so I hoped that no one was watching me make a fool of myself. I looked at a large wooden door that was carved with a deliberate care and determination. I would need to steady myself before knocking, so I didn’t pound myself off the porch. I realized, shortly after knocking, that I didn’t give enough room for the door to swing open. In a slight panic, I maneuvered away from the swinging door.
Solomon answered shortly. He had a broad grin on his face and beckoned me inside. Inside was much like what I would have expected from a man like Solomon. The cabin walls had skulls from various animals. Old soda signs hung from the ceiling, put up there with care. I was a little nervous walking underneath them, but was reminded that Solomon rarely did things halfway. He went over to a table and pulled out a chair for me.
“Thank you,” I told him politely.
“Did you want anything to drink? To eat?” He asked me with brightness in his voice. It was weird to see him smiling. I wondered what he was hiding from me. Rough men like this are not polite, and they don’t smile this much. The thought of a trap soured my stomach.
“No” I replied back his direction. He had already turned his back toward me and was heading for the kitchen. He disappeared for a half a minute, then returned, two beers in hand. He set them on the table with a clink.
“You could have killed the bar patrons, you know.” I reached for my beer and watched how he took my statement.
“But I didn’t. My plan got us out. Well, all except Avant; rest his bones.” Solomon grabbed my beer before I grabbed it. He popped the cap with a bottle opener and handed the beer to me. He then took his beer and opened it.
I raised my beer and repeated “rest his bones”. We drank in silence for a few moments. I then heard a sound behind us. Were there more men here? Did Solomon have company over?
A woman appeared from a doorway and moved gracefully toward Solomon. He tilted his head back and kissed her as she passed by. Her hands grazed over his jawline as she kissed with passion. After the warm embrace, she walked to the other side of the room. His eyes lingered hungrily on her curves.
“Girlfriend?” I asked.
“Wife” he replied.
It took me a few seconds to connect the word wife in my brain. Solomon had a family. He was a family man that had just gone with me on the craziest clearing I had ever been on. I calmly took a pull of my beer, then got up. I hobbled over to him and punched him as hard as I could in his mouth.
I showed myself out the door. That was easy to do. A ranting woman behind me was all the motivation I needed to find some quiet. In the middle of her yelling, I also noticed Solomon had remained silent. Solomon was staring a hole in my back, smiling as he watched me leave.
Meet the Author:
Did you like the story?
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James Livingood was born in Montana, raised with three brothers, and provided trouble for two parents. In his 20's he fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. He moved out to Seattle after college and started a life by providing IT Consulting. In 2014, he started the writing adventure.
Pale Rider: Zombies versus Dinosaurs Page 4