The Valley of Tooth & Claw

by Chris McInally

  In the end, the smoke proved slow to dissipate. Trudging forward, the commander coughed as it assailed his lungs. Here and there Elias was eventually able to discern the occasional shape; buildings mostly. However, the silhouettes of frightened and fleeing natives appeared as well, albeit only to disappear seconds later as they were enveloped once more by the smoke. Somewhat disorientating, these flurries of activity worked to put Campbell on edge. At any second, he was expecting an axe-wielding tribesman to emerge from the ether.

  Finally, the smoke began to settle. Campbell wasn’t sure how long it had been. A minute or so, perhaps? Regardless, carried away on a gentle breeze, the grey-black cloud encircling him began to melt away. As such, the village gradually revealed itself to Commander Campbell. Surveying the collection of wooden structures, he found them beautiful in their simplicity. Indeed, the buildings’ thatched roofs made Campbell think of the old crofts that still dotted parts of the Scottish Highlands. Yet, the man’s attention didn’t remain on the structures for long.

  Amidst the panicked screeching of women and children, other cries soon made themselves known to him as well. These were different, although familiar. These were ones of anger. Charcoal-painted warriors abruptly appeared on all sides, brandishing spears and axes, and in some cases, bows nocked with arrows. The initial shock brought on by Campbell’s detonations had worn off and the village’s defenders had regrouped it seemed.

  Craaack! Craaack! Elias showed no mercy.

  Pivoting with each shot, Elias’ G36 rattled as he proceeded to pick his targets out of the crowd. A series of controlled bursts saw man after man fall dead to the ground, their bodies riddled with bloody punctures. Yet, just like before, the natives kept coming.

  Sliding back toward the smoking ruin of an entrance he had created for himself, the commander bought himself both time and breathing space from the natives’ onslaught, the Scot’s assault rifle flashing and crackling with a deadly precision in between. Nevertheless, superior weaponry or not, more natives, all lost in their blood-frenzy, poured from every direction, threatening to swamp him.

  There’s too many of them! Campbell’s mind screamed.

  BOOM! BOOM! The ground trembled all of a sudden.

  Elias halted his retreat, convinced the sound had emanated from somewhere behind him. Turning on the spot, the mercenary titled his head back, finger leaving the trigger. Slow and ominous, a shadow appeared just beyond the dissolving veil of smoke, the haunting figure framed by the remains of the village’s sundered fortifications. Still, it wasn’t a shadow for long. Like a demon venturing forth from the void, the being materialized from behind the foggy curtain. First came the snout, followed by the killer’s golden eyes topped as they were by arched brows and, more frighteningly, devil-like horns.

  With this, the cries of terror from before began anew.

  CHAPTER 16

  Kate blinked, taken aback by Trey’s swift appearance. To his credit, by sheer will alone it would seem, the mercenary had mustered the strength to break free from his restraints and come to her aid. Hovering in front of her as he was, the professor could see the man’s dark-skinned brow was awash with a hard-earned sweat. What’s more, his chest heaved from the exertion of his ordeal. Eventually the woman’s eyes travelled to Latham’s arms where she noted what remained of the crude rope which had been used to bind him. These pieces were little more than frayed tendrils at this point, hanging limply from each wrist.

  “I’ll get you down,” Trevon told Professor Miller, his concern for her written large on his face.

  Eyes still on him, Kate nodded lamely in reply, the woman bit by bit coming to her senses; the shock from the things she had witnessed only just beginning to wear off. Meanwhile, away to Miller’s right, Professor Trentham struggled by his lonesome with his own bonds.

  “Hang in there, Trentham!” Trey called to the older man, as if to say, ‘I haven’t forgotten about you!’

  “Make it snappy!” Greg replied curtly, looking a little like a tangled marionette. “Before our scaly friend comes back!”

  He’s talking about the spinosaur! Miller realized. What did he call it? An Oxa-something…

  Alarmed by the mere mention of it, Kate searched the scene in front of her, peering past a preoccupied Latham. And whilst she couldn’t see any immediate sign of the predator, its absence didn’t put the geographer at ease. Not by any stretch of the imagination. After all, it could pounce on them from its watery abode at any given moment.

  “Got it!” Kate heard Trevon crow, redirecting her attention.

  She felt her left arm drop then, gravity pulling it groundward. Quickly bringing said arm up in front of her face, Professor Miller noted a red ring encircling her wrist. It ached like hell to boot, but it was free, so she didn’t care.

  “Help Trentham,” Miller instructed her dutiful companion. “I can take care of the rest.”

  “Okay,” Trey nodded, turning away from her and toward Greg.

  Even without Trevon to aid her, Kate made fast work of the remaining restraint, using a combination of her freed hand and teeth to undo it. And so, sliding her wrist free from the loosened coil of rope, she moved rapidly toward the two men. Extending an arm, Miller made to help˗

  ˗when out of the blue, a second explosion sounded, the noise resonating shockingly in the woman’s eardrums. Forgetting about Greg and Latham in an instant, Kate spun on the spot to find an enormous ball of flame billowing into the sky.

  Campbell! she thought excitedly. It’s gotta be…

  “We have to hurry,” Professor Miller said to the others, a look of hope inching across her wan features.

  “Almost there,” Trevon said through gritted teeth, still working away on Trentham.

  #

  Commander Campbell was running. Again. Always bloody running.

  Behind him, it was nothing short of a bloodbath as the Carnotaurus rampaged through the settlement. All the while, the animal’s great, burgundy tail swiped left and right, the tapered limb cleaving haphazardly through wooden structures to leave a trail of destruction in its thunderous wake. What’s more, in between roars of fury, the horned killer was picking off any villagers too slow or too foolish to get out of its way. As for the latter, bare-chested warriors in groups of twos and threes met the beast head-on with their spears and bows and arrows, launching primitive projectiles at the marauding reptile. Still, their missiles had virtually no effect, the Carnotaurus’ hardened casing of osteoderms easily deflecting them one after the other.

  Meanwhile, lungs burning and pulse pounding, Elias wasn’t sure where he was headed… other than trying to get the hell away from the bloodthirsty dinosaur, that is. Thankfully, with bigger fish to fry, the natives no longer seemed concerned with stopping his infiltration of their home. With this particular obstacle removed, Campbell found he was making good headway as he attempted to navigate the indigenous settlement. Still, he wasn’t sure where to even begin looking for his friends. To the commander, the village may as well have been a maze. Were his friends inside one of these buildings? If so, which one? If not, then where else could they be? Considering his circumstances, going from house to house was simply untenable. So what then?

  Talk about a needle in a haystack… That satellite would’ve really come in handy.

  “HQ, where are those choppers?” Elias barked into his mic, the man’s eyes searching the empty sky.

  “ETA is two minutes, Commander,” was the response from headquarters.

  All around Campbell, tawny-colored bodies scattered; the natives embroiled in their panic. Elias scoured the seething multitude of men, women and children, desperately hoping for a glimpse of his compatriots somewhere in amongst them.

  “God damn it!” Elias growled with disappointment. Where the hell are they? he wondered.

  #

  “Jesus that hurts!” Trentham rubbed one of his wrists.

  “Never mind that,” Kate told him pointedly, “we need to get the hell out of here.”r />
  “Agreed,” Trevon nodded, his brow furrowing with determination.

  Professor Miller edged away from the other two, her brown eyes inevitably drawn to the lingering cloud of smoke off in the distance. Like a tsunami, the grey haze swept over the settlement, obscuring the woman’s view of the people, buildings and thoroughfares below. Still, there was no denying the tumult that came with it.

  Just what the hell is going on down there? she thought, listening to the garbled cacophony.

  Only then did it dawn on Miller that the shaman and his congregation had fled, presumably following the explosions. Like their monstrous deity, the villagers were nowhere to be seen now. Save that is for the three axe-wielding figures scrambling up the hill toward her.

  “Trey!” Kate doubled back toward the merc and Trentham.

  Latham rushed to the professor’s side. “Get behind me,” Trevon instructed her, immediately spotting the encroaching warriors.

  The threesome retreated from the top of the brae, Trevon shielding the two academics. Cautiously, Trey guided the group back in the direction of the hut they had been confined to the night before.

  Eventually the pursuing natives crested the hill. Moving in an arrow-shaped formation, one man was in the lead with the other two flanking him. Trey began to slow, and Professor Miller realized then that the man intended to stand and fight. She thought back to the night before and the beating he had endured at the hands of Scarface and his brethren.

  “Trey, no!” Kate grabbed his shoulders.

  “I ain’t running anymore,” Latham shrugged loose from the geographer’s grip, moving toward the Amazons.

  #

  Scarface stayed low, skirting the thatched rooftop, gripping a short-handled axe in one hand and a dagger in the other. The screams of his people rang hauntingly in the tribesman’s ears. As did the bellows of the beast hunting and killing them.

  Continuing to shrink his profile, the warrior watched as the Carnotaurus’ great wine-red mass drew closer. In only a few short, bobbing strides the ancient killer came parallel with Scarface’s perch, its shoulders level with the lower-most portion of the roof. The man just prayed its wayward tail wouldn’t take the building out from underneath him before he had a chance to make his move.

  Eyeing the fearsome beast, a rage burned in the warrior’s chest. Most of all, he was angry at his people’s god, their supposed protector, and its absence when they needed it the most. Was this not the very reason they offered it such rich sacrifices? For its protection? Now it was up to him. He would be the savior of his people. He would slay the monster and be raised to godhood himself. Yes, the warrior liked the sound of that. And so, Scarface tensed as he prepared himself for what must come next.

  Sensing his time was right, the tribesman rose to his feet, unleashing a furious war-cry. Then, dashing forward, both weapons raised high over his head, he lunged from the rooftop! Gliding through the air, the scarred man fell upon the waiting theropod, axe and knife ready to strike˗

  ˗but his hubris had given him away.

  Startled, the Carnotaurus tweaked its neck in the tribesman’s direction, giving an angered growl at the encroaching warrior. Then, jaws held agape, the waiting carnivore coolly plucked the offending figure out of the air! Scarface could only scream as the killer’s pointed teeth pierced his flesh and ground his bones in quick succession. He was dead within two bites. But the Carnotaurus did not swallow him. Instead, with a casual flick of its head and neck, the creature tossed the warrior’s broken carcass aside; Scarface’s mangled body smashing into the wall of a nearby hut to crumple in a bloody heap.

  #

  Trevon backed away from the Amazons, his arms held out like wings. Behind him the figures of Kate and Gregory looked on warily, making sure to keep their distance. Continuing to give ground, the merc sized up his opponents. As for the tawny trio, they advanced, venom in their stares.

  Suddenly, Trevon halted. “I’ll be back,” he told Kate and Trentham, glancing back at them.

  Latham took off before either of the academics had a chance to reply. In a matter of a few exaggerated strides the PMC closed the distance between himself and his foes. Firing a stiff push-kick into the lead warrior’s gut he drove the man back into his companions. Whilst one of the trailing figures managed to dodge this, the other wasn’t so lucky, and the two Amazons collapsed, tangled painfully together.

  The warrior still standing lunged at Trevon, swiping with his axe! Surprisingly graceful for his size, Latham parried the attack, swiftly maneuvering himself in behind the Amazon. In the blink of an eye, Trey’s arms were wrapped around the native’s head and neck. There followed a horrendous snap! as Trevon broke the man’s vertebrae where he stood, the mercenary deftly snatching the dead man’s weapon whilst he still stood.

  Stepping off to meet the remaining warriors, Trevon let his victim fall. He charged forward, the other natives back on their feet now. Blocking an incoming strike with the shaft of his stolen axe, Latham drove his elbow hard into its owner’s face, catching him on the hinge of his jaw and sending him to the ground unconscious.

  However, this left the PMC exposed to an attack from the tribesman’s cohort.

  #

  Professor Miller knew what was going to happen before it happened. The last remaining warrior had outflanked Latham and was about to bring his axeblade down on the man’s head! So, Kate did the only thing she could. She moved to stop her premonition from becoming a reality.

  Ducking low, the geographer made a beeline for the Amazon. Taking the warrior off-guard, Kate spear-tackled the preoccupied tribesman, forcing him to the ground. The pair crashed into the dusty soil where they jostled momentarily for position. Unfortunately for Professor Miller the Amazon rolled the woman onto her back, pinning her in the dust. The tribesman’s teeth flashed like a wolf’s as he raised his axe once more, this time preparing to slam it down into Miller’s face!

  “No!” Kate tried to protect herself with her arms.

  All of a sudden, the Amazon jerked, appearing to spasm almost. Something hot and sticky followed, splashing over Professor Miller’s face and obscuring her vision of him. The woman’s hands instinctively went to her eyes. Rubbing vigorously, she tried to clear her line of sight. When she finally removed her hands from her face, Kate discovered the tribesman still hovering over her, albeit rendered stock-still. It was an eerie sight. Within a few seconds, Miller noticed the axe protruding from the top of his cranium, the weapon cleaved deep into his skull. The macabre result of this saw a wending trail of blood bisecting his face.

  To her surprise, the warrior abruptly toppled to one side. A boot at the end of a long, muscular leg draped in camo appeared at about the same time. It was Trevon. Standing a little to her left, the PMC extended a hand toward her.

  “Thank you,” Miller told Latham, taking his hand.

  “Ditto,” Trevon replied.

  “Where to now?” Greg joined them, eyeing the tribesmen’s prone outlines.

  “C’mon,” Miller waved Greg and Trey toward her, “this way!”

  #

  The gaps in between the wooden structures grew more pronounced the further Campbell ventured into the settlement. On top of this, whilst small knots of bodies continued to bustle about him, they were nowhere near the numbers they had been before. Elias silently wondered if some of the inhabitants had taken refuge elsewhere in the village or perhaps managed to escape it altogether.

  As for the commotion caused by the Carnotaurus’ arrival, the noise had dulled somewhat; although it was still enough to send shivers up Elias’ spine. He was under no illusions that the monster was still hot on his trail, however hampered or distracted it had become. The commander assumed the defenders’ attacks were slowing the reptile’s advance, which of course worked in his favor. Even so, he couldn’t imagine their heroic attempts would hold the creature off for long.

  Where are they? The faces of Campbell’s friends flashed in his mind’s eye one after the other.r />
  Elias slowed then, anxious to continue any further. The commander looked about himself. Unsure of his next move, he was akin to a cub separated from its mother. Save for a few scattered shacks, the buildings had all but disappeared by this point. Yet, there was still no sign of his companions. Panic gradually set in and not for the first time that day Commander Campbell began to feel that maybe he was shit out of luck.

  “Where to now?” Elias muttered irritably to himself, his pace slowing to little more than a crawl.

  On his right, Campbell was presented with a barren hillock. Whereas a little further up ahead, the land dipped away from him on a soft incline, beyond which he could make out the beginnings of what he assumed was a lake; the blue sheet of water, still and shimmering.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said demolitions were your specialty,” a familiar voice unexpectedly called out to the Scotsman.

  Taken by surprise, Campbell didn’t believe his ears at first. The thought even occurred to him that perhaps he was imagining things. And so, decidedly stunned, Elias looked away from the lake to meet the gaze of none other than Professor Kate Miller.

  It’s her…

  A wave of relief washed over Campbell then, the butterflies that had been forming in his stomach calming ever so slightly. In the end, the irony that Kate had stumbled upon him and not the other way around was not lost on Elias Campbell. In fact, it brought a coy smile to the Scot’s face. Maybe he was the one who needed rescuing all along.

  For her part, the geographer was standing a short distance up the hill, hands on her hips and breathing hard. Kate Miller’s eyes were wide and glistening as she pitched her head to one side, the woman clearly happy to see the commander. In that moment, battered, bruised and filthy as she was, Elias hadn’t seen a more beautiful woman in his whole life. Campbell didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he responded with a mischievous, one-sided grin, her comment lingering in his mind.