Below The Earth

by Lucas Pederson

  “Okay,” I said. “Should I get my laser ready?”

  “Settle down, cowgirl,” Megan said. “Just keep an eye out for anything. We’re not so sure what else survived after we left.”

  “So,” I ventured. “Everyone just left this place without shutting it down?”

  “To be fair,” Hannah said, “we were evacuated.”

  Megan snorted. “Now look who’s telling her too much.”

  “She needs to know some of this,” Hannah said as we walked by the orange post.

  “Evacuated? It wasn’t because of funding?”

  “No,” Hannah said. She sighed. “Like all major coming-of-age ideas, this one had its flaws. Serious flaws. The scientists began splicing different species, and not solely dinosaurs. They injected small amounts of radiation into mothers. They tampered with genetic codes and suddenly we weren’t breeding authentic dinosaurs anymore down here, but monsters. They wanted big and bad to get guests excited. Unfortunately, they weren’t prepared for the things they created.”

  We crunched along, silence a veil between them and me.

  “Yeah,” Megan said. “Remember Mr. Spinosaurus back there? He was their first radiation injection. A test that actually took hold. The bastard got too smart too fast. Too big too fast. He was the first to escape, killing a few guards along the way. After that, it was like a domino effect. All of them had a major gene, giving them their identities. The tyrannosaurs, carnosaurs, a couple allosaurs, Velociraptors, and God knows what else.”

  “So, it’s mostly carnivores here?” I asked, purposely neglecting Gerty.

  “No,” Hannah said as we came to the edge of the trees. Beyond sprawled what appeared to be a vast meadow. Only…the tall grasses were red. “Before the tampering, a few herds were already thriving in the plains sector. Not sure what their numbers are now.”

  “There are a lot of carnivores,” Megan said. “They wouldn’t have lasted this long if not for the herbivores. But… I think the population is thinning.”

  “Makes sense,” I said. “I mean, why would they be so hungry otherwise?”

  Hannah said, turning to face me, “Carnivores, especially the engineered ones here, are always hungry. In the cases of the tyrannosaurs, though, they’re in it for the sport. They didn’t want to eat us.”

  Megan grunted. “They were always assholes like that.”

  “Well, they’re dead now. Maybe we should hurry up and get done whatever you two need to do.”

  Hannah and Megan looked at me for a moment. One of them nodded.

  “Hear that, Hannah? She doesn’t want a history lesson. She wants to get the shit and get out.”

  “No. I just—”

  “Shh,” Hannah said. “Listen.”

  We all stopped. For the life of me, I thought the ground shook. But then again, that could’ve just been my imagination. At least I hoped so. God, I was so damn worn. Tired. Hungry. Thirsty. Did I want to get all over with? Hell yeah I did. Who in their right mind wouldn’t?

  “It’s just Gerty,” Megan said, though she sounded a bit uncertain. “She’s playing in the woods and—”

  Something heavy crashed through the woods. My heart skipped a beat or two. I sucked in a sharp breath, as if slapped. And in a way, I suppose I kind of was.

  It broke through branches, leaves and palms flew and scattered in a storm before it plopped to the ground not far from my feet. Blood splashed onto the mech, misted the air, and all I could do was gape at it.

  After a second or two, Megan said, in a choked voice, “Oh my God…”

  “We need to go,” Hannah said.

  “Oh my God, Han…it’s…it’s…”

  “I know,” Hannah said. “Move!”

  I stared at the large chunk of green, scaly meat oozing blood onto my mech’s feet. Not just a chunk, though…there was a head. One I recognized.

  “Oh, poor Gerty,” Megan wept.

  As she spoke that, Gerty’s mouth opened and closed. Then it fell still. Nerves, surely, but it felt like she was saying goodbye to Megan.

  Then I was being yanked away and out of the jungle/forest. I stumbled, gaze lifting, trying to figure out what was going on, but neither Megan nor Hannah was going to allow that. One of them pulled me along until I finally had to turn and run with them.

  They didn’t go entirely into the meadow, though. They cut sharply to the right and we stumbled onto broken concrete.

  “There’s a lower-level entrance,” Hannah said, mostly to herself, it seemed. “But…”

  “There,” Megan said and I was pulled into a space with high concrete walls covered in thick moss, grim of neglect.

  Straight ahead was a metal door. There wasn’t any time to see anything more than that.

  “It’s locked,” Hannah said. “There’s no way they’d—”

  But Megan turned the knob and opened the door. “Apparently, they forgot to lockdown.”

  She shoved me inside before she or Hannah could enter.

  A couple seconds later, the door closed and Hannah said, “Okay. Let’s find the files and get out of here.”

  “You’re sure none of them can open doors?” I asked.

  “Pretty sure,” Megan replied. “Even if they can, they’re too big to fit through.”

  Wherever we were, it was pitch black until the mech’s visors kicked in. Then I could see clear enough. Weeds sprouted through the cracked, concrete floor. The walls themselves appeared on the verge of collapse.

  “This way,” Hannah said, brushing by me. Megan followed closely behind.

  We were in a square tunnel. Weeds and vines hung from the cracks in the ceiling. By the look, the place could collapse at any moment. But not then, though, thankfully.

  The only sounds were of the heavy footfalls the mechs made on the concrete.

  The tunnel soon sloped upward to a staircase. Near the stairs was an elevator. Of course, with no power, the elevator wouldn’t work. We took to the stairs, no one speaking.

  It was the silence I hated most.

  Not that I expected them to be talking all the time, but at least…something. Anything besides the monotonous sounds of my breathing and footfalls on the concrete stairs.

  We swept by the first and second floors, neither Hannah nor Megan pausing the slightest, before finally coming to a stop at the third floor. I listened to my breathing inside the mech. I waited.

  And waited some more.

  Neither of them moved and it finally dawned on me they were probably having a private communication. For all I knew, they were talking the entire time up the stairs. I didn’t know why that pissed me off so bad, but it did.

  “Alright,” I said. “Enough bullshit. What the hell is going on?”

  A second or so later, a small click, followed by, “We’re trying to remember if it’s the third floor where we need to be.”

  “Wait.” I frowned. “So, you guys don’t know where these files, or whatever, are?”

  “We know they’re here,” Hannah said. “But, as an added security feature, they were sent to random servers every hour. We’re trying to remember which the more likely server was before the evac.”

  “And that all depends how quickly the systems shut down after we left,” Megan added. “I’m trying to remember where the files were before the evac. I’m thinking it’s this floor.”

  “But you don’t know.”

  “No.”

  I chuckled, shook my head. “And here I thought I was with a couples badasses who knew their shit. Oh, wait, look, I’m wrong about you guys…again.”

  “Okay,” Megan said. “The spontaneous sarcasm is great, but that kinda sucked, dude.”

  “I really don’t give a shit what you think right now,” I said, rage flaring. I’ve had enough of it all. “Find what you came here to find and let’s get out of here.”

  Both women were quiet for a long time.

  Then, Megan giggled a bit. “Damn, girl…you do have some grit to ya.”

  I sighed. �
�Laser.” I pointed the laser barrel at the one I assumed was Megan. “I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m thirsty. If you’re going to do something, do it.”

  “Whoa…holy hell,” Megan said. I was right. The one my laser was fixed on lifted her arms. “Listen, hun, this isn’t like going through a filing cabinet. We literally don’t know which floor server those files ended up at.”

  “How many floors are there?”

  “Twelve,” Hannah said. “Put that thing down, Wen. We’re not your enemies.”

  I lowered my arm. “Disengage laser.” It slipped back into the mech’s forearm.

  “Jesus jumpin’ on lily pads, Wen,” Megan said. “Really?”

  “Sorry. I just… I’m really worn out here. Hungry.”

  “And thirsty,” Megan said. “I know.”

  “There’s a machine on this floor,” Hannah said. “Meal tubes and protein bars.”

  My stomach grumbled at the words. Even meal tubes sounded good.

  “And water?” I asked.

  “We’ll have to see,” Hannah said and opened the door to the third floor.

  Megan said, “I’m afraid to turn my back to her, Han. She might shoot me.”

  “Oh, hush,” Hannah said. “Let’s get her some food and water. She deserves that and more.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Meg…enough. Come on.”

  Megan spun and hurried onto the third floor. Under other circumstances, it that might have been funny. But not that day. I’d had enough. I needed some rest. Even it was for just a few minutes. The mech took the brunt physical activity, but I hadn’t slept in so long, not counting the tiny cat nap I managed before Roofus attacked the facility…I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t think. I just…

  I followed Hannah and Megan into a wide corridor. Straight ahead were dozens of cubicles festooned and draped in cobwebs. It was a dead place and reminded me too much of a haunted hospital, or office building. Chills squirmed under my skin like carnivorous worms. I tried ignoring the sensation, but it refused to go away.

  “This way, Wen,” Hannah said. “Let’s get some food and water in you. You can rest while Megan and I check the server.”

  “Okay,” I said, wondering if it was a trick. Maybe they’d find the files and just kind of…forget about me.

  Still, my body was crying out for food, water, and rest. I needed to recharge.

  Before long, we came to three, large vending machines. One was filled solely with water bottles. The other two appeared to be for snacks and meals. Some of the meals were black and green with mold. All except for the tubes. Turkey Meal read one. Steak Dinner read another. There were about six tubes in all.

  “Just break the glass and help yourself,” Hannah said.

  “Yeah,” Megan said, “relax, will ya?”

  I smiled and nodded, even though I knew they couldn’t see my smile.

  I waited for them to walk away and broke the glass of the vending machine holding the meal tubes. I took out Steak Dinner and Mac and Cheese Meal. I dropped them on the floor. The next machine was a snack one, which held all kinds of candy bars, chips, crackers, and protein bars. How many of them were well past their expiration date? I brought out a few of the protein bars and moved onto the water bottles.

  Mouth watering, I bashed the glass in and scooped a few bottles out.

  Good. I should have enough.

  I laid down in the middle of the corridor and commanded the mech to open. It split apart like a slit in a cocoon. I sat up, breathing tepid, dank air. The dust messed with my sinuses a bit right away, but I managed to fight off sneezes long enough to pick up the Steak Dinner meal tube and crack the screw cap open without checking the expiration date. I heard those things lasted years beyond their expiration date, though. So, I placed the nozzle in my mouth and squeezed the tube.

  It didn’t so much roll into my mouth, but gush. A melee of flavors all at once. The sharp spike of salt. A conundrum of spices. I didn’t let it linger in my mouth for long, swallowing it down quickly. And… I was actually surprised. The paste didn’t exactly taste bad at all. The texture was weird, of course, but the taste? Almost spot on, I tasted real grilled steak. Mashed potatoes. Corn…

  I squeezed the rest of the tube into my mouth, chewed a bit, and swallowed. I grabbed the Mac and Cheese Meal and did the same. Not quite as good, but I didn’t care. Hunger took over everything. I sucked down the mac and cheese tube and slugged down a bottle of water. And still, my stomach grumbled for more. So, I ate a protein bar. Then a Rice Dinner meal tube. I drank another bottle of water. I waited a few minutes. I wasn’t as hungry anymore, but who knew when I’d eat again? So, I ate another protein bar and drank another bottle of water.

  I let loose a loud belch, smiled, and casually drank another water. Finally felt like I was full. I sat with my back against the wall, right beside the meal tube machine, and sipped at my water.

  It felt so damn good to just sit back and not worry about anything at all. The building is safe from the dinosaurs outside. I was safe. I could relax for once. So, I leaned back, drank my water. After a while, I closed my eyes…

  ***

  Click-thud.

  A hollow sound that echoed throughout my head, drawing me out of the gray soup of sleep.

  I blinked, eyelids heavy. A yawn racked my body and I stretched. My spine crackled like cellophane. I had fallen asleep leaning again the wall, probably slumped and that’s why my back—

  Click-thud.

  I lifted my head, gaze darting.

  Faint scratching noises, like a fork scraping against porcelain. Shrill. Teeth on edge, heart crashing, I stood on wobbly legs until my balance took hold.

  Thump-thud.

  Screeching…

  What the hell was that? And where the hell were Hannah and Megan?

  I ventured away from the small alcove holding the vending machines and into the corridor where my mech lay open like a gutted fish. Unlike the tunnel and stairwell, there were windows on the third floor, giving me just enough light to see. I glanced first up the corridor, then down. My sight flirted with the cobwebbed cubicles. My hands clenched and unclenched. Sweat trickled down the small of my back.

  Click-thud.

  I sucked in a breath, spun, and gaped down the hall.

  Right before I gave up and turned away—

  Click.

  The door we came through opened, about four inches, and shut.

  Thud.

  Either it was a ghost or…

  A shrill squeal blasted the air.

  Click. The door swung open, much wider, and a narrow head darted through the opening. I gasped, stumbling back a few steps as it thrashed a moment between door and jamb. Its mouth opened, expelling another squeal. It flashed hundreds of needle-like teeth. It stood about half the height of the door. Maybe four feet. Its snout was almost like a bird’s beak.

  I tore my gaze away to see where the mech was. Right beside me. All I needed to do was—

  With a tremendous shove, the lithe dinosaur stumbled through the door and into the corridor.

  “Oh hell,” I muttered.

  Hearing my voice, it scrambled around and fell into a crouch. Its head twitched side to side, as if trying to figure out what I was.

  I edged closer to the mech, heart whip-cracking against my ribs. My foot thumped the side of the mech.

  For a moment, we stared at each other, as though curious. It vaguely resembled a smaller Velociraptor. Claws and all. Besides the size, there was something more slightly different. Even though the Velociraptor is said to be one of the smartest dinosaurs, the one staring at me down the corridor appeared maybe just a bit smarter. It was calculating, I realized. Judging the distance from me to it. It even glanced at the mech, as though it knew, somehow, the suit would be my only protection.

  No. It didn’t attack right away like any predator. It waited. It watched. I didn’t know what it was, but it terrified me more than the split jawed tyrannosaurs. />
  Its mannerisms were so birdlike. Twitchy and emotionless.

  It was waiting for me to make the first move.

  A chattery growl filled the corridor. It lowered itself closer to the floor, front claws scratching the tile floor and creating that fork-on-porcelain screech, leaving thin grooves in the polished and dusty surface.

  It was, maybe, about 20 yards away. Probably less. How long would it take me to get into the mech and have it closed before it got to me? The mech didn’t take long to close, but…how fast was that thing? And…it was ready to sprint, judging by its lowered posture.

  A shallow hiss blew out of the smaller dinosaur’s mouth.

  It felt like the ultimate crapshoot. I was screwed, unless I got extremely lucky. And I had never really been lucky in my life. I always failed. Sometimes more than other times, but… I still failed a lot. Trials and errors. Because life was plotless, or so I thought.

  So, I stared back at the creature as it screeched its talons along the floor.

  Reeee…reeee…

  I drew in a breath, held it, and stepped into the mech.

  The dinosaur cried out and I didn’t waste time to see what it was doing.

  I laid down in the mech and—

  A claw shot through the narrow open of the mech, slicing a bit into my stomach. Then the mech closed, severing the claw. Hot blood soaked my abdomen. As the mech’s visors flickered on, I flinched as the smaller dinosaur bit and clawed at me. Its stump jetted blood.

  “Holy shit,” Megan spouted. “It’s a Troodon.”

  “What?” Hannah asked. “I never—”

  “Top secret project in the labs. They wanted to bring back the smartest small dinosaur. Not for display, but to study more. I think they wanted to splice its DNA with other species.”

  A pause, then Hannah asked, “Did they succeed?”

  “I don’t know. I left that department before anything was finalized but…apparently they got it done.”

  Meanwhile, the Troodon continued to claw away at the mech to get to me while blood pumped from its severed claw.

  “She has a few feathers,” Megan noted. “Like the Velociraptors.”

  “That’s fantastic,” I said. “Can you kill it now?”

  A pause, then Megan said, “She’s already dying from blood loss.”