Dinosaur Lake 3: Infestation (21 page)

“Next Friday? You mean it? What will all our family
and friends say?”

“We won’t tell them until after we’re hitched.” He squeezed
her hand. “Then we’ll give a big party and invite them all. But I would like to
request Chief Shore and his wife to be our witnesses. I’m sure they’ll keep our
secret.”

“They would. All right. Next Friday at noon,” she
said. “It’s a date.”

They kissed again to seal their promise, but
suddenly her skin was prickling and her heart began to race…she’d heard
something outside in the wet woods. Something not good. Something big was
crashing through the night trees…coming straight at them.

“Do you hear that?” her voice shaky.

Matthew inhaled a sharp breath and his body froze beside
hers. He’d heard it, too.

In the corner the shadows were again churning and
shifting and there was Charlie. Smiling, holding his hands out to her; to both
of them. Something inside her began to weep because she’d figured out what was
going on.

He was welcoming them to the world of the dead.

The howling of the big brute outside the walls merged
with the world collapsing in around and down on top of them. The sound of
screaming and splintering, cracking wood was the last thing Ellie heard and
then the world ended. Just like that.

And there was Matthew floating beside her, haloed
in white, and smiling as he took her hand and they joined Charlie, and her
grandfather, and endless people she’d known in her life who’d already crossed
over. Matthew’s deceased family, his daughter, and his friends, as well, were
there. They all came to meet them. Her thoughts touched on her two sons for a heartbeat,
an eternity, and poignant vignettes of them as babies, young boys, teenagers
and college age swirled around in her thoughts. Leaving them made her sad. But
she knew they’d be fine without her. They were grown men with their whole lives
ahead of them. And she’d see them again one day. They all came to the same
place.

So this, she thought, was how life ended? This was
what death was like?

Not so bad…not so bad…as she rushed towards the
light with those she loved around her and left the world of humanity, its
problems and the dinosaurs far behind.

*****

The dinosaur, at least thirty feet from stumpy tail
to spiky head crest, hunkered in the middle of the destroyed cabin after its
hissy fit and roared to the rain-laden skies. It wondered where the tiny beings
it had been chasing had gone and then, not seeing them anywhere, turned and
stomped into the night woods. Searching for food. Always searching. Lately it didn’t
seem to get enough since the animals were disappearing from the forest. It had
to go farther and look longer to fill its belly. That made it angry.

The woods swallowed the monster but its roars could
be heard for a long time afterwards dwindling into the distance. Other smaller
dinosaurs scampered behind it, teeth snapping and eyes starving, and tried to
keep up. But the big one was faster and soon it had left them behind.

Chapter
10

Justin

“How are things at the park?” Steven asked Justin
after the paleontologist got off the cell phone with his father-in-law. “Is it
still shut up as tight as a president’s compound?”

“Still shut down tight with soldiers and rangers
guarding its borders. Henry and Ann just had a close call, though. Coming in
from Klamath Falls–where he says dinosaurs are showing up as well and wrecking
the town–they were barely inside the park before they were attacked by another assorted
collection of the creatures.

“They’re unharmed but Ranger Kiley and Stanton, who
were with them but in another car, haven’t returned to headquarters yet. That’s
where the rangers and army’s command center has been set up and where we’re
headed now–after a detour through Klamath Falls. I want to see what the
destruction looks like and speak to the Chief of Police about what happened.
See if he has anything to add to what Henry said.”

“So, things are worse in the park than when we left
and, on top of that, the town’s been infected, too?”

“I’m afraid so.” Justin, behind the Land Rover’s
wheel, was scrutinizing the road and the woods running on each side of it. They
were approaching the town of Klamath Falls and after what Henry had told him he
was being careful. If the town was overrun he’d better be. The spread of the
creatures hadn’t surprised him. Not after what he and Steven had discovered on
their fact finding mission. After leaving Redwood National Park and getting
more cryptic emails, one from the Chief Ranger at Yosemite National and one from
a paleontologist friend of his associated with Death Valley National Park, he’d
spur-of-the moment decided to take a couple detours before driving back to
Crater Lake. And because Steven had the time and craved the adventure, he’d
accompanied him.

The Chief Park Ranger at Yosemite National’s email
had been short:

Dr. Maltin

I read your earlier email over and over and finally
had to respond. Usually, I’d have a difficult time believing in boogie men or,
for that matter, living dinosaurs as I am the sort of person who doesn’t accept
anything inexplicable unless I see it in the flesh, myself. And I never have.
But I am answering your request to talk because for the last few weeks my men
and I have been bombarded by visitors in our park who claim to be hearing odd
noises, especially at night, and seeing strange animals in the deep woods. Unusually
large animals they can’t identify. There’s been enough of these reports that I
can no longer deny something unusual, perhaps unexplainable, is occurring. You
said you were on a fact-finding mission down this way and would be in the area.
Drop in to see me if you’d like. You can generally catch me in my office each
weekday between eight and nine a.m. if you’d like to discuss this. Respectfully
yours, Chief Ranger Sallings of Yosemite National Park.

So their first detour had been down around San
Francisco where they’d met with Chief Ranger Sallings at his office early one warm
morning. He’d been polite, if a little stand-offish, but had confirmed Justin’s
fears. There was definitely something unidentified and possibly dangerous
prowling the heavier forested regions of his park. There had been a growing
number of missing hikers and deep wood campers. Three men and two women in the last
fourteen days. And not a sign of them.

Justin feared Yosemite had the same problem as
Crater Lake and Redwood and informed Ranger Sallings of that. “I’d be prepared.
You might consider closing your park until you can be sure it isn’t prehistoric
animals prowling around. These creatures being reported to you could be
dinosaurs. If so, you’re putting people in danger if you do nothing. Your visitors,
rangers and you included.” Justin could tell the chief ranger hadn’t actually accepted
all he’d divulged but, at least, he’d warned him. If Sallings preferred to not
believe, that was his problem. If dinosaurs had invaded his park, he’d know the
full truth soon enough.

After their appointment at Yosemite they’d driven towards
the Nevada border and Death Valley National Park, and meeting up with his
friend and fellow paleontologist, Curt Nostrom, they’d taken a strenuous hike
into a desert wilderness zone to inspect a number of curious tracks. Nostrom
had been exploring on his day off and been surprised at what he’d come across.
Dinosaur footprints. Fresh ones. “I know they’re dinosaur prints, but I’ve
never seen any like them anywhere in my research or at any of the digs I’ve
been on and I’ve been all over the world cataloging tracks.”

“So let’s,” Justin drawled, “have a look at them.”

He and Nostrom had attended college together and
once they’d learned how much they had in common, beer, throwing darts in bars as
well as dinosaurs, had become good friends. They’d kept in touch over the years
and sometimes collaborated on anything of interest either found. Justin had
kept Nostrom in the loop through the earlier dinosaur troubles because he
trusted his friend’s advice and often sought it. Nostrom had an uncanny way
with solving tricky problems.

The heat was intense, Death Valley being the
largest, hottest and driest of the national parks in the lower forty-eight
states. The park fringed the  northwestern corner of the Mojave Desert and
contained a varied environment of salt-flats, sand dunes, valleys, canyons and
mountains. Home to scorpions, snakes and coyotes and not much else. Until now. It
was half a day’s trek under the blistering sun which led the three of them to a
gorge with the recent footprints of some extremely heavy and huge park inhabitants’
feet. Basically unidentifiable to Nostrom’s and a layman’s eyes. But not to
Justin.

One look at the tracks and Justin knew the dinosaur
pestilence had spread even into the desert wasteland. “These look like a Hugo’s
footprints,” he’d disclosed to Nostrom, who knew what and who Hugo had been.

“That’s not good then, hey, to find them way out
here amidst the sand and creosote bush? Adaptable little buggers, aren’t they?
It’s got to be at least a hundred degrees in the shade. And not only that…but what
are they eating out here? There’s not much on the menu.” Nostrom was as short
as a Hobbit, but his shrewd blue eyes and friendly smile made him instantly
likable. He was an ethical man; not one of those who’d knife a colleague in the
back for the recognition he could steal. When Justin needed another
paleontologist he could trust emphatically, it was usually Nostrom.

“Whatever they can find. By these impressions,
they’re not exactly little buggers. Whatever made these prints could be as tall
as me, most likely taller.” Justin, eyes shaded under the wide brim of a Stetson
styled hat, had gazed up at the blazing ball of fire above. “And no, finding
these footprints here is not a good sign. So far that makes four areas of
natural wilderness, four national parks in this case, that the creatures have invaded–or
been hatched into. Exactly what I was afraid of. They’re spreading. Multiplying
across state lines and across the country.” He took photographs with his smart
phone so he’d have proof and could examine them closer back in the lab.

Nostrom had grunted. “Well, that’s what I wanted to
show you. Pretty alarming if you ask me. If the size of those tracks are any
indication of the size of the creature that made them…we have a monumental
problem. What now?”

“We bug out of here fast as we can bug. It’s
getting late. I don’t want to be anywhere near here when the sun sets. Don’t
want to bump into one of these creatures in the dark. I say we head back to our
cars. Pronto.”

“I’m with you, buddy.”

Justin glanced at Steven. The musician’s eyes were
glued to the impressions in the dirt and his upper lip, beaded in sweat, kept
twitching. Probably didn’t want to be there after dark, either.

“Suddenly,” Steven murmured, “this theory of yours,
Justin, is becoming a little too real. Dinosaurs all over the place like
Christmas candy at Christmas.”

“Oh, it’s real all right.” Justin turned and the
men dragged their sweating, exhausted bodies to the car. He’d found himself
listening to every noise that floated on the sweltering air around them.
Waiting to hear the cries he was familiar with.

He’d been relieved, hours later, for he and his
friend to be in his air-conditioned car, driving down the evening highway. Finally
and at long last on their way home.

*****

Now, a day later and in bright sunshine, Justin and
Steven were coming into Klamath Falls down the middle of Main Street.

Around them cars and trucks packed with people and
their belongings zoomed by. Since coming into the town’s outskirts there had
been a steady stream of them. Fleeing Klamath. Fleeing whatever had rampaged
through it and might return.

“Whoa…look at the destruction.” Steven’s eyes were taking
in the shattered buildings and debris everywhere through the car’s windows.
“Whatever went through here must have been gigantic. And mad as hell.” He was
shaking his head. “I don’t blame people for leaving. I feel like leaving
myself.”

“We are,” Justin said. “Right after we have a
discussion with Police Chief Chapman. I want to know what happened here. The
whole story. Maybe someone gave a detailed description of what did this, though
I’m betting a thousand bucks it’s dinosaurs. It might be he knows something
more now than when Henry last spoke to him.”

Pulling up in front of the police station and heading
towards the door, Justin and Steven caught Chief Chapman rushing out. He didn’t
look like a happy man. He looked like a man in a hurry. His blood-shot eyes
nervously darting here and there. His hands shaking.

Justin stopped him and introduced himself. Then
asked, “Chief Chapman, I heard from Ranger Shore about what happened here. Can
you give me any more specific information? How large were the dinosaurs, how
many? How have people described them?”

The police officer glared at him. “There were NO
dinosaurs in my town, Dr. Maltin. I told your father-in-law the same thing. It
was straight line winds, a tornado or something. An earthquake. Some people
have way too much imagination, that’s all. Or they’re trying to create anarchy
where there is none. So reports of giant beasts running amok and destroying our
little township have been
greatly
exaggerated. A bunch of malarkey, if
you ask me.”       

“They why are you evacuating the town?”

“I’m not. It’s only that some misguided, misinformed
citizens are too frightened to remain. They believe the outrageous tales of a
few demented yahoos who claim to have had monstrous creatures chasing them, seen
them flattening houses and businesses. Whatever.” The officer was defensive,
his face flushed, his manner brusque. The guy was positively not a believer.

“It seems like more than a few townsfolk are vamoosing,”
Justin pointed out. And as he said it, a truck towing an RV drove by them going
a little faster than the speed limit. Five other cars followed, so stuffed full
of personal belongings and clothes the windows were blocked. “Looks like half
the town is vamoosing.”

“Well, yah. The destruction and the stories have
scared a lot of people. But then, some people will believe anything.”

“I take it you never saw any of these creatures?”

“No, I did not.”

“And there really isn’t anything else you can tell
me about the attack? Did anyone get hurt?”

“Not that I know of. Doesn’t that prove there
wasn’t any so-called monsters loose in town? Wouldn’t
dinosaurs
eat
people or at least leave body parts scattered all over the place?”

The thought came to Justin and the words followed. “Well,
then, any missing people?”

The officer refused to answer, a scowl reshaping
his face.

“Any people missing?” Justin repeated firmly.

The police chief hesitated. “Some. But I’m sure
they’ll turn up when everything settles down. Or, perhaps, they’re some of the early
deserters and they’ve already left town.”

Justin knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with
the man so he thanked him and he and Steven strode back to his car.

Driving slowly through town he couldn’t get over
the amount of damage there was. At least Zeke’s house was still standing. And Ann’s
newspaper. But for blocks around a lot of things weren’t. This was what he’d
feared all along. His ultimate nightmare. The dinosaurs stomping into a highly
populated area. Smashing residential buildings and squashing people like toe
jam.

“Oh, dinosaurs were definitely here all right. And
more than one. Really big ones, too,” Justin summarized, looking at someone’s
once beautiful house which was now a pile of rubble. “I recognize the signs.” There
was grimness in his smile.

“You think they’re still lurking around here somewhere?”
Steven looked around and then up into the sky as if he expected one of them to
suddenly appear and drop on their heads. Midday. A strong sun beat down on
them, but the heat wasn’t anything like what they’d endured days before in the
desert.

“I wouldn’t rule that out. They’re territorial,
which means they’ll most likely return. I think the townspeople who are leaving
are the smart ones.”