Dinosaur Lake 3: Infestation (33 page)

It turned out Henry had no trouble convincing
Captain McDowell to journey into Klamath Falls for a recon operation.

“With things calmer here, everything seemingly
under control, I was thinking about going into town anyway, meeting up with the
troops defending it and offering our assistance. I’ve been in touch with their
commander and, frankly, he could use some help. He’s lost a lot of men. You and
a few of your rangers are welcome to hitch a ride if you would like. I can
spare a couple of my soldiers to help you round up the two old folks that have
escaped the asylum.” She’d smiled.

Henry had been relieved it’d been that easy. Ann wouldn’t
have left him alone if it had gone any other way. But he was as concerned about
the two old people as she was. He was fond of the old man, too. And someone had
to go get them.

“We will roll out as soon as the sun peeks above
the horizon,” McDowell promised as the meeting was breaking up later that
night. The soldier appeared frazzled, her steps slow. It’d been a hard month of
defending and fighting and it was showing on all of them. Living in tight
quarters day in and day out or sleeping outside, going out on daily killing
sprees, had worn everyone down. But Henry knew McDowell was proud of the job
they’d done in the park, proud of the kills they had made. More importantly they’d
made the park safe for humans again. For now anyway.

“Dawn it is.

“By the way, have you heard anything from your
friend Patterson lately?” he had to ask. Only a couple of people lingered,
milling around the conference table, preparing to leave or speaking with
others, and Henry knew Ann was waiting for him in their temporary bedroom.
After being gone all day, he wanted to spend some quality time with her. He wanted
to relax and prepare, at least mentally and physically, for what the next day
would bring.

McDowell paused a few feet away from him and
nodded. “I talked to him on the phone day before yesterday. There is something
really bothering him, I can tell, but he won’t or can’t discuss it or where he
is. Says he will spill everything he knows when he sees us next. But he has
been so busy. Whatever consulting case he’s on it is shrouded in miles of red
tape and governmental secrets. And it is so important he wasn’t able to come
here and help us. I don’t like it, but I trust him enough to know better than
to nag him about it.

“He also said he would see us–and you–soon, Henry. He
says he needs to talk to you.”

“Hmm, and you have no idea what it’s about?”

“No. You know Scott…a man of many mysteries.” The
shadow of a good-natured smirk came and went.

Henry flashed her a strange look and laughed. It
was true, Patterson was good at keeping secrets. Working for the FBI so many
years had taught him well. But it was good to know he’d be visiting soon. Henry
could use his advice, his help. And it would be good to see his old friend again.
It had been months since he’d seen him.

“Catch you in the morning. Better get some rest,
Chief Ranger,” McDowell remarked, “you’re going to need it.”

“You, too, Captain. Now if the dinosaurs will leave
us alone for the next eight hours we’ll all have a full night’s sleep.”

“I believe they will. I think the park is rid of
them, or most of them, and tomorrow we will go see how Klamath Falls is faring.
Good night.”

“Good night.” Henry watched as the soldier left the
room. The nights were becoming cooler but McDowell still insisted on bivouacking
outside with her men. It wouldn’t be long, though, before the Oregon winter
would come blowing in and it’d be too cold for her or the soldiers to sleep
outside. In the park chilling temperatures and snow could come any time after
September.

He was outside his office, hand reaching for the
doorknob, when Justin and Steven caught up with him.

Justin started off with, “Henry, I hear you’re
going on a journey into town tomorrow?”

“Where did you hear that from?” As if he didn’t
know.

“Ann. And Steven and I want to go along. Well, we
need to go along.”

“Really? You want to return to the new heart of
monster land after what we’ve gone through here? I thought Laura was expecting
you home now that our crisis is over?”

“She is and that is where we’re heading, but with a
detour through Klamath Falls first. Steven wants to see, for his book, what’s
happened to the town and so do I. His car is at the lodge where it was left and
we’ll take it because  one of your rangers told me a while back they saw my car
out in the woods all mashed up. Dinosaurs.” He shrugged. “But we thought it
would be safer to join your convoy tomorrow, at least through and past the town.”

“Smart thought. You would be safer traveling with
us. Even here in the park I can’t guarantee you wouldn’t run into a lone
dinosaur or two. And the war continues in Klamath Falls.”

“So we can tag along tomorrow at least as far as
town?” Steven confirmed.

“I would insist.” Henry looked directly at his
son-in-law. “Can’t let anything happen to my daughter’s husband, not with the
new baby coming. You two be ready at dawn and we’ll take you to the lodge to pick
up Steven’s car. Now, good night. I’m beat. My air bed calls.”

“See you in the morning.” Then Justin and his
friend went to find their cots.

*****

That night Henry dreamed for the first time in
weeks. He was in Klamath Falls and he supposed it was present day, but the town
was full of dinosaur…ghosts. Huge yellow, sapphire and plum colored ones. Some
had spots and some were striped just like Easter eggs. Some could crawl
straight up high rise buildings like spiders and some could fly. One was
jumping from roof top to roof top. They had corkscrew claws and teeth and tried
to attack the townsfolk ambling around. But because they were apparitions they
roared and stomped up and down in fury, swiped at people, but couldn’t touch or
hurt anyone.

Well, that was different.

The townspeople were busy rebuilding the place. It
was beginning to look like the town it had once been. But ghost dinosaurs
prowled the streets and sauntered through solid buildings, trees and humans.
They were so angry they were dead; so pissed they couldn’t bite or eat anyone.
It was a strange sight…that town he knew so well full of dinosaur phantoms
visibly trying to interact with people and not being able to.

The people laughed at and taunted them, and went on
their business as if nothing unusual was happening. Ann was there, coming out
of the newspaper’s building. Suddenly she morphed into a pink dinosaur and flew
away. It was all so bizarre.

Henry woke up in the dark, disoriented. He reached
out to touch his wife’s sleeping shoulder. He was back at headquarters, but the
dream didn’t fade.

Ghost dinosaurs. Sheesh.

In the six years since the first dinosaur had shown
itself at Crater Lake his dinosaur dreams had become full-length in-living-color
features of weirdness. Serials. It wasn’t enough the beasts plagued his waking
hours, they also on and off had plagued his sleeping ones.

According to the clock on the desk it was five a.m.
Sun rise would arrive in a half-hour so he crawled out of bed, shut off the
alarm, and dressed. He packed a large duffel bag with essentials he’d need for the
trip. He couldn’t be sure he would return in a day or two, if they didn’t find
the two old people right off, and wanted to be prepared for a longer absence.
He was as quiet as he could be so as not to wake Ann. She had tossed and turned
most of the night and had finally settled down, so he didn’t want to disturb
her.

But as he was ready to leave the room and meet up
with Justin and Steven he thought better of it and kneeling down gently shook
his wife. She’d never forgive him if he ran off without saying goodbye. The
last few years had taught them how precious their time, their life together
was. They never forgot it and tried never to go anywhere without saying goodbye
to each other.

“Honey,” he spoke softly, “I’m leaving now. Just
wanted to say goodbye.” He swept the tousled hair off her forehead and pressed
a tender kiss on her lips. She reached up and pulled him closer and the kiss’s
pressure increased. Finally their lips broke contact.

“Be careful,” she urged. “Promise me you’ll be
careful.”

“I’m always careful, you know that.”

“Bring them back, you hear me?”

“I’ll bring the old folks back,” he said. “Just
pray I can find them.”

“I’m praying now.” Her smile was a shadow.

“I have to go now.”

After a final kiss he walked from the room but felt
her eyes on him. For her sake, he hoped he could find Zeke and Wilma and bring
them back quickly. Ann didn’t need more to be upset over. None of them did.

The day was forecasted to be sunny but chilly.
Good, no rain or snow. Nothing to hinder visibility when they rumbled into town
in the tanks. Justin met him as he was leaving the building. His friend Steven was
at his side.

“You ready for this, you two? It could get pretty
hairy. The town’s supposed to be dinosaur city.”

“You mean as it was when Justin and I zipped
through there weeks ago and as the park’s been for the last month?” Steven was
grinning, keen excitement in his eyes. As Justin he had on a jacket and his
borrowed MP7 hung from his shoulder by a strap.

“Yeah, sort of like that.”

“Then it is business as usual. The more exploits I
go on, the more dinosaurs I battle, the more sensational my book will be.
Nothing beats authentic experiences.”

“And here I thought you were supposed to be a music
man, not a big game hunter.”

“I can be both. And an author. Though I do miss my guitar
and my gigs. If I’m lucky my station wagon parked at the lodge will still be
there, unscathed, with my guitar and musical equipment inside. Good thing I
left it there when Justin and I made our little excursion to California. Otherwise
it’d be out there in the woods crushed along with Justin’s Range Rover. I’ve
had that guitar since I was fifteen. Oh, the stories it could tell. I would
miss it dearly if I lost it.”

“Well, first stop then will be the lodge and your
car. Where did you park it?”

“On the rear side of the building, tucked in
between two towering oak trees.”

“I know the spot. It’s fairly protected so chances
are the car is probably still there waiting for you.”

“I can only hope. As big a junk heap as it is, I’ve
had that car, Old Lizzy, a long time, too. I am attached to it.”

“Your car has a name?” Henry was amused as the
three of them went out to catch a ride with a tank.

“Sure. Doesn’t yours?”

“No. I just call it car.”

Steven was lucky. His car was where he had left it,
untouched, and the guitar was there as well.

While they were at the lodge, Henry checked in on
the skeleton crew who’d elected to remain behind and care for the place. The
owner, some of the maintenance people and a friend of the owner, Norma, an elderly
waitress who had lived there for years and refused to leave no matter what. She
hadn’t left the last two times there had been dinosaur trouble, either. She was
an obstinate old lady set in her ways and no prehistoric trespassers were
forcing her to desert her home.

Norma was sitting at a window table nursing a cup
of tea when Henry walked in. It seemed strange with the empty dining room and
no visitors filling the tables and yakking over coffee or breakfast. It only
reminded Henry of how different things were in the park now.

“Well, if it isn’t the Chief Park Ranger, as I live
and breathe,” the elderly woman professed, mimicking a phrase Henry often used.
Her short brunette hair looked as if it hadn’t been dyed recently and the gray
roots were showing. He’d never seen her wrinkled face look so haggard; her usually
bright smile so passive. “It’s great to see you’re still alive and kicking.
Jimmy, the owner, has kept us informed as to what has been happening at
headquarters and around in the park. It has been a wild month or so, huh?”

“It is great to see you too, Norma.” He stood above
her. He had slipped in to see how she was doing while Steven collected his car
and before they took off for Klamath Falls. “And yes it has been quite a month.
How’s the arthritis?”

“Hasn’t been bad. Of course I’ve been off my feet
mostly. That helps. How about I fetch you a cup of coffee, Chief Ranger? It’s
been so long since I have waited on a customer, could be I’ve forgotten how. Be
good practice for me.”

“No thank you. I’m in a hurry. Sorry I can’t take
the time to sit and chat; perhaps another time soon. I have men waiting for me.
I just thought I would check up on you, be sure you are all right.”

“I am. You know me, nothing fazes me, not even those
pesky over-sized lizards.” The old lady took a sip of her tea. Henry noticed
the cup had a crack in it by the handle.

“Where is Jimmy? I also need to see how he’s
doing.”

“He’s in the storage room taking stock of how much
food we have left. He will be a while. Since these difficulties have begun we
haven’t gotten fresh supplies in.”