Dinosaur Lake 3: Infestation (6 page)

Then on their left another one of the creatures lunged
up through the water and high into the air in a graceful jump. Up, up, up. Eight
human eyes followed its arc.

“God, look at that thing! Wow,” Steven muttered, picture
taking forgotten for the first time.

Justin and Gillian didn’t say a word.

It didn’t resemble the first dinosaur, but it
wasn’t like any of the more recent flying ones, either. It was long, sleek,
with a lengthy neck and a small head. Twenty, thirty feet from head to tail
tip. As the creature slid by, it turned its head towards them and, opening a
mouth full of sharp fangs, snarled. Its eyes were black orbs full of sly
intelligence.

It was checking them out.

Henry stared at the airborne leviathan with
undisguised horror. “I think it’s time to leave.” But no one was listening to
him.

Almost in choreographed succession the other
leviathans followed its actions and lunged into the air, one by one, then returned
to the water around the boat, splashing water everywhere. There were smaller
ones among the larger ones. One, on the other side of the boat from where the
men were hunched down to their knees, holding onto the rails with clenched
hands, was huge. It had to be over forty feet long. That one not only growled
at them, but spit. Henry saw where its spittle landed and smoke sizzled up from
the boat’s deck in the same spot.
Acid
?

“I don’t like this,” Henry squeezed between
clenched lips. “We need to get away from them. Now.”

“You don’t think they’re all that friendly, do
you?” Steven’s gaze was riveted to the now calm waters around them. There
wasn’t anything moving anywhere. The lake was eerily tranquil.

“No, based on past experience, I don’t.”

Henry made a shooting hand signal to Ranger Gillian
and the other man brought out an armful of high-powered weapons from the boat’s
cabin and handed them to all three men, leaving one for himself. Henry had
learned long ago never to go anywhere in the park without the special firearms his
ex-FBI friend, Scott Patterson, had had doctored up for them. The weapons could
kill almost anything and had.

Steven held his gun, a
MP7,
familiarly, as if he’d used one before, but his lips were frowning. It was easy
to see he didn’t like guns, but knew their value when they were needed. Henry
was glad he did.

“Ranger Gillian, get us out of here. Move this boat.
Let’s see how fast she can go without exploding the engine, huh?” Henry’s tone
dead serious.

Ranger Gillian did as he was asked but before they
could rev up and begin moving, something beneath them reared up and the boat
was violently jolted. The craft hopped in the water.

Steven nearly dropped his smart phone. Justin fell,
sprawling, his
Steyr SPP
rocketed from his grip and skittered across the deck. Performing an adept salvaging
act, he barely recaptured it before it slid off into the lake. “Got it!”

Henry didn’t yell, stumble or fall. He’d
already braced himself against the railing. Lifting his MP7, he shot into the
water where the disturbance had come from. What occurred next happened so
rapidly that later Henry would have a hard time believing he’d seen what he’d
seen.

“Gillian, get us out of here NOW!” Henry ordered.
“Top speed.”

The lake behind them was cresting into a towering
frothy wave and another creature, not like the ones they’d just seen, or unbelievably,
like any other dinosaur Henry had ever seen in the park, emerged to lift its
head above the water. A deeper brown in color, and bigger than the others, its malevolently
hungry eyes were focused on the humans on the boat. It had a bumpy head with
rope-like flesh and a shorter neck. Its body was below the water, so no idea
what the rest of the beast looked like. The head was all they saw and that was
enough. It opened its jaws and the teeth were as big as a man’s arm. It glared
at them and the boat for a few breath-catching seconds and then it slid below
the water.

“Oh, my,” Justin blurted out, now on his
knees, struggling to come to his feet. He shoved his glasses back up his nose. The
look in his eyes full out alarm. “That’s not good.”

“You think?” Henry quipped.

Steven snapped a few more pictures of the
men around him, their guns in hand. The guy was creating a whole photo album.

“Gillian!” Henry shouted again.

“I’m trying, Chief!” Gillian shouted back.
“The engine’s stalled. It’s flooded. Give me a second.”

Yet, again, something either below or next
to them forcefully rammed the craft and this time the boat jumped so high in
the water, Steven, phone, gun and all, was propelled from the deck and tossed,
screaming, into the lake. His phone fell from the sky and skidded across the
planks, stopping at Henry’s feet and Justin grabbed it.

The musician was thrashing around in the
water, trying to get back to the boat. He wasn’t wasting his energy on
screaming or cursing and, incredibly, he hadn’t let go of his weapon, which
he’d thrust up over his head. “Help! Help!” he wailed as he bobbed, struggling
to keep his head and his gun above water.

Justin climbed up from his knees as Henry
scrambled for a life preserver and threw it out to the man in the water.

“Steven, behind you!” Justin screamed. One
of the snake-like Nessies was coming after the man, its head lifted above the
surface and eyes glowering down at him.

Steven was the one screaming now. He was trying
to shoot the thing with his weapon, but the roiling water wouldn’t let him take
a steady shot. Henry tried to put bullets in the Nessie’s head, but it was
moving too quickly. The thing was just about to strike, swoop Steven up in its
mouth when something else in the water interrupted its meal.

The newest monster, the beast with the
monstrous teeth, attacked the Nessie. Taking its slender neck into its strong
jaws, it yanked it down into the water before the other creature could swallow
Steven.

It wasn’t going after the human in the lake,
it was going after one of the other dinosaurs. Probably because it made a
bigger meal. Within seconds, the beast came up rolling in the water and it had the
other, smaller, creature in its jaws, ripping it apart like it was a minnow. The
water was turning crimson and the bellows and snarls of the two dinosaur combatants
filled the caldera so completely Henry couldn’t hear anything else; not the
boat’s restarted motor–Gillian having finally gotten the engine to catch–nor Steven’s
cries.

In the meantime, Steven had grabbed the life
preserver and Henry and Justin had pulled him back up into the boat. He was
still holding on to his gun. There was gratefulness in the rescued man’s eyes
and relief in Justin’s.

“I thought I was a goner!” Steven
sputtered, spitting up water and shivering from the cold dunking and the fear.
Then a smile stole out. “But, hell, along with the pictures I took, what a heck
of a scene this will make in my book! Almost devoured by a mighty lake Nessie!
Wow!”

Writers
, Henry thought, and not amused. Just like his
wife, anything for a story. But he was happy the guy was alive and not in
pieces. It’d been a close call and practically a miracle it’d ended as well as
it had. Steven had been extremely lucky.

The boat roared off, putting distance
between it and the raging battle between the bigger dinosaur and the pack of
smaller ones. Now it was Justin who was taking pictures.

The water was a churning mess of dinosaur
flesh, whipping tails, and snapping teeth. Blood. The shrieks and roars of the
fighting monsters echoed high into the air and swirled around above them. A bloodletting
free-for-all. Survivor of the fittest. Just like it’d been millions of years ago
when the dinosaurs ruled the earth. A shiver crept through Henry’s bones. Please
don’t let some of them get distracted and come after the boat full of fleeing humans
instead, especially that gigantic monster. The boat would be a single gulp for
that behemoth.

As they raced away, the men on the boat gawked
at the battling monsters behind them and Henry couldn’t help but wonder: How
many more of these creatures were in the lake? In the park? How many more
different species?

And how many liked to eat people?

If Justin’s theories were right, then this kind
of event–the rising of ancient and long thought dead dinosaurs–was happening
all along the western coast of America in who knew how many lakes, wild park
lands and forests. The results of deep earth volcanic eruptions. The whole
concept was so horrible he couldn’t bear to dwell on it. Please, this one time,
let Justin be wrong.

And what the hell was he going to do about his
problem here
this time
? How was he going to get rid of these new
intruders? He’d about run out of ideas. Too many crazy, hungry dinosaurs to
deal with in too short a time.

Heck, he could blow up the caldera and the
park…that might work. A nuclear bomb or two dropped in Crater Lake would
accomplish the task. Nah, then where would he and Ann live, where would he
work? He’d have to find a different solution. But what?

Truth was, he was so very, very sick of the
whole dinosaur conundrum. Especially now when they, the humans, were running
for their lives. Again.

He’d think about it after they were safe.
Maybe tomorrow.

Chapter 3

Ann

Ann was sitting at the table eating breakfast when her
cell phone rang. Outside the sun was shining and she could see the heat waves
dancing across the backyard. Henry had left before dawn for his
secret
lake expedition. She knew what he and Justin were really up to; they were
searching the lake for more swimming dinosaurs. She hadn’t wanted him to go,
she never did when it came to the dinosaurs, but, as always, did he listen? Nope.
Call the army in again. The Feds. Park or Forest services. The government. Let
them handle it,
she’d pleaded with him.
This is getting too big, too perilous,
for you and your staff to keep tackling.
But what had happened the night before
with that potential cat-snatching dino out in the woods had primed him right
and proper. He was going to see how bad the situation was himself. Like always.
Her husband the hero. Ha, he was going to get himself killed if he wasn’t
careful.

She swallowed the toast in her mouth and, wiping
her buttery fingers off on a napkin, she answered the call. It was Zeke, a dear
friend and the old man who’d once published the newspaper she now owned.

“Morning Ann,” Zeke’s gravelly voice greeted her.
“So what’s the latest?”

It wasn’t like Zeke to just call up and pass the
time chatting. There was something wrong and she was tipped off right away by
the weariness, the tiniest touch of apprehension, between his words.

“Ah, you know the usual…cunning dinosaurs running
amuck in the park. Henry and Justin off on another hair-brained lake cruise to
throw themselves right into their starved mouths. Cat-hungry dinosaurs in the
night forest trying to eat my Sasha. Same, same. How about you?”

“Oh, no, not dinosaurs again.” Zeke actually
chuckled. “Well, at least, you haven’t lost your sense of humor, my girl.”

“How can I? I need it living in this prehistoric park
with that husband of mine–oh, and the dinosaurs, of course. Can’t forget them.”

“So the dinosaur problem has reared its ugly head
up again, huh?”

“Regrettably, yes it has. There’s been Nessie
sightings in the lake and these small irritating striped dinosaurs in the woods
around our house. You wouldn’t believe what’s going on. Ah, never mind that. What
can I do for you?” He wouldn’t have called if he didn’t need something. Usually
it was her calling him.

“Were you planning on coming into town to the
newspaper today? I know some days you work from home, and was wondering if
today was one of those?”

Ann knew then he needed something and she didn’t
waste any more time before she asked. “What’s wrong, Zeke?”

He hesitated and she could almost see the frown on
his wrinkled face, she knew him that well. They’d been friends for years,
worked together and understood each other. He’d been the closest thing to a
grandfather she’d ever had. He’d taught her everything he knew about the
newspaper business and that had been a great deal. He’d always been there for
her, but hated asking for help for himself even when he needed it. Stubborn old
cuss.

“Are you driving into town this morning?” he
repeated.

A step ahead of him, she replied, “I could be, if
you need me to. Zeke?”

“Okay, okay. It seems I might have done something
weird to my, er…back.”

“You hurt your back?”

“Sort of. I mean it’s not life threatening or
anything, I wrenched it out somehow, but it’s sore and I can’t quite bring
myself to do my weekly shopping. Bags of groceries are heavy, you know. And I
really need bread, milk, and a sprinkling of other necessities. My cupboards
are bare.” An embarrassed chuckle.

“
Ok-kay
. And how long has your back been
out?”

The old man wouldn’t answer right away, then, “Not
long. And it’s getting better every day, but I was hoping–if you were going to
be in town anyway–if you’d pick up a couple things from the market for me and
drop them off? I’d pay you for them, of course. No rush.”

Ann didn’t let her friend hear her sigh. His back
had probably been out longer than he’d admit to, which would explain why she
hadn’t seen him at the newspaper the last week or so. And he was always there
underfoot, giving advice, helping, even though he no longer, officially anyway,
worked there.

She did some quick thinking. Henry had asked her not
to leave the cabin unless it was a dire emergency, and positively not unarmed,
because of the dinosaurs he suspected might be in the woods. And she’d promised
not to. Except…Zeke was alone, old, and needed her. In the refrigerator there
was that container of stew she’d had in the freezer, she could take that to
Zeke. It’d make him at least three dinners, maybe more. She often took him
frozen homemade meals. His retirement check only went so far.

Henry had left her his extra duty weapon, a .40
caliber semi-automatic SigSauer, for protection because it had the larger,
heavier bullets. She would take that. Keep her eyes sharp and her ears open for
any strange creatures lurking in the park. Wear drab colors so as not to
attract them. She’d be very, very careful. Look around before she ran from the
front door to her car, which was parked next to the house. Once in her car,
which was an olive green and merged easily into the woodsy background, she’d be
safe. She’d drive fast. Get into town, stop by the grocery store and Zeke’s
house and drive back before dark. No problem. Henry didn’t really expect her to
be a prisoner in her own house, did he? Because heaven knew how long
this
dinosaur crisis would last.

“You’re in luck, old man,” she chatted in a cheery
voice. “I was planning on driving into town this morning anyway. Give me a list
and I’ll pick up those supplies you need. Got some homemade stew and biscuits for
you, too.”

“Oh, that’d be great. I love your stew, Ann. What a
treat. Thank you.” Zeke gave her a list of things, wasn’t many, then she hung
up after telling him she’d see him soon.

Henry was going to be angry with her, but it
couldn’t be helped. Zeke needed her. And besides, Henry had only seen that one specimen–and
he’d said it had been
small
–in the woods by their house. Didn’t mean
there were more. Right? Not any worse than a bear or a moose, which the park
was full of.

She showered, dressed and bagged up a food package
for her friend, then looking around outside, being ever so careful, the
SigSauer secure in her purse and easy to get at if she’d need it, she ran out
to the car. No dinosaurs showed up or attacked her so all was well. It was so
hot. She’d worn shorts and a sleeveless top, but she was already sweating.

Inside the car, she switched on the air
conditioning, and pulled out of the driveway. The rangers had been emptying the
park of visitors, and the campgrounds were vacant and so were the roads. She
drove through the park cautiously, her eyes on the surrounding woods, remembering
the warnings Henry had given her, but her mind wandered as the bright sun dazzled
above. It was too beautiful a day. It was easy to forget about the new dinosaur
quandary and everything else bad in the world. Dealing with cancer the last
year had taught her to cherish the minutes and days, just to be happy she was
alive, and not to waste the time.

A smile took over her lips at the thought of her
daughter’s coming baby. Laura was five months along, due in November around
Thanksgiving, and she and Justin had found out they were having a boy. Henry
was so excited. Finally a grandson he could also teach to fish, hunt and love
the land. Ann was excited, too. Another grandchild. She wouldn’t care if it
were a boy or a girl, it would be a baby, a child, she could shower love on and
be loved by in return. She’d already begun buying little infant toys and
clothes for him and trying to guess what her daughter and son-in-law were going
to name him. Laura liked the name Matthew, while Justin was leaning towards
Sam. Ann didn’t care about that, either. She’d love the baby no matter what he was
called. She couldn’t wait. There was nothing like the feel of a baby in your
arms.

Then her smile faded away. A lot was going to
happen, be decided, settled by the time Laura had her child. Four months from
now.

The newspaper being one of them. Ann hadn’t said
anything yet to Henry, she’d been going to the night before…until the episode
with the cat-hungry dino. The newspaper was losing money like a severed vein
loses blood. Newspapers all over the country were dying and small town papers
were the most terminal. Her newspaper’s revenues were decreasing each month
because of the Internet, well, and because people just didn’t care about
reading a real newspaper any longer, especially the young ones. People wanted
the easy news fed to them in quick, condensed bytes like what they saw on the
nightly news or read on the Web. Twitter appetizers. Newspapers were going out
of style. Their days were numbered, or so she believed.

So Ann had fretted over her options long and hard
and, truth was, she was seriously considering selling the newspaper; getting
the best price she could for it in a weak market, and taking early retirement.
Another casualty of her cancer. She didn’t want to waste her time writing
folksy narratives, selling ad space or sending green reporters out on stories
no one would remember a week later. None of it made any sense to her lately. Not
since her illness. The greater world no longer seemed as important as her own
tiny world.

When she’d had cancer she’d taken stock of her life
and asked herself what she really wanted. The answer? She wanted to spend
whatever time she had left in her life with Henry, her family, nature and,
maybe, write a book or something. Something that might live after her. Disposable
newsprint wouldn’t. A novel would.

And now? Her frown had grown and a familiar ache
began to throb inside her somewhere. Now there was a chance, slim, but still a
chance, that her cancer had returned. Oh, it wasn’t for sure yet. She hadn’t gone
back to the doctor for tests. It was just a hunch, a twinge of a suspicion that
had begun to haunt her. She wasn’t feeling quite herself lately. Unexplained
weariness again, and pain. She knew she had to go see her doctor, but kept
putting it off. She, of all people, knew if the disease had returned there was
a good chance this time she wouldn’t beat it. Two of her uncles had died of
cancer, and one of her sisters. They’d all followed the same downward spiral.
Found it once, beat it once; got it again and, eventually, even after endless
treatments, that was the end. She wasn’t even sure if she’d try to fight it a
second or third time. If. If. If.

The doctor. She needed to go to the doctor. She was
afraid to go to the doctor.

Maybe she’d think about it tomorrow.

She’d let her mind wander too much and abruptly the
world she was driving through tugged her back to reality. Outside the vehicle,
it was strangely silent. No hikers or visitors. No other cars, RVs or campers. That
made sense. But there weren’t any animals scurrying about in the tree limbs or from
bush to bush. Not a bird, a bunny or a squirrel. That wasn’t normal.

She slowed the car down as she drew near the park’s
exit. She’d picked a little used one because she knew there’d be no check point,
no barricade, with rangers to stop her.

That’s when she saw it.

Planted in the middle of the road on its stringy haunches,
it was just sitting there watching her car approach. It stared at her with
large shining eyes. Unafraid. Unmoving.

She slowed the car down a few feet away from it
because the creature wouldn’t budge. And she looked at it. It was about three
feet or so tall, maybe a little more and a burnt reddish color in the sun,
scaly, with a thin bumpy torso, a small head and long neck. Stripes crisscrossing
its back. Actually quite graceful looking. A stunted tail kept thumping back
and forth as if the creature was irritated. Or hyper. Definitely of a
prehistoric genus. Definitely a dinosaur.

Oh, crap.

Could it be the one Henry had come up against the night
before, the one that had tried to eat Sasha? Its appearance looked to be
similar. But she was over ten miles away from the cabin. What was it doing so
far from their house?
If
it was the same one.

But she wasn’t afraid. It was one little dinosaur
and she was in a big car. Protected. For a moment, she thought of pulling out
her phone and taking a picture of the creature. But she couldn’t find her phone
in her purse. She knew it was in there somewhere, but her hand couldn’t locate
it. Darn. And she couldn’t take her eyes away from the thing in the road to
look for it, so she kept searching with her fingers. Still no phone.
Oops, I
hope I didn’t leave it at home.

She inched the car forward but the animal still
refused to move. She was on a stretch of the road very close to the exit itself
and there were small trees and bushes lining each side so tightly she really
needed to drive on the road itself up to the exit. If she attempted to go
around the little monster she’d be driving through the bushes. It’d scratch up
her car. Maybe she’d get stuck in a ditch.

“Move, you little devil,” she grumbled at it, her
foot lightly tapping down on the accelerator pedal. Now she was only about five
feet away.