The Deadly Past, Page 2

“Well, it ain’t going to play catch with us!” Sally screamed back. “We have to face facts!”

  “We’re not sacrificing anybody!” Adam snapped, still holding the burning stick. “We need to come up with a better defense. Watch, you always have good ideas. Can you think of anything?”

  Watch sighed. “No. And I’ve been racking my brain. There might be a dozen things that could drive it off, but unfortunately they’re all back in town.” He paused. “Let me take the stick. I’ll try to keep it occupied while you guys try to make it to town.”

  Adam shook his head. “No way. You wouldn’t last long.”

  “You offered to do it,” Watch said.

  “That was just to give you time to make it to the cave,” Adam said. “How about if we try for another cave? A tighter one that the pterodactyl can’t fit into?”

  Watch shook his head. “I know this area better than you, and I can’t think of another cave that’s even close.”

  The flames from Watch’s shirt began to flicker.

  The pterodactyl took a step closer, saliva dripping out of its mouth.

  “It’s going out!” Cindy cried.

  Adam felt desperate. “Is there any way we can block off the entrance of the cave?”

  “With what?” Sally demanded. “Our dead bodies?”

  “We are not going to die,” Adam snapped at her. “Sally, Cindy—you two get to the rear of the cave. Watch and I will try to hold it off with the stick.”

  Neither of the girls protested. The sight of the pterodactyl slowly approaching on its long nailed feet was enough to shatter the strongest will. Even Adam and Watch began to back up, without consciously realizing it. The pterodactyl’s huge eyes seemed to swell in anticipation. It knew it had them, that there was no escape for the frail humans.

  “If only this stick was sharp at one end,” Adam said bitterly. “We could stab it, make it think twice about attacking again.”

  “We don’t have time to sharpen it,” Watch said quietly.

  Adam glanced over at him. “Is this it? Is this the end?”

  Watch took a deep breath. “Maybe not for all of us. But it will take one of us, that’s for sure.”

  “And that one will die?”

  “Yes. Horribly.”

  Adam grimaced. “It can’t be one of the girls.”

  “It can’t be one of us.” Watch paused. “You are brave, Adam. But even you cannot just walk in front of that beast and let it take you. No one could.”

  The pterodactyl skipped toward them.

  The flames at the end of the stick died.

  The pterodactyl stuck its head in the mouth of the cave and screeched.

  “Stop it!” Cindy screamed behind them.

  Adam swung weakly with the stick. “It can’t get any worse than this,” he gasped.

  Watch put a reassuring hand on Adam’s uninjured shoulder. “But this might be the perfect chance to get a good shot at it. Maybe if you went for one of its eyes, partially blind it. That could be our only hope. Aim for an eye.”

  Adam nodded. “I’ll try.”

  He did try, but his effort proved useless. The pterodactyl was too quick for him, and the beast knew instinctively how to protect its eyes. It held its head back as it advanced, using its claws to lead its attack. Several times Adam almost had his stick ripped from his hands.

  Each step backward brought Adam and Watch closer to the rear of the cave, to the girls, and to the end of the line. In all the bizarre dangers Adam had faced since moving to Spooksville, he had never felt so helpless.

  “I have an idea,” Sally said behind Adam as he neared the rear wall. “Let’s wrap another piece of cloth around the stick, set it on fire, and then crack open my lighter and douse it with what fluid is left in the container. That will create one huge flame that should last a few seconds. While it’s burning, Adam, try to get the end of the stick into the thing’s mouth. If that doesn’t chase it away, we might be able to slip past the beast to get outside.”

  “We’ll be easy pickings outside,” Watch said. “Especially with no stick to protect us.”

  The pterodactyl raised a claw and swiped at them.

  Adam and Watch jumped all the way back.

  The four of them pushed up against the back wall of the cave.

  “We are practically dessert in here!” Sally shouted. “Let’s do it! Rip off the dry part of your shirt, Adam! Now!”

  Adam did as he was told. In seconds Sally had the cloth wrapped around the end of the stick. First she lit the cloth and then cracked open the lighter by smashing the top of it against the cave wall. Adam had to hold the tip of the burning stick close to her, and as a result the pterodactyl was free to approach within ten feet. Sally held the open lighter fluid container not far from the burning cloth.

  “When I throw this liquid on the end,” she said, “there will be a burst of fire. But you’ll have to move fast, Adam. Understood?”

  “I understand,” Adam said. “But we have to be clear about what we’re doing. If we’re just trying to get outside, then we’ll be lucky to create a crack where we can slip by the beast. We will have to go one at a time, in order. Cindy, you go first. Then Sally and Watch. I’ll follow you guys out.”

  “That’s OK with me,” Sally said eagerly, nervously eyeing the pterodactyl. “Let’s do this on the count of three. One . . . Two . . . Three!”

  Sally threw the fluid on the fire.

  The end of the stick exploded in flames.

  Adam thrust the stick at the pterodactyl just as the creature leaned forward to take a bite out of one of them. The pterodactyl had its mouth open. Adam got the end of the stick past its teeth and tongue and partway down its throat. The pterodactyl let out a deafening screech of pain and bent its narrow beak down as it tried to be rid of the fire. The stick just flew out of Adam’s hands. He didn’t even have a chance to react.

  But the uproar created the opening they needed to get outside.

  Cindy shoved by Sally and dashed past the creature. Sally followed closely, with Watch and Adam bringing up the rear. Within five seconds of attacking the pterodactyl they were back outside in the fresh air. For a moment they all felt incredible relief. But then the monster screamed from the depths of the cave and they understood that it was far from defeated.

  “Run!” Adam shouted.

  “Where?” Sally shouted back.

  “Anywhere!” Watch said.

  So they ran, back the way they had come, back up to the bluff where they had first seen the pterodactyl. But the exercise was no solution. They were dealing with an enemy that was twenty times bigger and stronger than they were. One that was used to killing to live. Really, it had been hopeless from the start.

  They were almost to the bluff that overlooked Spooksville and the ocean when the pterodactyl appeared in the sky once more. It rose directly above them, higher and higher, and for a few seconds it seemed that it would keep going into the wild blue yonder and they would be safe. But then it began to arc downward, tucking in its massive wings and pointing its ugly head toward the ground. Once more it raced toward them like a deadly missile, a blur of brown death. And all the while it screeched, a horrible sound of revenge. They had hurt it and now it wanted to hurt them.

  They could only stand, frozen, and watch it come.

  There was only one question in their minds.

  Which one of them would it take?

  At the last instant the pterodactyl spread its huge wings.

  A wave of foul odor and sweeping air passed over them, as well as a dark shadow. Cindy screamed, maybe they all did. But it was Cindy who screamed the loudest because the pterodactyl had chosen her to be its victim. One moment she was standing beside Adam and staring at the horror in the sky. The next she was being dragged kicking and screaming into the air. Now she was a part of the horror, and as the pterodactyl flew off to the distant peaks, it seemed as if they could hear her screaming still. Yet they all knew that was impossible.

  Adam bowe
d his head. They all did.

  Their friend was gone.

  2

  For a long time they remained rooted in shock. An oppressive weight hung over them, and it seemed as if even the sun had dimmed. There were no words to express how they felt, so they said nothing. But after a while they did begin to stir.

  “Could she be alive?” Sally whispered.

  Watch shrugged weakly. “She could be alive at this moment.”

  The implications were clear. Even if she were alive now, she wouldn’t be for long.

  “What are we going to do?” Sally muttered.

  Watch shook his head. “What can we do?”

  Sally reached out and gently touched Adam’s bleeding shoulder.

  “We have to get you to a doctor,” she said.

  Adam brushed off her hand. “I’m not going to a doctor.”

  Watch glanced at him. “You can’t go after her.”

  Adam stared hard at him. “I’m not just going to leave her to the whim of that creature.”

  “It’s hopeless,” Sally said.

  Adam screamed at her. “It’s not hopeless! You just don’t want to try to save her because you don’t like her!”

  Sally had tears on her face. “I would do anything to save her, if I thought there was one chance in a million. But there is no chance, Adam.”

  Adam paused and lowered his head. “I didn’t mean that. I know she was your friend, too. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

  Sally squeezed his arm. “That’s all right. We all know how much you liked Cindy.”

  Watch cleared his throat. “Let’s not bury her just yet. I’ve been thinking some more, and there is a chance she’s alive, and may be alive for a while longer, long enough to be rescued maybe.”

  Adam raised his eyes. “What do you mean? That pterodactyl looked starving.”

  Watch stared at the mountain peaks where Cindy had disappeared. “We assume the pterodactyl was hunting for itself, that it was hungry. But none of us knows what a hungry pterodactyl looks like. What if the creature was actually hunting for its babies?”

  “You think that was a mama pterodactyl?” Sally asked.

  “There’s a good chance it was,” Watch said. “And if it brought Cindy back to its nest to feed its young, it might not kill her right away. Most reptiles like to eat living things.”

  “But the children will be waiting hungrily,” Sally said in a shaky voice.

  “Not necessarily,” Watch said. “The mother obviously hunts in the daytime, and maybe even at night. But I read an article once that postulated that most baby dinosaurs slept away the majority of the day. And it’s an especially hot day today. They might all be asleep when the pterodactyl returns to its nest with Cindy.”

  Adam’s face suddenly regained life. “Then we have to go after them now!”

  Watch stopped him. “We can’t go after Cindy or the pterodactyl on foot, at least not for the first part of the trip. Those mountaintops are miles away. We need to get a car or, better yet, a four-wheel-drive truck. There’s a road up into those mountains that I know.” He paused. “We’ll head toward town, find some transportation, and I’ll go after her.”

  “Why you?” Adam asked.

  Watch listed the reasons. “Because I know how to drive. Because I know those mountains. Because you’re injured. Because you’re both forgetting something important—where there is one dinosaur, there can be two dinosaurs. You two have to get back to town and warn everyone what’s happening.”

  “It’s true that Adam is injured and should stay behind,” Sally said. “But I should go with you, Watch.”

  Watch shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. Why risk both of us? Two of us won’t improve Cindy’s chances of survival. Also, you two will work better if you’re together. And I think better alone.”

  “What are we working on?” Adam asked, feeling weak from the loss of blood and the grief. He still could not believe Cindy was gone. He kept expecting to look over and see her smiling face. The sound of her screams as the creature dragged her away haunted him.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Watch said. “We have to figure out what dinosaurs are doing in our time, in our city. Then we have to discover a way to get rid of them.”

  “Do you have any theories?” Sally asked.

  Watch nodded. “I have a basic theory. Somehow our time must have merged with an ancient time. There haven’t been pterodactyls on earth in seventy million years. But what caused this merger I have no idea.”

  “Do you think the two times are just merging here, or all over the world?” Adam asked.

  “I hope just here,” Watch said. “If our time and the time of the dinosaurs have merged everywhere, we’re in real trouble. But I don’t think that’s the case. We have seen only one pterodactyl, not dozens. The doorway between the two times is probably localized.”

  “But what could open such a doorway?” Sally asked.

  “I have no idea,” Watch answered simply.

  “Even if the gap between the times is localized, it must be big,” Adam said, “for these creatures to get through it. What if it’s several miles across?”

  “It’s all relative,” Watch said. “If we can figure out how to close it, we can close it. Otherwise it doesn’t matter how big or small it is. Also, my theory might be way off. Maybe the pterodactyl came from some strange place, not some other time.”

  They started back to town. Adam soon began to feel so weak he needed to lean on Watch for support. Sally tore up what was left of Adam’s shirt and made it into a bandage of sorts. Finally Adam’s bleeding stopped but he continued to feel drained.

  Sally wept quietly as they walked. They hoped to rescue Cindy. They would do everything they could to save her. But they weren’t fooling themselves. The pterodactyl had been a fierce enemy. Cindy was probably dead already.

  When they were about a quarter of a mile outside of town, they came across a parked truck. It was an odd place to find a truck. But it met Watch’s highest criteria. It was a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a powerful engine and huge wheels. The body of the blue truck was jacked up so high they could almost walk under it. The only problem was that it was locked, and there were no keys.

  “I know how to hot-wire a truck,” Watch said, picking up a rock.

  “That’s stealing,” Sally said. Then she added, “But who cares at a time like this?”

  Adam nodded. “Break the window and get going, Watch. Sally and I can make it back to town.”

  Watch smashed the window with the rock. The sound made them all jump. “Maybe I should drive you back,” Watch said as he reached inside and unlocked the door. “It’ll take only a few minutes.”

  “No,” Adam said. “A few minutes might be the difference between life and death for Cindy.” He momentarily leaned on the truck for support. “You’ll need a miracle to find the pterodactyl’s nest.”

  Watch brushed the glass off the front seat and climbed inside. “Not necessarily. I should be able to hear its screeching miles away.”

  “But I bet the nest will be up high,” Sally said. “You’re going to have to do some hiking. And then the pterodactyl will probably attack you once you’re out of the truck.”

  Watch smashed the ignition with his stone and pulled out the exposed wires. “Before it gets to me, you can be sure I’ll have a big stick,” Watch said. After touching the ends of a black and red wire together, Watch heard the engine turn over and start. It roared to life as Watch pressed the gas. He added, “I think this truck will take me pretty close to where I need to go.”

  Sally reached up and hugged Watch. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks. Always try to know where you can take shelter. And keep your eyes and ears open at all times.”

  Watch nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

  Adam squeezed Watch’s arm. “Good luck. If you’re able to save her, you’ll be the biggest hero in the world. At least you’ll be our hero.”

  Watch also squeezed Adam’s hand and looked hi
m straight in the eye. “I don’t think she’s dead,” he said seriously. “If she was, we would feel it, you know? I don’t feel it.”

  Adam nodded sadly. “Let’s hope for the best.”

  Watch shut the door and gunned the engine, and soon the truck was just a cloud of settling dust on the narrow road that led up into the mountains. Adam and Sally watched it disappear with heavy hearts.

  “Should we have let him go?” she asked.

  Adam sighed. “Did we have a choice?”

  “I hope the pterodactyl doesn’t get him, too.”

  “I hope it doesn’t get all of us,” Adam said.

  With that they turned once again toward town.

  They had been walking less than two minutes when they realized they weren’t alone. They had another visitor. Its head poked up over the surrounding trees. This one was bigger than the pterodactyl—unquestionably a real dinosaur.

  And there was a kid riding on its back.

  3

  When Cindy first woke up she felt and knew nothing except a pounding in her head. The stabs of pain came in rhythm, as if her blood were performing an insane dance on top of her delicate nerve endings. She moaned and the sound seemed to come from far away.

  It was only slowly that she became aware of her surroundings and remembered what had happened to her on the bluff. Although her friends had heard her scream all the way back into the mountains, Cindy had really been unconscious during the deadly flight. Her mouth had been screaming, not her mind. She had either gone into shock or been knocked out almost as soon as the pterodactyl grabbed her.

  But the horror of that attack came back to her now and she sat up quickly and opened her eyes, stunned by what she saw.

  She was in a nest so huge it could have housed a thousand normal birds. It was pieced together out of branches, mud, even a couple whole logs. It stunk of decomposing vegetation, and she had to hold her nose to keep from being sick. The nest had been built into a rocky crevasse near the top of a peak that didn’t look even vaguely familiar. Peering over the edge, Cindy didn’t even recognize the type of trees and bushes that lay far below. Even the sky was a strange color, purple streaked with heavy gray, that glittered with distant lightning.