Dinosaur Lake 3: Infestation (25 page)

A short time afterwards someone rapped on the door,
Ann dried her eyes, exhaled, and Henry stood up. “Come in.”

It was Ranger Cutters. “Sir, Dr. Maltin and his
friend have arrived. They’re coming in now. I thought you’d like to know.”

“Thanks Cutters.”

Ann was up from the couch with a genuine smile on
her lips and out the door even before Henry could pass through.

When he walked into the main room Justin and Steven
were coming in the front door and Ann ran over to their son-in-law and threw
her arms around him.

“I’m so relieved you’re okay, Justin!” Ann’s voice
was so much happier than it had been in his office. “Have you called Laura? She
and Phoebe have been so worried.”

“I’ll call them as soon as I speak with Henry. That
can’t wait.”

Henry would have liked to hug his son-in-law as
well, but couldn’t bring himself to do it in front of the soldiers and his
rangers. Being the boss and all. So instead he shook the scientist’s hand
warmly and offered both men a large grin of welcome. “Glad you made it, kiddo. We
have enough people to fret over and you being here, unscathed, eases our minds
a bucket load. You, too, Steven.”

“Heck, you’re not any happier than we are to be here.
And have we got stories for you!” Steven bobbed his head and then aimed his
body in the direction of the conference table which had an array of snacks set
out in the middle. Sandwiches, finger-food and chips. Soda and bottled water. “Great,
sustenance! Being chased by man-eating dinosaurs and almost dying–many times–does
make you hungry.”

“Go ahead help yourself, music man,” Henry offered
as he and Justin followed him to the table. Ann still had her arm around her
son-in-law. Her tears were gone.

Chief Ranger,” Steven confessed as he hovered over
the selection and began digging in, “we did have a mess of Freddy’s cheeseburgers
and fries for you all, but in our hasty retreat from the rapacious primevals we
abandoned them in the car. They’re most likely in the monsters’ stomachs
now…along with the car.” He grinned and started munching on a bag of potato
chips, a ham sandwich in his other hand. He grabbed a warm can of soda and
popped the tab.

Henry almost smiled at the way the musician was shoving
down the food as if he was really starving. No wonder he and Justin were such
good friends. They had so much in common, like always being famished.

He turned to his son-in-law, who’d also snatched a
sandwich and a bottle of water. “Come on in my office and spill your guts. I
know you want to.”

“Sure, Chief Ranger.” And Justin’s staid expression
already told him more than he’d wanted to know. This wasn’t going to be good
news.

The two of them, with Ann straggling after, went
into Henry’s office and shut the door. Henry knew better than to ask his wife
not to stay. She wouldn’t listen to him anyway. Besides since she’d confided in
him about the cancer he craved her being as near to him as he could manage to
have her. Soon enough the problems of their new life would separate them. Right
now he wanted her at his side. He wanted to touch her, hold her hand.

“So, what’s so delicate you can’t say it in front
of my men? What can’t wait?”

Justin collapsed in a chair in front of the desk, Henry
claimed the chair behind it, while Ann propped herself on the edge and let her
legs dangle. Her eyes, now bright and alert, were on Justin’s face. Waiting. He
could almost see her mind tumbling over and over the possibilities of what was
about to be exposed. Her reporter instinct on high alert.

Stealing looks at her he couldn’t believe she was
sick again. How cruel was life.

Henry’s hand crept over and took hers. He had to
comfort her. Now that he knew.

Justin didn’t seem to notice. He was stuffing the
rest of the sandwich down his throat.

There was a knock on the door and it was Ranger
Cutters again. He had a cup of coffee and more sandwiches on a plate in his
hands. “Sorry to disturb you, Chief, but I thought Dr. Maltin might like
something warm to drink and something more to eat after what he went through.
His friend outside is being taken care of as well.”

“That was kind of you, Ranger Cutters. Thank you.” Justin
reached up and took the coffee and sandwiches from him.

“Just made a fresh pot of coffee for anyone
interested.” And the young ranger politely excused himself. The door shut
quietly after he exited.

Henry was anxious to hear what Justin had to say.
“Okay? What is it? Tell me now before I have a heart attack from the suspense.
What did your little adventure in California glean you?”

“We didn’t just visit one park in California, but a
few, and some in Nevada.” Justin appeared tired, older. Disturbed. The
paleontologist began his story. He left nothing out. When he was done Henry
felt the earth slipping out from beneath him. Inch by inch.

So the dinosaurs weren’t just in Crater Lake Park
and Klamath Falls.

By the end of Justin’s story Ann had left the desk
and was huddled in the corner of the sofa, her eyes closed, the back of her
head against the cushions. Another person would have thought she was asleep, but
Henry knew better. She was deep in worry land. Trying to solve all their
problems in her head. Fix things. Typical Ann.

“Are you sure of this, Justin?” Henry had picked up
a pencil and was writing something on a notepad. Things he wanted to remember.

“That there are dinosaurs hatching all over the
west coast and most likely up into Canada? And more will be showing up here real
soon? Pretty much.”

Henry frowned. “Besides reproducing like
big-toothed lemmings in the park, they’re already outside of it, in Klamath
Falls, and California, Nevada and possibly other states?  They’re all around us?”

“That’s about it.”

“And the close call I told you about that Ann and
Zeke had in town isn’t anything to take lightly, either,” Henry said. “They’re
lucky to be alive. There was so much damage.”

Here Justin grunted. “I know. Steven and I drove
through Klamath Falls before we came here today and I saw the destruction with
my own eyes. Buildings flattened. Utter pandemonium. The populace fleeing and
the police department in disarrayed denial. But that’s nothing compared to what
it probably looks like now. On our flight out of town, after we picked up the
doomed cheeseburgers, we were stalked by three more dinosaurs, but of a heftier
breed; possibly some of the same ones which had originally smashed up the town.

“And here’s the clincher for you…not only did those
three behemoths hound us out past the city limits and practically up to the
park’s entrance, there was a herd of them corralling cars and converging on the
fringe of town. They could be there now stomping it to smithereens. From what I
glimpsed, there were so many of the brutes I lost count.

“Good thing Zeke and his gal pal are both out of
there.”

“Good thing.” But Henry’s attention was suddenly divided,
listening to some noise outside his office walls he couldn’t identify. What was
it?

“So, here’s where we stand,” Justin was still
talking, “the dinosaur problem isn’t just our problem any longer. It’s spreading.
I’ve even sent messages to many of my paleontologist friends as far away as
Missouri and they are sending me cryptic emails and leaving me voice messages
about further unidentified creature sightings in
their
wildernesses.

“They don’t know what to make of any of it. I do,
though. It’s only a matter of time, and short by the way I measure it, before a
lot more people will be witnesses to what we already know. We have dinosaurs birthing
all across the United States. They’re here. To stay. And, if we–and the human
race–want to survive we’re going to have to learn how to fight and conquer
them. We can’t waste any more time, either.

“But what’s also shocked me is how many of the
beasts I’ve seen since we’ve returned. Hundreds.
When
did that happen?”

“It’s been happening for months,” Henry divulged, “feasibly
even years, but we’re just now seeing the tipping point. That and the creatures
have been clever enough to stay in partial hiding until now…until their numbers
reached a level where they’re no longer afraid of us. That’d be my guess.”

“And they’re emerging as a new species on our
planet,” Justin concluded. “Staking out their territory. And their territory is
America.”

“Yeah, they’re out to get us,” Henry said. “They
want to rule America.”

He stared out the windows. The darkness was coming.
His thoughts were spinning around like dried leaves in a storm. What were they
going to do now?

That noise again and it sounded nearer. Louder. What
was it?

He swung his head around to look at Justin. “I’ve
decided it’s safer if we all bunk down here at headquarters for a while. Civilians,
soldiers, rangers. I had emergency cots and bedding, food and supplies, stashed
in the rear buildings months ago during the last dinosaur outbreak. In case we
ever needed them. We don’t separate. The army, the tanks and larger weaponry
are here. Protection is here. This structure is strong. We rough it until we
can decide what our next move will be. Or until we know how many dinosaurs are
out there.”

Justin glanced at Ann, who still had her eyes
closed; seemed to be sleeping. Maybe she was.

“Laura’s not going to like me camping out here,” he
groaned. “She’s been having a little trouble lately, she told me on the phone
earlier today, with the pregnancy. Nothing really serious, but I have to go
home and make sure she’s okay. Help her if she needs it.”

“Son, I can’t force you to remain and if your wife
needs you, you have to go.” His eyes slid to his own wife. “If you have to
travel I can send you with an army escort past Klamath Falls and even lend you two
rangers to ride with you beyond that or until you think you’re in the clear.”

“I would appreciate the escort out of the park, but
I think Steven will be traveling back with me so I won’t need the loan of the
rangers. Under the circumstances, he’s canceled his next couple gigs. Most were
in Klamath Falls anyway. He’s not even sure the venues are still there.”

He shrugged and stretched in the chair. “I’ll telephone
Laura and see what she thinks I should do. I’ve been gone over a week and that’s
too long at this time of her pregnancy.” He took another sandwich from the
plate and bit into it. Henry was familiar with that look on his son-in-law’s
face. He was thinking deep thoughts, trying to decide what to do.

That’s when the mysterious noises outside exploded
in volume and became undeniably recognizable. It was the howling of dinosaurs,
two, then more, dozens…coming nearer. Growing louder until it filled the world.

“Ah, now what?” Henry jumped up and grabbed his MP7
from the gun rack.

“The natives are restless, it sounds like.” Justin snorted,
shaking his head as he came to his feet as well.

“They’re not natives of this land or time.”

“Then they’re just restless.”

“I’ll say. That seems to be their natural state.”

“I guess I’ll be staying here with all of you then until
we see what this means,” Justin said. “Laura will just have to understand.”

“There’s no way you and Steven can leave now. Maybe
tomorrow.”

“Maybe.”

There was shouting beyond the door and the stomping
of booted feet. The reverberations of rangers and soldiers preparing for
battle.

Henry and Justin departed the office at the same
time. Ann was asleep on the couch, but Henry knew if the god-awful racket continued
she wouldn’t be for long.

He nearly collided with Ranger Gilliam.

“Chief, there’s an angry congregation of those
beasties gathering outside our perimeters and as you can hear, they’re getting
worked up something fierce over something.”

Yeah, they want supper. Us.

Standing next to Gillian, Ranger Cutters tossed in,
“The soldiers have pulled the tanks in closer around the building and have
brought out the cannons. They’re waiting for further orders from their
Commanding Officer. McDowell.”

“Where is she?” Henry asked.

“Outside with the troops.”

Henry brushed past his rangers and, with Justin
sticking close, he walked through the front door and outside.

The day was dim as evening with its gloom settled
in. It was that time, twilight, where you could still see everything…but as if
through a gray filter. Everything blurry. It was cooling down, a breeze fanning
his face. Sweat still broke out on his skin, though. He saw McDowell talking to
one of her soldiers, a private, and walked over to them.

“What’s going on?” Henry’s eyes swept the nearby area.
No dinosaurs in sight. Yet. But now outside somewhere in the shadowed woods he heard
even more so the hubbub the creatures were making. Cries and shrieking
communications bouncing back and forth between their enemy and all of it getting
closer. The creatures were hiding in plain sight somewhere. Waiting for…what?
Riled up about…what?