Pteranodon Mall (13 page)

Chapter Fifteen

That one was never going to stop begging! She so reminded Gloria of Jessica, her ginger cat. That old thing never knew when to quit either. Still, at least with Jessica, she didn’t have to worry about the cat’s teeth snapping off the tips of her fingers. “You are such a greedy little monster, Julie,” she chided. “For that, you can miss out on your next turn.”

She stopped feeding her gathered collection of little brown dinosaurs to watch a larger monster run down and catch a dinosaur with a large frill on its neck. She hadn’t seen one of those in here before. It sure did look familiar. Lordy, Gloria so wished David was here with her. That clever young man knew all their names. She remembered just a couple of weeks ago when the store refreshed the stock for the toy fixture. He got so excited when one of the boxes contained a bunch of plastic dinosaurs. He then did something very naughty and ripped open one of the packets. David just smiled at her and said it must have been damaged in transit when she raised the issue.

Gloria tore off a strip of meat and threw it at Jasmine. Unlike Julie, that one hadn’t moved off the red plastic chair. She was such a good girl. David had lined up all the little dinosaurs on an upturned box, and then flicked three of them onto the floor. When she had asked why he’d done that, David explained that those crappy Chinese-made toys weren’t anatomically correct. He said that a
Stegosaurus
, a
Diplodocus
, and an
Ankylosaurus
never had teeth like a pissing lion. She looked into the mouths of her new friends. Both Julie and Jasmine belonged to the same species, and they certainly had teeth like a pissing lion. Her new friend dwarfed Julie and Jasmine. She had named her
Jane
, and her teeth were even larger. “You lot aren’t crappy Chinese made toys, that’s for sure!” She giggled when Jane put out her forearm. Gloria clapped in delight. “That is so cute!” She threw Jane a larger piece. “David would know what you were called.”

Gloria wiped her bloodied fingers on the side of her uniform and thought back to when all this weirdness started. She knew David had sneaked off again. The little scamp was terrible for shying away when the store was quiet. Still, he was young though, and back then, she didn’t have any care about developing a work ethic either. As long as David didn’t pull his trick when there were lots of people in the shop, she’d keep his secret between themselves.

She turned around, watching some more commotion just outside the eatery. That was the mall manager and that security guard who’d helped her the other day. He was such a nice man. Gloria wondered why they had that janitor. She didn’t like him at all. The way those creepy eyes stared at you, it fair made her feel dirty inside. Gloria let them to get on with whatever they were up to. It had nothing to do with her.

Gloria hoped both David and Jefferson were all right. She had seen quite a lot of people come and go while she’d been sitting here, opposite the Chinese buffet stall. Gloria had seen quite a lot of people being eaten up as well. She pulled off another strip of meat; this time, she gave it to Julie. Thankfully, none of those eaten people were her fellow work colleagues. Gloria wouldn’t know if she’d be able to keep her usual chilled out state if David was dead. He always used to say that she’d make a fortune if she could bottle her placid composure.

Maybe if all those silly people would calm down and maybe stop running about then those dinosaurs wouldn’t be eating them. It was like dogs, really. Her mum always told her never to run from a barking dog. Not that dogs ever did bark at her. Gloria always had a way with animals, no matter what species they belonged to.

Both Julie and Jasmine had a long neck, a bit like an ostrich but without beaks attached to their small heads. Their lizard tails and thin, long arms made it clear that they weren’t birds. Yet, the new addition turned Gloria’s theory right on its head as Jane sported a plumage which belonged on one of those birds of paradise. Unless Jane had ripped the feathers off those birds. “Is that what you did, Jane, you naughty bully?” The dinosaur tilted its head to the side and let out a squeak. It then lowered its body and bobbed its head up and down.

“Okay, I get it, ladies. Stop it with the yapping and hand out more tasty bits.” She threw them all some more lumps of meat. “You are such funny onions.”

The event beyond the tables took a turn for the worse when another larger dinosaur sneaked out from the toilet areas. It looked very much like Jane but three times the size, and probably twice as mean.

Gloria busied herself with keeping her new friends happy when the blood began to flow. Thankfully, the fun and games only lasted a few minutes. While she threw another treat to Jane, Gloria wondered if it was bad of her to wish the ill-tempered dinosaur had chewed up the nasty janitor as well.

She switched her gaze from that horrid man’s departing form to give Julie such a look. “Now, you. Don’t start this again, little lady. I thought you’d already learned your lesson. I’ve only just given you a piece!” She jumped back in her chair when all three leaped onto the table, bent their heads, and hissed at Gloria before jumping down and darting in opposite directions.

“Well, that’s charming,” she muttered. “Leave me here and alone. See if I care.”

“Would you mind if I sat on your table?”

Gloria blinked away the surprise. Where had he come from? Gloria’s hearing was much better than most, but she hadn’t heard this one at all. Gloria smiled up at this handsome young man. Not that she was going to complain. He might have given
creeping
Jesus a run for his money, but this one sure was prettier.

“Not at all. Just mind the mess. My three previous fair-weather friends don’t have the greatest of table manners.” She clamped her jaw shut, aware that the sudden presence of this mysterious, pretty thing had caused her to run off at the mouth. Where had this one come from? He certainly didn’t look at all bothered about this dinosaur invasion or that the tiles were covered in bloodied chunks of meat.

“I find you fascinating. You do not fit into any of the several social behavioural categories that I have used to define your confusing species.” He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Does my presence trouble you?”

“Oh my, you sure know how to charm a girl off her feet,” she replied sarcastically. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we start again, this time with an easier sentence? I know. Why don’t you tell me your name? I’ll go first. I’m Gloria. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

It was weird to her how his face seemed to shift. One second he was the spit of that pretty boy advertising Cougar aftershave, who was currently gracing the window of Sandy’s store. The next he looked just like her father, back when she saw a little girl. Gloria had to look away before he gave her a headache.

“You wish to know my full name? I am not sure that is appropriate, considering you are just a herd creature.” He moved his chair to the side when Gloria’s three friends reappeared and danced beside her. “That is something which I did not think possible,” he said looking at the three killers.

She pulled off three more strips and threw them into the air. It was nice that the three girls had returned. Also, this new chap didn’t look all too bothered about his presence. “I’m happy with which name you give me, honey. Whatever makes you comfortable.”

“I am Dailess-Zaid. Destroyer of Cetis Five, devourer of the Sons of Maulis-Bow, and first commander of the Soorlin-Del Quantum Capsule.”

“Well that’s a bit of a mouthful for little old me. Will you mind if I just call you Dailess-Zaid?” Gloria leaned forward and studied this rather charming young man. He was so out of place in here. In fact, if she wasn’t wrong, it might be more out of this world. “So, I take it all this disruption is your doing?”

“Why would you suppose that?”

She shrugged. “I guess your long name does kinda give away your job, honey. There aren’t many folk who wash cars or hand out fries who have such a fancy title.” The three girls had gone again. Not too far this time, though. They decided that the ex-mall manager’s ripped-open throat was a more attractive meal.

“This was my laboratory. I am a cautious individual. More cautious than others of my race. I believed study and experimentation was the desired cause of action in this alien environment. Yet, despite my cautiousness, nothing has gone to plan. My race is doomed to extinction.”

He looked up from the table.

“I followed doctrine for first contact. I sealed and subjugated this dwelling’s inhabitants. I learned everything I could about your present conditions as well as your extraordinary rise to becoming the top of the food chain. Doctrine is adamant regarding the cataloguing of a new species. Everything from the species genetic assembly to social and historical references. This needs to be complete before we remove you hairless vermin from the surface of the world you stole from us.”

Gloria nodded in sympathy. It was nice to see that someone else hadn’t been having a great day either. She wanted to tell him that at least he didn’t have to worry about the casserole she’d placed in the slow cooker before starting work. By now, it was bound to be burnt to a crisp, unless Mrs. Jackson from number ten had popped round to check on her. No, she decided not to share that with this handsome man. He had enough problems.

“I followed doctrine and yet I failed. Even the annihilation of your species has not gone to plan. My techs did not anticipate the vast amount of genetic diversity within the individual we used to seed the contagion. We do have two more infected, but they escaped before we could displace them to the other continents.”

Gloria patted the back of his hand. “Sounds to me like you haven’t had the best of days.” She slid her cardboard cup across the table; thankfully the three girls hadn’t knocked it off the table. “I think you need this more than I do.”

He ran a finger around the rim. “A liquid?”

She giggled. “You sure are quick. Yes, it’s a lovely cup of tea. A cup of tea makes everything better. That’s what my dad always used to say.”

“I still don’t understand what compelled me to speak to you. Doctrine commands that all lower forms of sentient life insult the Great Deity.”

“I wouldn’t let a little thing like that worry you too much, love. I’ve always had a way with animals.” She looked him straight in the eye. “And I think you fall into that category, love, because you sure as heck are not human, despite that fancy gadget you’re using to mask your proper face.”

“After a comment like that, I should strike you down.”

“You’d better drink your tea before it gets cold.” She lightly squeezed his hand. “Before you do that though, perhaps you had better finish what you started. You’ll feel better for it, believe me. Problems are always better when you share them.”

He tapped his finger on the table. “This one here, the one you call Jane. She is my ancient ancestor. My species evolved from her. She is a formidable predator. Her intelligence, speed, and cunning is matched with her bloodlust. This animal feasted on the vermin which would eventually give rise to your pitiful species.”

Gloria clicked her fingers, and Jane hopped up to her side. She tickled the animal under the snout before she gave it another piece of meat. “Did Jasmine and Julie change too?”

He nodded. “Yes. We were not the first sentient species to develop. Four million years before we became self-aware, the older ones ruled two continents. Their mistake was to allow the creatures we evolved from to continue existing, for once we were able, our race exterminated every last one of them. It took the best minds from our technician caste four centuries to reverse engineer and decode their technology. Once those obstacles were down, our race spread out amongst the stars. We discovered over-intelligent species, and as doctrine demanded, they were crushed utterly.”

“And now the shoe is on the other foot, love? For here you are, living amongst the hairless vermin. From what I’ve guessed, the people beyond the mall are probably dying?”

“Not everyone. Mortality rates appears to be levelling off at sixty per eighty.”

“Still, that does leave a lot of people left alive who’ll no doubt be rather upset at your failed attempt to cleanse their friends and family.” She watched Julie and Jasmine playing hide and seek under the tables. She smiled. It was so nice to see them play. They so reminded her of her two young cats back home. Gloria blinked. Goodness, she hoped they’d be okay. If the people truly were dying in the streets, she doubted her friend would be popping across to check on that casserole, meaning that her little fur babies would be getting very hungry about now. This was a bit of a pickle. “It’s likely that the last few of you could end up having the stuffing knocked out of you once you do leave the mall?”

“No. That will never happen. Your primitive weapons are like toys to my shock troops. There is nothing that your soldiers possess which will even scratch their armour of the warrior caste.”

“I’m sure a dozen nuclear warheads might give them a bit of a headache, though.”

“Even your species are not insane. They would not use that amount of firepower on their own civilians.”

She sighed. “So much for you studying our behaviour.” Then again, it didn’t shock her that much. Some folk who are further up the ladder don’t always see the world the same way as the little people. Her boss was just the same. Not Mr. Hussain. He was nice. The man who came around once a month, dressed in that posh suit, with his two attached office monkeys. Now he didn’t truly understand the mind of the common people. If he had, the silly man wouldn’t suggest a gourmet section and fill it with items over £4, believing the company would only grow by attracting a better class of people.