Day of the Predator - Alex Scarrow [120]
‘Hunting!’ said Forby a little too loudly.
One of the creatures suddenly turned to glance their way. The four of them instinctively hunkered down behind the gently waving fronds of a large fern.
‘Think he saw us?’ hissed Forby through gritted teeth.
Maddy looked up at the ragged outline of red brickwork around the corrugated shutter door, the portion of the bridge support that existed within the archway’s field. Luckily most of it was shielded by a giant species of tree she didn’t recognize; drooping waxy leaves the size of umbrellas hung low over them. A perfect camouflage.
‘I think we’re hidden,’ she whispered.
They watched through gaps in the swaying leaves as the creature, still curious, slowly paced up the silty bank towards them, cocking its long head curiously on to one side. Closer now, they could see a lean hairless body covered with an olive skin, an expressionless face of bone and cartilage and a lipless mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
‘It’s really ugly,’ offered Sal in a whisper. ‘I really don’t want to go make friends with it.’
Maddy noticed Forby raising his gun warily, a finger slipping across the trigger. She nudged him gently and shook her head.
Don’t.
He nodded.
‘It’s beautiful,’ whispered Cartwright. ‘What a magnificent creature! Look at it!’
For a moment it lingered there, scanning the rainforest in front of it, not seeming to spot them or the squat brick shape of their archway. Then, finally, it seemed to shrug, turn away and head back towards the others, calling something out with a mewling whine and a clack of its sharp teeth.
‘I’ve seen enough. We should go back inside,’ said Maddy. ‘There’s work to be done.’
‘Don’t you want to learn more?’ asked Cartwright.
She shrugged. ‘Why? If we’ve managed to get lucky and locate Liam … then none of this will ever have happened.’ She looked at Forby, who seemed relieved at the idea of heading back. ‘Be pointless learning anything about these things really … if you think about it. They soon will belong to the world of Never Were.’
Cartwright made a face, a mixture of disappointment and frustration. ‘All right,’ he conceded. ‘Let’s get on with it.’
CHAPTER 65
65 million years BC, jungle
‘Did you hear that?’ said Laura, her eyes round with fear.
They’d heard it all right. Although the jungle was soon due to stir with its concert of nocturnal cries and calls, the sun had only just slipped from the sky, leaving behind thin combed cirrus clouds stained a coral pink from its waning light. The jungle was on the turn, the stillness between those that lived in the day and those that prowled the night.
But there it was again. A desperate female cry for help. It was one of the four they’d left behind, either Keisha Jackson or Sophia Yip.
‘… Please … help me …’
‘It’s Keisha!’ said Jasmine. She turned to the others. ‘It is! It’s Keisha!’
‘Which direction did it come from?’ asked Liam. It wasn’t far off, somewhere within the apron of jungle around their clearing. Could be coming from any direction, the mischievous way voices seemed to bounce around.
‘… Help … it hurts …’
‘We have to go help her!’ said Edward.
‘Negative,’ said Becks. ‘The hominids could still be on the island.’
Laura’s eyes darted back to the finger on the ground. The light was getting dim enough for it to be almost, mercifully, easy to overlook. ‘Could be?’ she exclaimed. ‘They’re h-here, all right.’
‘Or they’ve been and gone,’ added Whitmore. He looked at Liam. ‘We’ve got to go help the poor girl! She could be dying!’
‘… Please …’
Whitmore nodded across the clearing. ‘It came from over there.’ He grabbed a spear and turned to the others. ‘I’ll need help lifting her.’
Edward grabbed a spear and joined him. Howard and Juan did likewise.
‘OK,’ said Liam, ‘go get her.’ He turned to Laura, Akira and Jasmine. ‘We need this fire going again. Can you see to that? Big fire, all right? Big as you can make it.’ They both nodded. ‘And, Becks, we need that windmill contraption running.’
She nodded. ‘Affirmative.