Thread:Carnotaur/@comment-35435751-20190808163852

Chapter 11 is here, and I hope you guy’s like it! Please tell me below:

Chapter 11: The mountains on high

The land of stone trees The Sun was rising from the east, turning the beautiful world around Joshua a dark orange. Shadows jutted toward the west, as they sprung from rocks and hills. The air was cool, and the windows on the Bronco were rolled down. Crisp air came into the vehicle, filling it with a fresh scent of nature. Northeastern Arizona was different than the rest of the state, and far different than any of what Joshua Malchom had drove through. It wasn't desert, but was dry, and almost void of plant life. In New Mexico, it had been a barren, hot, dying place. But here, he was welcomed with a place of coolness. For every cap rock, there was a small hill. For every dying piece of plant life, there were petrified trees, of ages beyond a man's comprehension... Joshua was in the Petrified Forest. Formerly a state park, but now a abandoned place, better off than it had been. He wasn't that far off from the mountains and plateaus, where the Grand Canyon existed(Another former state park), maybe a couple hours. Every now and then an old shack, advertising free fossil wood begged for you to come in, and get what it so tantalizingly offered. "They never would have given it to you anyway," Joshua said to himself, chuckling. Those shacks were telling something that never would come, post BX, or not. Outside of them, giant steel Dinosaurs were rusting, and stood facing the highway that hadn't seen a tourist in years. Some were very interesting, others dull. Some where not even real Dinosaurs, but just two-headed-turtle monsters. No one could even have thought that there would be real monsters stalking the Earth; No one ever thought the past would be the future of planet.

The trees that once stood tall, mighty and strong, covering the ground with shade, lay on the side of the road, being shown off, other's being sold to buyers miles away. These trees once were the homes to animals as well. Now, birds made their home in the ground under them, sheltered. Even when all of their existence was gone, except for their shape, time couldn't stop them from being homes to the Earth's life. They were almost all that was left of a antediluvian world, where mammal-like reptiles foraged on horsetails, while others hunted in the underbrush. The lakes that existed within the trees, were home to massive amphibians, who's bulk would never be so great. There, terrestrial crocodiles ruled as top predators with an iron fist. On the outskirts of the massive forest, where the Triassic desert existed, packs of primitive Theropods were beginning their existence... Their presence would be felt far beyond the Triassic. They would return to life a whole era after. Now, that world was forever lost, lost in time, never to be seen with eyes again, and would never be...

As the red dawn began to reach it's ending, Joshua slowed, and pulled over to the most cluttered parking lot he had ever seen. That is, if you could call it a parking lot, it was more of a driveway. It was part of one of the many shops that sold fossils. Statues of inaccurate Dinosaurs stood tall, while others, not so tall, lay rusting on the ground, weathering away. Chunks of petrified flora lay around as if they were just part of the arid scenery. However, this was true, of course, for there was so much fossil material, their value here was almost void. Just stones. He climbed out closing the door, as to make sure his Saurian body-guard wouldn't get out. His boots crunched the reddish gravel, and kicked pieces of stone. He came, having a slight limp, to a glass case, just outside the entrance to the uniquely named, "Fossil Shop". Inside was a specimen of petrified wood, glossy, and multi-colored. It was red in some parts, purple in others, and many different shades were in it. A plate on the case said: "Rainbow Rock. Very Rare." This of course was another scam. The fossilization process, involving many different minerals, colored the rock this way, as it replaced the once-living material. This was not rare. It was as common as the oxygen you breath. This rock was no different than most. Still, it was pretty. Josh picked up a stone, and smashed the case, making sure not to cut himself. He took out the chunk, and held it in the morning light. Just a another rock, yes, but beautiful it was. He wanted a keepsake, and the "Rainbow Rock", would do fine. It had been polished, to give it a attractive glimmer, giving it collection-worthy status. Josh carried the rock back with him, and got in. He placed the rock on the seat, moving aside a bundle of clothes to make space. He then slowly rolled the seat back, so he could get a look at his leg. The bandage needed to be changed, so he did. Bleeding had subsided, but it was still a open wound; A puncture from evil jaws now dead to world. Yet, the Spinosaur's attack may have been fatal, the Dragon's revenge still lingered around this wound, like a cloud of stench. He hoped he wouldn't get what it had. He prayed to God it didn't. All of the journey would have been worthless.

He poured some Hydrogen Peroxide on the cut, and it foamed up a sick, brownish-yellow. He let it fizzle away, and then he wiped it clean, flinching slightly. He took some more bandages(Which he was running low on), and wrapped the wound up. Joshua Malchom slid the seat forward, and started onward. The Raptor was sleeping, not making much noise. It's face was peaceful, and no doubt, it was lost in a dream of happiness. Soon he would reach the second forest, in the highland to the near southwest. That forest was still living, and thriving with life, like this place used to be. Josh drove on, leaving the place of stone trees, and lies of free fortune...

Land lord Wu stood outside, exposed to the desert Sun. He was in front of his lab, standing with his workers who numbered nine. Everyone was silent, except for Tracy, who was writing away on a clipboard. The Sun was hot, but the wind blew through the lot they were in, giving a tough of ice in the air. Wu was focusing on a speck in the distance, that was coming their way, kicking up dust. It was small, almost unnoticeable, except for the cloud of stirred up Earth. A person would think that it was one vehicle. But it was far from what it seemed. Actually, it was a large caravan owned by a Mexican cartel. As it came closer, Wu turned to William Helmer, a college and geneticist. "You got the guns?" he said, with a worried tone in his quiet voice. Helmer just nodded slightly. Wu didn't like violence, but he wasn't going to be defenseless. Henry was waiting to meet with the land lord of this state. A man who wanted payment. But not cash. No, he wanted two living creatures as payment.

Soon, the caravan arrived, bringing a since of dread into the hearts of the workers. Tracy had stopped writing. The parade of automobiles were made up of semis, Jeeps, Hummers, trucks, and motorcycles. The riders were mostly Hispanic, with a few here and there of other race. Wu thought he saw a man of Indian ethnicity on a beat-up Harley. Another man was black, inside a Jeep. There seemed to be a mix of many peoples here. In the lead, a Hummer held the controller of the group. On the back of a semi, were cages, empty except for one, which held a young Nasutoceratops. The poor animal was frail, and didn't look like it would live very long. The vehicles stopped, and went silent. Then, a man climbed out of the truck, Hispanic as well, and as evil-looking as the Devil himself. The man walked forward, a blank expression on his face. Behind him, another man, who was white, came with him, carrying a AK-47. The thug behind him had a necklace of bullets, just like a movie villain. Stereotypes. They say their not real, but that's just ignorance. Henry thought. They came up to Wu, and the leader bowed in a sarcastic gesture. He spoke in a deep tone: "Senior Wu," he said, now smirking. "how would we be doing this fine hour?" He spoke in a accent, but he said his speech in perfect English. He was around his late forties, and massive, maybe just above six foot. He had large muscles, and a noticeable, badly scarred arm. His torso was fat though, and he had a slight pot-belly, giving him a strange appearance, almost as if it was swollen. A large, muscular, fat man, he seemed. He also looked quite clean, while the others looked like they had just rolled around in a muddy pit. There could be a lot said from just seeing the man though; He was a man of dreaded, unchallenged authority... A dictator... "Yes," Wu said, his voice stern. "we have the payment, Mr. Cortez. Would you like to see it?" Wu tried to look tall in the presence of this giant, but it was a futile as a mouse intimidating a predator. "Of course I would, that's why I'm here," the man said, his smile now fading. "but before you do that, I want you to tell me where you got the guns." Wu felt a shiver go up his spine. He looked over at William, and saw that his Glock was plainly seeable under his clothes. The same for Tracy's revolver. "We had them for a while," he said. "they are here for security reasons." Cortez nodded. "So you think I'm a idiot? Why would you need security? Oh ya, I think I know now. Drop them." Henry reluctantly gave the signal to lay the weapons on the ground. They were picked up by two thugs with tattoos on their necks, signifying their connection to multiple gangs, including this bunch of trash. Their history with gangs were no doubt vast. "Now we can get to the more importing things," Cortez said, clasping his hands in front of him. Wu gestured to two of his workers, and they brought out of the lab, two green Theropods, in cages. The cages were being rolled on small wheels, and the two animals watched the groups of Humans with large eyes of curiosity. They were Troodon, one of the smartest members of Dinosauria, and the entire Archosaurian family, from crocs, to Sauropods. They were named Subjects K9-3, and K9-4, they were siblings, the latter being the female of the two. Wu's face was bitter, but Cortez's mouth was grinning from ear to ear, saying: "Perfectas criaturas..." And he was rolling his hands together like a filthy rodent, which Cortez was closest to in mind. Henry told him the subject's names, and was met with a chuckle from the man. This was his second offering of Dromaeosaur material, the first being a young male Utahraptor, named Subject Q4-8, which he said he had killed when it attacked him. They were told the Cartel leader hung it's massive head on a wall. The former doctor burned within. Wu wanted to slug him.

Tracy Hegler watched in interest. She was not frightened by Cortez, like the others. You see, Hegler knew that Cortez wouldn't harm them. She had studied the cartel's workings, laws, and stats. They were merciless, but she knew the group wouldn't get hurt, as long as they:

1. Had the money, or clones ready to pay him for staying in "His land".

2. Do not try to resist him.

3. Didn't leave the former state of Arizona.

Neither of these were being broken, and she knew they were not going to encounter the sickle of death. Tracy watched Wu try to look strong. Everyone there knew Henry wouldn't lay a finger on Cortez, or even another person for that matter. Everyone there knew he was weak, and even though he looked like punching the cartel leader, Wu would never try anything aggressive. It was almost like prescience to her, that nothing would ever be any different. Tracy wondered why she was even here, however.

She worked for Wu for her love of prehistoric life reborn, but not Wu himself. Her opinion was held among every person there, except William, who was Henry's "Most gifted geneticist"... The kid just saw the frail man as a inspiration, and hero. But a hero of what exactly? Tracy asked herself rhetorically. Really, Wu was a villian, for what he did on Nublar and in Cal. He and Cortez were evils, and Wu was the very much the lesser...

The exchange of living animals for the life of a group of people was completed, and Cortez hulled them off. The line of vehicles drove off toward the distance. Wu frowned, and thought about trying to leave here, and go to the old InGen lab in Chile, but the chances of his life being allowed beyond the state border seemed void. He would be killed by Cortez's goons before he stepped on the gas pedal: He had people in the mountains watching him, ready to take him to the dictator, or put a round through his skull. Life here was grim... Yet somehow Henry knew something would work out.

The mountains The slow drive up through the high mountains was amazing in every way. The sky was a clean blue, not a cloud. The drive was almost quiet, except for the beautiful chirps and whistles of birds somewhere in the trees, which grew tall and mighty, just like the ones that now were stone to the northeast. Joshua still had the windows rolled down, letting in the crisp air, which brought pleasure to the lungs, and soul. The mountains were the land of beuhla to Joshua, and even more to the Raptor, which had watched the trees go by, all the way up. Now, they were far south of the Grand Canyon, a landmark famous across the planet. Joshua wanted to go there, to see the place, now over a year into peacefulness. There had not been a man there, and so, nature had reclaimed it just like it had been, many a era ago. This left Joshua slightly mellow, knowing that he couldn't go see the great geological formation. But there was his, and the Raptor's life at stake, because of BX. He never thought the Raptor would be a concern to him, being that he had brought it along for reasons obvious. But as time went on, at it's various paces, the man had started to feel a survival bond between him the animal. Especially after the Spinosaur. He would never forget it, and he would never forget the Raptor's violent, but passionate battle over the life of otherwise, easy prey. Both of them where microcosms of Mankind and Nature. Man and beast, always seen as separate, and they were. They parted ways deep into the reaches of infinite time, and yet, there was a connection. A connection that could be as strong as a Velociraptor's bite...

Josh kept on driving south, time past, until he came to Payson, a town within the mountains of eastern Arizona. The town was nice, even for being abandoned. It had seen many people coming through here, driving towards Phoenix, and Tucson. Joshua would have made a straight shot towards California, but all of Central, and Northwestern Arizona was a deadly BX zone. So he would have to do a drop toward the Cactus desert in the south of the state, and drive towards the coast from there. It was a route that would make it take longer to get there, but Joshua wouldn't have to worry about getting there soon... The town was decent size, much larger than Lakewood, but much smaller than Carlsbad. The Sun was starting to rise towards it's noon position. Joshua would have checked his watch, but it was still in New Mexico, being scorched. He drove through some of the town, and decided to stop. He had wanted to drive on, not stopping, but things had gone wrong, and he was tired. His leg still hurt, and he wanted to rest it, and to take a full day to recuperate. Then, tomorrow, he would get out of there. It wouldn't be a problem, he wasn't trying to get there at a appointed time anyway. He slowed, and decided to look for a motel. He doubted the beds were the best, bedbugs were no doubt colonizing them, but he didn't care.

Sometime later, after searching the town, he found one: The Mountain Hideaway, "FREE WI-FI!" Joshua was happy to learn Wi-Fi was available. He came to one of the rooms, and with his good leg, kicked the door in. His nose was met with the smell of what hotel rooms smell like: Dull. The smell though, was more aged. However, he was surprised to find the two beds inside, sealed in air-tight, plastic covers. It seemed that the owners thought they would be back to reclaim the place, but that day was unlikely to come. The room was clean, no signs of serious decay. He did notice bugs on the walls, but he didn't mind two flies, his only worry was lice, and bedbugs. Josh decided the place was good enough, and unloaded his food, leaving other things inside. The Raptor came out, and started to sniff around the room. He noticed the second bed, which Josh didn't lay things on, and it jumped up on it, smelling it. Within minutes, the Dinosaur was resting there, watching Josh unload. He finished unloading, and dusted his hands off on his jeans. It hadn't taken too long, and he was ready for a night of true rest. He went to the bathroom outside, and took a look at the wound. It was scabbing up, healing fast; He seemed to have done well taking care of it. The image of the thing from the deep rain, came to him, mixing with the horrors from Lakewood. The past few days had been brutal. He got the Raptor out of the room, and loaded it up into the Bronco, and got in himself. As far as he knew, everything was accounted for, so he decided to go find three more things: Medical supplies, entertainment, food, and drinks. He knew the place to go...

He stood outside of a small grocery store, his companion walking ahead, eager for exploration. Josh was looking for food that might have been in the back stock, just like the convenient store he had come to in Glen Rose. He entered the store, by again kicking the door open. Inside, it was bitter cold, like winter. It was dark as well, and Joshua had to navigate in it. Soon, he found a flashlight, a cheap one, on one of the nick-knack sections, next to the cash register. Within an hour, he had navigated the store, collecting food, a six pack of soda, two lamps, bandages, and a much needed shotgun. His old firearm was out of commission: It had gotten wet from the rain, and Joshua had neglected to see that it was rusting. The new shotgun, a 12 gauge, was collected along with four boxes of ammo. The sporting goods department of the store was untouched, which he found very odd. He then got himself some batteries that were still holding energy, and a radio with a CD player which used both cord, and batteries. He then went to the music section, and selected several disks, all from different musicians and bands. He always thought music was better than other forms of entertainment. It always seemed superior to him.

Later, that night, Joshua Malchom had set up the motel room. There was no electricity, so he had to light up candles to keep the room from getting dark. The room was now twilight, and the Raptor was resting, watching a fly on the wall. Joshua was laying on the bed, his back against the headboard. He was listening to some music, sipping a soda, that was warm, with little buzz on the tongue. The music on the radio played without interruption. After he took the last drop of soda in, he set aside his mostly-eating peanut butter sandwich, which was his first bite of food he had made himself, without having to hunt wildlife to make it. After a while he started to get hazy, and a song came on, that he didn't recognize, unlike many other songs, but it wasn't bad. In fact, it was... Very well done. As it played, he started to sit up more, to listen to the lyrics. The song went on like this...

I live in a bittersweet day, In a bittersweet time. Everything goes wrong, but it always turns right. Few friends I have near, the enemies I don't fear. Everything goes black here, but it always turns crystal clear.

Don't you think me sad, the world I have isn't forever bad, even though the darkness eats it away.

Many roads I wander, places I stop to ponder. The world changes from place to place, but the feelings stays the same. I live near to death, though death is far from my the life. I strive, and I fight, to escape the shadow, to go find light.

Don't you think me sad, the world I have isn't forever bad, even though the darkness eats it away.

Oh, I live in conflict, the sweet for a moment, the bitter for an hour, and the wholesome swallows the sour. I travel to a good life I can live, but I exist in the negative. The road stretches infinite, I wonder how much longer to go, but I know, I'll make it...

Joshua listened to the song, and smiled. He could understand the song, and he could, because that was his life right now. His life was bittersweet. Everything went wrong, but it eventually came out alright. Bittersweet, everyday.

Afterward, three cans of warm soda later, the candles were out, and the radio was now playing another song. He laid there, yawning. The day was good, and his leg was better. He had cleaned it off, and bandaged it, nice and snug. He looked at his Saurian friend, and watched as it slept, well fed, after a meal of cow bones, and jerky. Josh began to drift, and strangely a thought came to his drifting mind. The music played a soft song now, with no lyrics, and a face came to his consciousness... A female face, beautiful, charming. He knew her. He knew her a long time ago. A lost love, he wished was here. However, she was long gone. Dead, taken away from him. He missed her, and wondered what life would have been like, had she not died in the collision of dark destiny. A heart ache existed, even though it had been buried under other pains, that were not even as severe. She was his at a different time. And he was hers. Other images appeared. Images of a slightly younger, but cleaner him, standing at a funeral, in black. His face was still, grim, and depressed. Few people were there, just him, as well as also dead mother and father, and a few people he, and his parents knew. The words of sorrowful prayer were said, "Ashes to ashes", but not the words he had wanted to hear. He wanted to hear other happy words said by her, in a time that never happened, and never was going to. Still another glimpse of a past trapped in his halls of memories came to him: He was in the same graveyard, now in shorts and a jacket, kneeling in front of a gravestone. The stone, telling the name of the dead resident. There was the name, the numbered years of the person's short life, and the words, "Death is only the beginning." Some how, those words made the ache hurt more. The small bit of well known speech spoke of a place beyond our present reality. Yet, Joshua didn't know if the words were man's knowledge of a real dimension in the Human existence, or just man's futile hope for eternity. Joshua didn't know, and never cared to know, and that hurt. But something did tell him, that if there was, he wanted to be there as well. A final image appeared, this one of the present. A quiet room, with the inky darkness being shattered by Lunar rays of light, coming from the Sun, light years away. The image was real, just like the others, but it was now. And now, was all that mattered. He said to himself, in his gently drifting mind: Nothing else matters...Knowing that fate was fate, and that tomorrow, it was another day beyond the night. The next day would bring new things, maybe a little better. Then, not dreaming, but silently at peace, he fell off the cliff of consciousness, into sleep...

The Angel of death In the deep dark night, Ember lay silent as a cat, half-heartedly listening to whatever he could pick up. Almost everything was just Meaty shifting, and talking in his sleep. Still, he could pick up other sounds from what he thought were those beaked animals, like the one he almost ate. He could discern shrieking, and chirping above them, and every now and then, little footsteps. They made him hungry. He leaned forward and started to chew on a bone. The flavor was faded, from old age, but he was happy to consume the food. The room was now filled with the sound of crunching, and chewing. After a time, he managed to fully break it in half. It became a mess, so he started pushing the splinters away from his spot on the bed. He grew bored of that, and started gnawing on the dried meat. This was not so stale, and he felt pleasure flow though his taste-buds. Even more time dragged, and he had finished the jerky... And a another, and yet another piece. He was bored, and he didn't like to be bored. The Dromaeosaurid mind, and even more the Velociraptorian mind, was designed for action. A Velociraptor like him, in his prime, needed something to do, much like that of a Human child. The attention-span of Ember was short, and become longer as his went on, again, just like a Human, in most cases...

In his natural environment, back in the late Cretaceous, among the vast sand dunes of primeval Mongolia, his former self, the pre-clone Ember, would have been active at all times: Hunting herds of Protoceratops, going on long journeys across deserts for food and water. Other times, he would no doubt play-fight with other members of his pack. Everyday life was struggle to survive, however. This made sure that those who were strong enough, would be continuously moving, hunting, and overall, being as active as the later hunter-gatherers. Ember would have been out in the night, hunting for mice, had he not been stuck here.

The Raptor then started to scratch himself. He moved his powerful hind leg, like a dog, over his bruised, cut side. He made crucial note not to break a scab. He could feel slight pain, but he was being careful. Soon he was drifting off from the sensation. Then, abruptly, he struck his largest, and deepest wound. He jumped, and let out a little yelp. He regretted scratching himself. Meaty shifted, but was still traveling the roads of Neverland. The wound started to bleed, now that his once thick scab was split. With a quick movement, Ember started to lick at the wound. He never liked to do to have to taste his own blood, but instinct forced his tongue. He sat there, nursing the wound, again in silence until... Until he heard the animals above stirring. From what he could hear, the little creatures were squawking, and running across the roof. They seemed to be in a panic. Then, a massive WHOOSH! came over the building, and he heard one of animals let out a cry. The cry was abruptly cut off by a gurgle. Something had flown over the roof, and killed one of Dinosaurs.

He looked over at Meaty, who, to his very bitter annoyance, was not aware of the murder from above. The Raptor decided to go investigate, even though the window was his limit. He slowly made his way off the bed, making it squeak slightly, and to the window, which was closed, but not covered by shades. The shades were dusty, and it irritated his nose. He sneezed. Meaty still did not stir. He looked outside. The road was visible, and the other buildings were easy to see. Moon rays lit up the land, making it glow. He scanned outside, but he didn't see anything. Ember was startled when he saw a massive form come down from the sky. It was like a bat, and it had something in it's mouth. It took him a moment to realize what it was: The little plan-eater. Ember felt awe come to him. He knew what the beast was(He had seen them before), but this one was the size of a boulder. It was obviously a killer, and he was thankful his hide was protected. The winged terror had it's wings folded up, it's hands on the ground. It was pecking at the dead body, making tears in the sickle-patterned flesh. It seemed to mess with it's victims before eating it. It then grabbed the Dinosaur with it's beak, which was long and slender, and threw it's head back. The little animal's body began slide back into the beak of the winged monster. It's beak was long, and pointed; The skull was actually only a fraction of it's full head. The Raptor noticed the neck was long and thin, making the bulge that was the animal, visible as it was swallowed. Ember sneezed. Then, it looked over in his direction. It had heard him, and now It saw him. Ember watched as it started walking toward him, in a kind of shuffle, it's wings still folded high above it's head. As it came toward the building, Ember began to growl, and bare is teeth. He now realized how big it was. It was massive. It looked like a Angel of death, coming in the night to slay. He growled louder, but Meaty did not stir. Wake up, idiot, wake up! Ember thought in the moment of dread. There was glass in between him and the beast, but that beak... Then, another form came into view, and attacked the walking monster, squawking, and snapping. It was another one, larger than the former. A brief fight of flapping, and screeching ensued, and eventually, one flew off, only to have the other flap it's leathery wings after it. Everything was once again silent. He could hear the little animals on the roof again, no doubt mourning their loss. Ember had stopped growling, and now was watching out the window. He stood there for the next twenty minutes, watching for more. Yet none came, but his worry was evident, even to a Human.

Finally, he went to lay back down, on his soft bed. Within minutes, he himself was asleep. The room was now silent, and so was the outside. Just pure silence. Both were adrift. The next day was approaching fast. The Moon already going away, and even though they couldn't see it, the Sun was rushing towards the infinite east, ready to shine. They would need all the rest they could get, for the destiny they had both chosen, whether they knew it or not, was in the south, waiting for them...

Next up: Chapter 12: Sonoran drive! 