“What if the Flesh Eaters find them first? They’ll leave nothing but bones.”
“Zypher, we can’t worry about that. If we bury the females we may be defying the Mountain Slayers’ customs. Nature will take its course.”
“Caw. Caw.” Birmon’s mom descended from the cave and landed near the pond. Her three babies squawked and waddled toward her as she stood, proudly spreading her huge wings. When they reached her talons they lay down and huddled together.
The little dinosaurs also inched toward her and settled near her claws, sniffing the babies.
Boom-boom.
“Rrrrraaaaggghhh.”
Zypher jumped to his feet, aiming his rifle at the sky. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Get in the cave,” Vulcan hollered.
The horses whinnied. The sound of their tethers snapping filled the air. Then they fled into the meadow, their hooves stomping the ground and fading in the distance.
Ivy stiffened in Bronto’s arms and squeezed his neck. She was either in shock or too weak to scream.
“I’m out of ammo,” Zypher shouted, trying to sway the animals away from Birmon’s mom to guide them into the cave.
No sooner had Bronto carried Ivy inside than a T-Rex stomped through the shallow span of forest, knocking down trees. Its thick, muscular legs passed by the cave and stopped. Birmon’s mom took flight high above its head but the sound of her swooping wings remained in the immediate area.
The T-Rex spun, its clawed feet now facing the cave. Bronto moved backward until his back hit against the rock wall. Sharp edges scraped his skin but he stayed planted. If he backed up any farther they’d end up in the tunnel. Too much smoke had filtered in it from the alien lab. If he walked down there now they’d pass out from smoke inhalation.
“Give me your rifle,” Zypher said as he crossed the stone floor. “Vulcan’s out there alone.”
Just then the tyrannosaur stuck its head inside the cave, snapping it jaws. The damn thing was nearly as tall and wide as the opening. It stopped and sniffed, its nostrils pointing at the deceased women, but its body was too huge to burst inside. Though if it wanted to, and Bronto hoped to hell that wasn’t the case, it had enough strength to break through the rock.
A shot rang from Vulcan’s Barrett.
“Rrrrraaaaggghhh.”The T-Rex roared, swinging its head side to side as it withdrew from the cave.
Another blast echoed. A loud boom followed. The monster dropped, shooting tremors along the ground that reached Bronto’s feet.
Zypher removed Bronto’s rifle from his shoulder, maneuvering it carefully down Bronto’s arm beneath Ivy’s back. “Let’s go before we encounter any more trouble,” Zypher said, heading outside.
The dead T-Rex lay on its side, partially blocking the entrance. A small path remained open between its back and the outer wall of the cave.
Bronto walked cautiously around it then jogged to the outer edge of conifers. “I can get us home from here,” he said, stepping between the trees. “Ivy and I made it on foot once before. Let’s hit it.”
Chapter Eleven
Ivy hiccupped. The annoying burps started during her first cup of silly elixir. The smooth-tasting liquid at least soothed her nerves. For the first time in six days following her abduction by the aliens, she was relaxed and content.
She glanced at her forearm and ran her fingers across the bruise they’d caused when they shoved a tube under her skin. The puncture mark had healed but Bronto said that was because of Birmon. She hadn’t known. As a matter of fact she couldn’t remember anything that day after the gunfire. Bronto said she was so weak when he carried her to his hut and laid her down, she’d slept for two days. If she hadn’t yanked the tube from her arm when she’d tried escaping the species she’d be sleeping permanently.
“Are you all right, Ivy?” Bronto asked.
“Yes.” Rather than turn around and face him where he lay on his side propped on his arm, she shivered at the remembrance of the torture the aliens instilled. The pain in their brutal grips while dragging her to the cave hadn’t compared to the pain when they’d jabbed the tube into her arm and dug around for a vein. The weakness she endured because of the amount of blood she’d lost prior to her attempt to flee aided in her recapture. She’d actually made it to the cave entrance before they wound their arms around her and pulled her back inside. She’d been so close to dying she’d rather not think about that day anymore.