The Island In The Mist: A Dinosaur Thriller Read online

  THE ISLAND IN THE MIST

  C.G. Mosley

  Text Copyright © 2012 C.G. Mosley

  All Rights Reserved

  Chapter 1:

  The year is 1511…

  The merciless sheets of stinging rain continued to pelt Macuya’s face and there seemed to be no end in sight. He ran through the jungle aimlessly and it seemed that the only thing forcing him onward was the sheer desperation he felt. Several days earlier, he made one of the most agonizing decisions of his life when he left his tribe to escape the invading Spaniards. The Taínos were forced into slavery almost immediately and Macuya had seen too many of his brethren die during the rebellion. The Taíno were skilled warriors, but their weaponry was clearly inferior to the swords and crossbows wielded by the Spaniards. Macuya had been in the thick of many of the battles with their invaders. He had seen a lot of spilled blood and almost all of it belonged to the Taíno. The pride and bravery that initiated the rebellion soon turned into pure fear, and fear will push a man to do extraordinarily desperate things. Macuya took one of the tribe’s fishing boats and escaped the brutality of the Spaniards via the Atlantic Ocean. He had taken boats into the ocean many times before, but he had never ventured far enough to lose sight of his island home. He did not know what was waiting for him in the depths of the ocean, and worse yet, he did not know how long it would be before he found land again. The only thing he was sure of was that facing the terrors of the sea would be better than facing the certain death the Spaniards were eager to deliver.

  The trip, for the most part, was uneventful. Food was not a problem due to the fact that Macuya was a very skilled fisherman. Water, on the other hand, ran out very quickly. The scorched, prickly feeling in his throat was almost unbearable by the time the sun rose and fell the fourth time. Sparkling water surrounded him in every direction as far as the eye could see, but he knew drinking it would certainly hasten his demise. All of the time alone provided another tremendous burden he hadn’t thought a lot about. Macuya suddenly felt guilty for leaving his tribe behind. He had originally justified his actions by telling himself that he was a terrible chief and that his leadership had led many to their unnecessary deaths. Leaving the island and the people who had followed him seemed to be the last kind thing he could do for them. Once he was gone, they would be forced to surrender to the Spaniards and the killing would end.

  Now that he was alone with nothing but the sea and his thoughts, he began to feel uncertain about his decision. What if the killing doesn’t stop? It was a terrible thing to consider, and it certainly wasn’t doing him any good thinking about it now. But the question would not stop burning in his head. He wondered what his people would think when they first realized that he had vanished. He hoped that betrayal would not enter their minds, but if the Spaniards continued to murder them, then it certainly would. That thought made him shudder. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, and suddenly the burning sensation in his throat came roaring back. Just thinking about water seemingly made his mouth dry up more as his body continued to beg for it. As the sun fell for the fifth time, he prayed to the gods that when he went to sleep he would awaken in the spiritual world.

  The next morning, when the realization that the gods had ignored him set in, Macuya had finally reached his breaking point. He struggled to make his sun-blistered legs move, but when they finally did, he stood up in the boat. He looked to the heavens and screamed contumaciously to the gods above. After his tirade, he fell back into the boat and sobbed. His body was so dried up he was unable to even muster tears. Trying to cry with no tears was an awkward feeling and Macuya rubbed his eyes in a useless attempt to create moisture. When he removed his hands, something caught his eye in the distance. He crawled to the bow and ignored the pain on his sunburnt hands and knees. There was a tiny gray object on the horizon in the direction the ocean current was taking him. At first, he decided it was a cruel trick that the gods were playing on him as punishment for the tongue-lashing he’d spat at them moments earlier. He lay back into the boat and exhaustion forced him back into a deep sleep.

  Hours later, a sudden jolt awakened him and he sat up, wide-eyed and surprisingly alert. The first thing he noticed was that the sun was gone. The sky was cloudy and the air felt cool and damp. The boat had apparently continued to travel toward the gray object he had seen before he fell asleep. It was not a trick by the gods, but a blessing instead. It was a beach! He looked back and a good distance behind him there seemed to be a wall of mist. It was so thick he could not see beyond it, and it was thick enough to block out the sun. He used what seemed to be the last ounce of strength he had left to jump onto the cool sandy beach and rejoice at the turn of good fortune. After a few moments spent thanking and apologizing to the gods, Macuya began to walk further inland in search of water. He quickly found a small stream and he dropped to his knees, eventually dunking his head into the water. He took in gulps of the cool freshwater and every cell in his body seemed to soak every drop up like a sponge. He could literally feel his arms and legs come back to life, and he felt relief as his mouth, tongue, and throat were finally wet again.

  Once it was clear to him that he was going to live, Macuya wondered if there were any other tribes on the island. If there were, he needed to avoid them until he had a chance to observe them. There was a good chance they would kill an outsider like him immediately. However, he also knew of gentler, peaceful tribes that may offer him food and shelter. He decided to travel further inland and search for signs of humanity. The jungle was lively and vibrant with colorful flowers and birds alike. There were plenty of coconuts, berries, and fruits to eat. This observation was comforting to him as he also realized that there was a possibility he wouldn’t find anyone. He quite possibly could be all alone on the island, and the more he thought about that, the more it scared him. He accomplished what he had set out to do: he escaped from the Spaniards. Part of him was proud of that, but another part of him was fearful that he would never see a human being again for the rest of his life. He pondered that for a long moment and decided if that was what the gods had in store for him, he would embrace it. He alone created the scenario he found himself in. He would shoulder the consequences that derived from his decisions.

  He had not walked long when he heard something (or someone) rustling in the bushes. He stared into the brush for a long moment as he thought about what to do next. The plants shuffled around once more and it was easy to see that it was not a person. It had to be an animal of some kind. Carefully, he took both hands and parted the dense vegetation, fully expecting a bird to fly out and startle him. Instead, what he found was something he had never seen before. A large lizard stared back at him. It stood just above Macuya’s knee and seemed harmless. He had been around nature long enough to realize that just because something looked harmless, didn’t mean it was so. He slowly let the surrounding plants spring back to their original shape and the lizard was once again hidden from view. The lizard was much larger than any he had seen on his native island. He wondered how many other animals existed on this island that he had never seen before. The further Macuya ventured into the jungle, the more it slowly began to thin out. Eventually, the jungle completely ended and a wide-open valley stretched out a great distance in front of him. The sight in the valley made his jaw drop.

  There were herds upon herds of giant lizards. The other one paled in comparison to some of the ones he was seeing now. Some of them he estimated were the height of ten men. They all seemed to be grazing peacefully among one another, and they reminded him of the cows he’d been around back home. Some of them had large horns protruding from their heads, and some of them look
ed like larger versions of the lizard he met in the jungle. Some walked on four legs (like the horned ones) and some only walked on two. The fear he initially felt when he spotted them quickly turned into awe. He watched another herd gracefully move over to a large pool in the middle of the pasture and they all began to drink at once. The different herds seemed to be oblivious to one another, and it was unlike anything Macuya had ever seen before.

  Suddenly, he noticed their behavior begin to change. It seemed as if all at once, they stopped grazing and drinking. They raised their large heads at attention. It was as if they all heard him at once. He looked around to see if anything else triggered the reaction, but found nothing. He slowly crept back into the jungle’s shadows, but stayed close enough to continue watching. It quickly became obvious that they weren’t paying any attention to him at all because they continued to stand deadly still.

  Finally, almost in unison, the giant lizards scattered in all directions. Macuya gasped as he watched another large lizard tear through the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. It roared loud enough to make his bones rattle. The sound was terrifying and the animal’s open mouth was full of jagged teeth. He cowered down low behind a fallen tree even though he knew the lizard wasn’t even aware of his presence. The only thing it had on its mind was devouring one of the many animals grazing in the clearing.

  Its two large muscular legs propelled it after the herd that was closest to it. It was the four-legged horned lizards, and most of them had a large enough head start that there was no chance of the monstrous lizard catching them. There were a few, however, that weren’t so fortunate. The massive lizard sunk its teeth into the hindquarters of one of the stragglers and it bellowed in pain. A couple of the horned lizards turned back and charged at their attacker. One of them punched its horns into the two-legger’s right thigh, and the lizard roared in what seemed to be mostly anger, not pain. The other one charged at its left side, but this time, the two-legger was ready. It dodged the attack and bit down hard on the horned lizard’s back. It bellowed louder than the other one had and fell over, motionless.

  The remaining horned lizard seemed to realize the odds were not in its favor. It quickly turned to run, but the two-legger bit into its tail, stopping it abruptly. The horned lizard scraped and clawed the ground, frantically trying to pull itself free of the two-legger’s death grip. The struggling finally paid off as the horned lizard jerked free, but a chunk of its tail was now missing. Blood poured from the gaping wound and the animal wailed as it rushed to catch up with the herd. Macuya looked on as the dust cloud from the one-sided fight began to settle and the large two-legged lizard feasted on its kills. The gruesome scene changed his thought process dramatically. Suddenly, the possibility of stumbling upon a hostile tribe didn’t frighten him much anymore.

  Nightfall was approaching quickly. Macuya saw a flash of lightning and he heard thundering in the distance. The heavy mist continued to hover around the island, but he sensed that a squall was approaching behind it. The variety of giant lizards that inhabited the island seemed to sense the squall also as evidenced by the moans, bellows, and roars that the animals made throughout the late afternoon. Macuya felt a hint of despair as he scrambled to find some sort of shelter for the night. He needed something that would keep him dry and, more importantly, protect him from the carnivorous lizards that were nearby.

  Chapter 2:

  Rain began to fall hard and lightning streaked the dark, misty sky. Macuya ran aimlessly during his desperate search for shelter. It wasn’t long before he was sopping wet, but he pressed on through the jungle and refused to stop until he found a suitable place. The wind howled and the island grew darker as the storm began to intensify. Now, it was pitch-black darkness, and the only light he received was a brief flash of lightning every few minutes. Macuya slowed down to a jog simply because he didn’t want to run into a tree or stumble on something and injure himself. He felt some of the dense vegetation slap across his face as he ran which in turn caused small cuts on his cheeks. The cuts burned, and he involuntarily rubbed his face in an attempt to ease the nagging pain. He removed his hands just as a bright flash of lightning lit up the landscape and revealed a steep ravine a few feet ahead of him. Macuya tried to stop abruptly but his foot caught a root and he tumbled forward. Water rushed down the slope and there was nothing for him to grab onto to stop himself. He tumbled and spun in all directions until he finally crashed into the muddy bottom. He quickly wiped the mud from his brow and looked up as another streak of lightning zigzagged across the black sky. Macuya jumped back when he noticed the large silhouette looming overhead. He shook his head and prayed that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Another flash of lightning confirmed that he wasn’t. The monstrous two-legged lizard he’d seen make short work of the horned dinosaurs now towered over him, and it unleashed its nightmarish roar. The sound made Macuya’s ears ring and he did the only thing he could do. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted past the massive lizard with all the speed he could muster. He heard its enormous feet slam against the muddy earth as it turned to pursue him. The tangled vines of the jungle seemed to be assisting the lizard as Macuya tore and ripped through the dense vegetation.

  The merciless sheets of stinging rain continued to pelt his face as he ran aimlessly away from the two-legger. The only thing fueling his body now was desperation. The two-legger’s feet pounded repeatedly into the mud, and Macuya could sense how close it was getting by the vibrations he felt. Another flash of lightning displayed a sizeable tree that was hollowed out at the base. Macuya locked his eyes onto the tree and darted straight into the hollowed-out trunk. He pressed his back against the inside and held his breath. The two-legger stopped suddenly as it realized its elusive prey had vanished. Macuya prayed to the gods that they would spare him once more. He listened intensely for any indication of where the two-legger was standing. He heard it sniff the air in an effort to pick up his scent. Suddenly, another small lizard squeaked and thrashed around in the brush nearby. The two-legger whipped its large head around and set its sights onto the small animal mere steps away from it. Macuya reluctantly and carefully peeked through a small hole in the tree trunk, watching as the two-legger acquired a newfound interest in the small lizard in the bushes. The small lizard finally caught sight of its massive cousin and it scurried away. The two-legger rushed after it, and finally, Macuya breathed a deep sigh of relief. He remained in the hollow trunk for a long while and inadvertently fell asleep.

  When he awoke hours later, the thunderstorm had finally passed and daylight was returning. He immediately noticed that the sky was still misty. The morning was just as overcast as it was the day before, and it was becoming apparent that it was always like this on the strange island. Unbearable thirst had found him again and locating water was the first priority of the day. Macuya decided that the second would be to return to the beach and get off the cursed island. There was no way he would be able to survive on an island like this one; he had to escape just as he had escaped the Spaniards days earlier. He poked his head outside the tree and looked around carefully in all directions. The jungle was extremely wet, but outside of a few birds fluttering in the trees, there was no sign of life. Macuya slowly stepped into the morning light, and when he was convinced no animals were around, he sprinted further into the jungle. The thirst he felt was almost as intense as it had been the day before. His body had quickly used up the water he drank to replenish the vast quantity he had lost. He began to notice rock formations, and before long, he was standing at the mouth of a large cave. Dark green vines dangled down across the entrance like a curtain. This would’ve been nice to have last night, he thought.

  Macuya pushed the vine curtain aside and entered into the cave. It seemed to be only one room, and the first thing he noticed was beams of light piercing through the stone ceiling. The light shone down onto a large pool of water in the rock floor. Water sprang out of the back wall and trickled down the rocky ledges thus creating a mini waterfall t
hat filled the large pool. The water was blue, yet it was crystal clear, and it had a distinct sweet smell to it. It was unlike any water that Macuya had ever seen before. His mouth moistened at the sight of it and his body begged him to take a drink. He knelt down, cupped his hands, and drank quickly before it ran through his fingers. As soon as the water touched his throat, Macuya felt a strange sensation surge throughout his body. It was similar to what he felt the day before when he drank from the stream, but this was different. A rejuvenating wave of energy flowed through his veins that made his muscles pulse and his body shake. The awkward feeling scared him at first, but there was no pain involved. Instead, it was extremely pleasant. He soon felt that he was ten—no fifteen years younger! He looked down into the pool of water, and as the ripples settled, he was amazed to find that he even looked fifteen years younger! A strange sound from the shadows of the cave walls startled him, and he whipped his head around to see what was there. He saw small figures moving toward him in the darkness. The figures stood almost chest high and he slowly began to back away. One stepped into a beam of light that illuminated a red-and-white feathery head.

  Macuya blinked in amazement at the sight of yet another strange animal on the island. This animal seemed like the lizards he’d seen before except portions of its body were lightly covered in feathers. The very large eyes were more forward facing on this animal and they were locked menacingly onto Macuya. Soon, he heard others approaching from other directions; the situation was quickly turning uncomfortable. The animals began making noises that closely resembled the bark of a dog. Macuya turned to run, but he was met by more of the strange feathery animals approaching from the entrance. The one immediately in front of him crouched down and positioned itself similar to the way a cat would when it was ready to pounce. Macuya stood still a moment and patiently watched to see what the animal would do next. It glared at him with its large yellow cat eyes and it barked at him again. He took a step back, and as he considered his next move, the animal suddenly sprung forward at him. Macuya’s combat experience and newfound youthfulness proved worthy as he quickly dropped to the ground, narrowly missing the attack. The other animals were taken aback by the intelligence of their prey and they seemed confused. Macuya took advantage of their bewildered states and sprinted past them all and out of the cave.