Terror In The Mist (The Island In The Mist Book 3) Read online

  “I will ask him,” Cold grumbled. “I thought I made it very clear that these animals are huge assets that needed to be protected. I understand the need for some of the firepower but grenades seem to be a little excessive.”

  “It doesn’t matter right now,” Jonathon said, sounding agitated. “What matters is that we need to get moving before the Troodons come back.” He pulled the door closed and then began to turn the deadbolt back into the locked position.

  It wouldn’t turn.

  “What’s the problem?” Cold asked, noticing him struggle.

  “I can’t get it to lock back,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Move and let me try,” Victor said, reaching for the lock. The big man twisted with all his might but the lock would not turn. “The moisture down here has done a number on it,” he grumbled. “It’s rusty and I think when you opened it, something may have broken loose inside.”

  “Well, that’s just great,” Harley said. “What’s going to keep the Troodons from chasing after us now?”

  Victor rested his back against the closed door and took a moment to light a cigar. “I’ll watch your six,” he said. “Get moving.”

  Jonathon looked at Harley and could see the concern on her face. “He’s right…we’ve got to get moving.” He began pushing the cart.

  “You’re gonna have to get up and walk,” Cold answered, pulling Matt to his feet. “No one here is carrying you any further.”

  Matt looked at Victor as if he was expecting him to offer to carry him again. “I’m holding this door until you all get a good head start,” he said. “Get moving…I’ll be right behind you.”

  Matt took a deep breath and began to walk. He grimaced as he put weight on his injured leg but moved as quickly as he could manage. Jonathon and Harley led the way with Jonathon pushing the cart, and Harley holding the flashlight. The tunnel sloped downward and made pushing the cart effortless, but Jonathon knew once they passed the halfway point, the incline would begin the other direction and it would get significantly harder. Mr. Cold was right on their heels. He occasionally looked over his shoulder to check on Matt’s progress and found that the injured man was falling further and further behind.

  “Matt isn’t keeping up,” he said aloud.

  “Victor will carry him again if need be,” Harley said. “We’ve got to hurry.”

  Victor had held the door as long as he could stand it. He hadn’t heard any sound at all on the other side of it and decided that the Troodons had most likely retreated. He started to walk away, but then paused. Curiosity of where the dinosaurs were was killing him. Against his better judgement, he slowly cracked the door open and peeked out into the hallway. What he saw made his heart skip a beat and his cigar dropped out of his mouth. What had once been only two Troodons had suddenly swelled into what he guessed was about ten or twelve now.

  Did they go and get reinforcements?

  Victor slowly pulled the door closed again and decided his best course of action now was to run. If they tried to push the door open, there was nothing he would be able to do to stop them from coming in now. He picked up speed as he ran down the incline and in no time at all, he’d caught up to Matt.

  “Oh, for crying out loud,” he grumbled. He stopped and again threw the injured man over his shoulder. “If we make it out of this, you owe me a box of Cuban cigars,” he said.

  “That’s a deal,” Matt said, relieved to be getting help.

  Victor was practically running in darkness, but he could just make out a bit of light ahead originating from Harley’s flashlight. The slope under his feet began to end and as the concrete walkway flattened out under his feet, he estimated they were roughly halfway through the tunnel. Unfortunately, as Harley and the others began to make their way up the incline, they disappeared from sight and for the first time, he and Matt were completely enveloped in total darkness.

  Suddenly, without any warning, the ground began to rumble under his feet.

  “Oh no,” he said, panting.

  “Oh no what?” Matt asked, concerned.

  Before Victor had a chance to reply, the rumbling intensified into another strong earthquake. The ground shook so violently that he fell to the ground, and Matt tumbled down beside him. As Victor tried to get back on his feet, he heard a loud crashing sound ahead of him. It sounded as if the ceiling of the tunnel had collapsed. He fumbled around for the button that would turn on the flashlight mounted to his rifle. When he found it, his worst fear was confirmed. The tunnel ahead of them had indeed collapsed and they could go no further.

  “This can’t be happening,” Matt said in disbelief. “I can’t believe this!”

  Victor wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned over, resting his hands on his knees as he panted. “Well believe it,” he said softly. “We’re trapped.”

  “No,” Matt argued, and he struggled to get on his feet. “We’ll just have to fight those Troodons and get back into the building…we’ll find another place to hide.”

  “As much as I admire your fight, we’re not going to be able to do that,” Victor said, still panting.

  Matt clenched his jaw and limped over to him. “What are you talking about?” he asked, sounding somewhat angry. “There are only two of them!”

  Victor chuckled as he remembered that Matt hadn’t seen what he’d seen in the hallway. “I’m afraid it’s a little worse than that,” he said.

  Matt stared at him, confused. “So, we’re just going to wait here and hope they don’t come into the tunnel?”

  As if on cue, the sound of Troodons barking echoed loudly through the tunnel behind them.

  “I guess that’s not an option either,” Victor said, sounding defeated. He then allowed his back to rest on the wall and then he slowly slid to the floor.

  “What are you doing?” Matt asked, staring down at him in disbelief. “Get up…we have to fight!”

  “I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to do that,” Victor replied. “There are probably twelve of those things coming for us and I don’t have enough ammunition to stop that many before they overtake us.”

  Matt hobbled closer to him and then dropped down beside him. “So, you’re just going to sit here and let them kill us?”

  The Troodons were getting louder which meant they were getting closer.

  “I didn’t say that,” he said, sounding very calm. He then reached into his pocket. “I’ve got two left,” he said, holding up two cigars.

  Matt suddenly understood what was happening. Victor saw no other way out. They were going to die right where they were, but it was going to be on their terms. As his eyes began to well up, he reached for a cigar. Victor then pulled the Zippo from his pocket and lit both of them up.

  “You’re alright, Doc,” he said as he returned the Zippo to his pocket. “If it was gonna go down like this, I’m glad it’s going down like this with you.” He then laid the two grenades he’d gotten from the cart in front of them.

  “Will this hurt?” Matt asked, tears now streaming down his face. “I don’t want it to hurt.”

  Victor took a long pull from the cigar and shook his head. “Nah…it’s not gonna hurt.”

  The Troodon barks grew louder and he estimated they were only another minute away now.

  “Quick, get on the other side of me,” Victor urged, and he helped Matt move around him. He then reached down and picked up the grenades. “They’ll jump on me first and as soon as they do, it’ll all be over,” he said as he pulled the pins from both grenades.

  Matt watched with horror as Victor slowly turned the light on his rifle toward the oncoming horde of Troodons. Victor released both grenades just as they pounced on him. He was right…Matt never felt a thing.

  Chapter 25

  It took both Jonathon and Mr. Cold to pull Harley out of the tunnel. She was just as strong as she looked and Jonathon did not think he’d have been able to get her out on his own. As soon as the earthquake began, he feared the worst for Victor and Matt.
The loud crashing that soon followed just confirmed it.

  Harley was not as willing to give up as he had been. She immediately began running back toward the middle of the tunnel, even as it continued to collapse. Jonathon had to sprint after her and tackle her to the ground to stop her. He was afraid that if he didn’t, she too would become entombed and die there.

  “There is nothing we can do,” he said, doing his best to calm her.

  “How can you say that?” she screamed, still trying to pull herself free. “We won’t know if we don’t go and check!”

  “He’s right, Harley,” Mr. Cold said. “There is nothing we can do for them now.”

  Harley looked at both of them coldly. “If you don’t let me go, I swear to God I’ll kill both of you,” she hissed. “I mean it.” And at that moment, she began to struggle for her gun.

  “Let her go!” Cold shouted, and he released her.

  Jonathon wasn’t so willing. “Harley, please!”

  But it was too late, she wrenched herself free and began running back into the tunnel. She’d probably taken ten steps when suddenly an explosion erupted from somewhere beyond the rubble. The blast was strong enough that she lost her footing and fell to the ground. She stayed there, on her hands and knees, her head down.

  Jonathon ran up behind her and as he reached her he realized she was sobbing. Not knowing what to say, he knelt and put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on,” he said softly. “We can’t stay here…it’s not safe.” He looked up at the tunnel ceiling. “This thing could collapse the rest of the way at any moment.”

  For a moment, he didn’t think she was going to get up and he contemplated attempting to drag her out yet again. But fortunately, much to his relief, she finally wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and she stood.

  “Let’s go get Dr. Nelson and get out of here,” she said in a tone just above a whisper.

  Jonathon grabbed her arm and steered her back toward the bunker. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” he said. “You head on back, and I’ll push the cart out.”

  Once back in the bunker, Jonathon began rummaging through the cases of weapons. “What all do we have here?” he asked, glancing at Hardcastle.

  “Do you see any of the cases labelled sonic cannon?” Hardcastle asked, peering over his shoulder.

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” Jonathon replied, pulling one of the two large cases on the bottom of the cart free. “What is it?”

  “That is a powerful weapon that hasn’t been fully tested,” Mr. Cold said.

  “Actually, it has,” Hardcastle rebutted. “I had to use it on the Spinosaurus during the hurricane…it worked beautifully.”

  “What does it do?” Jonathon asked as he opened the case. The weapon inside was long and shaped similar to a bazooka, but the end of it had a large bell with a speaker of some sort embedded inside it.

  “It can transmit a sound as high as 200 decibels…enough to kill you,” Cold said. He then turned to Hardcastle. “How did the Spinosaurus react?”

  Hardcastle shrugged. “Well, before I answer, keep in mind that the Spinosaurus is the largest animal on the island,” he began. “But to be honest, it seemed to piss it off more than anything else.”

  Cold frowned. It wasn’t the answer he was hoping to hear.

  “But,” Hardcastle continued. “For a dinosaur as small as Troodons or raptors, it’ll do the job easily.”

  “Great, then you should take it,” Jonathon said.

  Hardcastle was surprised. “Me? I don’t think so…you guys will need it more than me,” he said.

  “But you’ve used it before, and you’re alone,” Jonathon replied.

  Hardcastle stared at him a moment and then laughed. “But you’re forgetting that I’ve got one arm now,” he said. “To use that properly you need two.”

  Jonathon felt his face flush red from embarrassment. The weapon was quite large and would be very difficult for Hardcastle to use. “Well, what do you want to take?” he asked. “You get first pick.”

  “Give me a good handgun and I’ll be alright,” Hardcastle replied. “I don’t intend on fighting any dinosaurs at all. I’ll stick to the shadows and get to the beach as soon as I can.”

  Jonathon loaded a gun for him and then handed it over. He then looked at Mr. Cold. “Better give him your radio,” he said. “We’ll need to stay in contact.”

  Cold nodded and then clipped his radio to Hardcastle’s belt. “It’s on, but the volume is turned down very low,” he said.

  Hardcastle nodded. “Do me one more favor,” he said, turning back to Jonathon. “What’s left of this arm is useless…I want it taped against my side.”

  “Are sure?” Jonathon asked, surprised by the request.

  Hardcastle nodded. “It already hurts like hell and I’m still having to remind myself that I don’t have the hand to use. Trust me…I need it taped up so I won’t be tempted to use that arm.”

  Harley had been listening to the conversation and without saying a word, walked to him and began fulfilling his request. Hardcastle looked over at her; he could see the mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry for what you’ve had to go through,” he said softly as she worked. “This island has a way of driving you mad.”

  Harley glanced at him and smiled. “Yeah, hopefully it’ll all be gone in a few hours.”

  Hardcastle glanced over at Cold. “What is this I’m hearing about the island being destroyed?”

  Mr. Cold sighed, remembering that Hardcastle had been unconscious when they’d all discussed it the night before. He went on to quickly relay what he’d learned from the geologists that had been studying the island. As Harley finished the taping job, he said, “It sounds like an underground volcano is going to push through the surface.”

  Jonathon and Harley looked at each other and then to Cold.

  “Is that a possibility?” Jonathon asked.

  Before he could answer, Hardcastle spoke again.

  “I think it was February 1943 when a family in Mexico noticed a little patch of land on their farm suddenly swell upward and a tiny fissure formed. They noticed smoke coming from the fissure and a short time later a crater developed. Twenty-four hours after that, a 170-foot cone had formed and flames began to erupt from it during the night. In a matter of days, the valley surrounding it became covered in ash,” he said. “Basically, a volcano formed on a family’s farm in one day.”

  Jonathon’s eyes narrowed as he tried to imagine what Hardcastle was describing. He again looked to Mr. Cold. “Is this what’s happening here?” he asked.

  Cold breathed deeply through his nose. “I don’t know,” he said, sounding somewhat annoyed. “Maybe…probably.”

  “The earthquakes have been going on for days now,” Hardcastle said. “It’s just a matter of time.”

  “Then we need to stop talking,” Harley said, agitated. “Time is running out. We need to go now.”

  Hardcastle nodded. “She’s right. I’ll meet you all at the beach—and Charlie better be with you.”

  “She will be,” Jonathon replied, sounding determined.

  Hardcastle headed for the door, with the gun in his hand. As he walked by Jonathon, he paused, leaned over, and whispered in his ear. “That other large case has a flamethrower,” he said. “If I were you, I’d take that. All animals fear fire.”

  Jonathon smiled and nodded. “Get to the beach,” he said, patting him on the back.

  Hardcastle clutched the handgun tightly in his remaining hand and left the bunker without another word.

  Jonathon immediately followed his suggestion and retrieved the flamethrower. Mr. Cold and Harley looked on in amazement as he placed the tank onto his back.

  “Don’t look at me like that, I don’t even know how to use it,” he admitted sheepishly.

  Harley smiled and walked over to him. “Well, it’s a good thing that I do,” she said. She then spent the next several minutes giving him a crash course on how to u
se the weapon.

  “Harley, why don’t you take the sonic cannon?” he suggested after she’d finished. “Cold, take the rifle and bring extra ammunition. I think we’ve got what we need.”

  “Let’s do this,” Harley said, and she led them out of the bunker.

  “Remember that we may encounter dinosaurs between here and the cave,” Jonathon reminded her. “Be alert and if either of you hears anything, speak up before it’s too late.”

  They nodded in agreement and began the trek toward the cave. There were still reminders everywhere they looked that only days ago Hurricane Simon had torn across the landscape. Trees were bent over and uprooted in a fashion that reminded Jonathon that although the dinosaurs on the island were massive and terrifying, Mother Nature was capable of wiping them all out whenever she saw fit. And it seemed she was going to do just that but instead of a storm, a volcano would be her weapon of choice. As they walked across the beautiful prehistoric landscape, Jonathon felt a sadness come over him as he realized it would soon all be over. Ever since he’d discovered the island, he’d felt a great need—no responsibility, to take care of it and keep it hidden from the outside world. It had become painfully obvious that he’d failed miserably at the task, but now it seemed it would’ve all been for naught anyway.

  Mr. Cold had taken the lead and seemed to be using a handheld GPS to chart their course to the cave. Jonathon said nothing, but he occasionally glanced over at Harley to see how she was doing. She’d been very quiet since they’d lost Matt and Victor. It seemed to have had a much greater impact on her than the loss of Hank or Cliff. He wasn’t sure why that was, but guessed it had something to do with the fact they’d just become reunited, and once they were reunited, he figured she felt more responsible for their safety. He wanted to talk to her, to remind her that it wasn’t her fault. But he was unable to muster the courage to do so.

  “How much further?” he asked as he glanced down at his watch. The ship would be arriving in another two hours.