Black Creek Read online

  The many types of lizards he had known before returned and then evolved, some growing longer and wider and developing spikes or spiny sails along their backs. These were timid, and would scurry away into the tall grass whenever James came near. Others grew taller, lean and fast, and even more deadly for their thick claws. These ones James would hardly ever see, and he dreaded those times when he did. And some just grew tall, massive beyond his comprehension.

  These were dangerous times for James. As earth's fauna thrived so did its flora, thick rain forests stretching across the ever-changing landscape. In these days he traveled mostly in the early morning, when the rising sun could light his way, but while the most dangerous creatures still slept.

  Most times, he went about with several spears slung across his back in a harness fashioned from wrapped vines. The weapons had been honed over time as well. The tips he chiseled from stone, and these were strapped with thin vines to the end of sleek, carefully trimmed wooden rods.

  One morning, James ran through the undergrowth, his feet light and quiet as he ran, as he had practiced for so long. The rising sun had just begun to peek through the thick forest canopy, its rays shining down in yellow columns from above.

  As he ran, James heard a chirp from the trees nearby, soon followed by another, deeper chirp. He quickly slid to ground, coming to a stop behind a tree trunk. James listened carefully to the forest around him, filtering out the rustle of leaves in the wind, the buzz of insects all around.

  There it was, a soft crunching of leaves nearby.

  No sooner had he turned to face it than he was bowled over, the heavy weight of a six foot long scaled beast pinning him down and its narrow jaws snapping at him with rows of sharp teeth. James stretched and tried to pull away, unable to get out from underneath it. The creature reared back and bit, tearing a chunk of flesh from his shoulder and causing him to howl in pain.

  James struggled and managed to slip one of his hands free, wriggling to get it underneath the thing's jaw. With a grunt, he blasted the creature with a burst of flame, which sent it tumbling off of him with a high-pitched cry. James rolled to regain his feet, blood dripping down his chest.

  The animal was chirping and trying to get back up, but James roasted it with flame from both hands as he screamed. His attacker's cries grew louder, and then finally fell silent before James stopped, the beast left blackened and motionless on the ground.

  He stumbled away, piercing pain in his chest, and now in his abdomen as he noticed a new wound there. A segment of his bowel peeked curiously out through his flesh. He held his hands to the wound and walked, as he felt the skin begin to knit itself together once again. It was, as always, a painful process. The roar of voices in the back of his head was ever-present, only growing louder when his body was stressed, but still he suppressed the noise.

  The jungle around him suddenly fell away, and he found himself on the edge of a cliff. The ground below was at least a hundred feet down a sheer rock face. Behind, the thick forest was like a solid wall.

  James slid to the ground alongside a mossy rock and rested his head back, sighing loudly. He felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath him, but it lulled him to sleep.

  He awoke a short time later to a louder, heavier boom. The tremors had grown steadily closer as he slept. He sat upright with a start, looking around for the source of the disturbance. Seeing none, he leaned back against the rock again. His shoulder and abdomen had healed over, he noticed upon looking down at his own naked form.

  Another boom and shake now, followed by a bellowing, moaning call coming from below. James stood up, and then he saw. Three truly massive sauropods roamed beneath the cliff, emerging from his right and then passing out into the vast plain before him. Their heads rose at least fifty feet off the ground, bobbing and swaying gently atop their spindly necks as they went. Each slow footfall was like an earthquake.

  James watched them as they passed by, marveling at the beauty of the scene as they faded into the distance, the sun rising above the mountains and casting the valley in an orange glow. As the giants passed over the horizon, he fell back to sleep.

  Over time, life only became more dangerous for James. Though many peaceful, grazing animals roamed the earth, the predators grew even larger and more deadly. The stalking raptors which hid in the brush learned to hunt in packs. The larger, lumbering carnivores which James had once easily outrun grew faster and even bigger still. So James spent much of his time hidden, living in one cave or another until he felt the need to move on. When he traveled, he did so under cover of darkness whenever he could, though this held its own unique dangers. Sometimes he still ventured too far from his shelter, and he would pay the price for it.

  On one particular day, James sat on the bank of a forest stream, spear in hand, waiting to catch a fish. He had ventured out in the early morning but, having no luck, found himself still out in the open as the sun reached its zenith overhead. Suddenly he perked up, distracted from his concentration on the movement in the water, as his body sensed a trembling in the earth. This pattern of heavy footfalls was unfortunately one he recognized all too well. James quickly took to his feet and sprinted in the direction of his cave.

  The beast was soon close on his trail, seismic running footsteps making his legs shudder as he ran, and the sound of splintering, crashing trees could be heard close behind. He darted between the trees, knowing from past experience that his only chance of outrunning the thing was in quick changes in direction. In a straight run it would overtake him in seconds.

  The tyrannosaur's roar rent the air, echoing through the trees and causing his ears to ache. He kept running, spinning around a tree and heading off in another direction. His pursuer was no more than ten feet behind him. Ahead, the ground fell away in a cliff, a shallow stream cascading off its edge. Simply hoping, sight unseen, for a deep pool to land in, James leapt away from the cliff in a sprint.

  No sooner had he left the ground than his arm was caught, jerking him backward. His shoulder was pinned between the beast's sharp, jagged teeth and he got a quick glimpse of its face before it began to shake him to and fro, his body flopping limply over its snout. He was overwhelmed with a terrible pain as his arm was wrenched free from his body, and James found himself in the air again, spinning end over end off the edge of the cliff and falling. He hit the rock ground below with a crack and a squish, falling immediately unconscious.

  James awoke a short time later, his body contorted and still bleeding, on the edge of a shallow pond. His first thought was that the water wouldn’t have broken his fall even if he had landed in it. His second thought was agony, as his limbs all screamed for his attention. Aside from the left arm, which was missing from the shoulder, each was broken and twisted, bones jutting through his skin.

  He lifted his right arm, slapping his wrist against a rock until the bone slipped back into place. With each strike he gritted his teeth, but couldn’t help yelping from the pain anyway. As this extremity began to heal, he used it to set the bones of his legs. As he lay on the forest floor, breathing heavily, his left arm began slowly to regenerate. Bone, muscle, nerve, and skin grew as one down the length of it. He had no idea how long the process took. After a while, James rose and wandered off to find new shelter. His body was healed as good as new, but his mind was in a rage. Overhead, thunder rolled and rain began to fall.

  James resolved not to hide anymore. After he slept that night, he began to stalk the creature which had defeated him. It was easily found, as these animals were territorial and usually did not stray far. Moving quietly and often between the high branches of trees, he was able to follow it mostly unseen. The tyrannosaurus scavenged alone for carrion most of the time, though it never shied away from a fight. It slept intermittently during the day and hunted in the early morning and evening. While it slept, James trained. He practiced with his wooden spears and hunted the smaller predators in the forest.

  Many days he would crawl back to his cave bleeding and beaten, to
fall quickly into a heavy sleep. And every morning he would rise, his strength renewed and resolved to try again. Despite his failures, with every passing day he grew more skilled.

  He found the beast one day in a grassy clearing, feasting on the carcass of its last prey. It seemed to hear his approach, stirring and turning away from its meal. James stood firm, facing down the creature many times his own size. He carried one spear in his hand, another slung across his back. The tyrannosaurus bobbed its head, sniffing the air and letting out a low, rumbling growl. It took a tentative step forward, seemingly watching his reaction. James waited, spear pointed forward, its blunt end braced against the ground.

  The beast charged forward, letting out a roar. When it came near, James rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding those massive snapping jaws and swinging the point of the spear out in a wide arc as he rolled. Its sharpened tip tore through the tyrannosaur's foreleg, a thick gout of blood spurting out onto the grass. The wound seemingly went unnoticed, and his opponent slowly turned its awkward, bulky body around to face him again.

  This time he moved as soon as it began its charge, running straight toward it before dropping to his knees and sliding beneath its torso as it overtook him. He jabbed out with the spear at its other foreleg, the point catching flesh, but the weapon was quickly wrested away from his grasp. As he slid, he raised his other hand upward and summoned a funnel of flame which burned the beast’s underbelly. This brought a great, pained cry from the dinosaur, though it still turned to face him once again, shaking its enormous frame as if to shrug off its wounds. James finished his slide and quickly took back to his feet, retrieving his other spear from its harness. The first still hung, broken, from one of the creature's legs.

  It was moving slower now, so James took the offensive. He ran straight ahead, then peeled off in a curve just outside of its biting range. The beast shuffled in place trying to keep him in sight, but he could easily outpace it. As he ran, he summoned a beam of frost which crackled and splintered about the tyrannosaur's legs. James leapt aside now, as it stamped in frustration, breaking free from its icy shell.

  The monster's eyes were intent on James, but it wavered slightly as it began its final charge. James took two steps and grunted, leaping high into the air, up above its head. With both hands, he braced his spear and plunged it deep into the eye of the beast. James hit the ground hard as the tyrannosaurus wailed and roared, then fell to the ground and was silent. James wrenched the spear free and held it above his head, hooting and bellowing in triumph.

  He went about the land more freely after that, but he would never seek out a fight when he did not have to. And as it seemed always to be, the earth was steeling itself for another change.

  It came unannounced on one cool morning. James rose and left his cave, squinting his eyes against the early sun and leaning on his spear. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he stood agape at what he saw in the distant sky.

  A massive, flaming, brown and yellow object was plummeting toward the earth. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, and all he could do was watch its slow descent. Slowly, but surely, it neared the horizon until slammed into the ground, and then the earth shuddered with a quake stronger than anything he'd ever felt. He was knocked to the ground, and behind he heard crashing and rumbling as the cave collapsed on itself. The earth continued to tremble as he stood back up. The sky quickly turned black from dust, and he choked with every breath.

  Not knowing what else to do, he walked. As he did, the life around him died. The sun, moon, and stars were obscured by the black canopy in the sky. Trees shriveled and turned brown. All the creatures of the land suffocated and died, or withered away to nothing as their food went to rot. And soon, as he had been before, James was alone. It seemed he was destined to forever roam this lonely plane, an endless struggle without the relief of death.

  He wandered on, longing for rest. James eyed the end of his spear, something in his mind telling him to plunge it through his chest though he knew his body, ever determined to keep him alive, would quickly repair itself. He chucked the weapon down and screamed at nothing, screamed until his lungs were empty and he fell to the ground gasping for air. He wanted there to be someone else like him, someone who shared his joys and his pains. It was nothing he had truly ever considered before but, having now thought it, it became all he really desired.

  It would be a very long time before James would get his wish, but life did return to the world once again. Slowly, the sky cleared and the sun returned. The rivers eventually ran clear and he could quench his thirst without becoming sick. The life that thrived now was different, and these were more peaceful times. Small, furry creatures appeared on land, and birds took to the sky. James became happier with the return of life to his world, but his wish never left his mind as he went about life as he always had.

  Many, many years had passed since that terrible day, and today James ran across a flat grassland. He still carried his two spears, which had been further refined and strengthened over the years. About his shoulders was draped a garment of fur, a new discovery recently afforded him, which protected his skin from the burning sun as well as from attack. The latter was rarely needed in these days, as James had become skilled at calming all but the most aggressive of animals without the need for a fight.

  James met up with a babbling stream and he stopped, pulling water to his mouth with a cupped hand. In the stream he observed his own reflection, his knotted beard grown long. On occasion he would shear it away with a sharpened rock, but he had not done so in a while. He wet his hair and pulled free some of the tangles which tugged at his chin.

  Satisfied, James resumed his run. He followed the river along its course, and it led him into a thin forest. He ran along the rocks in the river, enjoying the cool water on his feet. Eventually, the stream came to its end in a small pond, where a few deer were startled away by his arrival. He watched them go, catching his breath.

  After a moment's rest, James jogged deeper into the forest. The snap of a branch and a grunt caught his ear, and he stopped. Another snap, from just off to his right. James picked his way quietly through the brush in the direction of the sounds.

  There, in a grassy clearing, was a woman. He stared at her in disbelief, and she at him as he emerged from the trees. She was alone, and she wore fur about her hips and carried a stack of branches in her arms. Her chest was bare, and his eyes were drawn to the swell and curve of her breasts.

  The sight of her aroused something powerful within him, something he didn’t know how to resist. There was an unpleasant pressure in his groin. James stepped toward her, and although she looked uncertain, she didn’t run. He grabbed her and fell to the ground atop her, the branches snapping between them. She cried out and tried to push him away, but he persisted. Despite her struggle, he was stronger.

  His release came within seconds, and he felt his mind begin to clear. The woman was crying, no longer fighting against him. He stood up and backed away, feeling a terrible regret as he stared at her lying on the grass. James turned and ran. As he went, he heard the shouts of men behind him, which quickly faded.

  He ran and ran until night fell, and then he collapsed into a nightmare-plagued sleep.

  Skye

  "Shall we proceed?"

  Skye took little notice of the man who stood next to her; he was a thin, wiry creature who wore the crimson rags typical of his order. The two of them, and several more Rags beside, were huddled on a hillside along with her. Skye raised the binoculars to her eyes, her iron chains jangling slightly.

  Her target wasn’t far ahead, just down the road. What had clearly once been an average suburban shopping center had been transformed into a budding colony. Clothing stores and restaurants were now makeshift homes. In what had been the parking lot, asphalt was torn up in places and the soil seeded for small patches of crops. The edges of the square were fenced in with chain link and boards. A weak metal gate, the only entrance or exit, was secured with a mere padlock and cha
in.

  One guard stood watch in a rickety wooden tower behind the fence. If he were any good, he would have already spotted her.

  Easy.

  "Go," she said to no-one in particular, and one of the men behind her scurried down the hill, waving his hands overhead. At the bottom of the slope a large black van rumbled to life. Its driver stuck a manacled arm out the window, craning his neck around as he reversed the vehicle onto the road. With a steadily-increasing roar, the diesel engine reversed toward the gate.

  Skye slapped the binoculars against the chest of the Rag to her left and made off down the hill, watching as the scene played out ahead.

  As the van tore down the road, the lone guard finally took notice. He appeared to be raising the alarm, others within the compound now scrambling about, but far too late to make any difference. The van hit the gate with a crash and sent it skittering across the pavement, taking the legs out from under the guard, who hit the ground in a heap. The driver threw the van into drive and pulled forward, positioning the vehicle to block off the entrance.