Danger: Dinosaurs!

Chapter 14 Kidnaped

“They’re gone,” Chuck said. He turned frantically to Dr. Perry. “They’re gone, sir.” His voice fell. “Gone.” Dr. Perry nodded solemnly. “I was afraid of something like this. That upheaval yesterday. It rearranged the topography. Heaven knows where those rocks are now.”

Chuck slumped dejectedly. “What now?” he said. His voice caught, and he felt dangerously close to frustrated tears.

Dr. Perry put his arm around Chuck’s shoulder. “We’ll find a way, Chuck.” He grinned amiably. “There’s always a way.”

Chuck shook his head. “I’m not so sure any more. One thing after another. Almost as if something bigger than we are is trying to keep us here, trying to see that we never get back to our own time.”

“There’s always a way.” Dr. Perry repeated. “Remember that, Chuck. You’re an awfully young man to be carrying such responsibility, but I’m sure the government’s faith in you is not misplaced. We’re still alive and healthy and...”

“Without food, without a map and with no idea of where the rendezvous site is,” Chuck added. “Maybe the government made a mistake.”

“I doubt it,” Dr. Perry said. “I understand they’re pretty careful about whom they choose for important positions.”

Chuck didn’t answer. He kept staring at the horizon line, wishing that the two rocks would suddenly, magically appear.

“Aren’t they?” Dr. Perry persisted. “Isn’t there a special course or something?”

“What?”

“Isn’t there a special...”

“Oh! Yes, yes, there is. Instead of high school. I mean, in addition to high school.” Chuck was suddenly confused in his own mind. And yet he had taken the course, hadn’t he? Why, yes, certainly. “It’s the last two years of high school,” he said. “The junior year is spent in studying the period, and the senior year consists of field trips as Junior Guides. The first three time slips are made under the supervision of a Certified Guide. After that, we’re on our own. Ten slips are all we need to become Certified Guides ourselves. But you see, Dr. Perry...”

“Yes?”

“There’s never any trouble. I mean, on my first four slips, all I had to do was put up the force field and then point out the various animals as they wandered around it. I don’t think the government even anticipates any trouble. Why should there be any? If everything goes all right, it’s as safe as a tour of Radio City.”

“Of course.”

“That’s why I’m confused. I feel as if I’m letting everyone down. I feel like... like a kid. A kid who’s lost his way home.”

Dr. Perry smiled comfortingly. “You are a kid, Chuck.” He paused and added, “But you’ll be a man when this is all over.”

“Sure, if it’s ever over. I keep thinking we’ll be stuck here forever.”

“Somehow, I don’t think so.”

“Well, what are we going to do? The rocks are gone.”

“What would you suggest?”

Chuck spread his hands helplessly. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. Before the upheaval, with the rocks out there...” He pointed to the distant horizon. “I thought it would be simple. Now, with the rocks gone, I just don’t know.”

“Where did you say the rocks were?”

Chuck pointed again. “Out there, I guess. But how can I tell now?”

“But you think they were out that way?”

“Yes, more or less.” Chuck shook his head, “Oh, heck, I just don’t know.”

“Which way would you lead the party if you had a choice.”

Chuck pointed in the same direction again. “That way.”

“Then suppose we take a chance.”

“What!”

“Suppose we follow your instinct and go that way.” Dr. Perry pointed, too.

“But I may be wrong. After all, we can’t be sure.”

“That’s the chance we’ll have to take.”

“I couldn’t ask you to. It may mean the difference between getting back and staying here forever.”

“We’ll never get back if we don’t try,” Dr. Perry said.

“Yes, but...”

“Suppose we put it to a vote.”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Come on,” Dr. Perry said. He took Chuck’s arm and led him back to the party. “Our guide has a problem,” he said. “His markers are gone, and he has no real way of knowing just where the rendezvous site is any more.”

“I figured as much,” Masterson said.

“He didn’t know from the start,” Gardel added.

“Be that as it may,” Dr. Perry said, running his fingers through his thick brown beard, “he thinks he may know where the rocks were.”

“Fat chance of that,” Gardel put in.

“Has he got a crystal ball?” Masterson asked sarcastically.

“Oh, pipe down,” Pete shouted.

A scowl crossed Masterson’s face, and he pressed his thick lips tightly together. Sitting near him, Dr. Dumar glanced up through his spectacles, his pale blue eyes shrewdly analyzing the bigger man.

“Yes.” he said at last. “I believe we should allow my colleague to finish speaking without any further interruptions.” He nodded his head in a final motion and then gestured for Dr. Perry to continue.

“The fact is, Chuck feels he shouldn’t take the chance without our consent. I suggested that we put it to a vote.”

Arthur slammed one big brown fist into the open palm of his other hand. “Good idea. Let’s do it and get started.”

A smile started at the corners of Dr. Perry’s eyes, worked its way down to a flashing grin that gleamed brightly in the depths of his beard. “Unfortunately, we do not seem to be equipped with either pencils or paper. I’m afraid we’ll have to make this an open vote.”

“Let us proceed,” Dr. Dumar said, eying Masterson closely. Masterson tweaked at his nose and then stared at the ground.

“I shall cast my ballot first,” Dr. Perry said. “I vote in favor of allowing Chuck to lead us wherever he feels the site may be.” Dr. Perry paused. “Now, then. Pierre?”

“Affirmative,” Dr. Dumar said.

“Ah, before we go any further,” Dr. Perry interrupted, “I think we shall have to abide by a majority vote. Are there any objections to that?” He took the silence for assent and asked, “Arthur?”

“Affirmative,” Arthur said. “I’d follow Chuck anywhere.”

Chuck smiled at Arthur, feeling a warm inner glow start around his ribs.

“Denise?”

“Affirmative.”

“Pete?”

“Affirmative.”

“Mr. Masterson?”

“Negative,” Masterson said emphatically.

“Gardel?”

“Negative!”

Dr. Perry raised his eyebrows, then ran the palm of his hand over his slightly curving nose. “Ah, do we need a count?”

Dr. Dumar grinned and got to his feet. “I think we should get started,” he said. “Chuck, will you lead the way?”

They began moving again.

It was harder now because there were no beacons in the distance to indicate the route. Chuck worked his way through the growth with weary persistence, relying on a sense of direction of which he was none too sure. After awhile he invented a marker on the distant horizon — a slightly rounded hill fuzzy with evergreens. He kept this in sight always, substituting it for the twin white rocks that had once stood out clearly against the sky.

The fuzzy hill became a symbol to him. It stood for home and safety and security.

If he was right.

If he was wrong, it was a meaningless symbol — a hill that was no different from any of the other hills in the Jurassic period. He fervently hoped he was not wrong. The matter went beyond his own personal desires now. He had been given a vote of confidence from the entire group. They had as much as said, “Here, Chuck, it’s yours. We’re depending on you to get us out of this. We have complete faith in you and we’ll abide by any decision you make.” He shook his head glumly as he made his way through the dense undergrowth. He would have liked to share their confidence in him, but he couldn’t help thinking that he would never successfully lead them to the rendezvous site. He had the ominous feeling that they would continue to wander hopelessly until the land or the beasts finally claimed the entire party as victims.

The thought was not a cheerful one.

And almost as if nature was doing its best to match the mood in which Chuck found himself, the day, which had dawned with a clear blue sky, suddenly turned gray and dreary. A bone-penetrating dampness settled over the land, spreading a white mist that enshrouded the plants.

Chuck led the way. His trousers were soaked to the waist. The leaves of the plants seemed to acquire a slippery resiliency when they were wet. They slapped at him with almost deliberate maliciousness. They clutched at him with thorny fingers. They tore at his clothes with spiny claws. They showered cold water down on him. They grew across the earth in long hidden trailers that tripped him.

He didn’t stop the party.

They kept moving, with Chuck always in the lead, his eyes on the fuzzy, distant hill that was fast being swallowed by the spreading mist.

Eventually he forgot where he was.

It was almost as if someone had reached down into his body and yanked him out. He felt as if he were standing to one side and stupidly watching a person he knew to be himself go through the motions of fighting the pugnacious terrain. The party stretched behind him like the twisting tail of a kite.

No one complained. Even Masterson was silent as they threaded their slow, torturous way across the face of the earth.

The mist grew thicker, swirling around them like a thin snowstorm now. They grasped hands, struggling forward purposefully. The mist was like a tangible thing, a solid barrier that blinded them and dampened them, penetrating to the marrow, chilling the soul.

At last, even the fuzzy, evergreen-covered hill in the distance was swallowed up.

There was nothing any more. Nothing but an endless cast-iron sky overhead and a shifting, swirling mist that covered them like a soggy blanket. They stumbled over rocks, picking their way over the treacherous ground, fearful lest they tumble into a deep crevice or over the side of a steep rock fault.

Chuck called a halt. He rested one foot on a rock, his arm lying across his knee. Tiredly, he began to speak.

“It’s no good,” he said. “Everything is against us.”

Dr. Perry nodded his head, and his fingers sought the brown beard. He played with the thick hair as he spoke. “What now, Chuck? Where do we go from here?”

Chuck sighed wearily. “I don’t know. As long as this fog surrounds us, we can’t go on. Unless I can spot the hill again.”

“What hill?” Arthur asked.

“Why, the...” Chuck passed a hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I...” He stopped and brought the hand over his face, almost as if he were washing some of the weariness away. “I’ve been using a hill on the horizon as a sort of substitute marker. Now, with this fog, I can’t see the hill any more.”

Dr. Dumar’s voice was gentle when he spoke, his eyes kind behind his spectacles. “What do you plan on doing, Chuck?”

“Well, I want to go ahead by myself.”

“What!” Masterson shouted. “You plan on leaving us here.”

“Only so that I can find higher ground,” Chuck said over Masterson’s voice. “If I can, I might be able to see that hill again. It’s just a chance.”

“I’ll go with you,” Arthur said.

“No. Ill go alone.”

“I’ll go with you,” Arthur repeated.

“I’d like to come, too,” Dr. Perry said.

“But, I...”

“What is it, Chuck?”

“I didn’t want to endanger anyone’s... I mean, I thought I should go alone.”

“We’re coming,” Arthur said firmly.

Chuck took quick stock of the situation. Perhaps it would be better if they came along. Three heads should certainly be better than one. “All right,” he said quickly. A new thought struck him. If Arthur and Dr. Perry came along, that would leave only Pete, Denise and Dr. Dumar to cope with Masterson and Gardel. Pete was a good man and strong — but Denise was a girl, and Dr. Dumar wasn’t exactly a weight lifter.

“I’d like you to come with us too, Gardel,” Chuck said suddenly.

Gardel pulled his black brows together into a scowl. “Why?”

“I like your company.”

“Don’t get smart with me, you little...”

Chuck allowed his hand to drop to the .45 at his waist. “I’d like you along, Gardel,” he almost whispered.

For an instant it seemed as if Gardel would jump Chuck. Anger flowed between them like live electricity. Then Masterson caught Gardel’s eye, and the thin, gaunt man seemed to swallow his anger in one big gulp.

“Sure,” he said. “Whatever you say.”

“Let’s go, then,” Arthur said.

Denise walked over to Chuck and looked up into his face. “Chuck, be careful.”

“I will,” he murmured.

Then they started off.

At the end of an hour Chuck was sorry he’d suggested the trip. They’d climbed every rock they came across, clawing at slippery jagged facings with desperate fingers. In each case the results were the same. The fog was too deep. They couldn’t see further than three feet from their noses.

At last Chuck gave up.

“Let’s get back,” he said. “The rest will be worried.”

“Not such a smart stunt, eh, Junior?” Gardel cracked.

“Listen...” Chuck started.

“You didn’t find your marker and you don’t know where the rendezvous site is, either. For a bright boy, you certainly messed things up.”

Arthur was beside Gardel instantly. “Shut your mouth,” he said.

Gardel turned to face Arthur. His mouth curled back in a sneer. “What?” he asked. “Are you talking to me?”

There was much of Masterson’s bluff manner in Gardel, Chuck noticed. He felt uneasy as Arthur moved closer to the man.

“Yes, I’m talking to you, Gardel. You know I’m talking to you.”

Gardel looked at the rifle slung on Arthur’s back. “Most men talk big when they’re carrying guns,” he said.

Without hesitation, Arthur unslung the rifle and handed it to Dr. Perry. Gardel grinned a superior grin.

“That’s much better,” he said.

Arthur didn’t wait for more. His big, brown fist lashed out in fury, catching Gardel on the side of his jaw. Gardel reeled backward, struggling for balance, and then pulled himself erect. He charged forward, his hands reaching for Arthur’s throat.

Arthur hit him twice. A short, solid jab to Gardel’s stomach that bent him over double, and then a solid uppercut to the jaw that brought him erect again. Gardel stared at Arthur blankly, and that was when Arthur released the final explosive punch. It caught Gardel on the point of his jaw again. This time he threw his arms back like a bird preparing to fly. He went all the way back, though, hitting the ground with a solid thwack that told Chuck just how unconscious he was.

Arthur stood over the man, breathing heavily. “I’m sorry, Chuck. I shouldn’t have.”

“He deserved it,” Chuck answered. He sighed heavily. “I think we’d better get back now.”

Arthur reached down and, with one fluid motion, threw Gardel over his shoulder. Together, they started the long trek back to where they’d left the party.

“You’ve got a nice left,” Dr. Perry said.

“Why, thanks,” Arthur replied.

Dr. Perry began to chuckle. “As a matter of fact, my friend, your right isn’t bad, either. Not bad at all.”

Arthur laughed, too, and Chuck found a smile forming on his own face — though he certainly couldn’t understand how anything could seem funny in their present predicament.

When they were almost back to where they’d left the party, Gardel regained consciousness. Arthur put him on his feet instantly, and the remainder of the trip was made in silence, with Gardel grumblingly walking a few paces ahead of the other three.

“We should be there soon,” Chuck said, at last.

“I don’t see anybody,” Arthur said.

“This fog,” Dr. Perry complained. “We could trip over them before we’d be able to see them.”

And that was almost what happened.

They found Pete sprawled over the ground like a crooked stick. He was unconscious, and his rifle was gone.

There was no sign of the rest of the party.