Chapter 15: Air support

  The handle turned again. Little Bear kept the shotgun centered on the door, his shoulder welded to the stock, finger on the trigger.

  JJ held his breath. “Steady. Remember, as soon as the Jayhawk arrives, we’re out that door.” JJ said, low and even.

  Maria’s flashlight beam trembled on the floor. Emilia shifted the axe in her hands to get a better grip on the warped shaft.

  Loni slid closer to the girls, pistol pointed at the door. “Stick close to me,” she told them. “We need you two to be brave just a little longer.”

  Maria hesitated, then nodded, taking a step behind Loni. Emilia followed, axe held in front of her.

  JJ gave her a reassuring smile and aimed his rifle at the door, watching the handle turn. The creature on the other side trying and failing to turn it.

  The handle stopped moving. Silence reigned for half a second. Then, click, click, click.

  That damn sound again from somewhere further out in the yard.

  Little Bear’s voice came through his teeth. “Why aren’t they killing each other?”

  Hector, at the window, shifted his rifle a fraction and peeked through the blinds again. “The big fucker is there, he’s stalking along the foliage,” he murmured. “I think the smaller ones are leading it away from us.”

  JJ kept his eyes on the door. “What?”

  A wet exhale sounded outside the door. The big one was back. The handle moved again, slower, more deliberate, then the latch clicked.

  JJ’s shoulders tightened. “Fuck.”

  The door opened a finger’s width. A large, curved claw slid into the gap.

  They waited. Four muzzles pointed at the door, waiting for a clear shot. They had limited ammo, and the Jayhawk wasn’t here yet.

  The claw slowly withdrew, and the door opened another inch.

  A long, broad snout pressed into the crack, nostrils flaring. The sound of its breathing was wet and loud in the small space.

  JJ caught the flash of an eye, a slitted pupil with a yellow iris.

  “Dios nos salve.” Hector breathed.

  The snout pulled back for a moment, then the door jerked forward. The latch popped free, and the door swung wide. JJ finally got a good look at what had been hunting the girls and following them. Its hide looked lit from within: a burnished rust-orange, bruised and banded with shadowy stripes that rippled over muscle.

  Its belly and throat were a cold gray-blue. The head was long and narrow; its teeth, small and sharp, showed in a neat grin. Two bright yellow eyes locked JJ with a predator's focus.

  The torso rode low and heavy, filling the doorway. Its legs were built for sprinting, with a long tail for counterbalance. Its forearms were small compared to the rest of it until he noticed the hands: three hooked claws, curved at the end of long, leathery fingers.

  “Fire!” JJ snapped.

  Little Bear fired. The blast echoed in the small room. Dust jumped off the cabinets. The dinosaur’s head snapped up, crashing into the ceiling, cracking the concrete. Its left eye was bleeding profusely. An alien shriek of pain and rage erupted form it’s maw before its head vanished from the door so fast it was practically a blur.

  JJ stepped up next to Little Bear, rifle up, muzzle trained on the opening.

  A second shape hit the doorway fast and low. JJ fired a short burst.

  The rounds hit the shape, showering the door frame in blood and feathers. The second Dinosaur lay twitching on the floor. Although now that he got a better look at it, the creature looked like something between a reptile and a bird. Its body was a dense midnight pelt of feathers, the surface textured like wind-ruffled fur, and along its shoulders the dark mass thickened into a shaggy mantle that made its neck look stout and powerful.

  The head was blunt and confident, a small, hooked snout. One bright eye, a deep blue bead, stared dully at the ceiling. Its legs were lean and tawny as dried grass, two sycle claws on each foot, and a long tail trailed behind it.

  Whatever it was, it had been stalking them in the tunnels. Outside, the big one was wailing as it crashed around the yard in obvious pain.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Hector kicked the carcass out of the way and slammed the door closed. “That Jayhawk needs to hurry.”

  JJ keyed his mic without looking away from the door. “Challenger, we’ve got contact at the comms building. Confirm Jayhawks ETA. Over.”

  Static. Then: “Muldoon, J20 is two mikes out. Repeat, two mikes out.”

  JJ turned to the girls. “Two minutes. We’re almost out of here.”

  Maria made a small sound, something between a sob and a sigh.

  Emilia whispered, “They can open doors?”

  JJ nodded. “I’ve seen honey Badgers do the same thing.”

  The structure shook; something large crashed against it. Dust fell from the ceiling as cabinets toppled over.

  Little Bear shifted his feet, widening his stance. “This place isn’t gonna hold much longer.”

  “Fuck. LB, if that thing breaks the wall, we run for it.” JJ said, voice flat.

  Outside, the clicking started again, faster, circling the building now, mixing with the wailing. Hector and Loni watched the windows in case they tried getting in that way. JJ could see silhouettes dart close and away, the small ones eager to get in but not wanting to get close to the big, injured Dinosaur.

  Thankfully, JJ heard it, in the distance, the faint but growing, low thrum of rotor blade getting steadily louder.

  Outside, the wounded dinosaur wailed again, and the whole building rocked as it slammed against the wall.

  Little Bear held the door ready to throw it open.

  “Get ready, girls,” Loni told Maria and Emilia, voice steady. Her pistol raised.

  Hector's radio crackled. “This is J20, Mark your position.”

  JJ nodded at Hector and covered the door. Little Bear opened the door long enough for Hector to throw a grenade out the door. There was a pop from the other side of the door, and red smoke billowed up.

  “Marked,” the pilot's voice said. “Stand by Muldoon.”

  The world outside became a rush of wind and noise. Rotor wash hit the building like a wave. The blinds snapped. Dust burst off the desks in a fine cloud. Through the thin slats of the window, a bright sweep of light cut across the yard.

  The big dinosaur bellowed a challenge.

  “Contact,” the pilot's voice crackled. “Engaging.”

  A burst of automatic fire tore the air outside. The sound thundered through the yard like a hammer. The screams from the Dinosaurs large and small, rang through the Maintenance yard.

  Then came the crash of metal folding. Hector grinned at the windowsill, peeking through the blinds. The big Dinosaur had collapsed against some scaffolding. “Shit, jefe, they lit it up.”

  JJ moved to the window and saw the large Dino riddles with holes. Blood pooled beneath the corpse. “Fucking A. That’s our window.”

  Outside, the clicking started again, fast and nervous. Then paused as the spotlight swept the foliage line.

  “Multiple small contacts near the crates,” the Pilot said. “Engaging in 3…2…1.”

  Another burst of machine gun fire. Concrete popped. Loud shrieking echoed around the yard before cutting off.

  Maria made a sound. Something between a laugh and a cry.

  JJ keyed his mic. “J20, we’re moving out.”

  “Copy that. Targets dispatched, you're clear to move.”

  “Let’s go, folks.” JJ tapped LB’s shoulder.

  Little Bear yanked the door wide and stepped out first, shotgun sweeping. Rotor wash slapped them immediately, the stink of fuel and hot metal. JJ followed, rifle up, muzzle tracking the yard. Loni shoved Maria and Emilia right behind JJ. Hector came last, rifle up, his eyes scanning the corpses.

  The yard was chaos under the Jayhawk’s light.

  They sprinted. Boots pounded concrete. The helicopter’s downwash shoved at their backs and tried to throw them sideways. Maria stumbled once; Loni caught her by the elbow and kept her moving without slowing. Emilia ran with the axe hugged to her chest, jaw clenched, eyes flicking to every shadow.

  They hit the crate stack and dropped behind it as one, Little Bear first, then JJ, then the girls, then Loni, Hector guarding the rear with his rifle aimed over the corner.

  Another burst from above rattled the air. Leaves shredded. Something shrieked angrily from the green and then went quiet.

  JJ keyed his mic. “J20, keep it up. We’re moving to the service road.”

  “Copy Muldoon. Moving to Overwatch.”

  Little Bear leaned out. “Clear”

  JJ looked at the narrow lane between the crates and the forklift. It led to a broken strip of pavement disappearing into the jungle. He checked the girls. Maria was shaking but upright, Emilia white-knuckling the axe, both moving on adrenaline and terror.

  JJ lifted his hand. “Come on, it’s almost over.”