by Shadoe Masters
"See anything?" Burt asked.
Again.
Kylie rolled her eyes behind the cover of the binoculars she was looking through. "No..." she said with long-suffering patience. "I would have mentioned something if I had." She rested the binoculars on her knee. "Have you heard anything yet?"
He shot her an angry glance. "You would have heard it too!"
"Just how late was it last night when you heard this 'growl'?"
Burt slammed on the brakes, bringing the power wagon to a skidding stop so he could more effectively accuse her with his eyes. "Are you implying that I was hearing things?"
Kylie looked away. "Well," she said, after a deep, calming breath, "nobody else heard anything, and we've been out here for hours and haven't heard anything..." She shot him a careful glance to gauge his reaction.
She shouldn't have looked. Burt's face was all she could have hoped for. More. His eyes were wide and staring, and his mouth was pressed into a flat, implacable line. Waves of outraged indignation rolled off him, even through his Ray Bans...
She looked away as her lips began to twitch.
Then he sputtered, clearly fighting with himself over which of the many scathing comments he should make first.
Kylie threw back her head and laughed.
Burt looked away, finally catching on that he'd been had. He moved his mouth around, thinking of caustic things he could say, then put the truck in gear again. "Very funny," he muttered.
"But Burt," she gasped out between giggles, "are you sure you heard something?" He didn't answer. "I'm just saying," she gasped again, "instruments don't lie. Isn't that what you're always telling me?"
"Keep looking," he instructed, trying to ignore her helpless laughter.
She held the binoculars out to him. "How about you look for a while and I'll drive?"
He took the binoculars but didn't relinquish the wheel.
"Hey! Give me those back!" Kylie shouted, grabbing for the binoculars which Burt's longer arms effectively kept out of her reach. "You can't look and drive!" She took off her seatbelt and crawled halfway over his seat, trying to get the instrument back from him. "You can't see where you're going! We'll crash into a..." she surveyed the barren desert landscape, "...dead animal carcass or something."
Burt slammed on the brakes again.
"Ow!" Kylie cried as her head slammed into the front rollbar support.
"If you'd keep your seatbelt--" Then his gaze sharpened.
"If you'd--"
Burt wrapped his arm around her head and put his hand over her mouth. "Listen!" he hissed.
At first, there was nothing. As Kylie began to struggle against Burt's restraining hand, they heard it.
A high, rumbling cry, more moan than growl, which echoed off the surrounding cliffs.
"Wmm mm rrmmng rmm?" Kylie muttered against Burt's hand.
"What?" Burt whispered, carefully scanning the surrounding terrain.
Kylie peeled Burt's fingers from her mouth. "Where's it coming from?" she whispered.
Burt shook his head, then turned this way and that, trying to make out the original source of the cry.
They heard it again, this time a little louder.
"Sounds... sad," Kylie commented as the echoes died away.
Burt shot her a scornful glance. "Ridiculous."
Kylie shrugged. "It sounds sad to me."
It sounded sad to him, too, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Ridiculous," he repeated, but with less conviction.
She sat motionless, still bent over the monitor screen between their seats, though her attention was still clearly on listening for that sound again.
That's when he realized his arm was still around her, his hand resting quite comfortably on her shoulder. She didn't seem to notice.
He snatched his arm away as if scorched, and straightened. "Well," he began, "I think we--"
"Shh!" She put her hand on his knee to silence him, unaware that the sudden thumping of his heart drowned out any noise the desert could have made.
Then she straightened, slowly. "Over there, don't you think?" she whispered, looking to him for confirmation.
He took a deep, silent breath, and nodded, businesslike again. "Southwest. We'll concentrate the search in that direction."
"There!" Kylie said. "I saw something move."
"What did it look like?" Burt asked, already turning the power wagon in the direction of Kylie's pointing finger.
She shook her head. "I didn't get a good look at it. More like a shadow, really. Behind that scrub over there along the cliffs."
"We'll check it out." He stopped the truck and grabbed the rifles from the back, handing one to Kylie. The terrain near the cliffs was too rough for his truck, so the hunt would continue on foot from there. He took the binoculars from Kylie as they approached the rocks.
"See anything?" Kylie asked.
He shook his head. "Could be anywhere in those rocks, though."
Kylie scanned the scrub and rocks as well, looking for any sign of movement, as they scrambled over the rocks toward the cliffs. "There!" she said, pointing toward some movement.
Burt turned the binoculars toward the movement and his lips turned into a feral grin. "Got it," he announced. "Looks like some sort of... lizard. Big, though. Crouched on those rocks." He pointed, but Kylie couldn't get a good look at it from this distance.
Shouldering the rifles, they headed in that direction, trying to keep an eye on the creature.
"There it goes," Burt said, as they approached. He brought the binoculars up again. "Quadruped, and a climber."
The shadow Kylie could see went up the rocky cliff face quickly. She only got a flash of it as it emerged from the brush and went over the edge.
"Hurry!" Burt said, running after the lizard.
They arrived at the location they'd first sighted it and looked around.
"How the hell did it get up that cliff, Burt?" Kylie asked. "It's nearly vertical."
Burt shook his head. "We'll have to go around. There's a pass through those rocks over there." He headed toward a rocky wash a short distance away. "It won't be easy to track in this area. It's all cliffs and washes and scrub. Lots of hiding places." He stopped and turned to Kylie. "Keep your rifle ready," he warned. "A few of the valley's reptiles are poisonous."
Kylie nodded. He didn't have to explain they were after some new mixmaster mutation of the valley wildlife. "You think there's more than one?"
"Undoubtedly," Burt said, reaching back to haul her up over a boulder.
"Maybe we can track this one back to its lair. Find them all at one time."
Burt shook his head, scanning the ridge they'd climbed to. "No, reptiles are mostly solitary. We'll probably be days tracking them down." He set off along the ridge.
Kylie just sighed and followed.
Burt put a finger to his lips, warning Kylie to silence. He leaned close to her ear. "It's caught in a trap," Burt whispered. "The walls ahead are too steep for anything to climb. Unless it sprouts wings, we've got it." He started carefully down the narrow alley created by a rockfall, but paused again. "Be ready. Cornered animals can be dangerous."
Kylie nodded and checked her weapon and followed Burt, careful to avoid dislodging any loose rock to alert the lizard to their location. Not that she expected to be in on the action. Burt would likely turn the corner ahead, shoot the thing, and they'd head home for lunch. She glanced at her watch. Or home for an early supper, anyway.
She came to a halt behind Burt as he paused where the alley widened into what had once been a sinkhole. It was mostly filled in at the bottom, but she could see steep walls opposite.
Cautiously, Burt peered around into the narrow gully then ducked back.
"You see anything?" Kylie whispered, tugging on the bit of Burt's shirt sticking out from under his vest.
He turned back to her and shook his head. "Lot of loose rock," he murmured back. "It could be anywhere." He craned his neck around, trying to scope out the bits of the gully that could be seen from their location, then leaned back down to her. "I'll go to the right," he continued. "I don't see him there. I want you to go to the center - stay away from the walls."
She nodded and he crept carefully forward, Kylie at his heels.
Just as Burt emerged into the slanting sunlight, the situation changed.
With a high, defiant shriek, a greenish brown blur landed on Burt's back from above, toppling him to the ground and into the shadows. Faster than Kylie could track, the two rolled, fighting. She raised her rifle to her shoulder, but paused. No way could she get a clear shot, and she couldn't chance hitting Burt. Desperately, she looked around for something she could use-- Her eyes lit on a rock bigger than her fist. She picked it up and threw. The pair twisted again just as the rock left her hand, and it struck Burt square between the shoulder blades. He let out a bellow of pain, but grimly held on to the creature. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Kylie muttered desperately, while she reached for another rock.
This time it hit its intended target, and with a roar of pain of its own, it tossed Burt aside and ran.
Right toward Kylie.
She ducked, throwing herself out of its path, and it ran, ignoring her as if she didn't exist.
Kylie scrambled to Burt, on the ground and winded. "Are you all right?" she asked, searching for signs of injury.
"I would have been," he ground out, "if someone hadn't hit me with a rock." He was already searching for his rifle.
"I'm sorry," Kylie whined. "I didn't mean to." She grabbed his rifle from a few feet away and handed it to him as he got to his feet.
"It's strong," Burt said, already starting after it. "And fast. Very fast."
"Bigger than I thought, too," Kylie said, eyeing Burt dubiously. She wondered if he'd ever forgive her.
He nodded. "Smart, too, apparently. We'll have to be more careful."
They emerged into the sunlight again to see it running through the rocks that rimmed the canyon. "We can cut it off," Burt said. "It's heading toward that opening on the other side. If we can just get straight across, we'll beat it."
"Let's go," Kylie said, scrambling over the rocks toward open ground.
They hit the ground together and started for the other side. Kylie, a better runner due to her daily morning run, quickly pulled ahead. She was almost ten yards in front of him when it happened.
Their seismos started buzzing, and both skidded to a halt, waiting for El Blanco to leave the area.
He didn't.
Always showing up where he was least appreciated, he circled the canyon, nosing rocks aside at the edge where the lizard still ran, quickly leaving the canyon, and its pursuers, behind.
As the lizard shot through the pass at the end of the canyon and climbed to higher ground, Kylie and Burt waited, hoping El Blanco would try to follow.
He didn't.
Kylie twisted back toward Burt, pantomiming a run back to the rocks.
Burt shook his head. "Too far," he mouthed.
So they stood, still as statues, alert for signs of El Blanco.
They didn't have long to wait.
The graboid burst from the ground just a few yards from Kylie. She opened her mouth to scream, but held it in at the last second, hoping her silence would convince the worm to go.
It dropped to the ground, sending seeking tentacles around, searching for prey it knew was near.
Kylie was terrified, too afraid to move a muscle, too afraid to stay still.
Burt, terrified too, for Kylie, was torn between going to her and staying frozen himself. El Blanco didn't seem to know exactly where she was, but if the graboid continued looking, it was sure to find her.
A tentacle shot in Kylie's direction, almost making her jump, but both her feet stayed put, even though he could see her shaking. As the tentacle came within a few inches of her feet, Burt came to a decision.
He wished she dared turn around, to see what he was about to do. He wanted to warn her but didn't dare. El Blanco could have her in seconds if she made a sound. He pulled the one concussion grenade from his vest and threw it toward the graboid, close enough to send it away for a good long time, he hoped.
Too close to Kylie as well.
Kylie ducked instinctively when it went off just a few feet away, but more importantly, El Blanco disappeared instantly.
Burt ran to Kylie even before his seismo stopped buzzing.
He fell to his knees next to her, unresisting as she threw herself into his arms. Burt only enjoyed the embrace for a moment, though. "There's no time," he said, getting to his feet and bringing her with him. "El Blanco won't be gone long." He bent to retrieve the rifles before taking her arm and leaning them, at a run, for the rocks.
"Are you all right?" Burt asked, after they'd reached safety.
"What?" Kylie demanded, her face a puzzled frown.
"Can you hear me?" Burt said, loudly and distinctly.
"Just barely," Kylie admitted, her hands to her ears. "There's this ringing..."
Burt nodded. "The grenade," he explained. "Your hearing should come back soon." He took her arm again. "let's get back to town."
They started slowly back toward the plateau where they'd left the truck.