Wes woke back up on the bed. He had another peaceful dream that Rose was with him. She was gone though. Tears streamed down his face. He was a failure. He was too weak again to do anything. A group of thugs came in, captured all of their information, and killed off the scientist. He was next. This was planned. There should be reinforcements here by now. This was a heavily watched area by the government.
No one would come though. Proudfoot tapped into the video feed for this area. The video feed only showed the same thing over and over again. The weather helped with the disguise. The town wasn't going to check on them either, as none of them knew their location. Wes tried to gain his strength back. He was still too weak. He could hear them talking about taking all of the information Rose had collected.
A henchman came over. Wes was wondering what they were going to do to him next as he was the next prey. The henchman stuck him with a needle.
"Can't have you sickly," the henchman pushed him back to check his vitals. "Those creatures are probably hungry for more. They had a sweet appetizer now its time for the main course." He patted him. "He's recovering. Thankfully we had enough antivenom on hand to cure you. Can't give these things a stomachache. He'll be ready in time." The henchman left.
Wes couldn't keep awake anymore. He dozed off again. Wes woke up to being dragged. He was already at the opening. A few henchmen had already gone down into the lab. They had brought back up a mangled, bloody harness along with a chewed-on boot, and a chewed-on bag.
Wes struggled against his captors. "MMmF-MMmF-Mmmmmm!" This wasn't right. This can't be right. Wes wanted everything to go back. He wanted to pay attention while he was handling that stupid insect hybrid. If he paid attention maybe he wouldn't have gotten pricked. He would be able to fend off this group that wanted to get into the lab so badly. Him and Rose would have stood a chance as reinforcements would come.
They harnessed Wes as he struggled. Those harnessing him took their turns punching him.
"Hey-hey-HEY!" Andrew stopped them. "Can't keep bruising the meat. Don't you know about humane handling. Our product is going to be wasted if the creatures don't want to eat bruised meat. It's almost time anyway." Andrew stuck another needle into him. He injected Wes with the same tranquilizer he used on Rose.
They hooked him up to the harness. He was becoming too drowsy to continue to struggle. This was it. He was being lowered down into the opening.
Was this how she felt? Wes thought as he was trying to keep his eyes open. No. She was out of it. I hope she didn't suffer. That it was quick and painless. He remembered the screaming. That memory jolted him to open his eyes fully. Oh God no! He tried to struggle but it was futile. He was going to die the same way Rose did. He looked up to see the metal opening closing on him. His eyes started to droop. See you wherever you are, Dr. Frankenstein. He closed his eyes, no longer fighting the tranquilizer.
Andrew and the henchman watched the same scene unfold. The rope moved back and forth. The snapping of the rope. A scream ending with bones crunching. They pulled the rope back up to see the same severed rope.
"Tomorrow, we pack up what's left," Andrew started to order. "Send it off with the rest of the things after we get everything out of the lab. Caswell chose the wrong side. Let's show him how wrong he was."
Over in Utah, Burt and Tyler made it just in time. The graboids were still graboids. Both of them set off to the location Burt had made for the hunt. It was enclosed by rock formations. Tyler put the device Rose and Wes used to keep El Blanco occupied during the life cycle days.
It lured them away from civilization. Burt was ready with a few bombs. The dust trails showed the three graboids coming. The dust trails died down. Burt was watching them with his binoculars. He put them down to focus on the worm charmer. Tyler was back up in case something happened. He was watching the surroundings making sure none of them got behind them.
"Come on, come closer," Burt whispered. A graboid tentacle came out of the ground. It felt the worm charmer. The tentacle grabbed it, lifting it out of the ground. The worm charmer stopped working. "Smart little bastard." Burt had a bomb waiting for it. The tentacle slivered back into the ground. Burt was about to push the detonator when Tyler stopped.
"Look!" Tyler spoke aloud. "Three dust trails back in the same spot."
"What?!" Burt looked up. Tyler was right. "Must be really smart since they have been out here so long. We're going to need to do a new tactic." Burt grabbed a remote-control truck out of his vehicle. He let it down with the same bomb on it. Burt controlled the little truck. It ran around in circles, gaining the attention of the graboids. "Yes. Yes. Come get the truck."
The graboids gathered around it. Burt stopped. Each beak was protruding from the ground.
"What the?" Tyler was watching with his binoculars. "That doesn't seem right?"
"They're pack hunters," Burt made the truck move again. "This tactic was seen with the first graboids back in Perfection. This isn't something new. Don't get yellow on me now, Tyler."
Burt moved the truck to weave in and out of them. One of the beaks opened wider to let a tentacle out. The tentacle moved to the truck.
"That's it," Burt was anxious. "Take the bait."
The tentacle flipped the truck over. The three graboids went underground, getting far from the truck.
"These things are too smart," Burt was getting angry.
"Maybe they're too cautious," Tyler watched them head back in the same area.
"We're going to need to think of something else," Burt had to rethink his plans. "These things won't leave the pack. They're too snug with one another. Dammit!" Burt hasn't ever hunted ones like these.
The people that have encountered these graboids told stories about witnessing them do peculiar things. Knocking on doors, tearing apart vehicles that never made any sound, and all sorts of ungraboid like behavior. Burt was taken aback when he heard it. He thought it was similar to those people who thought aliens were abducting them and not a graboid killing them off one by one
The learning curve was too high compared to the other graboids he had encountered. He needed to outsmart them before it becomes worse. Burt was not liking this hunting trip at all.
Back at the lab in Utah, a scientist informed Lewis of the things he overheard while handing the documents to Caitlyn. Lewis listened in to everything. The scientist left him alone. Lewis smacked away beakers that were on the closest table. They smashed into pieces once hitting the floor. Lewis slammed his fist down on the table.
I'm sorry, Dr. Frankenstein, Lewis couldn't hold back the tears. His actions led to the death of his idol and her bodyguard. I'm so so sorry. Please-please forgive me! I am not worthy to be fan of ours. I have let you down terribly. Lewis started to regret his decisions. This was the price he had to pay for knowledge. The deaths of colleagues were now stained upon his hands. He started to become more furious. He won't let their deaths be in vain. Every last Proudfoot was now going to suffer the same pain he had made them feel. Every henchman who helped take the lives of two innocent people will feel the same pain they suffered.
Lewis wiped away his tears. It was time to enact the plan to take them down. It was time to let the government take back control. Lewis grabbed a computer and started working. He worked nonstop into the next day. Special orders were made that weren't notified by Caitlyn. She was too busy enjoying the town being overrun by graboids and the original lab starting its excavation. Everything was going her way. She felt on top of the world. She felt invincible.
The town of Perfection did not know what happened in the last 48 hours. The heard a semi come into town late at night. Rose and Wes must have caught some more creatures. Wes let them know what that semi was for after Burt kept hounding him for information. That small tidbit let the town be at ease when the all back semi and trailer come through.
The driver didn't know he wasn't getting the odd couple. Instead, he was met by guns being pointed at him. They wretched from his seat.
"I-I don't want no trouble!" He placed his hands up as he was laying on the ground.
"Pity, we do," Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Pick him clean. Bring him to that area."
The henchmen did as they told. The semi was moved to be more accessible for loading. Andrew was sitting in a camping chair with an umbrella stuck in the ground next to him. The driver had his hands tied. It was now becoming daylight.
"What a wonderful morning," Andrew took a sip from a cup with steam coming off of it.
The driver looked around to see planks of wood lined up from end to end. He looked back to Andrew. He started to fear for his life. "I-I-I'm just the driver. I don't have any ties with them. Just let me go. I-I won't say anything, okay?"
Andrew watched him plead. "Mm. I think not. You told the bodyguard you had plans on the fourth of July last year. That you had a family. Well, you did have a family but you ruined it. They haven't spoken with you for decades because you're a belligerent drunk. Divorced because you beat the kid badly that you got a felony." The color drained from the drivers face. "Oh yes. We know all about you. We know about how you think you are. A Casanova!" Andrew started to laughing. "This pudgy, short, tuna can of a man thinks he's hot shit! Well, well I think we have a liar. Women no longer want to work with you because you think you can control them with your narcissistic behavior. You can't. Women don't like that. They want a man who is dominant but not an ass. They want a man, handsome, rich, like me. Not someone like you, who has to make up stories about women wanting you. Disgusting. Since you think you're so great, that you have such swagger, you get to walk the plank."
"What?" The driver looked around to the other men. Everyone was serious. "The plank?! You want me to walk a plank? There's no water out here!"
"No," Andrew sipped on his drink again. "It's going to be another warm day. Well, a warm week. That means the land shark is back. We've been noticing his movements on the seismos. Its time to give him a snack." He waved his hand.
The driver was dragged away to the planks of wood. They held a gun to him to push him onto it.
"Walk the plank little tuna can man," Andrew teased. "Walk the plank."
The driver stepped onto the wood. He moved slowly across the first plank, heading onto the other one. He would hesitate when he would hear something far off into the distance. The driver reached until the end of the plank. He slowly turned back around. He faced Andrew and the rest.
"There-there's nothing here!" He spoke back. "Let me go, okay! I won't say anything about this. I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Oh, don't worry, we know you will," Andrew looked to the henchman close to the plank. He nodded to him. The henchman threw a stick that landed near him. It started to pound into the ground. The driver knew what that was. It brought the graboid to it. The driver got off the planks and started to run to the nearest bolder which was a mile out.
"Look at his little legs," Andrew pointed and laughed. A noise came from his watch. "Ah. Here comes Moby."
El Blanco breached the surface, grabbed the man with their beak, and headed back into the ground. The screams from the man rang out until it was silence underground.
"Nice!" Andrew clapped. "Good show! Now that we have the semi, let's get to work. Start the process. We need to get and get out. It will be only a matter of time when Burt learns how to kill three smart graboids. Caitlyn could release more, but let's not take that chance. We get in, we get out. I'll be in the government mobile lab, if you need anything."