Chapter 14: Uninvited Guests
Josiah's POV-
So there were other people on this island after all. I knew that the weed smell from before had to mean something.
But what could I do?
Firstly, I had to find out how to get to the southwestern part of the island from where I was. With my jeep now dismantled no thanks to the young Tyrannosaur, I had no means of transportation. The old bikes in the garage were too rusted from years of exposure, so they were no good for riding.
Walking was almost out of the question. Tholestes and Razorhide had told me that the journey to the southwestern jungle was a two-day walk by foot through the jungle. But not along the shoreline.
Cutting through the jungle was an easy shortcut, and would decrease my journey. But walking along the shoreline would take longer then necessary.
If I cut through the jungle in a southwest-like way, then I could end up lost from going in circles.
Terias volunteered to go with me and show me the way, but Fern objected to the very idea. She was the beta and she was going to go with me. Deciding to intervene, I told her that both of them could come with me.
This all took place after my meeting with the summit clan.
Fern's POV-
The next morning Josiah prepared for the long journey to the southwestern jungle. He had a small backpack strapped to him, his machete and small hand gun, and his spear. I didn't like these weapons. They were not natural to me. Dinosaurs had natural defenses like spikes and claws and fangs, but Josiah, a mere human, needed these man-made devices to defend himself.
Terias knew the way to the southwest jungle just as well I did, so we made a deal to each take turns to be leader. After all, we were both betas.
Josiah wanted to take the beach as a detour, but me and my brother told him that the only way to the southwest part of the island was through overland in the jungle.
We traveled swiftly, taking an unknown trial that went south. My brother I knew the way south, but Josiah didn't. He had told us that he didn't explore most of the island when he was here last. He followed behind us, keeping up as best as possible. At his pace though we wouldn't reach the south beach until noon tomorrow. Well, at least we were moving.
By the next day we had finally reached the edge of the southwest beach. The sun was still raising over the trees, rays of light shining through the canopy's dense foliage.
We walked for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thinner, so that open spaces began showing, I caught a whiff of something foul in the air. It was so foul that Terias and myself recoiled away, shaking our heads and squawking. Josiah paused, sniffing too. Yet he didn't recoil away like we did, though his nose did wrinkle a bit.
Josiah's POV-
I caught the smell of weed even before Fern and Terias did. It was thicker here. Not too thick, but just enough so that it was in the air and caught on the breeze.
I could also hear the sounds of people coming from up ahead just beyond the cluster of bushes that seemed to lead to some kind of beach or lakefront. I took out my handgun and started crawling along the ground toward the thick brush. I sensed that Fern and Terias did the same, crawling along beside me.
When we came upon the bush, I parted it just a bit so that I could see. And what I saw was not good. Not good at all.
I was looking at some-kind of lakeside that was connected to a beach, sort of like a cove or inlet. There were also a series of small ruined buildings that looked like lodges.
But it was the people milling around the lakeside that caught my attention the most. They sort of looked like a bunch of hired gunmen. Or worse, gangsters. Some of them were carrying machine guns while some were carrying hunting knifes and small handguns. I even saw a few carrying machetes.
While some of them were black like me, some were costa rican locals and looked like they were around there 20's and 30's. Though I did see a few that were around the age of 17 and 19.
Their clothes were loose-fitting, tattered and torn from deterioration, giving them a ragged appearance. Some were even unshaven and covered in tattoos.
I noticed that Fern and Terias were crouching close together, both their eyes narrowed at what they were seeing. Fern hissed softly and so did Terias. They did not like these guys. And neither did I for that matter. These were the bastards responsible for shooting at Enrique. And I only hoped to god that he was okay.
The awful smell of weed was coming from a make-shift shed off to the left beside one of the old buildings. A group of costa rican men in dirty-white lab coats were walking in and out of the shed, carrying small packets of marijuana under thier arms and taking it to a larger, dark-green tent. There were two guards posted at the tent's entrance and were both armed with machine guns. And they both looked like they were serious in their jobs. Only the lab guys and the one individual were allowed inside.
This guy looked like he was in command, although he didn't exactly look it. He wore black pants, a sweaty undershirt, a button shirt on top, a pair of worn army boots, and an expression of dominance. His features were that of a 20 or late 30's man from Jamaica or from the 'ghettos' from America. His dreadlocks were short and he had a goatee that was a bit uncombed. The guy's sweaty, skin-tone looked like it had darkened even more in the tropical sun as well.
If this guy was the brains of this disgusting operation here on the island, I didn't feel very threatened by him. He was thin, and didn't look much taller then I was. Though I couldn't tell from where I was.
When he went inside the tent with the lab guys, I took that moment to look around at the compound. There were crates, wooden and opened, half-full of supplies. There were also old jeeps and small trucks parked by a trail that looked like an old game trail. I could tell because that road was not man-made. Especially by these guys. On the dock there were more crates.
Having seen enough, I carefully backed myself up on my hands and knees and moved to the left to where the old game trail was. Terias and Fern moved with me, keeping their bodies low.
When we got far enough away I stepped onto the game trail and followed it, Fern and Terias keeping close by my side.
As I adjusted my translator device, I heard Terias hiss something.
"What did you say, Terias?" I said, turning to him.
"We shouldn't be on this trail, Josiah. We must leave."
"Don't you think I know that?" I told him. "I'd like nothing more then to leave this trial and head back to the town, but going through the jungle again will not be what I'll be doing."
Fern snorted and shook her snout. "So a few insects bit at you over night, you don't see us complain about it."
I stopped, facing her and retorted, "That's because I don't have scales to protect me. You may enjoy having creepy-crawlies all over you, but not me, Fern."
Terias looked at Fern and all she did was just shake her head again, not understanding a word I had just said. Typical.
We walk for at least 25 minutes, not discussing about what we saw at the lakeside, before coming to a fork in the road. Judging by the old tire tracks on the ground, I was guessing that a vehicle from the drug criminal's compound went left, straight up the trail. Deciding to follow the tracks and see where they lead, we followed the left trail. Up ahead I could see that the trail was opening up a little, but Terias and Fern, were still on high-alert.
As we rounded a bend in the trail, we came upon an abandoned jeep that was parked on the side of it. The vehicle looked like an old Wrangler model from the 80's. An open roof renegade Cj7 model. The jeep was painted a rusted green color and also seemed to have a spare tire mounted on the back.
"How did this get here?" Said Fern.
"I don't know," I said, tracing a hand on the hood. "But I have a feeling that this jeep came from the compound where those men are."
"Why would they just leave it here?" Said Terias as he sniffed at tires.
I didn't answer him. I got inside behind the wheel and found that the keys were still in the ignition. And there was something else.
Reaching down near the pedals, I gingerly picked up a rotted, severed human hand. The flesh of the hand was ragged, pale bones exposed. On the rotted fingers there were several gold rings. It was the kind of rings a criminal would wear.
When I showed it to Fern and Terias I expected them to recoil in disgust. I expected them to be all sorts of repulsed, but they looked at the hand like it was no big deal to them. I guess they were used to seeing dismembered body parts here on the island since they were predatory dinosaurs. But me? I had to throw it away into the bush quickly. The sight of that hand made me want to feel nauseous.
"What do you suppose attacked the jeep, Fern?" I said, wiping my hand on my pants.
Fern sniffed around and then let out a loud hiss, her tail going stiff. Terias could smell it too because he was also hissing.
"What is it?" I said, feeling a little uneasy by their hissing.
"The sail-back was here," Said Fern, growling.
"You mean the Spinosaurus?" I said, looking around worriedly for any sign of the dinosaur.
"Yes," Terias answered with a growl. "And judging by his stench that is still lingering around, I'd say he attacked this machine and the humans inside of it not too long ago."
It was then that I noticed dried blood along the steering wheel and passenger seat. An odd chill ran up my back and up neck to head. Looking around once again, I quickly turned the ignition. The jeep's engine groaned, then sputtered. Then the clutch turned over and the jeep's engine came to life. Yes!
We were so out of here!
"Get in," I told the two young raptors.
They didn't need to be told twice. Fern and Terias both got in the back seat, scrambling to sit themselves down. I didn't give them a chance because I immediately floored it. I accelerated forward. My face as well as my nerves were tense.
And one part of me wasn't tense about the Spinosaurus jumping out and eating us, but rather the drug criminals here on the island. These guys were packing heat. Not just the small operations kind, but the kind that they would shoot you for.
As I drove, taking a route that would lead me back to the town, I kept imagining what those men where doing with all those drugs of theirs. My guess is that they were only using this island as a temporary cache or lab-base of operation so that they could sell their stuff on the mainland to other parts of the country and make big money.
And also cause great misery as well.
I never did drugs before because I was more sensible then the older kids at my school. But when the drugs were done and consumed and the after effects started up, then it was too late to save that person from a fate worse then death.
And it was exactly what these men were doing. Delivering death to the mainland. And to the Innocent people of San Jose.
But this was not going to happen. Not if I had anything to say about it.
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