CHAPTER 100
Gary quickened his pace to fall in line beside Dr. Conners. "What do you think it is?"
"We'll find out when we get there, Gary."
"My money is on a yeti."
Nearing the perimeter fence and the main gate all four men began to inspect the dirt roadway beyond with squinted eyes.
"It'd sure help if we knew what we were looking for," Dr. Conners said after a moment of seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He turned around and shrugged at a nearby camera that was fitted on a tall post behind them.
The radios crackled again. "No. It's not in the road. Look in the jungle to the left of the gate."
"Copy," Dr. Conners spoke at his radio. He nodded off to the left and everyone moved in that direction.
"Whuff." Gary waved a hand in front of his nose. "What's that god awful stench?"
Dr. Conners caught it as well. The smell was strong enough to gag someone. It was also a very recognizable odor. "It's dead animal," Dr. Conners answered, "festering in the heat."
Humberto had pulled his teeshirt over his face. He lingered a little farther from the fence than the rest.
As everyone proceeded further to the left of the gate the sound of a buzzing swarm of flies could be heard. Accompanying it was the chatter of dozens of compsognathus.
Dr. Conners was getting an uneasy feeling about what he was going to see. They all were. There was no doubt something was rotting in the trees, but what was it, and why?
"There." Carrie came in over the radio. "Right there."
The group stopped and peered through the jungle.
"I don't see anything, Carrie," Dr. Conners said.
"Just keep looking. There's some kind of shape. It's right there."
Dr. Conners knew by the smell that there was indeed something out there. He just wasn't seeing it.
"¿Donde, Amigo?" Hector shrugged.
Dr. Conners shifted a bit more to the left. Whatever it was it had to be there somewhere. Then he saw it. "Oh, my God." He froze in his tracks.
"Holy Jesus Christ!" Gary had found it too.
Hector was crossing himself.
Humberto backed further away. "El diablo está aquí."
Dr. Conners approached the fence in disbelief of what he saw. Ten meters beyond the perimeter stood a large gnarled tree. It was the perfect type for climbing. A thick sturdy trunk rose from the ground, splitting into a multitude of strong winding branches with vines that coiled and draped over them. It was tough to see at first, but among the dangling vines a naked human corpse hung upside down from the branches. One of its ankles had been wedged between the narrow crook of two branches and looked to be reenforced by a vine that had been tangled into a crude knot. This body wasn't the only one. There were at least six others visible among the gnarls of the tree. Each one had an eager group of comps screeching and licking their chops as they pushed and shoved each other below.
Everyone was in shock. Nobody spoke for at least a minute. Then, one by one, they began to find words.
"Mother of God, why did they strip them?" Gary said. "This is some sick mind game. I mean, they're just animals, right? Why didn't they eat them? What the hell would possess them to do something like this?" He sounded like he was charging himself into a panic.
Humberto shook his head. "The devil."
"Relax." Dr. Conners said.
"Relax?" Gary was shocked by the doctor's response. "This is some real Predator shit right here! There's bodies hanging upside down in the trees, stripped naked and disemboweled. He wants me to relax."
"Gary, they are playing mind games, but I promise you it's not as sinister as it appears. As you stated, they are just animals, and they are thinking just like animals." Dr. Conners paused to clear his throat. He was working not to gag from the smell. "Velociraptors, as you know, are very similar to modern birds of prey. When you want to get rid of a vulture roost you kill members of the group and hang their bodies in the nearby trees. The presence of their own dead makes them uncomfortable, and they leave." As Dr. Conners further examined the tree he found it equally fascinating as he did disturbing. He almost felt guilty for studying it with the impartial and nonjudgmental eye of a scientist. It was not until he came across the remains of what appeared to be Dallas that his emotional nature resumed, and he respectfully looked away. "As for the stripping of the clothing I can only assume that they know it makes us feel vulnerable or inadequate to be without them. If you look at it from their perspective it might be comparable to ripping off the showy feathers of a proud male velociraptor." Dr. Conners gave a sigh. "I believe they've made their intentions abundantly clear. The velociraptors are viewing us as a rival clan and thus an encroachment upon their territory and ultimate survival. They want us off their island."
There were footsteps behind them and everyone turned. It was Ms. Murdock and Dr. Johnson.
Ms. Murdock said, "What's going on here?"
Bryce put up his hands. "Hold on."
Before he could prepare them for what they were going to see Dianna let out a gasp. "Oh, God." She dropped to her knees.
Bryce hurried over and blocked her view. "Dianna look at me." He cupped his hands around her face.
Ms. Murdock was helping Dr. Conners prop Dianna to her feet, but her eyes were on the tree.
"Get off!" Dianna shoved them away. She looked at the bodies and then at Bryce. No words left her mouth, though her lips were moving.
Bryce tried to console her again with a hand on the shoulder. "Dianna."
She shrugged him off. She stared at the ground and then at the tree.
Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
The radios crackled. "Hey, you have company." Carrie alerted them.
Everyone saw the foliage stir. Shadows moved, and figures appeared. A dozen velociraptors were visible clinging to the trunks of trees, never exposing their full bodies as the presence of guns were visible among the humans.
At the forefront of the pack stood the male raptor with the silvery white mane of feathers. Over the course of interactions with the rogue velociraptors it had become obvious that this was the alpha male. Hector noted that the hunter now had a crooked bite, cracked teeth, and a disfigured jaw, compliments of the brute scuffle they had shared the day before.
Hector, Ms. Murdock, and Humberto raised their guns.
Dr. Conners made a suppressing motion with his hand. "This isn't an attack." he said.
Ms. Murdock responded, "if it's all the same to you, doctor, I think I'll just keep my gun where it's at."
Dr. Conners observed the body language of the silver neck. There was an unspoken dialogue occurring. He could almost hear it in his head. The raptors most certainly wanted them gone. On the same token it felt like the velociraptors were reading the humans and understanding that their scare tactic wasn't enough to rid the island of their rivals. They were going to have to resort to stronger methods.
Like shadows they had come, and like shadows they went. The clan of raptors disappeared in moments, and the humans were left staring at the tree that was decorated with their own dead.
Ms. Murdock spoke. Her voice was grave. "Dr. Conners, Dr. Johnson, don't allow your children to leave the building." She turned to everyone else. "And no one makes any mention of this to them." She turned to leave and then stopped. With more emphasis she said, "And nobody goes out to retrieve the bodies. We cannot take the risk."
Nobody contested her directives. As horrible as it was to leave the bodies, they all knew she was right.
As Ms. Murdock was walking away Gary came up beside Dr. Conners. "What do we do now? We're getting the hell off this island, right? That's what they want, isn't it?"
"Calm down, Gary."
"Hey, I don't wanna end up with my spine ripped out and dangling from their trophy rack."
"Gary, just go." Dr. Conners pushed him aside and started making his way back to the main operations building.
Hector moved into step beside him a few moments later and said, "Well, Amigo, it looks like it's shaping up to be another hell of a day eh."