Ch 29 - Allard

— Definitely not my place! — he complained,

gritting his teeth. His boots, beautifully painted in black

grease, were now dark brown, the color of the mud that

covered the area. His jacket, always neat, was creased

and smelled of sweat, and his hair no longer followed the

precisely straight direction, to the right, as he always

combed, but spread out in all directions, detracting from

what, in Nathan Allard's mind, was his greatest appeal.

— Why on earth did he have to come to the expedition

site to discuss the plan? Are there no telephones in the

world? — he thought angrily. — This plan is about to be

realized, — the man had told him, — We cannot allow it

to be compromised by a wire. — Wire? Where does he

think he is? An action movie? — Standing in front of a

clay wall, Allard waited for his contact. The long wait

had already lasted for hours, and the cold night was

torturing him. — What a secluded place he had set for

this meeting. — The scenery around Allard was desolate

— a meadow, covered with dry vegetation high enough

to cover him, stretched for miles before his eyes. The

flight had been exhausting, and so was piloting that

airboat to the meeting point, but remembering that he

would know where to rent the boat soothed his ego that

freezing night; after all, he had suggested to the team

that they rent their own there. The thought gave him a

little pride back, which Allard soon lost when a strong

breeze blew, moving his hair to all the cardinal points

again. — By God, how hard it is to look professional!

He waited for a few more minutes, then half an

hour; by the time an hour was about to be completed, his

patience had reached the opposite limit. — This is too

humiliating for a skilled professional! — he thought. In

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the background, the low sound of an animal was heard,

adding to the sense of isolation of the place. The man

who had brought him to this hidden hole would pay for

having treated him like this; as soon as the next plan of

action was carried out, it was over, even if he begged

Nathan to return to his services. Surely there would be

countless celebrities eager to have a good-looking

advisor with a great history like him. The accursed sound

was closer now. What kind of creature sounded like that?

He remembered hearing something similar when he

visited the reptiles in the zoo, but there was nothing like

a crocodile on dry land...was there? He knew little about

animals, but he couldn't remember ever having heard

anything like it. Then the foliage in front of him moved

slightly. Allard felt a faint dread as he realized this. The

low noise was intensified now and was coming from

several points in the meadow. Whatever it was, it was in

large numbers and sounded fierce. Allard then leaned

against the clay wall, bringing his fingers to the holes in

the hillside. He feared that he would not be able to climb

the wall quickly, not in time at least. Climbing up the

other side had already been a nightmare, how would he

do it on an even steeper side? The animals seemed to

wait for him to move, like a hunting dog that watches its

victim and only shoots when it gets on the run first.

Turning his back on the vegetation would be the worst

thing to do; he had to come up with another plan. To his

right, the curving walls gave him a brilliant idea.

— No human has ever done it, — he said in a

defiant tone. — No stupid animal will!

Preparing himself, he planned one last time what he

would do. Then, as if to surprise whatever was hidden in

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the vegetation, he dashed, covering the distance between

himself and the side wall in seconds. Proud of his

achievement, he looked back. Out of the grass emerged

huge, quadrupedal creatures, each with a sail on its back.

— What the hell is this? — Allard shouted. He had never

seen anything so fantastic outside...

Before the thought could form in his mind, he

changed course, zigzagging through the dense

vegetation. Even if they were fast, they couldn't run like

that, that was certain to him. Now, one last move and he

would escape from those monsters — the dry lake bed

formed the perfect running track, where he could slide

down and reach the hill on the other side. A few more

yards and...Nathan Allard's body found the dry ground,

grating his jacket even more. With the impulse, he was

dragged into the bed, leaving the animals behind. Now it

was a free run, without obstacles. The hill lay just ahead

of him.

Allard felt his weight hit the ground; his face

hitting the hard bottom of the bed. Looking down at his

foot, he noticed that it had fallen in a hole dug in the

ground. Pulling his foot out of the cavity, he noticed that

his shoe, in addition to mud, was now also covered with

a kind of gelatinous mucus. Still with a disgusted

expression, he turned his face to the hill again. But

before he could get up, an agonizing pain hit his leg.

How could it be? He hadn't even twisted a limb! But the

pain was overwhelming, and he let out a deep roar of

agony. Terrified, he turned around to see a huge square

head biting into his shoe, crushing the flesh hidden by

the shaft. Struggling to free himself, he tried to crawl

away, but could not. The beast's teeth were already

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through the leather and he could feel them now

penetrating his flesh. The creature then began to drag

him, sinking its teeth even deeper into Nathan Allard's

muscles. Still panicking, he screamed for the animal to

let go and clung to the straws, trying to anchor himself,

but to no avail. Soon, the animal was growling fiercely,

furious because he would not surrender, and the straws

split between his fingers. He then found himself being

brought back to the field he had left a few seconds

before, when he could still run. Now the animal had

released him, allowing him to feel some relief, and

advanced to his flank. All around, more and more sails

were emerging from the shadows of the underbrush. The

animals looked grotesque, famished, and gathered close

to his body. In a flash, the being that had dragged him

there bit him viciously on the hip. Allard roared in pain

again. He felt the full pressure of the teeth slicing

through his flesh and internal organs, and soon, crushing

his bones. From the animal's jaw, which continued to

press down, he saw a blurry version of the being's sail;

blurry as everything was now in his vision. Then he

remembered seeing a drawing of that creature in a book

when he was a child. With that last image, he felt the

pressure increase once again and felt nothing more.

⬫⬫⬫

When we left our rooms in the morning, the

silence of the remote area seemed to have traveled across

the swamp and reached the ranch. There were no bird

sounds, no breeze, everything was eerily quiet. In the

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doorway, we found Keene, sitting in his rocking chair,

his eyes fixed on something we couldn't see.

— Dr Keene? — I called. As there was no

answer, I touched his arm, to which he responded by

turning quickly toward me; a clear expression of morbid

dread covering his face.

— Jacob? — Frost said, stunned, — What

happened?

Shocked, Keene merely returned his eyes to

where they had been before, and said in a soft, halting

voice:

— Just...a rough night.

— Well, we are leaving for the Steppesaurus

area, — Lucy explained.

— We'd like you to come with us.

The biomedical doctor in front of us looked

mentally dead, without any glint in his eyes or

movement. Suddenly, still maintaining silence, he

headed toward the back of the ranch. Even without

understanding what was going on, we headed in the

same direction, where we would find the canoes for the

expedition. Frost accompanied us there and kept an

inquisitive eye on Keene, wondering what had caused

such a behavioral change. Without leaving his new state

of silence, the doctor picked up his boat and laid it down

in the still water, followed by Lucy. Just as I was about

to do the same, Frost touched my shoulder and

whispered:

— Keep an eye on that man, boy. I have never

seen him so quiet before...He hasn't even had breakfast!

— Thinking about this fact later, it was curious even that

the Brit would skip his favorite meal, but perhaps the

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fact that Boseman was home more often reminded him

that the meal options would not vary much now. Free at

last, I imitated my companions, entering the small canoe

that would take me to that deadly zone.

The trip was accompanied by the ghastly silence

that dominated that morning. During the hours required

to complete it, Lucy and I had long mental dialogues,

using signs and exchanging glances. I never thought that

returning to the remote area would be a relief, but even

that seemed more appealing than the social issue that

arises when the group is silent and I feel like I have to

say something. Disembarking, we followed the

traditional custom of taking the canoes to the foot of the

hill, preventing them from being carried by the water

that, although still, connected to the rest of the marsh.

This meant that the slightest current from rivers and

lakes connected to the marsh could affect the water that

only seemed to be stagnant. We climbed the low hill that

separated us from the lowland that the animals inhabited

and glimpsed the plain, ready to react if we saw anything

dangerous. The area as a whole remained untouched,

which was essential for the study of the species that had

been preserved there.

— Very well, — Lucy explained, rubbing her

hands together, — The plan is to go along the walls

around the shallows and reach the other side. On the

way, we will study the animals we can see.

— You want to get to the other side? Why? —

Keene asked, finally showing that he was still alive on

the outside.

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— Because we are going to open that pump. —

Perhaps in response to my surprised expression, her

apprehension increased as well.

— It's possible to reverse the pumping

direction...isn't it? — she asked, without much

confidence. Answering affirmatively, I had to add:

— It is possible...

To keep our team safe, we went down the wall

again, following the side road that leads to the sides of

the basin. Here, the road was muddy and narrow, but free

from interaction with Steppesaurus. Since there was no

room for the three of us to walk together in a row, Lucy

and I were in the lead, soon followed by Keene, who was

looking to the left, admiring the high walls, an

expression of disgust covering his features at this point.

When we located a more accessible wall, Lucy tested it

first, throwing herself against its surface with hands

already shaped like claws to grip the sides. Over her

shoulder, she then commanded:

— Follow me, boys, let's see if anything has

decided to come out of the bush again.

Imitating her sick way of climbing a surface, I

also threw my body weight, supporting myself with

hands that clung to the soft clay, and began the climb.

Keene did not seem to have the same taste for fun and

disapproved of our gesture. In the sternest way that the

activity allowed, he approached the wall and,

complaining each time a block of clay came loose in his

hands, he followed our route up the wall. With effort,

Lucy reached the top and waited for me to do the same

before describing what was seen. On the plain, a few

meters below us, there were several gaps dotting the

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vegetation that covered the area. For the observer on the

ground, it would be impossible to perceive such

intervals, which would be a sure death sentence. From

our privileged vantage point, we could see the animals

actively moving between these gaps, making entire

circles around them before leaving them again to grab a

Diplocaulus or to lick up what little water remained in

the puddles. To my left, Keene was finally reaching the

top and analyzing with us what was happening in the

shallows.

— My... they have nested here, — he remarked

with a weak smile. Looking more closely, it was now

possible to see what Keene was referring to. Inside each

hole, at the bottom of the tunnel of high branches of

vegetation, the circumference of a few yellowish eggs

could be seen. It was delightful to realize how strong that

species was, persevering and developing despite the

damage humans had done to it. Feeling the same way,

Lucy announced with some sadness:

— We have to bring the water back...and soon.

These babies cannot be born without resources for their

survival.

Imagining this scenario, a darkness fell over the

beauty of the place. She was right — those animals

really were in danger of having their last generation of

offspring. Before we could leave the place, though, I

realized that something was already posing an even

greater risk to those beings. Among the openings in the

vegetation, there was one where we could see broken

eggs and a line of crumpled vegetation that started there

and extended all the way to a wall at the back of the area.

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— What the hell happened there? — Keene

asked with a frown.

— Is it possible that there is cannibalism among

these individuals? — I answered with another question.

— It's not impossible. However... — without

finishing his thought, he started down the slope again,

also not telling us what he intended to do. With the wall

being so slippery, he misstepped, cursing mother nature,

each time he fell a few centimeters and had to hold on

tight again. Then, when he was already a few feet off the

ground, a whole rock broke loose when he leaned on it

and Keene rolled down the slope, finding the ground in a

few seconds.

— Doctor! — we shouted in almost perfect

unison.

— Crickey! Now my back is muddy too! — he

hissed.

— Yeah, he's fine, — Lucy concluded, turning

her eyes back to the animals. I kept mine on the man

who stood up and looked contemptuously at his clothes,

then started to run immediately towards the wall where

the marks on the vegetation ended.

— Shouldn't we...follow him, since the pump is

also in that direction?

— Whatever... — Lucy replied cheerfully, her

eyes still fixed on the Steppesaurus band. They then

followed another trail, a long gap in the grass, connected

to the lake bed. Something attracted her attention in that

other pattern, something interesting enough to take her

attention away from the animals and make her more

willing to continue on her way.

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— Maybe you're right, — she said casually. —

Let's follow the Doctor. — Keeping the tone of mystery,

she descended quietly, using her limbs to anchor herself,

avoiding Keene's mistake. Together, we reached the

ground safely, now following the side road.

— You already have a theory about those patterns

in the grass, don't you? — My question was flattering,

and she received the honor with gusto, savoring my

curiosity in the best style that her last name afforded her.

— In fact, I think I know why Jacob was so

appaled.

⬫⬫⬫

The journey to the other side, on foot and

unhurried, had taken us a few hours, always lagging

behind, while Keene occasionally stopped a few yards

ahead of us to take a breath. We had now reached the

back wall of the slope, the same one Lucy and I had

climbed before. When we began the same task this time,

though, our limbs, which were already badly bruised

from the long walk, felt even worse. The surrounding

cypress trees now fluttered their leaves in the gentle

breeze coming off the marsh, carrying their moisture

with it and refreshing the exhausted ones. Putting the

first foot on the clay wall, I calculated that we would

have to deal with nighttime soon, for the day was

drawing to a close and we still had that huge obstacle to

overcome.

When we finally reached its top, we located the

pump easily, as Lucy remembered its position and

constantly recapped the plan before we got there. I felt

my heart pounding as I remembered the last time we

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were hunted in this area and that the same creatures we

were trying to save might not repay us as kindly.

— Dr. Keene, — Lucy commanded in a low

voice, keeping a sharp eye on the vegetation surrounding

the area, — We're going down now. I need you to stay

here and warn us if you see any signs of danger, all

right? Our lives are in your hands. — Upon hearing

these last words, Jacob shivered slightly, for some

reason. Cautiously, we reversed the position of our

trunks, looking for a solid base to support our feet. The

soft mud that formed the thick walls was depressed by

our weight, even keeping the marks we had left behind.

These walls remained in this state by the intense

humidity of the place, but their end was sealed if heavier

rains reached the region and washed away their outer

layers. However, this change had not yet been caused

and two unique species lived inside, preserved, and

hidden from the modern world.

— All right, you know what to do, — Lucy

whispered to me as we reached the foot of the slope. On

the left, pretty close to the edge of the meadow, was the

pond pump. Who would be crazy enough to install it at

the risk of being attacked? As I approached it, I felt my

body instinctively pull me back, away from the

imminent danger, and my mind push me in the opposite

direction. Only when Lucy paired her step with mine did

I feel brave enough to obey my mind.

The suction mechanism was simple, driven by a

piston that caused a vacuum in the main chamber,

moving the water in the direction of the vacuum. A

reversing mechanism was built in, so that a small change

would cause the piston to generate some vacuum in the

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opposite direction and so...closing the pump chamber

again, I reactivated it and waited for the result. A few

seconds passed before a timid trickle of water emerged,

still accompanied by gulps of air. With the next pump,

the water jetted more strongly, hitting the muddy ground

below us. Soon, a torrent was coming from the

mechanism, bringing water from the outer swamp and

filling the lake once more. With excitement, I turned to

Lucy and said:

— We...we...

— We did it! — she added, hugging me. All

around us the water was already spreading and soaking

our feet. Remembering where we were, I advised:

— Maybe...we should climb back up...before we

don't have enough grip on our feet.

Still laughing, she commented:

— Kevin, you have a talent for destroying

emotional moments. — Letting go, after all, she headed

for the slope, leaving me in the middle of the small

puddle that was spreading to form a huge lake again. The

thought of what she had told me almost held me there,

but a roar brought me back, before I became easy prey

for the Steppesaurus. Climbing the wall again, we were

back in the company of Jacob Keene, who helped us

over to the other side of the wall.

— Good job, — he concluded, anchoring himself

to the slope so that Lucy could rely on him. — Now all

that remains is for us to convince that pair of relics to

leave before they suffer the same fate as the Diplocaulus.

— Do you believe... — Lucy asked, pausing to

pass the other leg, — That they are at risk? I mean, now

that we have eliminated the threat of drought...

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— They are still predators, Lucy. And they

deserve to be feared as predators. — Knowing Keene's

nature, I expected something bitter to follow this

statement, perhaps a reference to the predators we

encountered in Amge, especially the little monsters that

made our father bleed to death. But for some reason,

there was nothing afterwards — no frown, no negative

comment, just calculated facts.

— You're right, — Lucy admitted. — Let's go

back to the ranch, then, and...see what we can do. — The

rim in front of us would be the way back. The immense

basin that contained the shallows was roughly shaped

like a square with rounded angles, and we were now at

one of those angles. The journey along the path we had

already traveled would be too long and even dangerous,

not because we feared Boseman's tame alligators, but

because the slippery clay road could lead anyone deep

into the swamp, where the reptiles would have no moral

impediments to finish the process. So we decided that we

would walk along the edge, taking the opportunity to

take a good look at the result of our actions.

— How does this fit in with your theory, Dr.

Keene? — I asked eagerly as we clung to the edge of the

ravine, stepping on the clay walls to give us some firm

footing.

— I wouldn't like to be interfering in this way,

young man; it doesn't give nature a chance to fight back,

as it has been doing for billions of years, but what we did

was only to restore the initial condition, before another

stupid human installed and activated that pump. In this

case, we did no more than undo the harm he or she did!

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The mention of a likely female suspect in the

case haunted me momentarily. Clearly he had no one

specific in mind, as there was no indication of who the

culprit was. It is also obvious that he could not have been

thinking of Alma Boseman. Or...could he?

The puddle we had created was now spreading its

arms across the lake bed, first being absorbed where it

passed, as the parched soil must first be soaked, only

then to bear a body of water upon itself. Coming from

the opposite angle from us, some animals stirred up the

vegetation where they passed, before reaching the shore

that touched their territory. Finally making their way

through the foliage, several medium-sized Steppesaurus

and then huge monsters appeared at the edge of the lake,

sniffing at the flow of water entering the bed, many of

them already licking it before it had the strength to fill

the bed as a whole. One of the animals roared loudly, as

if announcing to the others what had happened. Around

him, several smaller ones came out of their hiding places

in the shade to drink.

— Do you see the one that roared? — I asked

Lucy. — He's the one with the mark on his sail.

— It's also the one that attacked me when I

entered the meadow, — Keene complained. Shielding

my eyes with a hand, I then noticed another pattern

further away, near the exit of the meadow, where it meets

the foot of the hill. A huge gap extended between the

grass stems, reaching down to the lake bed, with a much

wider gap near it and a large portion of the stems

flattened against the ground. When I turned to Lucy, I

realized that she was also looking at the marks.

— I wonder what happened there... — she said.

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— Maybe a territorial fight or something, —

Keene suggested. — These animals are somewhat

violent, as I've seen.

— I'm not sure, Doctor, — Lucy insisted. —

Look how the marks left by the animals are about the

width of their bodies, but those are bigger, even wider, as

if something had been... dragged there.

— Dragged? — I repeated.

— It's, you know, from side to side and then back

again, in the direction that the canes are bent.

— I think that's unlikely, — Keene said with a

slight laugh.

— Well, don't worry, — she concluded. — I'll

figure it out.

⬫⬫⬫

When we reached the hill again, we didn't have

the courage to go back to the ranch right away. It was

late and the stars were shining down on us, but there was

nothing to fear. The big predators were busy, splashing in

the water that filled the bed, like hippos playing in the

rivers of the savannah. The great Alpha was proudly

exposing his injured sail, shaking it and showing off the

injured side to the other animals, perhaps a sample of

what he was capable of withstanding before giving up.

Funny how animals can mimic human stupidity at

times…

The ones that didn't have their eyes on the Alpha

threw themselves into the water, as if they hadn't seen it

in years, and the little Diplocaulus came out of their

burrows as soon as the water covered their vent. One by

one, the flattened amphibians spread out in the current,

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being carried closer to us, before the flow stopped and

they could swim against the force of the water. We

watched their boomerang-shaped heads come to the

surface, head for the curves of the lake, and submerge

again. Now they would return to live at the bottom of the

pond, where they would wait until something smaller

than them did not suspect their nature and came close

enough to be devoured. This lifestyle also helped to

preserve them, as it made their access more difficult, not

least because some of them would bury themselves

under the banks now, using the muddy ravines to hide

right under their predators' snouts.

To my left, I heard a deep sigh, like a father's

sigh of pride and contentment.

— We did it, — Keene said. — We have restored

the original conditions. We gave nature a better chance

to fight.

— You did well, — Lucy added. — Thank you.

Maybe I was slowly correcting myself, because I

was able to shut up and not ruin another emotional

moment.

Turning toward the outlet of the shallows, we

picked up our canoes and headed back to the ranch. The

news were great, but its effects would be horrendous.