Clouds black and heavy with rain loomed dangerously over the fields. Joe scratched his beard thoughtfully . He hoped the rain wouldn’t destroy his newly planted bean fields. He guffawed at the irony. Two weeks of hoping and praying for rain, and now this? It just didn’t seem fair, is all.
A loud squelching noise interrupted his train of thought. He got up slowly from his rocking chair and looked down over the porch railing, squinting in the twilight. A large black creature was lying down there, wriggling as if in terrible pain. It was covered in black scales, reptilian, almost. Joe walked carefully down the porch steps, and over to the creature.
“Hey there, you alright?” said Joe softly. The creature lifted its head and stared at Joe. He took two steps back in shock at what he saw. The creature looked like tiny dinosaur, a raptor, like something out of Jurassic Park. Joe reached behind his back and touched the grip of his Colt 45.
A reptilian head stared at him, its yellow eyes narrow and slit, the black pupils analyzing him thoughtfully. It had two arms with long sharp claws that it was resting on the ground, and two legs tucked underneath its body. There was a long black spike protruding through its left arm. It was eyeing him cautiously, as if waiting to see what he would do.
“What happened to you?” said Joe, pointing at the arm. The head turned down to stare at the arm. Its eyes softened, and it whimpered. Damn, I wonder if this thing is more intelligent than a dog, wondered Joe. His mind raced frantically. Should he help the poor raptor? Or try and put it out of its misery? Joe took a step forward and raised his arms cautiously. The raptor looked nervous about that, but did not show any threatening expression. Joe decided. He needed to help this raptor.
“You can trust me,” said Joe. “I only want to help you.” He took another step forward and knelt down by the raptor. Slowly, he reached out his hand and grasped the arm that was pierced through with the spike. It appeared to be some sort of crossbow bolt, and vicious one at that. The arrow head had razors facing inwards and outwards. Someone had tried to subdue the poor creature, but had missed the heart. The raptor whimpered as he touched the wound, and turned its body upwards to face Joe. Its eyes pleaded for help. The raptor turning over was a good omen. It was showing him vulnerability.
“I’m going to pick you up now and carry you into my garage.” Bending over, Joe grunted as he took hold of the raptor’s body. Definitely as heavy as a calf, maybe more so. He walked slowly into his cluttered garage and placed the raptor on a work table, taking care not to bump its left arm. He turned on a small work lamp, and turned it to face the wound. The raptor’s eyes darted around the garage, the black pupils taking in everything.
“Yeah, I know. The place is a mess, I’ll be honest. Ever since Mary passed away, I really haven’t cleaned it at all.” Joe reached up and opened a cabinet above the desk. There were a few wire clippers in there. Grabbing one, he reached down and placed the sharp shears on the metal bolt. He set his jaw. This was going to be the hard part. He placed his hand on the raptor’s snout and looked it directly in the eyes.
“This is going to hurt, a lot. Are you ready?” The raptor nodded. Ignoring this startlingly sentient gesture, Joe turned to the task at hand. With a strong grip, he snapped the metal bolt in half, and slowly began to draw the other half from the wound. The raptor wriggled and squirmed, deeply scoring the metal countertop with its claws. Gulping hard, he only imagined what those claws could do to flesh and bone.
Finally, it was done. The raptor sat on its haunches in his living room, slowly wagging its tail. The living room was small and cozy, sparingly decorated with a bear rug, some chairs, and a few carved knick knacks here and there. It didn’t seem to mind the large bandage on its arm. It had found the old dog bed and seemed to like it. Joe stared into the deep abyss of the fridge, trying to figure out what in the world to feed the raptor. Fortunately, there was a very large steak left over from last night, still raw. His son had been unable to come over for dinner. Seems divine providence now, thought Joe.
“Hey-“ Joe stopped. He hadn’t given it a name yet. What about Rex? That was his old dog’s name. Plus, the raptor was kind of like a little T-Rex. “Hey Rex.” The raptor turned its head and stared at Joe. It saw the meat in his hands and its eyed bulged with interest. Its jaws opened and a prodigious amount of slime began to dribble out. Joe smiled. “This is for you Rex.” He put in in a tray on the floor in the kitchen, almost being knocked over as the raptor burst into the kitchen and into the steak. Joe looked on in amazement. How much could this raptor eat? Joe reached out and patted Rex on the head, feeling the warm scales with his hands. What would come next, he wondered?
***********
Joe waited patiently as the phone rang. Bill was notorious for ignoring it. Several years ago a healthcare scammer had duped him out of $500. Ever since then it took a couple trys before Bill would answer.
“Hello?” said a annoyed voice.
“Hey Bill, it’s Joe.”
“Hey Joe! How are you?”
“Good! I just wanted to ask you a question. Remember how I gave you the rest of my sheep herd for free? And then you quadrupled it, won all those prizes, and became a millionaire?”
“Yeah?” The response sounded a little worried.
“Would it be possible for me to have one of your sheep every day for a while?”
“Of course Jim! That’s all? I could give you a sheep every day for a day for a year if you want. You planning on having a lot of folks over for a while?”
“No. I bought a new pet and it lots of food.” Joe glanced at the raptor. It was gnawing contentedly on a cow skull while watching a Drama.
“Alright Joe – Don’t see why you don’t just get dog food, but I can do that for you.” Joe was not going to correct Bill’s assumption about him buying a dog.
“Great!”
“I can bring it over later today if you want.” Joe gulped loudly.
“Nah. I can come by later and get it. No problem” said Joe. No reason to have Bill see a dinosaur and freak out. A loud knocking at the door interrupted him.
“Can you bring that dog of yours with you?” asked Bill. Joe sighed.
“Maybe. I gotta go. Someone is knocking at the door.” Joe set down the phone and walked over to the door. He peered through the spyhole. There was some guy in a dark suit out there with sunglasses. Uh oh. Joe walked back to the living room, picked up the raptor and carried it into his bedroom. The raptor looked upset, its eyes bulging and frantic. It had most certainly heard the knocking at the door. He turned on the TV to the nature channel. Good. Lions eating zebras. The raptor whimpered, and looked up at Joe. Joe picked up the remote and turned the channel to the drama that was playing in the living room. The raptor nodded and turned back to the TV. The intelligence it demonstrated was unsettling, at best. Joe shut the door and walked back to the living room.
The knocking came again, this time louder. “Coming” said Joe. He opened the door to see the man appearing to inspect the grass outside the house. “May I help you sir?”
“Yes. I’m with the Department of Wildlife and I’ve been tracking down a dangerous creature. Have you seen any unusual creatures lately? Anything outlandish? Giant lizards?” Joe shook his head, staring down at the briefcase in the man’s hands, wondering if it could hold a crossbow.
“No I haven’t officer, what kind of creature?”
“A large lizard. It’s a rather rare type, and dangerous to people”
Joe put on an innocent smile. “No I haven’t seen it, but I can let you know if I do.” The man smirked at this remark.
“Oh I think you have seen it.”
“I have not.”
“I know you have it.” The man’s smile widened larger. “It’s not yours.”
Joe shook his head. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” The man put his hand out and on the door. Joe pulled the Colt 45 from behind his back in a flash. “Sir, I have no idea what you are talking about, and you are now trespassing on my property. I advise you to get off it if you know what’s good for you.” The man let go of the door and raised his hands in an innocent manner.
“My mistake sir. My mistake.”
“Damn right” said Joe. He watched as the man walked away to his car. A quiver of unease shot up Joe’s spine. He had a dreadful feeling he might come back. Joe wondered if he should consult Bill when he went over to pick up the sheep. Probably the wisest idea.
Joe walked back into the house, taking care to close and lock the door behind him. He walked into the bedroom to see the raptor staring at some photos of his wife and son with rapt concentration. The TV was off, somehow. He shook his head in amazement. This raptor was very, very intelligent. “Hey Rex, we have to go out for a bit. Are you hungry?” The raptor nodded, its eyes soft. Had it been crying? “Well we are going to take a little trip to my friend Bill’s. He has a sheep he’s going to give us every day for a while.” Joe walked out to the barn, the raptor following behind him. He needed something to lead Rex with while they were at Bill’s house. He looked around, finally lighting on an old cow halter in the corner. He lifted it from its hook and began to move towards the raptor.
The raptor’s eyes grew wide, and it took a step back. “Don’t worry Rex. It won’t be for long. I just don’t want Bill to freak out when he sees you. He’s never seen a dinosaur before.” Neither has anyone else for that matter, other than that government man, thought Joe. It narrowed its eyes, but allowed Joe to put the halter over its head.
The drive to Bill’s was uneventful. Joe had placed a tablet playing a Drama on the floor of the cab. That’s where the raptor stayed riveted the entire trip. Didn’t need the raptor scaring anyone driving on the road. Bill would have enough questions.
Bill’s house was enormous, a vast mansion among a sea of sheep pens. Today was Sunday, so all the Sheep handlers were away. That was good. Handling Bill’s reaction to the raptor would be enough work. Besides, all the attention might freak out Rex. Lord knows what that might mean. Joe was hopeful that Bill might know more about the raptor. Bill had been a geneticist in his former life, before he took the rest of Joe’s sheep herd and turned them into prize sheep.
Bill was on the porch reading a book when Joe pulled up to the house. Joe waved. Bill waved, put down the book and began to walk towards the car. Joe looked into the back seat. “Rex, you gotta stay in the car for a while. Is that ok?” The raptor looked up from the tablet and nodded. Joe got out of the car and began to walk towards Bill.
“Joe my old friend! How are you doing these days?” Bill was about fifty years old, with greying hair and thick black rimmed glasses.
“Doing pretty good! Living the retired life, you know.”
“Except for this pet I hear? Where is it?” Bill began to move towards the car.
“About that- Bill I need to prepare you for this. This isn’t a normal pet.” Bill put his hand on the cab door handle.
“Oh so you found a little bear cub eh? Well that isn’t –” Bill opened the door and gawked. The raptor was staring at him, a tablet in its talons. Joe snorted. Of course it had to do something very humanlike the minute it saw someone else. Bill fell to the ground in complete shock, his hand on his chest, breathing very loudly.
“Bill, are you alright?”
“I’m, I’m alright . . . just in shock. Where did you get this? How? What even?”
“I have no idea Bill, no idea. It appeared by my door with a crossbow bolt in its left arm.” Bill kneeled down and held out a trembling arm to touch Rex on the head. Rex looked at Joe. “He’s a friend, don’t worry.” Rex nodded and turned its attention to Bill. Bill rubbed his hands on the crest of Rex’s head, feeling the scales with his hands.
“Do you have any idea how it got all the way out here in the country?”
“No idea.”
“Has it eaten at all yet?”
“A few giant red steaks?”
“Hmmm. We should get that sheep.” Bill led Joe and Rex to a large red barn next to the house. Inside were rows of stalls with various barn animals, cows, horses, goats, a few pigs, chickens, heck an entire petting zoo. Bill’s grandkids loved it. Bill opened one of the pens and pulled out a small sheep. The sheep saw Rex and froze. Joe held the rope as tight as he could so Rex wouldn’t attack the sheep right away. Rex went wild, straining at the leash. Joe looked up at Bill.
“We should take this outside, I think.”
“Yeah, definitely.” Bill was staring past Joe at the barn. Joe followed his glance. All of the animals were staring out at Rex with wide eyes. The sight was slightly unnerving. They walked outside the barn and stood there, silently.
“How should we do this?”
“Release the sheep first?” Said Joe.
“Sounds fair.” Bill released the sheep first. It took off at a gallop as fast as it could go across the field. About ten seconds later, Joe released the raptor. The raptor sped across the field, tearing up the ground with its claws, catching up with the sheep in a matter of seconds. The sheep uttered one last baa before the raptor clenched its teeth on its throat. Bill and Joe watched in horror as the raptor tore the sheep apart.
About five minutes later, it was over. The torn and empty carcass of the sheep lay open, and the raptor walked over to Joe and Bill a bloody mess, reeking of death. It was smiling. A few towels and hoses later, they were all sitting in the living room, the raptor covered in several towels.
“This is too much for you to keep to yourself.”
“Why? It’s way better than a dog – and really intelligent. It nods when I ask it questions!”
“That may be because it’s probably a runaway government experiment. I was involved in genetics in the agricultural industry, but I always heard rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Yeah. Apparently, a government team found a nest of the raptors in the deep jungles of Papua New Guinea. That’s very speculative and hush – hush though.”
“Well, a man in a dark suit with an attitude showed up on my doorstep this morning.” Bill turned and gave Joe a very serious expression.
“What did you do?”
“Well I pointed my pistol and told him to get off my property when he started getting aggressive.”
“I think you could be in some serious trouble Joe. They might kill you”
“That’s part of the reason why I brought Rex with me today. I wanted your opinion -.” A noise came from outside. It sounded like doors slamming. “Are you expecting someone?”
“No, I –” The front door exploded and two armed men in fatigues came bursting into the front hallway. Joe watched in horror as Bill’s shoulder erupted in blood. Without thinking, Joe dived behind the coffee table and flipped it over, his pistol in his hand, cocked and ready for action. It had been many years since the marines, but Joe hadn’t forgotten everything he learned. He put his hand over the table and fired two shots, hitting the first man in the chest. He looked at the coffee table, hoping that Bill – there it was. A sawed off shotgun was loosely taped under there. Joe ripped it off and checked to see if was loaded. Slugs. He peeked his head over the edge, trying to see where the second soldier was.
The raptor had eviscerated the other soldier, and was now busy tearing out the throat of the first. Joe crept over to the hallway and looked past the raptor at the doorway. A third soldier was in the yard with the dark suited man. The man was holding a large crossbow and talking enthusiastically on a cell, waving his free hand in the air. Joe dashed to the door and fired the shotgun at the third soldier. He dropped instantly. Joe took a deep breath and stepped into the front yard. The raptor was behind him, obviously afraid of the crossbow.
The man stopped talking on the phone the second the other soldier hit the ground. He raised the crossbow and pointed it at Joe. “I see you have the raptor after all.”
“And it seems we are at an impasse. Your soldiers are dead. It’s just you now.”
“Not really, I have the upper adva-“ Joe rolled his eyes and fired both barrels. The slugs tore into the man’s chest, peppering the white shirt a dark crimson. He wasn’t going to stand here while his friend might be dying and listen to this idiot talk about how powerful he was. The man collapsed to the ground, his sunglasses falling off in the process. Joe bent over the man. He was still breathing in ragged gasps.
“Why were you chasing me?” The man coughed deeply, and tried to speak.
“No sense in hiding it now. That raptor is the first.”
“The first what? Dinosaurs have been extinct for a long time. Of course I know that.”
The man tried to laugh, coughing up blood. “The first human/animal hybrid.”
“What?” Joe’s mind whirled. This raptor has a soul? There’s a human being in there?
“Yes. Her name is Rachel. She’s thirteen years old, aren’t you Rachel?” Rachel nodded. Joe’s eyes began to well with tears.
“How could you do this to her?”
“We’ve been trying a lot of things. I stopped feeling guilty long ago.” He drew in another sharp jagged breath. “You don’t have much time before-” He choked again, trying to say more. He could no longer speak. His face distorted several times as he tried to speak again. The light faded from his eyes. He was gone.
Joe turned to Rachel. “I had no idea that you were human.” He turned to walk towards the house. “I need to check on Bill, see if he’s ok.” He feared the worst, that his old friend might be dead. To his surprise, Bill was standing on the porch! “Bill! Are you ok?”
“I’m ok. It just broke my shoulder.” Bill smiled weakly. “Could be much worse.” He stared past Joe at the raptor. “What’s she doing?”
Rex – no, Rachel was carrying a collar in her jaw across the yard. She laid it in front of him and looked up, a pleading expression in her eyes. Joe bent down and fixed the collar around her neck. “What does this thing do?”
“It lets me speak,” she said. “it translates my vocal cord vibrations into words that make sense.”
“Well if that don’t beat all.” Joe was amazed.
“Well if y’all are done talking, we should plan for you guys to leave soon. I have a feeling more will be here shortly. I have a bunch of supplies in the basement.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. I got places to hide. They’re looking for you, anyway.” Joe was concerned for Bill. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving his friend like this. He looked at Rachel too, gnawing his lip thoughtfully. She was the one he needed to protect.
“You worry about her” said Bill, as if reading Joe’s mind. “Now hurry up, we’re burning daylight.”
Twenty minutes later, the truck was packed with supplies, as well as several dead sheep. Joe had no idea where they were going, or what they were going to do. One thing was clear in his mind. He had to protect this girl. He had to help her become normal again. That’s all that mattered.
“Are you ready, Rachel?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“No idea where we are going. I -I want to help you become human again.”
She nodded her head. “I have a few ideas on where to start looking.”
They got in the truck and drove out of the farm. The sun was beginning to set now, the dark clouds with their rain finally gone. The sun’s rays cut red beams through the trees, lighting up the road with a soft rose light. The truck headed into the sun, and out of view.
