“What do you mean everywhere?”
“Everywhere,” the clerk said. “New York. L.A., Chicago... London, Paris – fuckin' Beijing.”
But the big guy was shaking his head stubbornly.
“Oh come on. This doesn't even make any sense. What? Did every country in the world just go psycho overnight and suddenly decide to blow each other up?”
He turned to Jonah, as if for confirmation. Jonah stared back doubtfully.
“Wait a minute,” the woman-in-flannel said. “What's 'happening everywhere'? What exactly did you see?”
The clerk blinked back at her, hesitant to put it into words.
“I... don't know what I saw,” he stammered helplessly. “There were... things.”
The big guy snorted derisive laughter.
“'Things',” he repeated. “Great.”
He tossed twenty bucks for gas and groceries on the counter,
“My sister lives in L.A.,” he said, “I've got a land-line at home. I'll give her a call.”
Now he actually chuckled. “That's one of the benefits of living in the Northwest – no one ever wants to bomb Oregon.”
He hiked his grocery bag over one shoulder and walked out, still tapping his phone, trying to raise a signal.
Jonah flipped back his own Star Trek screen to see if he could at least access voice-mail. Walking with his head down, he nearly tripped over the woman-in-flannel standing at the door, who was likewise trying to activate her own dead phone.
She looked up with a neutral shrug. “Nothing.”
Jonah held the door for her and followed her outside.
He almost bumped into her again as she suddenly stopped cold, her breath catching in an abbreviated gasp.
Nearly stumbling, he reflexively caught her shoulders in his hands, before he looked up to see what was the matter.
Standing in the parking lot, just between the store and gas-pump, was a dinosaur.
In fact, it looked like a T. rex.
It was eating the burly gentleman who had walked out before them.
The five-foot head tossed back the still-kicking mouthful the way Jonah had seen a pelican toss down a flopping fish.
There was a wet, gulping swallow, and then the beast turned its attention to them.
Its head cocked, fixating like a hawk.
Jonah froze, unsure whether to move.
Beside him, however, the woman-in-flannel pulled a pistol from her deceptively frumpy jacket. Feet spread, demonstrating obvious training, she began to shoot – firing off an entire clip.
The first sting startled the beast – it snapped at empty air after each successive shot.
Then with a low growl, it turned to them again, apparently making the association – and appearing displeased.
Jaws gaping, it charged.
Age of Monsters is available from Amazon here!
Or find more great dinosaur adventures at www.severedpress.com
