The Land of Dinos

The radio crackled to life, cutting through the silence that preceded it. A whirring sound came through, as a gramophone began to play classical music. A man in a suit walked up to the hanging microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said to the broadcast audience as the music faded. “Tonight we present a dramatic reading of Matthew Cratton’s thrilling tale, The Land of Dinos.” A recording of a dinosaur roar echoed through. “There will be some frightening moments, so parental discretion is advised. And everyone, please remember that this is a work of fiction. Disregard the fact that this station hosted a news broadcast earlier this evening. Now it's a special presentation. So, sit back and enjoy our rendition… of The Land of Dinos.”

The man checked his pocket watch as introductory suspense music offered him a short break. Right on schedule, he thought to himself. It was 8:02 pm.

***

In the riverside mining town of Swimport, Gary Grummund and his family had just finished their dinner. His wife, Deb, was washing the dishes while his kids, Molly and Albert, were sweeping and cleaning the table. Gary grabbed his third beer of the night and sat down in the living room.

As he popped off the cap, he lamented about how late work kept him out. His poor family had to wait for him every night until around 7:30. Deb was adaptable, but he knew the children were hungry well before then. He took another swig and looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was 8:15.

The children would join him in a couple minutes. So, like most nights, he’d have one precious hour before having to bring them to bed. He’d also have to leave before they caught the school bus. Holidays were his only respite. Growing up, he had wanted to be a hero. Instead, he got this miserable existence!

He rose to his feet, stumbling slightly. Might as well hear what’s going on out there, he thought. He switched on the radio.

“Emergency bulletin! Emergency bulletin!!” the voice blared. He jumped back and nearly fell over. “We’re getting reports from across the country of major stampedes. Repeat, major stampedes are overtaking the streets!”

“WHAATTT?!” he roared. A dish shattered in the kitchen and Deb came running, with Albert and Molly close behind.

“What is it?” Deb asked. He could only point to the radio and urge them to listen.

“Massive reptilian beasts of unknown origin are flooding cities and towns across the nation,” the broadcast continued. The three of them gasped and gathered around the radio. “Citizens are urged to stay off the streets and seek shelter immediately. Repeat, seek shelter immediately!” The four glanced nervously at each other. “The National Guard is assisting other military units for a rapid response. Bomber jets are being scrambled from every hangar in the United States. We are unsure if there will be enough weapons to go around, or if they’re effective against these lumbering giants.”

“Daddy,” Molly said, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m scared!”

“I know honey,” Gary said. “I… know.” He just stared forward.

“It’ll be ok, Molly,” Deb said and knelt down to hug her daughter close. “It’s all gonna be ok.”

“Dad…” Albert said. Instead of finishing the thought, he hugged Gary tightly.

“There’s reason to believe,” the radio voice continued. "That these creatures coordinated a mass escape from at least a hundred biological laboratories.”

“What?!” Gary yelled, springing out of his trance. “Bio… bio-what?”

“I think they mean science labs,” Deb said, looking up from her embrace with Molly.

“Scientists!!” He bellowed. “Damn scientists. I always knew they’d go too far one day!” He turned sharply, bucking Albert off of him and ran out.

“Gary!” Deb called after. He was already gone, though. She let go of Molly and kissed her head, promising to be right back. She told her son to stay with his sister.

When she got to the door of the master bedroom, he was already coming out, cocking his shotgun. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Saving the town,” he said. “Maybe all us men can hold back whatever those… things are!”

“What?” she replied. He stepped around her and she grabbed his arm as he headed away. “At least let me come with you. You’re gonna need everyone. I can get my gun…”

“No!” he cut in. “Stay with the kids. Take them to the basement so you’re all safe.” She opened her mouth to protest. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with, Deb. They could crush the house!” She looked around and sighed.

“Ok,” she said sullenly. “Just be careful.” He gave her a big, long kiss and sprinted out the front door.

***

Clanging pots and pans rang out into the night. “Get home!” a man shouted. “Get home, get hommmmme and stay there! We’re UNDER ATTACK!!”

“Everyone, stay home!” another man joined in. “Everyone, take cover at home!!” They changed their pots and pans together at a furious pitch. Gary would know those voices anywhere. It was his neighbor, Paul and their drinking buddy, Benny.

He yelled out, but the two men were far ahead of him. He had to run for over three minutes to reach them.

“STOP,” he finally shouted. The pair turned and saw him barreling toward them. They stopped and faced him.

“Gary!” Paul exclaimed. “You heard too? These goings-on are gonna get scary.”

“Yeah!” Benny agreed. “What do we do? What do we doooo?!”

“Well, don’t tell EVERYone to stay home!” Gary said angrily. The two glanced at each other. “Tell families to stay home, sure. But we need to gather the men.” They looked at him blankly. “Gather the men, gather the men! We must get together, stand our ground. Maybe all of us… all of us together… can stop these things!”

“Gary,” Paul said. “You… you really think we could do something like that? I mean we should….” He trailed off.

“Yes, we should!” Gary said. “We should, Paul. Someone has to do something! We can do it. We can be the protectors of the town!”

“Protectors…” Paul murmured. He looked at Benny, then back to Gary. “Can we really be the protectors?”

“Not only can we,” Gary said, smiling. “But we HAVE TO. Ok? We are the protectors!” Paul and Benny let out a howl, which echoed through the streets. Gary’s smile deepened.

“We’re the protectors,” Paul chanted. “We’re the protectors!”

“We’re the protectors!” Benny joyfully repeated. “We’re the…”

“Ok, enough,” Gary cut in. They stopped and looked over. “So… we know what to do?” They saluted Gary but didn’t move. He stared at them. “You know what to do?” They barked a standard military greeting but otherwise didn’t move. He sighed angrily. “You know what to do??” They saluted all over again. He groaned. “Gather the men, dammit! Gather the men!!”

Both ran off in separate directions. Somehow, they instantly decided who was going where. Gary looked down and discovered they had dropped their pots and pans. He looked that direction for a moment. Oh well. He swung his shotgun over his shoulder. He selected two cookware pieces he liked best and marched forward. Now he clanged them together. “Women and children, find cover! Familes, find cover. Men, come forward! All warriors, come on out!!”

***

Twenty-odd minutes later, Gary had recruited both Paul’s nephew, Drew, and a guy everyone just knew as Barbell. Gary realized, marching alongside him, that he didn’t have any natural bond with his neighbor’s nephew. Well, who would? Now, they were just brothers in arms.

“They’re dinosaurs!!” some other man screamed out. “Everyone heard that, right?! The news just said these things are dinosaurs!” The yelling continued, and the three of them darted around, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, Drew pointed toward a tall silhouette sprinting away to the west. “Run for the trees,” was the last thing they heard. “Run for the treeeeeeess….”

Everything was silent for a moment. They exchanged glances. It seemed that no one wanted to talk first.

“Hey…” Gary said, breaking the silence. “What’s a dino…sour?”

“Dinosaur, Gar,” Drew said. “Haven’t you heard? Dinosaurs are the creatures that were here before us.” Gary and Barbell glanced at each other.

“Before us?” Gary wondered. “You mean besides wolves and fish?”

“Yeah,” Drew said. “They were these giant… giant lizard-type things!”

“What? Really??” Gary asked. Drew nodded. “So, these dino…whatevers. They’re giant lizards?”

“Basically, yes,” Drew said. “Scientists started finding these bones…”

“Ok, nevermInd,” Gary cut him off. “Don’t talk to me about scientist crap! It’s their fault these things are back in the first place.”

With that, the trio ran off. Two blocks over and one block down from his house, Gary finally saw Paul and Benny again. They were discussing something with another man. It was Sheldon, someone Gary barely knew.

“Gentlemen!” He exclaimed. The three of them turned around to see them. Grins came across their faces.

“Gar-bear,” Paul said gleefully. Gary shuddered, just slightly. He gave them a two-fingered salute.

“Drew with the brew!” Benny called to the young man. Drew sent him playful gun signals in return.

“So, how’s it going?” Gary asked them. “Is this the best we’ve got so far?”

“Yeah,” Paul said. “Other fathers want to shelter with their families.” Gary sighed. “And then there was Papa Frank…”

“Oh yeah!” Benny exclaimed. “We tried to explain, but he told us how he turned the broadcast off after several minutes. I guess he thinks he’s too old for this stuff.”

“Yeah,” Paul agreed. “And guess what? He asked us how we know this is real.”

“What?!” Gary yelled. “Is it real? It’s on the radio, dammit! How stupid can you get?”

“Have you guys seen anything out there?” Barbell asked.

“Not yet,” Paul said. “But we don’t know how far away the nearest lab is.”

“Exactly,” Gary agreed. "We gotta stay vigilant tonight! This is for the whole town. Even idiots like Papa Frank.”

“Aye, aye!” the five others shouted.

“Ok,” he continued. “Let’s go back to each of our houses to say goodbye. We’ll let our families know we won’t be back until everyone is safe.”

“Oh yeah,” Drew said. “I didn’t even think about my mom! I hope she’s doing alright.”

“She’ll be fine, son,” Paul said, putting his arm around the young man. “I’m sure she’s already made it over to my house. My sister, your mom… she’s a tough broad.”

“So is my sister, Miss Azalea,” Benny said.

“Yup,” Gary said. “And my Deb too.” Drew and Paul nodded and led the way. Sometimes too tough, he thought. Barbell took up the rear and kept watch.

***

Deb sighed. It was a long, guttural sigh that Gary had only heard twice in all their years together. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she pulled away.

“Look…” he said. “We have to do this. The guys and I agreed to help the town, no matter what. It’s a promise now.”

“And what if the creatures don’t come here?” she asked.

“Then…” he paused. He hadn’t had a moment to think about that. “Well… then… we have a responsibility to go out there!” Her eyes widened. “Yeah, we’ll go out there. We might be spared, but there will be another town that will need our help.” She sighed again.

“Gary… why?” she asked. “Why in tarnation would you go all the way out there, when your family’s here?”

“I just told you,” he said. “They’ll need our help.”

“WE need your help!” She exclaimed. Now he sighed and put his hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll all come back, Deb,” he said. “I swear to you that.” He kissed her and her arms wrapped around his back, pulling him closer. A still moment passed.

“Wait…” she finally said. “How will you get to these other towns?” He grinned.

“Barbell’s got a vehicle.”

***

The initial excitement the six men felt squeezing into Barbell’s Ford jalopy soon dissipated. Drew tried to keep standing, looking in all directions for activity. As they bumped along, he also cupped his ears, straining to detect any sound. Even the youngest ears would have trouble hearing over this engine, Gary thought. He and Benny were holding their shotguns pointed over both sides, scanning back and forth as best they could. Drew has a shotgun as well, laid across his seat. After a particularly nasty bump, however, the lad sat down and held it upright instead.

Paul and Sheldon each held a machete, with pitchforks leaning on either side of them also. Though he was behind the wheel, Barbell glanced side to side every chance he got. Gary could tell he would rather be a passenger on patrol as well. But no one else knows how to drive this thing, he thought.

They got to Calderville sometime after the boredom settled in. Even though every shadow would remind them of their apprehension, it would constantly give way to boredom again. At this point, they were happy to just to see civilization.

They traversed the entire perimeter of the town before seeing one, solitary silhouette. They turned sharply down that street in pursuit. As they got closer, the view emerged of pistols in each hand and a shotgun strapped around the back. They got within five feet, and Drew tried to call out. They could see the man turn his head and immediately turn back to sprint away faster. Barbell sped up, trying to close the gap. Gary and Paul also called to the man. At the end of the road, he took a left and stopped. Before the other men could wonder what was happening, shots rang out all around them.

“Woah!” Barbell shouted as he ducked down with a screeching halt. The other men fell down into the carriage as a corner of the windshield shattered. There was a couple of other hits that echoed around the siding as the men crouched there. After a long moment, the men looked around at each other. Gary slowly rose. Once his eye line was over the dashboard, a shot tore through the fender below. He lowered his head back down for a second and then brought it back up just in time to see the man turn and run down the perpendicular street, out of sight.

“Everyone ok?” Gary asked as the others rose their heads. They all nodded and got up too.

“What was that about?” Drew asked. “We were just trying to help.” Paul put a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Gary said. “Well, maybe we don’t have to help the ungrateful.”

***

Hours dragged on into the night. Whether they were within some town’s limits or the middle of nowhere, the darkness seemed to be all the same. That was, until dawn started breaking.

Barbell pulled over to the side of the road. Everyone else looked at each other, puzzled. He sighed and said he’ll have to take them back. Gary and Benny protested, yelling that they’d all come too far. The remaining three glanced at each other nervously. Barbell told them he had to get back. Gary and Benny shouted again.

“Stop it!” Drew cut in. “He’s right. We did our best, but we haven’t found anything tonight.”

“But what about the next town?” Gary asked. “There must still be people out there…”

“That what?!” Drew shouted in annoyance. “We don’t know anything that’s happening. Maybe the government rounded up all the dinosaurs. Maybe it’s a wild goose chase.”

Gary’s eyes dropped. Benny shook his head. He reached over and opened the side door. Everyone else started yelling and asking what he was doing as he stepped out and closed it again. He put up his hand to silence them.

“You all go back,” he said. “But if there’s a beast anywhere to be found, I’m going to keep looking.” The uproar began again. “No, no! I finally realize it. This is my purpose! I don’t have my life ahead of me, like you Drew. I never married, like you guys. And I also never…” he paused, turning to Barbell. “Never did whatever you’ve done to afford a car.” Gary protested. “I’m tired of being that scared little boy! I’ll finally come back a man, ok? Just go, all of you!”

***

It was noon by the time they made it back to town. A small group had gathered in front of Gary’s house, with Deb and Sue, Paul’s wife, on the stoop with newspapers. The men all got out and started explaining. Benny’s sister came forward and asked where he was. Gary got choked up.

“I’m sorry, Miss Azalea,” he said. “But… we don’t know where your brother is.” She screamed and fell to the ground, clutching her chest. Two women ran over to console her as she sobbed. He turned to Deb, whose eyes were wide with horror. “Look…” he began, but she slapped him across the face. He stared at her, agape. As he asked why, she opened her newspaper and shoved it into his chest. Sue and her stormed away into the house. The four other men gathered around to read it. “Paul, what does fic…tional mean?” They all groaned and hung their heads.