Finding Solace (Ancient Origins Book 2) Read online

  As the beast smashed repeatedly into the door rocking the plane, Menace tried to slip from the broken window at the front of the plane. His belt caught, and he was stuck. He pushed the machine gun out ahead of him and taking his dagger, he sliced his belt off. The sword rattled when it hit the ground and Menace broke free, he swore. He couldn’t go in after it. The hybrid battled the door mercilessly, shaking the plane. Menace stood above the hybrid, his feet braced, he took aim and fired. Nothing happened. He tried again, nothing. The gun wasn’t empty; Tain mentioned something about a gun being jammed. Menace didn’t know how to fix it. He swore under his breath and shook the gun. Nothing.

  The plane was quaking with the determination of the hybrid who took no notice of the man above him, tossing Menace back and forth on the balls of his feet until he crouched. Murderous talon claws squealed over the metal making flying sparks, the noise was deafening. The claws hooked into the door and the mind numbing sound as the door was peeled back grated on Menaces nerves. The hybrid succeeded in opening the door, tossing it aside with such force the metal flew over the tops of trees.

  Once inside, Menace could feel the beast searching for him. Overhead hatches inside the plane were ripped off their hinges and thrown at the smaller windows. Menace was stretched out, peeking inside upside down from the shattered window. Seats went flying out the gaping door hole. The beast roared from the back of the plane. With only seconds left before detection, Menace rose and skidded down the side of the plane and raced to a woven vine coated in pitch and mammoth fat. Using the lighter Lochlan gave him, Menace set it on fire—and ran. The rope-vine wasn’t long and he could hear it hissing its way along the ground. The other end of the rope was attached to the fuel tank. They had run on fumes but Joe informed him there was just enough to make an explosion, and to make sure he was nowhere near the plane when it went off.

  Menace heard the pounding of his heart as his feet connected with the ground. His fists were balled as he raced, head forward. The blast, when it came, blew him to the ground where he somersaulted, was airborne, then hit the earth with a groan. Black smoke billowed to rise high disrupting the clear sky. His ears were ringing. Pieces of plane were tossed high into the air. The head of the hybrid landed beside him giving him a jolt. The tail of the plane was headed right for Menace. There was no way he could escape. He bellowed Solace’s name and felt the ground give way beneath him. The tail bounced on the place Menace once sat, the sinkhole already closed over his head.

  Menace was sailing through the air, coughing dust from his mouth and nose. Guts in a knot he was standing as his feet slipped along a dark hole. The light ahead was blinding as he shot forward bellowing. His target was unfortunate but unavoidable. A surprised Doom caught him as they crashed to the ground. Doom tossed him off and rose grabbing a sword.

  “Well shit, Menace, say your hello with words next time. You weigh more than a mammoth mastodon.”

  Menace jumped up and found a sword. He sliced through a hybrid behind Doom and gave him a cocky grin.

  “I missed you.”

  Doom rolled his eyes. “See how easy that was.” He clapped him on the back and returned to the battle.

  ****

  “Have you made your decision?” the alien asked Solace.

  “Yes. I choose to go to Doom’s planet.”

  “There will be devastation.”

  “I’m certain of it. All of this,” she waved a hand, “shows me I am meant to do something, to be somewhere. I need to be with Menace.”

  “Daddy’s little warrior.”

  Solace raised her chin. “Yes I am.”

  “So be it.”

  “Wait,” she said. “Please, I must know. The children I was with when I first fell into a sinkhole. What happened to them? Was it your sinkhole or did another alien race grab them?”

  The alien appeared to ponder her question. “It was mine. Had you stayed longer, you would have seen them on the ancient planet you encountered. The planet you were destined for until something went wrong as it did with Clarity.”

  “But we were with humans, and the children are not Neanderthals. I didn’t see any of them.”

  “There was mention of another human in that era. Humans that will decide to move away. Children, with the knowledge of another place deep-seated in their young minds will save the people they were given to because they have a memory of the safety of walls, homes. The idea of markets will emerge. The concept of villages will spread.”

  “There were only a few who were taken. Can a few do so much?”

  The alien laughed. “You have, Clarity has. The little ones are loved, they’ve already adapted to their new life. The choice to take them was made when their parents died.” Solace gaped. “You seem surprised. They, their parents, were all killed the same day, a mass shooting spree. You were important to the children on Earth. You helped them to become what they must while in your care for so short a time. You did well. Now you have done well for other children.”

  “Why was I supposed to go to that Earth with the daycare children?”

  “You would have remained with Dagger. Did you not see his interest in you? If there was no Menace, well. Dagger’s people will never leave. Any offspring you would have had would have remained.”

  Solace swallowed hard, Dagger was open with information and kind. If Menace wasn’t there, if she had never met him—but she had met Menace. “The people would have gone unnoticed. My offspring and theirs would never have been found if I remained with Dagger. There isn’t any record of that type of people on my Earth.”

  “Exactly. Perhaps you are right about the hand of fate of another being interfering in what was originally planned for you. It is why we will risk your DNA to be introduced. You have tremendous spirit and will. Your bravery supersedes many. You will need it.”

  Solace was humbled. Yes, during history at times it took only one voice to be heard, as long as it was loud enough and kept on making sound. She smiled, recalling some of the words to a song from her Earth, ‘I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion.’

  The alien bade her to step into a chamber. Solace lost her stomach into a knot as she was dropped, plunged straight down. Fast curves followed, loop de loops. The speed slowed and she braced herself, holding her hands protectively across her belly. When she landed, she bounced off a furry bulwark who groaned, raised a massive claw, snorted in surprise, and then licked her instead.

  “Love me later, Muffin,” she said, shoving the beast aside. She was in the middle of a war zone. Humans and hybrids battled.

  She saw Kiki and Luke in their favorite back-to-back stance. Bongo the massive cave hyena was close as was Rex the tiny T-rex. Doom caught her eye and he gazed at her for a second in surprise. Solace raced forward and grabbed a sword from the ground. She engaged with a young hybrid.

  “My destiny is to live,” the hybrid howled with fewer whistles and more words which startled her for a mere second.

  “Your destiny is to die,” Solace bellowed.

  “Bite me.”

  “I don’t lick assholes. I sure as hell ain’t gonna bite one.”

  The hybrid howled in rage at the taunt. His fury clouded his mind, and Solace sliced through his open arms as they raised, poised to strike. She watched him drop to his knees. A bellow behind her and Solace spun. Menace was there slicing off the clawed hand of a hybrid before it could strike her. Her first instinct was to race into his arms but this wasn’t the time. She filled with pride knowing he had beaten the hybrid on the lonely planet.

  She gazed around but didn’t see Nina or Em; she hoped they were in hiding. Lochlan was in battle. No sign of Joey or Joe. She remembered the alien saying there would be no chance of the aliens getting vital flight information. Tain and Bastian were absent. She would miss them and hoped they were well. Lochlan swung the sword he held as though born to it. The man did love a good fight. She wasn’t certain but she thought she saw Nick weave in and out of the trees. The teen was a shad
ow in this world; he knew every nook and cranny. Solace was happy for him. Time would tell if his fiery hatred of Doom had cooled.

  As if by collective agreement a large whistle blew and the hybrids retreated to lick their wounds. There were fallen humans with hybrids. The leaders of other villagers gathered their dead and retreated. The bodies would be burned. The humans didn’t want dinosaurs to discover a fondness for human flesh.

  Solace was engulfed by Menace’s arms. “I was so worried,” he said, his chest heaving. He crushed her to him and she held him as tight.

  “There is so little time and so much to say.” Solace called to Doom.

  Doom hugged her, as did the others. “It’s time to eat and rest,” Doom shouted.

  “It’s time to head to higher ground.” Solace’s tone was urgent. “We need to get home now because I have something I need to tell all of you, fast.”

  Solace took Menace by the hand and urged everyone to get to shelter, she had a message all villages needed to hear. Gathered together in the main hall Solace gazed at familiar faces and a few not as familiar. Leaders of other closer villages joined them. She stood on the table to gain everyone’s attention.

  “We have a more serious problem than the Neandersauri,” she called out scanning the people. All of Doom’s men were over six foot four, with Doom the largest at six foot six. All men were bald. Menace was the one with the most intricate tattoos. Solace would have been startled by Doom’s lack of tattoos if Menace hadn’t previously explained about the aliens. The village women were all close to six feet with long flowing white hair. Other Earth humans were small in number.

  “Before coming here I was privy to an alien’s prediction. A planet is on a collision course with this one. The alien has agreed to try and manipulate a meteor to hit this planet, bounce this world by tapping it out of the planets way then dragging it back to space on the tail of the other planets gravitational pull. There will be devastating side effects. You will experience nature at its worst. Tidal waves, tsunamis, volcanoes once dormant will rise. Tornadoes, hurricanes, weather changes of huge proportions. Flooding so severe it could cut everyone off from other villages.”

  “What would happen if the other planet hit us?” Doom asked.

  “Total annihilation. This is the only way we can survive, or at least try to. We need to plan. We need to get everything together, food, shelter, water,” Solace insisted.

  “How do we fight the hybrids?” Edge yelled. “They live in the mountains.”

  “By telling them nothing,” Clarity shouted. “We don’t fight. Let them think we are on the run, or regrouping. We go into hiding, and we plan, and more importantly, we all move to higher ground. The higher the better. Much higher than the hybrids have ever gone. Way up into the mountain peaks if possible. The hybrids are wary of returning to their homes as it is because of our attacks.”

  Solace sighed with relief when her friend backed her up.

  “Will our homes not be safe?” Doom asked. “Nothing can penetrate them.”

  “How long are you willing to be trapped if we’re covered by an ocean for a hundred years?” Solace asked. “What will we do for food if trapped too long? How could we breathe? Could we? Think hard about your ventilation system. Being safe and snug is fine, but how do we tell when or if it’s safe to come out without letting the water in or a tide of waiting hybrids? Continents will form. Islands could rise from the ocean, and pieces of land may split and sink. There will be a new definition to this planet when everything settles. I hope it settles.”

  Clarity jumped up beside her. “We need somewhere to watch the storms. The first few days will bring the most destruction. If these homes still stand we can return later. Right now we better batten down the hatches in a new home, a higher home.”

  The leaders of the other villages rushed off to warn their own people, runners would be sent farther afield. Food was brought out as people now sat at the tables discussing the highest point and the safest route.

  “I know highest closest mountain.” The voice was Nick. Solace saw him on the floor surrounded by the other children, the twins, Nina, Em, Kiki, and Luke plus others not of her Earth. Solace was happy to see the ones she loved made it back, though Aba was silent, and Edge was stone faced. Joey Jr. remained with his father on another planet. The boy was never meant to be theirs, but the loss on their faces was apparent, and she hurt for them.

  “Will you take us there?” Doom asked Nick.

  “I take.”

  “Nick,” Solace said. “We need everyone to survive.”

  “I angry,” Nick said. “I hurt. I see too much loss. Mine, yours, all. No loss.”

  Solace wasn’t certain if the teen’s need for revenge cooled or if he realized there was a bigger threat. Nick came back through the sinkhole with the boys. Cole sat sleeping on his lap. Kiki was almost touching the teen’s shoulder with hers. Nick was part of their community, whether he liked it or not.

  “We need to hunt continuously, and forage for what we need,” Menace said.

  “All of our food must be moved, and furs and cooking utensils,” Doom added.

  “Burnable fuel can be found, but what about water?” Solace asked, then guzzled a fair amount.

  “Water inside mountain. Much snow higher,” Nick said. “Cold, but ice can melt.”

  Getting word to other villages was necessary with their plans. The larger the number of humans surviving would give them an edge over the hybrids. The biggest problem was the most important. Too many humans with loaded provisions was bound to give them away.

  “Why don’t we be sneaky in the open?” Solace said.

  “What do you mean?” Doom asked.

  “We make the hybrids think we’re planning to stand our ground in a certain area while the rest of us move everything. We’ll need to look like we’re trying to keep our actions secret. Along the trails to higher ground set the real traps. We can pick them off one by one.” She looked at Nick. “Is there a way to take things into the mountain without being seen?”

  Nick scoffed. “Nick not want be seen, he not seen.”

  “Then we welcome your help,” Doom said.

  “Not for you,” Nick said and sneered. “For family.”

  “Whether or not you like it young man, you’re family. You’ll need to be when we’re in confined spaces,” Menace said. “To keep all family secure we need to work as a team to keep all safe.”

  Solace heard the underlying threat. So apparently did Nick who scowled but nodded. They all went back to their meal while plotting deep into the night. Not only was there need for food, but Solace wanted to gather the massive Aloe Vera plants for medicinal purposes and many other leaves including mint. Her mind raced and took stock of what was needed.

  Morning bustle had the village women with some human women and all the children except Luke and Kiki, bundled high with provisions. They followed Nick who carried nothing. The teen tired easily and it would be a long hike. The path he would lead the women to would take them higher without his aid. Once the women were high enough they would stay and organize inside the many caves Nick claimed existed. Nick was to return for the rest of them below.

  Organized groups went to hunt with the bulwarks. Kiki and Luke set traps with a number of others with Bubble-gum and the cave hyena as lookout. They dug pit traps. The immobilizing blue rocks from the beach were carefully handled and set as traps. They didn’t want to spend too much time on a bogus war zone but unobtrusively saw a few slinking hybrids watching. The villagers played dumb and appeared not to notice.

  When Nick returned he carried the end of a long rope. He explained the rope was attached to many more, to form a pulley up the side of the mountain. The contraption was designed to haul weapons, food, and necessities up and down the mountain, hidden from plain view. There were cave intervals where the items were unloaded then reloaded onto another pulley. Solace suggested egg sip wells, huge hollowed eggs filled with water and stoppered along the way to reduce the
need to haul another burden. The wells could be placed along trails up the mountain and used when needed. Menace smiled and called her remarkable. Solace told him Sapiens meant wise, something he didn’t know.

  The hybrids were wary and regrouping. Solace knew they now traveled in groups of five but with diminishing numbers few sentries could afford to be waylaid. Tension was high as both sides wondered the best day to engage. Solace knew if she were watching she would hope the villagers were tired with their efforts.

  In the sky the dark planet came ever closer over the few weeks that followed. The shift would occur soon. The other meteor wasn’t visible but she knew it was out there. The alien would need to tap the meteor into the planet to send it off course and swing it into the wayward planet for the avoidance of a more serious collision. As Solace shielded her eyes Menace approached.

  “We haven’t much time. If the hybrids haven’t noticed the approaching planet, they will now. I doubt we’ll see the meteor. It’s moving too fast, and compared to a planet it’s small. It’s time to tell Doom we need to go. We need a few days to get up the mountain,” Solace said.

  As they gathered for a last meal in their homes Doom advised everyone they weren’t going to wait any longer. Under the darkness of night, with Nick in the lead, they traveled deep within the mountain carrying massive loads of meat and disassembling the pulleys as they went. Able to move quicker, each bulwark dragged a kill easily three times its size ahead of them. The first night was spent in a cavern halfway up the mountain. The next, a little higher. When they reached their destination, the hunters took the hides from the beasts, scarred after rough travel but useful. Partitions needed to be made, and the main openings sealed off for protection.

  Solace slipped off into a small cavern for privacy. She took a torch and Bubble-gum. The dog sniffed her urine and whined. She patted his head.