Dinosaur Armageddon Vol. 1: Vengeful Promise

Chapter 14

Joshua walked through the forest with the girls close by him, stepping over the occasional log, crushing rotten vegetation under his feet, crunching rocks with each step, and moving branches out of his way. The summer heat was intense and sweat soaked his shirt, but that didn't slow him down. As always, he could hear dinosaurs calling out in the distance. Some were closer than others, but he didn't sense any sign of endangerment.

"Are you really sure that it's nearby?" Jessica asked, her voice revealing her exhaustion and her annoyance. "If it was, we would've found it by now."

"I am absolutely one hundred percent sure that we're almost there," Josh replied, wiping his forehead with a muscular arm. "I'm telling you guys, I saw it with my own eyes. It can't be too far now. You'll see. We might not have to search for our own food out here in the wild anymore if all the stuff inside is still good. You'll be grateful."

Josh remembered very clearly where he was going. The day before, he was walking through the wilderness, looking for anything that might be edible, such as berries or wild game. It was his turn to forage for a meal, after all. He had a little bit of luck taking down a pair of squirrels, a grouse, a handful of wild asparagus, and a bunch of cherries. After packing all the rations into his bag, he began to make his way back to the Underground (the name he and the girls decided to call their new home by for obvious reasons).

As he came up a tall hill, he looked down the slope. He noticed a cluster of buildings around the base. Upon closer inspection, he found a public laundromat, a dry cleaner, a hardware store, and an old food stand.

But only one building really caught his eye: a grocery store.

And wherever there was a grocery store, there is also food.

He then rushed back to the Underground and informed Natasha and Jessie what he had seen. They agreed that they would set out to find it the next day and see if any of the food there was any good.

And now, a day later, Josh and the girls are outside in the heat, under the trees, seeking after the building. They have been on the move now for over an hour.

Josh couldn't see Natasha and Jessie behind him, but he could hear Tash whisper to Jessie, "I think his definition of nearby exceeds our definition of nearby by a landslide."

Josh heard Jessie try to stifle a giggle and frowned. He really didn't understand what the problem was, they have all walked longer than this in the past before they found the Underground. Sometimes they'd walk for nearly a whole day. Maybe the reason behind their behavior was because they doubted him; that they believed everything he saw was nothing more than wishful thinking. But he knew that the buildings were there, and he couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces. Their expressions would be worth saying "I told you so". It would be totally worth it.

Still though, he thought it wouldn't be a sin to allow the two of them to recharge their batteries for a moment before pressing on. Besides, it would be a good time to scout the area to see how much further they had to go while he waited for them. Unlike them, Josh had plenty of energy to burn. He might as well go let off the excess steam.

"Alright, you two," he said, turning around to look at them. "You can rest yourselves now."

Jessie and Tash sighed and tumbled onto their backs on the ground, a look of repose on their faces. Josh noticed that the two of them were prespiring as much as he was. Sweat collected on the armpits and collars, and backs of their tops, giving it a kind of clammy, sticky look. More sweat rolled down their heads in tiny pearls.

"Oh, thank God," Tash said.

"Sweet relief," Jessie sighed.

Josh rolled his eyes. "You two stay here." He said. "I'm gonna look around and see how much further we need to go. It shouldn't take much longer to reach there. I'll be back after I found the location."