Lost Predator Read online

  Taking the photo, Cutter suddenly froze. He’d seen that exact picture before. Helen frowned at the fearful look on his face.

  ‘What?’ she asked, curious.

  Cutter’s mind raced. The photo, the camera, the camp… everything. He’d seen it all the first time he and Captain Ryan came through the original anomaly in the Forest of Dean, when they’d tried to return Rex and had begun searching for Helen in the first place.

  Cutter’s eyes grew wide as he remembered something else. There had been a skeleton buried there. If they’d all been here before, then the bones belonged to one of them!

  ‘The camp,’ he stuttered, looking at Helen wildly. ‘It’s the camp we found the first time. We made it.’

  Cutter raced down the hill towards the supply box, as Helen watched quizzically. She didn’t understand what he was talking about.

  ‘It’s us!’ he shouted as he came level with Captain Ryan. ‘We’re the intruders.’

  ‘The camp we found was old,’ Ryan reasoned, thinking back to the tattered tents and rusty supply boxes they’d seen. ‘There was a dead body,’ he added, wondering whether Cutter had finally lost it.

  ‘Don’t you see?’ Cutter said, rifling through a supply box and pulling out objects they both recognized from the first trip. ‘We’ve arrived back years before the first time we came here.’

  Ryan looked at him in shock as Helen came down from the hillside. Cutter stared at the soldier in horror. ‘We’ve created our own past!’

  Before Ryan could reply, a storm of protest erupted from the crate holding the ugly babies. Ryan motioned to his men as all the SAS soldiers raised their weapons. Something was out there.

  ‘We must be near the anomaly!’ Helen cried, believing the tiny predators were shrieking for another reason. She picked up her rucksack, ready to begin the search. ‘This is it, Nick,’ she whispered, a look of greed suddenly spreading across her face. ‘We’ve found it. We’ve found the future!’

  Cutter recoiled in horror as the truth finally dawned on him. She’d had a hidden agenda all along. Helen hadn’t returned to the forest to help them find the predators at all – she’d come back because she knew they could lead her to a world beyond the present.

  ‘That’s all you cared about,’ Cutter said incredulously. ‘You just wanted to find the future for yourself!’

  Helen smiled at him shrewdly. Hitching up her rucksack, Helen walked over to join the soldiers, looking over her shoulder at Cutter with a smirk.

  Helen was just a metre away when the female Future Predator struck, tearing into a soldier just ahead of her. Just as Stephen had feared, the dead predator had not been alone. Following the cavalry carrying the crate of squawking babies through the anomaly, the mother predator had finally caught up with them. And now she wanted revenge.

  As the creature’s babies shrieked furiously, the remaining soldiers scrambled for position. For once, Helen was completely taken off-guard.

  The evil predator swiftly began to pick off the men one by one before moving back to the crate, splitting open the box to release her young. Captain Ryan sprinted forward, successfully shooting the creature as the ugly babies crawled around it.

  But the Future Predator wasn’t going to be taken down that easily. Full of fury and adrenalin, it leapt forward and knocked Ryan down, dragging him along the stony hillside in its jaws. Cutter watched in horror. He and Ryan had been through so much together – was this the end for all of them?

  Sensing someone watching it, the creature looked up, locking eyes with the professor. Losing interest in the prone soldier, it bounded across the landscape, snarling viciously at Cutter as it crept towards him. He braced himself for the strike.

  But it never came. Suddenly, the creature let out a howl, looking into the distance behind his victim. Cutter turned in confusion, as a mighty roar sounded. A massive Gorgonopsid loped into the clearing, attracted by the scent of fresh blood it had picked up. As Cutter caught his breath, the dinosaur charged towards the predator, past and future colliding together in a mass of claws and fangs.

  The power of the hungry Gorgonopsid easily outweighed that of the injured Future Predator. Rearing its head, the prehistoric carnivore caught the creature in its powerful jaws, throwing it like a rag doll into the air.

  The female predator lay groaning on the ground as the Gorgonopsid spied the baby predators wriggling out of the crate. Sensing an easy kill, it began devouring the squealing creatures, one by one.

  Without warning, the furious Future Predator recovered, desperate to protect its offspring. Its savage teeth ripped into the Gorgonopsid as it sprang on to the back of the dinosaur, both creatures fighting for supremacy. Baying for blood, the howling Future Predator clawed repeatedly at the tough hide of the hapless Gorgonopsid, leaving huge gashes in the larger creature.

  As Cutter crawled silently towards Captain Ryan, it looked like the predator was going to prevail. But in a blur of twisted limbs and confusion, the monolithic Gorgonopsid reared up angrily as the Future Predator clung on, landing on the creature as it fell backwards and crushing it to death.

  Sounding a victory cry, the embattled Gorgonopsid grasped the remains of the Future Predator in its jaws. Ignoring the last two humans, it made its way through the destroyed campsite and into the forest to devour its prey.

  Turning back to the injured Ryan, Cutter desperately tried to comfort him. The captain looked up at him as he lay on the ground, his face racked with fear and understanding. Ryan tried to speak as he gasped for air. ‘The first time we came here, that body we found… that was me, wasn’t it?’

  Cutter said nothing. They both knew the dreadful answer.

  ‘I was looking at myself…’ finished Ryan sadly, as he closed his eyes and took his last breath.

  With a heavy heart, Cutter looked over to Helen. She was inspecting the tiny bodies lying on the ground around the crate.

  ‘It looks like they’re all dead,’ she decided, not seeming to care about the carnage they’d just witnessed.

  ‘This is over,’ Cutter said firmly, as Helen came over to him. ‘We should bury the men and then we’re leaving.’

  But Helen had no such plans.

  ‘We don’t have to go back, Nick,’ she whispered seductively. ‘The future anomaly must be here somewhere. We can still find it!’

  Cutter shook his head. Her greed and stupidity had already caused the death of so many people. What was she thinking?

  ‘If you want to stay here and look for it, that’s fine,’ he said, picking up his rifle and looking towards the horizon. ‘But you’re going to have to do it on your own, because I’m leaving.’

  Helen’s mood suddenly darkened. It was obvious to her that Nick was going back because of Claudia. The very thought infuriated her.

  ‘I know where I belong,’ Cutter added, standing up. He just wanted to get through the anomaly and go home.

  Helen looked at him for a second, trying to figure out her next move. She was still determined to find the anomaly into the future. But perhaps there was one final thing she could wrap up in the present first.

  She picked up her rucksack and followed Cutter as he headed back across the stony barren landscape of the Permian era. Cutter focused straight ahead, barely looking around him. The ancient landscape no longer fascinated him.

  Behind them, way up on a hillside, two squealing creatures watched the scientists leave, darting through rocks and clawing at each other.

  For once, Helen had been wrong. Some of the baby Future Predators were still alive.

  Abby and Connor sighed with relief as Cutter came walking through the anomaly back into the Forest of Dean. But there was something about his expression that made them worried.

  ‘What happened?’ asked Lester, his arms folded impatiently. ‘Did you find the anomaly?’

  Cutter shook his head gravely as Helen appeared behind him. They were alone.

  ‘Captain Ryan didn’t make it,’ he said solemnly. ‘All the men are d
ead.’

  The SAS soldiers looked visibly distressed.

  ‘Whatever happens,’ Cutter said, wanting to finish it once and for all, ‘nobody goes back through.’

  ‘Well!’ huffed Helen behind him, walking away from the anomaly and into the clearing. ‘I’m sorry to break your new rule so soon Nick, but I’m not staying.’

  Cutter stared at her in confusion as she strode purposefully over to Stephen. What was she up to now?

  ‘You see, I don’t want to be alone any more. And you once said you’d do anything for me if I gave you the chance,’ she said, smiling at the younger lab technician. Stephen glared at her angrily. ‘Here it is. Come with me.’

  It was obvious from the way she approached him now that there was unfinished business between them. Before her disappearance eight years ago, it seemed that she and Stephen had been more than just good friends. Both Abby and Cutter were shocked.

  ‘Well?’ demanded Helen, smirking at Stephen. ‘Are you coming?’

  Stephen turned to look at Cutter. The professor returned his gaze, completely dumbfounded. He hadn’t known about a relationship between Helen and Stephen. Even though he didn’t love Helen any more, Cutter felt like he had been slapped in the face. Why was she trying to make Stephen, his closest ally, swap sides?

  But the younger man was having none of it. Any romance with Helen was in the past. Without saying a word, he glared at her before rejoining the group, making his loyalties clear.

  Helen frowned. Turning to study the other individuals standing around the anomaly, she hoped to find a friendly face. But instead, everyone in the clearing looked back at her with sadness in their eyes. Every time she’d come through an anomaly she’d caused nothing but pain. Now they just wanted her to go for good.

  Helen’s face was a mix of coldness and confusion. Giving Cutter one final look of defiance, she turned on her heel and stormed back into the anomaly.

  Cutter looked at the ground for a second. He didn’t know quite what to make of the last few minutes and his head ached. But something else irked him.

  Someone was missing.

  ‘Where’s Claudia?’ he said suddenly, his eyes darting around the clearing. ‘Where’s Claudia Brown?’

  Lester looked at him, puzzled. Maybe he’d bumped his head in the Permian.

  ‘I don’t know anyone of that name,’ he said, surprised to see Cutter stick out his jaw.

  ‘No, come on!’ shouted the professor, suddenly agitated. This wasn’t funny.

  ‘We don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Stephen said calmly, shaking his head.

  ‘Never heard of her,’ added Connor.

  Cutter was stunned. A nauseating wave of panic began washing over him, quickly replaced by a bubbling rage.

  ‘Look,’ he said, trying to stay calm. ‘You’ve been working with her every day for months, so don’t tell me you don’t know who she is!’

  ‘No idea,’ Lester shrugged, wondering what on earth had got into the man. ‘Sorry.’

  Cutter snapped. If this was Lester’s idea of a joke, it was pathetic. He strode over to the stunned government representative on the other side of the clearing and grabbed him by the lapels of his business suit.

  ‘Where is she?’ he shouted, as the remaining SAS soldiers raised their weapons.

  ‘Cutter!’ Connor urged. ‘We don’t know her!’

  Cutter glared at Lester for a second before letting him go. He closed his eyes. It was all too much.

  ‘This isn’t right,’ he muttered. ‘Something’s happened.’ Cutter turned to look at the bewildered group standing in front of him. He felt sick.

  ‘Something’s changed!’ he sounded distraught. ‘We’ve done something!’

  Cutter’s voice trailed off as he grappled to make sense of it all.

  ‘Something that we’ve done has changed the past and she’s not here any more!’ He willed the others to believe him.

  Cutter’s heart sank as he realized that once again, he would have to go back through the anomaly and change the course of history. As he looked around the alarmed faces in the clearing, Cutter knew the problem was going to be convincing the others he was telling the truth. How could he explain what Claudia meant to him? To all of them? They’d never even met her.

  Behind them, the blinding shard of light seemed to grow stronger, pushing bright beams out across the forest. Cutter sighed as he turned to watch it. For something so dangerous, it really did look beautiful.

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  Screeching loudly, the magnificent Pterandon swooped over the professor.

  ‘Stephen, shoot it!’ shouted Cutter, as the creature flew towards them once more.

  Claudia, Cutter and Stephen brought in the dinosaur safely.

  Connor and Abby found a mysterious patch of blood in the lion enclosure.

  As usual, Lester was being difficult.

  Abby felt as though she was being watched.

  Connor threw himself out of the car as the Future Predator smashed the windscreen.

  Carrying the Future Predator’s offspring in the crates, the team walked through the Permian landscape.

  ‘It’s the camp we found the first time,’ Cutter said in amazement. ‘We made it.’

  The past and future collided together in a mass of claws and fangs.

  Helen watched, horrified, as the SAS men were picked off, one by one.

  He would have to rewrite history, but Cutter vowed to get Claudia back.

  Lester often wished he had never met Nick Cutter.

  Screeching loudly, the magnificent Pterandon swooped over the professor.

  ‘Stephen, shoot it!’ shouted Cutter, as the creature flew towards them once more.

  Claudia, Cutter and Stephen brought in the dinosaur safely.

  Connor and Abby found a mysterious patch of blood in the lion enclosure.

  As usual, Lester was being difficult.

  Abby felt as though she was being watched.

  Connor threw himself out of the car as the Future Predator smashed the windscreen.

  Carrying the Future Predator’s offspring in the crates, the team walked through the Permian landscape.

  ‘It’s the camp we found the first time,’ Cutter said in amazement. ‘We made it.’

  The past and future collided together in a mass of claws and fangs.

  Helen watched, horrified, as the SAS men were picked off, one by one.

  He would have to rewrite history, but Cutter vowed to get Claudia back.

  Lester often wished he had never met Nick Cutter.