A wave washed over him, causing him to scream and gulp seawater. He spluttered, and then there came a surge of water from underneath him. He shut his eyes tighter, his lungs burning and his testicles shriveling from fear, but he kept thrashing onward.
I’ve done this before, I can do it again, I can do it again, I can do it again. He tried to think of nothing else but this mantra.
The bag at his side was wallowing open like a parachute as he’d forgotten to tie it closed this time, and it was slowing him down. But he fought on.
Then something touched his hand. He screamed bubbles and yanked it away and stopped to lift his head, but when he changed angles, his feet touched the bottom.
Andy didn’t stop for a second and started to run faster as the water became shallower. His feet sunk in the silt, but he powered on with the last remaining atoms of energy and adrenaline he had left in his body.
When he thought he was far enough up the beach, he spun back — save for his massive tree stuck further out, there was nothing.
He cupped his hands to his mouth. “You lose, asshole.” He laughed a little madly. “Brains over brawn.”
But then he suddenly remembered that if he found his little boat he had hidden, he’d need to sail right back out of this very estuary mouth.
“Hey, sorry about that asshole bit, okay?” He grinned as he sunk down to sit. “Let’s just call it even and we all go home happy.”
He sucked in deep breaths, feeling like he was 100 years old. Over his shoulder, his bag still leaked water.
He panicked. “Oh no. Oh, please no.” He snatched it up and ripped it open.
“Gluck.” The tiny reptile shook off some water and stared up at him.
Andy started to cry.
CHAPTER 31
Emma paced, waiting on the call from Ben. She knew from his timetable that they should have arrived down in the Amazon by now. This was their last chance to speak together as Ben would soon be entering the blackout zone, and then it was up to their skill, experience, Andy, and a truckload of good luck.
She tried not to think about what would happen if Ben didn’t return from the Amazon. She stood at the window looking out over their estate, still not believing what she was seeing. She knew for sure now the walls were closing in on them.
A while ago, there had been another blackout, this one longer, and then when it was over, everything had changed. Since the first time that they’d noticed time-alterations, she had been doing some hurried research on theoretical changes that could come about due to variations in an evolutionary timeline.
Many of the theorists subscribed to the idea of flora and fauna changes, but also significant environmental changes that could alter entire landscapes. And the experts had history on their side as proof of their theories.
Right here in America, about 15,000 years ago when the mega fauna started to die out, it resulted in significant terrain changes. The massive creatures such as mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses, ground sloths, and giant beavers terraformed their environments. When their populations crashed, a landscape that was once like Africa’s Serengeti plains, with countless herds of great beasts, were suddenly changed forever.
Species of broadleaved trees that had been kept in check by huge numbers of big herbivores suddenly began to grow unchecked and quickly dominated the landscape. Soon after, the accumulation of dropped branches, drying leaf mass, and general plant debris saw a dramatic increase in the number of wildfires, which also recast the landscapes, and the species, plants and animals, living on it.
With some plains turning to forests, erosion was slowed, topsoil retained, river courses altered, and with it the entire land reshaped.
Emma felt a tear run down her cheek as she looked out over the countryside that was once lush American forests of Alder, Blue Ash, and Quaking Aspen. Now there were endless miles of dry plains of brown grass and here and there a few lumps of hills with the occasional scrubby-looking tree.
Dust clouds rose from the hooves of the herds. Creatures that could have been deer but had a single horn in the center of their foreheads and also a rough of fur at their throats like that on a lion.
“Zach,” she called.
“Yeah?”
She half turned. “Can you come down here, please?”
There was a groan from upstairs and then came the rumble of feet on steps. Zach appeared beside her at the window and jammed his hands in his jeans pockets. He looked out for a moment and then up at her. “What’s up?”
Emma pointed. “Those animals, what are they?”
Zach frowned up at her as though she was a simpleton. After a moment, he rolled his eyes. “Unicorns, of course.”
“Unicorns?” She looked down at him, as if searching for the joke.
“Yeah, why?” He waited for another few seconds. “Anything else?”
She snorted softly as she looked out over the herds of beasts that numbered in the thousands. The landscape was flatter, beaten down, as the exposed ground was nibbled down and churned up from countless hooves to then be blown away in the next dust storm.
“Unicorns; guess they made it on the Ark after all in this version of the world.” She sighed.
Zach shrugged and zoomed back up the steps.
Her phone rang and she snatched it up, saw the caller ID, and quickly jammed it to her ear.
“I miss you already.”
The line was weak, but just the sound of Ben’s voice calmed her. “And I you.” She smiled as she spoke. “I wish I was there.”
There was a pause for a few seconds. “No, I’m glad you’re not,” he replied softly, and then: “How’s Zach?”
“He’s fine, bored, and thinking I’m losing my mind.” And I probably am, she thought.
“And how are you?” There was a grin in his voice, and she bet he could read her mind.
“Good,” she lied. “But… ”
“Yes?” He waited.
“Everything is different. The animals, the people, and now even the land is changing.” She looked out the window. “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” She smiled weakly.
“I know, but we’re nearly to the plateau. Stay in the house, and keep an eye on Zach. I want you both safe and sound and waiting for me when I get home.” Ben sighed long and slow. “Hey, want to know something weird: we lost one of our people.”
“Oh no, how?” she asked. “Was it bad?”
“No, I mean, we lost-lost one of our people — one minute they were there, and the next — poof — just, gone.”
“I don’t understand. You’re not even at the plateau yet.” She felt her stomach flip.
“No, no, they, she, just vanished. Only Drake, Helen, and I noticed. Weird thing was, the other guys said she never existed in the first place.” He chuckled but there was nervousness in it. “Helen said it was like evolution just took them back.”
“Evolution took them back.” She felt a little dizzy. “It’s finally reached us, us humans, I mean, hasn’t it? And it seems to be speeding up,” Emma said. “I’m scared. I want to scream, fight back, but against who or what?”