Chapter 27

The 'big birds' were three giant flightless birds. They had to be at least nine feet tall and they had a beak on them that could easily be used as a substitute for the 'jaws of life'. It looked like it could tear through anything. The bad thing about them was that they were pissed. Our sudden appearance and the roar of our engines had scattered their dinner before they gotten a chance to chow-down. Now they were looking at us. We were on a small rise about twenty feet beyond the exit from the ravine and they were on the other side of the river that flowed down the centre of the valley. There was a distance of about fifty yards. It wasn't far enough. The birds took one look at us and charged.

The huge legs and feet of the birds threw them across the river in under a second and they were closing on us fast. As they attacked they opened their massive beaks and let out a cry that shook the walls of the valley. Thankfully the girls ready with their carbines. Before I could shout a warning or even curse, they had their weapons up to their shoulders, cocked with the safety off and they were firing. Both dropped the lead bird with two three round bursts and then each of them concentrated their fire on one of the other two attackers. By the time I had my pistol out of the holster, they'd finished firing. It happened that fast.

"Shit," I swore glancing about in a panic. "Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah," both girls replied as one.

"Shit," I said again, "I guess were not in the safe zone any more."

"What made you guess?" Samantha piped in, sparing me a quick glance as she did. The look said it all. She wasn't happy. Then my daughter decided to jump in.

"By the way Dad," Karen informed me, "you might want to grab your rifle. I don't think that pistol is going to help you much."

Truth be told, I didn't think it would either. Holstering my pistol first, I grabbed my carbine and did what the say in the movies. I 'locked and loaded' and then I looked about again. It was quiet.

"By the way," I said jokingly, "we're having chicken for supper tonight."

The girls didn't find it funny.

"What now?" Samantha asked bluntly, ignoring my quip.

I let it go. Instead I glanced about once more and then made a suggestion.

"I want you two up on the backs of these vehicles," I said quickly, glancing at Karen and Samantha for a moment to make certain they heard me. "I want to take a look around. You two can cover me."

"Are you certain about that Daddy?" my daughter asked, her voice taking on an edge of concern. "Shouldn't we just back out of here and head home. It's not safe here."

"She's right you know!" Samantha decided to add. "We really should get out of here. I'd feel safer back the way we came."

"No," I snapped back at them. "We're not leaving here yet. We've driven all day and I want to take a look around. For now, get up on the Argos and cover me."

"Daddy... !" Karen started to say.

"Do it!" I shouted sharply. This time I didn't wait for a reply. I started walking towards the birds. Silently I hoped the girls would do what I had told them. As I walked I brought my rifle up to the ready. I didn't want to take anymore chances. I'd been dumb once.

I walked off the small rise and down into the knee high grass that grew between us and the river. As I walked, I kept looking about. Other than trees, brush, and rocks there wasn't much to see. All the animals had disappeared. Still I kept an eye out. Anything could be hiding in the taller grass that stood on the far side of the river. It took me less than a minute to get to the carcasses of the three birds.

I looked them over. They were huge and thankfully they were dead. The girls' shots had been deadly accurate. Both had pumped their first burst into the head of the lead bird. They'd gone in the front and then the rounds had torn the back out of its skull. Their second bursts had hit it dead centre in its chest. The same went for the other two birds. The girls had concentrated several bursts into the birds' chests. Thankfully, their shots had proved fatal.

I stepped past the birds and into the river. The river was about eight feet wide and barely six inches deep. It was filled with rocks, stones, and an assortment of debris; tree branches, some animal bones, and the like. From where I stood it ran towards the south-west, vanishing from sight behind a small rise that was covered with tall grass and a couple of saplings. To the north, the river flowed through a short stretch of open plains. It zigged and it zagged about a boulder here and an outcropping there. In the distance, maybe a mile or so away, I could see the late afternoon sun reflecting off a body of water. It was probably a small lake. Beyond that there was a ton of trees lining the far side of the valley, some massive rock outcroppings, and not much else. I stood in the water for a minute or two wondering what to do next. My daughter's voice roused me from my reflection.

"Dad," Karen called out to me, her voice strained but not panicky.

"What?" I called back to her, glancing in her direction. I noted that she was standing on the back deck of her Argo with her rifle up at the ready. Her face was grim.

"I think we should get out of here Dad," Karen stated bluntly. "I think we should head back into the ravine. Maybe we can camp back where we entered the ravine. It would be safer."

"That's a two hour drive," I told her sharply.

"Still," Karen replied, cutting me off, "it would be safer for us there."

"I came here to explore," I told my daughter plainly, walking back towards her as we spoke.

"Well, ' Samantha jumped into the conversation, "maybe you could explore the area back on the plain where we entered the ravine. It would be safer for us there."

I sighed.

"Please Daddy," my daughter begged. "There's no way we can camp here. It isn't safe."

"Please Adam," Samantha pleaded with equal passion, "listen to Karen. It doesn't make sense to stay here."

I sighed again. I was now standing beside the Argos. There was still nothing moving around us. The air was still. We couldn't even hear a bird chirping or the buzz of any insects. We could feel the heat. It was hot and I was tired. The girls looked tired as well. More importantly, they looked frightened.

"All right," I said in a low voice, "a compromise. We'll back track up the ravine to where the ground started to drop off and we'll pitch a camp there. I still want to explore down here in the valley but you're right, it probably isn't safe to camp down here. Still I'm not driving all the way back to the plain. There are no trees up there and we won't be able to find any fire wood. We will in the ravine. I hadn't spotted any animal sign in the ravine coming down here so I think it'll be safe. You want to give it a try?"

A look of relief appeared on both girls faces.

"Yes," they said together, nodding their agreement.

We left with me in the lead again. I hopped into my Argo, started it up and put it in gear. A moment later I was turned about and heading back up through the gaping exit of the ravine. It didn't take us long to get to a spot where the ravine floor levelled out enough for us to camp. I pulled forward enough so that everyone's vehicles were level. Then I parked mine and got out.

The girls looked happier. We were about a mile and a half up from the valley floor. The sides of the ravine had started to close in a little more and it felt safer where we were. I smiled as I watched the girls park. They turned their Argos in such a way that they blocked the route up from the valley. The girls were thinking defensively. I said nothing.

The first thing the girls wanted to do was to call home.

"Why?" I demanded to know.

"Because you promised that you would," my daughter reminded me, "and they'll be waiting for your transmission."

"I'm not mentioning the birds," I told them bluntly.

"You should tell them," Karen informed me sheepishly.

"No I shouldn't," I replied sternly, refusing to get drawn into my daughter's game. I knew and I was pretty certain that she knew, that the moment I mentioned the birds, that everyone in the settlement would freak out and demand that I start on my way home. Even if I convinced them that we were safe and that we would be staying the night in the ravine, no one would want me to go back into the valley. I wasn't going to allow it to happen. I stood my ground.

The girls finally gave in. I radioed back to camp and told them that everything was fine. I told them that we'd followed the ravine down to the valley but that we were staying in the ravine overnight and then we would explore the valley in the morning. I could hear my wife's concern in her voice as she got on the radio and asked if everything was all right. I assured her that we were fine and that we were getting ready to set up camp. Thankfully the girls kept their mouths shut. Emma and the others signed off. I let out a sigh and then turned to the girls. It was time to set up camp.

Both girls set up the trailer. They actually pulled it around my Argo and put it the furthest away from the route up from the valley. While they did that, I took a walk. I went in search of wood and kindling. I found plenty lying about the sides of the ravine and on its floor. It didn't take me long to gather an arm full. Of course, the girls had me gather more. In fact, I was sent to gather a lot more. They wanted to make sure no animals would come near us. While I did that they gathered up some stones, set up our portable grill, and then started a fire. They made sure the fire was between my Argo and the trailer; just some added protection. When I got back with my last load of firewood, they put me on cooking detail. While I did that the two girls sat down and disassembled their carbines. In a matter of minutes they'd 'pulled through' the barrels and cleaned and oiled everything. Then they reassembled their carbines and loaded them with fresh magazines. When they were done, they put their carbines down beside them. It was obvious that they weren't going anywhere without them.

We did have chicken for supper. I cut up the breasts that had been packed in our cooler along with some onion, mushroom, and red pepper. Betty had provided me with a stir fry mix and that's what I made us. On one side of our grill I put a pot of water that I quickly brought to a boil. Then I tossed in some rice and removed it from direct heat. Twenty minutes later we had rice to go with the stir fry. The girls accepted the bowls that I offered them and then we ate in silence. It was a good meal, but the tension in the air left the food sitting heavy on our stomachs. I decided to offer everyone a beer. I was hoping it would lighten the mood. Both girls accepted gratefully.

Still it took a couple of minutes before anyone said anything. The first person to talk was Karen.

"Are you mad at us Daddy?" Karen asked in a low voice, looking at me from across the fire.

"No honey," I replied with a heavy sigh, "I'm not mad at you girls."

"But you're not happy, are you?" Samantha interjected in a firmer voice.

"You're right," I admitted, looking over at the young woman and looking at her thoughtfully. My voice was sharp and she looked down as I continued. "I understand why you wanted to leave and considering what little we know about the valley, the decision to depart was a good one. Still, I am a little disappointed."