Primeval - A Grave New World

1. The Unquiet Woods

It was quiet. The morning sun had just begun to beat down on the world with its full intensity and Major Ken Leeds popped open the trunk of his van. He glanced behind him. The one nearby house sat still in the morning. The windows were still dark but that meant nothing. Someone could still be inside watching his every move. That would not do. Matters like this would and should be kept secret. He snatched his tranquilliser gun from the back seat of the van and inched the trunk down. All the while, his eyes were glued to the house. Potential cover stories he could use if he were to be caught danced around in his mind.

He'd had to cover for bigger things before and did so with relative ease but here was different. Back home, he had his own government to assist in the clean-ups his job so often needed. Now he was mostly alone. If he were to be caught, his usual "predator control" defence would do little to protect him.

He tucked the tranquilliser gun under his jacket and carefully shut the door behind him. He started for the trail in the direction of the signal. His portable detector still registered the small red dot. This was where the anomaly was. It had been open most of the night and seemed to be weakening. Leeds hoped to God that nothing had come through. However, given the length of time it was open for, that option was unlikely. Luckily, the area was remote.

Leeds hugged the side of his car as he ventured towards the trail. He couldn't help but feel he was being watched. The added silence of the morning added to this illusion. There was not a peep of a songbird or the chirp of any insects. He knew this not to be good. He ducked into the treeline.

About one hundred feet up the trail, Leeds stopped. He checked back once more to make sure no one was following him. The tunnel of trees behind him seemingly closed in around him as he stared down. His car was glimmering a silver spot in the background at the end. He squinted. No one seemed to be behind him. Excellent. He glanced down at the anomaly detector one last time before speaking into his earpiece.

"Mac, I've reached the trail," he made sure to whisper lest someone or something heard him. "What's your ETA?"

"Moments away," his voice was crackly even now. Leeds hoped the walkie signal would work further up the mountain. Then again, the anomaly wouldn't register if there was a dead zone.

"Is there any sign of an incursion?" another voice asked. Leeds thought it to be one of the men Lester had lent them but wasn't sure.

"Not yet," he replied.

"Right, let's hope it stays that way."

With that, the radio fell silent. Leeds continued up the hill. He alternated between looking on the ground for tracks and looking back down the trail. The mud contained a mix of the usual wildlife for the area. Although Leeds was no expert, he could discern the odd deer or racoon track from the mess. Being a hiking trail, the area mostly contained human footprints. One set of footprints did catch Leeds's attention though. Etched in the mud was an obvious trail left by small wheels. Directly down the middle of these rows were prints that appeared to be made with high heels of all things. Leeds squinted. Who would be dumb enough to hike in heels? Whoever they were, he hoped to God that they evacuated the area before the anomaly opened.

This was probably the case though. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the town they were in had a strict curfew that lasted most of the night. Leeds hoped this would keep people away from the area but even he knew that this may not be the case. People were tiring of the COVID-19 restrictions. Even in Canada, he had begun to see people venturing out more and more. Here in America, there were even people going out and protesting the lockdown. It was definitely possible that someone snuck out here.

A snap in the distance caught Leeds's attention. He slid his tranquilliser out of his coat pocket. The feeling of being watched was suddenly back. He rotated his gaze around. There was nothing. The darkened forest seemed to be squeezing in on him with every breath he took. He trudged forward again. Something was nearby, he could feel it.