Abruptly, it paused. Then it glanced over its shoulder. As if sensing Caplan’s gaze, its orangish eyes shot toward the helicopter. Its body froze. Then it spun around in a slow circle and rose up and up and up. All the way up to its full height of some eighty feet.
Caplan’s jaw hung from its hinges. Other than maybe a blue whale, it was easily the largest mammal on Earth.
“I feel like… like…” Toland stared out his window. “… like Professor Challenger. Exploring that plateau deep in the Amazonian basin, watching iguanodons and stegosauruses and… and…” He trailed off.
Wait, Caplan thought. He’s not looking out of this window.
Turning around, he looked out the opposite window. He saw a second path. Then a third one. His heart pitter-pattered against his chest. Everywhere he looked, he saw giant animals.
Behemoths.
“There must be dozens of them,” Mills whispered. “Maybe more.”
“Where are they going?” Morgan asked.
“Every animal that came out of Hatcher seemed determined to go on a killing spree,” Caplan said slowly. “And since those ones aren’t attacking each other, that must be looking for new targets.”
“Oh, my God.” Morgan’s eyes opened wide. “They’re heading for the exterior fence.”
“And if they get through…” Caplan trailed off.
A moment of silence filled the cabin as everyone pondered the implications of the behemoths breaking out of the Vallerio and going on a multi-pronged rampage. Undoubtedly, the U.S. military would be called in to fight them. But could mere bombs stop animals of that size? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, Caplan knew one thing for sure. For thousands of years, mankind had reigned as Earth’s apex predator. But between the behemoths and the coming extinction, that rule seemed destined to end.
Caplan glanced at Morgan, then at the others. They stared back at him, eyes boring holes into his skull, waiting upon his words.
“Okay,” he said at last. “Here’s what we’re going to do…”
Apex Predator Logbook
Apex Predator Memorandum
Date: October 5, 2011, 11:55 p.m.
To: Vallerio Foundation, Stage II Team
From: Deborah Keifer
RE: HA-78 compound results, recent security breach
With the first round of tests behind us, I thought it prudent to discuss the efficacy results of the initial HA-78 compound. But first, I would like to take the opportunity to offer all of you, most especially Dr. Bishop, a hearty ‘thank you’ for your hard work on developing the compound. Because of your efforts, I am now confident we can complete Stage II of the Apex Predator project on deadline.
The HA-78 compound showed enormous promise in this, its initial iteration. As you know, fourteen primary subjects were exposed to the compound for various time periods, ranging from three seconds to three days. Each of these subjects was then exposed to three separate secondary subjects of varying age and health.
All primary subjects showed strong symptoms — moist and glassy eyes, purplish lips, foaming mouths, difficulty breathing, etc. — within four minutes of exposure. Similar results were shown in the secondary subjects. And all subjects, primary and secondary, died of asphyxiation and/or massive organ failure within thirty minutes of exposure.
At this point, it appears that the HA-78 compound carries an incubation period and latency period of roughly four minutes apiece. Unfortunately, these results are unsatisfactory for our needs. The compound is simply too effective. A short latency period, of course, is highly desirable. But we require a much longer incubation period if we are to spread the HA-78 compound far and wide without raising the eyebrows of doctors and public health officials.
Your task, Stage II team, is to continue to help Dr. Bishop develop the HA-78 compound to its fullest potential. As part of that, I am moving your operations to a new facility in New Hampshire’s Vallerio Forest. It is my sincerest belief that this will allow you to achieve greater focus as well as substantially reduce the risk of another security breach.
In regards to the unfortunate and recent breach, please know I’m fully aware of and appreciate the terrible moral implications of your work. All Vallerio Foundation personnel, none more so than myself, know the awesome responsibilities we have undertaken. Please remember the Holocene extinction is imminent and will be upon us in approximately five years. Nothing can stop it and the Homo sapiens species will certainly not survive what is to come. This is what makes your work with the HA-78 compound so critical. The only way to save mankind is, unfortunately, to hasten its demise.
Thank you again for your continued support and devotion to this, the most urgent of causes.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading BEHEMOTH, my first foray into the Apex Predator universe. I’ve waited many years to write this book and it all came out in a four-month whirlwind of powerful emotions, late nights, and personal milestones, topped off by that incredible moment my wife and I welcomed our first child into this world.
The seeds for BEHEMOTH were planted during my childhood in northern Virginia. An ancient forest, dreamy yet dark and mysterious, rested within walking distance of my home. Many weekends, I’d strap on my explorer’s belt, take my water-filled canteen from my mother, and hike into the wild with my father. Along the way, he’d regale me with tall tales about ‘giant bears’ and my imagination would run wild. We never did find those bears (although I often heard odd roars whenever my dad wandered off!), but those outings provided me with a lifetime of inspiration.
As I sit here on this warm September afternoon, my newborn son nestled safely in my lap, I find myself thinking about the cyclical nature of life and relationships. In a way, BEHEMOTH is about those cycles — mass extinction and speciation, the extinction and possible de-extinction of individual species, breaking up and coming together again — and how we might handle them.
So, what’s next for Zach, Amanda, Bailey, and everyone else? That depends on you. I have many stories to tell and many ways I want to tell them. Graphic novels, lost journals, films, video games, and so on. But none of that will happen without your support.
Please post reviews for BEHEMOTH on Amazon, other book sites, and on social media. Tell your friends and family members about it. Create Apex Predator art and send it to me (maybe it’ll end up in a future book!). Anything you can do to help spread the word is much appreciated.
Finally, make sure to sign up for my newsletter to ensure you’re the first to know about upcoming stories.
Thanks for your support!
David Meyer
About the Author
David Meyer is an adventurer and the international bestselling author of the Cy Reed Adventure series and the Apex Predator series. He’s been creating for as long as he can remember. As a kid, he made his own toys, invented games, and built elaborate cities with blocks and legos. Before long, he was planning out murder mysteries and trap-filled treasure quests for his family and friends.
These days, his lifelong interests — lost treasure, mysteries of history, monsters, conspiracies, forgotten lands, exploration, and archaeology — fuel his personal adventures. Whether hunting for pirate treasure or exploring ancient ruins, he loves seeking out answers to the unknown. Over the years, Meyer has consulted on a variety of television shows. Most recently, he made an appearance on H2’s #1 hit original series, America Unearthed.