‘Aaaaarrgghhh!’

Bernie screamed as the buggy lifted off into the air over a small rise. He bounced in his seat uncomfortably as it returned to Earth, overlapping foliage attacking him from all sides. Lea-Lea made chirruping sounds as she ran along with them and Bernie marvelled at the dinosaur’s speed and agility. They were at it again, racing through the jungle at a pace that didn’t seem safe. But nothing involving Ivy seemed safe. She was taking them back to the animal hide to search for the broken bit of propeller. Bernie hoped that he was right about it.

They came to a screeching halt beside the hide. Ivy jumped out and ran to the little patch of flattened grass where the drone had fallen. Bernie came over to join her.

‘It’s got to be somewhere around here,’ Ivy hissed as she searched.

‘Yeah,’ muttered Bernie. ‘Only if I’m right.’ He was beginning to doubt his own memory. Maybe the propeller had only been bent, rather than broken off?

Lea-Lea made an insistent chirruping sound behind them. They turned to see her proudly holding up a broken propeller blade in her paws.

‘She’s found it,’ said Bernie.

‘Who’s a good dinosaur?’ Ivy came forward to give Lea-Lea a scratch on the side of her head.

Bernie chuckled. How ridiculous was this? He was on an island inhabited by all manner of curious creatures and a dinosaur had just helped them find evidence of intruders.

‘What’s so funny?’ asked Ivy.

‘Nothing,’ Bernie responded automatically, then quickly amended his answer. ‘Everything. Enemy drones. You patting a dinosaur. Me being here, on Monster Island. It all seems so unreal.’

‘I guess,’ said Ivy. As she reached for the propeller that Lea-Lea was holding out, the dinosaur started a low growl in the back of her throat, eyes darting about warily. ‘What’s wrong, girl?’

‘Listen,’ said Bernie, his attention caught by a distant sound.

Ivy took the propeller from Lea-Lea and also looked around. ‘Sounds like another drone.’

‘We should go,’ suggested Bernie.

‘Yeah,’ said Ivy, pointing up into the trees. ‘I think it’s a bit late.’

Bernie looked in the direction she was pointing. Black shapes were descending through the canopy. ‘There’s two of them.’

‘Come on!’ Ivy dashed for the buggy.

Bernie followed, with a sigh. He always seemed to be following. Playing the sidekick to Ivy’s hero. He wondered if he’d ever get the chance to be the hero himself.

The two drones put on a burst of speed, zooming down towards them. As they passed Lea-Lea, the dinosaur leaped into the air and swung around. Her tail hit one of the drones, sending it spinning into a tree trunk. It fell to the ground with a CRUNCH.

‘Go, Lea-Lea!’ Ivy cheered.

The second drone changed direction and headed towards the dinosaur. Lea-Lea squatted on her powerful hind legs, ready to jump again.

There was an unexpected crackle and spark from the drone, and an electric charge flashed like lightning. The ground at Lea-Lea’s feet erupted. The explosion catapulted the dinosaur off her feet. She landed on her back with a yelp.

The drone turned its attention to Bernie and Ivy in the buggy.

‘Take this!’ Ivy thrust the piece of propeller at him. ‘Keep it safe.’ She slammed her foot down on the accelerator, as another crackle and spark spat from the drone. As the buggy took off, the ground exploded behind them and they were showered with dirt.

‘It’s shooting at us!’ shrieked Bernie. ‘It’s got lasers!’ He couldn’t believe this was happening. Being chased by a drone was one thing. Being shot at was a whole other level of scary!

‘Not lasers,’ called Ivy as she steered the buggy through the undergrowth. ‘It’s electricity.’

‘Great,’ cried Bernie, ‘that makes me feel so much better.’

Ivy clutched the wheel, eyes frantically staring ahead to avoid crashing. A tree splintered apart to their right as the drone fired again. Ivy swerved the vehicle to one side. Bernie flung his arms out to try to keep his balance, the blade still clutched in his hand. There was another crackle and Bernie yelped in pain as the broken drone piece was blasted from his grip. He whimpered and cradled his singed hand.

‘Damn it!’ cried Ivy. ‘I told you to keep it safe.’

‘I’m more worried about my own safety,’ he yelled, as Ivy swerved again. ‘That thing zapped me!’ Bernie suddenly realised that this situation was more than dangerous – it was deadly!

‘Are you okay?’ Ivy’s voice softened.

‘Yeah,’ said Bernie, his voice shaky, his mouth dry. He swallowed hard. ‘Where are we going?’

‘I have no idea!’

At that moment Lea-Lea appeared, bounding along beside them.

‘She’s all right!’ called Bernie. He saw the relief on Ivy’s face.

Lea-Lea chirruped, before putting on a burst of speed and pulling ahead of the buggy.

‘I think she wants us to follow,’ quavered Ivy.

There was the sound of another explosion behind them.

‘Fine by me!’ Bernie yelped.

Ivy steered the buggy after Lea-Lea. The dinosaur ran with agility and grace, zigzagging and dodging trees. The drone behind them stopped shooting, perhaps too preoccupied with tracking them through the dense canopy. Bernie clutched his seat, knuckles turning white as he listened to the strained whine of the buggy’s electric motor. Ivy was pushing the poor little thing way beyond what it was designed to do.

As they continued to crash through the vegetation, the sound of the drone grew more distant. Bernie hoped they were losing it.

Finally, they burst through some bushes into . . .

It was a sort of clearing. The trees and undergrowth formed a large ring, about thirty or so metres in diameter, the vegetation creating a definite perimeter.

And within the ring were mushrooms. Dozens and dozens of them. More than Bernie could count. Everywhere. All shapes and sizes and colours, from teeny-tiny ones smaller than a five-cent coin, to massive ones as big as Bernie. And between the mushrooms, spreading out across the ground was a pale webbing.

Lea-Lea came to a halt beside one of the larger mushrooms and Ivy had to slam on the brakes to stop the buggy from knocking into her.

Bernie gazed around the mushroom ring. He thought it was about the size of the park down the road from where he and his mum lived.

Even though the area was open, it felt even more humid than the jungle – almost stifling. He could see droplets of moisture on some of the mushrooms.

And the smell! There was a kind of mouldy, fetid scent hanging in the air – sweet, cloying, unpleasant.

An approaching buzz made Bernie swivel around in his seat. Seconds later the drone came streaking from the trees. They hadn’t lost it after all. Hearing the crackle of discharging electricity, Bernie and Ivy threw themselves from the vehicle. Lea-Lea also jumped clear.

Bernie closed his eyes and held his breath.

Nothing happened.

Relief washed over him and he exhaled.

BANG!