Lost in Time: Origin of Mankind

By Anton Schulz

After another passage through the Time Gate, Peter, originally from the 20th century, finds himself deep in the past, at the very dawn of humanity. Terrifying predators and a harsh landscape nearly bring him to his knees. He encounters two types of humans: the rough and bloodthirsty Neanderthals, and the not so different but somewhat friendlier early humans.

After initial, not so friendly contacts with the local people, he discovers that through solidarity and friendship, he can survive even in these conditions.

Amidst dangerous hunts and encounters with hostile warriors, he gradually learns about the existence of a mysterious civilization led by a mysterious bloodthirsty hybrid. It's only a matter of time before their paths cross.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anton Schulz
• Release date: Apr 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224296804

Book preview

Prologue

A pack of feline predators had just attacked a grazing herd. They approached undetected. The coloring of the attacking predators' fur blended with the tall grass, making them nearly invisible. A roughly six-year-old male was the first to resist, lowering its head to the ground in a protective gesture, horns aiming at the attacking carnivores. However, when one of the attackers approached and growled darkly, the male turned in a flash and sprinted away. In fact, the whole herd scattered in a frantic escape away from the predators. Suddenly, another of the beasts burst from the left side and struck the fleeing animals from the side. It managed to confuse them, and a few individuals broke away from the fleeing group. The beasts seemed to have been waiting for this, suddenly focusing on one animal.

They were almost upon it. One of the predators caught the fleeing animal's right hind leg with its paw. It stumbled and, at the speed it was running, did several somersaults. It landed hard on the ground and lay motionless for a moment. In reality, it wasn't injured, just immensely exhausted from that mad dash for life. However, it had lost this race. In a second, the beasts were upon it, and the first one bit into its neck.

The hunt was successful. The pack leader breathed heavily. This time, however, he felt none of the excitement from the hunt or the joy of the taste of hot blood from dying prey. The rapid run through the heated landscape exhausted him much more than before. Some of the younger males in the pack were already eyeing him maliciously. Soon, one of them would challenge him again. But somehow, he internally felt it would be different from before. With age, his strength had significantly waned.

Even now, one of his future challengers cautiously approached the prey with his gaze fixed on the leader. He waited for his reaction. He lowered his head to the lying meat and bit into the thigh.

-It's happening- the old male thought.

The leader growled warningly and bared his teeth. Such an attack on his leading position could not go unanswered. He was ready.

The first clash was hard. The younger male with his right paw deflected the bared jaws of the opponent and with sharp teeth caught the shoulder moving beneath him. Blood spurted from the deep wound. Both males turned to face each other again, preparing for the next attack. The older one, noticeably slower. He awaited the last contact. Now he didn't rush into the attack. Seeing that his opponent had much more strength than him, he let him attack first. He dodged the swiping paw with protruding claws, only to bite into his neck a moment later. Powerful teeth tore through skin and muscle until they found their way to the carotid artery and opened it. Feeling the warm, pulsating blood in his mouth, he bit down again and clenched his jaws even tighter. The paralyzed opponent convulsed for a moment, then his movements slowly ceased, and he lay motionless.

The old male released the lifeless body from his jaws and stepped away heavily. He lifted his head and roared victoriously. However, he was terribly exhausted and seriously injured. Moreover, he suspected what would follow next.

A dark growl sounded behind him.

Another challenge!

Slowly, he turned to face the new attack. He was certain it would be the last in his bloody life. He bared his teeth.

Then something unexpected happened. The sky, which had started to cloud over during the hunt, was suddenly as black as pitch. Lightning tore through the air. It struck a tree about a hundred meters from the scene of the ongoing duel. Almost simultaneously, a deafening thunderclap sounded. Then lightning struck again. And then another. The struck tree caught fire, and the wind drove the flames across the landscape. The fire devoured the tall dry grass like a hungry beast and quickly gained strength. Finally, it began to rain heavily, and large drops gradually extinguished the spreading flames.

The former pack leader roared again, this time out of fear. The other members responded in kind. Suddenly, they all ran off. The pack in one direction, and its former leader in another.

The intensity of the lightning increased. At that moment, several struck simultaneously and did not fade. On the contrary, more were added, until a circle of light was formed. It briefly shone brightly and then went out. Shortly afterward, the demonic thunder also stopped.

A grave silence ensued. The animals in the vicinity, frightened by this unusual phenomenon, fled in a panic as far away from the place as possible. As suddenly as the storm had started, it ended. After the light phenomenon, a large circle was burned into the grass. In the burned ash lay the figure of a man.

Chapter 1.

Even after this passage through the Time Gate, I remained dazed for a while, lying there. Although I had traversed time several times before, each time I needed a moment to recover. So, I rubbed my eyes, gently trying to clear away the ash from the scorched ground, and then cautiously opened them. As usual, I was lying in a burnt black circle. Slowly, I got to my feet, somewhat subconsciously expecting to appear in the usual place. The sight of the surroundings stunned me.

-Where in the world have I ended up?- flashed through my mind.

Everything here was completely foreign to me. Where were my hills, where was my forest? If I had understood even partially the principle of the Time Gate and the shifts, I could have ended up anywhere on Earth and essentially at any point in time. Or even on another planet. I quickly dismissed this last possibility because, frankly, I couldn't even bear the thought of something like that.

With an experienced gaze, I began to examine the immediate vicinity. The landscape was predominantly flat. The whole area looked like a wide valley of a once mighty river. However, where this river had gone remained a mystery. Today, there was only a creek meandering through the country, its flow mirrored by a green strip of lush vegetation. Otherwise, the landscape was predominantly very dry and seemingly resembled a prairie. The vast valley was covered with tall grass reaching about my waist. Here and there were clusters of larger bushes or even trees of respectable sizes. As the valley transitioned into hills, a contiguous forest cover was visible. The lower part, light green, made of deciduous trees freely transitioning into a darker coniferous forest. Above it loomed snow-capped rocky mountain peaks.

The place was deserted, without signs of life. Only later did I discover it was quite the opposite. Animals frightened by the unusual storm had fled in terror. However, I did not know this at the time.

The silence reigning here was almost eerie. Chills ran down my spine, although it was quite warm. That was the result of increased adrenaline intake. Looking up revealed that I was not entirely alone. Large circles were described by vulture-like birds in the sky. Their circles gradually narrowed as the birds focused on one point and simultaneously descended to the ground.

Gradually, they indeed swooped down to the grassy earth and settled on two small dark heaps. These lay on the black strip of burnt grass. Immediately upon landing, they began to swarm over the carcass, and their angry screeching reached even me.

After the rain, the air was relatively clean and fresh, and a light breeze brought the scent of roasted meat to me. Based on the direction and intensity, I deduced it was coming precisely from where the scavenging birds were quarreling. With slow steps, carefully examining the surroundings, I set off in that direction. As I approached the lying carcasses, the smell of roast was more intense. I was slowly discerning rough shapes, but still, I couldn't see them completely clearly. They were lost under the fluttering wings of the large birds. Besides, their charred skin blended with the backdrop, namely the grassy scorched land. I chased the birds away from the heap closer to me. With an angry shriek, they flew off, but only a bit and watched me malevolently.

You won't be filling your filthy bellies with me! I yelled towards them.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was slowly beginning to lose my nerves. Only because my previous life as a hunter had toughened me did I manage to retain calm and composure. I approached the lying body and knelt beside it to examine it. At first glance, it resembled a larger deer, but instead of antlers, it had long sharp horns. The body was in quite bad condition overall. The intense heat, generated by the burning of tall dry grass, had scorched its fur and skin to coal. Likewise, the tendons and muscles on the legs contracted into a deathly cramp due to the high temperature, and the whole sight was ghastly. Apart from marks from bird beaks, I discovered something much more serious. Several huge wounds on the body, especially on the neck. I really wouldn't want to meet the predator that could inflict such damage. After examining the first body, I slowly moved to the second carcass. I tried to organize my thoughts. The vultures, which I had previously scared away with my arrival, gleefully screeched and hopped back to resume their meal. As before, the feast was not without quarreling.

I began to examine the second corpse lying less than twenty meters away. This creature was definitely more robust and had a completely different body structure. Short strong legs ended in sharp curved claws. Its leg muscles were massive. It was clearly a predator at first glance. I had never seen such an animal in my life, and now I could be entirely sure that if I hadn't ended up in a different time, I was at least far from my known lands. Its size was quite astonishing. It was undoubtedly a feline beast, but larger than any bear I had encountered. Although the fire had obliterated all traces, I would bet it was the one that killed the other animal. The predator lay on its side, and from this side, no significant injury was visible for which it would have perished here. And I couldn't believe that the fire simply caught it by surprise. After all, just running a few dozen meters would have meant safety.

I walked around to the other side and froze. The huge charred head was full of sharp teeth. It looked like a monster from the worst nightmares.

If I had maintained my composure until now, after seeing this, it nearly left me. A primal sense of fear seized me. For a moment, it completely paralyzed me. In a panic, I began to breathe rapidly and looked around jerkily, but I was incapable of thinking.

When I was once thrown through the Time Gate from the late twentieth century into the harsh and dark times of the Bronze Age, I managed to survive. And it was thanks to the help of my friend and later father-in-law Tork. But now I was alone, and from what I had seen, the Gate had pushed me somewhere deep into the Prehistoric era. I had no idea what else might encounter me here.

Tork appeared in my mind with a concerned look on his face.

-What should I do?- I thought hopelessly.

-Just don't give up, my son- sounded like a distant whisper in my head.- Let your reason work. And rely on the instincts of a hunter.-

I gathered a bit of strength and began to think clearly. If I encountered something similar to what lay before me on the ground in this landscape, my chances would probably be slim. The land here was far too open and unfamiliar to me, and if something could catch a deer - as I still internally called it - then it probably wouldn't have much trouble with me. My only chance was to reach the forested area at higher elevations. That was the environment I was familiar with. There, my chances of survival were greater.

Well then, what do I have at my disposal? I quietly said to myself.

A hunting bow, a quiver with just under thirty arrows, a long curved dagger, and a hunting hatchet. Besides, a pouch on my belt with basic necessities - a thin bronze needle, a spool of finer thread for sewing wounds, a bit of alcohol for disinfection, a roll of cloth, a few slices of dried meat, a fire starter, and a small water bag.

Well, not much, but at least something, I said out loud, for the sound of a human voice somehow helped me in my solitude.

So first, water, and then a shelter for the night. We'll see from there, I said lastly and looked into the distance.

First, I would go to the creek and secure the necessary water. In this heat, I could easily succumb to dehydration. Loss of fluids would cause my weakening, and in an unfamiliar environment, that means death.

The sun was high past the zenith, and I estimated I had about four or five hours of daylight left. From experience, I knew it's not wise to start looking for a night shelter only at dusk. Otherwise, this night could easily be my last. I immediately assessed that if I went to the creek to secure water, I wouldn't have enough time to reach the forest cover. Therefore, I would have to spend the night in this open landscape, preferably on one of the large trees within my reach. Once I finally decided on my course of action, I felt a bit relieved. I had a plan and a goal.

I returned to the first carcass and, with a few chops of the hunting hatchet, severed both horns. They were just under a meter long and could be used as a stabbing weapon. Then I loosened several longer tendons, which I would use as a fastening rope. This, of course, caused another storm of indignation among the vultures, which had to hop away, flapping their wings a few meters further.

That annoyed me. I took the bow off my shoulder and pulled an arrow from the quiver. After all, I didn't know when I would next encounter food. I aimed briefly and fired at the chosen target. The birds were no more than about seven meters away from me, so I couldn't miss. I hit one right in the heart. The arrow struck with such force that it threw the bird back a bit. They fell silent from surprise, seemingly not understanding what had just happened. Suddenly, they realized the looming danger. In panic, they tried to get away as quickly as possible. They spread their large wings and, with crazy squawking, awkwardly took off.

See that, scavengers, I cheerfully shouted after them. Now man enters the scene.

I quickly gutted the bird. Then, using a piece of tendon, I tied its legs together and slung it over my shoulder. It was about the size of a large chicken. So, I hope it would taste as such. It was indeed high time; I had to move on.

At the creek, the vegetation was, as expected, very dense, and I had quite a problem getting to the water. Of course, I could have walked along its bank for a while to find a spot where animals come to drink. There, the access would definitely be trampled, but such a place was usually also heavily frequented by predators. And that was definitely a risk I couldn't take. According to everything I had seen so far, I was the creature least adapted to this environment in the wide vicinity. That automatically made me prey. It was indeed ironic. In reality, I, a human originally from the late twentieth century, was the crown of creation. Yet all my knowledge of the Earth, mathematics, and the universe was useless here. The only thing that mattered were my primal instincts, strengthened by living in the Bronze Age. I could only hope that this equipment wouldn't let me down.

As I made my way through the dense vegetation, occasionally I had to cut a path with the hatchet. I stumbled upon an interesting bush. It had relatively straight thin trunks full of thorns. When I cut into one of them to clear my way, the hatchet left only a shallow notch. The wood was very hard. After about another ten minutes of exhausting work, I managed to fell the thin trunk. I pulled it out into the open and cleaned it of thorns. Then it was time for the final phase. I shortened the trunk to just under two meters. The front part was slightly thicker than the back, which suited me. With the dagger, I created a shallow groove there. Into it, I seated the tip of the horn I had previously acquired from the burnt carcass. It was very sharp and slightly spiral. I attached it to the shaft of the new spear. I used the previously obtained tendons and allowed myself to sacrifice a bit of my coarse thread.

Finally, my work on the spear was completed. I felt satisfaction. I had created a truly formidable weapon. I tested the weight of the spear in my hand. The raw wood was a bit heavier than I was used to. On the other hand, the energy of the thrown spear focused on one point, at the tip, would be devastating upon impact. Considering I had no prior experience with this material, the weapon was quite well balanced. During a test throw, it flew straight forward and in the correct arc embedded itself deep into the ground. Indeed a deadly weapon. I didn't plan to throw it over long distances; it was more of a stabbing weapon. With this, I hoped to keep potential predators further from my body.

The work on the spear had delayed me quite a bit, but I did not regret it. I replenished my water supplies and moved forward.

As a nighttime shelter, I had chosen one of the solitary giants standing about two-thirds of the way between me and the start of the deciduous forest cover. I knew that I could reach that place at best by dusk, and there wouldn't be time to prepare for the night. That tree was indeed huge, possibly twenty meters tall. Its trunk was at least two and a half meters in diameter. It had a large number of cavities, likely created by birds, which provided suitable grips and steps for a climber. This would be a great advantage for me since the lowest branches started at a height of at least six meters above the ground. I couldn't imagine how I would have climbed the tree without these aids. The tree's crown was richly branched, and from the massive branches sprouted smaller and smaller boughs, ending in what seemed like sharp, small leaves. I think this was mainly due to the dry environment, and the tree protected itself this way against water loss from intense sunlight in this seemingly dry area.

Shadows began to lengthen. The day was rapidly drawing to a close. The sun approached the horizon and then suddenly quite swiftly dipped behind the hills, and dusk fell. With the arrival of night, the landscape suddenly came alive. Night sounds of the wilderness began reaching me from all sides. Even from the crown of the tree above me, there was a faint scratching as small creatures climbed out of the cavities. I usually wasn't afraid of night sounds, but these were different. More intense and especially creepier because I was unfamiliar with the local fauna.

After a while, I stopped looking around at every sound because it was tiring me out. As comfortably as possible, I lay down where a larger branch forked into several smaller ones, and those into even smaller ones, creating a sort of natural simple bed. I fixed my eyes on the sky. Above the hills on the left side, the moon began to slowly rise. It was almost full and with its cold silver light illuminated the landscape. Then I realized it had become noticeably cooler. Compared to the daytime heat, it could be said to be cold. I pulled my deer skin jacket closer to my body and for the first time regretted not finding a shelter on the ground with a lit fire. Nothing could be done about it now; tomorrow would hopefully be better. My body gradually adjusted to the lower temperature, and drowsiness began to overtake me. I allowed myself a moment to ponder the current situation. Where had I ended up? When the Teacher asked me to travel through the Time Gate to the mid-twentieth century, I had no idea I would end up in such a place. Here I was alone and powerless! But above all, I missed the company of my loved ones. I dared not even think about my wife and little son, for I would not have been able to psychologically handle it. I thought of Tork, my father-in-law from the Bronze Age, who was not only my rescuer but also my second father. He taught me to make and use weapons, to hunt, track game, and simply survive in the wilderness. He would have been really handy here.

Suddenly, something roared terribly. From shock, I almost fell from the tree. In the last moment, I caught myself and with effort regained my balance. Then that dreadful roar sounded again. Afterward, there was the thud of hooves in the grass and some animal trying to escape. It failed. Only a scream of pain drowned out again by that awful roaring informed me that another hunt had ended. All surrounding sounds momentarily fell silent, only to resonate with the same intensity in the following moment. One animal died, but the rest lived on. The tearing of fresh meat and the crunching of bones could be heard. A bloody feast was taking place right there. The roaring of beasts fighting over fresh meat simply couldn't be listened to. It was horrendous. Although I had experienced all sorts in my life, this was truly too much. I covered both ears with my hands and closed my eyes. I was about ten meters above the ground and thus in relative safety. My body and mind needed rest. Tomorrow awaited me a tense next day. I found as comfortable a position as possible and tried to relax. I stopped perceiving the dreadful sounds from the wilderness and also my worries. The tension slowly faded from me, and I fell into sleep.

Chapter 2.

Tork had just finished skinning a two-year-old doe. The work went smoothly under his hands, and the skin seemed to peel off the animal's body as if by itself under the movements of the knife. It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly, and the air was filled with birdsong. I stood in a small clearing in the middle of an ancient forest.

Peter, don't just stand there, help me tie this down! he suddenly called out.

I moved closer and grabbed the loose end of the partially skinned hide. I tautened it with both hands to facilitate my friend's work.

Tork, I addressed him. What's happening?

He paused his work for a moment and stared at me.

Where have I ended up? I wanted to know.

Everything has its meaning, he replied vaguely.

What meaning? And why me? I raised my voice slightly. I wasn't in the mood for riddles. The land is wild, and I am alone.

Tork nodded slightly.

"Yes, the world is much