A large animal ambled out of the bushes, hobbling along, casting a strange silhouette against the moonlight. Plates jutted from its back, and it swung a tail tipped with large spikes behind it.
Mary and Jason both released the breaths they were holding and sighed deeply in relief.
“It’s a Stegosaurus,” said Jason, rolling his eyes at how foolish they had been.
“We were lucky,” said Mary, admiring the majestic creature as it mulled around, chomping on plants.
“Kind of like a big cow,” winked Jason, trying to lighten the mood.
Mary put her hands on her hips. “It’s nothing like a cow, you jackass.”
Jason looked around. “Well, we should go before something nastier than a Stegosaurus decides to pop out and say hello.”
They both stood up. Mary turned to head back to the tribal village on the plateau when Jason placed a firm hand on her shoulder. She wheeled around. “What now?”
Jason cupped a hand over her mouth and pulled her back against the tree trunk. “Shhhhh,” he whispered into her ear. Her body went rigid against his as her eyes darted around the surrounding area. He knew when she saw it, because she held her breath. He released his hand from over her mouth and whispered directly into her right ear, “It’s over there, in the shadow of that big tree.”
Jason smelled it right before he saw it. He wouldn’t have seen it unless it had shifted a bit, altering the contour of the tree’s shadow ever so slightly. It stood, crouched, arms hanging down in front of it. A low, faint snort carried on the island breeze, barely masked by the wind.
Fortunately, it didn’t look like it was facing them. At least Jason hadn’t hoped so. “Be very still.” He couldn’t unshoulder his rifle without attracting its attention, so instead his hand moved to his handgun in its holster on his hip. He unsnapped the strap and grabbed the handle very slowly. Mary began to tremble against his body. He ever so slowly slid the handgun out of its holster, slipping it behind Mary’s body for concealment. “If it runs at us,” he whispered, “just run. Don’t look back.”
He thought it might have been a T. rex, but he knew they weren’t ambush predators. Not like this. Its arms hung low and were too long for a T. rex. It was too big to be a velociraptor. It moved its head, and large, hornlike protrusions gave it away. It was an Allosaurus.
It darted out from the shadows, claws extended and spread, lunging past them. It was going for the Stegosaurus.
Jason watched as the Allosaurus opened its mouth at an insane angle. It collided with the Stegosaurus, blindsiding it, sinking its teeth into the flesh of its haunch. Mary tried to run, but he pulled her close into a firm embrace, his back against the tree. “Not yet,” he whispered. He slid his back laterally along the tree trunk, positioning them so that they weren’t visible. Then he pulled her into another crouch. “They can be pack hunters, remember?” he whispered.
Mary nodded. Jason’s eyes darted around, searching the shadows for others.
The Stegosaurus cried out as the Allosaurus worked its articulated jaw, sawing back and forth with its teeth. The Stegosaurus bucked, turning and swinging its spiked tail.
The massive tree trunk behind Jason and Mary shook, and strange seed pods rained down from above, pelting their heads. Something had struck the tree. The head of the Stegosaurus jutted out to the right, as if it had tried to run for it, but it stopped, its right eye wide in horror. Its body jostled as the Allosaurus tore into its side with its jaws.
There was a loud thump, and the Allosaurus let out a high-pitched yelp. The Stegosaurus lunged forward as its tail swung around, this time missing its assailant and wrapping around the tree trunk, shaking the tree some more. The Allosaurus limped past the left side of the tree and cut right in front of Mary and Jason, lunging at its prey with massive jaws, only to get a mouthful of bony plates. Its own haunch was gored and its tail whipped behind it, just missing Mary and Jason.
Jason side-stepped, sliding his back along the rough bark of the trunk, dragging Mary with him, until they were on the other side of the tree, leaving the scuffle behind them. Crouched in front of them was another Allosaurus, and he was looking right at them.
“Oh, hell.” Jason shoved Mary back around the tree trunk as it sprang at them, jaws open wide, just missing them and getting a mouthful of bark. Back around the other side, the first Allosaurus and Stegosaurus battled, shifting their feet and kicking up dirt and dust. The predator snapped its massive jaws, and the prey swung its spiked tail, each only finding purchase part of the time.
Jason now ran around the tree trunk, narrowly ducking a swipe of a spiked tail, pulling Mary behind him by the hand. The second Allosaurus sniffed the air. Smelling blood, it quickly became interested in the Stegosaurus. Forgetting about the two small morsels, it joined its fellow hunter in taking down the now outnumbered herbivore.
“Now we run,” Jason muttered to Mary, and they took off in a mad dash away from the brutal scene and toward the tribal village.
* * *
Tracey lay in her cot in the cafeteria, trying to fathom the notion of getting rest before the expedition tomorrow. She turned on her side and stared at all of the other cots arranged in rows, filled with Poseidon Tech personnel. Collins and his men must’ve been passing the night somewhere else on the rig, as they were nowhere to be found.
Marcy turned over on her cot and smiled
