Chapter 5

Liam didn't come out of his home for three days after that showdown. With so many apex predators around, coupled with the width of the river, there just didn't seem to be a way to get to the structure without being eaten. He needed a safe way across, and that didn't appear possible…

He finally left due to hunger, his last stores of food spoiling. What I wouldn't give for a refrigerator he lamented, traveling to the nearest bushes to dig up new berries. He looked up at the sound of footsteps, to see a lone Oviraptor head to the water to drink. Though he hated doing this, he summoned a spear and tossed it. The dinosaur went down, and he finished it off with another spear to the heart.

He quickly harvested the meat, still weirded out by how the meat just vanished into his implant instead of falling. This entire place felt… wrong, not even including the dinosaurs. Almost unnatural, like living in a dream world of some kind. The technology needed for such a device was science fiction, and yet here it was. Then again, for all I remember, this could have been normal back home….. wherever that is…

He was just starting back towards the fort when he heard it….. a soft wheezing sound. It was coming from the treeline above him, close to where the cliff disappeared and became level with the sand. Whatever was making that noise was clearly hurt… probably on its last legs. Close to safety… might be worth checking. I can get some easy meat that way.

He made certain that he held his pike however, no longer taking chances in this place. He slowly made his way up the slope….. and the smell of blood hit him almost immediately. Something was hurt badly just beyond the bushes, most likely prey that had ripped free.

Well, it doesn't sound long for this world… he thought, and readying his pike for a mercy killing he broke through the bushes.

And froze.

The blood covering the beast was so thick that the grey hide was almost invisible. There was no mistaking that fin however… it was the Spino. Bloodied, half blinded, and breathing hard from exhaustion. It looked far worse than after the fight, likely driven from its kill. Liam was too terrified to run… though as he looked on, he realized he was in no danger. This dinosaur wasn't going anywhere… not a chance.

Wait…. Why not finish it off?! It's heart is wide open to strike… and that's one less predator! He thought suddenly. Pike at the ready, he made his way forward towards its chest. He was about ten feet away when the beast stirred, sniffing the air. With a painful moaning sound, the Spino's head slid around, its long neck letting it bring it's good right eye around to face Liam. The massive predator looked him over, noticing the sharp pike in his hands. With an intelligence eerily like Duck's, it gave Liam a look of fear.

How….. how can these animals have such intelligence?! They seem almost human… he screamed in his head, the tip of the pike trembling. He readied himself to strike, trying not to look at the dinosaur's face. The Spino let out a painful breath, relaxing in defeat. It knew Liam's intentions… and was powerless to stop him, so it just watched him as he aimed the weapon at it's chest.

He hesitated… one second, then two. He glanced at the animal's sad gaze, reminded of Duck's last moments. Man up! This thing would kill you in a second! He tried to reason, and reared back… then sighed and backed up. The Spino starred in surprise, watching him with confusion. Liam backed up a bit and kneeled, cursing himself for being so weak. You won't last long out here at this rate… how come you could fight Raptors, but not kill a predator ten times their size?!

He was so absorbed in his inner battle, that he failed to notice the smell of rotting meat overcoming the blood stench until it was too late. He looked back at the sound of a breaking branch, just as a lone raptor leaped at him from behind. They rolled together, his pike flying off to the side. They landed by the Spino's tail, the raptor pinning him down with a snarl.

Liam didn't have a prayer of breaking free. The raptor's body pinned him perfectly, it's clawed feet stomping painfully on his arms as it leaned in to bite his neck. He closed his eyes…. Until the weight vanished with a thump. He opened his eyes in surprise, in time to see the Spino's tail sluggishly return to the ground. In its weakened state, the Spino's tail swipe would be a love tap to any healthy competitor… but to the raptor it was like being hit by a tree. It went flying to the side, slamming into a tree trunk with a yelp. Not questioning his luck, Liam wasted no time running to his pike, bringing up the tip in time to skewer the charging Raptor.

Breathing hard, he looked at the Spino in surprise. The big dino was just staring at him, it's eye reflecting no clear emotion. There's no way….. Is there? Liam mused. As crazy as the idea of it helping him seemed, he decided to thank it nonetheless. He grabbed the handle of his pike and dragged the dead Raptor towards the Spino's jaws. Just out of biting range, he yanked out the pike and moved to the other side of the body, shoving it at the Spino and moving clear.

It looked at the sudden gift in surprise, glancing at Liam for a moment before tearing into the food. As it ate, Liam raised his implant in curiosity. Sure enough, the Spino's stats appeared in front of him… and its health was going up as it ate. It was a male, and a powerful one at that. No doubt this Spino was the boss in his territory before his injuries, and with any luck we would return there after healing.

Probably best to leave now…. In case it decides that isn't enough food he decided, and after adding most of the meat from the Oviraptor earlier to the food pile, he left the Spino to eat in peace. He made sure to wade through the water once back on the beach, hiding his scent trail as he headed for his house. If that was a dumb idea...I'll know soon he reasoned, laying down to rest. He was clearly not cut out for surviving here alone, so if the Spino came for him, at least it would be a quick end….