CHAPTER 44
Back in the tunnel Seth instantly got the feeling as though they were being watched. His head snapped toward the gate where three sinister figures were poised just on the opposite side. The sun behind them was bright and made them to be shadowy silhouettes beyond the cables of the fence. Despite the harsh contrast of light framing their dark un-detailed bodies, Seth had already become all too familiar with the deadly shape of the velociraptor and recognized them easily.
Kyra gasped in surprise as she saw them. Both she and Seth recoiled until they realized that the electrified fence was yet between them. There was a long moment where they just stood and stared back at the hunters, feeling nothing but discomfort in their presence.
Kyra was the first to break the silence. "This is too creepy." She inched forward, feeling more confident with the electrified fence standing between them. "They're just watching us."
Seth was reluctant to approach, but stayed close to Kyra. They got within a couple of feet of the buzzing cables and stopped. From there, the sunlight didn't have nearly as harsh an effect on the raptors, and their details emerged.
"That one looks like the ones they keep in the cages." Kyra pointed to the raptor on the right.
Seth examined it briefly. It was dark brown with short prickly feathers and a scaly face.
Kyra stretched her finger across to the other two. "I've never seen those kind before today."
Seth recognized them both as being like the one that had been crushed under the jeep, though the one in the middle had slightly different markings. Its neck bore a silvery-white mane, where the others were just black.
"It's strange seeing them so close up like this." Kyra leaned in a bit further.
The raptor with the silvery neck stepped forward and stretched its neck out. As Kyra involuntarily squinted and curled her lips while getting a closer view, the silver neck raptor visibly mimicked her facial expressions.
"Careful." Seth put a cautioning hand on Kyra.
"It can't get me." Kyra contorted her face in different ways, seeing if the raptor could keep up. She opened her mouth wide and stuck out her tongue. The raptor continued to follow right along. "Are you seeing this, Seth?"
Seth was watching the velociraptor, and he didn't like it. Though the hunter was copying Kyra's every squint and pucker, there was certainly something very cold hearted about it all. It was as though the predator was examining Kyra and learning what made her tick, so it could strengthen its chances of killing her next time around. Seth couldn't understand what Kyra didn't see about that. Only moments ago, these same dinosaurs were bent on tearing out their stomachs. Now she was playing peek-a-boo with them.
"Kyra, this isn't a game." Seth saw that she wasn't listening. "Can we please go?" He urged.
Kyra looked away from the raptors. She saw the worry on his face immediately. "Sorry." She felt a little guilty. "That probably wasn't the smartest idea."
Suddenly there was a loud shrieking roar, and the silver neck charged the fence with a snap. Although it did not make contact with the cables, it came close enough that Kyra felt the rush of its teeth clapping together on the wind. She screamed and fell into Seth. Clutching a handful of his t-shirt she looked back at the raptor who was standing still as stone with its usual, cold, resting expression, only this time both Kyra and Seth got the impression that there was some underlying smugness about the look.
"Yeah. Let's go." Kyra nodded.
They both looked down the throat of the tunnel where there was a dim glow of daylight at the far end. Seth wasn't sure quite how long it was, but he got the impression that it went through the base of the mountain ridge, all the way out to the other side. It was a bit of a way, perhaps a ten minute walk or more.
Wind howled through the tunnel. A quieter rolling churn, akin to very distant thunder, rumbled along with the whistles of air.
"I smell the ocean," Seth said.
Kyra nodded. She recognized the ambient sounds gently tumbling through the tunnel to be the crashing of far off waves.
When they looked back to the fence again, the raptors were gone. They had vanished silently and without a trace.