CHAPTER 54
Robinson was listening for more gunfire, but it had ceased. He wondered what the shots had meant. He wondered if Page was alright. Most of all he wondered how the hell he was going to get out of the mess he was in.
Robinson hadn't moved in several minutes, and as far as he could tell, neither had any of the velociraptors. He was waiting, and they were watching. The village was silent and still.
Knowing the stalemate wasn't going to last forever, Robinson tested the waters and took a single step towards the emergency bunker. As soon as his heel planted in front of him he heard a purr from the nearby bushes. He held still and waited as a silence followed. Robinson took another step, the whole time keeping his pistol out in front of him. Again he heard a purr, this time from elsewhere. It was difficult to tell if it was the same raptor on the move, or a different one altogether. Robinson waited some more, then started walking at a slow pace. This continuous advance agitated the raptors. He could hear them squawking and chattering from beyond the hedges. Robinson swept his gun like a spotlight. He turned in circles, walking backwards at times to cover all corners of the street. The raptors continued to communicate amongst themselves. The closer Robinson got to the bunker, the more vocal they became.
There was rustling within the hedges and foliage. The hunters were on the move. Robinson made sure he stayed in the center of the street as he walked, in order to maximize the distance between him and anything they might be hiding behind. He ignored the temptation to panic and run. He felt like that would be the death of him. If he could at least look like he was in control, perhaps they would stay away.
From amongst the hedges that decorated the cabins Robinson heard a bark. His gun snapped to the sudden sound and he saw the face of a raptor emerge for just a moment before retreating into hiding.
Robinson thought, "they're testing my nerves. They want to see how I react. They're calling my bluff. They want to know if I'm a peacock fanning my feathers just to scare them or if I actually have some fight in me."
There was another bark. Robinson spun, saw the face of the raptor, and took the shot. He was hoping to see the spatters of blood from a solid hit or hear the thump of a body collapsing to the ground. There was none of that. He heard another bark. He turned and fired. No kill was yielded.
Robinson began to think, "are they aware that a gun can run out of bullets? Is that what they're trying to do? Are they trying to get me to waste ammo?"
Another bark sounded out and then another. Robinson refrained from firing this time. A long silence followed.
He thought, "who's really testing who here?"
He kept advancing toward the bunker. In the foliage the raptors quietly chattered. Robinson pondered what their next move might be. As their vocalizations trilled on, he knew they were plotting something. The hedges shifted, and the jungle stirred. He spotted flitting movement, a swift shadow here and there. Then the whole street fell still. Save for the thumping of the helicopter it was quiet. The only activity Robinson could see was the swarm of compsognathus still gorging on Earl's body.
The stillness was so drastic that Robinson slowed his pace. It was unsettling. He felt the same way he did when seeing a bright flash of lightning where he knew a deafening thunderclap was only a moment behind. And like that the attack came.