CHAPTER 136
From under the dashboard Dr. Conners said, "did you notice the coloration on some of the females out there?"
"Bryce, what?" Dianna shot him a strange look that she knew he couldn't see.
"Some of the female velociraptors out there have varying skin tones. I noted early on that the rogue females had slightly darker pigmentation than our own. I'm seeing females out there with lighter scales which of course means that our velociraptors have escaped along with-"
Dianna cut him off. "Bryce, shut up. This is hardly the moment."
"Damn!"
"What?"
"It's not working."
Dianna angled her head to look beneath the dash. "Jesus Christ, Bryce! Those are the wrong wires!" She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, banging his head on the steering wheel in the process.
"Ow!" Bryce rubbed his skull as Dianna ducked below the dash. All around him he heard the cracking of glass. His eyes moved from the velociraptor slamming against the windshield to the one charging the passenger door.
A spray of glass exploded through the cab and Dr. Conners shielded his face. When a set of jaws came snapping through the passenger window at him he fell back on top of Dr. Johnson.
"Ahhg! Bryce, get off! Get off!"
"Not an option!" He thrust his boot at the velociraptor's face over and over until it toppled back through the window. At that moment he heard the engine rumble to life.
"Come on, Bryce! Move your ass!" Dianna yelled.
Dr. Conners hoisted himself off of her and she climbed onto the steering wheel. More glass burst into the cab as the windshield gave way. As a thrashing head came at the doctors Dianna put the truck in reverse and slammed on the gas. The velociraptor in the windshield went tumbling off the hood as another rolled off the roof, hit the hood, and fell to the ground. As Dr. Johnson floored the pedal yet another in the bed of the truck stumbled forward and flattened against the rear window with a squawk.
Racing backwards Dianna steered the truck directly toward Hector's skid steer. The machine was still surrounded by angry snarling velociraptors that were beginning to gain a serious advantage in the battle against the small shovel wielding tractor. The utahraptor with the mohawk of feathers had jumped on top of the skid steer and, with its claws, had managed to break some of the hydraulic lines. With hydraulic fluid pouring everywhere Hector no longer had enough pressure to raise the shovel, so he was just spinning in circles to keep the raptors at bay.
As Bryce watched the tail end of the pickup hurl toward Hector's skid steer he shouted, "Dianna, what the hell are you-"
Dr. Johnson had slammed on the breaks. The truck slid through the mud and struck the side of the skid steer. Upon impact the velociraptor in the bed was thrown out of the truck. As it launched over the roof of Hector's machine it took out the ankles of the utahraptor and both dinosaurs went tumbling to the ground.
"Jesus. Warn somebody next time." Bryce was rubbing his neck.
Dianna used her elbow to knock out what remained of the driver's side window, and she poked her head out. "Hector? Hector!"
She heard the lap bar of the skid steer swing upward, and Hector slumped out of the door.
"Come on!" Dianna waved him.
Hector nodded wearily and stumbled into the bed of the truck.
"You look like shit." Bryce was craning his head out the other window.
"It's good to see you too, Amigo."
Dr. Conners noticed the pistol in his hand. "Do you have any ammo left?"
"Si, a little."
The sound of growling raptors encroached the vehicle, and they saw a ring of hunters closing back in on them.
"¡vámonos!" Hector banged the side of the cab.