CHAPTER 204
Ms. Murdock and Dr. Conners were taking the long way across the field of tall grass. Joan had them skirting the edges, following the perimeter, and staying just within the tree line. Bryce was following her every move. He went when she went, and he stopped when she stopped. They were coming close to the hillside. Dr. Conners was impressed by how much ground they had covered in a small amount of time. Despite the frequent pauses Ms. Murdock had them moving swiftly.
Soon enough they would have only to ascend the slope, and they would reach the runway.
Another moment came where Ms. Murdock put up her hand to stop them. This time was different than the others. She did not just stand and wait. She turned around, grabbed Bryce, and pulled them both amongst a hanging tangle of vines that was draped off a nearby tree. She wedged them deep in the thick of it, burrowing back into a crevice of the tree trunk. Ms. Murdock kept a firm grip on Bryce even as they settled in.
Dr. Conners did not dare to ask what was wrong. Joan had him in a perfect position to stab him in the lung just as she said she would if he were to jeopardize her. He wanted to believe it was an empty threat, but there was a large piece of him that wondered if he already had the point of a knife or a sharpened stick at his back positioned to pierce effortlessly between the ribs just in case he were to do something she perceived as stupid.
Joan tightened her grip on him and they waited. In time Dr. Conners witnessed the emergence of two female velociraptors, and moments later the pack leader appeared.
Falcon strode much closer to their position than the two raptors. She was moving slow, searching, sniffing the air, examining the ground. The velociraptors worked in a similar fashion.
Bryce studied their body language, trying to decipher whether or not the hunters had a clue to their whereabouts. As he watched them hunting the premises he felt very grateful to be covered in mud and stinking of compsognathus urine.
Falcon's eye shifted. Her plumage stood on end as she sniffed harder. Her feathers dropped, and she looked right at the tree where Ms. Murdock and Dr. Conners hid.
"Oh shit," Bryce thought.
Falcon stepped toward the tree, her heavy killer talons cutting through the underbrush. The scales of her feet ground into the dirt with a crunch. Her eyes squinted and her head cocked. She paused. She sniffed the air again. Her plumage twitched and ruffled, shaking flies away much the way a horse would. The eagle-like frown of her brow became more prominent. The utahraptor purred with a strong consideration of what was in front of her. The dinosaur's lips curled, and she sucked at her teeth. Her tongue swabbed along the curving roof of her mouth, and then she locked her jaw closed.
Dr. Conners could sense the cogs of her brain turning. She knew something, and he thought they were done for. He was surprised when, in a swift turn, the clan leader moved off, and all three hunters disappeared into the jungle.
Bryce felt relief as he watched them go, but Ms. Murdock maintained her firm grip on him for quite some time after.
When she finally did let go she leaned close to Dr. Conner's ear and sent a chill down his spine as she said, "She's had her eye on you."