CHAPTER 177
The allosaurus narrowed its eyes in the sunlight, sniffing the air as it approached the Jeep. The grass flattened with a bristly crunch each time it took a step, leaving a wake of matted brush. There was an alligator-like essence to the beast as it moved, but it was smoother and quicker. It did not possess as much of the avian disposition that other theropods seemed to exude, though it was very much still a warm blooded hunter.
When the predator came upon the vehicle it angled its scaled snout to inspect the interior and found the seats to be vacant. The allosaurus grunted, and for a moment turned its eyes to the milling hadrosaurs at the end of the field as though it were no longer interested in the Jeep. Flaring its nostrils at the catching of a scent its intrigue was rekindled, and it lowered its muzzle within the CJ7.
The allosaurus gripped the side of the Jeep with its tri-taloned hands and buried its nose into the cushy leather seats. After a period of snorting and smearing trails of snot around it bit into the driver's side backrest and tore out the stuffing.
A long strip of leather and bits of foam hung from the allosaur's teeth as it raised its head. With a half sneeze it spit the scraps aside and began raking its fore claws along the paint.
Beneath the Jeep Dr. Johnson watched the tattered shreds of the seat settle to the dirt beside her. She and Seth and Kyra were crammed side by side beneath the vehicle like sardines in a can. They observed as the thick curved claws of the allosaur's feet hooked into the soil as it rummaged above them. The sound of the shrieking metal as its claws drug over one surface and another was piercing.
As Dianna lay there pondering how long they might be trapped she also wondered how it was that so many of the carnivores had already found their way outside of the enclosures. She was aware that three days had passed, but it was almost as though they had been let out of their cages.
She gripped the taser gun close to her. Now that they were on foot the air strip seemed so much further away. She wondered whether or not the plane would actually still be waiting for them when they got there.
Dianna looked at the kids and then motioned for them to hug in further. Seth was practically on top of Kyra already. He didn't have another inch to squeeze in. So he sucked in his gut, which wasn't very far as he was lean to begin with, and crossed his ankles over hers. At the same time he heard Kyra suppress a small grunt as his mom pushed further in from the other side.
Kyra was beginning to feel like she was at the bottom of a dog pile, but she didn't dare argue. The allosaur's scaled toes shifted, and then the feet backed away a couple of steps. Loud sniffing could be heard, and the Jeep creaked and rocked as the jurassic carnivore breathed along the dented panels of the vehicle. The darkening shadow along the ground suggested the beast was moving its head lower, and soon a wet heaving nostril was in view right next to Dr. Johnson.
The pointed snout tilted and twisted as the allosaurus worked to wedge her nose deeper under the Jeep. Every time it breathed out, a cloud of dust billowed into Dianna's face. Writhing and digging further the allosaurus growled in frustration. The carnivore repeatedly drug her nose through the dirt, and now there was mud caked mucus clumped around her nostrils.
The dinosaur paused. Dianna saw one of its hands come into view and rest on the ground. The animal heaved with a big breath, and then ejected a muddy sneeze all over Dianna. As she dripped with snot the allosaurus rose out of view. Dr. Johnson was hoping the beast had given up, but it wasn't moving. Its feet were still there.
"Great," she thought. They were just going to have to wait it out.