CHAPTER 218

Tomahawk appeared with six velociraptors at her disposal. There were four males and two females all snarling and snapping their jaws as they formed a circle around them. The ring of hunters constricted like a noose, and none of them seemed phased by Daniel's weapons.

Gary side eyed Daniel. "Tell me you have enough bullets left in those pistols to shoot your way out of here."

Another half dozen velociraptors rushed out of the foliage, reinforcing the barricade around them.

Daniel tipped his chin in Gary's direction. "Just start throwing rocks. Maybe they'll go away." He still had his revolvers poised to shoot, and still the raptors looked unshaken. "Gary?"

"Yeah?"

"Was all the ammo still in the back of the rover after the crash?"

"What? I don't know. We're about to die. What does it matter?"

Daniel shrugged, "no particular reason."

Gary looked past the fierce eyes, bearing teeth and deadly claws, back to the black smoke and crackling fire. The truck was a charred skeleton of rubble, but the rover, with its armored body, still held some integrity among the engulfing flames. A growl brought his attention back to the circle of hunters.

Tomahawk had broken through the mob and was approaching Daniel. The utahraptor held the expression of a purebred killer. Her snout pressed right against the barrel of the revolver in Daniel's right hand as she walked up to him. Her eyes narrowed, and she growled. She nudged the barrel and growled again, taunting Daniel to pull the trigger. The surrounding velociraptors began to bark and howl. Gary felt like he was at the center of an angry mob. He could almost see the torches and pitchforks. Tomahawk nudged the revolver again and barked.

"Do it, Daniel! Shoot her!" Gary yelled.

Daniel's eyes were locked with hers, and neither flinched. Without giving a tell Daniel flipped the pistols in his hands and struck Tomahawk across the face with the butts.

Tomahawk's snout was pointed at the ground. Her eyes were lowered.

Gary could see the fire growing in her eye. He knew there was no way this was going to turn out good. "Oh, Christ."

Tomahawk lifted her chin, turned the other side of her face to Daniel, and growled again.

Daniel poised his guns like a pair of hatchets, and he moved to strike. This time Tomahawk dipped away just enough to avoid being clubbed. Daniel stepped in and swung. Then he lunged and did it again. Each time Tomahawk avoided his attacks by a mere hairs width.

The two of them circled each other, and Gary had to duck as Tomahawk's tail swung at him.

"Daniel, this is crazy!"

Daniel took another swing at Tomahawk. "Crazier than anything else that's happened today?"

He swung again, and as Tomahawk ducked aside she followed through with a lunge and tackled Daniel onto his back.

As Gary stood watching him pinned to the ground a primal instinct overtook him. With a yell he threw his body at Tomahawk's ankle in an attempt to knock her legs out from beneath her.

What happened next could have been easily foreseen had Gary been thinking clearly. When he struck her leg it was akin to running into a metal lamp post. Gary bounced off and fell on his back.

Both Daniel and Tomahawk turned to look at him.

Gary was certain that if raptors could laugh Tomahawk and the rest of the mob would be bawling.

Daniel was staring at him with a painful amount of disappointment. "I'm embarrassed for you."

"You could try using a bullet or two any time the mood strikes."

"I'm waiting for the fireworks."

"What?"

Daniel slipped from beneath Tomahawk's fore claws, but he received a slash across the back as he leapt away. With a tumble he fell against an angry faced female velociraptor who promptly shoved him back into the center of the circle.

Daniel stumbled next to Gary who was back on his feet. They both looked at Tomahawk who was prowling in like a hungry shark. It was clear to see that she had grown bored of their little game. Tomahawk rounded closer and crouched for a killing attack. Her jaws spread wide.

In the midst of it all there was a loud pop and a metal clang that rang out from the fiery interior of the rover. From the open hatchback a puff of smoke ejected, and a rocket shot out.

All heads turned toward the speeding projectile as a screaming thrust carried it straight at the circle of raptors. Gary had not even had a chance to comprehend what was going on when Daniel plowed him out of the rocket's path with a superman dive. The two of them tumbled into a pair of velociraptors, and they all fell over, leaving Tomahawk as a clear bullseye for the oncoming missile. When the projectile hit her the utahraptor's ribcage ruptured into a superheated shockwave of body parts, leaving nothing where she once stood.

Gary was pretty certain he had face planted into a raptor's crotch as the rocket exploded behind them. Immediately following the blast he heard two gunshots, and then he was pulled to his feet.

The raptors they had inadvertently tackled were laying at his shoes with bullet holes in their heads, compliments of Daniel. Around them the rest of the mob was scattering into the trees.

Gary was in shock as he looked around. He turned to Daniel. "Where's Tomahawk?"

The utahraptor's scorched and disembodied head fell from where it was launched high above, and landed directly between the two men with a thud.

Gary jumped back.

Daniel slapped him on the shoulder with a smirk. "Fireworks."

The red hot interior of the rover erupted with a haphazard continuum of random bullet fire. Shots ricochetted within like a crazed snare drum, and not after long stray projectiles began whizzing out the open doors and buzzing past Gary and Daniel's heads. Rounds struck the nearby trees with a thwack, and tore through foliage.

Daniel grabbed a fistful of Gary's shirt. "Time to go!"