CHAPTER 228
The spinosaur's peering eye disappeared from Daniel's view as it rose its head out of sight. A moment later the end of the log began to creak and crunch, and the dinosaur's massive fore claws broke through the ceiling. Applying a little more weight the spinosaurus caved the end of the roof in with a crash. Again its long narrow jaws thrust into the hollow of the tree trunk. Daniel recoiled as the carnivore could come much further this time. He looked behind him. His hiding space had been reduced by almost half. He could see where this was going.
The spinosaurus roared into the hollow and pulled its snout away. Once more the eye came down and peered at him.
Daniel stared right back and said, "looks like I'm running."
He waited until the spinosaur's eye was out of sight again and he heard its talons digging into the log. Daniel dug his boots under him and prepared to sprint. At the moment he was pushing off the spinosaurus lifted the end of the log and tipped it vertically.
"Shit!" Daniel began to tumble out but jammed his hands and feet against the inner walls of the log.
Daniel was looking down at the ground through the trunk. Above him he could hear the spinosaurus snorting into the log. Daniel craned his eyes over his shoulder and looked up at the beast. The spinosaurus had its head cocked to the side and was looking in at him like a child who had a bug trapped in a paper towel roll.
With a grunt the spinosaurus lifted the log off the ground and then piledrived it into the earth. Daniel had no chance of holding on. The tree trunk shuddered and rattled him free in an instant. Daniel struck the dirt and watched as the walls of the log almost immediately lifted around him. By his guess he had about a split second before the spinosaurus slammed it down again. Daniel took the leap and dove from beneath the looming hollow of the tree trunk. He was barely to his feet when the log smashed down behind him. There was a crunch like the sound of a stack of pallets being run over by a truck as the log splintered to pieces and crumbled in a heap.
The spinosaurus crouched and rummaged through the debris. The longer it did not see Daniel the angrier it got. The spinosaur slashed its claws and tossed chunks of wood aside. When it became apparent that Daniel was no longer there the carnivore lifted its crocodilian head and scanned the area with an alarmed disposition. The spinosaur found him not far away but running toward a dense area of undergrowth.
Daniel heard the dinosaur bellow behind him and the jungle began to shake as it barreled at him on all fours. Daniel reached the thick jungle foliage and dove in. He couldn't help but feel like a rabbit bounding away from a hound. Daniel dropped to his belly and crawled as deep as he could among the bushes and small trees. Behind him he heard one crash after the next as the spinosaurus clawed its way in after him. Daniel crawled even deeper. He began to take notice that the sounds of the spinosaur had changed. The beast had slowed down. Its energy level was lower. It seemed now that the animal was searching more so than sustaining a violent pursuit. Daniel paused and shifted onto his side, looking back in the dinosaur's direction. He could see its long figure lumbering through the vegetation. He heard it sniffing and grunting. With a loud thrash the spinosaurus circled around and began to walk away from him. Daniel waited patiently, watching its tail slap through the foliage and slip off out of view like a massive levitating boa constrictor. He lowered his head and took a breath.
"There's too many dinosaurs on this god damned island."