CHAPTER 332

Daniel stood a hundred feet off from the overturned buggy. He observed as Thorne huddled his bulky muscular form within the tiny vehicle. Vulture stood tall next to him and let out a stern breath.

Daniel turned the corner of his mouth and said to the utahraptor, "I'll take care of this one. Go stop the others. If you catch up with Ms. Murdock, save her for me."

Vulture nodded and was gone.

Daniel put all his attention on the dune buggy. Reaching for his waist he drew one of his pistols.

"Mr. Thorne." He called out as he paced forward. "Your time has come."

He saw Thorne peer out from the crowd of pteranodons that encroached upon him. As Daniel continued forward one of the large pterosaurs dove at him and he ducked aside. Daniel was like a spring and bounced back without missing a step. Several more pteranodons swooped at him, but he simply kept ducking, leaning back, or contorting in seemingly awkward ways with ease and finesse. Soon he was upon the vehicle, and the only thing between him and Thorne was the throng of pteranodons.

Daniel raised his pistol and halted his pace. "You have a choice, Mr. Thorne. These pteranodons can peck out your eyeballs, chew out your intestines, and continue to hollow out your abdominal cavity until your heart stops beating and your lungs cease to pump air, or I can spare you with a bullet."

Another pterosaur came down on top of Daniel and he ducked through its wings and sharp beak, beat it over the head with his pistol, and snapped its neck. As the pteranodon corpse crumpled around him Daniel looked back at the buggy.

"Make your choice, Mr. Thorne," he said.

Daniel could barely see into the tiny vehicle with the throng of pteranodons surrounding it. He heard no answer and began to wonder if Thorne had already met his fate. He took another step forward and craned his neck. As he did this there was a sudden bellow from within the buggy.

One of the pteranodons was thrust off its feet and began hurling backwards at Daniel. The pterosaur slammed against him with a brute force and was shrieking hysterically. Over the shrieks Daniel heard the continuing bellow and realized it to be Thorne.

Daniel stumbled backwards and tried to keep his footing, but eventually fell. His back smacked the dirt, and the pterosaur came down on top of him. All Daniel could see was flapping wings and a long flailing beak. Then a meaty fist thrust through it and punched Daniel square in the face. Daniel saw stars. His head rolled around on the ground, and when his vision cleared Thorne was straddled above him with both his hands throttling the pterosaur's slender throat.

Daniel thrust his boot into Thorne's groin, and the big man crumpled. The gasping pteranodon flapped about like it had broken wings. Daniel stood and body checked it, then he kicked it hard in the ribs. He was about to turn back to Thorne when another pteranodon came down on him from above. Daniel felt clawing at his head, and he stooped. Reaching up he grabbed the pterosaur's ankles and wrestled the beast. In the midst of this he saw Thorne had recovered and was barreling at him. Daniel drove his foot out and caught Thorne in the gut. Thorne was stunned only for a second this time, and he threw his body at Daniel again.

Both men and the pteranodon crashed to the ground, and Thorne put his elbow deep into Daniel's chest. Daniel coughed and gasped. Thorne raised his elbow and moved to drive it deep into Daniel's wind pipe, but the second pteranodon started pecking at Thorne's face, and he recoiled.

Daniel had long dropped the pistol he'd been holding, but he took the opportunity to pull its twin from his waist. He grabbed the pteranodon by its wing membranes and threw it aside. Thorne sat before him with a bloodied scalp and face. Daniel raised his barrel, but the second pteranodon whirled around and bit his shooting arm.

Thorne got up and grappled Daniel. He got two punches into Daniel's cheekbone before the first pterosaur came back with vengeance and started tearing at his back. Thorne threw a few elbows behind him, but they didn't land, and now two more pterosaurs had joined in, and another was circling down.

Thorne flailed his body as three pteranodons attacked him. He swung his arms and threw punches, but the pecking and clawing did not cease.

Suddenly there was a gunshot, and all but one of the creatures dispersed to the air. As the wings cleared Thorne saw Daniel hurling at him, and his heel drove straight through the front of Thorne's knee, snapping it backwards.

Thorne cried out in agony as he crumpled to the ground. He lay there, feeling that the lower portion of his right leg was limp and twisted. Anger coursed through him, and his fingertips curled into the dirt. How could he have let this happen?

Nearby, Daniel looked down on him like he was about to crush a small pest. "Mr. Thorne, you made me waste your bullet."

Daniel turned to the one pteranodon that had not flown away. It was lying on the ground with a bullet wound gurgling blood out of its chest.

"You've chosen a path of far more pain," Daniel said dryly.

He crouched next to the dying pterosaur and grabbed the end of its upper beak. A breathy gasp escaped the creature's throat. With the heel of his boot Daniel kicked down and snapped the pteranodon's beak right off its face.

Thorne heard the crack of bone, but he was looking elsewhere. He had spotted Daniel's lost pistol laying ten feet away from him in the dirt. Thorne dug his nails into the soil and crawled toward it. His mangled leg drug behind him. One hand in front of the other, he pulled his body across the ground. He made it to within six inches of the pistol, and there he stopped. The tips of his fingers reached, but they would go no further.

Then a new level of pain set in. Daniel's boot was crushing his injured leg. He had been watching Thorne the whole time, following him, allowing him to get just within a hand's width of the weapon, and now he stopped him.

Thorne screamed. His eyes rolled up into his sockets as Daniel let up on the leg. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and roll him over. When his eyes focused again he was looking up at Daniel.

"Not today, Mr. Thorne," Daniel whispered, and he drove the sharp pterosaur beak into his belly at such an angle that it pierced up through his diaphragm and far within his chest cavity. Daniel straightened and forced the beak in further with the bottom of his boot until it would go no further. "I should leave you to be eaten alive, but lucky for you I have just an ounce of mercy left to spare."

He observed Thorne's dead eyes for a moment and then stepped over him to retrieve his lost pistol. Without another look at Thorne, Daniel went on his way. Behind him the pteranodons wasted little time returning, and even less beginning to pull apart Thorne's corpse.