CHAPTER 346
Ms. Murdock slammed on the breaks, and her dune buggy slid through the dirt until it banged to a halt against the base of the caging for the enclosure. Her five point harness was off in moments, and she threw the door open with a kick. As it flew upwards a pteranodon was coming down to attack, but the caging for the door cracked it in the beak so hard that it broke several inches off of the sharp point at the end.
The pterosaur fell backwards and flapped in a broken way on the ground. It shrieked and rattled its head around, and Ms. Murdock breezed right by the animal. There was a large gate in the fencing just a few feet away, and she heaved the latch open. Moving the gate just wide enough for her to slip through she entered the interior of a two door interlocking system and shut it securely with hast.
Moments after she had the gate closed three more pteranodons came down from the air and slammed against it. They rattled the bars and fencing with shrieks and snarling growls, but they could not get through.
Safe from the dangers of the pterosaur enclosure at last, Ms. Murdock watched them for a moment while she collected herself. In the background the pteranodon whose beak she'd cracked was pacing in a stupor of shock.
Joan's composure solidified, and her thoughts organized. She would have been there sooner if it had not been for a run in with a baryonyx that caused her to backtrack and re-rout. Nevertheless, she had made it, though she couldn't help but note that there was no sign that anyone else had. No other dune buggies were parked nearby. As far as she could see she was the first one to have disturbed the dirt floor within the gate lock in quite some time.
Joan wasn't going to wait. If anyone else was still alive, there were multiple pontoon boats. Even if there weren't multiple boats she wasn't going to wait.
Ms. Murdock took one last glance at the pteranodons and turned to face the second door in the gate lock system. There she was met with a troubling sight.