CHAPTER 364
Daniel ran at Joan with such intense energy. A primal bellow exploded from his throat, and when his pry bar struck her length of rebar there was a powerful clang that jolted up her wrists, through her elbows and shoulders, and up into her neck. As Ms. Murdock cringed she found herself stumbling backwards into a pair of spectating velociraptors. The two dinosaurs jumped aside as Daniel continued to thrust Ms. Murdock back. Right beyond them was the open door to the animal cage they had been running for. Joan finally lost her footing and stumbled through the opening where she landed on her back.
Daniel did not stop for a second. Joan saw his pry bar coming at her, and she threw up the rebar. They connected with another shocking clang. Daniel lifted his bar and then tried to stomp on Ms. Murdock. She rolled out of the way and then jumped to her feet. Before she could get all the way up Daniel thrust a kick into the back of her pelvis, and she flew against the cage wall with a crash. As her face painfully lay against the metal she saw the faces of several raptors sneering at her from the outside.
Joan turned around with just enough time to see Daniel coming at her again. She ducked and the pry bar sparked against the cage. He swung another time, and Ms. Murdock blocked the strike with her rebar. Backing away down the side of the cage she continued to block swing after swing, but she was about to be trapped in the back corner of the cage. As she blocked the next strike she thrust in at Daniel and drove the side of her boot down his shin. He crumpled a little and she was able to drive the end of the rebar into his ribs. Then she head butted him and thrust him away from her. He stumbled but did not fall. When she swung at him he was able to block. Their bars clashed many times as each tried to club the other. The offense and defense traded back and forth until Daniel finally toppled from a blow to the knee.
As he sat in a crooked huddle he took in the mob of raptors barking and hooting around them. He watched Falcon scrutinizing the death match with a cold eye. His brain was filled with the barbaric commotion of the scene, and then he caught Ms. Murdock coming at him again. Daniel ducked, shifted his body, and rammed the sharp point of his pry bar straight out at Joan.
With her arms still in the air she froze. Ms. Murdock held the rebar above her head. She did not feel the pain yet, but she knew she'd been stabbed. Daniel drew back the bar, and that's when Joan felt the pierce of his weapon.
Ms. Murdock winced and stepped back, Her clothing became warm and wet around the left side of her belly. She looked down and saw blood.