CHAPTER 178
When Dr. Conners regained consciousness all he could see was darkness. He had the sensation that he was suffocating. When he tried to move he felt stuck. A rush of panic hit him. He didn't have any idea what was going on. As a desperation to breath grew stronger he pushed. It occurred to him that he wasn't even certain which way was up, but he just had to do something.
To his relief his arms thrust his head upward and freed him of the barrier that was holding him down. Now he was able to take a breath. As Dr. Conners sucked air into his lungs he realized at once his situation. By the smell in his nose he knew that he had landed face first in a pile of dinosaur droppings. The squishy muck his hands were sinking into was not mud.
In reality it might have saved his life. If not for the soft landing he very well could have broken his neck. Bryce smeared his face clean as best he could and opened his eyes. It was no shock to him when he saw the steaming pile of dung before him.
"Crap." Dr. Conners looked around. There were other piles of droppings among the grass around him.
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He needed to get his bearings. Popping his head above the grass the first thing he saw was Falcon standing not too far off with three velociraptors ready to do her bidding.
"Shit." Bryce dropped back below the grass. He began to wonder what his chances would be if he ran right then. He wagered not very good.
"What the hell do I do?" He looked around.
Through the grass he heard Falcon caw. It was clear she was barking out instructions to the velociraptors.
Bryce's eyes settled on the large pile of droppings in front of him. "Jesus." He looked at it with reluctance. On the other hand he figured he was already covered in shit to begin with.
More raptor vocalizations caught his ear. They were closer. He heard movement in the grass. Bryce thought about running again, but his gut told him no. He looked back to the pile of droppings. "Shit."
Bryce threw himself down and rolled between two large mounds. With his arms he began scooping loads of crap over his legs and torso. He piled it up to his shoulders and then stuffed some around his head. He did his best to throw it as haphazardly as possible, but he wasn't sure he would fool anyone.
Now Dr. Conners was hearing footsteps and breathing. They were close, very close. Taking one more handful he threw it over his face and tucked his arms in, hoping for the best.
As Bryce settled in he listened intently. The footsteps came closer and closer. The rustling of the grass was ever louder until he heard raptor vocalizations right above him. There was at least one animal. The predator was purring low and slow. As more clumps of dung rolled down on top of him Dr. Conners realized that the velociraptor was standing on one of the piles right next to him, likely to get a better vantage. He heard the velociraptor sniffing and shifting its feet. With a thump it jumped down next to him and almost landed on his face. It was all too close for comfort. His body shuddered with nerves, and he stiffened up to try and keep from shaking.
The sound of sniffing was louder. He could sense the raptor's snout scanning for him. It felt like it was just inches above the thin layer of dung that hid him from view. Dr. Conners was holding his breath. He knew that the slightest movement could give him away.
The velociraptor lifted its nose and barked.
A heavier set of footsteps approached. The clan leader was nearing. Dr. Conners could feel the dung around him shifting as Falcon strode up to him. She stopped and observed the area. With a side step the utahraptor put one foot over Dr. Conners and was now straddling him.
"Jesus God," Bryce thought. "How the hell could it get any more unnerving?"
As the seconds passed he felt more and more like he'd been had. He was just waiting to feel the killer claw stab through the pile of dung and sink into his abdomen.
Falcon grunted and then barked an order to the velociraptor. Promptly thereafter they both vacated the scene.
Dr. Conners remained motionless beneath the pile of dung. He wasn't going to dare and move right away. As he lay there he wondered if he was the only one left alive or if there were still others. His whole plan had gone to shit, and he pondered if it was even worth trying to get to the plane any more.