TIMESCAPE

15

 Dante looked around for some kind of weapon. This time there were no sticks. The pterodactyls swooped and circled above them, it was almost like they were mocking them, playing with their food before they ate it. Dante felt sick again.

He searched around for something, anything he could use as a weapon. There was nothing here! Just rocks.

"Dante..."

Dante turned. Katrina was staring at something off in the distance. Then he saw it: one of the dinosaurs was flying lower than the others. And it was headed straight for them. It was coming.

He had to move fast. Dante picked up a loose rock from the ground. It would have to do. As the bird grew nearer, Dante readied his throwing arm, trying to recall all the pitching lessons he'd had during high school. He never was much of a pitcher. He was always in the outfield where accuracy wasn't as necessary. The bird opened its mouth, Dante lifted the rock, he felt it leave his fingers...

The bird squaked and jolted awkwardly as the rock connected with its right wing. It soared up and away from them.

"Nice throw," Katrina smiled at him.

"It'll come back." Dante didn't feel like celebrating. He was only prolonging the inevitable. What if all the monsters decided to attack at once? He decided his childhood obsession with dinosaurs was a mistake. Now that he had seen them, he had no desire to ever see one again. Dante readied himself with another rock. He didn't know how much longer he could do this. "We need to get out of here. We need the code."

Katrina nodded, looking at her watch. It was glowing, and a timer was already counting down. They had five minutes left. "Look! They must have already left." She set to work typing in the code.

"Help Paige first." Dante looked up. It was as if the birds had read his mind. From several different angles they were flying down towards them, all of them at once. This was an organized attack! Katrina hurried, inputting the code into Paige's wrist strap. There was a bright flash of light and Paige was gone. "What's the code?" Dante asked.

"4815," Katrina said. "Hurry!" There was a flash of light and she too, was gone.

Dante threw the rock at the nearest pterodactyl. The bird swerved slightly and the rock missed. Dante ducked down just as another attacked from behind. He managed to type the code into his anchor. He watched as the bird turned around and headed back in his direction, it was coming straight for him, claws ready. He had taken it's dinner. Dante pressed the Return button. Nothing happened. Why was nothing happening??

Just as he thought it was over, there was a flash of light, the pterodactyl was right in his face now. Then it was gone, and all Dante could see was darkness.