Dinosaur Armageddon Vol. 1: Vengeful Promise

Chapter 25

It was like watching a scene play out in slow motion. Jessica could see the jaws of the predator open wide, it's yellowed teeth and slimy tongue glistening in the light. She saw the short snout, the two triangular horns above two ugly orange eyes, the red and gold scales all over its body, the black crocodile-like knobs on its back, and the tiny, dainty arms that made those of the T. rex look hench.

    A Carnotaurus.

    Jessie knew a fair bit about this carnivore. Although it was over thirty feet long, making it small in comparison to the more ferocious predators, it was not a dinosaur to take lightly. The "flesh eating bull" had a nasty bite and is almost impossibly fast for an animal it's size, an astonishing thirty miles per hour on open ground. Once this medium-size theropod had you in its sights, there was little hope of escape.

    Still, the charging dinosaur appeared to be closing in on her in slow motion. But she knew that it was coming at her at top speed. This was just her mind prolonging the inevitable. It flashed with Jessie's memories. Her life was flashing before her own eyes.

    This is it… she thought, squeezing her eyes shut, bracing herself for the incoming attack. This is how I'm going to die… I'm going to die as a beautiful girl who's still a virgin and with no boyfriend… I'm going to die being eaten alive… By a dinosaur...

    And then, when Jessie was about to accept her fate, a sudden force managed to knock her out of the way just before the pair of jaws could snap shut around her. It felt like a football player had just rammed right into her. The force of the tackle shot her off her feet and collapsed onto the ground.

    Jessie looked up to see what had stuck her:

    It was Josh.

    He was on his hands and knees, looking down at her with a look of horror and concern. 

    Jessie's face grew warm. "Wha… what're you--?"

    "Not the time," Josh barked, getting back onto his feet. He then grabs her by the arm and hefts her back up. "Now, we need to run!"

    A rumbling snarl caught Jessie's attention and she turned her head back. The Carnotaurus had completely missed his charge and had rushed past the humans considerably. But now he was facing them and charging right for them once again.

    "MOVE IT!" Jessie felt Josh shove her forward roughly, which prompted her to run. She didn't even think; she just ran for her life through the trees, hearing Josh running alongside her and the thundering steps of the theropod. She could hear it roar and snap, getting closer. The Carnotaurus was fast…

    But it had one weakness.

    However, in order for her plan to be successful, she'd have to time it right. She'd need to be at the right place. If she screwed it up, both of them would be killed.

    She could hear it closing the gap between them at an alarming speed. She could heat the snorting breath, the snapping of dead branches, and thumping footfalls of the dinosaur. She didn't dare look back, for she knew what would be behind her. She would see it gaining on them, ugly eyes locked onto them like they had targets on their backs. She could just imagine the Carnotaurus practically salivating, ready to tear into the hot, slippery coils of their intestines. The very image of the creature ripping her open made her nauseous, but she had to battle against the urge to vomit. If she slowed, that would be her future.

    Still, she waited. She wouldn't execute their escape too early. Jessie just looked forward, watching the vegetation around her blur as she ran. From the corner of her eye, she saw Josh with a hard expression on his face. It was the face of a man who absolutely refused to die. Jessie would've normally scoffed at that look, but in this sort of situation, it's the exact face she needed to see. His expression told her he was determined to survive.