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.
The Carnotaurus grew closer and closer. Soon he would close the gap and finish them off. For Jessie, it was now or never.
"On my count, we make a turn!" Jessie shouted over the dinosaur, looking at Josh. "He's fast, but only in a straight line. He can't make sharp turns very well."
Josh glanced over at her, skepticism written in his face. "How can you be sure? You're telling me you know how to escape from a dinosaur when you don't even know how to put up a--"
"URRGGGGH! THERE'S NO TIME TO ARGUE!" she shouted, glaring at Josh with burning eyes. "Just trust me! I know these things!"
Josh looked like he wanted to snap back at her, but he squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, growling. He then opened his eyes and nodded. "Alright! On three!"
Jessie nodded. By now, the Carnotaurus was at least meters away from them. It was time.
"Okay! One… Two… THREEEEE!"
Right on the mark, Jessie and Josh turned together sharply. From her peripheral vision, Jessie could see the Carnotaurus as it lunged with it's jaws wide open. But his eyes seemed to widen a bit with surprise as his prey duked him unexpectedly. Unable to react fast enough, the demon completely rushed past them.
Jessie heard the sounds of the dinosaur bellows. She heard it stumble and cause a commotion; the sound of an old tree being hit by a great force and topple over.
The Carnotaurus had run straight into a tree and fell along with it.
"YEAH!" Josh screamed, looking back at the dinosaur as he ran. "FUUUUUCK YOUUUUU!!"
Despite herself, Jessie's face broke into a tiny smirk. That Carnotaurus must look so incredibly stu--
Before she could finish that thought, Jessie felt a strong force smash into her side. The force of the impact caught Josh into the attack as well, sandwiching her between the assailant and Josh. She was sent soaring into the air as the breath was knocked out of her. However, she was still able to see what had just rammed into them:
A second Carnotaurus.
This one was not as brightly colored as the first and not as large. Its horns weren't quite as pointed and, after a closer look, one of them seemed to actually be broken off halfway. It was quite possible that this new individual was a sub-adult, one that was already of veteran of combat.
Jessie landed right on top of Josh, who laid on the ground beneath her. She gasped for air, trying to find her breath.
But in no time, the new Carnotaurus was standing above her, its lips curled in a nasty snarl. She could see ropes of saliva drip from each of its sharp teeth. Jessie could only watch as it spread it maw open, lunge forward--
The adult Carnotaurus interfered, body slamming the adolescent in the side, sending it to the ground on its keeled back. The younger predator struggled, flailing and kicking its taloned feet in the air before it finally rolled back onto its feet. It faced the larger predator and roared angrily.
Jessie tried to take advantage of the situation; with the two dinosaurs fighting, they were too distracted to pay attention to their prey. However, she was unable to move. She managed to look back and see Josh. Blood trickled from his mouth, and while he was breathing, he didn't move.
He's been knocked out.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
Suddenly, her eyes felt heavy and her vision went dim. She was losing her consciousness.
The two Carnotaurus circled each other, snarling and nipping at each other. The older dinosaur narrowed his eyes at his challenger. How dare he interrupt his hunt and attempt to feed on his prey? How dare he try to steal something he didn't work for? How dare he get the moxie to fight him?
The older male would not tolerate this insolence. This usurper will learn a lesson on what happened when you try to muscle your way into someone else's meal.
The adult dinosaur growled and charged forward, opening its mouth. Before the youngster knew what hit him, the older Carnotaurus gripped his rival's short snout in his jaws, biting down hard. The young dinosaur screamed, struggling in an attempt to escape the powerful jaws of the adult, blood gushing from the wounds. But his adversary's grip held true, showing no signs of letting go. Finally, the larger animal swung its head down, slamming the juvenile onto the ground.
Just like that, the battle was over. The smaller Carnotaurus, now with deep wounds on his face, had lost the fight. It got up from the floor, keeping its head low as it began to run away. The adult snapped to bite the escaping youngster, but it was unable to even latch onto the tip of the smaller dinosaur's tail before it managed to flee the scene entirely.
The adult Carnotaurus then slowly turned its gaze back to the humans. They were both unmoving, yet still breathing. The younger male's attack failed to kill them, but they both must have several injuries from the blow.
This would make killing them much easier. It was nothing personal; like every other lifeform on the planet, he was just trying to survive. In order to survive, he needed to feed.
He stalked towards them, his feet making hardly any sound. He inched closer and closer, his throat rumbling and his jaws wet with drool. He could still taste the blood from the younger Carnotaurus, which only made his appetite more insatiable. If he ever found the intruder again, he might not live long enough to see another sunrise.
As he padded even closer, the female of the two humans stirred and opened her eyes. When she did, she looked straight up at the dinosaur. But rather than a look of terror, her eyes were blank, as if they were two dead orbs in her puny skull.
"Somebody… help us…" she said in a hoarse voice.
The dinosaur didn't understand her, nor did he want to. He growled and lowered his head, ready to deliver the final killing blow.
SHNK!
In an instant, the Carnotaurus felt a sharp object get lodged into his right eye. He wailed in complete anguish, reeling back away from his quarry. He flailed wildly, his tail swinging around and his big feet stomping around.
The predator spun around everywhere, screaming in anger and pain. And amidst the chaos, he saw the figure of another human standing on a thick tree branch, holding what can only be described as a weapon.