Something resisted his upward movement, tugging at his arm.
He looked over. A small dinosaur gnawed at his deltoid. Rips in his uniform revealed exposed meat, cleaved open by sharp teeth.
Rising to his feet, he swatted the creature and knocked it to the ground. The dinosaur was similar in size to a very large bird, but it appeared daunting. He reached for his rifle and the vicious scavenger hissed at him. It took a step closer, baring its teeth.
Tanaka stepped back, unnerved by its aggressiveness.
It sensed his fear and ran at him. Springing from the ground, the Compsognathus ran up his leg, digging its claws into his flesh. He shrieked in misery.
The creature took occasional bites as it moved up his body, nipping him, sampling for a vulnerable place to find purchase. His neck would be the fertile ground for it to rest upon. He dropped his rifle. Tanaka grabbed the creature’s neck and tried to pull it off him.
But it resisted. The creature’s eyes grew fierce. Obstinate, the rear claws tightened, crimping into his stomach. Pain from his injuries hindered the effort.
He grabbed its neck and squeezed with all his might.
The Compsognathus ratcheted its head and bit into his forearm. Razor sharp teeth cut through his uniform and dug into his skin. Still, he managed to hold on, clutching the dinosaur for dear life. It gasped for air and weakened its hold.
Tanaka yanked the creature from his torso and flung it to the ground. Then, he snatched up his rifle and performed a lateral butt stroke, smacking the creature in the head.
It reeled over, flopping on the ground. Tanaka maneuvered the rifle to his shoulder and shot the thing in its chest. Greenish fluid spurted from the wound, as the dinosaur flailed in agony, shrieking in pain.
Turning, a scene of havoc came into view. Miniscule scavengers had infested the battle. Compsognathus and Procompsognathus dinosaurs fed upon Imperial soldiers pinned to the ground, gnawing at their flesh, picking the meat clean from the bone. Weak and bleeding, the fallen soldiers resisted in futility. Screaming and kicking, they writhed on the ground until succumbing to death.
And the T-Rex wasn’t finished with them yet. It stomped towards its prey.
Making swift, long strides, the Tyrannosaurus closed in on a chubby soldier, who stood frozen, unable to bring himself to flee.
“Osamu!” Tanaka called. “Run. Run!”
Standing amidst the dismantled machinegun nest, Osamu finally registered the warning. He nodded and broke to escape.
But his flight came too late. The carnivore stepped within striking distance.
Osamu got just six feet when the T-Rex made its move. Canting its head, the creature swiped to the left and latched onto the soldier’s midsection. Then, it lifted the man into the air, kicking and screaming. The battle scene fell silent as Osamu waved his arms and wailed in misery.
Eyeing the people on the ground, the Tyrannosaur checked for a threat.
Tanaka stood helpless watching his friend suffer unimaginable torment. He didn’t know what to do. Osamu’s end was certain.
A crack disrupted the calm. The bullet struck Osamu in the forehead, and his suffering terminated. Rotating toward the gun blast, Tanaka faced the American sharpshooter who’d led the smaller contingency. A mercy shot. He was thankful of the invader’s kindness.
The T-Rex didn’t remain steadfast for long. It scanned the closest line, as though considering adding another soldier to its booty.
“Attack!” the Jun-i cried, standing alongside the remaining Lewis gun.
The beast stalked towards him, dragging its entrails, and crimping its massive claws into the mud for balance. It wasn’t long for this world.
Bullets dug into the cleaved open underbelly. The dinosaur yowled in pain.
Rifles cracked from both factions, working in unison to drive the creature away. It gave a massive roar, then stomped on the machinegun nest, dismantling the threat. Soldiers were crushed and impaled by giant claws. Jun-i was knocked to the dirt. And then, the carnivore broke for the jungle, trotting weakly towards safety with its final meal.
Once the Tyrannosaurus entered the brush across the street, the Compys scampered to the large carcass lying near the transport. Pouncing upon the bull, they teared at its flesh and snapped at each other, greedy for the meat.
The truck sat in the mud, askew. It was rendered useless by the battle with the beasts. The Yonki remained parked up the road, unscathed by the skirmish.
Soldiers lay about, groaning from their wounds, with some being picked over by Compys. A lull in the fighting permitted Tanaka to gather himself. He checked his injuries and applied a bandage to the wound in his upper chest. The bullet had entered the pectoral muscle, struck his clavicle, and exited through the upper trapezius.
Once he patched himself up and ebbed the bleeding, Tanaka ran to the fallen warrant officer. The Jun-i lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
“Are you all right?” Tanaka knelt by him.
“Fall back and reassemble the troops…” The Jun-i gasped.
“Let me help you to the Yonki.”
Jun-i shook his head. “It crushed my ribs. My insides are hemorrhaging. My time here is coming to an end.”
The words cut through Tanaka like a knife. “I’ll take you back to the garrison.”
“You must lead the troops.” He smiled benignly. “Leave me here.”
Gunfire disrupted the silence. The Americans had revived the battle.
“You must act swiftly,” Jun-i said, exasperated. “Take the Yonki and defend the fuel dumps and garrison.”
Tanaka shook his head, disapproving. Even as he considered dragging the warrant officer to the scout car, a glazed look crossed the leader’s face. Jun-i slipped into the midst of death. Now, the role of leadership fell to Tanaka.
He looked up and saw the decimated Imperial troops. “Fall back!”
Soldiers looked at him askance. A cowardly move. They intended to fight the invaders and honor their ancestors. Riflemen regrouped along the berm, returning fire downhill at the Americans, who were dug in like long-horned Asian ticks.
He ran toward the line, crouched over, trying to avoid getting shot.
Tapping a superior private on the shoulder, he got the man’s attention. “We need to fall back and protect the infrastructure,” Tanaka yelled over the gunfire.
Shrugging, the infantryman continued to fire at the Americans.
“Move out, now!” Tanaka cracked the soldier on the helmet with his rifle butt.
The younger man cringed at him. “Coward.”
“Jun-i ordered it.” He grabbed the man’s coat. “Fall back.”
Nodding, the superior private tapped soldiers in his unit. Tanaka told them to protect the garrison. They broke across the road for the protected covering of the jungle, and Tanaka wondered if they would fare better sticking to the road.
Bullets whizzed past him, and one dinged off his helmet.
“Fall back!” Tanaka yelled, waving his arms.
The rest of the contingency ran for the brush and slipped out of sight.
A straggler brought up the rear and Tanaka ran after him. He grabbed the soldier’s arm. “Come with me,” he said to Private Miura, breaking for the scout car.
Tanaka slid behind the wheel and Miura climbed into the passenger seat. Starting the engine, he revved it up. A round pinged off the rear quarter panel. Then, he shifted into drive and sped down the muddy road. Rain doused the windshield and obscured the way.
Flicking on the wipers, the lane came into view. The headlights swept along the desolate roadway, and he kept an eye out for predators.