The T-Rex halted its departure. It turned to the gunfire and tilted its head, as if trying to reconcile the sounds from the distance with the nearby shooting.
Stepping into the clearing, the Tyrannosaurus sniffed the air and gazed upon the marine in the point position. A rifleman anchored the right flank near a machine gunner. Everyone remained frozen except the madman on the other flank.
Amazed the dinosaur had spotted him, the American rifleman remained paralyzed. He seemed to hope something else would catch the predator’s attention.
The world became frozen in time. Even the machinegun blasts at the scavengers appeared like snapshots, clicking in sequence. Japanese troopers clenched their weapons, ready to unload on the carnivore and the American invaders, alike.
“Easy.” Tanaka didn’t want to attract the beast.
No one responded, but they seemed to lessen the holds on their weapons.
“We don’t want to bring it to us. Maybe it will grab an American and leave.”
The thought was hopeful. He doubted it, even as the words came from his mouth. And then, a calamity broke loose on their battlefield.
It made its move.
The T-Rex took a couple of swift steps and snatched the marine rifleman on their left from the ground. Legs and feet dangling from the creature’s maw, the marine kicked frantically.
A snap resounded through the field of fire. Blood gushed down the marine’s trousers and spilled onto the ground. His legs gave a last jiggle, then his exposed torso hung limp. The tableau of death caused the Hetai to gasp in awe.
The dinosaur lingered near the Japanese line, staring with a massive yellow eye.
Everything froze during a horrific moment, while the Tyrannosaurus considered them. Its yellow orb blinked, and blood dripped from the carcass in its mouth. Tanaka wondered if the creature registered them. He hoped it would run off with its spoils. The crazy American had ceased firing his machinegun. All remained quiet, like the calm before a storm.
More gunfire boomed in the distance as the adversaries faced off at the garrison. The dinosaur canted its head, as if contemplating the noise.
Abruptly, the Tyrannosaur flexed its jaws and snapped the marine’s spine. A crackle echoed through the clearing. It bared its teeth, biting down on the corpse. Shredding thick utilities and flesh alike, the body severed in two pieces.
The lower torso fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
A soldier down the line screamed in horror.
Leaning its head back, the T-Rex gulped the upper body down. Then, it stomped on a twisted leg and bent over, tearing a limb off the remains. Feeding ravenously, the dinosaur chewed the meat and bone with large molars in the back of its mouth. Slurping emitted from its maw, and groans of pleasure emanated from its gullet.
A mixture of spent gunpowder, decayed vegetation, fuel, and a hint of copper wafted through the Imperial defensive line. Pungent odors blended with the dampness. The scents and anxiety constricted Tanaka’s breathing to the point he was forced to stifle a cough.
The dinosaur chomped down the scraps of the American.
Unsure of its next prey, the T-Rex stood listening to the cacophony of battle raging from the garrison.
Volleys of machinegun fire, rifle shots, and occasional explosions carried through the air with muffled booms, as the distance lessened the severity of blasts. At closer range, a soldier’s ears will rattle from eruptions and they often experience loss of hearing and short-term deafness.
The sounds didn’t bother Tanaka, resembling fireworks Manchurians used during Chinese New Year festivities. Such commotion seemed to affect the Tyrannosaurus. It tilted its head and bared its teeth. The T-Rex stepped towards the Japanese line, stamping in the grime as rain trickled over its hide.
Sounds from the vociferous combat provoked discomfort in the dinosaur. A creature that managed to survive for millions of years, while most of its species was wiped out, might develop keen senses of smell and hearing, especially for tracking prey on such a tiny secluded island. Tanaka figured the Tyrannosaurus had to adapt to living on such a tiny atoll. Such a tiny island could only support one of them, yet the creatures had bred and continued a lineage for eons.
Another blast resounded from the distance. The explosion indicated a bazooka or anti-tank gun. Such weaponry afforded the Americans with certain advantages. He wanted to get on with the firefight and secure the fuel dumps.
The dinosaur turned its head, drawn to the commotion.
It’s thinking about leaving, Tanaka told himself.
Another blast and the T-Rex stepped away from their defensive line.
Someone tapped his shoulder and pointed to the edge of the clearing just beyond the madman. Tanaka shook his head in disbelief. A row of menacing yellow eyes hovered a couple of feet above the ground, and in the distance, three sets of ferocious orbs stood near the height of a man. All of them inched towards the clearing and the crazy American seemed poised to fire.
Tanaka shook his head in dismay. “Don’t do it,” he muttered.
As he mumbled the words, the scavengers broke onto the plain. They didn’t mean to wait for the large predator’s scraps. Dinosaurs yelped and squealed, approaching the American offensive line.
Larger Raptors thrashed in the brush, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce.
And the madman let the hammer down, riddling a wave of yapping beasts.
Gunfire rang out from Tanaka’s right, as jumpy soldiers fired at the American. Barrel ablaze as countless rounds spit from the American’s machinegun, the bullets tore up the wet earth and dug into the small creatures’ hides.
“Cease fire!” Tanaka waved to his troops.
Soon only the American was firing a weapon. But the fracas caught the T-Rex’s attention, making it stop in its tracks. The massive carnivore glanced over at the American, then it peered down at the Japanese soldiers. Everyone around Tanaka waited, awestricken.
The Tyrannosaurus split its mouth open, revealing enormous teeth. Someone gasped, but the infantrymen remained motionless.
Machinegun fire raged across the field and a multitude of Compsognathus dinosaurs broke for the Japanese line. Shrieks resounded from the right, as scavengers assailed the makeshift fortification. Quillon bayonets reflected in the pale night, as Imperial soldiers wielded them to fend off the attacking scroungers.
A Sanpachi rifle discharged. The T-Rex stamped its foot and roared at them.
The massive beast stepped over the berm and crushed a Lewis gun, along with a soldier. Screams resonated from under the dinosaur’s foot, while claws dug into the sandbags and mushy earth; crimping into the man’s neck, abruptly silencing his wails of torment.
Soldiers fired at the T-Rex, registering the beast was among them. Paralysis would not send the creature away and could only lead to certain death.
It leaned over and snatched Private Nakano from the ground. Shaking its prey, the carnivore tasted the morsel before chomping the man into bits. Bullets dinged off its hide from rifles firing at close range.
A few more bites. Rain drizzled over the Tyrannosaurus’s snout and ran down its hide, dripping off prodigious haunches. It tilted its head back and swallowed the man whole. A bulge appeared in its neck as the soldier went down the gullet.
Now, the marines opened fire, while the soldiers were vulnerable, standing erect as they parried the beast. Bullets dinged off their Kabuto helmets and drilled into the tropical wear tunics. A couple of soldiers were lethally wounded and crumpled to the ground.