Read Online Dinosaur Thunder by James F. David - Free Book Online

called to Crazy Kramer who was reloading his spear thrower.
    A huge grin on his face, Crazy partially turned, only half-aware of Jacob.
    “Take out its knee!” Jacob yelled.
    Confused, Crazy looked back and forth, Jacob frantically pointing at his own knee. Finally, understanding dawned. Just as the hadrosaur rocked back down, Crazy let fly, his spear burying in the wounded knee. Now the hadrosaur squealed from pain, or the unfairness of being singled out from the herd. Hopping on one leg, moving in a circle, more arrows and spears hitting home, and the hadrosaur went down. Willy raced forward, using his razor-sharp knife to slice deep into its neck, searching for the artery. Blood spurted and the hunt was over.
    Not waiting for the hadrosaur to die, Willy and Mel went to work, using a boning knife to slice it from anus to sternum, and then reached in to pull out arms full of guts. The hadrosaur writhed in agony at first and then twitched and died. Other hunters sorted the intestines, packing some, then taking the liver and heart. Then they went to work, cutting ten-pound steaks and roasts from haunches, rump, and shoulders. Precision and pride were gone; the meticulously honed knives flew, chunks of meat tossed to men standing in two lines to take, wrap, and pack the meat. The bone saw remained in the pack, feeling there was no time to cut out ribs. When every man had all the meat he could carry, they left the rest. Half the animal was untouched, and it pained them to walk away.
    Heavily laden, smeared with blood, they trooped in a long row down the valley. As a rifleman, Jacob carried less, his load closer to fifty pounds instead of the hundred pounds carried by most. Crazy Kramer carried two hundred pounds, walking easier than Jacob. They passed through the stone pillars built by the Inhumans to pen their herd in the valley, and into the volcanic terrain. Jacob had his best boots on, repaired many times, but some of the hunters wore moccasins, planning to hunt the jungles.
    The passage through the rock was narrow, seldom trod, and the heavily laden men stumbled frequently. Hot and humid, with no time to stop for water, they hurried, the line stringing out with the slowest in the back. Positioned in the rear, Jacob watched the high points on either side and periodically turned to look behind—he saw nothing. It was late afternoon when they cleared the lava field and were into the cool of the leafy forest. Jacob backed up the last few yards between the lava field and the forest, eyes busy. Just as he stepped from the heat into the shade of the forest, he saw movement. Stopping in the shadow, Jacob studied an outcropping to his right. A lone Inhuman stood there, staring, not trying to hide. Its large eyes, noseless face, wide mouth showed no emotion that a human could read. Jacob stared back, feeling like he should shout an apology and explain that their families were starving, but humans and Inhumans did not communicate, could not communicate. Every contact so far had ended in murder. With no hope of explaining, Jacob turned and hurried away with his stolen meat.

 
    8
    Unlicensed
    “Dangerous dinosaur” includes, but is not limited to, dinosaurs that are known to have a propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, cause injury, or otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or domestic animals. Any animal designated as a “dangerous dinosaur” must be licensed through the Office of Dinosaur Control.
    —Federal Dinosaur Control Act, Section 47-3-320
    Present Time
Ocala Dinosaur Preserve
Florida
    Nick ran the scanner over the carcasses a third time—still no tag. The carcasses lay on stainless-steel countertops ready for dissection. One of the velociraptors was intact, with three holes in its chest. The other was partially shredded. Part of the Ocala Preserve complex, the dissection room’s walls and floor were covered in white tiles. Two stainless-steel sinks were bolted to one wall. Over each