The Hunted

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In one of the hunter tents, Peter Ludlow leans over the satellite recon pictures of the island, planning the next day's assault with Dieter and Dr. Burke, their paleontologist. There are small wooden dinosaur models scattered around the photos, indicating where certain species can be found.

Burke: The good news is we're already more than sixty percent of the way through our manifest for this trip - -

Ludlow: And the bad news?

Burke: That evidence of thanatocoenses I thought I saw from the helicopter was in fact the remains of the ankylosaur herd. A predator must have driven them off the cliff, so I'm afraid they are, once again, extinct. And our veterinarian inadvertently sedated two hadrosaurs right into a coma - -

Ludlow: That's inexcusable.

Burke: Not really, tranquilizing is an inexact science, it's completely dependent on the metabolism of the individual animal and since no one had any - - any - -

He trails off. A low rumbling sound can be heard outside, and the little wooden dinosaur start shaking on the board. They look at each other. The rumbling gets louder. Outside, someone shouts; on the board, the little dinosaurs start hopping and bouncing from the vibrations, the shouts outside turn to screams, they turn and look at the back of the tent and the triceratops bursts right through the canvas! Hunters go flying as the tent-covered triceratops, its horns tearing through the canvas, rumbles across the camp. Men shout in alarm, the triceratops bellows in anger and confusion, chaos reigns. In the crush of people running every which way. Sarah is swept off in one direction while Nick is buffeted in another. They Shout, but cannot be heard over the fray. The triceratops, blinded by the canvas shroud, stomps right through the fire in the middle of the camp AND THE TENT BURSTS INTO FLAME. Now really upset, the animal panics and lashes out in all directions, blasting through tents, demolishing and/or setting ablaze anything that gets in its way. Its considerable hindquarter slams into a parked jeep. Sending it rolling across the camp. The jeep flattens the largest tent and slams down on its side. Its broken gas line sprays gas over the ground, the gas hits one of the dozens of small blazes the triceratops has left in its wake, and the flame shoots up the ribbon of gas. The jeep explodes. Out in the jungle clearing, Roland and Ajay, up in the tree, leap to their feet as a fireball rises up from the camp in the distance. Suddenly, the entire burning jeep comes flying over the treetops and crashes to the jungle floor nearby.

Roland: What in God's - - !

Back in the camp, the rest of the newly-freed animals now storm through the camp. The blue laser barriers bounce crazily and go out as the sending units are trampled underfoot by the fleeing animals. At the edge of camp, Nick takes advantage of the downed lasers to slip past the borders of the camp and disappear into the jungle in one direction, while Sarah vanishes in the other. The burning tent, which was the equipment tent, now detonates in a series of smaller explosions. Dieter and several others are knocked to the ground by the series of concussive blasts. He drags himself up onto all fours, charred and bruised. A burning tire roll's slowly past him, spinning to a stop at Roland's feet. Dieter looks up at him.

Roland: Last time I leave you in charge.

Nick breaks out into the jungle clearing, the same one where Ajay and Roland had their blind. He sees the baby tyrannosaur chained to the stake. It BLEATS in pain and Nick notices its wounded leg hanging at an odd angle.

Nick: Sick Bastards.

With one strong tug, he pulls the stake out of the ground. Back in the camp, Roland surveys the destruction. The fire has spread and several tents are now tongues of flame flapping in the air, the animals are gone or going, and their personnel are scattered and terrified. PETER LUDLOW, breathless, face smeared with dirt and smoke, staggers up to Roland.

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