Jurassic War

Ten

Tanaka had directed two waves of banzai charges at enemy positions. Both attacks ended horribly. Now, he questioned his superiors for insisting on such a futile tactic. Imperial foot soldiers had taken a lot of casualties without reinforcements arriving from the garrison. Their position along the tree line was not heavily fortified, and the Americans were dug in like ticks.

He’d decided to regroup at the garrison. They could establish a line of defense further inland, where his comrades would cut down advancing Americans under cover from the concealed canopy of the jungle.

“Let’s move out!” Tanaka had called to men on the left and the right.

“We should stay and fight.” A voice had responded from the end of the line.

“Now is the time to regroup. We are not retreating.”

Then, muffled voices sounded along the line, as troopers acquiesced and packed up their equipment. Soldiers slipped quietly away from the forward area. Moving swiftly down the pathways leading into the jungle, the Japanese infantrymen kept watch for an ambush from enemy scouts that may have pressed into the interior.

Tanaka slowed his pace to scan the dark jungle, worried about a covert attack. He didn’t see any sign of movement, though. And then, he stopped altogether and listened for the sound of advancing troops from the beach. Nothing.

All remained quiet except for the gentle pattering of drizzle falling on wet leaves.

Turning to continue down the path, he found the procession of soldiers had already moved ahead of him. He remained on the muddy trail alone. Something gave him the feeling of being watched, so he shouldered his rifle, and clicked off the safety.

Fear shuddered through his entire body. His pulse quickened.

He stood on the path staring into a set of vapid, yellow eyes. Heart racing at the dread of an unknown adversary, he sighted his weapon. Grasping his Arisaka rifle tightly, he stood ready to fire at the beast. Tanaka tried to find center mass, but he couldn’t discern the outline of the creature in the shadows.

And then, the transport backed around on the distant lane and rumbled away. He felt desperately alone. Footsteps plodded up the trail behind him, and caused the creature to move its head, peering over his shoulder.

Shots rang out from the beachhead. A straggling Imperial foot solider ran past him, then came to a halt in front of the creature. Rifle slung over his shoulder for a swift retreat, the infantryman registered the danger immediately and reached for his weapon. But his proximity to the beast made the movement futile, and the dinosaur leapt from the ground with a calculated effort. The rifle dropped into the mud with a thump.

Snarling teeth reflected in the moonlight as the dinosaur snapped wildly.

The soldier backpedaled, but the creature landed on the man’s chest, claws digging into the fabric and belts. It was about three feet long, stemming from snout to tail.

Moving closer to the fracas, Tanaka couldn’t get a clear shot.

The soldier wailed in pain and terror, as the dinosaur’s claws cleaved through his uniform and serrated flesh. Creeping upward, the dinosaur closed on the soldier’s throat. But the young Hetai stood frozen in trepidation, arms by his side, with his face locked in anguish.

Tanaka fired just as the beast clamped onto the man’s neck.

A bullet dug into the creature’s forehead, and the dinosaur reared its head, but didn’t let go of its victim. The shot merely startled the creature.

It lunged forward seeking another bite, with razor-sharp teeth cutting into the soldier’s throat. Blood spurted through gaps in the dinosaur’s jagged teeth. Its feeding jaws chomped and tore madly. The soldier spun around, and the dinosaur came into full view.

Both hind legs were planted in the soldier’s abdomen, tearing mercilessly at him. Lacerations split his midsection, and loops of intestines leaked from the opening, like links of sausage piled on the ground. Blood cascaded onto the jungle floor and mixed with rivulets of groundwater meandering along the path from the storm.

Only shock and terror kept the soldier standing upright.

Tanaka aimed and fired into the side of the creature, hoping to hit a lung. And the dinosaur yowled and dropped to the ground. Canting its head, the creature measured for its next attack, as the infantryman fell into the underbrush.

Working the bolt to his Sanpachi 38 rifle, Tanaka chambered another round and fired at the fleshy, white underbelly. A bullet tore into the creature, but it still pounced at him.

He lowered the rifle to his waist and squeezed the stock tightly. As the dinosaur descended upon him, Tanaka thrust his bayonet into the creature’s stomach, then jerked the barrel upward, cleaving the dinosaur open. Entrails shucked free of the beast’s viscera.

Tanaka dropped the dinosaur onto the trail and glanced at the fallen soldier. Boots kicked at the muddy path, then his wild death throes subsided as the infantryman passed away. His eyes glanced up at Tanaka, locked in a state of horror.

Shaking his head, there was nothing left that Tanaka could do for the soldier. He ran down the path and onto the muddy lane. He spotted a bicycle on the roadside.

Setting the bike up, he then slid his Arisaka rifle over a shoulder before getting on. Behind him, the beachhead erupted with machinegun fire. They must have mistaken my shots for another attack, he thought. Climbing onto the bike, he adjusted the rifle, then peddled down the road wondering what dangers lay ahead.