Trent knew there was nothing else he could do in this situation butrun.
He threw himself forward, eyes trained on the dark shape of the tunnel’s entrance. But clearly, the Bloodcrocodile had anticipated him, and it changed course slightly, putting itself between Trent and the exit, and letting out another long, low growl as it stalked slowly forward.
Trent backed away, swallowing. The Bloodcrocodile opened its mouth, showing each and every one of its pointed teeth – but Trent knew that if it got him, it wouldn’t be the wounds caused by the teeth that would kill him – it’d be the crushing power of the monster’s jaws that would squash the life out of him.
And it’d only take him snaring my foot or tripping me with his tail for him to get me.
Trent’s eyes darted around as he looked for a way around the Bloodcrocodile. But the beast, for all its size, was shockingly nimble, and every time he made a dash for it, he found the crocodile was there, bursting out from behind a thick wall of stone, or simply smashing right through it if it was small enough.
“Pirrup! Prrup. Pirrrupp!”
Quicksilver was making small, urgent noises as it danced around on Trent’s shoulders, scampering back and forth from right to left.
Trent hoped the poor little thing wasn’t too scared – he hoped it just thought this was some kind of elaborate game of peek-a-boo with the world’s grumpiest reptile.
But I have to get out of here, and soon,Trent thought, glancing around. He could hear the thud of the Bloodcrocodile’s tread, even if he couldn’tseeit for the moment – wherever it was, it was close, and getting closer.
This isn’t working. I need to think.
Trent knew that he’d managed to goad the Bloodcrocodile into charging him in a rage once before – he’d been in human form then, but by the looks of things, his temperament didn’t really change once he was a huge crocodile. If anything, it seemed to have gottenworse.
I need to find some way of trapping it,Trent thought, glancing around.I can’t fight it myself. But if I can incapacitate it…
As he looked around, he spied two thick columns of rock, with only a narrow gap between them. He knew that the columns hadn’t really proved much of an obstacle to the Bloodcrocodile in the past – but that had been only the small, fragile columns, right?! These ones were thick and sturdy, and didn’t seem like they’d break even under the strength of such a heavy, powerful beast.
Whatever the case, I can’t waste any more time on it,Trent thought, as, hoping the Bloodcrocodile wouldn’t pop its head out at him anywhere between him and the columns, he took off at a run, skidding to a halt right in front of them. He couldn’t see the Bloodcrocodile yet, either – but when he called out “Hey!Hey!I’m over here, idiot!” the beast appeared from where it had been lurking, eyes beady, teeth glinting.
Trent swallowed.Well, here goes.
Reaching down, he picked up a few rocks and stones from the floor.
“Here you go,” he murmured to Quicksilver, passing one up to it to chew on. “Have a little snack.”
His eyes never left the Bloodcrocodile, but he could hear Quicksilver chomping away happily on the rock. Maybe it’d be enough to distract it if this went badly.
“Hey!” Trent called again, lifting his arm and then hurling one of the rocks he held right at the Bloodcrocodile’s face. It hit him square between the eyes, but Trent had no illusions he had evenfeltit. He wasn’t aiming to hurt the creature, though – just enrage it. He hurled another rock, and this time actually managed to hit the Bloodcrocodile right in the eye. It shook its massive head and glowered at him, and then, very clearly, lined itself up for a charge.
Okay. Well, if this doesn’t work it’s lights out, I guess,Trent thought – and then, the crocodile charged.
Trent knew he had to time this just right – one second too early and the Bloodcrocodile would pull up in its charge, and one second too late and he’d be mincemeat. At least he knew Quicksilver would be okay – it was too valuable to Hargreaves for the Bloodcrocodile to do anything to harm it. The wholepointof this was taking the baby creatures back safely to the Hargreaves labs.
The Bloodcrocodile came on, eyes seeming to glow with rage as it pounded its way across the chamber, the sound of its feet filling the air.
Trent sucked in a breath as it grew closer, and then closer still, its jaws opening, its warm, fetid breath blasting against his face –
Now!
At the last possible second, Trent leapt back, throwing himself between the two sturdy columns he’d been standing in front of. The Bloodcrocodile didn’t pull back – it kept coming, hurling itself into the narrow gap, its jaws and head passing between them easily, still flying at Trent where he stood with his back pressed against the wall – and then it stopped.
Trent stared at it as it snapped its jaws in a fit of pure fury, inches from his face, globs of saliva spattering against his chest and neck. Up close, its teeth looked evenbiggersomehow – but they weren’t getting any closer. The Bloodcrocodile was trapped, wedged between the two massive columns of rock, its shoulders and front legs too wide to pass through the gap. But nor could it back out, since its charge had carried it with such force into the stone columns that it was now trapped between them, and it was left thrashing and roaring in an impotent fury.
But not for much longer,Trent realized, with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. As the Bloodcrocodile thrashed in rage, its tail waving furiously and smashing apart everything it touched, Trent could see a small but distinct crack beginning to form at the base of one of the columns – it was going to break any second now.
I have to get out of here while it’s still trapped!
As he tried to edge away, however, the Bloodcrocodile snapped its massive jaws at him, still clearly trying to get at him the moment he moved – it might have been trapped, but it was still as deadly as ever.
And that pillar won’t hold out for much longer…
