Isle of Teeth - Chapter 5 – The Tyrant King

The trees parted with the sound of tearing wood as the beast emerged. Moonlight spilled over its scaled hide, glinting off scars carved by ancient battles. It was colossal—towering above the camp, its skull longer than a man was tall, jaws lined with serrated teeth that gleamed like ivory knives.

“Tyrannosaurus rex,” Eliza whispered, her voice trembling. She had studied fossils, traced bones with brushes and chisels. But nothing could have prepared her for the living reality—the raw, predatory majesty of the King of Dinosaurs.

The rex stepped into the clearing, each footfall a thunderclap. Torches guttered as the ground shook. Its eyes glowed amber in the firelight, and when it opened its jaws, the roar that followed shattered the night.

The camp dissolved into chaos. Marcus grabbed Claire’s arm, dragging her behind an overturned canoe. Ortega scrambled to protect his satchel before realizing the absurdity of the gesture. Daniel drew his pistol—small comfort against a monster of such scale.

Victor Kade stood rooted, smiling like a prophet before his god. “Magnificent,” he breathed. “Perfect.”

“Perfectly lethal!” Marcus shouted. “Get down, you lunatic!”

The rex lunged at the firepit, scattering flames and embers. Its jaws snapped shut with a crack that echoed like thunder. Claire screamed as sparks rained across the sand.

Daniel fired, the muzzle flash lighting his grim expression. Bullets struck the rex’s flank, but the beast barely flinched. It turned, fixing him with a baleful gaze.

“Run!” Daniel barked.

They bolted toward the treeline, the jungle suddenly their only refuge. Behind them, the rex charged, tail lashing, trees toppling in its wake.

Eliza sprinted beside Claire, lungs burning, every instinct screaming to keep moving. The ground shook with each colossal stride, branches raining down as the predator tore through the forest.

“Left!” Marcus shouted, veering toward a ravine. The group skidded down the slope, mud slick beneath their boots. The rex barreled past above, unable to stop in time, its bulk crashing through trees as it tried to regain its footing.

For a moment, silence. Only the rasp of breath, the hammer of hearts.

Then came the roar again, closer than ever.

The rex’s head swung over the ridge, jaws snapping, teeth gouging the earth where Eliza had stood seconds before.

“Keep moving!” Daniel shouted. “Don’t stop!”

They scrambled deeper into the ravine, half-running, half-falling, until the canopy swallowed moonlight and the jungle became a labyrinth of shadow. The rex could not follow easily, its massive body wedged between stone walls, but its roars echoed through the gorge, promising it would not give up the hunt.

Finally, exhausted, the group collapsed in a hollow where water trickled through mossy stone. No one spoke at first; only ragged breaths filled the silence.

Victor arrived last, brushing leaves from his shoulders, still smiling.

“You see?” he whispered, almost reverent. “The King lives again. We are walking in the footsteps of gods.”

Eliza glared at him, her voice raw. “No. We’re walking in the jaws of death.”

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model