"Easy," Collin told her. "With a book of matches. I might even have some in my backpack." Collin slid the pack from his shoulders and shifted through the contents. "Baloney sandwich, chips, carrot sticks. Mom has a thing for carrots. A day doesn't go by that she doesn't stick them in my lunch."

"If you don't want them," Morgan said, "I'll eat them. I'm starving."

"Me, too," Courtney stated. "I don't have the energy to walk another step. Do you mind sharing the sandwich with us?"

Collin shook his head and divided the sandwich into thirds, passing pieces to Morgan and Courtney. He bit into his portion and rummaged through the pack he'd set on a moss covered log. "I can't find any matches," he mumbled as he chewed, "but look what I found." Collin pulled a candy bar from his backpack. "Chocolate! Instant energy."

T h u m p !

T h u m p - t h u m p !

"What was that?" Morgan asked. The ground shook below her, and shock rings formed on the puddle of sticky, oily goo nearby.

"Sounds a lot like that part in Jurassic Park where the T-Rex showed up for the first time," Collin said, peeling the wrapper on his candy bar as if the thumps didn't frighten him at all. "Maybe we're on the set of Jurassic Park II." He laughed.

T h u m p !

Collin's laughter stopped when the thump shook his backpack off the log.

Morgan swallowed hard. The thumps were coming closer. Closer. She could hear the rustle of leaves and tree branches and ferns. She heard the snap of twigs. And then she heard the roarrrrrrrrr!