24
The shot misses. Too high.
I c**k the rifle again, but the
bolt jams.
The rhino yelps, digs in with its
front hoofs like a sprinter taking his mark, then explodes in a full frontal
charge.
Tony shoots, but also misses.
I back step and, at the same time,
make out the sound of Rudy screaming like a girl while he runs away with his
pants down around his ankles, falling flat on his face.
Tony fires again and manages to hit
the beast in his top horn, the boney material splintering like shrapnel.
Forcing back the rifle bolt, I release the jam. Shouldering the weapon once again,
I take aim. Fire.
Another miss.
That’s when all fear simply pours
out of me like air through a suddenly punctured balloon. Realization fills my
veins. I’m about to die. While the sight of a two-ton lo
