The Herd is the third chapter in the Fifth Configuration. King nearly reaches the fishing boat but is attacked by raptors and killed.
Plot[]
Howard King is elated upon spotting the fishing boat as he drives the jeep left on the Y-fork road. He notes the fishermen are looking up at the impending storm yet do not seem to prepare to leave, thus his spirits are high. He could spot the ravine to the east and the boat was there. To the west is the laboratory and the trailers from Ian Malcolm's group. He will never know know what that group was up to and rather dreams of standing on the boat, imagining drinking two rounds of beers.
As he further drives, he encounters green, around four feet tall dinosaurs and in King's mind, they look like water buffalo. He tries to drives through the herd, however, the closest one butts the front of his vehicle. He knows that the horn might puncture the radiator and stops his jeep. Looking forward, he spies the boat around a quarter of a mile away and now sees the fishermen preparing to leave. As King sprints out toward the boat, the nearest dinosaurs charges at him, denting the open door and slamming it shut. As he moves to a higher ground, he realizes he will not make it with the herd still charging at him and runs back to the vehicle. However, the rear taillight is smashed by yet another dinosaur. Another one smashes the back and he shifts to the spare tire, naturally gets knock down, running to a small rise. King is now on the incorrect side of the road and truly knows he cannot reach the boat. He forms a quick plan in his mind then finds himself in a dense jungle and after falling, now in a ravine.
Thorne pulls Richard Levine to a side and asks again for the real reason why he was ordered to take everyone minus Ian Malcolm and Sarah Harding to the High Hide. Levine repeats that is was real incorrect to take the injured Tyrannosaurus rex to the trailer as it parents do not like missing children. Arby interrupts spotting King, who now is still not on the right path. king knows he has to follow the river yet avoid the agitated Triceratops. He pulls out a candy bar and knows he just has to move, however he then hears a hiss and his candy doesn't taste nice any more. Arby wonders why King has stopped then spots the Velociraptor pack they spotted earlier in the previous chapter. Two of them approach King and another two surround him. He quickly turns and runs encounter another raptor yet managing to dodge it. Nevertheless, the raptor jumps high, hit the ground and King thought he can climb up a tree. He again has conflict thoughts: he can't make it then he can. He calculates it is ten more yards then is attacked from behind. He feels the raptor hot breath on his neck then a slow sleepy feeling as the raptors attack him.
Thorne tells Kelly Curtis and Arby not to look at the vicious attack yet the kid look silently. Levine, indifferent to King's plight, is more interested in the kill, counting five raptors. He spots the hierarchical hunting that the raptors made was no longer used during their kill. It was every carnivore for themselves suddenly he spots a raptor eating King's candy bar and amazingly enjoying it. More raptors have joined in eating King's murdered body. Levine then looks at Kelly and Arby who are still silent.
Trivia[]
The dinosaurs King first encounter are Pachycephalosaurus.
Goofs[]
As noted, Velociraptors actually hunted singularly, not in packs.
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