Chapter 296

The Amazon was silent, a silence so deep it seemed like the world had been swallowed whole. Trees, tall and jagged, reached up into the heavens, their twisted branches like skeletal hands clawing at the air.

The dense foliage, once alive with the hum of insects and the rustle of animals, had grown still. Every once in a while, a leaf would tremble, but there was no breeze. It was as if the very breath of the jungle had been stolen.

Gregory Blake wiped the sweat from his brow as he pushed through the thick underbrush. His boots sank into the mud, the sound of each step muffled by the weight of the swampy earth. His eyes darted around, scanning the dark green walls that surrounded him. He felt it—the gnawing sensation at the back of his neck, like something was watching him. But there was nothing. Just the silence.

The expedition had started like any other. They had come into the heart of the jungle to uncover a new discovery, something that would make their careers. But that had been weeks ago. Now, most of the team was gone.

Disappeared without a trace. The few remaining members were either dead or hiding, too afraid to move, too terrified to even breathe.

Gregory tried to push those thoughts away, but they clung to him like the humidity. He was alone now. The others had gone off in search of the rest of the team, but they hadn't returned. A knot twisted in his stomach. His breath hitched, and he tried not to think about what might have happened to them. He had to keep moving.

He remembered the report. They'd found something. Something in the deepest part of the jungle. They hadn't understood it at first. Bones. Old, ancient bones. Fossils so large that they seemed impossible, even in the context of an expedition meant to uncover the past.

But then they started to hear the stories. The rumors. And now, the jungle had turned against them.

He had learned not to trust the locals. They had been fearful from the start, and when Gregory had tried to ask questions, they grew more nervous. Some even claimed that the jungle wasn't just a place of life, but one of death—an ancient force that demanded respect. But there had been no time for superstition. They were scientists, explorers, there to uncover the truth.

The ground beneath him cracked. He froze, muscles tensing. His eyes snapped toward the noise. Nothing. The silence wrapped around him again. The kind of silence that made you feel like the world was holding its breath.

He moved forward, slower this time, careful not to make a sound. The trees seemed to grow closer, leaning in, as if waiting. Gregory's heart thudded louder than it should. His fingers gripped the machete, knuckles white.

Then, the shriek echoed through the jungle. A sound that made his blood freeze. It wasn't like any animal he had ever heard. It was raw, primal. The scream of something ancient.

Gregory's mind raced. He knew what it was. Everyone did.

He'd heard the stories, too. The rumors of a creature that had survived long after it should have been wiped from existence. A predator so large that no animal in the jungle could challenge it. They had all dismissed it. But now, it was clear. It was real.

He wasn't sure how long he had been walking before he noticed the first body. It lay face down in the mud, the remains of a man who had once been a part of the team. His legs were twisted unnaturally, and his chest had been ripped open, the organs scattered around him like a gruesome puzzle. Gregory didn't have to look too closely to know the man was dead.

But what chilled him more was that the body had been left behind. A kill left incomplete. That wasn't the way of the jungle. Insects and scavengers would have torn through the body by now. But not this one. This one had been left untouched.

Gregory stepped back, but his foot hit something. He froze. A crackle. And then, in the distance, something moved. Something huge.

The jungle fell silent again. But this time, it felt different. More oppressive. More suffocating.

He turned, his heart pounding in his chest. The distant roar rattled his bones. It was closer now. He didn't know how much time he had, but he knew it wouldn't be long before the thing found him.

Gregory ran, pushing through the thick brush, not caring anymore if he made noise. He needed to get out. He needed to survive.

The sounds of the jungle came back with a vengeance. The snap of branches, the rustling of leaves, the shuffling of something moving just out of sight. His breath quickened. His legs burned, but he couldn't stop. He had to keep moving.

But then, there was a sound he hadn't expected. A low, rumbling growl, shaking the very earth beneath his feet. His heart skipped a beat.

It was behind him.

He didn't look back. He couldn't. If he looked back, he might see it. And seeing it would mean death.

His foot caught on something, and he stumbled, crashing to the ground. He scrambled to get up, but the jungle seemed to close in on him. His hands were slick with sweat, his body trembling. The growl was louder now, closer. The air seemed to vibrate with it.

A flash of movement. A massive shape.

Gregory's eyes widened in terror as he caught sight of it.

It was enormous. Taller than any building, its scales dark and gleaming like polished stone. The head was broad, the eyes glowing with an eerie intelligence. Its teeth, long and jagged, gleamed white against the darkness of the jungle.

A dinosaur. Alive.

He couldn't breathe. His legs wouldn't move. It was too much. His mind couldn't process what he was seeing. The thing was real, and it was hunting him.

It took one slow step, and Gregory's heart skipped. He turned and ran again, faster than before, but the ground seemed to shift beneath him. The trees closed in around him, the jungle alive with the sounds of something chasing him.

He didn't know how much longer he could go on. His chest ached, his body screamed for rest, but he couldn't stop. Not now.

He burst through a thicket and stumbled into a small clearing. His eyes locked onto the remains of the others—their bodies torn apart, scattered like broken dolls. There was no escape. No chance.

He turned to run again, but the jungle seemed to move faster than he could. Something massive crashed through the trees behind him. He didn't look. He couldn't. The air was thick with dread.

Then, just as he thought it would all be over, he heard it—a voice. A faint voice, calling out to him. It was his name.

"Gregory!"

He turned, hope blooming in his chest. But it wasn't his name he heard. It was the thing's voice.

The massive dinosaur's teeth sunk into his flesh with a sickening crunch, and for a brief moment, everything went silent again. The world seemed to stop as his life drained away, his body torn apart.

The jungle had its prize.