Enigma at the Greensboro Zoo (Ultimate Ending Book 4)
Page 5
You scramble up, suppressing a gag as your hand digs through a layer of bird droppings. "It's coming back!" you yell to Jerry, who is standing there, dumbfounded. "Jerry, keep going!"
You run for the door. But you hesitated too long, gave the hawk too much time. It's diving fast, and it's about to reach you. You're going to have to jump again.
FLIP A COIN!
If it lands heads, JUMP TO PAGE 37
If it lands tails, DIVE TO PAGE 131
59
There's glass everywhere, covering every bit of floor. As you look closer you can now see that all of the class displays on the left side of the room are broken.
"We'd better hurry then," you say, jogging across the room.
Glass crunches beneath your boots as you head toward the zoo employee office, a door on the right. All of the glass cages here are unbroken, and soon the floor becomes clean to walk on. There's a long gash in the wall, but you ignore it to get inside the office. The door opens easily.
There's a single desk with papers and a powerless computer. An official looking note is taped to the screen:
ZOO ANNOUNCEMENT
Attention Emma's team: I'm not joking when I say that Project Fusion needs bigger claws. Bigger! Kids want to see something scary, not something barely more dangerous than a housecat.
-Warden Oxford
There are more notes on the desk, but you glance over them. Feeling safer, you hand the note to Jerry and wander back into the main room, stopping in front of the wall outside the office. The gash is ten feet long and has broken through the drywall, showing the support beams behind. What could have caused that? "I know that zoo announcement says claws," you call to Jerry, "but I swear this looks like a beak."
"Hey, stop crunching around on the glass out there," Jerry responds. "Some of those shards are several inches long."
You glance down at your feet. "Dude," you say, "I'm not moving."
"Well then..."
You freeze. You hear it too, the distinct sound of weight being pressed on broken glass.
Turn around ON PAGE 60
60
You spin, afraid of what you'll see.
It's immediately obvious what's causing the noise. Four bulbous objects move across the dark floor. The cone of your flashlight hits them.
Spiders. Four of them, like lightbulbs the size of German Shepherds.
"Oh crap!" you yell. "Jerry..."
"Uhh..." he mutters. You think he's standing in the doorway, but you're too afraid to pull your eyes away from the arachnids as they move closer. "Just a second!"
"Jerry! What are you doing!" The spiders are only ten feet away.
"Don't move! I have a way I can distract them!"
You take a step back but feel the wall behind you. The spiders have spread out, like wolves on the hunt. "Jerry!"
"Don't move!"
Your hand brushes against your pepper spray. You could probably get one or two, but all four?
To pepper spray the spiders, JUMP TO PAGE 46
To listen to Jerry, wait OVER ON PAGE 72
If you'd rather run away, FLEE TO PAGE 99
61
"We're here to help, not harm," you insist. "Put your spray down and see what it is first."
"But Rodriguez..."
"Do it!"
He lowers his spray but keeps it in his hands. After a moment you retrieve yours and do the same. Just in case.
The rumbling becomes a roar. There's movement at the door, and then a herd of animals pours through. They're no taller than your waist, with white on their bellies and black everywhere else. "Penguins!" you say with a laugh as the stampede enters the room. They don't even slow as they rush past you and down the hall. Even Jerry laughs.
They disappear through another doorway, though thankfully still in the building. "They're contained as long as they stay inside," you say. "So we don't need to do anything more. Let's go check out that office they came out of."
Even Jerry laughs. "Fine by me, Corporal."
Check out the employee office ON PAGE 62
62
There's a small changing room with lockers. Everything smells nasty, like fish. "Nobody tells you that penguins stink," Jerry says.
"They don't stink under water," you say.
"Well no, because..." he trails off as he gets it. "Haha. Making jokes, huh dude?"
You open a locker and glance inside. There's a Greensboro Gryphons cap but not much else. "Don't call me dude," you mutter as you grab a piece of paper. It's another message from the warden, printed on official lettering.
ZOO ANNOUNCEMENT.
All Penguin Palace feeding rations are to be cut by 10% until further notice. Another project at the zoo has taken priority, and we're nearly out of our supply of fish. Don't like it? Complain to the supply chief.
-Warden Oxford
"Another project," Jerry reads, leaning over your shoulder. "Do you think that means..."
"Yeah," you say. Project Fusion seems to be affecting everything around here. "Will you make yourself useful, Jerry?"
He flashes a toothy grin and holds up a small card. "Found this in the other locker. It seems most of the buildings have a code needed to get inside."
You take it and squint at it by the light of your flashlight:
WARDEN HUT CODE: 122
You smile right back at him. "You're not so useless after all!"
You slip in into your pocket so you won't forget.
"Okay. Let's head outside. This building is secure."
Continue ON PAGE 21
63
You nod to Jerry, an unspoken signal among long-time partners. Both of you count to three in your heads.
POP POP.
Two darts whiz toward the hyenas. One yelps and lurches backwards, a pink dart sticking out from its fur. It teeters back and forth before curling up to go to sleep.
But the other dart missed.
"I don't know how I missed!" Jerry says, fumbling to reload his rifle. "I never miss!" His hands are shaking.
The remaining three hyenas look at their sleeping comrade with confusion. You have a moment to get away.
Hopefully.
Run away TO PAGE 166
64
You approach the podium. Because it still has power you assumed it was important, but as you approach you see a sign that says, "Trivia booth! Win a token to the Observation Tower!"
"Huh. I guess they put this on the emergency power circuit by mistake."
The screen has a single question flashing:
Red colobus monkeys of Zanzibar regularly eat what unusual item?
1. Charcoal
2. Plastic
3. Aluminum
"That's a weird question," Jerry says. "Do you know the answer?"
To guess Charcoal, TURN TO PAGE 145
To guess Plastic, FLIP TO PAGE 157
To guess Aluminum, GO TO PAGE 162
65
It's a nondescript cement building with a flat roof, sort of like a bunker. There's a larger door on the side to a garage of some kind. The entire structure looks like it could withstand a bomb blast. Everything is dark since the lights in the park haven't been turned back on yet.
You approach the main door. It's metal and electronic, far more elaborate than something you'd expect to find at a zoo. "There's a keycode entry," you say. "It still has power, apparently. Must be on the emergency system."
Jerry takes a few steps around the side. "And there's a ladder over here leading to the roof."
If you have the code to the Warden Hut, TURN TO THAT PAGE
If not, climb the ladder to the roof ON PAGE 24
66
Jerry is standing in the corner, next to a vending machine. "Are you still complaining about being hungry?" you say. "Jerry, it's late. We have to focus and--"
You cut off as you come closer. Behind the vending machine is a small podium with a green screen. It glows, beckoning.
Jerry gives you a smug smile.
<
br /> The screen says "Trivia booth! Win a token to the Observation Tower!" There's a single question listed:
Which species of bear is so dangerous that it's recommended you play dead when encountering it?
1. Black Bear
2. Grizzly Bear.
"Hey, I remember this," you say. "It was one of the factoids at the entrance to the park."
Jerry nods. "Okay, smarty-pants. What's the answer then?"
To select Black Bear, TURN TO PAGE 163
To choose Grizzly Bear, GO TO PAGE 147
67
You take the path around the side, away from the Power Station. You and Jerry remain silent as you follow the cone of your flashlights.
A giant glass dome rises up in front of you. It's enormous, at least ten stories tall. It's made of hundreds of geometric pieces, like a humongous glass soccer ball. There's some wooden scaffolding on the right side, with buckets and squeegees. They must be cleaning the glass.
There only appears to be one entrance. Everything is quiet as you approach the door. A keycode glows next to it. "You need keycodes to get everywhere," you mutter.
If you know the code, GO TO THAT PAGE
If not, head back to the Power Station ON PAGE 47
68
You each grab one side of the tray of steak and turn around. Two of the lions have already entered the room, heads hanging low, steps slow and careful. The lead lion's mouth is open is a wicked snarl.
The plastic tray clatters as you drop it on the floor in front of you. The lions flinch back, but quickly resume their approach.
"Please work," Jerry mutters. "Please!"
You both grab a handful of fillets. The lions are blocking the door, so you need to be smart about this. If you can get them closer you can slip around the other side of the table and behind them.
Aiming carefully, you toss the first steak in front of the tray. You throw down another one, a little bit farther. Jerry gets the idea and does the same. You repeat the process four more times until there's a line of juicy steaks leading right to the tray.
Then you wait.
The first lion sniffs the steak and quickly scoops it into its mouth, swallowing it in one gulp. It must be the alpha because it turns and growls at the others, then approaches the next steak and eats that too.
The others draw closer, on either side of the alpha. They don't even care about you anymore. They're too focused on the real meat. They begin to fight over the next steak, and then the one after that, rolling and growling.
While they're occupied, you slip around the other side of the table as quietly and calmly as you can. By then they've pounced on the full tray of meat, throwing it to the side and tossing steaks around like toys. You reach the door and all calmness disappears. You and Jerry run out into the storm.
Try to find safety ON PAGE 54
69
You nod to Jerry, an unspoken signal among long-time partners. Both of you count to three in your heads.
POP POP.
Two darts whiz toward the hyenas. Inexplicably, both miss, tumbling through the trees behind.
Jerry stares, dumbfounded.
"I thought you were a good shot!" you say, not even bothering to load another dart.
"I am! I don't know how I missed!" He looks up at the dark lantern above you. "Maybe if we had turned the power back on first..."
You've missed your chance, and the hyenas quickly surround you. You realize there's more important things than just getting some firepower. That's going to be a tough lesson to remember though, because as the hyenas advance you're painfully aware this is...
THE END
70
The office is the cleanest one you've seen in the entire park, with precise stacks of papers and a computer screen that looks like it gets dusted often. A Greensboro Gryphon cap rests on top of the cabinets. You check the drawers of the desk but there's no Tower Tokens inside, just various snake paraphernalia and other employee tools.
There's a note pinned to a bulletin board that catches your attention:
ZOO ANNOUNCEMENT.
After the incident with Marlene, Project Fusion is hereby closed to all personnel except myself. All feeding will be administered by me, under the strictest of security settings. And don't worry about Marlene--the hospital says the claw marks were not very deep and she is expected to make a full recovery. Please sign the 'Get Well' card for her in my office.
-Warden Oxford
"Are we sure we even want to get a Tower Token now?" Jerry asks. "Claw marks don't sound appealing. I think I'd like to keep my distance."
"I'd like to get one anyways, just to be safe," you say. "But it doesn't look like there's anything in here. I guess we'll just head back to the tower."
Jerry clears his throat. "There's a trivia podium in the lobby."
What? TURN TO PAGE 107
71
You look out the window of the closed door in time to see the hippo slowing to a stop. It takes one long look at the building and turns around, stomping away almost as fast as it had arrived.
Whew!
Unfortunately, there's still no sign of Jerry.
Fortunately, you have your radio. And it's water-proof.
"Officer Holman, come in. Officer Holman, this is Officer Rodriguez. Come in."
Silence.
Well, maybe his radio is malfunctioning. Or he dropped it. You press down the receiver anyways, just in case. "Jerry, I've taken shelter in a building at the end of the field, from where we were running." You turn and look around. "It's like a barn, with green paint on the outside. It's open to the elements on one side, with some hay strewn around a cement floor. It's dark, so I think we're safe here, at least..."
"Dude!"
The sound sends you jumping backward, even though you know it's Jerry. "You scared me!"
He smiles white teeth. "Sorry, I meant to be quieter... but I was excited to see you! You'll never believe what I just..."
He trails off as a scratching sound comes from inside the building.
Your fingers brush against your belt. There's nothing there. The pepper spray is gone! It must have fallen off earlier.
You both look back and forth, scanning the darkness, searching for movement or the source of the sound.
There, to the right. Hidden in the shadows, you think you saw something. You both stand there, focusing on that area. Waiting.
A pair of glowing yellow eyes open. Uh oh, you think. Time to get out of here.
A second pair of eyes open to your left. Then a third to the right. Whatever they are, there's a lot of them. And they have you two surrounded.
To find out what they are, TURN TO PAGE 114
If you're too scared to continue, CLOSE THE BOOK AND GO PLAY OUTSIDE INSTEAD.
72
Years of working together has created an intense bond of trust between you and Officer Jerry Holman. "I'm waiting," you say with a shaky voice, "but you'd better have a good plan!"
He responds with a loud clatter, throwing something around in the office.
The spiders draw closer, their legs thick and covered with black hair. They've spread out, as if they're hunting. And there's only one prey they appear to care about.
"Jerry..."
The spider directly in front of you crouches down as if it's going to leap. You pull out your pepper spray and prepare to use it.
A piercing sound cuts the air, like a dog whistle but more electronic. You clutch your ears and fall to your knees. It feels like someone is drilling into your ears!
Through clenched eyes you notice the four spiders are trembling. One of them takes a step back, teetering as if dizzy. Another follows in the same condition. They stumble that way across the room and into one of the broken glass enclosures.
The sound cuts out and Jerry appears next to you. He lowers a hand. "Come on, get up."
Get up ON PAGE 101
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The lion enclosure is sort of like a barn, with a concrete floor and ha
y strewn all around. One large door is open on the other side, allowing a hissing wind to run through. There's an office on the left.
You step into the office and see a mess of folders on the desk. A Greensboro Gryphons cap hangs from a peg on the wall. In the corner is an open fridge, where Jerry must have gotten the steaks.
Grabbing the first paper you see on the desk, you realize it's another message from the Warden:
ZOO ANNOUNCEMENT.
Dave, we're going to need more lion DNA for... another project. I don't want any more practical jokes of yours, just give us what we need. And fast!
-Warden Oxford
You show the announcement to Jerry. "I told you there was something to their shaved legs!"
"I still don't understand why they would need lion DNA." He shakes his head. "Whatever this Project Fusion is, I'm beginning to suspect it's the reason everything has gone haywire at this place."
"Jerry, that's the first sensible thing you've said all day."