Enigma at the Greensboro Zoo (Ultimate Ending Book 4)

by David Kristoph

  PLOP.

  This time you see it happen. A long stream of goop fell from the sky, landing in a puddle on the ground. Adding to the already thick layer of dropping everywhere.

  "Uh oh." You and Jerry share a look of fear.

  Look up ON PAGE 12

  98

  The brush parts and four dog-like creatures stalk out. Their legs are double-jointed, and they have a stubby, snout-like face with round ears. Their skin is yellowish with dark spots.

  "Those are hyenas!" Jerry says.

  They spread out in a line, all four facing you. At first they seem curious, inspecting the two-legged strangers. Then one of them growls.

  "Can we outrun them?" you whisper.

  "I don't know. I doubt it."

  You look at your rifle. The first shot will be easy, but then you will need to quickly load another dart into the chamber before shooting again. You and Jerry would need to both make two perfect shots.

  He lifts his rifle slowly and glances at you. Waiting for your command.

  FLIP TWO COINS! How many times did it land tails?

  If it landed tails 0 times, GO TO PAGE 153

  If it landed tails 1 time, GO TO PAGE 63

  If it landed tails 2 times, GO TO PAGE 69

  Alternatively, RUN AWAY TO PAGE 166

  99

  The spiders inch closer, each long leg carefully picking across the floor. For some reason you get the impression they're hungry.

  "I can't wait for you Jerry!"

  "Just another second! Hold on, I--"

  You can't stand it anymore. Throwing your flashlight at them, you bolt across the room to your right, in the opposite direction of the office door. You can't hear the spiders over the sound of your metal flashlight rolling around, but you think you can hear Jerry calling from the office.

  You follow the wall for fifty feet until it ends at a corner. You begin to turn to follow that until something wet grabs your foot. The ground flies up to smack you in the face.

  Oof.

  For a long moment you can't see anything. Your vision goes from ultra-bright back to darkness, and then you realize that's how the room is supposed to look.

  You try to roll over but something is stopping you. Your ankle can't move. You twist to see, and realize there's a greyish glob of goo wrapped around your ankle. It feels sticky to the touch, and oddly familiar. You realize it's a giant wad of spiderwebbing just as four shadows close in.

  "Jerry!"

  You hear him coming, but it's too late. The spiders as big as dogs leap like dogs too, landing on you and moving you with their legs. They break your ankle free and spin you like a drill, wrapping you as they go. You try to call out for your partner again but now the webbing is in your mouth.

  The last thing you see is Jerry bravely kicking at the spiders with his boot, before the web covers your eyes. You can sense that he's still fighting, but for you this is...

  THE END

  100

  With slow steps that make no noise on the metal floor, you walk out onto the balcony. You crane your head to look up on the roof as you go farther out. It's dark, but you still don't see anything.

  You reach the edge of the railing, which gives you a view of most of the roof. You definitely don't see anything.

  "Did it fly away?" Jerry whispers.

  "I don't know."

  In front of you is a staircase leading up to the roof. There's a gate at the entrance with a sign that says "Tower Token Required" in big elaborate writing.

  "It flew away," Jerry decides. "There's nothing more for us to do. Let's get out of here."

  But then a dark shape swings into view, a black splotch against an even darker sky. You and Jerry both draw in your breath at the same time.

  This is it. Take down Project Fusion ON PAGE 123

  101

  You gladly take his hand and allow him to pull you to your feet. "What was that?"

  He grins. "Subsonic interference device," he says.

  You give him a blank stare. "Don't tell me you understand what that series of words means."

  He laughs and holds out his other hand. There's a small oval device in his palm, like a garage door opener. "No, I don't. But it was on the wall in there. Glad you listened to me!"

  "If it was on the wall, what took you so long to use it?" Those spiders had nearly jumped you!

  "Hey, the battery wasn't working. Had to find a replacement in the drawer." He smirks. "It worked, didn't it?"

  You're still shaken, but glad to have a partner with you. "Yeah, you're right."

  "Oh," he adds, "and I found this." He hands you a card. Written on the front, in indented letters, are the words:

  WARDEN HUT CODE: 122

  "Not too shabby, partner," you admit. You stick it in your pocket. "But we're going to need this later, so you'd better let me hold onto it."

  He looks offended. "I'm not that clumsy."

  Now it's your turn to smile. "I saw you lose your sunglasses while they were on your face!"

  "I forgot, is all..."

  You slap him on the shoulder. "Either way, you're right. We need some of those tranquilizer darts."

  Head back outside ON PAGE 75

  102

  "Come on," you say. "Let's get these tranquilizer darts once and for all."

  Jerry moans as you take off down the path, but you hear him follow nonetheless.

  The rain is coming down harder, making the stone path slick. Your boots echo off the trees. You feel like you're too loud. Although there's no sign of whatever that thing was, you still feel awfully exposed out there. Vulnerable. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

  You reach the fallen tree across the path. Ducking down to pass underneath, you look back at Jerry. He's twenty feet behind. "Come on, I thought you were faster than this."

  The sound of a thick tree cracking comes from the woods to the right. You have just enough time to grab Jerry and slide under the fallen tree before another one comes toppling across the path. The trees bounce and flex from all the weight, knocking you down onto the wet path.

  Another screech cuts the air. This time it sounds like it's only a few feet away.

  The two trees provide a protected canopy, but also block your view. You can hear the animal stomping around. The rain drizzles down between the wood around you as you listen.

  "We have to move," you say. "We can't stay here."

  "We shouldn't have run out here..."

  One of the heavy paving stones has come loose. You pick it up. "I'm going to throw this into the woods behind us. Hopefully it distracts that thing long enough for us to get away."

  "You think that will work?"

  "Do you have a better idea?"

  Hopefully you're lucky.

  Roll a die (or pick a number at random):

  If you rolled a 1 or 6, FLIP TO PAGE 56

  If you rolled a 2, 3, 4, or 5, GO TO PAGE 136

  103

  You didn't come this far just to turn around now. That Lieutenant promotion is as good as yours. You just need to push a little farther.

  The scaffolding tilts precariously as you climb the ladder to the final platform. You stay on your knees once there, to keep your balance more easily. The open window into the dome is just above your eyesight.

  The growling sound has stopped. In fact, it seems awfully quiet now that you're up there. Like you've stumbled upon a bear cave and disturbed the beast. They're just birds, you think, but it's a weak defense. You remember the claws of the hawk swooping down on you inside the dome.

  You inch toward the open window to peer inside, hoping that the bird with the code attached to its claw is close. Slowly, like a predator, you raise your eyes above the lip.

  The inside of the dome is pitch black. Your eyes adjust after a moment and you can make out the metal rafters criss-crossing the ceiling, now at eye-level. Dark shapes perch throughout the space.

  Something growls.

  It's to the right, just inside the win
dow. You turn and look in that direction. At first you don't see anything, just a mass of black, but then you realize you're looking at one large object. One large thing.

  And as your eyes adjust further, you see two big, hairy, paws. Like cat paws, only massive.

  "What the..." you mutter.

  All of a sudden the huge animal moves. It's coming right at you!

  Say your prayers ON PAGE 124

  104

  "Hey, you're right," you suddenly remember. "The Visitor Center said we need a Tower Token to get to the top."

  "So where do we get one?"

  The sign next to the path has arrows leading in two directions. To the left is the Bear Abode. To the right in the Snake Sanctuary.

  Do you have the code to get into either?

  If you have the Bear Abode Code, TURN TO THAT PAGE

  If you have the Snake Sanctuary Code, GO TO THAT PAGE

  If you have neither, TURN TO PAGE 140

  105

  You punch 1-0-5 into the keypad. The door opens horizontally.

  The room is cavernous, with bird exhibits and information in little stands all around the floor. Cages are spaced every twenty feet, with guide ropes surrounding them to keep people from getting too close. High above you is the top of the dome, with strange dark tiles instead of glass like on the outside.

  "There's the office," Jerry says, pointing across the room.

  You take a step forward and your foot sinks into something. "What the..."

  "Eww," Jerry says. "What is it?"

  You realize what it is. The floor is covered in a layer of bird droppings. Every inch of the huge room.

  You make your way across the floor, wincing with each disgusting step. As you pass a bird cage you realize the bars have been bent open on the side, creating a hole large enough for the bird--a turkey vulture, the sign informs you--to fly out. "That explains all the droppings."

  "I don't know how the zookeepers do it. I couldn't deal with cleaning up poop all day."

  "What about your daughter Amy?"

  "What about her?"

  "Well," you say, "don't you have to clean her diaper?"

  Jerry thinks about that for a minute. "I still don't like it," he finally says.

  You reach the office door. Thankfully there's no keycode required, and the door opens at your touch.

  106

  Although devoid of bird droppings, the office is considerably messier than the one in the Monkey Manor. Papers everywhere, a desk lamp on its side. The computer chair has been flipped over and one of the wheels is missing.

  "Looks like a fight broke out," Jerry says.

  "Yeah, it does."

  The computer has no power, which isn't a surprise. But sitting on the keyboard is a printed-out email conversation:

  Debbie,

  You need a better sense of humor. Sure, I changed the code to the Power Station, but it's easy to figure out. I even made it into a math problem so someone as boring as you could get it. The code is: 4, plus the number of monkeys in the Monkey Manor, divided by 4, multiplied by the number of pandas at the zoo. See? Simple!

  -Dave

  "That Dave guy sounds like a jerk," you say.

  Jerry nods. "At least we have the code. Now we can turn the power on. Finally."

  "Yeah, but the riddle. How many pandas are here? The Panda Palace is on the other side..."

  Jerry quiets you with a wave. "There are two pandas at the zoo, a male and a female. It was in the front office when we entered the park. Did you catch how many monkeys were at the Monkey Manor?"

  You nod. "I think so."

  "Then let's head back to the Power Station and do the math there."

  Exit back into the dome room ON PAGE 97

  107

  "Jerry, why didn't you say that when we were out there?"

  He smiles weakly. "It's over in the corner, by one of the big tanks. I didn't want to go near it."

  You go back into the lobby area and see the glowing green screen in the far corner. You approach it and smile. "Well good. All we have--"

  You realize Jerry is still over by the door to the office. "I'm safe over here," he calls. "I'll watch your back."

  Chuckling to yourself, you look at the screen. There's a trivia question listed:

  The Coral Snake and King Snake may look very similar, but there are subtle differences in the colors. Which of the two is venemous?

  "Jerry, do you remember the answer to this trivia question? We saw the answer when we entered the park."

  "I don't know," he says. "I'm going to stay over here. You've got it, partner!"

  You take a deep breath and read the question again.

  Do you know the answer?

  To answer Coral Snake, TURN TO PAGE 164

  To answer King Snake, FLIP TO PAGE 17

  108

  109

  Your hand slowly leaves the radio as you turn around. A single lion stands before you, mouth open in a silent snarl.

  "Hey there, buddy," you whisper, taking a step back.

  The lion growls again. You're not entire sure what to do, so you keep backing away slowly.

  The lion begins sniffing the air, as if wondering what you are. If you'll be tasty.

  Time to make a decision. Do you grab your pepper spray and hope it's enough to stop a 300 pound cat, or do you turn and run?

  There's a reason you carry it around. Grab the pepper spray ON PAGE 112

  Running is the only smart choice. Do it ON PAGE 121

  110

  The code works and the door opens. Afraid that it might suddenly close again, you and Jerry jump inside.

  The interior of the Power Station is one large room with computers and electrical equipment all along the walls. Half the room shines with glowing buttons and lights, like a thousand colorful, flickering stars.

  The other half of the room is dark.

  "Looks like that's the side we need to turn back on," you say.

  Jerry chuckles. "What gave you that idea?"

  Ignoring his sarcasm, you approach the dark wall of computer equipment. Three huge levers attached to box-like protrusions stick out from the wall. All three are currently in the down position.

  There's a post-it note attached to the wall. You remove it and read:

  To reboot system: engage Lever 1 (primary computer system), wait 10 seconds, then engage Lever 2 (exterior enclosure power), wait 10 seconds, then engage Lever 3 (ancillary computer network).

  You look at the wall of levers. They're in order: 1-2-3.

  Jerry looks at the note. "Pretty simple. What are you waiting for?"

  To engage the levers in that order (1-2-3), GO TO PAGE 128

  To engage the levers in REVERSE order (3-2-1), GO TO PAGE 133

  111

  POP.

  The dart hisses through the air, pink feathers the only thing keeping it visible. You hold your breath as it arcs toward the Tower, toward the beast you were sent to subdue.

  And zips just by the animal's head, landing somewhere on the other side.

  "No!" Jerry cries, throwing down his rifle. "I was so close!"

  The shot disturbed the animal. It shifts as if turning to look down at you, though you can't make out any part of its body.

  It screeches, a terrifying sound of fury.

  Now what happens? TURN TO PAGE 139

  112

  Your hand goes to your belt to grab your pepper spray... but it's not there.

  It must have fallen off my belt in the water.

  Oh no.

  Not that it would probably help. This cat looks angry, and you've fallen right into its territory. Better turn and...

  Another sound comes from behind. You whirl and see two more lions, circling you from the other side. Cutting off your escape.

  Surrounding you.

  "Just great," you mutter. "I always wanted a cat, but not like this. As a pet!"

  Your joke doesn't sway them. The first lion takes a step forward with one of its massiv
e paws.

  Find out if you're kibble ON PAGE 130

  113

  You shake your head. "You've seen all these Zoo Announcements. Project Fusion, whatever it is, is the most important thing at the zoo. If we bring it under control we'll be heroes!"

  "But the note says..."

  "The note says not to come within 50 feet," you say. "We'll keep our distance. You can hit it from that far, right?"

  He draws himself up indignantly. "I'm the best Marksman the Academy has seen in thirty years. Of course I can."

  "Then there's no problem, is there?"

  Jerry grumbles but then nods.

  You head deeper into the park toward the Observation Tower. A gazelle appears around a bend, eating some grass next to the road. You slow down enough for Jerry to aim and fire a dart. It catches the animal in the neck. The gazelle wavers and slowly falls to the grass.

  "Nice shot!"

  He smiles smugly. "I told you!"

  You find several other kinds of animals along the way, stopping to gently sedate each one. You begin to feel like you're gaining control of the zoo in earnest.