by Michael Todd
Eliza chuckled as she sat up. She had one hand to her stomach, but she tore her helmet off and smiled serenely. It was only then that Gabrielle saw the vines crawling over her lover’s arms and legs, and the dark patch of blood staining her midsection. Gabrielle dropped her helmet and fell to her knees. She began to cut wildly at the vines, but when one was removed, another slithered to take its place.
Eliza grabbed Gabrielle’s shoulder and put her mouth against her ear. “Hey, darlin’, don’t get so wild. I’m not getting out of here alive.”
Gabrielle looked at her stomach and pressed her hands against the wound, shaking her head. “No, don’t even say that. You are getting out of here, just like everyone else. We’ll get you the help you need.”
Eliza touched Gabrielle’s cheek; her hands were already cold. “You know you will be okay, right? From the jungle, and back to it. I will be part of it now. I’ll be all around you.”
Gabrielle shook her head, a tear trickling down her cheek. “No.”
Eliza nodded with a smile. “Let me go.”
Gabrielle’s arms began to stretch as the vines pulled her away. They carried Eliza toward a gigantic fuchsia flower. The flower slowly opening its petals, revealing a soft, velvety inside. This plant wasn’t the monstrous variety she had come to know and fear. There were no rows of teeth, no hissing or snarling. As Gabrielle’s hands slipped from Eliza’s grasp, Eliza took in a deep breath, and her eyes were wide with wonder. “All the beautiful colors. Everything will be okay.”
Gabrielle let her go. She sat and watched as the vibrant flower carefully pulled Eliza in. Those massive petals slowly closed around her, and she was gone. Gabrielle looked at her blood-covered hands leaned back on her heels. She could hear the guys talking behind her, but a fog seemed to be creeping back over her, coating her eyes and ears. The Zoo had taken her second lover and done it in a way she had never seen before. There was no violence after the initial strike, and the vines hadn’t even fought back when she sliced through them.
After a few minutes, Trout’s voice cut through the fog. “We got as much as we can carry.”
Marcus knelt next to Gabrielle and took her hand. “We should move out.”
She sniffed and pulled away, grabbing her helmet. “Let’s keep going.”
Marcus stared at her for a minute. “We can go back. We have more goop than we can carry, courtesy of that dinosaur.”
Gabrielle shook her head and pulled her gun to her chest. “We came here with a plan, and we will see it through. Eliza would have insisted.”
Marcus nodded. He waved the men into formation as Gabrielle walked off into the thick.
JB filled Dan’s glass. Holly still hadn’t finished her second drink. Her eyes were glazed over, and she could feel a tingle in her chest. “That’s fucking beautiful and tragic at the same time.”
JB put the bottle back on the shelf. “That was Gabrielle, though. Beautiful and tragic.”
Holly took a gulp of her drink. “Did she go back into hiding again?”
The bartender shrugged. “Not really, but things changed. She became hardened, and it stuck. She was honest about it, though. She explained she couldn’t have personal relationships. Couldn’t risk it. She stopped going into the Zoo as often, though she made trips here and there when the team needed her. Mostly, she stepped back and worked on the business end of things. She was brilliant when it came to that stuff. The Death Dogs were doing better than ever, financially speaking. That haul alone brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars. The bar made sure to keep as much whiskey stocked as they could. They were starting to believe in her superstition.”
Dan rolled his eyes. “Superstitions only have power when you give them power. By adding to the hysteria, they were only making it worse. Damn old fogies in this town will break their necks before going out under a full moon. It’s a day like any other. In fact, some of my best hauls came in on those days.”
JB shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said that after everything that happened, I didn’t start believing in it, too. You have to admit, the coincidence was a little eerie.”
Holly shrugged. “I never gave superstitions much thought. I picked four-leaf clovers when I was a girl but they never really brought me luck. I pressed them into books and kept them in my room.”
JB pointed his finger. “But the question is, if you never picked those clovers, would you have had the life you have now?”
Holly laughed. “That is something no one can say. I suppose my life would be different in some way, but I don’t think I would be living a completely different life. But, hell, I could be wrong. I could be jinxing myself as we speak.”
Dan shook his head. “I believe we make our own luck. I’m not saying Sarge had anything to do with those deaths, but I don’t think the empty whiskey bottles did, either.”
“I guess we’ll never really know the answer to that mystery.” JB poured himself a drink and downed it.
Holly didn’t want to let it go at that. “But, what then? I mean, she kept going until she died?”
“Yes and no. She went out of the Zoo like she went in. Headstrong, fierce, and standing up for her and her people.” JB scratched his beard thoughtfully. “There is something to be said for letting your guard down.”
Holly snorted. “That will get you killed.”
“Sure. But it can also give you a life worth living.”
Chapter Eight
A couple of guys bellied up to the bar and ordered drinks from JB. Holly watched him closely. She narrowed her eyes at JB as he returned. “You didn’t guess their drinks.”
“Not really interested in what makes them tick. Plus, they’ve been here before.”
Holly pursed her lips. “Mhmm. I guess it’s really their loss more than anyone else’s.”
JB smiled. “Thank you. Now, where were we?”
Holly cleared her throat. “Letting your guard down, Gabrielle stopping all relationships in her life. I guess we were coming up on her eighteenth and final trip into the Zoo.”
“You have a good memory.”
Holly chuckled. “So I’ve been told.”
JB wiped down the counter behind the bar and leaned back against a cabinet. “Yes, Gabrielle didn’t quite hide physically, but mentally she wasn’t there. With Eliza gone, she had to choose a new person for her team. She plucked a guy by the name of Joe from one of the other Death Dog teams. He had been going in and out of the Zoo since it arrived on the scene. A veteran. He was pretty quiet, but he had his charms.”
“Uh oh. Charms, huh? Sounds like Gabrielle might not keep her lessons learned.”
“You’re starting to catch on, my dear. Over time, Holly ended up falling for Joe. It started out as a friendship, but as things tend to do around the Zoo, it became something else. She tried to push her feelings down but there was nothing to be done. Joe hit her like a ton of bricks and all those lessons she had taught herself just floated away like ashes in the wind.”
“You know what? Good for her. She takes chances, but in a controlled environment. I like her. She deserved to be happy.”
“I figured you would like her. You remind me a bit of her, in some ways. Absolute in your views, tough, and cautious. But you also look like the kind of woman that could get swept up in the romance of a situation without thinking.”
Holly chewed on her straw. “I’m pretty sure that’s every woman.”
JB laughed. “Good point. Well, Gabrielle knew what she was getting into, she knew the risks, but she was in love, and that was that. The missions had been going smoothly. Good hauls and only minor injuries all around. It was to be Holly’s eighteenth trip into the Zoo. Nothing monumental about it to her, but the other guys in the town saw it as a gold badge of honor. She was taking Marcus, Alvarez, Trout, and Joe with her on the excursion. They were her team, lover or not. What she didn’t realize was that the whole thing was going to go completely FUBAR.”
Holly put up her hands. “Hold on, hold on. Please explai
n to me what the hell FUBAR means.”
Dan turned toward her and gave her a predatory smile. “It’s mostly used by the military. It means Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. Sometimes things go straight to hell, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
JB shook his head. “Boy, you ain’t lying.”
Gabrielle tilted her head to the side and brushed a lock of Joe’s hair from his eyes. His hair was longer than everyone else’s, and always soft. There was a white glow to it. It gave him the look of a man prematurely aging, but he didn’t mind and she thought it was endearing. It went with the creases at the corners of his eyes that appeared when he laughed.
The bartender put a pint in front of him, and Joe took a sip. “Gotta love the service here.”
Gabrielle laughed, turning to her drink. “Oh yeah, real five-star place we got here.”
The bartender wrinkled his nose, and Gabrielle laughed. “Sorry, Evan, I am just playing. You know I’m basically glued to this bar stool.”
Evan grumbled and continued drying off glasses. Joe turned to Gabrielle and let out a deep breath. “You ready for tomorrow? We got a good spot picked out, but it’s pretty far back there. Probably the deepest I’ve ever been into the Zoo.”
Gabrielle took another sip of her whiskey. “I’m ready. I’ve been curious to find out what the original part of the Zoo looks like. I hear the Pitas are everywhere.”
Joe smirked and looked into his beer. Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“Nothing. Just figured you would first say something about all the dangers.”
“You know about all that. I’m not trying to bring down the mood.”
“Well, it must be snowing in the Zoo. It’s gonna be a good trip, I can feel it. But I have to warn you, I haven’t necessarily cornered the gut feelings market.”
Gabrielle giggled. “I don’t care. I’ll have the gut feelings for both of us. Right now, I’m not really feeling anything. I just know I’m going back in and I’m gonna make some dollars for the team. That’s all I’m thinking about. We have a good team. Marcus has taken over the head, of course Trout and Alvarez are always on point, then you. You’re okay.”
Joe faked a laugh. “You are hilarious. You know, I don’t have to take this abuse. I’ll find myself another kickass chick.”
Gabrielle looked around the room. “Oh yeah? Good luck with that, my dear.”
Joe sighed loudly. “I guess you’re stuck with me. How about we go back to the room and keep each other company? This bar is a bit too crowded for my taste.”
Gabrielle swallowed the last gulp of her drink. “That sounds perfect to me. Let me do my usual sweep of the guys.”
Joe drank his beer quickly and handed the glass to the bartender, throwing some cash down for their drinks. “After you, my dear.”
Gabrielle walked to the back of the bar where everyone was listening to one of Trout’s insane stories. The guy never stopped. She leaned against the wall and smiled.
Trout spread his arms wide. “And that was when we pulled out the spear, like real indigenous people. It was a fight for the land and one fucking hell of a fight it was. Then there was Alvarez, who shot that bastard with a fucking .50 cal. He was like the Spanish fucking Rambo.”
Gabrielle laughed at Alvarez and nodded her head in agreement. He nodded back, lifting his glass. Her eyes shifted to Marcus, who had a waitress on his lap, both of them wildly. She knew she didn’t have to say anything to them this time. Her team had been through the wringer, and there was no to crack the whip over them anymore.
Joe put his arm around Gabrielle. “Not going to give them a lashing?”
“I think these fools got it under control. I think the boys have finally grown up.”
Joe laughed. “Kind of, but I thought it was part of your routine.”
“At some point, I gotta stop believing in that stuff. Things will happen, that’s the Zoo. I don’t need to make it more stressful.”
Joe shook his head. “Looks like Mom grew up, too.”
Gabrielle turned to Joe and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. “I think you should get me the hell out of here so I can show you how grown up I am.”
Joe smiled. “I think I can handle that.”
His eyes went wild, and he lifted Gabrielle and slung her over his shoulder. She yelled and laughed, smacking him on the back and kicking her legs. Alvarez chuckled, giving Joe a thumbs’ up. Out of all the boys, he was really glad to see that Gabrielle was back in action. He had seen her through ups and downs, been there for her, and waited for her to surface on the other side. He wasn’t sure if another lover was the best thing for her, but as long as she had her head out of the fog, he was going to support it.
As Joe carried her through the bar, he gave the bartender a wave. When they passed, the bartender pulled an empty bottle of whiskey from underneath the bar and looked at it for a moment. He knew the superstition, but he wasn’t about to run down Gabrielle to tell her about some empty bottle. Not when she was in the headspace she was in. He tossed the bottle in the trash and marked it on his inventory list. Hopefully, he would have some in before she got back.
If she got back. The bartender shook that thought from his head. As always, he hoped to see her again, and soon. That was the quiet, unspoken hope he had any time anyone went into the Zoo. He hoped for a quick trip and a safe return.
The alarm clanged on the dresser, and Gabrielle groaned. She slapped it until it shut up. She pulled the blanket around her bare body and sat up, smiling at Joe. He stretched his arms then folded them under his head. “It’s a good morning for a nice stroll through the jungle.”
Gabrielle looked out the window. The sun was barely showing over the horizon. “It better be.”
Joe pulled her on top of him. She rested her elbows on either side of his head and kissed his lips. “That thing you did, with the leg and the hopping last night? Top notch.”
Joe laughed loudly. “Oh yeah? It was complete improvisation.”
Gabrielle smirked. “I think you might be an artist.”
The alarm went off again and she sighed, rolling off him. She covered her face with the blanket. Joe pulled himself into a sitting position and slid his arms around her. Suddenly Gabrielle sat up tall, her hair wild. “I think this is the end.”
“If you’re breaking up with me, you could at least break it to me gently.”
“Not the end of that, idiot.”
“Then what?” Joe raised an eyebrow. “The end of the morning? The end of the world? Or are you having a superstitious overload now because you ignored them yesterday?”
Gabrielle shook her head and brushed hair from her face. “I love being a badass. You know I do.”
“And you are very good at it.”
“But I’ve been doing it for decades now, and I am tired. You don’t know how tired. I think it’s time I retire, at least from the field.”
Joe wasn’t sure if he believed her. “Retire and do what?”
Gabrielle shrugged. “Be with you. Build a bar, maybe on this side of the Wall 02. Run a business. Run the Death Dogs, too, but hand the leader job over to someone else. Just be in the world, and out of the Zoo.”
Joe cupped her cheeks in his hands. “Are you serious about this?”
Gabrielle thought for a moment. “Yes. I make all decisions spur of the moment, and this seems like the right one. I want to make number eighteen my last trek into the Zoo. I’m asking you to make it your last, too. I don’t think I could handle hanging around while you were inside. You’ve been doing this for as long as I have. It’s time to live your life a little. Stop looking over your shoulder. At least for a while.”
Joe chuckled. “I’m all in. But I think you will miss it.”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “Miss the constant anxiety, the constant worry? No way. Besides, if I miss it that much, the Zoo isn’t going anyway. It’s not written in stone that I can’t go on a mission with my team once a year o
r something. In the meantime, we run the Death Dogs from behind the scenes and build our own empire. Together.”
Joe buried his face in her wild hair. “I like it. I think that it’s the perfect way to commemorate number eighteen. On the other hand, if we don’t get our asses in gear, they might leave without us.”
Gabrielle laughed and jumped from the bed. “It’s almost a freeing feeling. Is this real? Are we going to do this?”
Joe nodded. Gabrielle kneeled on the bed and put her hand out. “Then it’s a pact. This will be the last time we go out into the Zoo. At least for a really, really long time.”
Joe eyed her hand and grabbed it, pulling her into him. “I seal my pacts with a kiss.”
Gabrielle snickered. “Remind me to let the guys know that so they don’t try to make any deals with you.”
Gabrielle pulled her white tank top down over her black sports bra and sat on the edge of the bed, lacing up her boots. She watched Joe brush his teeth and was happy. It was a new feeling. She couldn’t imagine the freedom this would give her. She hadn’t ever thought of quitting so early, but she knew that every time she went out there was the chance she wouldn’t come back. Even more than that, she had broken her own rules for Joe. The more times he went out, the better the chances that he wouldn’t come back. She’d never made decisions based on a man before, but this time felt different to her. She would protect him the best way she could.
Joe came out of the bathroom rubbing a towel over his face. “I’ve always wanted to open a bar. I used to play around mixing drinks back home. I know just about every liquor out there. Seems like a great opportunity. And to do it with this hot lady? Well, we would be successful as hell.”
Gabrielle chuckled, grabbing her bag and putting it over her shoulder. “Let’s not tell the guys until the trip is over. I don’t want to cloud their minds with worry or anything like that. You know how much Trout hates change.”
“Yeah, I don’t need him to lose focus. He’s already got an itchy trigger finger when it comes to that crossbow. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a beast, but one twitch and I lose an arm.”