Animal Kingdom

by Iain Rob Wright

  Randall patted him on the back. “Good man. They’ll thank you for it later, my fri-”

  “Help us!”

  Randall looked through the gaps in the barricade and saw Mason coming up the stairs, followed by Joe who seemed to be carrying Bill over his shoulder.

  Mason cried out again. “Let us through. Bill is injured. We need help.”

  “Did any critters get through with you?” asked Victor.

  “No. We got the barricade back in place. It’s safe.”

  “Bloody better be,” said Victor, sliding furniture out of the way.

  Mason rushed through the gap and Joe followed, still holding the other man over his shoulder.

  “Come on,” said Randall. “Let’s get him into the lab.”

  The group of men hurried along the corridor and entered the veterinary lab. Randall noticed all of the blood-stained cages that lined the room, but was impressed that there were no remains of the animals that Victor had slaughtered. He’d even disposed of the harmless birds.

  The man is efficient, got to give him that. God knows where he’s put all the ‘meat’ though.

  Joe eased an unconscious Bill down onto a steel operating slab and Randall saw the man’s injury for the first time. The back of one leg was split down the middle so deep that it lay open like a ketchup-filled baguette.

  “My word, what happened?” Randall asked them.

  “I’m not sure,” said Joe. “I think he must have got slashed by one of the lions when we were running. He must not have felt how bad it was in all the panic.”

  “Makes sense,” said Grace, entering the room. “Adrenaline does that.”

  Randall frowned. “What are you doing here, my dear? You should be resting instead of getting involved in gruesome things like this.”

  Grace dismissed Randall with a wave of her hand.

  Insolent Bitch!

  “I can help,” she said, moving beside Bill’s bleeding leg. “I have a bit of experience with stitching wounds”

  “Really?” said Victor. “How’s that?”

  Grace hesitated then said, “My…mother was a nurse. She taught me.”

  Randall re-entered the conversation. “Didn’t you learn first aid in the army, Victor?”

  The man shrugged. “First aid, yes, but not how to suture a wound like this. I could give it a stab, but if the lass says she knows best then I would say she is the one that should do it.”

  Randall didn’t trust what Grace was claiming, but what could he do? If she reported herself as able to sort the wound then on her head be it. “Okay, I suggest you get to work before he gets any worse.”

  Grace nodded. “The bleeding doesn’t seem to be arterial, so we just need to clean the wound and close it to prevent infection. I need someone to get some of the alcohol that we’ve been using for the firebombs, and the cleanest cloths we can find. Mason, do you know if we have a suture kit in here?”

  Mason nodded and went to the side of the room. Victor headed for the door in what Randall assumed was a trip to go and get the alcohol. Grace went to work on Bill, tearing away the clothing from his wound and then elevating the leg on a cardboard box that seemed to be full of printing paper.

  “Well, you obviously have things under control here, Grace. I will leave you to it.”

  “I’ll come with you,” said Joe. “I need to look after Danny. With Grace here, he’ll be alone with Shirley.”

  Randall smiled. “I’m sure he’s more than safe with her.”

  Joe huffed. “You crazy? That woman isn’t stable.”

  Randall nodded. “I admit that she is a little…eccentric, but we have no right to judge. We are all part of the same team now and I won’t abide malcontent.”

  “You won’t abide it?” said Joe. “You’re not really in a position to–”

  “Joe, we can discuss it later. In fact, I think it would be best if we all spoke as a group at the next opportunity. For now, it would be best to take my advice and don’t rock the boat. If we start to bicker amongst ourselves it will all fall apart.”

  Joe shoved Randall aside. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but things have already fallen apart!” Then he left the room.

  Randall waited a few moments and then followed after him.

  As long as there is order, things have nowhere near fallen apart. That is a lesson you will have to learn, Joe, my friend. Whether you agree with it or not.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Who the hell does that guy think he is? Joe couldn’t believe the way Randall acted like he was in charge. Strutting along like he was at a business conference and everyone else was just an employee. They were all in this nightmare situation together and no one had the right to tell Joe how to think. Especially when it concerns my son and that nutcase, Shirley.

  Joe found Shirley standing at the window of the seminar room with his son beside her. They were holding hands and chatting amongst themselves.

  “Danny!” he shouted. “Come here.”

  Danny jumped at the sudden sound of his father’s voice and twirled around like a spinning top. “Dad, you’re okay! You shouldn’t have left.”

  “Of course I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  Danny ran over and wrapped his arms around Joe and squeezed. Over by the window Shirley turned around casually and smiled sagely at Joe. “I’m glad you returned safe and sound, Joe. That’s a fine boy you have there.”

  Joe clutched Danny tighter, running a hand underneath one of the straps of his backpack. “Yes, I know. Thank you. What were the two of you doing? I don’t like him being by the window.”

  Danny answered. “We were talking about the nasty animals. Mrs. Shirley told me that God has told them to attack us because we’ve all been bad. She told me about Noah and his boat and that this is the same sort of thing that happened then, except this time the animals are the water.”

  “Noah had an ark, Danny,” Shirley corrected, “not a boat. Try to remember. Facts are important.”

  Joe felt his skin glow red beneath his clothing as blood boiled in his veins. “Keep your self-righteous bullshit to yourself, Shirley. My son doesn’t need to hear things like that.”

  Danny stared up at him wide-eyed. Joe suddenly felt a little guilty over his display of bad language in front of his son, but still felt it was warranted. Shirley didn’t seem so shocked and took the insult in her stride.

  “On the contrary,” she said calmly. “I believe it is of ultimate importance that your son learns about the world he has inherited. Of all of us, he is the only one without sin. He is the only one with any chance to continue on in this vile landscape of sin and sodomy.”

  “Enough!” Joe took Danny away, heading for the furthest corner of the room. “Just leave my son alone, okay?”

  “You cannot hide him from the truth and you cannot hide the truth from him. Judgement has been passed and he is paying for our transgressions.”

  Joe kept on walking. Bloody fruitloop. What world is she living in? Dante’s Inferno, by the sound of it.

  Danny jumped down onto the cushions, performing a messy elbow drop like one of his wrestling idols. Joe sat down beside him. “You okay?”

  Danny nodded emphatically. “I’m super-duper. Dad?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why were you mean to Mrs. Shirley?”

  Joe sighed. How do you explain it to a child? “She’s a bit mixed up, Danny, and I don’t want her to tell you things that are silly. Sometimes adults can get stuff wrong and confuse you.”

  “She was just telling me stories.”

  Joe tousled Danny’s hair. “I know, son. Just promise me you won’t listen to her anymore. If you want a story then just ask me.”

  Danny nodded, but seemed to be thinking about something. “Mommy used to tell me stories.”

  Joe felt a knot in his stomach, tying and untying itself with every breath. “I know she did. You’re mommy was a lovely lady.”

  Was? Dammit, I should have said
‘is’.

  Fortunately, Danny didn’t seem to pick up on it. “When can I go home and see her? I want to tell her about all of the animals, and how you’ve been saving everybody. Maybe if I tell her she’ll like you again.”

  Joe thought about that. It had been so long since there had been anything but acrimony between him and Jane that the thought of her being proud of him was comforting. It was fantasy though, because Joe knew that Danny’s mother was dead. She has to be. No way she could have survived.

  “Dad?”

  Joe sighed. “I don’t think we can go home, Danny. At least not for a little while.”

  “But what about Mommy? She’ll be missing me, and she’ll be mad at you. I don’t like it when she’s mad at you.”

  Me either, son. Me either.

  Joe pulled Danny in close across his lap and stroked his soft blond hair. “She’ll understand. She won’t be mad as long as we keep ourselves safe.”

  “She’s dead isn’t she?”

  Hearing such a thing from his son – and so suddenly – was like an unexpected punch to the gut. What on Earth should he say? Could he really tell a young boy that his mother was most likely dead? Was it kinder to lie? Joe thought about things for almost a full minute before he answered. “Yes, Danny, I think she probably is. I’m sorry. I loved her too.”

  Beneath his breath, Danny began whispering names, sobbing between each one. “Bulldog, Owen Hart, Andre the Giant, Miss Elizabeth, Macho Man, Texas Tornado, Bam Bam Bigelow, Luna Vachon, Earthquake, Bossman, Yokozuna, Mr Perfect, Rick Rude, Mommy.” Joe knew that each name his son had said was a wrestling hero of his that had passed away tragically. And he just added his mother to the list...

  It wasn’t long before Danny was asleep and Joe was sobbing.

  ***

  One hour later, Grace entered the room. Joe sighed with relief. He wanted to know what was going on, to see if Bill was okay, but he wasn’t about to leave Danny alone with Shirley again. Now that Grace was here he could find out.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Grace said before he even had chance to ask. “At least I think so. The wound looked worse than it was and I managed to clean it up and stitch it pretty well.”

  Joe tipped his head back and let out a long hiss of air before looking at Grace and smiling. “That’s such a relief. We all owe you. How did you learn to stitch wounds?”

  Grace turned away from him and looked at the ground. “How’d you think?”

  Joe quickly understood. By stitching up your own wounds that you inflicted on yourself.

  Grace came and sat on the cushions beside Joe and his sleeping son. She placed a hand on his knee. “I hate to ask after what you did for me, but did you manage to–”

  “I’m sorry,” Joe said. “I had your bag, but they…”

  Grace was devastated, but Joe could see she was doing her best to cover it up. “That’s okay,” she said. “You shouldn’t have even tried. It was crazy of you and I shouldn’t have even asked.” She squeezed at his knee. “Thank you though.”

  Joe stared down at the floor, examining each tiny carpet fibre. “I’m just sorry I failed. How did you even know about it? You were asleep when Bill had gone. I made him go after you, although he seemed like he would have anyway.”

  “I owe Mason my life.”

  Grace laughed. “I think a lot of people owe their lives to someone else at the moment. We’ll have to make a chart or something.”

  Joe giggled and put his hand on top of hers. “You know, you’re the only thing that can make me smile since this whole thing happened. Well…you and Danny, of course.”

  Grace seemed to blush. “I’m glad. I like it when you smile.”

  Joe suddenly had a thought that knocked away the levity. “What are we going to do without your pills?”

  We? Why do I feel so protective of this girl?

  Grace’s face sagged. “I…I really don’t know. I’ve never been able to fight it in the past, it always managed to ruin my life. Even now it’s eating away at me. I can feel it, like little shards of glass inside of my brain.

  “God…” said Joe.

  Grace smiled at him. “But in the past I never had you looking after me.”

  Joe smiled back and felt teary again, the emotional hole from earlier not yet fully sealed. He pulled Grace in close and she rested her head on his thigh beside Danny who was taking up the other one. Despite everything that had happened, the feeling of their bodies against his own made Joe feel hope. Hope that maybe things would be okay as long as they had each other.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Joe was surprised when Bill entered the room, flanked by Mason, Randall, and Victor. He had a heavy limp and his leg was bandaged from his knee to his toes, but otherwise he seemed okay. Grace had done a good job.

  Joe would have stood up if it were not for Danny and Grace’s sleeping bodies weighing him down. Instead he raised both hands out towards his friend. “Bill, you’re walking about like nothing happened.”

  Bill smiled. “I’ve been better, but I’ll live.”

  Victor patted Bill on the back and looked at Joe. “Your lass did a good job.”

  My lass? Who says she’s my lass?

  “Yes,” said Randall. “She did us all a great service.”

  Joe scrunched up his face. “Great service? You sound like a politician.”

  “Perhaps in the current circumstances, I am. In fact that’s what we are all about to discuss.”

  “Discuss what?”

  Randall perched himself down on the edge of a table. “Leadership, my friend. We need to put some rules in place if we have even a slim chance of making it through.”

  Joe sighed and shook his head. “Let me guess: you’re putting yourself forward?”

  “Not at all,” said Randall. “I suggest a democratic vote. What other way is there?”

  “How very noble.”

  Randall smiled at Joe as if they were best friends. “I will of course put myself forward as a candidate. With my business background and age I feel I would be best suited to the job, but of course that is for everyone else to decide.”

  “Do we have any other volunteers?” Grace asked, pulling her head away from Joe’s lap, not asleep as he had assumed.

  “Not yet,” Randall told her, looking down at her position on Joe’s lap with what looked like disapproval. “Now would be the time for people to put themselves forward.”

  “I think Mason should be in charge,” said Joe. “He’s educated and an expert on animals. Plus this is his zoo.”

  “And it’s my building,” said Randall, “but I digress. I think Mason would be a wonderful candidate.”

  “Except for the fact that I am not volunteering,” Mason said. “I’m not cut out to make decisions. I’m a scholar; comfortable alone in a room full of books. I don’t wish to have that responsibility.”

  Joe deflated. The only respectable contender against Randall for leadership would have been the zoo’s curator. Without Mason, who else was there?”

  “I suggest Joe,” said Bill, trying to take the weight off his injured leg by sitting on a pile of cushions. “He’s a risk taker, but he always does what’s right.”

  “I agree,” said Grace. “He’s done nothing but put other people first since this whole thing began.”

  Randall smiled, the expression drenched in condescension. “My dear, Joe has a son to look after, and that would only compromise his ability to lead. I very much doubt that he would want to-”

  “I volunteer,” said Joe, cutting Randall off mid-patronisation. “Politicians have children and families, so don’t give us that bullshit!”

  Randall sighed and shook his head as though the bad language hurt his soul. “Okay then. We have two candidates. Is everyone ready to vote?” He looked down at Danny sleeping soundly and added, “Over-eighteens only, of course.”

  Everyone sat patiently while Victor used a marker to scrawl the words JOE and RANDALL on the seminar room’s whiteboard. />
  “Okay,” said Victor. “I’ll chair the vote and ask you one by one to give me your choice between Joe and Randall. We’ll start with you, Shirley.”

  Shirley nodded and allowed herself to think. Joe suspected it was just for show and was not surprised when she answered. “Randall. I pick Mr. Randall.”

  “Okay,” said Victor. “How about you, Grace? Should I even bother asking?”

  “Joe is the best man by far.”

  “Thanks for that, lass.” Victor drew a scratch below each of the names on the board. A tie so far.

  “I vote for Joe too,” said Bill before being asked. Joe nodded a silent thanks to the man.

  “Hold your horses,” said Victor. “I’m in control of this thing, so let’s speak when spoken too, yeah?” Despite his assertions, Victor put another scratch below Joe’s name. He then put another one beneath Randall’s.

  “Hey,” said Grace. “What’s that for?”

  “That’s for my vote, lass. We have a tiebreaker. Mason it falls to you.”

  Joe smiled. It’s in the bag. No way is Mason going to vote for that egotistical prick.

  “I vote for Randall,” said Mason, seeming to choke on the words as they came out of his throat.

  Grace leapt to her feet and threw out her arms. “What? How can you not vote for Joe? We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

  “I’m aware of that, Miss. Although earlier I saved his life in return so perhaps that makes us even.”

  Joe shook his head, genuinely shocked. “Why, Mason?”

  Mason couldn’t look him in the eye. “I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt, and as Bill said earlier, you’re a risk taker. I think things will be a little more stable if Randall runs them, and this is, after all, his building.”

  “Bullshit!” Grace screamed at him. “You’re a spineless bastard. He said something to make you vote for him, didn’t he?”