Joe shook his head, unable to take his eyes away from the screen. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“Me either.” The Black man came up beside them. “It’s a mad house.”
Joe somehow managed a smile. “What’s your name? I’m assuming it’s not Cosby?”
“Name’s William, but my friends call me Bill. Your name’s Joe, right?”
Joe nodded. “Pleased to meet you, Bill. You make sense of any of this?”
Bill shook his head. “Just about the craziest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen. Don’t know what could be to blame. Maybe it’s the end of the world.”
“Terrorists, if you ask me.” Coming to join them was the grey-haired woman that had spoken in support of Randall earlier, wanting to join his legal battle. She was smiling now and seemed quite pleasant. “Godless monsters are always coming up with new ways to destroy the world. Looks like they finally came up with a good one – airborne rabies. Name’s Shirley.”
“Hi, Shirley,” Joe greeted her. “You really think terrorists?”
“Have a better suggestion?”
Joe shook his head. He didn’t. If it was a terrorist act, he wondered what that could mean, and what it would mean for his son. “What do we do?”
“How should I know?” Shirley shrugged. “Whatever happens, things will work out however God wants them too. Maybe the world will finally face up to its sin now that deliverance is upon us.”
Bill huffed beside Joe. “Speak for yourself, lady. People are responsible for their own actions. I don’t believe there’s some man in the sky playing us all like puppets, weighing up our mistakes against us. That’s crazy!”
Shirley smirked, but the expression contained a dose of venom. “Believe what you will, but when your day of reckoning arrives you will see the error of your ways. Now is not the time to be a heathen.” The woman strolled away; apparently satisfied that she had said her piece.
Bill turned to Joe. “She for real?”
“Don’t know,” said Grace, “but that was a bit of an intense introduction.”
Joe laughed. “Strange times call for strange people. But it doesn’t matter who or what is responsible at the end of the day. What matters to me is keeping my son safe. You think things will work themselves out if we just stay put?”
Bill shrugged. “The police must be doing something. Hell, the army too! It’s just a bunch of animals. They should be able to handle a few rabid Labradors and Tabby cats.”
“What about lions?” Grace asked.
“Lions are a little more difficult, but that’s only because we had the misfortune to be at the mother-fuckin’ zoo. I mean, damn, you couldn’t make this shit up.”
“So what’s the plan?” Grace looked at Joe, shifting Danny’s weight onto her opposite shoulder. “Do we just stay here?”
Joe had no answers. He scratched at his forehead on the off-chance that he would knock loose an idea, but found nothing hiding. “I guess we just settle in and wait for help to come. It’ll probably take time for the authorities to get a handle on things.”
Just then a nearby door swung open, startling everybody. When it turned out to be Mason, they all relaxed. The zoo’s curator ambled over with a look of grave concern on his face.
Joe nodded at him. “Everything okay?”
Mason shook his head and looked down at the floor. When he looked back up his expression seemed even grimmer. “I tried contacting the admin building, but got nothing. The phones just rang out. So then I called the police.”
Joe cleared his throat, not sure he wanted to hear what Mason had to say. “And?”
“No answer.”
Grace laughed; a nervous sound. “What? No answer? They have to answer, don’t they?”
Mason bit at his lip. “One would certainly think so, but I’m getting the impression that they may be inundated with calls at the moment.”
Joe knew where this was going and didn’t want to beat around the bush. “We saw the news. It’s going on everywhere.”
“Yes,” said Mason. “I suspected as much. Every number I tried was unanswered. But what really disturbs me is what I saw when I looked out of the upper-floor windows.”
Joe took a deep breath which seemed to lead Bill and Grace to do the same. Maybe anxiety is infectious? He raised an eyebrow at Mason. “What did you see?”
Mason didn’t answer at first and seemed to drift off into thought, eyes flickering behind his spectacles as though they were playing back a movie in his mind. When he finally answered, his voice was weak and lacked his usual composure. “The entire zoo has been overrun. The animals are all out of their cages, and there are…” Mason took a moment to gather himself. “There are…bodies, everywhere. I watched for ten minutes whilst a pack of our African Wild Dogs ate the very flesh from a group of dead children. Blood every–”
Joe cut him off and pointed to his son. Danny didn’t need to hear any of this.
Mason understood and changed direction. “Yes, well, perhaps it is best to think forward now that events have already transpired. I believe we are safe for now, but I have no idea how long we should prepare to be here. If I tell the group what has happened, and that we all must remain inside, I think they may kick up a fuss.”
Bill laughed. “That’s an understatement. Biggest problem is gonna be that jackass banker or businessman – whatever he is.”
“Randall.” Joe sniffed. “His name is Randall.”
Mason looked weary and seemed to have aged over the last hour. “We’ll just have to do our best to calm him. I’m sure he’s a reasonable man underneath.”
They all looked at each other for a minute. Joe didn’t think anybody believed that Randall was anything other than a grade-A prick.
“Should we get to it then?” Mason asked them all finally.
Everyone nodded. No time like the present to serve shit sandwiches to a bunch of scared people. Joe just had to keep reminding himself that they were lucky to even be alive right now. They had to be thankful.
Led by Mason, they moved over to the centre of the room. Most people were still glued to the on-going news reports, but, when they noticed the zoo’s curator, they all turned their attention to him.
Mason clapped his hands together. It was a needless action since all eyes were already on him, but seemed like an appropriate way to punctuate the start of a speech. “I’m sure everyone is eager to gain more knowledge about the current events and I do indeed have some for you. I ask that you remain calm as I say this, but I regret to inform you that the animal attacks we have witnessed here today are not localised to this zoo. In fact, from my estimation, they are happening throughout the nation. Perhaps the world.”
“Thank you for telling us what we already know.” Randall spoke from the back of the room. The way he lazed casually in the chair made it obvious that his ego wasn’t yet ready to take a rest.
Joe eyeballed the piggish little man. Can you please be constructive for one minute? Anyone would think that being a pain in the ass was your hobby.
“We already know it’s happening everywhere,” Randall continued. “It’s on the news.”
“Okay,” Mason replied, stuttering slightly. “Then I hope you all understand the gravity of the situation. What you may not be aware of, however, is the danger that presents itself outside this very building.”
Randall shrugged. “The lions?”
“I wish that were the depth of it, but I am afraid it is far worse. From what I have witnessed, every animal in the park has broken free. They have attacked and killed anyone unfortunate enough to be outside.”
Randall leapt from his chair, quicker than one would have imagined for a man of his girth. For a moment Joe wondered if someone had lit a fire under his ass. “How the hell have you let this happen?” Spit flew from his mouth as he spoke. His cheeks turned red like cherry tomatoes. “How does a modern-day zoo let its entire inventory get loose? It begs belief that anyone could be so incompetent.”
Mason only managed to respond with a series of splutters.
Randall continued his tirade. “Do you know how much trouble you are in? I ought to throw you out there with the lions. You ridiculous, negligent–”
“Enough,” Joe cut in. “There will be a time for blame, but this is not it. Right now we are in a predicament beyond anything we can yet understand. I think it’s safe to assume that whatever is happening at this zoo is a symptom of whatever has affected the animals nationwide, not the cause.”
Randall glared at Joe. “I don’t know who you are, my friend, but I am getting rather tired of you coming to this fool’s aid. If you continue to speak in his defence then I can only assume that you are complicit in this fiasco.”
Joe threw back his head and twisted the kinks from his neck. Every conversation with Randall left him exhausted. “Look,” he said finally, “my name is Joe, and I just came here today because my son loves animals and has never been to a zoo.” He pointed at Danny who was still asleep in Grace’s arms. “Truth be told, I don’t get to see my son very often and this day was important to me. Real important. So don’t assume, Mr. Randall, that I’m not as put out as you are. But there are people outside that never even made it long enough to be stuck in this situation. They’re dead.” A silence filled the room and Joe hoped that things were finally sinking in. “We’re in a bad situation, people, and if we don’t get along then it will get even worse. It would be better if we introduce ourselves and try to get through this together. Is that too much to ask?”
More silence filled the room, along with anxious expressions. No one wanted to talk. No one wanted to get along. To do so would be to admit that things were as bad as they all feared.
“My name is Grace. I’m twenty-three and I came here today for a job interview. I don’t think I’m going to get it.”
Joe smiled at her, appreciating her effort. “Anybody else?”
Shirley stood up from a chair behind Randall. “My name is Shirley. I’m a retired nurse and I come to the zoo often. It’s only right that we appreciate God’s creatures and enjoy the beauty of his creation.”
The next person stood up – a wiry-muscled bald man, covered in red and green tattoos that covered his sleeveless arms. The one on his right bicep read, HIGHLANDER. “Name’s Victor. I were on a date. The wee gal I was courting died outside, I think.”
Joe was surprised that the man didn’t seem particularly bothered by this, but told himself that people grieved in different ways. “I’m sorry to hear that, Victor. What has happened today is a tragedy.”
“Ay, a tragedy.” Victor repeated. “Woman had a damn fine backside.”
The comment may have been a joke, but it elicited only a brief moment of awkward silence until the next person stood up.
“Hi, everyone. You can call me Bill. I’m a self-employed accountant. Came here today with my partner, Gary. He’s…dead too, I guess. I tried to help him, but…”
Suddenly, Victor threw his hands up in the air, letting them fall down and slap against his thighs. “Oh great, we’re stuck in here with a fucking fairy!”
Bill waved an arm at him dismissively. “Oh great, we’re stuck in here with a closed-minded bigot.”
“What you say to me, fag?”
“Sorry,” Bill said. “Were you not intending to come across as a bigot? I kind of got the impression that you were.”
Victor stomped towards Bill. His muscles bunched up, ready for a fight. “You don’t get to call me anything, you hear me, faggot?”
Joe got between the two men, towering above them both. “Pack it in! We don’t have to like one another, but at least act like adults.”
“Dad?”
Joe turned to see that Grace had put Danny down and that his son was now walking towards him in a fuzzy, half-asleep daze. “Hey, sleepy head,” said Joe. “Everything is okay. The adults are just talking.”
Danny rubbed at his eyes. “Why are you shouting?”
Joe picked his son up into his arms. “I’m not shouting, little dude. I was just excited about something.”
“About the monkeys?”
Joe frowned. “What monkeys?”
Danny rubbed at his eyes once more, before pointing over his father’s shoulder. Joe turned around to see what his son was looking at. The others in the room turned at the same time.
“Shit pickles,” said Grace beside him. “That’s not good, is it?”
Joe shook his head. “Not good at all.”
Lined up against the long horizontal window of the far wall was row upon row of monkeys. Dozens of human-like faces pressed up against the glass, side by side. They looked almost comical in a way, but a wild spark of sinister intent glistened in their eyes. Joe knew what it was.
It was murder.
Chapter Six
“What do we do,” Grace cried out, frantic, pulling her hair. “What do we do?”
Joe put a hand on her shoulder whilst simultaneously pulling Danny against his hip. “Just calm down. I don’t think they can get in at us.” As if to question his assertion, one of the monkeys smashed a fisted paw against the glass. Joe flinched and studied the area where the animal had hit. It was cracked, a delicate spiderweb of fractures snaking through the glass where the impact had struck. Joe swallowed. “Actually, maybe you should go ahead and panic.”
“We need to move upstairs, right now.” Mason rushed across the room, clapping his hands above his head to get everyone’s focus. A door stood at the side of the room and he punched in a code on a square pad beside it. “Everyone, in here, quickly.”
Without argument everyone raced to the door, passing through into the corridor beyond. Joe and Danny went in last, slamming closed the door behind them, hearing it lock automatically.
Mason was waiting for them. “We need to move to the second floor before they get in.”
Joe’s palms were sweaty and he wiped them against his jeans. “Will we be safe up there?”
Mason was already moving again. “Something tells me that we’re not going to be safe anywhere soon.”
Joe peered down at Danny, who was looking right back at him. Worry was etched across his delicate face and it made Joe’s heart twist in his chest. He tousled his son’s blond hair and picked him up onto his hip.
Mason shouted back and told them to hurry.
“Okay,” Joe said. The sound of breaking glass from the staffroom urged him to get moving and he did so quickly, re-joining the fleeing group just as they reached a staircase at the end of the corridor. The steps echoed as Joe took them, two at a time, and more than once he almost lost his balance. Danny’s limp weight in his arms did not help.
At the top of the stairs was another lengthy corridor, carpeted in a cheap navy-blue pile and lined by numerous doors on both sides. Mason was leading everyone into the nearest door on the left. A bronze plaque on the wall beside it read: ZOOLOGICAL LIBRARY AND SEMINAR ROOM.
Joe stepped in beside Mason to find a plush room, full of soft furnishings, chairs and wooden tables, all facing forward toward a lectern at the back of the room near a large ceiling-to-floor window. The other three walls were interspersed with overfilled bookshelves and recently-used whiteboards. The musty smell of old, inked pages filled the air.
“We need to barricade the door downstairs,” said Mason, “make sure that nothing gets through into the corridor.”
Joe swallowed a lump in his throat. “I don’t quite fancy going back down there. It sounded like they were about to break through the window just before I went up the stairs.”
The tattooed man, Victor, approached them. “I’ll go. A bunch of wee monkeys don’t scare me none.”
“That’s very brave of you,” Joe admitted.
“Aye, well it’s not your fault you’re a pussy.”
Joe cleared his throat. “Excuse me? I have a son to look after first and foremost. I’ve already risked my life enough times today.”
Victor sniggered and sauntered away, towards one of the room’s
many desks. “Keep telling y’self that, pal.”
Joe shook his head and put his son down on one of the cushion-backed chairs, then took the seat next to him. I’m not a pussy. I just have other priorities right now. Although, if someone doesn’t go down and barricade that door then we’ll all be in trouble. Maybe I should go…
Victor dragged a table over to the doorway and the scraping sound against the thin carpet broke Joe away from his thoughts. He sat and watched the man grab a second table and upend it on top of the first, then shove them both into the corridor outside.
“Can this situation become any more farcical?” said Randall, complaining again and as upbeat as ever. “A total disaster!”
“Think I’d have to agree with you there,” said Bill, rummaging through one of the bookshelves. “Things keep going from bad to worse.”
“We should be okay for now though,” said Mason. “Victor is barricading the door as we speak, and there’s no other way to reach this section of the building apart from the staircase we ascended earlier.”
“Shouldn’t someone be helping Victor?” Shirley asked.
“He can handle himself,” said Randall, and Joe was glad to hear it from someone else. “I’d be more concerned about your own hide and the situation we’re in, my dear.”
Bill returned a thick text book to its space on the shelf and turned around. “And what situation are we in exactly? I still don’t know.”
Grace offered an explanation. “I think things are…bad. I mean, really bad. If this is happening everywhere then we could be in some serious trouble. There might not be anyone coming for a long time.”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Randall.
“I don’t think so,” said Joe. “I’m sure everything will work out eventually, but I don’t see anyone coming by to help for a while. If animals are attacking everywhere then the whole country is going to be in chaos. I didn’t want to admit it at first, but I think we’re all stuck here.”
Mason nodded. “We need to start thinking about settling in, planning for a couple of days here.”
Randall slapped his hands down on one of the tables, startling everyone. “Unacceptable!”
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