by J. R. Rain
“Where do you think they went?” asked Jared.
Jack scanned the area for any sign of life. “I don’t know, probably into the hills.”
“But most of them don’t know how to hunt,” Jared protested. As if he could do anything about it. “They’ll starve.”
“Maybe not,” said Jack, glancing at a half-eaten zombie corpse nearby. A comic mental image of giraffes wandering around the Los Feliz district chasing the undead down vacant streets popped into his head. “Most are friendly. Or, at least, not carnivores. Although, I can’t say a zebra would be trustworthy in a confined space.”
As they made their way back to Jack’s little home away from home, he found it harder to remain nonchalant. Walking over the dead has that effect on a person.
“It will be interesting to see how all of this shakes out,” he said, looking to find a distraction from the carnage. “Maybe this whole thing is, in fact, part of the process. Part of evolution. Maybe Nature needed to do some housecleaning.”
“What, because there’s too many of us?”
“Maybe.”
The pair stepped around several dead zombies piled on top of one another. Jack noticed the one on top had been shot through the head, and not too long ago from the looks of the wound.
Warily, they scanned our surroundings as they continued their silent inspection of the deserted zoo. Seeing the flamingos eating their special diet clued the pair that someone was indeed feeding animals still.
When they reached Jack’s residence, they cautiously climbed the steps to the door facing the hillside. It was slightly ajar.
Jack and Jared readied their guns while Jack motioned for Jared to get behind him as he pushed the door open.
For the most part, the place was as he remembered leaving it. A couple of blankets were strewn over the couch, though, and the place smelled of coffee.
“Someone’s been here today,” said Jack.
“And they were sane enough to brew coffee,” added Jared, smiling weakly.
Sane tasks, of course, meant a human endeavor. Jack was about to investigate the kitchen when something fell in the bathroom. That door was closed. Jack motioned for Jared to stay back while he slid to one side of the door.
It was then that a familiar voice from the other side said, “Who’s there? Answer me, because if you don’t, I have a shotgun and I’ll blow you all the way to kingdom come!”
* * *
Cole, the agent from hell, prepared to shoot Julie.
He watched her antics to convince the occupants she needed their help. But it wasn’t working. The plan would turn to shit if she couldn’t draw them out. It would be a shame to kill her and have to start over with someone else. However, he was prepared to do whatever was necessary to take them down if he had to.
The door opened and then Mike came out with a woman in a police uniform. Cole lowered his rifle and frowned. He had hoped to trap Joe Carter, as well as Mike Mendoza, in the restroom. He hadn’t thought the lady cop would come. He’d seen Jack Carter and the boy leave earlier. He’d planned on taking care of the woman easily. Slowly.
Still, he could deal with the change in expectations. Cole entered the restroom before they could catch sight of him. He waited behind the door. Soon, he could hear Julie rambling non-stop, which was good because she would provide the distraction he’d hoped for. Hell, she wasn’t letting them get a word in edgewise. If nothing else, he intended to get rid of her soon, just to shut her up.
He closed his eyes and mentally prepared himself for battle.
* * *
Carla and Mike strode quickly to keep up with Julie’s trot. Mike listened to her account of what had happened, how frightened Julie was, and what a miracle it was to have found their help.
Carla shut the noise out, focusing instead on the fiery feeling in her gut. Something was terribly wrong here, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. The woman was obviously harmless and scared, but she was also hiding something. Her annoying chatter was coming out too quickly.
Carla glanced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. She turned her gaze back to the woman, Julie. What was unusual about her?
Julie was clean. More than clean; her clothes were brand new. Not a spot of blood or dirt was on them. Among other things, Carla had washed everyone’s clothes after the massacre, but they were still stained brown. How had this woman kept clean, coming all the way up here from...?
They were very close to the restroom now. “Excuse me,” Carla interrupted Julie’s prattle. “Where did you say you came from?”
Julie turned her head back and answered, friendly enough, “Where? Oh, Seal Beach.” Julie didn’t break her stride, and Mike was so caught up with listening to her that it didn’t register.
But Carla pulled back. Seal Beach... Who in the hell would come here from Seal Beach? What ties did she have to this area? If not Julie, was there someone else involved here?
Julie and Mike hadn’t noticed that Carla had stopped moving. They were about to enter the restroom when Carla shouted, “No! Mike, wait!” Carla bolted to catch him before he entered.
Mike looked back, baffled at Carla, as he pushed the bathroom door open. “Jesus, what’s gotten into—”
Mike never saw what hit him, but Carla witnessed it all. Someone swung a rock, bashing Mike’s head in. She cried out and brought her own weapon up.
That’s when she heard a click next to her. Carla turned, swinging her weapon around, but stopped short when she saw Julie pointing the handgun at her.
Chapter Eleven
“Brice?” Jack called out. “Is that you?”
“Jack? Is that you?”
“It’s me.” Relieved, Jack lowered his weapon.
Brice poked his head out. When he saw Jack, his expression changed from one of fear to relief. “Sweet Mother of God, I’ve never been so happy to see someone in my entire life!” He hugged him like a long lost lover, causing Jack to flinch uncomfortably. “And Jared! Oh, Jared! Son, I thought you left with your parents.”
Jared looked surprised. “Where did they go?”
“I don’t know, kid. But I’d heard they left town. And not a minute too soon, either.”
The boy’s face fell. It broke Jack’s heart to share in the revelation Jared’s parents had indeed left him behind.
Pieces of shit, thought Jack, angrily.
Brice blinked as if expecting them to disappear. “Well, where the hell have you both been? It’s been a living nightmare around here. No one left but me. Me and those crazy fuckers.”
“I was just here a couple of days ago,” said Jack. “I can’t believe how quickly this place turned to hell.”
Brice motioned for us all to move back into the living room. He looked beat. He poured himself a cup of coffee while Jared locked the front door. Smart kid.
“Well, I suppose you know now,” said Brice, sitting in a recliner while holding his coffee. Jared and Jack sat in a couch across from him. “Ain’t nobody here to pick up the mess, let alone take care of the animals. They needed food, water, even though I couldn’t take care of them all. Mixing meat and supplements for the big cats takes hours. And the flamingos? Their diet is highly specialized, too. But I can’t just let them go.... Hell, man, their wings are clipped.”
“I see a lot of the grass–eating animals are gone,” Jack advised. “Luckily, this zoo doesn’t have a lot of big cats.”
Brice stared into his coffee. “Had to let ‘em go, a lot of the animals,” he said in a mournful tone. “Figured they’d have a better chance on their own in the hills around Los Feliz than penned up as prey.”
“And your wife?” I asked quietly.
“Sent her off to Arizona. Her sister lives there. I don’t know if it’s any better over there, but I had to do something to get her to safety. I just can’t leave the zoo... not yet. It would be cruel to the ones who depend on me for food and water. I hope Arizona will be safe for my wife. Phones are down. I haven’t got a clue if she even
made it.”
Knowing the whole damn country was coming undone, Jared and Jack locked eyes, but kept quiet. Jack shook his head slightly, and the boy nodded imperceptibly. Brice needed something to hold on to—and that something was hope and his wife.
“Well, now that you’re here,” said Brice, changing the subject, “can you tell me somethin’ I don’t know? How in the hell did this happen? And what’s going on out there? I haven’t left the zoo in over a week.”
Jack hesitated. Brice was a good guy. He’d worked at the zoo with his wife for the last thirty-five years or so, after serving in Vietnam. Part of the reason Brice loved the zoo and the animals so much was that he’d been raised on a ranch. He’d expressed to Jack his dismay at watching the animals get killed, and he had vowed to work someday where animals were well taken care of, where they were more than just meat for mankind.
After massaging his eyes and releasing a low sigh, Jack looked into Brice’s eager, heartbroken eyes. Carefully considering how much to tell his old friend, he decided to limit the news to Los Angeles and his own family.
* * *
Brice listened intently to Jack’s account of what had befallen much of Los Angeles. And, who wouldn’t be fascinated by the beginning of the end? The chain of events that had taken place in such a short timespan was truly incredible. Hell, hearing it all over again, coming out of his own mouth, seemed surreal to Jack... completely unreal.
When Jack finished with the news about Anna, Brice made a few sympathetic noises. The old war vet wasn’t much on emotion, but Jack was touched by the pain on his face and knew his heart was breaking for him. Good man.
“But she’s safe now?” he asked, seeking assurance.
Jack nodded. “And resting. It’s partly why we’re here. It’s good to stay busy.”
“I understand, son.”
“Also, I’ve been worried about the animals, and you,” Jack continued. “I’m thankful we found you.”
“Likewise,” Brice stood and put a hand on his arm before returning to the kitchen for more coffee. Jack and Jared declined his offer to join him for a cup. When he returned he focused on Jared. “Sounds like you’ve been a real hero, too.”
Jared nodded but said nothing. Jack could tell he wanted to get back to Anna. Hell, Jack did, too. But it was good to find Brice. Good to see him alive and well and safe. At least for now.
“Why don’t you come back with us, Brice? You’ll be safe, and we can return here in teams to feed and care for the animals.”
“Thank you for the offer, bro,” he said. “I just... well, I just don’t know how to leave this place.”
“It’s not safe here,” Jared emphasized. “You should come with us.”
Brice thought a moment. “You’re right. It’s not safe anywhere, I guess. But there’s safety in numbers. Especially if you agree to my plan.”
“What would that be?” Jack smiled. Brice always had a plan for everything.
“You’ve got to help me free all the animals. And I mean all of them.”
“You can’t let...” Jack fumbled for words. “You’re not thinking of turning a rhino loose. Are you. Brice? You just can’t.”
“Well, how can I get mass quantities of food delivered and paid for and distributed to them? I don’t have the manpower, not even with you guys helping. And the elephants? Without their trainers, they are starting to dismantle their enclosure. It’s just a matter of time before they either escape, or die tryin’.”
“Elephants,” said Jack, chuckling at the thought of an annoyed bull charging through a horde of the undead...
* * *
Julie stayed as far away from the woman cop as she could, fearing her accusing stare. Cole was finishing binding both cops’ hands behind them.
Cole’s accomplice tried to stifle her tears. Never in a million years did Julie imagine she’d end up with someone like this. Or, in a situation like this. Bad enough the world had gone mad.
She was now a powerless prop of the agent. It took him less than five minutes to tie the cops up, and now he looked at her.
“Please don’t tie me up,” Julie pleaded.
Cole looked at her with dead eyes, but his grin was not as menacing as before. “Come here, darlin’,” he said quietly. He ripped another piece of duct tape.
“Please.” Julie sobbed harder. “I’ll do anything. What are you going to do to me?”
“ I haven’t decided yet, but if you want to live longer than the next few seconds, you’ll do as I ask. Don’t make me hurt you.”
Julie inched toward him, tentatively, eyes wide from fear. Cole yanked her forward. He taped her mouth as he had done with Carla and Mike. Cole drew the knots tight, and Julie whimpered as the cords dug into her skin.
“Shut up,” he told her, after leaning close to her left ear. Then he turned to Carla. “You. You’re coming with me.” Julie admired Carla’s hateful glare that shot venom as he pulled her up by the arm. “I’ve got a fun little job to do, and you’re going to help me.”
Cole shoved Carla out of the bathroom and locked his other two prisoners inside, steeped in impenetrable darkness.
* * *
Joe peered out the front door again. He couldn’t quite see where Julie had taken Carla and Mike, although he knew the restroom she’d mentioned was behind some trees, just out of sight.
He looked at his watch. Thirteen minutes. Either serious medical attention was needed or trouble was brewing. Maybe Carla had been right. One of the things drilled into your head in the military was to always help a woman in need. Maybe he and Mike had jumped the gun.
“Shit.”
Joe glanced in Anna’s direction, where she was still sleeping, presumably, in the office. There was no way he could leave his niece.
Suddenly, he remembered the radio, kicking himself for forgetting about it. He ran to the dining area and picked it up. Jack was out of reach, but Carla shouldn’t be. Joe pressed the talk button. “Carla? Joe to Carla, do you read me?”
Silence. But before he pressed the talk button again, a familiar voice erupted from the speaker.
“She can’t talk right now.”
Joe froze.
How? It can’t be....
But there wasn’t time to process it all. Cole spoke again.
“Let me in, or she dies.”
Chapter Twelve
Had Jack known that his brother was letting their nemesis into the building with a gun trained upon Carla’s head, things might have turned out differently. However, all he had to go by was Jared’s increasing unease. Jared wanted to go back, to race back to the observatory. But Jack dismissed the kid’s antsy pacing as just his being spooked by the eerie atmosphere the zoo had taken on.
Meanwhile, Jack debated with Brice about the hazards of freeing dangerous animals. “The cats are deadly,” he told Brice. “Somebody could get killed or badly injured. In fact, I’d bet on it.”
“From what you say, Los Angeles is already overrun with this zombie shit,” Brice replied. “If everyone knows it’s a deadly world out there, surely they’ll be extra careful.”
“I know, but Brice. Those tigers... the lions, even the rhinoceros, no one could be prepared to meet them on the streets of Los Feliz. Not even you or me.”
“Who’s out there roaming the streets and parks?” he countered. “No one but zombies. Maybe the cats will do some good, and kill a few.”
“But....”
“And what about the orangutans, Jack?,” Brice continued, ignoring Jack’s indignant expression. “Or the apes? We can’t just leave them here alone. That ain’t right. They’ll starve, here, but I’ll bet they’ll find a way to survive out there.”
Jack couldn’t argue that point. Everyone loved them, especially the zoo staff. They all knew their human-like qualities, and held a special affinity for the gentle giants. But they weren’t always gentle. Or slow. If panicked, well, a human could not escape an ape.
“Grizzly bears, too. Problematic.” Jack thoug
ht this should end the debate, since clearly the dangers outweighed the benefits. The animals were all better off in the zoo, as long as he and Brice came back regularly to feed them.
Jared, clearly agitated, continued to pace back and forth. He tapped a pencil against the table. Jack still ignored him.
“Look, Jack,” Brice finally said. “The bottom line is this: I know you mean well, but there’s no guarantees we can get back here safely. And, I’m not leaving any of God’s beasts here to starve to death.” Brice sat back and folded his arms defiantly. “That’s my final answer.”
Letting them starve had never been Jack’s intention either. He was about to debate Brice again about coming back to feed them as necessary, but realized how impractical it would be.
“You’re right, as usual,” he finally conceded. “It’s the lesser of two evils.”
Jared sighed impatiently. But Jack ignored him, intent on resolving the disagreement with Brice first.
“Okay, we’ll do it your way,” said Jack, finally. “We will do whatever it takes to get you to come with us.”
“Good.” Brice stood and downed the rest of his coffee. “We’ll take your truck around. Just unlock the cages and gates. Start with the least dangerous. The big cats last. Most of them won’t realize they can get out for a while anyways.”
“I hope you’re right about that.”
Jared reminded Jack about the lava rocks, and they loaded a few fifty-pound sacks into the bed. The truck cab was small, so Brice insisted on sitting in back, armed with a loaded tranquilizer gun in each hand.
“Just in case,” he chuckled.
* * *
The trio started with the smaller species, the monkeys, the chimps. As they made their way around, unlocking cages and gates, some of the animals ventured out. Most, however, were unsure and stayed within their safe homes. The elephants congregated around their open gate, trumpeting. The guys left them to decide on their own, whether to venture forth or not.