She turned her head to look around, finally settling her eyes on Dalton. He panted and looked back at her.
Angie looked down. Thankfully, there were no corpses down below. Even more thankfully, a ladder was attached to the wall.
“Hope you liked climbing,” she said, smirking at him.
He chuckled back at her.
Ten
Maylee ran, her bat clutched in her right hand. She had no idea where in the zoo they were. The corpses kept pouring into the zoo, pushing them farther and farther inside. Periodically she would turn to swing at one with her bat, but Park or Ella would yell at her to keep running.
Ella ran next to her, occasionally casting glances behind them.
“Anything?” said Maylee.
“No,” said Ella, shaking her head. “I can't even hear them.”
“Well fuck, girls,” said Park, slowing down behind them. “How about we lay off all the running shit?” He stopped and stood, leaning forward and panting.
Maylee stopped and looked back. She half hoped to see Mom and Dalton behind them. She'd been half-hoping the whole time. They would appear, explain how they'd gotten around the corpses and been able to follow. Then the three of them would hug.
Instead, she saw nothing.
“I told you,” said Ella from beside her. “No corpse-things.”
Maylee shook her head and drew her arms up around herself. She felt the cold more intensely than she had earlier in the night. “That's not what I was looking for.”
Ella looked at her and bit her lip. She nodded to herself. “Your mom and brother?”
Maylee looked down and kicked at the pavement. “Yeah.”
“Don't start that shit,” said Park, stepping over to Maylee. “I've only known your Mom for a few days, but it’s pretty clear that she gets through shit.”
Maylee lifted her head to meet his eyes.
“And,” Park continued, “we're all headed to the same place. They'll get there. We'll get there. Okay?”
“Okay.” Maylee drew herself up and turned the bat around in her hand. “I'm just tired of running.”
Park snorted. “No fucking argument there, kid.”
“Hey,” said Ella, stepping closer to Maylee. Mist collected on her forehead. She wiped it off. “You said you were talking to my sister.”
Maylee blinked. “Oh yeah. Shit.” She fished around in her pockets until she found the phone. She handed it to Ella. “This is yours, I think.”
Ella smiled and took the phone. She started typing furiously at the keypad, frowning and biting her lip.
Maylee looked to Park. He looked around scratching at his stubble.
His eyes fell on her. “Any idea where we are?”
Maylee looked around. “Um. It's dark and I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure we're at the zoo.”
Park stared at her.
Maylee smirked.
Park smirked back. “Smart-ass.”
“Lori's not answering,” said Ella, closing the phone and sighing.
A man's voice echoed from the trees around them. “Hello visitors to the Ashton Memorial Zoo.”
“The hell?” said Maylee, whipping her head around.
“That's Stepdad,” said Ella. “He has speakers all over the place.”
“Please try to remain calm,” said the man's voice. “We are doing all we can to keep you safe.”
“The guy who has Lori?” said Park.
“Yeah,” said Ella, a slight tremor in her voice. She balled up her fists. She raised her head and shrieked at the trees. “Give me back my sister!”
Park reached out to touch her shoulder. “Shh!”
Ella pulled away, glaring at him.
“Ella,” he said.
“Not now,” she snapped, backing up farther.
Park held up his hand. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just keep it down, okay? I doubt fuckface can hear you and those things sure can.”
Groans came from all around them.
“Shit,” said Maylee, looking around.
“I'm sorry,” said Ella, backing up and looking small.
“We gotta go,” said Maylee, running over and grabbing her arm. She ran. Ella ran with her.
“Where?” said Park, not moving.
Maylee stopped. Ella almost ran into her back. Her arm slipped from Maylee's hand. Groans came from every side, growing louder.
“Shit,” said Maylee. “I have no idea.”
“Wait,” said Ella. She stepped away from Maylee.
“Okay girls,” said Park. “We need to get to the Communications Office, right? What's the quickest way?”
Ella looked around, like she was doing her best to concentrate despite being scared. Unseen corpses groaned.
“Come on,” said Park. He pulled a hunting knife from his pocket. Maylee recognized it as the one he had grabbed from the truck back at the hospital. He looked around nervously.
Ella was panicking. Maylee saw it in her face. Maylee reached out with her bat and touched Ella lightly on the hand. “Hey,” she said, quietly.
Ella blinked, coming to her senses.
Maylee gave her best smile. Fear gripped her, but she did her best not to show it. “You can do it.”
Ella smiled back. She looked around, then nodded. “Got it. This way.”
She hurried off to one side. “We can cut through the bird sanctuary. It's faster than going around.”
They trotted through the dark, looking side to side for corpses. Maylee heard their groans from all sides. None came into view, but Maylee could tell they were close.
“Where the fuck are they?” said Park, off to Maylee's side. Maylee glanced over at him. She saw his face in the dim light. He was frowning at Ella as he stuck the knife back into his pocket. Several times he looked like he was going to say something to her. He didn't.
“Here we are,” said Ella as a large dome came into view. Crisscrossing iron beams and thick iron mesh formed an ornate structure that looked old-fashioned and beautiful, even in the dark.
Maylee tried to remember their previous trips to the zoo. The bird sanctuary was the pride of Ashton Memorial. It was constructed for the World's Fair over a hundred years ago. Later, the zoo was constructed around it. A walkway led through it, winding around trees and bushes, all filled with exotic birds.
As they drew near the dome, Maylee noticed the groans grew quieter. And they no longer seemed to be coming from all around. Now they came from behind.
Park let out a sigh. “Thank fuck. I think we outran them.”
Maylee nodded to herself in the dark. They hurried along in silence, Ella leading the way. The groans behind them faded to nothing. Their own breathing and footsteps were the only sounds.
Ella screamed as a corpse stumbled from the bushes and closed its arms around her. It was a young man with small round glasses. One lens was smashed in, and dark blood coated his cheek. He gurgled and leaned in to bite.
“Ella!” yelled both Park and Maylee in unison. They ran forward, rushing to save her. Ella struggled in the corpse's grip.
Park unslung the rifle from his shoulder. He gripped it by the barrel. “Ella!” he repeated. “Duck!”
Ella lifted her arms over her head and dropped down. She slipped through the corpse's grip, falling to her knees. Park swung the butt of the rifle at the corpse's head. The butt snapped and chunks of it flew to either side. The corpse's head rocked back, and it let go of Ella.
Park pulled the hunting knife from his jacket and shoved it into the corpse's forehead. It made it halfway and stopped, stuck on something. Blood seeped over the blade and down the corpse's face. The corpse leaned toward Park, hissing and biting. Park held the corpse back with the handle of the knife. “Fuck!” he said.
“I got it!” said Maylee. She ran to stand behind the corpse. She swung her bat up at the back of the corpse's head. The bat slammed against the corpse's skull, driving it forward on the knife. Something popped and the knife went into the corpse's forehead up to the
hilt. The corpse twitched, then slumped forward, still.
“Shit on me,” said Park. He twisted around to let the corpse fall to the ground. He bent down and grabbed the handle. Putting his foot on the corpse's chest, he wrenched the knife free. He grimaced at the knife and wiped it on the corpse's leg. He straightened and put the knife in his pocket.
Maylee reached down and helped Ella to her feet. She shook and looked around frantically.
“You okay?” said Maylee.
Ella nodded.
Park stepped over. He nodded to Maylee. “Thanks.”
Maylee nodded back. Park turned to Ella, looking her up and down. “You hurt?”
“I'm fine,” said Ella, moving away from him.
Groans came from behind them. Ella's eyes grew wide as she stared past Maylee and Park. They turned to see a mob of corpses stumbling down the walkway toward them.
“Shit fucker,” said Park. He turned to Ella and Maylee. “Go go go!”
Maylee turned and ran, pushing Ella forward as she went. Park brought up the rear. The three of them ran down the walkway toward the sanctuary. As they pushed the door open and ran inside, Maylee tried not to think about how easy the door was to push. How easy it would be for anything to push its way inside.
Inside was dark. The interior lights were off, and what little light came from outside was filtered through too much foliage to provide any kind of visibility.
The path through the sanctuary was a raised metal walkway with guard rails on each side, more to keep people on the path than to protect them from the two-inch drop. Their footsteps pounded on the metal as they ran, clanging and echoing around the enclosure. Maylee heard Ella in front of her and Park behind her, but quickly lost sight of them.
“Stop!” yelled Park from behind. “For shit's sake stop!”
Maylee did. She heard Ella take a few more clanging steps in front of her, then stop.
Park sighed in the dark behind Maylee. “Can either of you girls see shit?”
“No,” said Maylee.
“I can't see shit or any other substance,” said Ella from the darkness.
“What?” said Park.
“Never mind,” said Ella.
“Just listen to me,” said Park. Maylee strained to make out Ella in the dark. All she saw was the outline of dark trees and mesh against the dim light coming from a lamppost outside. “Since none of us can see fuck,” Park continued, “let's slow down and try to stay together. Okay?”
Maylee and Ella muttered their agreement. The three of them started moving, at a slower pace this time. Their footsteps creaked on the metal walkway.
The trees rustled around them. They rustled again, a little louder than before.
“What was that?” said Ella, stopping up ahead.
“Just birds, Ella,” said Park. “This is the bird house or some shit, right? It's just the birds.”
Maylee nodded to herself in the dark. He was right.
“Oh,” said Ella from up front. “Okay.” They all started walking again.
The rustling in the trees grew louder. They all kept walking, slowly moving deeper into the sanctuary.
“Ow!” yelped Ella from up ahead. They all stopped.
“What is it?” yelled Park, sounding angry and scared.
“Something jabbed at my shoulder,” said Ella.
“Shit. Are you hurt?”
“No, no. It was small. Like...” she trailed off. The rustling in the trees grew too loud to ignore.
“Like what?” said Maylee, although she'd already guessed.
“Like a bird,” said Ella.
The air around them exploded with loud squawks and a frenzy of flapping wings. Blurs of beaks and feathers whizzed by Maylee. She reflexively waved her arms in front of her face, almost smacking herself with her bat.
Ella screamed and Park cursed as the mass of birds swirled around them. Maylee felt beaks and claws narrowly miss her face. She felt them scraping against the material of her jacket. She swung her bat side to side, screaming.
The mass of birds moved past them, leaving them shaken and panting. Maylee heard the trees rustle again as the birds moved through the leaves and branches.
“Anyone hurt?” said Park.
“No,” said both Maylee and Ella, at almost the same time.
“Okay then. Still, what the fuck?”
“I dunno,” said Maylee. “It's like...” Then she was screaming as cold rotting arms closed around her waist and pulled her over the railing.
“Maylee!” yelled Ella.
“Shit!” yelled Park.
Maylee struggled against the arms as she fell off the platform and onto the ground of the sanctuary. She kicked at the dirt and leaves. A gurgling groan came from just next to her right ear.
She felt a cold cheek brush against the back of her neck as the corpse moved in to bite the side of her face. The cold, spongy skin made her body constrict.
Not knowing what else to do, knowing she had only seconds before the corpse bit, Maylee did the only thing her panicked brain could think of. Pushing against the ground, she slammed herself back against the corpse. With a groan, the corpse fell over backward, pulling Maylee with it.
The corpse hit the ground first. Maylee rammed down on top of it, her small frame slamming into its stomach. The corpse grunted and its hands fell away.
Maylee scrambled to her feet and turned, clutching her bat tightly. The corpse, more of a dark outline against the ground, groaned and scraped its limbs against the dirt. Maylee couldn't make out any details, but the corpse smelled awful.
“Fuck you!” Maylee yelled, bringing her bat up over her head. She slammed down with all her might. The impact was loud and squelching. The corpse groaned, its voice now more of a wet gurgle.
Maylee screamed and slammed down again. This time she felt the bat connect with skull. There was a sickening “crack,” and the impact sent a shudder up her bat and into her arms. The corpse was quiet and still.
A hand landed on her shoulder. She screamed, her voice more anger than fear, and spun, bat over her head and ready.
Ella jumped back, holding up her hands. “Whoa whoa! It's me!”
Maylee lowered the bat and sighed. “Shit. Sorry.”
Park rushed from the darkness. “Look out!” he yelled.
Maylee darted to one side, turning to see Park punch the dark outline of a corpse in the face. Or, the area Maylee assumed the face would be if there was any light to see by.
Maylee moved back to guard Ella, holding her bat in front of her. Park pulled the knife from his pocket as the corpse groaned and came at him. Park put his palm on the corpse's forehead and shoved the blade up into the corpse's chin. He wrenched side to side and pulled the knife free. The corpse's head fell backward, loose on its own neck. Maylee heard blood patter against the leaves. Park kicked the corpse and it fell over, shuffling slowly side to side on the ground.
“Shit,” said Park, wiping his face with his clean hand. “I've got to get a new gun.”
He turned to face them. “You guys okay?”
Maylee nodded, lowering the bat. She turned to look at Ella, who was nodding also.
“Okay,” said Park. “We're gonna have to...”
Then the air exploded with squawks and beating wings as the mob of birds found them again. Maylee turned in time to see a huge black mass of bird outlines coming at them.
“Fucking birds!” yelled Park. “Run!” He grabbed Maylee and Ella and pulled them along.
The three of them ran to the side as the mass of birds sped past them, screeching and cawing. Maylee ran, straining to see the outlines of trees and bushes in the dark. She could hear the birds behind them.
“What's the matter with the birds?” yelled Ella as they ran.
“Fuck if I know,” said Park.
“Are they…”
“Dead? No, they seem alive to me. Just crazy as all fuck-out.”
They rounded the dark outline of a tree, almost tripping through
a small pond built into the exhibit. Maylee guessed they were halfway through the sanctuary. She could see the walkway off to their left. She wished they could run back to it, but didn't dare suggest anything but continuing to run forward. She was scared to even take the time to look back.
Odd shapes loomed in front of them. Maylee thought they were small trees or bushes. Then they moved. And groaned.
“Shit!” said Park, stopping so suddenly Maylee and Ella ran into his back.
The dark mass of corpses moved toward them, reaching and writhing. Loud rustling and squawking came from behind them.
“Oh no,” said Ella, quietly.
Park spun. In the dim light, Maylee saw him looking up and over her shoulder. He moved to stand between Maylee and Ella. He clamped his hands on their shoulders, so hard it hurt.
“Ow!” said Ella.
“Down!” yelled Park. He dropped to his knees, pulling Maylee and Ella down with him.
Maylee's torso slammed to the ground, the air rushing from her lungs. She heard Ella cry out as she hit the ground nearby.
“What the hell?” Maylee started to yell, then understood as the thick mass of birds raced by overhead. Inches from their backs. Hundreds of tiny claws scraped against the back of Maylee's jacket. At her hair. She screamed into the noise, feeling like she was losing her mind.
With a loud stream of “whump-whump-whump,” the crazed birds hammered into the approaching mob of corpses. The sheer amount of birds pelting into the corpses slowed their approach. Then caused them to stagger back. Then caused them to change direction. The corpses, knocked off course and distracted from Maylee and the others, started to break up and wander in different directions.
As the last bird careened overhead, chattering furiously at nothing, Park stood. “Move!” he yelled. Maylee and Ella followed.
They ran toward the separating mob of corpses. Park drove his shoulder into the corpse closest to him. The corpse stumbled back, clearing a path for Ella to run through. Maylee swung her bat at a second corpse. It connected somewhere in the vicinity of the corpse's face. The corpse fell to one side. Maylee rushed through the opening, following Park and Ella.
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