Ashton Memorial

by Robert R. Best

  Gregory stopped mid-sentence. “Who is this? This channel is not for citizen use.”

  Angie clicked the communicator. “My name is Angela Land and I am not your citizen.”

  “You live within my borders, ma'am,” said Gregory's booming voice. “Now please get off my channel.”

  Angie clicked the communicator. “Do you have a girl with you? A girl named Lori?”

  “Help!” yelled a girl's voice over the speakers. She sounded farther away than Gregory, but clearly audible.

  Maylee and Dalton gasped. Park stepped forward. “That's her. That son of a fucking bitch.”

  Angie held up a finger to Park, indicating to wait. Gregory was silent for several seconds. Angie guessed he'd turned off the microphone. Then there was an audible click and Gregory returned.

  “Citizens,” he started.

  Park snatched the communicator from Angie. He screamed into it, louder and with more force than Angie had ever seen Park exhibit. “Give me back my fucking daughter you fucking dog-cunt!”

  Angie took the communicator back from Park. “What he said.”

  Gregory sighed through the speakers. “I built Ashton Memorial, ma'am. You and your friends need to respect me.”

  “Whatever,” said Angie, clicking off the communicator and dropping it into her pocket. She strode to a map display hanging by the door. She snatched out a map and shoved it into her other pocket. She turned back to Park, Maylee and Dalton.

  Park nodded. “You thinking we got guns and a map now?”

  “Yep,” said Angie. “That pretty much sums it up.”

  She motioned for the others to follow and turned toward the door. As they exited, she pulled the communicator from her pocket. Gregory was talking and talking. The rain pounded relentlessly now.

  Angie clicked the communicator on as she walked. The others walked close behind her. Park had his rifle out and ready.

  “Shut up,” said Angie into the communicator, feeling a little thrill as her voice echoed all throughout the zoo.

  Gregory stopped mid-sentence for the second time. “I thought you had finally developed some sense.”

  “And I thought I told you to shut up. We've got guns now. Guns and a map. We can move much more quickly now. So here's what's going to happen. We are going to march to the restaurant and your people will give us food. Then, we're finding you and we're getting Lori.”

  Angie stopped mid-stride as she saw a corpse emerge from the rain in front of them. It was a young woman with broken glasses and a large gash running down both forearms. Rain pooled in her wounds and she ground her rotting teeth.

  “There,” said Angie to Park, pointing.

  “Got it,” said Park. He aimed the rifle and fired. The corpse stumbled backward as a dart thudded into its forehead. The corpse fell to the ground, still.

  Gregory had been silent this whole time. Angie clicked the communicator on and kept walking. The others fell in behind her.

  “You didn't even know about the restaurant, did you?” said Angie. Her voice echoed all around. “You have no idea what your own people are doing. You don't own shit. You don't run shit.”

  Angie stopped and pointed. “There.”

  Park nodded and aimed at a corpse that had staggered from behind a tree. It was an old man wearing a ripped tank top and missing part of his scalp. Rain collected in the holes in his skin and ran slimy rivulets down his cheeks. He gurgled and came at them. Park fired and the man fell, dart deep in his forehead.

  “Thanks for all the help, by the way,” said Park.

  “Mommy's on the phone,” said Angie. She motioned for the others to continue and they pounded through the rain. She was going from memory. They could round a few more bends before she would have to get out the map and find the quickest way to the restaurant.

  They came around one of those bends and found themselves by the hyena exhibit. The hyenas ran around furiously in the rain. They snarled and bit at the wooden fence separating them from Angie and the others. Angie looked across the exhibit, finding the light that indicated the door at the back. The light was red. She assured herself the animals couldn't get to them. Maylee watched the hyenas warily. Angie suspected she'd had a different experience with wooden fences. Angie hoped that whatever it was, it was an isolated incident.

  “Which way?” said Dalton, wrapping his jacket tightly around himself in the rain.

  Angie nodded to their right and clicked on the communicator. “But whatever,” she said, hearing her own voice echo around. “We'll go to the restaurant, which you have no control over, get some food, which you'll have no control over, then we'll find you and get Park's kid. And you'll have no control over it!”

  Angie clicked off the communicator, listening to her voice fade from the speakers. Through the rain and growling animals, she heard something else. People, far off, little pockets of them spread throughout the zoo. It sounded like they were cheering.

  Gregory cleared his throat, the sound of it rumbling throughout the zoo. “Citizens of Ashton Memorial, this woman is clearly unstable. She has obviously stolen equipment from the brave men and women who keep you safe. She is using stolen Keeper equipment to spread her madness.”

  Angie snorted and dropped the communicator in her pocket. She looked around, making sure the way was clear to go. She took her own rifle from her shoulder.

  Gregory continued, his voice booming all around. “From my vantage point, I have seen the things this woman has done. She and her group are the ones who let those creatures into our borders. Into your home. Those things have invaded the sanctuary of Ashton Memorial, and she is responsible.”

  “He's fucking crazy,” muttered Park, spitting rain out of his mouth.

  “But fear not,” said Gregory's echoing voice. “We have creatures of our own. Proud, noble creatures who will not hesitate to defend us. To drive these invaders away. Rest assured, citizens. This is my kingdom. And I hold the keys.”

  A click rang out from somewhere far off. Then another. Then another. Then one click after another so fast Angie couldn't keep up. She and the others looked around, straining to see through the heavy rain.

  “What's going on?” said Dalton.

  “Not sure,” said Angie. The clicking continued as Angie looked all over, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Her eyes fell on the hyena exhibit. The hyenas snarled at her, their wet hair bristling in the rain. The light by the door at the back of the exhibit was red.

  Then the door clicked.

  And the light turned green.

  The hyenas jerked, startled by the loud clicking noise. They turned to see the door slowly swing open. Snarling and yelping, they ran for the open door.

  “Oh shit,” said Angie.

  “That's bad,” said Park.

  Growling and snarling came from all around. The growls and the clicking of the locks seemed to have alerted every corpse in the area. Groans erupted from all sides.

  “Really bad,” said Angie, gripping her rifle and looking around.

  “Who knew taunting the crazy man could go so badly?” said Park.

  A goat raced from the rain, bleating and grunting in fury. It raced toward Maylee.

  “Look out!” yelled Angie.

  Maylee dodged to one side, bringing up her bat as the goat ran past.

  “I got it!” yelled Angie, leveling her rifle at the goat as it stopped and turned. It lowered its head and barreled back at Maylee.

  Angie fired. The dart thudded into the goat’s hip. It slowed, staggered and slumped to the ground, inches from Maylee. Maylee stood over it warily, bat over her head. Finally she lowered it, looking at Angie and panting. “Thanks.”

  Angie nodded, whipping her head around as more growls and moans came from the rain.

  “I think we may need to fall back for the time being,” she said.

  “I think you may be pretty fucking right,” said Park.

  A horde of lizards raced from the rain. None more than a foot in length. Angi
e recognized them from the reptile exhibit. The lizards raced to Dalton. He screamed and fell back, the lizards almost swarming him.

  “Dalton!” yelled Angie and Maylee in unison. They both raced to defend Dalton. Maylee got there first, slamming her bat down into the mob of lizards. Several splattered against the pavement. Angie arrived and kicked as many as she could away. One hissed and turned on her, racing up her leg. It flared a membrane on the back of its head and bit at her clothing.

  “Mom!” yelled Dalton.

  Angie grabbed the lizard and threw it as far away as she could. She spun as she turned, then gasped as the thrown lizard thudded into the chest of an approaching corpse. It was a bloated naked woman, deep black sores in her stomach and breasts. The lizard clawed madly at the corpse's flesh, trying to get back to Angie. The woman ignored the lizard, groaning and grasping for Angie. The lizard tore huge hunks of skin free, revealing black blood and rotting bone.

  “Shit!” said Angie, watching the corpse and feeling more lizards swarming around her legs. She heard Dalton screaming and Maylee crushing lizards with her bat. Sharp, squelching clangs rang out as the bat smacked the pavement over and over again.

  The woman jerked and spun as something hit her from behind. Angie saw a dart protruding from the back of her head. The woman fell, crushing the lizard as she splattered onto the pavement. Park lowered his rifle and ran over.

  Angie turned back to Dalton and the lizards. He brushed the last one from him, tossing it away in revulsion. It hit the pavement and Maylee swatted it farther away. One was racing around Angie's legs. She kicked it and it skittered across the pavement. It turned back to hiss at her. Park arrived and kicked it so hard it flew out of sight. “We heading back to the office?” he said to Angie.

  “Fuck yes,” said Angie. “Go go!” she yelled, motioning for everyone to run. Everyone did, heading back around the corner and racing toward the office.

  They ran as hard as they dared, unable to see more than a few feet ahead in the driving rain. Growls and snarls and moans came from everywhere. “Everyone be careful!” she yelled.

  She took three more pounding steps and a corpse emerged from the rain. It was a big man with slimy rotting jowls and yellow teeth. He was on her before she could get her rifle out.

  “Mom!” yelled both Dalton and Maylee behind her.

  Angie pushed back as the corpse wrapped his thick slimy arms around her. Angie turned her rifle upward against her chest and fired. The dart shot up into the man's chin. He jerked and fell backward, trying to work his mouth open. The dart pinned it shut. Angie stepped back, bringing the rifle up to fire again. A dart flew past her head and thudded into the man's forehead. His jowls shook and he dropped straight down, motionless.

  Angie cast a glance back to see Park lowering his rifle.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  Park nodded. “We gotta get.”

  Angie nodded and turned back. She motioned for the others to follow. She started again, more slowly than before. She kept looking left to right, waiting for something else to emerge.

  They reached the large open walkway. Angie knew the office was at the far end. She could make out the vague shape of it in the pounding rain.

  She could make out another shape too. Large and hulking, it blocked the way to the office. It snorted and stepped toward them.

  “Oh fuck me sideways,” said Angie as the shape became clearer.

  “Is that a fucking rhino?” said Park.

  The rhino snorted and stomped its feet. It grunted and huffed.

  Then it charged.

  * * *

  Maylee tensed as the rhino charged. It snorted and pounded through the rain. The ground shook from the impact.

  “Get out of the way!” yelled Mom.

  Maylee, Mom and Park all ran to the right. Dalton didn't move. He stood, staring at the charging rhino. His eyes were wide and he looked like he was trembling. Mom and Park were in front and hadn't seen.

  “Dalton!” yelled Maylee. “Run!” Her voice was drowned out by the rain and the pounding of the charging rhino. Dalton didn't move.

  Maylee ran back toward Dalton, into the path of the rhino.

  “Dalton! Maylee!” yelled Mom. Maylee saw Mom turning as she ran.

  Maylee reached Dalton and grabbed him around the waist. She dove, taking Dalton with her, to the left as the rhino charged by. It missed them by inches.

  Maylee and Dalton rolled across the pavement. Dalton yelped as their elbows and knees banged into the pavement. The pavement turned to grass. Then they stopped suddenly as they crashed into something hard.

  Maylee scrambled up, terrified they'd hit some other crazed animal. Dalton stood next to her. Maylee let out a sigh as she realized they'd hit a large tree.

  “That hurt!” said Dalton, rubbing his elbows.

  “Not as much as the rhino would have hurt,” said Maylee, looking up at the tree. It was old-looking. Tall and sturdy.

  “Maylee!” came Mom's voice through the rain. Maylee whirled to see the rhino turning left and right, looking for them. It found them and roared.

  “Shit!” yelled Maylee. “Up in the tree!”

  “What?” said Dalton.

  “It's all I can think of, Dalton!” Maylee yelled, dropping her bat next to the tree trunk. “So unless you can fly, get up in the tree!”

  Maylee climbed up onto the lowest branch. She laid flat on her belly and reached down for Dalton. He took hold of her hand and put his feet on the trunk. She pulled him up. The rhino, snorting and pounding, drew close. It roared.

  Maylee screamed and pulled Dalton up to the branch. The rhino passed right underneath them, slamming its head into the tree. The whole tree shook with the impact. Maylee almost slipped off the branch. She wrapped her legs and arms around it as tightly as she could. Dalton took hold of her arm and gripped so tightly it hurt.

  The rhino staggered back, shaking its head in fury. It staggered around, looking confused. Somewhere in the rain, Mom and Park were yelling.

  Maylee shifted to her knees. “Climb!”

  She and Dalton climbed to the next branch up the tree. Maylee stood on the branch and moved to help Dalton up to the next one. She had her arms around his waist when the tree shook with another impact. The rhino snorted as it rammed the tree.

  Maylee started to fall forward with Dalton in front of her. Reflexively, she took one hand off his waist and caught the branch above her. Screaming, Dalton slipped from her other arm and fell. Flailing wildly, he caught Maylee's free arm and gripped it tightly. Maylee clutched his arm desperately, holding on to the top branch for balance. Dalton swung out over the ground below them. And over the furious, pounding and snorting rhino.

  * * *

  “Dalton!” yelled Angie as he started to fall out of the tree. Maylee caught him with one hand and he swung out over the rhino. The fall would be enough to seriously hurt Dalton, and once the rhino noticed him on the ground...

  “Hurry!” she yelled to Park, loading her rifle and readying it. “Shoot it! Take it down!”

  She fired. The dart embedded into the rhino's hip. It didn't notice. It stomped around the tree and roared, sounding desperate to get to Maylee and Dalton.

  Dalton screamed as he hung there. Maylee looked like she was giving her all to pull him up. It wasn't enough.

  Park fired a second dart into the haunch of the rhino. It snorted in anger but otherwise did not react. It stomped the ground furiously and rushed the tree again. It slammed against the trunk. Angie heard wood crack, and Maylee and Dalton screamed as they leaned out farther.

  “Shit,” said Park, cocking the rifle. “Fucker can handle his dope.”

  Angie cocked and fired. The dart hit the rhino in the side. It let out a grunt of pain and anger, whipping its head around. Its eye landed on Angie. It bellowed and turned to face her.

  “Whoops,” said Angie. She hurriedly recocked the rifle.

  The rhino charged. Park fired and the dart thudded into the rhino's che
ek. It roared in pain, putting its head down to slam Angie. Angie prepared to dodge, knowing she wouldn't get the rifle ready in time.

  The rhino slowed down, its lowered head bumping along the ground.

  “Huh,” said Angie, bringing the rifle up and firing into the top of the rhino’s head. The rhino let out a low whine and stopped, slumping to the ground, limp.

  “Mom!” yelled Maylee from the tree. Dalton kicked his legs as he rocked back and forth over the ground.

  “Hold on!” yelled Angie, slinging the rifle over her shoulder and running for the tree. Park ran up behind her.

  Angie ran to position herself under Dalton. “I got him!”

  Maylee nodded and let go. Dalton dropped into Angie's arms. Angie's back strained and she stumbled forward a few steps, but she caught him.

  She smiled as she set him down. “Second time in two days, huh?”

  Dalton nodded, shivering in the rain.

  She looked back up the tree to see Maylee making good progress climbing down. She ran up to help her.

  Maylee dropped to the ground, Angie's hands around her waist. Angie let go and stepped back as Maylee stooped to retrieve her bat. Maylee stared, panting at the rhino. They all jumped a little as it grunted, but it remained still.

  “Shit,” said Maylee.

  “Yeah,” said Angie.

  Groans erupted all around them. Fading in and out through the driving rain.

  “And on that note,” said Park.

  “To the office!” yelled Angie.

  They all ran across the walkway, heading for the office. A group of corpses slowly emerged from the rain. The corpses jerked and staggered their stiff rotting bodies across the wet pavement. The corpses were coming in from the side, toward the office. Angie ran as hard as she dared through the rain, determined to get to the office before the corpses blocked them.

  They reached the porch. The stairs were on the other side. Angie lifted Dalton up and over the railing, onto the stoop. The corpses groaned and drew closer. Maylee tossed her bat onto the stoop, then climbed up and over. The dead body in the tree rocked back and forth in the pounding rain. The corpses groaned and drew nearer.