ZooFall

by Lawrence Ambrose

  "Cool. Can I have my own gun?"

  Diana sighed. There was a reason she and Dean had never had children. Actually, many reasons, but the one coming to mind now was responsibility. You couldn't just let them be on their own like a pet cat. You had to take care of them and teach them stuff. If they screwed up, it could come back to haunt you. If you screwed up, it could haunt them.

  "You seem to have a natural affinity for them," she said. "Let me think about that while I eat. My body and brain are running on empty right now."

  The tuna casserole was surprisingly tasty. Or maybe it was her famished state. Penny bragged about the ingredients – the spices she'd added, the can of mushroom soup "Really adds flavor!" – her grandmother's recipe. Diana didn't recall the girl being so loquacious. In fact, she was sure the old Penny rarely spoke, preferring to live in her inner world of math and science equations, according to Dick. Her constant flow of words now were like tiny ice picks poking Diana's brain, but she resisted an urge to tell her to please shut up and instead focused on eating and planning out their next move.

  After a breakfast that would've normally qualified as a large evening meal, Diana overcame her reservations about arming the girl, teaching her some gun basics with a pair of Glock pistols – her personal favorite – and a Colt AR-15, with an emphasis on safety rather than marksmanship. Diana was most concerned about the girl shooting her in the heat of battle, but Penny confidently assured her that she could see things quickly and clearly and would never shoot anywhere near Diana. For some reason, Diana believed her. The more she recalled their battle with the simians and the killer elves the more she was amazed by the girl's cool-headed performance. Her speed and strength for her size were off the charts. Being smashed into the ground by powerful creatures several times her size and then recovering fast enough to help drag Diana into the house spoke volumes about her resilience and toughness. It would be nuts not to arm her and not take her along.

  So, each armed with a rifle, pistol, and a combat knife, they set out in the same direction Diana had been headed in yesterday. Her instinct was that someone on one of the farms north of town was the source of the smoke and gunfire. Diana marched on what she thought was a stiff pace, but Penny still bounded ahead and back like a Yo-yo. Among her many impressive physical attributes was a seemingly endless energy. But then, Diana told herself, she was young.

  About three miles out they heard gunfire coming from the east. Not the frantic gunfire of battle, Diana thought, but rather the regular popping of target practice which she and Penny had just been doing an hour ago.

  "We have company!"

  Diana followed Penny's exuberantly pointing finger to the sky where a familiar dark winged silhouette soared maybe a hundred yards up. Diana felt a small thrill go through her. She raised a hand in greeting.

  "Zurzay!" Penny cried, waving furiously.

  The winged-wolf drifted down to thirty or forty feet over their heads. He pointed in the direction they were going as if he'd divined their purpose, Diana thought. She'd been hoping he'd show up again. She wanted the chance to thank him and shake his hand/paw or whatever would best communicate her gratitude. The way he'd mowed down the simians – his wings like scythes in a wheat field –

  "He so totally kicked those apes' asses!" Penny laughed, as if hearing her thoughts.

  "Yeah," said Diana with a smile. "A damn nice creature to have on your side."

  "I'm pretty nice, too, aren't I?" The girl wore pleading eyes over her too-bright smile.

  "Yes. You definitely kicked some ape-ass, too, if I recall."

  "And you killed a couple of those disgusting fairies." Penny wrinkled her nose. "God, I hate their pinched demon faces." She brightened. "We make a great team, right?"

  "I'd say so. And we might be about to increase our numbers."

  But as they approached the farmland where the weapons-fire seemed to be coming from, a cautionary note pinged in Diana's head. They might see Zurzay and assume he was a hostile zoo creature and open fire. In fact, if they had scopes, they could have him in their crosshairs right now!

  Now it was Diana's turn to wave at the flying wolf furiously, beckoning him to the ground. As usual, Zurzay grasped her meaning and dropped down obligingly in front of them. Diana walked up to him, remembering the other-worldly experience of riding on his broad back, the wind in her face. She motioned to the source of the gunfire, her gun, and Zurzay – and then repeated the gesture.

  "If we talk in together with us in front of you," said Diana, "we could introduce you to them. Or you could just hide out in the woods until I signal you." She gazed into his large, golden-orange eyes. "But of course there's no way I could signal that to you."

  "Or I could run ahead and warn them?" Penny chirped. "Then they wouldn't shoot him."

  "Duh." Diana tapped her head. "Why didn't I think of that? But be cautious when you get close. Don't surprise them."

  "Okay. When I tell them about Zurzay and you, I'll run back to you."

  "Sounds good. Thanks, Penny."

  The girl sprinted ahead like a young colt – perhaps even faster. Zurzay stood with his wings folded, staring after her in a posture of stoic patience that was becoming a familiar trademark of his.

  "Shouldn’t take long," said Diana.

  Zurzay rumbled something that sounded neutral to her ears. It was far from obvious why he'd want to get involved in her or human affairs, but she had another "gut feeling" that he was interested in humans and had some experience in dealing with people or something like people.

  A minute later, the shooting stopped. Had Penny already reached them or were they just taking a break? Zurzay looked at her as if wondering the same thing.

  "I want to thank you for saving my butt," said Diana. "But I'm not sure how."

  On an impulse, she reached out and placed the palm of her hand on his furry chest. Muscles twitched under her fingertips. She withdrew her hand and placed it on her own chest. Zurzay stared at her, as still as an obelisk. Just when she wondered if he ever blinked, brown eyelids descended and rose, owl-like. Diana had the sudden horrified thought that he might be misunderstanding her gesture to be a mating proposition or something. Ridiculous, maybe, but surely this creature had enough intelligence to have rituals?

  Penny reappeared, a small speck on the far edge of a field that enlarged with a speed that made her seem like the star of a time-lapse film as she raced toward them.

  "I told them about us!" she cried. "They're really excited. They already know about Zurzay. Not his name, but Laurie has already seen him."

  "You know these people?"

  "Sure. They're the Jensens. I go to school with their daughter, Laurie. She's four grades ahead of me."

  As usual, when it came to townspeople, she drew a blank. "How many are in the family?"

  "Four. Plus they've got some people staying with them."

  "Good." Diana let out a tense breath of anticipation. Things were shaping up...a little. "Let's go meet them."

  The Jensens were setting food on a long picnic table when Diana, Penny, and their winged-wolf companion crossed the roundabout gravel driveway into their front yard, Zurzay hanging cautiously back a few steps. Walking wasn't a natural method of travel for the wolf, Diana had decided, watching him spring ahead and then wait for them to catch up as they traversed the final fields to the Jensen home. He seemed more comfortable flying or bounding with his massively muscled legs, his wobbly walk reminding Diana of a penguin. The last two or three hundred yards passed so slowly for her that it was as if they'd slipped into some form of Zeno's paradox. But they'd arrived at last, the smell of fresh-cooked food thick in the air.

  "It's good to see you." A tall, broad-shouldered man about Diana's age with a short mop of golden-brown hair and a big smile strode up to greet them – one cautious eye on Zurzay. The others followed, their smiles tempered by glances at the towering lupine figure a few yards back.

  "I'd love to hear how you tamed that beast," said Dan.<
br />
  "I'm not sure who tamed whom," said Diana.

  "My daughter encountered him. She thought he seemed friendly. But I never expected to see him hanging out with people."

  "I'd say it's probably the last thing I ever expected, too."

  "I'm Dan, by the way." He offered his hand. "Dan Jensen. This is my wife, Sonja, daughter, Laurie, and, uh..." His gesture paused at a pretty young woman with a buzz cut. "Myth. And" – he indicated a teenage girl – "Cindy Hanson."

  "Nice to meet you all. I'm Diana. This is Penny Larsen, a neighbor."

  She and Dan shook hands. Sonja, a tall,willowy blond, stepped forward to shake Diana's hand as well. The others smiled and nodded.

  "You're a neighbor of Dick Larsen's then," said Dan. "I'm sorry. I don't think we ever met."

  "No. I'm afraid my husband and I didn't get out much."

  "Your husband...?"

  Diana shook her head. "He died. Not from this. A car accident a couple of years ago."

  "I'm sorry."

  "I remember," said Sonja. "I was on rounds at the hospital." A puzzled note entered her voice. "Though we never saw him there."

  "No." Diana's face darkened. "He was autopsied at a federal facility."

  "Oh. Anyway, I'm sorry for your loss."

  "There's a lot of that going around."

  "Then did Dick or any of your neighbors...?" Dan trailed off.

  "No. They didn't make it. As far as I know, Penny and I are the only survivors in my area."

  "Hey, Penny," Laurie greeted the younger girl.

  "Hi, Laurie."

  "Your skin..." Laurie turned to her mom. "She's red like Gary Hanson."

  "Yes, I noticed that." Sonja's brow crimped as she studied her.

  "Gary Hanson?" Penny's face lit up. "The football star!"

  "My brother," Cindy Hanson broke in with a sour face. "He's lying in a coma right now."

  "Oh." Penny fidgeted under the older girl's stare.

  "Are you hungry?" Dan asked. "We've got plenty of food."

  "I'm starving!" Penny announced.

  "I could definitely eat," said Diana with a dry smile.

  "And what about him?" Laurie pointed to the wolf, who stood with his wings folded around himself like a cloak.

  "Could be," said Diana. "Though I'm not sure what he eats. I'd guess meat."

  "I can offer him something," Laurie suggested.

  "Not sure that would be a good idea, honey," said Sonja. "Though you're welcome to, Diana. But please, sit down and help yourselves."

  While the others sat, Laurie dished up a plate of stew and, before anyone could object, headed over to the silently standing wolf. Up close, it seemed taller and larger than she'd remembered, easily the height of a large bear and about as broad. Five feet away, Laurie extended the plate to the creature, close enough to feel the heat coming from his broad, furry chest. The winged-wolf sniffed loudly, and with gentleness that surprised Laurie reached out and grasped the edge of the plate. Laurie, holding her breath, released it.

  The wolf-creature's long, green tongue slicked out and sampled the contents of the plate. He lowered his muzzle and with a few long slurps and brief chewing inhaled the stew. He held out the plate to Laurie, who accepted it with a wondering smile.

  "Do you want more?" She pointed from the plate to the stewpot.

  The creature moved its hand side to side in what Laurie took to mean a "no." Up close she saw his hand had six long, thick fingers and was perhaps two or three times larger than her own. His claws were not showing. They had to be extrudable, like a cat's.

  "His name's Zurzay," Diana called to her.

  "You gave him that name?"

  "No. He gave it to me."

  "He can talk?" asked Donny, with a startled expression.

  "Not so much," said Diana. "He relies mostly on sign language, from what I've seen. His name is the only word I've heard him say. I don't think talking would be natural for him."

  Laurie decided to test that theory, pointing to herself. ""Laurie Jensen."

  The wolf stared at her, his large golden-orange eyes unblinking as usual. She couldn't tell if he didn't understand or was considering his answer. Just when Laurie was about to assume he wouldn't respond, he parted his dark lips and issued a low growl that sounded like a small engine revving up and down ending a vowel-like sound. Oooreeey.

  "Yes! That's me!"

  "I'm almost jealous," Diana murmured. "He's never said my name."

  "Well, I helped him against a mini-dragon the other day," said Laurie. She probed the giant wolf's eyes. "Do you remember?" She pantomimed shooting into the air. "The dragon was attacking you and my shooting drove it off?"

  Zurzay offered no response. Laurie impulsively stepped closer and slowly reached out with one hand. Seeing no objection from Zurzay, she continued to reach until her fingers touched the luxuriant fur on his broad chest. The wolf uttered a deep, rumbling sound that wasn't unlike a purr. She made herself stand perfectly still as he extended his own thickly muscled arm and rested his hand on her head. She thought it was the most surreal, magical moment of her life.

  "Be careful, Laurie!" her mother called.

  She glanced back. Her dad was standing with one hand on his rifle, his face grim, while her mom stood with her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. Diana stood up and placed her right hand on Dan's rifle's barrel, pushing it downward.

  "Easy," she said. "If Zurzay wanted to hurt her, she'd already be dead. Trust me on that."

  "It's okay, Dad," Laurie called back.

  The winged-wolf's large hand lifted from her head. He backed off a couple of strides before performing one of his prodigious leaps that carried him twenty or thirty feet into the air. His wings snapped open and he banked leisurely in the direction from which he'd come. Laurie returned to the communal dinner table in a dreamy daze.

  "I'm not sure I believe what I just saw," said her mother as Zurzay vanished behind a row of trees across the field.

  "It's a lot friendlier that I ever would've expected," said Dan. "At least with females."

  "Veranaz loyal," said Myth, her grey-green eyes reflective. "Also, dangerous."

  Diana looked across the table at the familiar-looking young woman. "What do you know about them? I'm sorry, I've lost your name. Meredith, was it?"

  "Myth," said Dan with a low chuckle. "I think we should explain something about her. She's an alien who's assumed human form."

  "Apparently, she used a human body to obtain DNA," Sonja added. "She then became a clone of that body – or, more accurately, she occupies that clone."

  Diana stared at them. "You're serious?"

  "As hard as it is to believe," said Dan, "yes."

  "It's funny. I keep thinking I've seen her somewhere before."

  "It's the body of Marjorie Wilson," said Sonja. "She was in the hospital receiving a chemotherapy treatment when the toxin was released into the air."

  "Oh." Diana peered at Myth. "I think I know who you mean. She was lying in a hospital bed."

  "You've been in the hospital?" Dan asked.

  "I was there for an appendectomy Friday afternoon. I woke up the next morning to...well, this."

  "Were they in the process of performing the appendectomy?" Sonja asked with a puzzled half-frown.

  "I was just going under anesthesia when people started getting sick," Diana replied. "But they never actually did the operation."

  Sonja and her husband exchanged a look.

  "What?" Diana asked.

  "We've learned that certain substances confer protection to whatever toxin was released into the air," said Sonja. "Every survivor we've found so far was taking some kind of rather unusual medication. Cindy and her siblings were taking prescription-strength antihistamines – except her oldest brother, Gary, who's now down in our basement. He was taking Adderall."

  "Adderall." Diana turned to Penny at her side. "Didn't you say you were on that?"

  "Yes."

  "And her skin look
s like Gary's!" Cindy Hanson declared.

  "But she isn't in a coma," said Sonja. "There must be other variables."

  "What about you?" Diana asked. "And your family?"

  "Atropine." Sonja glanced at Laurie, who was frowning. "I happened to have some in my home kit. We thought we might be dealing with a nerve gas, so we injected ourselves. We were lucky."

  Diana nodded slowly. "I hope more people got lucky like that. So my anesthetics must've had a similar effect, even though it was the opposite of a stimulant?"

  "I assume so. I'd say these different medical compounds somehow worked in different ways to resist the airborne toxin."

  "Any ideas on who's responsible for this toxin?" Diana focused a hard stare across the table on Myth. "You're really an alien? Does that mean you're one of the ones responsible for the ship that landed on the beach – for what's happened?"

  "Not responsible," said Myth. "Dropped here like others."

  "She came in the landing craft you've obviously seen on the shore of Lake Winneska," said Dan. "Dropped here by something Myth calls 'The Keepers.' They're the ones responsible. Myth apparently enjoyed a favored kind of status while in captivity aboard their 'mothership.' She was allowed to observe and perhaps help care for them in some capacity."

  Diana was shaking her head. "What or who are these 'Keepers'?"

  "An advanced alien race," Donny piped up. "Wasp-like, according to Myth."

  "These creatures are from some form of zoo," said Dan. "Dropped here for safekeeping when the aliens' ship developed a problem, it seems."

  "If I understand you correctly," said Diana, "your theory is that an advanced civilization dumped their zoo animals on us when their ship developed a malfunction. But they also dumped a powerful toxin into the air – a toxin that targets only people? Because I've seen plenty of native animals – birds, squirrels, deer, horses, insects – since waking up."

  "That's it in a nutshell," said Dan.

  "So they killed all these people to protect the animals? I can't think of any other reason."

  "That's the only reason we could think of, too."

  "But it wouldn't work merely to kill off one town."

  After a glance at his wife, Dan nodded with a grave dip of his head. "That's what we're thinking."