They did.
Nine
Angie and Dalton ran until the corpses were out of sight. There were occasional lights on around the zoo, but not enough to comfortably see by. In the dark, the zoo only vaguely resembled the place she took the kids every so often. It was always a big deal, something the kids looked forward to. Lately, only Dalton looked forward to such things.
Angie stopped and panted in the rain. Dalton stood next to her, coughing.
“You okay, baby?” she said, kneeling down next to him.
He nodded and sniffed. The rain let up, shifting to a light mist. It was better, but still cold.
“Your foot okay?”
He nodded, but not very convincingly.
“Probably be better if we stopped all this running, huh?”
Dalton nodded. Angie stood and looked around. “We can stop soon, baby. I promise.”
“There's a map,” said Dalton. Angie looked down to see him pointing off to her right.
She followed his finger and found a map display. One of the ones they used on their trips here. To find where the monkey house was, or the bird exhibit. Or the lions. Dalton loved the lions.
“Where did the girl say they were going?” Angie said.
“The Communications Office,” said Dalton.
Angie nodded. “Come on.” She stepped over to the map, Dalton limping alongside her.
There was no light to see by. Angie squinted, trying to make out the map as best she could. She located a bright dot labeled You Are Here. She put her finger on it.
“Okay,” she said. “So we're here.” Dalton nodded next to her.
Angie squinted harder, studying the map for a long time. Dalton studied with her, leaning in close and moving his head side to side, scanning the map.
A man's voice boomed from all directions. “Hello visitors to the Ashton Memorial Zoo.”
Angie jerked back, looking in all directions. She realized the voice was coming from speakers set all around.
“Please try to remain calm,” said the man's voice. “We are doing all we can to keep you safe.”
Angie snorted and leaned back into the map. “Yeah,” she said. “Sure looks like it.” Then she fell silent, staring at the map. Dalton stared with her.
“Here,” he finally said, putting his finger on a different spot on the map. Angie looked to where he'd pointed. She made out faint letters spelling Communications Office (Employees Only).
“Got it,” said Angie. She scanned up and down the map, tracing out a path between the two points as best she could in the dark. It was farther than she would have liked, but it would have to do.
“Okay.” She sighed and straightened. “I think I've got it. We just need to head...”
A rotting hand closed on the top of the map display. Angie gasped and jumped back, pulling Dalton back with her.
A bloated old man stumbled from behind the map. A straw hat hung sideways on his head. His tongue was gone. Blood coated his chin as he worked his mouth at them. A big chunk of skin was missing from the back of his right hand. His button-up white shirt was torn and bloody.
“Run, baby,” said Angie, keeping hold of Dalton and turning to run. She stopped as a group of corpses came stumbling at them from the other side.
“Crap,” said Dalton.
“You got that right,” she muttered. She looked around quickly. Both paths were blocked, one by the bloated old man and the other by the approaching group. To their left was the kangaroo exhibit. There was a glass fence but no trench. Dalton had always wanted to climb in and pet them.
“This way,” said Angie, pulling Dalton with her. She ran for the exhibit.
“Ow!” said Dalton, limping as they ran.
“I know, baby, I know,” said Angie. “And I'm sorry.”
They reached the glass fence. Angie looked around. No kangaroos to be seen. She hoisted Dalton up so he could climb over.
“I know this place,” said Dalton, looking around. “The kangaroos.”
“Yeah, the kangaroos.” Angie looked back to the corpses. The bloated old man had joined the others and now the larger group was approaching. They moaned and bit at them. “Hopefully they're all hiding.”
“Are they dangerous?” said Dalton.
“I have no idea,” said Angie. She climbed over the fence and dropped down next to Dalton. “But best to stay out of their way. And hope those things are too stupid to climb a fence.”
She nodded at the corpses. Dalton looked at them. He bit his lip and stepped back. Angie took his hand.
“Come on,” she said. “We'll cut through here and then get to that office.”
He nodded. Angie turned and the two of them ran deeper into the enclosure. They were about halfway across when Angie stopped and turned back.
The corpses were butted up against the fence. They pawed at it and reached for Angie and Dalton. But none looked capable of climbing over.
“Ha!” said Dalton.
“Yeah,” said Angie, grinning down at him. “See? We're gonna be okay.”
She turned to lead him the rest of the way through the enclosure. She was about to take the first step when a kangaroo hopped in front of them.
“Whoa,” said Angie. Dalton let out a little gasp.
The kangaroo looked at them quizzically.
Angie smiled and shook her head. “You scared us there, buddy.”
The kangaroo ran one paw through the dirt of its enclosure.
“We're just passing through, okay?” said Angie, blinking in the light mist falling all around. “We'll be out of your hair soon enough.”
The kangaroo kept its eyes on them and lowered its head toward the ground. Like a cat preparing to pounce. A low keening came from its throat.
“Mom,” said Dalton, swallowing next to her. “Do kangaroos make that noise?”
“I don't know honey,” said Angie, her voice almost a whisper. She took a step backward, slowly and carefully. Dalton stepped with her. “But I think we should go now,” she said, “just in case.”
The kangaroo whined at them. It hunkered down on its haunches.
“Now,” Angie whispered.
She pulled Dalton to one side just as the kangaroo leapt. Its powerful legs carried it past them in a blur of hair and muscle. It landed, skidding in the wet dirt. It turned and hunkered down again.
Angie pulled Dalton hard and they ran for the other side of the enclosure.
They ran, their feet pounding on the wet ground. Angie was so focused on the sound of the kangaroo racing along behind them, she didn't see the shape coming in from the left.
“Mom!” yelled Dalton. “Look out!”
Angie stopped, skidding in the dirt. Dalton jerked to a halt next to her. The shape from the left resolved into a second kangaroo pounding toward them, baring its teeth.
Angie gripped Dalton's arm. She heard the first kangaroo pounding closer behind them. She saw the second one draw nearer. They both growled.
Angie pulled Dalton to the side. She spun around just in time to see the two kangaroos slam into each other. The first one had built up more speed, and the force of the impact sent the second one flying backward. It slammed into an embankment built into the dirt of the exhibit. Its neck snapped with a sickening “pop.” It slumped, dead.
The first kangaroo turned to Angie and Dalton. Blood trickled from its nostrils. It lowered its head and let out the same weird keening growl.
“Mom,” said Dalton.
The kangaroo lunged at them. Angie dodged, pulling Dalton with her. Angie spun to face the kangaroo as it righted itself and turned toward them.
Angie took a step back, pulling Dalton along. She was afraid to turn her back and run again, but she couldn't just keep dodging forever.
Dalton reached down and wrenched a handful of grass out of the dirt. He flung it at the kangaroo in a gesture Angie would have found comical if she wasn't so terrified. “Leave us alone!” Dalton yelled.
The clod of grass and dirt hit
the kangaroo in the forehead. It blinked and for a moment was a normal kangaroo again. It looked the way Angie remembered them looking, when she showed them to a very small Dalton.
The kangaroo blinked again and feral rage flooded back into its eyes. It lowered its head and growled. A low, gurgling sound.
Pounding came from Angie's left. She shot a quick glance to the side, then locked her eyes back on the kangaroo crouching in front of her.
“Shit,” she said. A third kangaroo was coming up from her right. How many did this zoo have? She couldn't remember.
She still had hold of Dalton's hand. She ran, pulling him with her, just as the first kangaroo jumped. It missed them, passing so close Angie felt the warmth of its breath.
She kept running, hearing the kangaroo land but not turning to look. Her hand jerked with every other step Dalton took. Her heart ached for making Dalton run on his wounded ankle. But he was either struggling not to cry out from the pain, or too scared to feel it. Either way, Angie knew he couldn't keep it up for long.
A far-off lamp lit up the rail at the top of the nearest fence. Angie bore down harder, Dalton keeping pace beside her. She could hear the kangaroo pounding the ground behind them. She could hear a second one getting closer, not directly behind them but coming in from an angle.
The fence came closer. “Almost there,” she said, panting as the cold mist in the air made her lungs constrict. Dalton said nothing. He panted with effort beside her.
Groans came from their front, growing louder. As they ran, the dim light revealed a mob of corpses clawing at them from behind the fence.
“Oh no!” said Dalton, starting to slow down.
“Keep running!” yelled Angie, pulling his arm and keeping the same pace as before. She heard how close both kangaroos were behind them. If they slowed down, even a little, they would be trampled.
The fence loomed in front of them. The corpses pawed at them, their wet rotten skin smearing across the glass fence and leaving dark slimy streaks. An idea formed in Angie's mind. It was crazy, but at the moment, so was everything.
“Mom!” yelled Dalton, not slowing down but sounding terrified as the fence drew very close.
“This'll hurt,” Angie said. She let go of Dalton's hand and fell sideways onto him. She caught him mid-air and twisted to land on her shoulder. Pain shot through her as she rolled across the ground, carrying Dalton with her.
As she rolled, she saw things in flashes. The kangaroo that had been right behind them crashed into the glass fence, blind in its own fury. The thick glass shook from the impact. The kangaroo fell backward and struggled to right itself.
Angie slowed and Dalton fell away from her, rolling a few more feet. The kangaroo stepped back from the fence, thrashing its head side to side as if trying to clear it.
“Mom!” said Dalton, climbing to his hands and knees and crawling toward her.
“I'm okay, baby,” said Angie. She rolled to her stomach and put her palms in the dirt. She pushed herself up, keeping her eyes on the kangaroo. It staggered and made that low, keening growl. The corpses just beyond the fence bit at the air and reached for them. Thick drool ran down the glass.
She heard Dalton crawl up beside her. In a few more seconds, Angie knew, the kangaroo would get its bearings and come at them again. There was no time to climb over the fence, even if they could find a spot not lined with corpses. They would have to...
Her thoughts were cut short as a furious pounding came from behind her. She swallowed hard as panic clenched her chest. She rolled, knocking Dalton over. He fell to his back, looking up at her with wide, questioning eyes.
His eyes grew wider as the second kangaroo barreled past them, missing Angie's side by inches. She felt the ground shudder as the kangaroo's legs slammed down.
Angie grabbed Dalton's wrist and stood, pulling him up with her. She saw the second kangaroo turn in a wide arc. It collided with the first kangaroo, knocking it aside.
“Run,” said Angie, backing up and pulling Dalton with her.
“Where?” said Dalton.
“I don't know yet.”
She turned and ran, switching hands with Dalton. Guilt scraped at her insides as Dalton limped hurriedly next to her. She heard the thumping of another kangaroo behind them, growing louder over the sound of their footfalls.
“Mom,” said Dalton nervously from beside her.
“I know, I know,” said Angie. She sucked in painful gulps of cold damp air. She scanned the back wall of the exhibit as they ran. It was some sort of faux-rock, made of painted and roughed-up plaster.
She was looking for a gate, or a doorway. She knew the zoo had both. Doors for the zookeepers to access the exhibits. Gates that led to the cages where they kept the animals in bad weather. She'd seen them during the tour she'd paid for once.
Then she saw it. Set into the fake rock, almost a foot back to obscure it from the public, was a metal door.
“There!” she yelled, wrenching Dalton to one side and rushing toward the door. She heard the kangaroo race past them as they turned. She didn't dare look back. From the sound, it was very close, and it would only take seconds to correct and come back.
The entryway for the door was narrow, only allowing room for one person. Angie pulled Dalton around until he was running in front of her. She almost tripped over him but they both corrected in time to run, single file, into the entryway.
Dalton stopped when he reached the door. Angie stopped behind him, the wet soles of her shoes skidding on the concrete floor of the entryway. Dalton pounded on the door. Angie grabbed the handle and pulled.
It was locked. Two feelings flooded her. One was a blind outrage at how unfair it was. The other was a bitter anger toward herself for not realizing the door would be locked. Of course it would be locked.
“Dammit!” she screamed, shaking the door so hard Dalton stopped banging and looked up at her. Set next to the door was some sort of electronic box. A red light shone from it. Locked, read small raised letters on the light. She slammed her fist against the box. It rattled.
Pounding and snorting came from behind her. Angie spun in the narrow entryway. She held up her arms at the blur of the kangaroo rushing toward her. She braced herself for impact, dimly hoping her body would lessen the blow for Dalton.
The concrete and plaster around her shook as the kangaroo hit the edges of the entryway. It bounced back a few feet, snorted and came at them again. It hit the edges, snarling and screeching at them but unable to fit into the entryway.
“Mom,” said Dalton behind her.
“It's okay,” said Angie. Her voice shook as she stepped backward, deeper into the entryway. She cast a quick glance behind her. A small window was set in the door. Through it, she saw an office. No cages. The gate to the cages was somewhere else, with a wider entryway. One of the kangaroos could have fit there, if she'd chosen the wrong way.
A loud thump came from in front of her. Angie turned back. The kangaroo snarled and stomped its feet, almost frothing in its desperation to get to them.
It rammed against the entryway again. A loud “crack” rang out. The kangaroo whimpered and hopped backward. It was off-balance and limping. It whined and stumbled, snorting fog into the cold mist. It looked at Angie.
“Please,” she said, bracing herself against the walls of the entryway. “You're hurting yourself.”
It snorted at her and rushed at the entryway again. It was inches away when a second kangaroo rushed up from behind. In its blind fury to get to Angie and Dalton, it completely ignored the kangaroo in front of it. Its shoulder rammed into the back of the first kangaroo, shoving it to the side. The first kangaroo rammed into the wall alongside the entryway. The second one tripped over the legs of the first kangaroo. It crashed to the ground, its head smacking into the dirt at an angle that made Angie wince. It stood and moved to shake its head. It whined and stopped, a sharp “pop” coming from its neck. The first kangaroo tried to right itself and fell into the other kangaroo.
The two kangaroos fell backward across the ground, stumbling over each other. They whimpered and snarled.
“Now!” yelled Angie. She reached back and grabbed Dalton's hand. Pulling him with her, she ran from the entryway back into the exhibit.
She whipped her head side to side desperately, clutching Dalton's wrist so tight she was afraid she'd leave a mark. The injured kangaroos were struggling a few feet away. Angie heard their broken bones grinding. They growled and whined. The corpses surrounding the outside fence groaned and gurgled.
She spun around to face the wall. Several bumps and ledges had been built into the faux-rock.
“Climb, baby,” said Angie. She let go of his hand and stepped over to the wall.
“What?” said Dalton, blinking at her in confusion. The kangaroos groaned and struggled behind him. Soon they would regain their footing.
“Climb, Dalton!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the wall. He stumbled, wincing. Angie's heart ached. Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
She grabbed Dalton's waist and hoisted him up to the lowest ledge. He realized what was happening and took hold of the wall. He started climbing, doing surprisingly well for an injured child.
Angie followed, climbing up the wall and trying to ignore the whining snarls of the wounded kangaroos behind her. Her hands and feet slipped in the cold mist coating the wall, but she held on. They climbed as fast as they could, moving from ledge to ledge as they worked their way up the wall.
The wall shuddered as a loud “whump” echoed through the exhibit. Angie craned her head around to see one of the kangaroos ramming itself against the wall. It snarled and hissed up at her. She turned and kept climbing.
The wall at the back of the exhibit was taller than the fences along the sides. The wall shook a few more times as the kangaroo slammed into it. Angie felt the impacts less and less as she and Dalton climbed.
Soon they reached the top. Dalton was sitting with one leg on each side of the wall as Angie climbed up beside him. She sat on the edge and swung her legs out over the far side. She panted, her sides aching. Dalton panted next to her, gulping down air.
Angie slowly became aware of all the noise behind and below them. The kangaroos were growling and snarling from the exhibit. A mob of corpses grunted and groaned from around the glass fence.
Ashton Memorial Page 17
