Angie stared at the young man, blinking in astonishment. She looked back at the people. They were no longer milling. They were gathering behind her and looking angry.
Angie looked at Dalton, who looked up at her in confusion. She could see in his eyes how hungry he was. She could feel it.
Angie looked back to the Keeper. He swallowed. She cleared her throat.
“And just what are you keeping?” she said.
The glass door to the Zoo Bites swung open. A second young man stepped out. He was small, with greasy black hair slicked back on his head.
“Is there a problem?” he said. Angie noticed his name tag. It read Lee.
“Oh look,” said Angie. “It's the Lawgiver. Hello, Lee.”
“She wants food,” said the first Keeper to Lee.
“I guessed that,” said Lee, looking irritated. “That's what they all want.”
“Really?” said Angie. “What a shock. Any chance they'll be getting it?”
“Yeah!” said the older man behind her, louder than before.
“Look,” said Lee, stepping farther away from the door. “Ma'am, lunch isn't for another two hours.”
Hunger and exhaustion gnawed at Angie's brain. Fury built in her. “Really? Well shit. Should I go get the milk cartons for all us kids while we wait?” She stepped closer to Lee and the door, pulling Dalton behind her.
Lee stepped toward her. Angie caught a good look at his eyes. If she wasn't angry and getting angrier, his eyes would have scared her. They were feral, animal.
“Look, ma'am,” he said, sniffing and rubbing his mouth. “I don't know if you've fucking noticed, but someone was stupid enough to let those dead fucking things in here. And you all standing around making outrageous demands is just asking for those things to come and fucking eat you. I suggest you all find shelter and come back at fucking lunchtime.”
Angie looked back at the crowd that was developing behind her. She turned to look at Lee and the building behind him. “Are you saying you'd keep us out if those things attacked?”
The muttering of the crowd behind her grew louder. Angrier. It was beginning to scare her. This whole thing is crazy, she kept telling herself.
Lee took the rifle from his shoulder. He pointed it at the ground but it was clear he wanted everyone to see it. “Listen, everyone! We've been through this! The Bites belongs to the Keepers. We protect you and give out the food. You stay the fuck away!”
Angie stepped up closer, screaming at Lee. “You're insane! My son needs your help! These people need your help!”
A rock flew past Angie's head. It flew past Lee and smashed into the glass door of the Bites. The glass cracked but held. Lee raised the rifle and pointed it at the crowd. “Back off!”
“Mom!” yelled Dalton, stepping closer to Angie and gripping her side. Lee, looking startled, jerked the rifle downward to point at Dalton.
Angie grabbed the barrel of the rifle and jerked it away from Dalton. The motion pulled Lee forward, causing him to lean toward Angie. She stepped in closer and slammed her forehead into Lee's face. Lee let go of the gun and stumbled back, clutching his nose.
“Crazy bitch!” he yelled. He snatched the rifle away from the Keeper next to him.
Angie moved to put herself in between Lee and Dalton. Lee leveled the rifle at her chest before she could turn around the rifle she'd grabbed.
“Now,” said Lee, cocking the rifle. “Let's see you go beddy-bye.” Blood ran from his nose, pooling inside his bottom lip.
“Bastard!” yelled the older man in the crowd. He flung a rock at Lee, knocking him in the shoulder. Lee fell back a few inches. The older man bellowed and ran at Lee.
Lee aimed at the older man and fired. A dart shot from the rifle and thudded into the old man's chest. He fell down face first, sprawling in front of Lee.
“You shot him!” Angie yelled, moving to knock the rifle from Lee's hands. Lee snapped his attention back to her, pointing the rifle her way.
“You, lady, are way more trouble than you're worth.”
He cocked the rifle and kept it leveled at Angie. More blood pooled in his lips. He trembled slightly, his stare furious and crazed.
Finally he let out a long, slow breath and lowered the rifle. “Now, give me the gun and get the fuck out of here. And we'll see how lucky you are when lunch comes around.”
Angie stared at Lee as Dalton clung to her side. She considered swinging her rifle at him, knocking him upside the head and running into the Bites to get her and Dalton some food.
Then she dropped the rifle, half hoping the impact would break it. It clattered to the pavement. She reached down and slipped her hand into Dalton's. Then she turned and led him away.
* * *
Maylee rubbed her eyes as she looked around. She blinked away raindrops as they slowly ran down her face.
“This is taking way too long,” said Ella as she stepped up next to her. They stood at the top of a hill overlooking an intersection of different paths through the zoo. Large friendly arrows pointed to different exhibits.
Corpses filled the intersection. They wandered around, groaning and stumbling. They hadn't noticed Maylee and Ella on the hill above them. At least not yet.
“Way too long,” Ella repeated. “We should have been able to get back to the office last night. At this rate we won't get there until tomorrow. Especially if we have to hole up for the night again.”
Park stepped up beside them. He sniffed, looking down at the throng of corpses. “Yeah, well, it's been crowded around here.”
“We're gonna have to take the long way around. Again,” said Ella, not taking her eyes off the corpses.
“Don't worry,” said Park. “We'll get there.” He put a hand on Ella's shoulder.
Ella spun, snapping her shoulder away from his grasp. She glared at him.
“The fuck, Ella?” said Park.
“Not now,” she said, then made a big show of looking back at the corpses. She frowned, then nodded sharply down a second path, winding and more obscured. “We're going this way.”
Park looked at Maylee and Maylee looked back. He looked like someone who'd tried to pet a dog and gotten bitten. He looked confused, hurt and angry.
“Guess we're going this way,” said Maylee, shrugging.
Park shrugged back and they both followed Ella. Maylee was a few feet behind Ella. Park was at the rear.
Ella glanced back at Maylee. At first she looked angry and confused. Then the look was gone. She smiled.
“What's your bat's name?” she said.
“What?” said Maylee.
“Your bat,” said Ella, nodding down at the bat bouncing in Maylee's hand as they walked. “What do you call it?”
“Um...bat.”
Ella chuckled and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “You should name it. It's fun.”
Maylee frowned down at the bat, then shrugged. “I guess.”
“It is,” Ella continued. “I name everything. It makes things interesting.”
“You mean like the birds?” said Maylee, then immediately felt stupid and sorry as a pained look flashed across Ella's face.
“Yeah,” she said, silent and sad for a moment Then she looked back at Maylee and smiled. “I name all the animals. Been doing it since I was little. I imagined they were my friends. Sometimes they seemed to recognize me. It was fun.”
She fell silent, plodding on through the light rain. Maylee plodded along behind her. She heard Park sniff and cough. Maylee eyed a vending machine as they passed it. The glass was smashed in and the inside stripped bare. They all walked along silently.
They all stopped when a grunt came from around an approaching corner.
“Shit,” said Ella. Maylee gripped her bat. Park walked around to stand in front of them. He pulled out his knife and held it down at his side.
Another grunt came from around the corner. Followed by a soft “thud”, like something heavy hitting the ground.
“Shit,” came a voice from the
same place as the grunt. “Missed.”
“I'll try again,” came another voice. Then the voice grunted. A few seconds later came another soft “thud”.
Park slipped the knife back into his pocket. “The hell?”
He walked toward the corner. Maylee and Ella followed.
Rounding the corner, Maylee saw to the left two young men standing outside the exhibit for a creature that looked like a large boar with a hamster-like face. One of the young men, tall and fat, was lugging a large rock over to the exhibit, holding it down in front of him and struggling with the weight. The creature snarled from behind the wooden fence separating it from the rest of the zoo. Two other large rocks sat inside the exhibit a few feet from where the creature stood.
“Tara!” yelled Ella, rushing forward.
The two young men stopped as they noticed Ella. The fat one with the rock held back, uncertain. The other one, thinner than his friend, stepped forward, looking scared and angry.
“Back off, kid,” he said. “The pig's ours.”
“She's not a pig!” yelled Ella. “She's a capybara and her name is Tara!”
“Her fucking name,” said the young man, “is fucking lunch!”
“Dude,” said the fat one with the rock. “Aren't capybaras big rats?”
“What the fuck do you know, genius?” said the thin man, turning on him. “It's a pig. And we're eating it!”
Park stepped between Ella and the thin man. “You wanna tone that shit down, ass crack? That's my kid you're talking to.”
“You back off too, buddy,” said the thin man. The fat man shuffled back and forth, struggling with the rock. The thin man ignored him. “You ain't getting any of our pig either.”
“She's a South American rodent,” said Ella.
Park stayed focused on the thin man. “No one wants your fucking rat!”
“This is heavy,” said the fat man, shifting his grip on the rock.
The thin man spun to face him. “Well quit jerking off with it and kill the fucking pig!”
“No!” yelled Ella.
The fat man carried the rock over to the fence. The capybara growled and clawed at the dirt. The fat man heaved the rock over, grunting as he did. The capybara shuffled out of the way as the rock thudded to the dirt.
“Stop it!” yelled Ella.
The capybara snarled and wheezed from behind the fence. It shook its head and huffed through its snout. The fat man jumped back. “Rat's pissed.”
“It's not a fucking rat!” yelled the thin man. “It's a pig and I'm fucking hungry!”
Ella dug around hurriedly in the pockets of her jacket. She pulled out a half-eaten candy bar and flung it down at the thin man's feet. “There! Eat that!”
The two men stared at her. The thin man pointed. “The kid has food!”
Ella stepped back, raising her hands. “Wait, no!”
The two men stepped toward Ella.
Park stepped toward them, shoving the closest one back. “Back off, son. She said she didn't have any more.”
“It was left over from school,” said Ella. “We ate the rest for breakfast this morning.”
Park whipped his head back to Ella. “It's okay. You don't have to explain shit to this inverted-dick-having piece of fuck.”
“Breakfast!” said the thin man, sounding more crazed by the minute. “How nice for you all. Did you have tea with your fucking breakfast? We're starving!”
The capybara ran side to side in its exhibit, stamping its feet and snorting.
“I'm sorry,” said Ella. “It's all I have.” She looked near tears. Maylee stepped over to her.
“Don't, Ella!” yelled Park. “Don't you dare say you're sorry for anything to this shit-fuck!”
The thin man stepped forward and shoved Park. Park turned and stared at him.
“Seriously?” he said, then punched the man across the face.
The thin man stumbled back, shock and anger spreading across his face. For a second everyone just stared at each other in silence. Maylee thought she heard groans coming from somewhere nearby.
“Guys,” she said, looking around for the source.
Everyone ignored her. The thin man's face turned red and he rushed at Park. He punched clumsily at him. Park stepped to one side and let the man stumble past.
“Just let it go, asshole!” he said.
The man straightened and looked at Ella. More groans came from somewhere. The rain picked up, getting heavier.
“Guys,” said Maylee, still trying to pinpoint the source of the groans.
Again, no one noticed. “No!” said the thin man, responding to Park. “I say we search her for food first!” He jabbed a finger at Ella.
Maylee forgot the groans for a moment. She stepped between Ella and the man. Park grabbed the man by his pointing finger and bent it sideways. The man grunted in pain as Park spun the man around to face him.
“How 'bout not?” Park said. He let go of the man's finger and grabbed his shirt with both hands. He tossed him back, toward the fat man. The fat man stood there, looking uncertain and worried. He bent down to pick up the candy bar Ella had thrown.
“Hey, man,” he said to the thin man. The thin man didn't turn, staring at Park while he panted and grew redder. The rain pelted down on all of them.
The fat man coughed. “You know, man, maybe we should just go.”
The thin man turned on him. “Maybe you should just go! Or even better, how about you drop out of pussy school and help me beat this redneck's ass! Then we can fucking eat!”
“Hey, man,” said the fat man, stepping toward the thin one. “I'm just saying...”
“Fuck you and your saying!” yelled the thin man. He shoved his friend backward, into the arms of a corpse that had just stumbled out from around a corner.
“Shit,” said the thin man.
“No,” was all the fat man managed to say before the corpse, a large woman with one eye missing and most of the skin on her left shin gone, bit into his neck. He jerked violently as blood shot out across the woman's face and across the paved ground. The blood immediately streaked and ran in the rain.
“Fuck,” said Park, pulling the knife from his jacket and rushing toward the corpse. Maylee rushed forward with her bat.
The thin man reached his friend first. He pulled at his arm to no avail. The fat man's head lolled as blood spurted from his neck. His eyes opened and closed sleepily as blood leaked from his mouth. The corpse moaned and chewed, pulling the fat man to the ground.
“Oh shit, man, hold on,” said the thin man, tugging and kneeling. “Hold on!” More groans came from around the corner.
Park held up his arms to block Maylee and Ella. “Whoa! More coming! We gotta get out of here.”
“He have to save him!” yelled Ella.
“He tried to fucking hurt you, Ella,” said Park, slipping his knife back into his pocket.
“He's a human being, Dad,” said Ella.
Park blinked. “Wait, what?”
“I said he's a human being.”
Park opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. He looked back at the thin man. The thin man was tugging at the fat man. The corpse chewed on the fat man's neck from the other side.
“Well, shit,” said Park. He ran over to grab the thin man's shoulder. He tried to pull him away.
“No!” said the man, pulling back and clutching his friend. “It's gonna be okay. We're gonna find some food.”
The corpse chewed at the fat man's neck, oblivious to the thin man for the moment. The fat man's head lolled back. The fat man was still.
“Look, buddy,” said Park. “Sorry about the punching and all, but we gotta move.”
More corpses came around the corner. Ella screamed. Maylee readied her bat.
Park, kneeling beside the two men and the corpse, pulled his knife from his pocket. The thin man grabbed his wrist. Maylee could see in the thin man's eyes that his mind was gone.
“What are you doing?” yelled the man. “
Get away! All of you get away!”
One of the approaching corpses dropped to its knees behind the thin man. It was a small boy with tight leathery skin and yellow eyes. Dirt clung to his small frame. He snarled and bit into the thin man's back. The thin man sucked in a sharp, surprised breath.
Maylee held back, watching. Ella clung to her shoulder. The rest of the corpses drew close to Park. Too close.
Yelling, Maylee ran up to where Park knelt. She swung her bat at an old woman with loose, slimy cheeks. Her head exploded into the rain, spreading wet glop across the pavement.
Park stood. The thin man screamed and clutched at the corpse behind him.
“We gotta go,” said Maylee.
“You're telling me?” said Park.
They both ran over to Ella. She was staring at the corpses. And at the two men as the corpses ripped them apart. The first corpse had moved to the fat man's stomach and was pulling loose what looked like a liver. The thin man bucked, trying to reach the child on his back. Blood poured from his mouth, mixing with the rain running down his cheeks.
“Come on,” said Park, reaching down to grab Ella's hand. Ella snapped out of her staring and jerked away. Park looked confused.
Ella stared at him briefly, then nodded at the mob of corpses. At the corner they were coming around. “That's the way we have to go.”
“Fuck,” spat Park. “The only way?”
Ella nodded. “Pretty much.”
“I'm so fucking happy about that,” said Park.
The group of corpses finished coming around the corner. Maylee guessed there were fourteen, counting the two eating the two men. She glanced down to see the small boy bite into the thin man's forehead and wrench free a red strip of skin. The boy chewed, his small cheeks bulging.
Park gripped the handle of his knife and looked back and forth between the different corpses. He glanced over at Maylee. “I think I might need your help, kid.”
“You kidding me?” said Maylee, clanging her bat on the ground then holding it up and beside her head, like a baseball player. “I've been doing this for days now.”
Park smirked. “Your mom would kill me for letting you near them.”
“So don't tell her.”
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