Cryptid Zoo

by Gerry Griffiths

  “Big deal, so it’s real,” Shane said, stopping to catch his breath.

  No matter what, Gabe knew Shane would always find a way of spinning things around so he wouldn’t look stupid.

  Gabe saw a big glob of gelatin dragging itself over the platform.

  “Hey, will you looky there?” Shane said. “If it ain’t the globster. Now that I know is fake for sure.”

  Gabe watched the organic blob reach out with its tiny arms and pull itself slowly toward them. Up close it looked like a big tadpole with black-globed eyes and an oval-shaped mouth. Gabe almost felt sorry for it.

  “There’s no way that thing’s real,” Shane said. He glanced around and spotted a gaff leaning against the wall. He grabbed the pole, walked up to the globster, and drove the barbed spear deep inside the bizarre creature.

  The globster didn’t even flinch.

  “See, I told you,” Shane said. He pulled out the gaff. The tip of the shaft was dripping with a jelly-like slime. He tossed the pole on the platform.

  “Better watch out,” Gabe warned. Tendrils of acrid smoke were rising from the metal spearhead and wooden shaft.

  “What, you think it’s going to eat me or something?” Shane squatted and waved his hand in front of the globster’s face to taunt it. He looked over at Gabe. “See, there’s nothing—”

  The globster took Shane’s arm into its mouth.

  “Holy shit,” Shane screamed.

  Gabe didn’t know what to do. He certainly didn’t want to get too close but then he knew he had to help. Shane struggled but the globster refused to open its mouth. “Help me, Gabe. Don’t just stand there. Do something.”

  But what could he do? There was no way he was going to touch that thing. Could it really be a washed-ashore carcass? And if so, it had to be crawling with bacteria and pathogens, for sure that flesh-eating disease.

  Gabe rushed over anyway and grabbed Shane around the waist. “On the count of three try and pull out your arm.” Gabe planted his feet to push off. “One...two...THREE!”

  They fell back and landed on the platform.

  Gabe scrambled to his feet.

  The globster gazed up with a blank expression.

  Shane looked at his freed arm and screamed.

  Gabe glanced down and saw that the sleeve of Shane’s sweatshirt had been dissolved away into holey tatters, revealing a shriveled, oozing appendage with webbed nubs for fingers on a wilted hand.

  It wasn’t until he saw the flesh bubbling on Shane’s grotesque shrunken arm that he threw up on his sneakers.

  22

  CAVE-IN

  Tilly could tell Cam was still a little shaken up after the incident with the bili apes as they stepped out of the elevator onto the parking area. “Hey, if you want I can drop you off and I’ll finish up?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m not afraid to admit I was scared shitless back there.”

  “You and me both.”

  “We need to file a report.”

  “I agree and we will,” Tilly said. “Want to drive?” She figured it might take Cam’s mind off nearly getting killed. At least he wasn’t shaking like he’d been coming down the elevator.

  “All right.” He got behind the wheel and Tilly slid onto the passenger seat.

  Cam swung the electric cart around and headed down the tunnel.

  They were following the passage to the next enclosure when they saw a maintenance man in an orange and yellow vest, standing by the main electrical junction box station that controlled the power network for the entire dome.

  “Pull over,” Tilly said. “Let’s tell him about the faulty door at the bili ape habitat and he can relay a message to have someone check it out.”

  Cam slowed down and stopped.

  The worker had his back turned and was in front of a large control panel with the doors standing wide open.

  “Excuse me,” Tilly called out.

  The man ignored her and kept on working intently under the light of his helmet lamp. A workbag with orange and yellow stripes was by his feet.

  “Hey, buddy!” Cam yelled, but again, the man didn’t respond.

  “Maybe he’s wearing earbuds,” Tilly said.

  “Or he’s hard of hearing. Let’s go, we can report it later.” Cam tramped on the accelerator and the Cushman hummed down the passage.

  They were heading down the tunnel that led under Mammoth Arena when Cam suddenly slammed on the brakes. “Jesus, will you look at that?” Cam slid out from behind the steering wheel and stood next to the electric cart.

  He walked up to the large chunk of concrete in the middle of the passageway that was as big as a crumpled refrigerator.

  Tilly looked up and saw a similar sized hole in the ceiling.

  “What do you think caused that?” Cam asked.

  As if answering his own question, they felt the ground tremble and heard a rumble from above.

  “It’s the bear and the sloth,” Tilly said. “They should never have run a tunnel under that enclosure.” She’d voiced her concern to deaf ears that the behemoth creatures were much too heavy and might cause seismic damage but of course no one listened, and now there was the proof, staring her right in the face. “Go around.”

  Cam got back behind the wheel, tromped on the accelerator, and steered around the obstruction.

  “Turn left at the next bend for the Reptile House.” Tilly held onto the side railing as Cam cut the sharp turn. Again, he had to stomp on the brakes.

  A Mongolian death worm appeared from behind a six-foot tall squatty pyramid of sand in the center of the roadway. It manipulated the bristles on its segmented body and pulled itself across the asphalt.

  Tilly looked up and saw a gaping hole, the size of a large manhole in the ceiling. Another giant worm slipped down out of the orifice and landed on the mound of sand.

  “Cam, we need to get out of here. Now!”

  “Jesus!” Cam cranked the steering wheel and put the cart into reverse to turn around. The back of the vehicle slammed against the curved wall with a crunch. He spun the wheel and the vehicle crept down the tunnel as the speed governor on the cart wouldn’t allow them to go any faster than 5 miles an hour.

  Tilly glanced over her shoulder.

  All four of the humongous worms had escaped their containment and were slithering down the tunnel, drawn to the sound of the Cushman’s spinning tires and the electrical hum of its motor.

  An earthshaking explosion sounded down the passage.

  “What the hell was that?” Cam yelled out.

  But before Tilly could answer, a billowing cloud of dust appeared out of the tunnel and swept over them.

  23

  BREECH

  Ivan had been sleeping in his office when he felt the couch beneath him shake and heard the lamp on his desk topple off the edge and crash onto the floor. He sat up just as the door flung open and the security guard on duty stepped into the doorway.

  “What just happened?” he asked, noticing that his office was bathed with a yellowish glow from the emergency lights out in the hall.

  “There’s been an explosion.”

  “Where?”

  “I’m not sure but the entire electrical grid is down. There’s no surveillance cameras, computers, nothing.”

  “I want everyone in the armory,” Ivan said, grabbing his boots and putting them on. “No one leaves the hotel. Alert the zookeepers.”

  “What should I tell them?”

  “Tell them we have a serious problem. Without electricity, all the actuators in the electronic door locks are going to deactivate.”

  The guard gave him a blank expression.

  “Means those doors in the animal enclosures are no longer locked.”

  ***

  Nick woke up when he heard what sounded like an air raid siren. He got up out of bed and rushed to the window. It was too dark to see anything, as there were no lights on around the pool area or anywhere el
se for that matter.

  “What is that godawful noise?” Meg grumbled and sat up in bed.

  “I don’t know. It looks like the entire dome has gone dark. Maybe we had an earthquake. I thought I felt something earlier but figured it was you rolling over in bed.”

  “Very funny.”

  “No, really.” Nick grabbed his jeans and a T-shirt off the back of the chair by the small table.

  “What are you doing?” Meg asked.

  “Going outside to see what’s going on.”

  “Hold on, I’m going with you.”

  They hustled and got dressed.

  “We better check on the boys and make sure they’re okay,” Nick said, opening the door leading out into the hall. He noticed a man standing in his doorway, wearing only a pair of boxers. Yellow emergency lights lit up portions of the hall.

  “Any idea what’s going on?” the man asked.

  “Not really. Looks like the power went out,” Nick told him.

  The man closed the door.

  Nick and Meg hurried down the hall. He knocked on the door to the boys’ room.

  After a few seconds, he knocked again.

  “Surely, they can’t be sleeping through all that racket,” Meg said.

  “Gabe, open the door!” Nick pounded on the door some more.

  “You don’t think they snuck out, do you?” Meg asked.

  “Better not or they’re—”

  The door opened slightly and Gabe peered out.

  “There’s something going on outside,” Nick said. “We need you both to come with us.”

  “Shane’s not feeling so well.”

  “All right, he can stay. Grab your clothes.”

  Gabe shut the door and less than a minute later came out of the room and closed the door behind him.

  “Let’s go down to the lobby,” Nick said. “Maybe the desk clerk can tell us what’s going on.” They made their way down to the end of the hallway. Nick wasn’t surprised when he saw the elevator button on the wall wasn’t lit up. “Looks like we’re taking the stairs.”

  ***

  The bili apes screeched when their habitat suddenly went dark before the emergency lights came on. One of the primates threw itself up against the glass door as it had done many times before, only this time the door swung open. The ape tumbled out, executed a tight-rolled somersault, and landed on its feet. It gazed around, unsure of its newfound freedom.

  The burly primate let out a loud shriek, which brought the other three apes running. They gathered in the middle of the observation area and formed a tight revolving circle, backs pressed against each other in a defensive stance as they gradually became aware of the other creatures staring at them from the other gloomy habitats.

  The bili apes separated and began to strut about, grunting and huffing, exhibiting aggressive behavior and slapping their chests, ready to take on any adversary.

  The yeren watched with disinterest as they passed by.

  Both of the bigfoots stood a few feet behind the threshold of their ajar door. Even though they were outnumbered two to one, they showed no fear.

  The bioengineered yeti glared at the massive apes and even snarled as they ambled past while the animatronic yeti merely watched, sitting by the cave.

  Knowing when best to run and hide, the frightened chupacabras slunk back into the shadows of their habitat.

  The bili apes screeched, and with a burst of energy, barreled down the corridor toward the front entrance and smashed their way out of the building.

  ***

  The ground shook and a fissure opened up under the foundation of the high wall surrounding Mammoth Arena. Gray dust rose in the air. A zigzagging crack rippled up the concrete causing chunks to break away and fall out. A section of wall collapsed into rubble leaving a massive gaping hole.

  Bergman’s bear saw an opportunity to escape. It lumbered on all fours across the enclosure and was about to climb out over the fallen debris when it was met by the giant ground sloth blocking its way. The enormous bear rose up on its hind legs and roared.

  The blue tigers paced their habitat, sensing that something wasn’t right when they heard the commotion on the other side of the enclosure. They noticed the glass door was wide open and slipped out. The tigers paraded down the hall, side by side like two identical bookends.

  The two mngwas watched the tigers stride out of the building then stealthily crept out of their habitat. They were extremely hungry having not eaten. The giant leopards bounded down the corridor in search of food.

  ***

  It didn’t take long for the three giant monitor lizards to escape. The Burus stuck out their serpentine tongues in hopes of picking up a scent as they did a belly run on their short legs, wiping their crocodilian bodies forward with their powerful tails.

  An arabhar flew out of the Reptile House to catch up with the other three flying snakes that had already managed to flee the building.

  The two tzuchinoko snakes decided on an easier route made by the Mongolian death worms. The fat Japanese snakes slithered down through the sand into the tunnel below.

  ***

  The claxton pointed in the direction of the Aviary continued to blare from the mast mounted on the roof of the hotel. The piercing wail was more than the thunderbirds could endure. Shrieking, the enormous birds attacked the steel netting with their giant beaks, ripping sizeable holes. They held on with their powerful talons, flapped their massive wings, and flew backwards, yanking out entire sections of netting, large enough for them to fit through.

  A thunderbird dove out of the Aviary and swooped down on the hotel roof, silencing the shrill horn as it ripped it off the post with its mighty talons.

  The other thunderbird beat its wings and went all the way up and perched on a girder beam. It wasn’t long before the giant bats and the other winged cryptids escaped, gliding and hovering in the tenebrous dome.

  24

  LOCKDOWN

  Sixteen of his men were already suited up in the gunroom when Ivan entered the armory. They wore black helmets with grilled face shields, puncture proof body armor vests in the event of a sharp-clawed animal attack, and tactical uniforms. Each member of the two-man teams was either armed with a short barrel, large magazine riot shotgun, a compact submachine gun, or a pneumatic tranquilizer rifle.

  Everyone had Beretta nine-millimeter fully automatics holstered on their utility belts along with sheathed 8-inch long serrated combat knives, high-powered flashlights, stun grenades, and ammunition pouches.

  “Okay, listen up,” Ivan shouted to get everyone’s attention like a football coach about to say a few words before sending his team out onto the playing field. “With the cameras down, we have no idea what’s going on out there. Hopefully, none of these creatures have managed to escape. I need for you men to secure the habitats. If at all possible, use your tranquilizer guns, if not, kill the damn things.” Ivan turned when he heard footsteps approaching the open doorway.

  Jack Tremens rushed in with Miguel. “What’s going on?”

  “All we know at the moment is there’s been a power outage and a possible breech in the zoo’s containments,” Ivan said.

  “Don’t tell me those animals have gotten out?”

  “My men will resolve the situation. I’m sending a team over to the hotel. Think you and Miguel could go with them, make sure everyone stays inside? The last thing we need is for a bunch of hysterical people running around out there getting themselves killed. Here’s a list of the guests.” Ivan handed Jack a folded paper.

  “Sure, let us grab our gear.” Jack put the list in his pocket. He went to the locker where he and Miguel stored their equipment and weapons whenever they visited the dome. He took out their high-powered rifles and leaned them against the locker door.

  “Looks like Carter Wilde’s little petting zoo just turned into a frigging circus,” Miguel said to Jack as they strapped on their sidearms.

  Jack released the cylinder on his revolver, making sure
it was fully loaded with cartridges, then snapped it closed. “And now it’s time to send in the clowns.”

  ***

  Cam rubbed the grit from his eyes as the dust settled in the tenebrous tunnel. He turned and gazed at Tilly sitting in the passenger seat. She was coughing so hard, tears had streaked her ash-covered face.

  “You okay?” Cam asked.

  “I think so,” Tilly answered, still coughing. She made a crude noise in her throat, turned away from Cam and spat out a thick wad of phlegm. She reached in her pocket, took out a handkerchief, and blew her nose profusely.

  The Cushman’s headlights had dimmed so Cam could only see a short distance but it was enough to see fallen rubble was blocking the tunnel. “Doesn’t look like we’re getting out that way.”

  Cam slipped the gearshift into reverse to back up but when he pressed on the accelerator the cart didn’t move. He fiddled with the key hoping that would work.

  “The battery’s dead,” Tilly said. “We’ll have to walk back, follow the side tunnel over to the lab.”

  “You sure you want to do that? What about the worms?”

  “What choice do we have?”

  “All right.” Cam slid off his seat and raised the cushion. Inside were two flashlights and a large crescent wrench. He slipped the tool in the back pocket of his jeans and handed a flashlight to Tilly.

  They headed back down the tunnel and soon reached the junction.

  Cam panned his flashlight on the walls and ceiling before they continued on down the passage to the parking area that wrapped around the foundation under the lab and workshop.

  A swath of light flashed across the wall.

  Cam and Tilly turned. An electric cart with bright headlights was coming down the tunnel erratically, heading in their direction.

  “Who is that?” Tilly asked, shielding her eyes from the glare with her hand and getting ready to jump out of the way.

  “Must be that damn Beecher,” Cam said unable to see the driver clearly.

  The cart veered to the right suddenly and crashed into the wall.