Animals

by David A. Simpson

  She thought back to her first success with the compound bow and still felt the adrenaline rush of their first kill. A small buck had finally fallen under one of her arrows and she’d watched as the wolves ran down and finished off the wounded animal. She’d thanked the deer for its sacrifice and fell in beside the wolves as they feasted. The meat was hot and bloody. She’d only tried a taste before the wave of revulsion hit her but it was an important ritual with her pack. They hadn’t warned her off. Zero had moved aside to give her room, acknowledging her as alpha. She let them eat as much as they wanted from that hunt before she gutted it and carried the remains back on her shoulders. She much preferred her venison cooked.

  Her mouth watered at the memory of the tender venison they’d roasted in aluminum foil buried in the campfire coals. She wondered what the twins were cooking for dinner and headed for the kitchen. When she passed through the dining room, a crowd of children exploded from cover screaming surprise. Zero and Lucy went into a defensive stance, teeth bared and hackles raised, startled by the sudden noise. Swan crouched, had both tomahawks in her hands and a snarl on her lips when she saw the shocked looks on everyone’s faces.

  Embarrassed, she lowered her weapons, spoke softly to calm the wolves and smiled as her eyes drank in the presents, balloons and the cake with the thirteen candles. She didn’t think anyone remembered. Didn’t think it even mattered with the world dead. Most days she didn’t know or care what the date was anymore. Murray kept up with that kind of stuff, not her. She was focused on caring for her pack and honing her skills.

  “Thanks guys,” she said with genuine gratitude.

  Hugs and happy birthday wishes were given as each of her tribe made their way forward. She stood there, armed and armored and smiled happily at the outpouring of love. She smelled of wood smoke and sweat and her face was darkened with soot. A black triangle shape extended across her forehead and blended with her hair. It covered her eyes and tapered down to her chin, giving her a wolf like profile in the dim light of the candles. Her hair was twisted into a long braid with acorn beads and a raven feather woven into it.

  She wiped at her eyes, overwhelmed by the love and support of these other orphans. Thrown together by chance they were strangers who became a family. A family who became a tribe. They were all so different, yet here they stood as one, laughing and eating cupcakes the twins had whipped up.

  She stood at the head of the table and took them all in. The cogs in a wheel, the members of her tribe, each with an ability and skill that helped them survive.

  Tobias and Annalise, with their ethereal appearance of almost white hair braided and beaded with the intricate tattoos covering their alabaster skin, were the fishermen and the cooks. They were berserkers on polar bears.

  Vanessa, with hand-crafted ostrich plume earrings dangling from her ear lobes, her mohawk and ritual scars was their quickest when she rode Ziggy. She could dart into town and back for a bag of supplies in less than an hour and she had learned to lead the dead away from the front gate. They’d give chase and she would get them started on the road north then cut back through the woods. They kept going once they started running and were never seen again. New ones stumbled in, usually one or two a day, but she kept their numbers manageable and covered a lot of territory around the Park.

  Cody, tall and handsome with the hair he was constantly brushing from his face had shown them how to live with their companion animals. He had held them together and kept them alive during those first chaotic and frightening days and continued to lead them and make wise choices.

  Harper was the sister she’d never had, the peacemaker and smile bringer who could see farther than anyone when she rode high atop Bert.

  Donny, strong and silent was her hunting partner who didn’t fear the woods and kept them in fresh meat.

  Murray, the boy with the books who always had an answer for everything and could figure out how to fix anything.

  There was Caleb, Landon and Clara, the triplets they had started calling them, who had completely taken over the duties of the petting zoo, freeing up the older kids to do other work.

  Then there was Gordon who was finally trying to fit in and be friendly. He would smile and laugh with them but it sounded forced. He was trying too hard. His lips were scabbed over and still healing from where Cody had hit him. Should have hit him harder she thought. Or hit him more. No matter how nice he was trying to be, she didn’t trust him and didn’t like him. It had started on the first day they met and he’d made them wait forever while he packed his stuff. She didn’t like the way he looked at her either. It felt like he was always trying to imagine what she looked like under her clothes.

  She reached for one of the cubs who were playing at her feet, held the small creature to her lips and kissed it softly. She returned the wolf to his littermates when Cody hollered over the din that it was time to open presents. She took her place of honor at the head of the table as Landon and Caleb struggled to slide her heavy chair forward. Clara placed a homemade cardboard crown on her head, complete with glued on macaroni designs and crude wolfs head drawings.

  She squealed with delight as Murray handed her his gift, a pair of fine sharpening stones and oil for her tomahawks. Harper gave her a heavy winter cloak with Mother of Wolves embroidered over the breast. She hugged her tight and swung it around her shoulders. It would be warm and quiet and wouldn’t restrict her movements.

  Custom tooled knee-high leather moccasins from the twins came next followed by a fine bladed field dressing knife from Cody. She unwrapped the gift from Vanessa, a pair of high-end sunglasses that would certainly come in handy when the snows fell.

  Caleb, Landon and Clara gifted her with pictures of Lucy and Zero taken from coloring books in the gift shop. The wolves were rendered in greens, reds, blues and pink and were scribbled outside of the lines. She loved them.

  Gordon gave her a handful of arrows for her bow and told her happy birthday, although a little stiffly. She thanked him. He was trying at least. Maybe that punch to the face had knocked some sense into him.

  Donny came last. She tore open the wrapping and pulled out the present. Pieces of antlers from the first small buck she’d taken were drilled out and threaded on a leather cord. He’d polished each piece until it shined. Overwhelmed, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

  They sang happy birthday to her at the tops of their lungs and Cody lit the thirteen candles one by one with the old Zippo lighter. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and blew them out, whispering her wish as the last flame was extinguished.

  None noticed when Gordon slipped away from the party for a few minutes.

  She fell asleep that night so thankful for her tribe. She’d been on every trip to Putnam and they didn’t stop at any of the stores where her gifts came from. They went in and out fast, loading up the golf card as quick as they could hurrying back to the safety of the Park. She had tickled Clara until she was breathless with laughter and threated to tickle her until she peed her pants if she didn’t tell how they did it. She finally got the answer after tickle torturing Caleb and Landon. Vanessa had ridden in on Ziggy. She could be there and back in no time and could outrun any zombie no matter how fast it was.

  As she drifted off with her wolves bedded down to either side of her and the cubs snuggled up for warmth, she hoped her parents were thinking of her, wherever they were.

  30

  Teddy

  They stood around the buffalo, huddled in their winter coats, as it wheezed and tried to push itself to its feet. Teddy, named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, was lying near Bert’s feed trough. The great shaggy beast’s chest heaved with the exertion of trying to draw in breath. He usually stayed in his enclosure at night, it was the only home he knew. He’d been living in it for almost twenty years and rarely wandered very far on his own. For some reason, he had traveled halfway across the park. No one had an explanation or knew what to do for him.

  There was worried, qu
iet talk about the virus jumping species to infect the animals despite assurances from Murray that it wasn’t possible. Donny and Vanessa stood ready with their spears in case it turned into a 1000-pound version of the monsters outside the gates.

  Murray insisted it wasn’t the virus, Teddy didn’t show any signs of zombie infection. He flipped frantically through the veterinary manuals on his tablet but there just wasn’t enough information to go on. He hated the feeling of helplessness as he watched the majestic animal suffering.

  The buffalo drooled heavily, thick mucus streamed from his nostrils and his eyes rolled back in his head. His body fought against whatever was destroying him from the inside but he was losing.

  “I don’t know, I just don’t know.” Murray muttered as he searched one book after another. “This doesn’t make any sense; he has the symptoms of food poisoning.”

  Teddy took a deep, wheezing gasp and let it out with a shudder. One last plume of breath fog came from him, dissipated in the cold air and his chest didn’t rise again.

  Confusion ran through the children and Swan knocked an arrow as Harper ushered the triplets away. They had to be ready if Murray was wrong, if it was the infection. They would have to put him down quick. They waited, weapons at the ready and fear in their hearts but after several tense minutes, Teddy remained where he lay. It wasn’t the virus and they all felt relief. They couldn’t imagine having their companions turn on them.

  Gordon tried to look as shocked and upset as the other children. It wasn’t hard, he was good at pretending and he actually was surprised. The giraffe was supposed to be the one lying dead on the ground. It was a useless animal and she spent entirely too much time with it. Besides, if Harper had a broken heart then he would have been there to offer comfort. His plan hadn’t worked as expected but that was okay, maybe it was better this way. Without their beast of burden to drag logs for them, they would have to work that much harder and longer to get wood. Something they wouldn’t have to do if they left this place and went somewhere civilized.

  The Dangerous Plants of the Midwest book hidden in his room had given him the idea. It had been one of the thousands in the Piedmont House library and he’d secreted it away when he’d been thinking about poisoning Cody. There was nothing deadly enough that he could find to get rid of Mr. High and Mighty but there were other ways to get rid of someone. Better ways. Make everyone think he was incompetent and then take his kingdom away.

  He’d mixed a double handful of chokecherry leaves with the fresh alfalfa he left in Bert’s feed trough. Highly toxic to animals and growing wild in the woods of the park it was easy enough to make it look like an accident. The stupid buffalo must have followed him and the smell of alfalfa last night when he went by his pen. They didn’t bother locking the grazing animals in anymore, they let them wander freely although most of them went back to their homes every night.

  When Harper called for him, they saw Bert peek his head up down by the river. He ignored her and went back to foraging, looking for anything still green or tender that grew along the shore. At least he was okay and they were starting to think Murray was right. Teddy must have eaten or drank something. Maybe he got into some rat poison or antifreeze somehow.

  Cody stood there, saddened and shocked by the unexplainable death. He felt guilt over the fact that he’d once considered eating Teddy before they discovered that Putnam was deserted. Otis sniffed at the buffalo’s snout and chuffed, backing away. He wondered what disturbed his big friend. Teddy was an old animal, but this didn’t seem like death from old age. This was something different.

  “We need to double check all the sheds and the garage.” Cody said. “Make sure they’re still locked up. Maybe he got poisoned from one of them. Do you think he would eat weed killer? Is it sweet to the taste maybe?”

  “Never tried it.” Murray said “but I wouldn’t think so.”

  They all stood and stared, wondering what to do next. They couldn’t just leave him lay there. Swan squatted by the deceased animal, the wolves taking position on either side of her as she caressed the shaggy head and hummed a melody that only she knew the words to. She asked for the Earth to reclaim him and for his spirit to move on, unburdened and at peace. Cody pondered the situation. Teddy was gone, there was no bringing him back. The meat would go a long way to feeding the carnivores, but Otis had already sensed something wrong, something tainted so they had to get rid of the carcass. They had no way to move him, he was simply too big and heavy. He groaned inwardly at the thought of digging a hole big and deep enough for him.

  When she finished her ceremony, she stood with the rest of them for a few moments in silent farewell. He had been a gentle giant who had been an immense help and had worked tirelessly for hours on end dragging logs for them.

  Harper wiped tears from her eyes and led the triplets away.

  “Come on, guys.” she said. “Let’s check the outbuildings then we’ll gather eggs for breakfast.”

  Swan leaned over, spoke softly to Donny and he nodded his agreement.

  “We’ll take care of Teddy.” she said. “I’ve already committed him back to Mother Earth. He may be contaminated, we can’t risk our animals catching whatever it is.”

  Cody turned to the others. “Let’s check everything, make sure the sheds are secure and make sure none of the others are sick.”

  Thankful for the opportunity to be anywhere else as Swan and Donny began their grisly task, the children hustled off. They’d seen enough death already in their short time on Earth and hoped they wouldn’t find more.

  31

  Trial and Error

  “Cody is going to be so mad.” Clara whispered and tears sprung up in in her eyes.

  The chicken coop resembled a slaughterhouse. At least half of the hens were dead. Butchered and mostly eaten, reduced to a few piles of feathers. Harper had sent them ahead to gather the eggs while she checked the garage and storage sheds. The gate had been standing wide open to the petting zoo area and the foxes were doing what foxes do. They chased them out but the damage was done. They surveyed the carnage and didn’t have any idea what to do.

  “I’m scared.” Landon said, on the verge of breaking down. “Cody told us we had the most important job in the zoo, and everyone was counting on us. I know we latched the gate last night. I know we did. I gave it a shake like he showed us to make sure.”

  “He did, I saw him.” Caleb said nodding in agreement with his cousin. It didn’t matter if he did or not, he was gonna back up Landon regardless.

  “We should hide, Cody might kill us like he did those monsters. Or let Otis eat us.” Landon said wide eyed, his youthful imagination getting the best of him.

  Terrified at the prospect of being eaten by the bear, they were making plans to run away when Harper came up behind them and gasped.

  “What happened guys? How did the foxes get in to the hens?” Cody asked.

  The tribe was seated at the big table and there was a definite shortage of eggs when the twins brought the breakfast platter out.

  “You won’t hurt them will you Cody?” Clara asked, her hands twisting and turning her napkin. “You won’t kill our foxes?”

  She couldn’t meet his eyes or anyone else’s. All three hung their heads in shame and fear, not sure what the punishment would be. She stared at her nervous hands and sniffled.

  “That’s your biggest concern, your pets?” Cody asked sternly and looked around at the others. Some had small smiles of pride and nodded their approval.

  “Yessir.” she whispered. “Please don’t hurt them.”

  Cody let them shift around uncomfortably for moment and kept a frown on his face as they snuck peeks up at him. The chickens were a loss but he didn’t blame the foxes, they were doing what foxes do. They could probably get more chickens, there had to be some still alive at the nearby farms. Like the others, he was touched about their concern for them. They didn’t care if they got punished, they cared about their animals.

  Gordon stood
off to the side waiting for Cody to scream at the kids. To explode and really tear them a new one. He’d left the gate open last night when he snagged the armload of Alfalfa. He hadn’t planned on the foxes doing the damage they did but that was just an added bonus. More dead animals. Another failing of Mr. High and Mighty.

  “Nobody is going to hurt your pets.” Cody finally said. “We would never do that. But who left the gate open? Did you forget with all the excitement of the birthday party?”

  Relieved, all three children tried to speak at once. They swore it wasn’t their fault. They’d been careful. Followed the rules. Locked the gate. Double checked it and gave it a shake. It wasn’t their fault.

  Cody listened to their voices running together making excuses and tried to think of a suitable punishment. He believed them, that they thought the gate was closed, but he also believed they must have been in a hurry to get ready for the party and had made a simple mistake. He decided the loss of the chickens would be enough of a reprimand. Every time they ate breakfast, they would see the results of their carelessness. They would see there weren’t enough eggs for everyone, let alone any for the wolf cubs. He let them make their excuses and shed their tears for a few moments and was getting ready to tell them it was over, just don’t let it happen again when they caught him by surprise.