out a little cry when he landed on his bad foot. He limped a few times

  and settled, holding onto Maylee's arm.

  Angie turned to look back at the lot. The cars were all

  motionless in the pelting rain. Moans told her corpses were inside them,

  struggling and biting. But the corpses were all safely stuck. She turned

  back. The last bit of light slipped from the sky. She could barely make

  out the outline of the car in the wet gloom.

  Just one more, she told herself. Then jumped.

  She landed and for one panicked moment she felt her feet slip

  beneath her. Park caught her arm and she slid to a stop, inches from the

  edge of the hood. The corpse behind the broken windshield pounded on

  the glass.

  Angie let out her breath slowly, her chest pounding. "Shit."

  "Yeah," said Park. "No shit, shit."

  "Good thing we're almost done," she said. "Much more of this

  and..."

  With a cry, Dalton slipped and fell off the car. Angie heard him

  slam into the pavement, yelling as he landed on his bad foot.

  "Dalton!" Angie yelled. Not thinking, she ran and leapt off the

  car, into the darkness.

  She dropped down between the hood of the car and the door of

  a nearby truck. It was too dark to see. Rain pounded on her head. She

  heard Dalton whimper and mutter.

  "Dalton!" she yelled, feeling around in the dark. Her hands fell

  on pavement, on metal.

  "Mom!" came Dalton's voice. His hand closed around hers.

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  "Dalton!" Angie pulled Dalton toward her, clutching farther

  and farther up his arm until she had all of him. She hugged him tight.

  "Oh shit, Dalton."

  "Mom!" came Maylee's voice from above.

  "Everything okay?" came Park's.

  "You okay, baby?" said Angie, not wanting to let Dalton go.

  "Fine Mom, fine," said Dalton. Angie expected him to pull

  away. He didn't.

  "Everything's okay!" Angie yelled up to the others.

  Glass shattered above them, raining down on their heads. Angie

  remembered seeing the outline of the truck's side window, just before

  she dropped down on the ground. There'd been a shape behind it,

  pounding on it.

  "Dalton," Mom started. Then a bloody arm, shards of glass

  jutting from it, reached down and grabbed Dalton's hair.

  Dalton screamed. Mom reached to the arm and wrenched it

  away. A cold cheek brushed against hers as the corpse in the truck

  leaned out and bit at her neck. She twisted away, pushing Dalton back.

  "Mom!" yelled Dalton as his form vanished in the dark.

  "Just stay back!" she yelled, holding on to Dalton with one

  hand and pushing the corpse back with the other. The corpse strained

  and Angie strained back. Angie pushed as hard as she could, but the

  corpse had a better angle and gravity on its side. She couldn't see the

  corpse's features, but it sounded like a hoarse old man. It hissed and bit,

  drawing closer to her every second.

  "Mom!" came Maylee's voice from the car hood. Something

  struck the corpse's head, knocking it off course. Angie looked up,

  blinking in the rain. She could make out the outline of Maylee,

  kneeling on the hood of the car. She was jabbing downward with the

  bat. She could see Park too, moving in position to jump down.

  "I got this!" yelled Maylee. She jabbed down again. This time

  she connected full on. Angie heard the corpse's skull crack. It went

  limp in her grasp. Angie shoved it upward and spat at it. She pulled

  Dalton back to her. She heard the car hood creak as Park prepared to

  jump.

  "We're fine!" she yelled upward. She grabbed Maylee's bat.

  "Just pull!"

  Park moved to grab Maylee around the waist. Together they

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  heaved and pulled Angie and Dalton upward. Angie braced her feet

  against the car and pulled Dalton up after her. A few more heaves and

  they were all back on the hood, panting and crouching in the rain.

  "I told you I had it," said Maylee, looking back at Park.

  "Well fuck me, I guess you did," said Park. Angie could see

  him smirking in the dark.

  "Everyone okay?" said Angie.

  They all nodded. Angie watched their heads bob in the dark.

  She nodded back. "Come on. Let's get down while we still can."

  * * *

  Ella drew her jacket tight around herself and walked, head

  down, against the rain. It was cold. The sun had gone down and while

  the power was still on in the zoo, no one had bothered to turn on most

  of the outside lights. It was dark and Ella was scared, but she had to

  find Lori. If only she had the slightest idea where to look.

  Stepdad had hit Lori. She and Lori were the same age. If

  Stepdad could hit Lori, he could hit Ella. Could Ella fight him back?

  She could try, but he was stronger than she was. Just what did she

  intend to do when she found him? She pushed these ideas down and

  kept walking, focusing on the sound of the rain and her own breathing.

  She would go building to building, like Caleb had planned. She would

  find the building where Gregory was hiding Lori. Then, something.

  Something.

  A hiss came from her left, startling her so much she almost

  tripped. She stopped and looked.

  An emu was bobbing its long neck up and down at her, behind

  the fence that separated him from the walkway. Ella recognized the

  emu. It was Ray. Ray was a nice emu.

  Ray hissed at her, then let out a loud screech. Ella had never

  heard him make a noise like that.

  Ella took a step toward the fence. The rain pelted down around

  her. "Ray?" she said.

  Ray screeched and snapped his beak at her. Ella screamed,

  jumping back. Ray craned his neck around, looking at her with wide,

  hateful eyes. She'd never seen Ray's eyes like that. Ray's eyes hated

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  her.

  What on earth was going on?

  She backed farther away from the cage, staring at Ray. He

  jabbed at her, darting his head outward with such force his lower body

  slammed against the fence. The fence shook. Ray did it again, harder,

  screeching at her. It was dark, but Ella thought she saw blood seeping

  down Ray's front.

  "You're hurting yourself, Ray," said Ella, feeling like she might

  cry.

  Ray screeched and jabbed at her again. The fence shook and

  Ray bled.

  Ella turned and walked away as fast as she could.

  * * *

  Angie held her arms out to her sides as they reached the

  sidewalk in front of the zoo. Park and the kids stopped behind her.

  Angie looked from side to side, straining to see anything other than

  dark outlines and rain. To hear anything other than wind.

  "Clear?" said Park behind her.

  "Shit, I don't know," said Angie, straining to see in the dark.

  The few lights that were on along the sidewalk only served to make the

  surrounding darkness worse. In between the few scattered lights were

  pools of darkness in which she could make out nothing. "I guess. I

  hope. Let's go."

  They trotted, almost running, to the front entrance. Ashton

  Memorial Zoo could be made out on the glass doors. Behind them, all

  was dark. Rain ran down the glass.

  Angie stepped up to the doors, hoping they would slide open

  like normal. She wasn't surprised when they didn't.

  "Well, no shock there, I guess," said Park. He stepped up to the

  door and felt around the surface.

  "What are you doing?" said Angie, looking around. Were those

  groans in the distance? Wind? The kids drew closer to her.

  "Looking for some kind of handle or some shit," said Park,

  patting his hand along the glass. "Some way to open it by hand."

  Angie stepped to the side of the door, looking for a button, a

  panel. Anything.

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  "How do people get in?" said Maylee, behind her.

  "I don't know," said Angie. "We've never tried to get in when

  they're locked before."

  "Look!" said Dalton, pointing past Angie. He said it at full

  volume, loud enough for anyone to hear. For anything to hear.

  "Dalton, shh!" said Angie, trying to keep her voice down. She

  looked where he was pointing. Far beyond the glass, in the darkness of

  the zoo, she saw something. A figure moved from side to side. It didn't

  walk like a corpse. It looked like a young girl, maybe Maylee's age.

  "Someone's in there!" said Maylee.

  "I see them," said Park. He slammed his palm on the glass.

  "Hey! Hey!"

  "Park!" said Angie, looking around for corpses. "Those things

  might hear."

  "That person might shitting hear!" said Park, pounding on the

  glass. "Hey! You in there!"

  "Dammit," said Angie under her breath. She slapped the glass,

  softly at first but then harder. "Hey! Let us in!"

  Maylee and Dalton joined in, banging the glass and shouting.

  The glass shook under the force. Their pounding echoed through the

  lot. Angie thought she heard moaning. Was it from the parking lot?

  Closer? Her imagination? She couldn't tell.

  Angie strained to see the figure inside. It made no sign it saw or

  heard. It kept walking, disappearing from sight. Rain ran down the

  glass, obscuring her view.

  "Hey!" yelled Park.

  "Dammit!" said Angie, slapping the glass so hard her palm

  stung.

  Groans came from their right, loud and close. Three corpses

  stumbled from the darkness. The closest one, a skinny man with no hair

  and a large open sore on his face, groaned and reached for Maylee.

  "Shit!" screamed Maylee, jumping back. Park punched the

  corpse in the side of the head. It jerked and fell away, collapsing in

  front of the other two corpses They tripped and fell, slamming into the

  pavement. Maylee gripped her bat and held it ready. Dalton clung to

  Angie.

  More groans came from behind the fallen corpses. Lots of

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  groans. Lots of corpses shambling toward them in the dark.

  "We gotta go," said Angie, pulling Maylee back.

  "Come on," said Park. "There's more doors along the side.

  Gates and shit."

  They ran, as quickly as they dared in the dark. The corpses

  behind them groaned and hissed. The sidewalk led out of the parking

  lot and around the zoo. They ran along a dark side street. Angie

  strained to hear past the sound of their own pounding feet. Were there

  more groans up ahead? Angie felt colder than the rain would account

  for. The whole zoo could be surrounded by those things and it was too

  dark to tell.

  "There!" said Maylee, pointing off to the right. Trusting that

  her daughter's eyes were better in the dark than hers, Angie turned. A

  second, smaller glass doorway emerged from the dark. They all

  stopped, panting.

  This door had a handle. Angie reached out and grabbed it. A

  corpse grabbed her arm and leaned in. It had come from her left, the

  way they had been running moments before. If they'd kept running....

  "Fuck me!" yelled Angie, wrenching her arm away and

  stepping back. The corpse, a biker with a large crack down the front of

  his helmet and a torn bloody leather jacket, stumbled forward. He

  groaned, muffled by the helmet, and reached for her.

  Maylee stepped forward with the bat. Angie held her back. She

  hiked up one foot and kicked the corpse backward. He stumbled back

  into the door, his helmet slamming against the glass. The impact

  echoed around in the dark.

  The corpse righted itself and came for them again.

  "Shit," said Park, stepping toward it. "He's just gonna keep

  coming." Park reached out and pulled off the cracked helmet. The

  corpse had long reddish-gray braids and a pale face with a long split

  running down the center of it. Dried blood coated his mouth and nose.

  He hissed at Park.

  "That looks nasty, pal," said Park, flipping the helmet to grip it

  by the front. "Let me help you with that."

  Park slammed the back of the helmet into the corpses head. It

  fell back against the door again. The impact echoed. Angie heard

  groans coming from somewhere.

  Park brought the helmet up and smashed it down on the

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  corpse's skull. Something went "pop" and the corpse fell to the ground,

  still. Park snorted and dropped the helmet to the sidewalk.

  Groans came from very close. Angie whipped her head around,

  peering into the dark. "Shit. We don't have much time." She stepped

  over to the glass door and strained to make out what was beyond it. She

  failed.

  "Damn," she said. She pounded on the glass. "Hey! Anyone!

  Let us in!"

  Park and the kids joined in, slamming on the glass and

  shouting.

  The groans became louder. Angie realized they were coming

  from the street behind them. She turned and saw several outlines

  emerging from the dark. Then more. Then more.

  "Hey!" yelled Park behind her, pounding on the glass.

  "No time!" yelled Angie, turning back to them. "Next one!"

  "Well shit!" yelled Maylee.

  "Language, Maylee!" yelled Mom, pulling her and Dalton away

  from the door.

  They ran down the sidewalk, into the dark and rain. Moans

  came from their left and backs. How long, Angie wondered, until they

  came from the front? What if she had trapped her kids in the dark with

  these things?

  The next street sloped downhill. Angie didn't dare slow down.

  She could hear Park and the kids keeping pace behind her. Moans came

  from all around. They had to find a door. A door that would open.

  A large shape loomed in front of her. Fear shot up her back and

  she stopped abruptly, so fast she almost toppled forward.

  "Shit!" yelled Park. She could hear him and the kids struggling

  to stop behind her.

  The shape resolved into a long flatbed truck, parked longways

  and blocking the street and sidewalk. Large metal barrels lined the back

  of the truck.

  "Dammit!" yelled Angie. She looked around, panic creeping in.

  How far were they from the car? Where the hell was the parking lot

  now anyway? Rain fell from the dark and pelted her face. Groaning

  came from all around.

  "Under!" said Park. "Hurry!"

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  Angie looked down. Park was right. The truck was high enough

  off the street that they could easily climb under. "Come on!" she said,

  pulling Maylee and Dalton into the street. She grabbed them by the

  shoulders and kneeled, pushing them down with her.

  She crawled forward, under the truck. Maylee and Dalton were

  right behind her. She made it about a quarter of the way under when a

  human shape lunged at her from under the truck. No, not a human,

  Angie realized. Something that was once human.

  "Fuck!" yelled Angie, jerking her head back so quickly she

  slammed it into the underside of the truck. Pain shot down her neck and

  spine. The shape lunged at her, grunting.

  "Back!" Angie screamed, crawling backward as quickly as she

  could. She felt dizzy. She heard Maylee and Dalton scrambling

  backward behind her. She heard the shape crawling toward her,

  gurgling and snarling.

  "What the hell?" said Park as Angie scrambled back out onto

  the street and stood. Maylee and Dalton were standing next to her.

  Maylee grabbed Dalton and pulled him back away from the truck.

  "That the hell," said Angie, pointing as the shape emerged from

  under the truck. It was a young woman with large bloody holes in her

  arms. Her knees had been reduced to pulp. Somehow, the woman

  managed to stand. She hissed and lunged at Park.

  "Sorry lady," said Park, punching the woman in the head. She

  fell backward, stumbling and waving her ruined arms. Angie shoved

  her from the side and she fell over, clawing across the wet pavement.

  She almost immediately started climbing to her feet.

  "Dammit," said Maylee, breaking away from the group.

  "Maylee!" said Mom.

  "I got this!" said Maylee. She rushed over to the corpse just as

  it finished standing. Maylee swung her bat in a wide arc, connecting

  with the front of the corpse's skull. The side of its head caved in and it

  went down.

  Maylee grinned back at them. "One hit."