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  as she did. She lost her balance and started sliding over the fence.

  "Maylee!" yelled Ella, letting go of Park's hand and grabbing

  Maylee's with both of hers. Maylee slid downward into the capybara

  exhibit. Her legs were hanging on the fence and her head hung toward

  the ground. The bat in her right hand scraped along the dirt of the

  exhibit.

  The corpses groaned, sounding closer than before. Ella

  screamed, clutching at Maylees left hand. Maylee heard huffing and

  pounding footsteps behind her head. She craned her neck back to look,

  upside-down, into the exhibit. She saw the capybara running straight

  for her head. Its eyes were crazed and a fine mist blew from its snout as

  it pounded along toward her.

  Maylee screamed. Ella pulled on her hand, wrenching her

  upward. Her head moved up as the capybara passed under it, missing

  her by inches.

  She sat up straight on the fence. Ella pulled at her arm, her eyes

  wide and worried. Park rushed in from the side, knife out and aimed at

  the nearest corpse. The corpses crowded behind Ella, almost close

  enough to grab and kill.

  "Look out!" Maylee yelled.

  A tremendous cracking sound came from beneath her as the

  capybara smashed through the wooden fence and came out the other

  side.

  Snarling and grunting, the capybara ran into the legs of the

  approaching corpses. The corpses stumbled and fell forward. The

  capybara thrashed around, like it was trying to get clear of the corpses

  so it could come back at Maylee. The capybara showed no interest in

  the corpses and the corpses showed no interest in it.

  At the moment the capybara smashed through, Ella jumped to

  one side, out of the way of the rampaging animal. She clutched

  Maylee's wrist as she jumped, but the awkward angle made her hand

  slip. Maylee slid backward on the fence, struggling to maintain her

  balance but unable to.

  "Maylee!" yelled Ella.

  Maylee's hand slipped from Ella's completely. She fell

  backward into the exhibit. Air rushed from her lungs as her back

  slammed into the dirt. Her bat clattered from her hand.

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  She blinked, dazed, at the rain falling from the gray sky above

  her. She heard Ella screaming and Park shouting. She shook herself out

  of her daze and climbed hurriedly to her feet.

  Looking out over the fence, she saw Park pulling Ella away

  from the throng of corpses. They both looked unhurt.

  "Kid!" yelled Park.

  "Here!" she yelled. She ran over and grabbed her bat from the

  ground. "I'm okay!"

  Park saw her and nodded. He brought up one of his legs and

  kicked back the group of corpses. "We're going that way!" Park nodded

  behind him, the direction the corpses had originally come from. He

  grabbed Ella's hand and backed hurriedly toward the next corner. The

  corpses stumbled after them.

  Maylee turned to her left and ran along the exhibit, parallel to

  Park, Ella and the corpses. She got out in front of the corpses and

  curved back toward the fence. She pulled one foot up and started to

  climb over.

  The child corpse was waiting on the other side. He hissed and

  grabbed her leg with blood-caked fingers.

  Maylee let out a little scream of surprise and fell backward off

  the fence. She landed on her back in the exhibit. Pain shot up her tail

  bone and into her spine.

  With a sharp, loud "crack" that sent bits of wood flying into the

  exhibit, the capybara broke back through the fence. It rushed blindly

  forward for a moment, huffing and grunting at nothing. Blood, bright

  and red, ran from its forehead. Its angry panting sent a fine mist of

  blood into the cold damp air.

  Maylee struggled to climb to her feet. She knew she didn't have

  much time before the capybara corrected its course and came at her.

  Her tailbone and back were killing her. She could hear Ella and Park

  yelling, getting farther away as the corpses pursued them.

  The capybara turned and came at Maylee just as she finished

  standing. She ran, trying to ignore the pain.

  The capybara pounded its feet into the dirt behind her as

  Maylee ran as hard as she could, heading for the far end of the exhibit.

  She wanted to put distance between herself and the capybara before she

  attempted to climb the fence. She quickly wondered if she'd made a

  mistake. The capybara behind her sounded faster than she would have

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  expected. It snorted and grunted, sounding enraged as it ran.

  She drew near the far end of the exhibit and started to curve

  right, toward the fence. She could see the mob of corpses. Ella and Park

  backed around the corner. Ella looked around frantically. The corpses

  shuffled toward them. Another minute and the corpses would block

  Maylee's escape.

  The capybara sounded close as she drew near the fence. Too

  close for her to stop and climb. She jumped, surprising herself at how

  well she did. Her foot caught the edge of the top of the fence. She

  pushed herself up with her leg, doing her best not to slow down.

  As she crouched on the fence, mid-run and about to come down

  the other side, the capybara hit the fence beneath her. It broke through,

  coming out the other side. The approaching corpses tripped over it as it

  raced in front of them.

  Maylee jumped down, landing on the pavement in a kneeling

  position. The capybara, crazed in its rage, kept running until it hit the

  faux-rock wall on the other side of the walkway. There was a horrible

  popping sound and the capybara yelped.

  Maylee watched from where she knelt. The capybara turned to

  face her, looking dazed and weak. Blood leaked from its forehead. It

  snorted thick blood from its snout.

  "Oh god," said Maylee, feeling sorry for it. The capybara fell

  down.

  The corpses to her right were getting close.

  "Maylee!" yelled Ella from just out of sight.

  Maylee stood, gripping her bat in her right hand. She ran for the

  corner, leaving the corpses and the wounded capybara behind her.

  Twelve

  Angie looked around, frowning. The sky was gray, making it

  hard to gauge what time it was. But she felt it was getting late it the

  day. Could they get to the Communications Office before dark? She

  tried to remember the layout of the map from the night before.

  "My head hurts," said Dalton next to her. He rubbed his head

  and blinked in the light rain falling around them.

  "Mine too, baby," said Angie, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  "It's hunger, and I'm sorry we haven't found any food."

  Angie cocked her head as a faint groan reached her ears. Maybe

  two groans. It was too distant to be sure.

  "Hear that?" said Dalton.

  "Yeah," said Angie, biting her lip. "They're far away for now,

  but who knows for how long. We need to find one of those map things.

  Double check where we're going."

  "There," said Dalton, pointing. Angie looked. Across the way

  from where they stood, partially hidden by a bush, was the back of a

  map display.

  "Shit," said Angie. "How'd I miss that? Good job, honey."

  They trotted across the pavement, Dalton limping slightly.

  Angie looked left to right as they moved. No corpses emerged. They

  reached the display and walked around to the other side. The side the

  map was printed on. More groaning floated their way. Again, faint. But

  not quite as faint as before.

  A thin layer of condensation coated the plastic of the display.

  Angie ran her palm up and down, then side to side, trying to clear off

  an area she could see clearly. Satisfied, she bent forward for a closer

  look.

  The groans sounded again, closer than before. "Mom," said

  Dalton behind her. She could hear the nervousness in his voice.

  "I know," she said, meaning to sound soothing but hearing the

  annoyed edge in her voice. She felt guilty but pushed it down. There

  was no time for that. She ran her finger along the map, locating where

  they were and then trying to figure out the best way to get to the

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  Communications Office.

  The rain picked up around them, sending cold streaks down the

  map. Angie wiped them away in frustration. The groans came again,

  close enough now to send tension up Angie's back. Dalton moved

  closer to her.

  "Okay," she said, frowning. "We still got a ways to go yet,

  unless..."

  "Unless what?" said Dalton, looking around,

  "Unless we cut through the primate exhibit," said Angie. She

  pointed across from where they were. A large entranceway loomed

  there, a big sign next to it. Primates In Person, read the sign in large

  safari letters.

  "But..." Dalton started.

  The groans became louder, sounding like corpses were

  moments from stumbling into the area. Angie grabbed Dalton's hand

  and pulled him toward the entranceway.

  "Mom," repeated Dalton, looking around. Angie kept her eyes

  on the door up ahead.

  "We need to hurry," she said. "Those things are getting closer."

  They were a few feet from the stone steps leading into the

  exhibit. Dalton stopped walking, jerking Angie to a halt.

  She turned to look down at him. "What?" she said, again

  feeling guilty for the edge she heard in her voice. Groans came again,

  so close Angie could hear the wet gurgles of the dead throats.

  Dalton looked up at her. He sniffed and ran the back of his hand

  under his nose. "Mom," he said. "The animals."

  Angie realized. "Oh, right. But it's okay. The monkeys are all

  behind that thick glass, remember? When you were little you'd bang on

  it, trying to get their attention. I'd yell at you, but the glass was so thick

  they couldn't even hear you."

  Dalton eyed the steps behind her. She could tell he was thinking

  of the kangaroos. Thinking of their frenzied rage.

  "Remember?" said Angie.

  "I..." said Dalton. He stopped when three corpses came around

  a corner and stumbled into the area. They jerked their stiff rotting

  bodies across the pavement, groaning and moving toward Angie and

  Dalton.

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  "Damn," said Angie, pulling Dalton toward the stairs. As they

  ran up them, Angie worried Dalton would slip on the wet concrete. He

  didn't, but they weren't able to move as quickly as Angie would have

  wanted. The corpses groaned behind them.

  They reached the last step and raced for the glass doors.

  Cartoon primates grinned from paintings on the glass. Angie's stomach

  sank when she saw the doors were automatic. They slid open with a

  "whoosh" sound as she stopped. She looked up at the motion sensor

  just above the door.

  "What?" said Dalton, behind her.

  Angie turned, hoping the stairs would keep the corpses away.

  But the steps weren't steep, and there weren't that many of them. The

  corpses were slow and stumbling, but they had already begun to

  navigate the first step. Angie knew they would eventually reach the

  doors.

  "The doors are automatic," said Angie. "They'll be able to

  follow us."

  She turned back to the door, looking up at the motion sensor.

  She looked back to the ground and scanned it as quickly as she could.

  "Mom," said Dalton behind her. The corpses groaned, sounding

  close.

  "One second," she said, finding a small rock set among some

  bushes close to the door. She rushed over, picking up the rock as the

  doors slid shut. She ran back over to the door and reared back with the

  rock, aiming at the sensor. The doors slid open.

  "Mom!" said Dalton.

  "What?" said Angie, whipping her head back at Dalton. She

  still had the rock poised to throw.

  "If you break the thing with the door open, they'll be able to get

  inside."

  Angie cocked her head back at the door. The corpses groaned

  behind them. Angie stepped back. The doors slid shut.

  "But," said Dalton behind her, "if you break the thing with the

  door shut, we won't be able to get inside."

  Angie turned to Dalton, dropping her arm to her side. Dalton

  sniffed in the cold rain and looked up at her. Behind Dalton, the corpses

  had staggered their way to the second step and were working on the

  third.

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  "Dammit," said Angie. "You may be right. Well shit." She

  hurled the rock at the nearest corpse. It smacked into the corpse's

  forehead, splitting the skin but not enough to kill it. The corpse

  staggered back to the first step. The other two kept coming.

  "Come on!" said Angie, grabbing Dalton's wrist and pulling

  him through the open doors. They slid shut behind them.

  It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low light. The

  room was hot, almost suffocating. The zoo kept the room hot for the

  primates. Primate body odor hit her nostrils.

  "I smell the monkeys," said Dalton.

  "They're behind glass," said Angie. "And we could always

  smell them before, remember? It's fine. Come on."

  Dalton looked around, nodded and stepped forward. Angie

  walked ahead, moving as quickly as she could while still allowing

  Dalton to keep up with her. As she moved she listened behind her,

  waiting for the moment the sliding doors opened, letting the corpses in.

  She waited to hear groans behind her.

  A groan came, but from the front.

  Angie stopped. Dalton almost ran into her back.

  The groan came again. It was faint, but clearly coming from in

  front of them. From somewhere within the building.

  "Crap," whispered Dalton.

  Angie nodded, frowning into the dim light. The sudden switch

  from the wet cold outside to the oppressive heat inside was making her

  head swim. Her stomach churned as she realized that if the corpses

  behind them could get through the sliding doors, so could any others.

  The whole building could be full of them.

  The doors behind them opened. Angie looked back to see the

  three corpses stumble inside. The gray overcast sky outside was

  brighter than the dim hallway. The three corpses were dark, stumbling

  silhouettes against the door.

  "Dammit," said Angie. "Come on." She grabbed Dalton and

  ran, deeper into the exhibit.

  Groans came from in front of them, faint but closer. Angie

  gripped Dalton's arm, waiting for the moment a corpse would appear in

  the hall in front of them. She would hold Dalton behind her, blocking

  him with her body. She imagined the pain as the dead mouth would bite

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  into her and rip hunks of her free. She imagined Dalton running to

  safety as she bled out on the floor. She waited for the moment to come,

  trying hard not to slow down from fear. She had to be strong.

  They stopped when they reached a split in the hallway. Angie

  remembered now. One way led to a balcony overlooking the large glass

  enclosure. The other way ran downward, winding along at the bottom

  of the exhibit for a closer view. The lower way also led to the out door.

  Two large wooden arrows, painted bright cartoon colors and bolted to

  the wall, indicated up and down.

  Angie turned to cast a quick glance back down the hall. They'd

  rounded a curve in the hallway as they ran, but she could hear the

  corpses getting closer.

  "Come on," she said. She pulled Dalton ahead and ran for the

  hallway leading down.

  They made it three steps when a group of corpses came into

  view. Their rotting smell mingled with the humid BO-filled air. They

  gurgled and reached for Angie and Dalton. Dalton screamed.

  "Back!" yelled Angie, pushing Dalton behind her. She backed

  up until they were back at the spot where the two hallways split off.

  The corpses were drawing nearer on both sides. A few more

  minutes, Angie knew, and they would be trapped. Pulled down and

  eaten. She looked around frantically. She didn't have a weapon. Why

  the hell hadn't she picked up a weapon by now?

  Her eyes landed on the large wooden arrows. A small spotlight

  in the ceiling illuminated their bright happy paint. Angie realized they

  were the exact same arrows she'd seen when she and Jake first brought