keep you safe. Both you and your sister. I made this zoo what it is,

  Lori. The most technologically advanced zoo for five states around.

  Maybe even the country. St. Louis can't say that, Memphis can't say

  that. Chicago can't say that. Ashton can, thanks to me. Do you know

  how hard it was to keep a project like that under control? But I did it. I

  managed that, and I can manage this."

  Lori stared at him, wishing she could kill with her eyes. He

  started pacing again, leaving Lori to stare at the switches and

  microphone. Lori recognized the setup. One of the communication

  centers he had installed in the zoo. You could talk to most rooms in the

  zoo, or broadcast your voice over the entire zoo at once. "The most

  expensive intercoms ever," her twin sister Ella called them. Ella was

  always saying smart-ass things like that.

  He stopped with his back to the desk. It was clean and shiny

  and very out of place in the dingy room. He smiled at her. She wanted

  to spit at him but knew it wouldn't get past the tape over her mouth.

  "I like you, Lori," he said. "I really do. You're much more

  levelheaded than your sister. I'd hoped you could even run the zoo one

  day. Ella could never do that. I love her, you understand. She's my

  daughter, but she couldn't run things."

  His face shifted and he took a step toward her. He wasn't

  smiling anymore. "So maybe I am disappointed in you after all. You're

  acting like Ella, Lori. All emotional and flighty. You have to be

  levelheaded!"

  He took another step forward. He was calm and methodical in

  his movements, but there was a hardness to his face Lori hadn't seen

  before. Lori pulled back in her chair, more out of fear than hatred.

  Gregory looked down at her. "Don't disappoint me, Lori."

  He blinked, looking around the room. The smiling face from

  the family photos returned. "But what am I saying?" He reached out to

  stroke her head. Lori couldn't pull away any farther. She hated the feel

  of his hand on her hair. "I'm sure you won't. You'll calm down

  eventually. You'll understand."

  Ashton Memorial

  21

  He knelt down, his face a few inches from hers. "You have to

  understand. I had to do it."

  He nodded at her.

  "I had to kill your mother."

  * * *

  "Watch it!" yelled Park from the passenger seat.

  Angie blinked and realized she was nearly off the road. She

  jerked the steering wheel to the left, almost sending the car into the

  other lane. She eased the car back as smoothly as she could, her chest

  pounding. What had happened?

  "You okay over there?" said Park. "You falling asleep?"

  "No," said Angie, rubbing her eyes and blinking. A thin film

  started to form over them, obscuring her vision. She blinked again to

  clear it. The road sped by, trees and farmland on either side. And no

  shoulders, only ditches. "I'm fine."

  "Fuck you are," he said. "You're falling asleep."

  "I said I'm not and I'm not," Angie said, casting him a quick

  glare. She let her voice drop to almost a whisper. "And could you

  please stop swearing so much around the kids?"

  She glanced in the rear-view mirror, positioning her head so she

  could see all of the back seat. Both Dalton and Maylee were asleep,

  leaning against their respective windows. They'd fallen asleep ten

  minutes out of Lakewood.

  Park shot a quick look back at the kids, then back at Angie.

  "Look, we aren't even on the freeway yet. And if you pass out there

  we're ultra-fucked. Ultra-screwed. I can drive if you want."

  "We've all been up all night," said Angie. "I'm fine."

  "Up all night, sure. But I'm not exactly gainfully employed."

  Angie frowned over at him, confused.

  "What I mean is I sleep in pretty late. Wanna know what time I

  got up yesterday?"

  Angie shrugged, thankful for the conversation. Thankful for

  something to focus on other than the monotonous hum of the car.

  "Eleven?"

  Park chuckled. "Try two. P.M."

  Robert R. Best

  22

  Angie smiled and shook her head. "Shit, Park. What do you do

  all day?"

  "Jerk off, mostly."

  "Park!" she said, glancing back at the kids. "I said watch the

  swearing."

  "'Jerk' and 'off' are both acceptable words."

  Angie chuckled as the car rounded a hill. The exit to the freeway

  came into view. Farther up, the road they were on became an overpass.

  Under that, the freeway to Ashton ran east to west. A few cars sped by,

  but not many. A gas station sat to the left, just before the exit.

  "We need gas," said Angie. "Our little road trip was

  unexpected."

  She slowed the car and pulled into the gas station's parking lot. It

  was empty. The neon sign in the window said Open, but Angie could

  see no one inside.

  "No one's here," said Park.

  "Yeah, but this station's pay-at-the-pump. It should be all

  automated."

  "You know that?"

  "I hope that."

  She pulled to the nearest pump and pushed the shifter up. She

  looked at the pump, relieved to see its automated display was still lit.

  She shut off the engine.

  "What's going on?" said Dalton from the back seat. Angie turned

  in her seat to see him stretching and looking around. Maylee was

  waking up as well.

  "We're getting gas before we get on the freeway," said Angie.

  "Are we really gonna stay with Uncle Bobby?" he asked.

  "Maybe," said Angie, her stomach clenching at the thought. "But

  we have to get to Ashton first."

  She opened her door, letting the cold fall air into the car. "You

  guys stay here." She climbed out and shut the door.

  She shivered, looking around. She was still wearing her hospital

  smock and the wind went straight through it. The sky was gray and

  cloudy. It looked like rain.

  She walked over to the pump. Please Insert Card Or Press Pay

  Inside, the display said. Angie realized again she'd left her purse back

  at the hospital.

  Ashton Memorial

  23

  She cursed under her breath and tapped on Parks window. Park

  rolled it down. "Yeah?"

  "I need in the glove compartment," said Angie, shivering again.

  "Keep a gun in there?" he said, leaning forward to open the

  compartment. "We could use that."

  "Yeah, I guess we could. But no. I need the owners manual for

  the car."

  Park frowned, reaching in and producing a battered booklet from

  the glove compartment. "I used to work at a gas station, you know.

  Fixing cars and shit." He handed the book to her.

  "Don't need that right now, thanks." She opened the book to the

  back. A credit card was hidden between the back cover and the last

  page. She took out the card and showed it to Park. "I keep this in here

  for emergencies."

  "Like the end of the world?" Park scratched his scruffy beard and

  looked at her.

  "Stop saying that." Angie closed the book and handed it back to

  Park. "It's not the end of the world."

  "Seems like a pretty likely candidate for it."

  "Just roll up the window. It's cold and the kids don't have their

  jackets."

  Park shrugged and rolled up the window. Angie turned to the

  pump, credit card in hand. She slid the card into the slot and pulled it

  out.

  Processing, the display said. For a long time.

  Then it said, DATA ERROR 332.

  Then, Please Insert Card Or Press Pay Inside.

  Angie frowned and slid the card in again. She pulled it out and

  waited.

  Processing.

  DATA ERROR 332.

  Please Insert Card Or Press Pay Inside.

  "Dammit," she whispered to herself. She stepped to one side,

  trying to see inside the gas station. It looked empty. All the lights were

  on, but it looked empty.

  She heard a car door open and turned. Park climbed out of his

  seat and shut the door. "Problem?" he said, adjusting the rifle on his

  Robert R. Best

  24

  shoulder.

  "Card's not going through," Angie said, sighing and looking

  around.

  Park frowned. "Let me try it." He held out his hand for the card.

  "I said it wasn't working, Park. I know how to use a gas pump."

  "No one's saying you don't. I just want to fucking try it my

  fucking self."

  Angie sighed and gave him the card.

  She turned as he started messing with the pump. She took a few

  steps away from the car, looking around. The lot was empty and quiet.

  The surrounding woods were quiet. The cold breeze and the occasional

  car on the freeway were the only sounds.

  Was that a faint groan?

  "Well fuck," said Park. "Phone line must be down."

  Angie turned, a little startled, and saw Park step back from the

  pump.

  "It's okay," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. She was

  suddenly anxious to get back in the car. "We have enough gas to get to

  another one off the freeway."

  "Don't be stupid," said Park, tapping the card against his other

  hand and looking around. "I used to work at a gas station. There's a

  panel inside to turn the pumps on."

  Angie stomped over to him and snatched her credit card back.

  "I'm not stealing gas, Park."

  Park snorted. "Well excuse me, but we need the gas. And by this

  time tomorrow someone else will have taken it anyway."

  "You're no better than those fucking looters on my street!" she

  yelled.

  "This is different and you sure as fuck know it!"

  "How?"

  "No one's living in the goddamned gas station, for one!"

  They both stopped yelling and looked over at the car. Dalton and

  Maylee were staring at them.

  Angie turned back to Park and whispered. "We're going."

  "Wait," whispered Park. "How much gas do we actually have?"

  Angie sighed. "Under a quarter of a tank."

  He snorted again. "Unless you get great mileage, that's not

  enough to get us to the next gas station on the freeway. And even if it

  Ashton Memorial

  25

  was, how do we know it won't be the same as this?"

  Angie looked at him, then over at the kids. She imagined them

  broken down on the freeway, corpses closing in around the car. She

  imagined the corpses reaching through the windows, their rotten and

  slimy arms grasping at Maylee and Dalton. She could smell the blood

  as they bit into her children. She'd smelled a lot of blood in the past

  twenty-four hours.

  She blinked the image away and looked back to Park. "Fine. For

  them. I'll let you steal the gas for the kids."

  Park nodded, looking at the car then at Angie. He shrugged and

  smirked. "You can tell the cops I forced you."

  Angie smirked back. "You bet your ass I will. Now go turn the

  gas on." She leaned back against the car to wait. "But be careful. It

  looks empty from here, but you know how that goes."

  "Yeah." He nodded, staring at the station.

  Park stared for a moment longer. The he shrugged and started

  walking.

  Angie watched him. For a moment his footsteps were the only

  sound. Then another breeze rustled the dry leaves still clinging to the

  surrounding trees. Angie looked around. There never was much traffic

  on these country roads, but still, where was everyone? How many had

  been lucky like Angie, her kids and Park? How many had died? And

  Angie knew full well what dying now meant.

  Again, was that a faint moan?

  Angie felt cold, colder than the wind would account for.

  A noise behind her sent fear up her spine. She spun to see Dalton

  rolling down his window. She let her breath out and bent down to his

  level.

  "What is it, baby?" she said.

  "I have to pee," said Dalton.

  "Me too," said Maylee from across the back seat.

  Angie sighed. "Fine. Go behind the car."

  "What?" said Maylee. "There's a bathroom right there!" She

  pointed at the side of the station.

  "Maylee, I can't let you guys out of my sight right now. Those

  things are everywhere. So either go behind the car where I can see you

  or wait until we get gas and I can go with you."

  Robert R. Best

  26

  Maylee scowled and sat back. Dalton squirmed and looked at

  Angie.

  "Mom?" he said.

  "Yeah baby?" said Angie. "What is it now?"

  "I don't just have to pee."

  "Gross!" said Maylee, pulling away from Dalton.

  Angie sighed. "You mean number two?"

  "Double gross!" said Maylee.

  Dalton nodded. "And I'll need toilet paper to wipe."

  Maylee stuck her fingers in her ears. "La la la la!"

  Angie looked at the gas station. Park was nearly to the door. It

  would be a few minutes to get the gas pump going, then several after

  that to fill the tank. She looked back to Dalton. Maylee removed her

  fingers from her ears.

  "Bad?" asked Angie.

  Dalton nodded.

  Maylee leaned forward to look at Angie. "It's daylight now. We

  can see those things coming."

  Angie sighed and looked at Dalton. He was squirming and

  clutching his stomach.

  "Fine," she said. "But hurry. And if you hear the slightest thing,

  even a bird, you get the hell back here."

  Maylee nodded and undid her belt. She opened her door and

  climbed out. She reached back inside and pulled out her bat. "Damn,"

  she said, shutting the door. "It's cold out here."

  "Just hurry," said Angie, looking back to the station. Park was

  opening the door. "Before Dalton has an accident."

  "Double ultra-mega-gross." Maylee walked over to Dalton's

  door. Angie stepped to one side as Dalton opened it and climbed out.

  Maylee took his hand.

  "I don't need my hand held!" said Dalton, snatching it away.

  "Hold your sister's hand, Dalton," said Angie. "I can't have you

  guys getting separated."

  Maylee held out her hand and Dalton scowled at it. Then he

  grabbed hold. "I'll be sure to use that hand to wipe, then let you hold it

  on the way back."

  "Gross times infinity," said Maylee.

  "Go, guys, now," said Angie. A raindrop hit her hand and she

  Ashton Memorial

  27

  looked up at the clouds. Another hit her cheek and she looked back to

  her kids. "Before I change my mind."

  Maylee set off across the lot, pulling Dalton with her. She had

  her bat in her other hand. Angie hoped she wouldn't need it.

  * * *

  Park pushed open the glass door and stepped inside. He looked

  around, letting the door swing shut behind him.

  The lights were on, one of the fluorescent tubes giving off a

  slight flicker. Static blared from behind the counter. Park guessed it

  came from a radio.

  "Hello?" he said, just in case.

  Nothing.

  He took a step farther inside and saw blood. A pool of it, just

  outside one of the aisles. Red smears ran from the pool, up the aisle and

  out of Park's sight.

  "Fuck me sideways," said Park, sliding the rifle strap from his

  shoulder. He readied the rifle and took a cautious step toward the

  blood. Static blared. The flickering florescent tube was giving Park a

  headache.

  He took another step and drew near to the aisle. He looked back

  outside through the window. Angie was waiting for the gas to turn on.

  Maylee was leading Dalton across the lot, toward the side of the

  station. To the bathroom, Park figured.

  Park turned back to the blood. "You better just be blood," he

  said. He drew in a breath, cocked the rifle and rounded the corner.

  The smears ran to a body. A young man, maybe a teenager, was

  sprawled face down in the aisle. The blue vest on the teen's back told

  Park he'd been working the counter. The large shallow hole in the teen's

  head told Park he was dead.

  "Shit, son," said Park, reshouldering the rifle. He stepped closer.

  The teen's head looked chewed open. Park prodded the teen's leg with

  his foot. He hoped the head was damaged deeply enough to keep him

  down.

  "Well," said Park down to the teen. "I guess if you were gonna

  get up you would have done it before we got here."

  Robert R. Best

  28

  The teen's body remained still. Static blared and the light

  flickered.