raided. And to add to all the fun, crazy zookeepers are keeping people

  out of the restaurant."

  "Joy all around," said Park.

  The loud speakers around the office crackled to life. The four of

  them jerked in surprise.

  Gregory's voice rang out. "Good afternoon, citizens of Ashton

  Memorial."

  Angie turned to the others, sighing. "And that asshole keeps

  talking."

  "We've heard it too," said Maylee.

  "Ella said he's got Lori," said Park.

  "Did he just say 'citizens?'" said Dalton.

  Gregory continued, his voice booming around the room. Angie

  heard it coming from outside too, from speakers throughout the zoo.

  "We are working hard for your safety."

  Angie cocked her head, listening. Whenever Gregory paused,

  she heard a fainter version of his voice coming from somewhere else in

  the room, a fraction of a second late. "Anyone else hear that echo?"

  Gregory continued to drone on about how hard he was working

  to protect everyone. Angie ignored the content, listening for the echo,

  trying to place where it came from.

  Finally she located it. Across the room, in one of the chairs,

  was some sort of small handheld device. AM PerComm, said a logo

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  etched into the side. Angie guessed it stood for "personal

  communicator."

  Gregory droned on in the background. Angie clicked a large

  button on the side of the communicator and held it to her mouth.

  "Hello?"

  Gregory made no sign he'd heard her. He kept talking, now

  praising the bravery of the Keepers. Angie noticed he used the same

  terms the people at the Zoo Bites had used. She also noticed he was

  talking about them as though they were some sort of police force. Or

  army.

  "Hello?" she said, clicking the communicator and trying again.

  This time she noticed her own voice echoing from another chair in the

  room. She walked over to the chair and found a second communicator

  laying there.

  She clicked the button. "Testing," she said into the

  communicator in her hand. Her voice echoed from the second

  communicator in the chair.

  Frowning, she turned the communicator over in her hand,

  looking at it more closely. Gregory continued talking in the

  background. On the side of the communicator, she found a dial with

  two settings. One said Direct and the other said Broadcast. It was set to

  Direct. Angie clicked the dial to Broadcast.

  She clicked the button on the side and held the communicator

  to her mouth. "Hello?"

  Her own voice boomed out over the speakers around the room.

  She heard it echoing from the speakers outside.

  Gregory stopped mid-sentence. "Who is this? This channel is

  not for citizen use."

  Angie clicked the communicator. "My name is Angela Land

  and I am not your citizen."

  "You live within my borders, ma'am," said Gregory's booming

  voice. "Now please get off my channel."

  Angie clicked the communicator. "Do you have a girl with

  you? A girl named Lori?"

  "Help!" yelled a girl's voice over the speakers. She sounded

  farther away than Gregory, but clearly audible.

  Maylee and Dalton gasped. Park stepped forward. "That's her.

  That son of a fucking bitch."

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  Angie held up a finger to Park, indicating to wait. Gregory was

  silent for several seconds. Angie guessed he'd turned off the

  microphone. Then there was an audible click and Gregory returned.

  "Citizens," he started.

  Park snatched the communicator from Angie. He screamed into

  it, louder and with more force than Angie had ever seen Park exhibit.

  "Give me back my fucking daughter you fucking dog-cunt!"

  Angie took the communicator back from Park. "What he said."

  Gregory sighed through the speakers. "I built Ashton Memorial,

  ma'am. You and your friends need to respect me."

  "Whatever," said Angie, clicking off the communicator and

  dropping it into her pocket. She strode to a map display hanging by the

  door. She snatched out a map and shoved it into her other pocket. She

  turned back to Park, Maylee and Dalton.

  Park nodded. "You thinking we got guns and a map now?"

  "Yep," said Angie. "That pretty much sums it up."

  She motioned for the others to follow and turned toward the

  door. As they exited, she pulled the communicator from her pocket.

  Gregory was talking and talking. The rain pounded relentlessly now.

  Angie clicked the communicator on as she walked. The others

  walked close behind her. Park had his rifle out and ready.

  "Shut up," said Angie into the communicator, feeling a little

  thrill as her voice echoed all throughout the zoo.

  Gregory stopped mid-sentence for the second time. "I thought

  you had finally developed some sense."

  "And I thought I told you to shut up. We've got guns now. Guns

  and a map. We can move much more quickly now. So here's what's

  going to happen. We are going to march to the restaurant and your

  people will give us food. Then, we're finding you and we're getting

  Lori."

  Angie stopped mid-stride as she saw a corpse emerge from the

  rain in front of them. It was a young woman with broken glasses and a

  large gash running down both forearms. Rain pooled in her wounds and

  she ground her rotting teeth.

  "There," said Angie to Park, pointing.

  "Got it," said Park. He aimed the rifle and fired. The corpse

  stumbled backward as a dart thudded into its forehead. The corpse fell

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  to the ground, still.

  Gregory had been silent this whole time. Angie clicked the

  communicator on and kept walking. The others fell in behind her.

  "You didn't even know about the restaurant, did you?" said

  Angie. Her voice echoed all around. "You have no idea what your own

  people are doing. You don't own shit. You don't run shit."

  Angie stopped and pointed. "There."

  Park nodded and aimed at a corpse that had staggered from

  behind a tree. It was an old man wearing a ripped tank top and missing

  part of his scalp. Rain collected in the holes in his skin and ran slimy

  rivulets down his cheeks. He gurgled and came at them. Park fired and

  the man fell, dart deep in his forehead.

  "Thanks for all the help, by the way," said Park.

  "Mommy's on the phone," said Angie. She motioned for the

  others to continue and they pounded through the rain. She was going

  from memory. They could round a few more bends before she would

  have to get out the map and find the quickest way to the restaurant.

  They came around one of those bends and found themselves by

  the hyena exhibit. The hyenas ran around furiously in the rain. They

  snarled and bit at the wooden fence separating them from Angie and

  the others. Angie looked across the exhibit, finding the light that

  indicated the door at the back. The light was red. She assured herself

  the animals couldn't get to them. Maylee watched the hyenas warily.

  Angie suspected she'd had a different experience with wooden fences.

  Angie hoped that whatever it was, it was an isolated incident.

  "Which way?" said Dalton, wrapping his jacket tightly around

  himself in the rain.

  Angie nodded to their right and clicked on the communicator.

  "But whatever," she said, hearing her own voice echo around. "We'll

  go to the restaurant, which you have no control over, get some food,

  which you'll have no control over, then we'll find you and get Park's

  kid. And you'll have no control over it!"

  Angie clicked off the communicator, listening to her voice fade

  from the speakers. Through the rain and growling animals, she heard

  something else. People, far off, little pockets of them spread throughout

  the zoo. It sounded like they were cheering.

  Gregory cleared his throat, the sound of it rumbling throughout

  the zoo. "Citizens of Ashton Memorial, this woman is clearly unstable.

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  She has obviously stolen equipment from the brave men and women

  who keep you safe. She is using stolen Keeper equipment to spread her

  madness."

  Angie snorted and dropped the communicator in her pocket.

  She looked around, making sure the way was clear to go. She took her

  own rifle from her shoulder.

  Gregory continued, his voice booming all around. "From my

  vantage point, I have seen the things this woman has done. She and her

  group are the ones who let those creatures into our borders. Into your

  home. Those things have invaded the sanctuary of Ashton Memorial,

  and she is responsible."

  "He's fucking crazy," muttered Park, spitting rain out of his

  mouth.

  "But fear not," said Gregory's echoing voice. "We have

  creatures of our own. Proud, noble creatures who will not hesitate to

  defend us. To drive these invaders away. Rest assured, citizens. This is

  my kingdom. And I hold the keys."

  A click rang out from somewhere far off. Then another. Then

  another. Then one click after another so fast Angie couldn't keep up.

  She and the others looked around, straining to see through the heavy

  rain.

  "What's going on?" said Dalton.

  "Not sure," said Angie. The clicking continued as Angie looked

  all over, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Her eyes fell on the

  hyena exhibit. The hyenas snarled at her, their wet hair bristling in the

  rain. The light by the door at the back of the exhibit was red.

  Then the door clicked.

  And the light turned green.

  The hyenas jerked, startled by the loud clicking noise. They

  turned to see the door slowly swing open. Snarling and yelping, they

  ran for the open door.

  "Oh shit," said Angie.

  "That's bad," said Park.

  Growling and snarling came from all around. The growls and

  the clicking of the locks seemed to have alerted every corpse in the

  area. Groans erupted from all sides.

  "Really bad," said Angie, gripping her rifle and looking around.

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  "Who knew taunting the crazy man could go so badly?" said

  Park.

  A goat raced from the rain, bleating and grunting in fury. It

  raced toward Maylee.

  "Look out!" yelled Angie.

  Maylee dodged to one side, bringing up her bat as the goat ran

  past.

  "I got it!" yelled Angie, leveling her rifle at the goat as it

  stopped and turned. It lowered its head and barreled back at Maylee.

  Angie fired. The dart thudded into the goats hip. It slowed,

  staggered and slumped to the ground, inches from Maylee. Maylee

  stood over it warily, bat over her head. Finally she lowered it, looking

  at Angie and panting. "Thanks."

  Angie nodded, whipping her head around as more growls and

  moans came from the rain.

  "I think we may need to fall back for the time being," she said.

  "I think you may be pretty fucking right," said Park.

  A horde of lizards raced from the rain. None more than a foot in

  length. Angie recognized them from the reptile exhibit. The lizards

  raced to Dalton. He screamed and fell back, the lizards almost

  swarming him.

  "Dalton!" yelled Angie and Maylee in unison. They both raced

  to defend Dalton. Maylee got there first, slamming her bat down into

  the mob of lizards. Several splattered against the pavement. Angie

  arrived and kicked as many as she could away. One hissed and turned

  on her, racing up her leg. It flared a membrane on the back of its head

  and bit at her clothing.

  "Mom!" yelled Dalton.

  Angie grabbed the lizard and threw it as far away as she could.

  She spun as she turned, then gasped as the thrown lizard thudded into

  the chest of an approaching corpse. It was a bloated naked woman,

  deep black sores in her stomach and breasts. The lizard clawed madly

  at the corpse's flesh, trying to get back to Angie. The woman ignored

  the lizard, groaning and grasping for Angie. The lizard tore huge hunks

  of skin free, revealing black blood and rotting bone.

  "Shit!" said Angie, watching the corpse and feeling more

  lizards swarming around her legs. She heard Dalton screaming and

  Maylee crushing lizards with her bat. Sharp, squelching clangs rang out

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  as the bat smacked the pavement over and over again.

  The woman jerked and spun as something hit her from behind.

  Angie saw a dart protruding from the back of her head. The woman

  fell, crushing the lizard as she splattered onto the pavement. Park

  lowered his rifle and ran over.

  Angie turned back to Dalton and the lizards. He brushed the last

  one from him, tossing it away in revulsion. It hit the pavement and

  Maylee swatted it farther away. One was racing around Angie's legs.

  She kicked it and it skittered across the pavement. It turned back to hiss

  at her. Park arrived and kicked it so hard it flew out of sight. "We

  heading back to the office?" he said to Angie.

  "Fuck yes," said Angie. "Go go!" she yelled, motioning for

  everyone to run. Everyone did, heading back around the corner and

  racing toward the office.

  They ran as hard as they dared, unable to see more than a few

  feet ahead in the driving rain. Growls and snarls and moans came from

  everywhere. "Everyone be careful!" she yelled.

  She took three more pounding steps and a corpse emerged from

  the rain. It was a big man with slimy rotting jowls and yellow teeth. He

  was on her before she could get her rifle out.

  "Mom!" yelled both Dalton and Maylee behind her.

  Angie pushed back as the corpse wrapped his thick slimy arms

  around her. Angie turned her rifle upward against her chest and fired.

  The dart shot up into the man's chin. He jerked and fell backward,

  trying to work his mouth open. The dart pinned it shut. Angie stepped

  back, bringing the rifle up to fire again. A dart flew past her head and

  thudded into the man's forehead. His jowls shook and he dropped

  straight down, motionless.

  Angie cast a glance back to see Park lowering his rifle.

  "Thanks," she said.

  Park nodded. "We gotta get."

  Angie nodded and turned back. She motioned for the others to

  follow. She started again, more slowly than before. She kept looking

  left to right, waiting for something else to emerge.

  They reached the large open walkway. Angie knew the office

  was at the far end. She could make out the vague shape of it in the

  pounding rain.

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  She could make out another shape too. Large and hulking, it

  blocked the way to the office. It snorted and stepped toward them.

  "Oh fuck me sideways," said Angie as the shape became

  clearer.

  "Is that a fucking rhino?" said Park.

  The rhino snorted and stomped its feet. It grunted and huffed.

  Then it charged.

  * * *

  Maylee tensed as the rhino charged. It snorted and pounded

  through the rain. The ground shook from the impact.

  "Get out of the way!" yelled Mom.

  Maylee, Mom and Park all ran to the right. Dalton didn't move.

  He stood, staring at the charging rhino. His eyes were wide and he

  looked like he was trembling. Mom and Park were in front and hadn't

  seen.

  "Dalton!" yelled Maylee. "Run!" Her voice was drowned out

  by the rain and the pounding of the charging rhino. Dalton didn't move.

  Maylee ran back toward Dalton, into the path of the rhino.

  "Dalton! Maylee!" yelled Mom. Maylee saw Mom turning as

  she ran.

  Maylee reached Dalton and grabbed him around the waist. She

  dove, taking Dalton with her, to the left as the rhino charged by. It

  missed them by inches.

  Maylee and Dalton rolled across the pavement. Dalton yelped

  as their elbows and knees banged into the pavement. The pavement

  turned to grass. Then they stopped suddenly as they crashed into

  something hard.

  Maylee scrambled up, terrified they'd hit some other crazed

  animal. Dalton stood next to her. Maylee let out a sigh as she realized

  they'd hit a large tree.

  "That hurt!" said Dalton, rubbing his elbows.

  "Not as much as the rhino would have hurt," said Maylee,

  looking up at the tree. It was old-looking. Tall and sturdy.