the face. The hyena, knocked off course, crashed into the bleachers. It

  rolled down, banging off the seats as it went. Dalton leapt aside and

  watched it fall.

  Maylee watched it fall for a moment, then looked to her left.

  Several of the corpses were already to their level. They stumbled along

  the bleachers, coming toward them.

  "Come on!" said Maylee. She ran down the bleachers, grabbing

  Dalton as she went. They ran as fast as they dared down the rows of

  seats, leaving the groans of the corpses behind them.

  They ran so fast that Maylee had to put up her palms when they

  reached the bottom. Momentum carried her into the glass wall

  surrounding the pool. She caught herself, panting at the water behind

  the glass.

  A sea lion jerked into view, bleating and thrashing at Maylee.

  Maylee jerked back, startled.

  "Come on," she said. "We gotta go."

  They ran out through the exit.

  The exit led into another exhibit. Maylee recognized it

  immediately. It was a hallway running by a huge glass tank. The tank

  was full of water. Normally a hippopotamus swam inside of it. It had

  been a wonderful sight when she was young, the huge hippo gracefully

  swimming in the water or climbing out onto the faux-rocks at the far

  side of the tank. At the moment she saw nothing in the tank. The water

  was dark and dirty.

  "Come on," she repeated. "We just gotta get past this and then

  get outside."

  She stopped when she almost slipped on the floor. She frowned,

  looking down. Water coated the floor. She looked around. "Where's the

  water coming from?"

  Her eyes fell back on the tank. She saw cracks splintering its

  surface. Water seeped out.

  "What's..." Dalton started to say. Then they both saw it. A large

  shape emerging from the dark water, rushing toward them. The hippo

  was in there after all. Its head was bloody and torn. It did not seem to

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  care. It raced toward the glass.

  "Get back!" yelled Maylee. She jumped backward, almost

  knocking over Dalton in the process.

  The hippo hit the tank and the glass exploded outward. A huge

  wave of water engulfed the hallway. For several moments all Maylee

  knew was water and the feeling she was drowning. Then the water was

  gone and she was left sputtering in the hallway and looking for Dalton.

  She found him, crouching and coughing farther down the

  hallway, back toward the amphitheater. She ran to him. "You okay?"

  He nodded, standing. He stopped, looking behind Maylee with

  wide eyes.

  Maylee turned. The hippo was straightening itself up the

  hallway. It thrashed around furiously. Maylee knew what would happen

  as soon as it saw them.

  "Run!" she yelled, grabbing Dalton's hand and pulling him back

  toward the amphitheater. She heard the hippo behind them bellow and

  come after them.

  They reached the amphitheater and Maylee looked around

  desperately. She heard the hippo behind them, coming fast. To her right

  she saw a large raised stage. It was where the trainers stood during the

  shows.

  "There!" she yelled, pulling Dalton up onto the stage. The

  hippo raced past, missing Maylee by inches. She stumbled onto the

  stage, letting go of Dalton and turning to watch the hippo. She wanted

  to grab Dalton and run back to the exit. But the hippo corrected itself

  surprisingly fast. It would be back on them soon.

  Maylee looked around. Her eyes landed on the ladder leading

  up to the platform that extended out over the sea lion tank. The sea

  lions bleated and splashed. The corpses on the bleachers groaned and

  stumbled. The hippo thrashed its head around, looking for Maylee and

  Dalton.

  "Climb!" Maylee yelled. She grabbed Dalton and practically

  pulled him up and onto the ladder herself. Dalton took hold of the

  ladder and started climbing. The hippo saw them and rushed at the

  stage, snorting and huffing.

  Maylee climbed up after Dalton. The hippo smashed onto the

  stage and rushed the ladder. It hit with such force that Maylee nearly

  slipped off. It bellowed up at her in rage as she regained her grip and

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  pulled herself up onto the platform.

  Dalton was kneeling at the top, rifle aimed down at the hippo.

  "Dalton," said Maylee, panting. "What are you..."

  Dalton fired. The dart thudded into the hippo. It thrashed

  around in anger before looking up at Dalton and bellowing.

  "I'm getting him!" said Dalton, grinning and preparing to fire

  again. The hippo slammed into the ladder a second time, sending a

  shudder up to the platform. Dalton fired. The dart hit the hippo in the

  torso.

  Maylee heard bleating and splashing coming from behind her.

  She turned to face the tank. She swallowed. It hadn't looked this high

  from the audience. Down below, the sea lions swam around furiously.

  One leapt straight up, startling Maylee so much she took a step back. It

  missed the platform and fell, bleating in fury, back into the water.

  Behind her, Dalton fired a third time. "Got him!" he said. "He's

  slowing down!"

  "Good," said Maylee, not taking her eyes off the sea lions. She

  heard the hippo roar and slam the ladder again. The force of the shock

  was less this time. "Hurry."

  "Why?" said Dalton.

  "Because," and she stopped as another sea lion leapt out of the

  pool. She could tell by its arc it would make it. She didn't know how

  much damage one could do up close, but she knew it could surely

  knock her and Dalton off the platform.

  "Shit," she said to herself, backing up as the sea lion shot up

  into the air. She readied herself, waiting until it was a few feet away.

  Then she swung her bat so hard she almost fell off the platform. She

  connected with the side of the sea lion. The sea lion bleated in anger

  and fell, spinning, back into the pool.

  "Hurry!" she yelled back at Dalton. Her arms ached.

  Dalton fired a fourth time. Maylee turned to watch. The dart

  thudded into the hippo. It staggered and slumped, snoring.

  "Good job," she said, pushing him toward the ladder. "Hurry

  hurry hurry!"

  They climbed back onto the ladder just as Maylee heard a sea

  lion jump again. They climbed down as fast as they could. It was more

  difficult now that the ladder was bent from the assault by the hippo.

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  Maylee heard the sea lion land on the platform and thrash around

  angrily.

  They reached the bottom. Maylee looked at the hippo, then

  back at Dalton. "You okay?"

  He nodded.

  "Good. Let's go," she said. And they ran.

  Twenty

  Angie and the others plodded along through the rain. She

  wished they had made more progress. She wished she had food for

  everybody. She wished a lot of things.

  "Where's the food you promised us?" said someone in the

  crowd.

  "Right next to shut the fuck up," said Park.

  "We'll find food," said Angie. "My guess is Gregory's hoarding

  it. It can't be a coincidence that right after I mocked him for not

  controlling the Keepers, the Keepers packed up all the nonperishable

  food and moved."

  "So where the hell are we going?" said a woman in the crowd.

  "Some place called the Emergency Backup Station. He let the

  animals out, and that's the only place he could have done it from. We

  get there, we demand food and we rescue Park's daughter."

  "Then what?" said the red-headed young woman behind Angie.

  The one who'd seen the Keepers leave the Bites.

  "Then," said Angie, "we convince Gregory to step down." She

  plodded along through the wet. The others walked along behind her.

  "He won't let people leave. He's gone insane with power. We force him

  to let go. Then those who want to go can go. I'm staying behind and

  making this place safe again. We can live here until help comes."

  There were murmurs of assent around the crowd.

  "You really think Gregory and the Keepers will step down?"

  said the red-head.

  "That's what the weapons are for," said Park.

  "It's just to scare them," said Angie. "And to defend against the

  corpses and the crazy animals. We won't have to use them on people."

  "You hope not," said Park.

  "I know not," said Angie. "Things can't have gone that insane.

  Surely they'll listen."

  Deep down, Angie feared they would not.

  The group rounded a corner. Angie held up her arms for the

  others to stop. They did. Her chest grew tight.

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  A large gray elephant stood in the center of an open area ahead

  of them. Its back was to them and it had not noticed their arrival. It

  stomped its feet and snorted in the rain.

  "Shit," said Park. "Not sure how much use tranqs and shovels

  are going to be against that thing."

  The crowd behind Angie muttered nervously. Angie looked

  around for an idea. She saw a gift shop to her right. It was large, taking

  up most of the area on that side. Angie fished the map from her pocket

  and squinted at it through the rain.

  "The gift shop," she said, putting the map back into her pocket

  and nodding at the building. "It has two doors. We can go in there and

  come out the other side. Completely bypass the elephant."

  "Don't see what choice we have," said Park, taking the rifle

  from his shoulder and holding it ready. "Let's go shopping."

  The group slowly walked toward the gift shop. Angie kept her

  eyes on the elephant. It stomped and whipped its trunk around in the

  rain. It didn't turn and notice them.

  They reached the door without incident. Angie pulled it open

  and looked inside. It was dark but looked clear. She looked back to the

  group and nodded. They all filed inside.

  Angie had only taken a few steps inside before they were

  completely enveloped in darkness. She heard the door shut behind her,

  indicating the entire group was inside.

  "Where the hell are the lights?" said someone in the crowd.

  "Also right next to shut the fuck up," said Park. "It's a

  happening place. You should go there."

  "The power's off," said Angie. "It's off all over the entire zoo,

  and its probably not coming back. So everyone just stay together,

  move slow and keep calm. We'll be fine."

  They all moved through the dark. Angie could make out dim

  outlines. Racks of souvenir T-shirts. Shelves of animal-themed

  knickknacks. She found herself hating the gift shop for being so large.

  "I think I heard something," said the red-headed young woman

  behind Angie.

  Angie strained to listen. All she heard were the fumbling

  movements of the crowd and their mutters.

  "I heard it too," said someone else in the crowd, farther back.

  "Everyone just stay calm," said Angie.

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  Groans erupted from all sides. People screamed. Angie

  whipped her head side to side, trying to pinpoint where the groans were

  coming from. She saw moving shapes and realized they were coming

  from everywhere. Corpses had been standing in the dark of the shop the

  whole time. For a moment she thought she'd killed herself and

  everyone with her. Then she heard the sounds of people using the

  weapons she'd given them. She heard the clang of shovels and

  wrenches. She heard corpses groan and fall. She felt hope.

  Then a tightly-wound band of cloth closed around her neck and

  pulled tight. She fell backward against her attacker. The cloth tightened

  further, pushing the air from her throat.

  Her attacker spoke, and Angie recognized the voice. The red-

  headed woman. "Long live the Keepers, bitch," she said.

  Shafts of light exploded around her and Angie was convinced

  she was dying. Then she realized the lights were real, bobbing around

  in the dark as people moved.

  "I found flashlights!" someone said. "They still work!"

  Angie struggled, clutching at the cloth as it dug deeper into her

  neck. She was failing.

  Several of the lights fell on her.

  "What the hell?" said Park's voice.

  Park rushed over and shoved the red-headed woman back. She

  let go of Angie. Angie stumbled away, coughing and wheezing. She

  pulled the cloth from her throat and saw it was a zoo souvenir T-shirt.

  Angie turned back to the red-head. Her shirt sleeves had been pushed

  upward during the struggle. A crude "K" was carved into her arm.

  "Dammit," said Park to the red-head. "I knew there was

  something wrong about you."

  "Did you now?" said the red-head, looking defiant in the beams

  of light trained on her. "Good for you, hillbilly! Too bad you're all

  going to the wrong fucking place! You people think you can take over

  this zoo? All our true leader has to do is move himself and his daughter

  and you fuckers have no idea where you're going. You're a joke!"

  "What are you saying?" said Angie. "Where have they moved

  to?"

  "Where the fuck is my daughter?" yelled Park.

  "Traitor spy bitch!" said an older man in the crowd. He rushed

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  to the red-head. Angie saw the wrench in his hand just before he

  slammed it across the woman's temple. The woman cried out and

  dropped to her knees. A split in her skin showed a crack in her skull.

  Blood seeped out. She twitched and moaned.

  "What the fuck is the matter with you!" yelled Angie, shoving

  the older man back. The older man looked at her in shock.

  "She attacked you!" yelled the man. "She attacked our leader!"

  "I'm not your fucking leader!" yelled Angie, shoving him again.

  "Get out! Just get out of here!"

  The man looked bewildered. He would have looked sad if not

  for the blood on the wrench he carried. The lights bobbed in the dark,

  moving from him to Angie to the dying woman on the floor.

  "But," the older man said. "Where the hell am I supposed to

  go?"

  "I don't give a shit!" yelled Angie. "Just get out!"

  The man looked from Angie to the others. He looked shocked,

  then hurt, then angry. "Fine. Fuck you anyway." He stomped out of

  view, headed toward the far exit.

  Angie heard the young woman on the floor moaning. Angie

  dropped to her knees. She struggled to think of what to say. She felt

  guilty. The woman had attacked her, but she'd been stopped. Angie

  opened her mouth to speak, then shut it.

  "Where the fuck is my daughter?" Park yelled again, his voice

  shaking.

  The young woman moaned, blood falling from the split in her

  temple and onto the floor. "Cat Country," the woman said.

  "What?" said Angie, leaning closer. Her nurse's aide training

  came back to her and she desperately tried to think of ways she could

  help. "What did you say?"

  "Cat County," said the young woman. "They're going to Cat

  Country." Then she slumped, fell over, and died.

  * * *

  Maylee and Dalton stomped along through the rain. Dalton had

  his rifle over his shoulder. Maylee had her bat held down at her side.

  They passed trees, bushes and empty exhibits. Maylee heard faint

  groans, somewhere far off. She also thought she heard a few growls

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  from somewhere. Again, too far off to tell.

  Dalton spoke, breaking the silence. "Is this the way to Cat

  Country?"

  "We're coming from the back way," said Maylee. "This way

  we'll be at the top and can see the whole thing."

  Dalton nodded and kept walking. They drew near a bend in the

  path. They approached it silently. Maylee thought she heard something

  coming from behind. She turned her head to look, continuing to walk

  forward. She saw nothing. She shrugged and turned back.

  They rounded the corner.

  Three corpses stood there, moaning and grabbing at them.

  The closest one, a fat man with no skin on his hands, grabbed at

  Maylee. His muscles flexed in the rain as he grabbed and hissed.

  Maylee brought up her bat and slammed it across the man's face. His

  head whipped to one side and he stumbled back. She brought her bat

  around and slammed his head the other way. His skull cracked and he