Chapter Eleven: Wild Things
The office vibrated and shook with each frustrated footstep as the elephant prowled outside, desperate and angered at losing its prey. Jim looked around the empty office, simultaneously shitting himself and hugely relieved there wasn't anything in there to deal with. The elephant roared again in fury as it stormed around outside.
So whatever this was also affected animals too. Shit! Jim thought. As if the walking dead weren't bad enough they now had animals to deal with. The zombies were dangerous, sure, but they could be out run. As long as they didn't surround him or get the jump on him he could be okay, but they were slow. Probably due to rigormortis. Now there were animals that were either dead or mutated so much that they ran around like they were jacked up on PCP.
This was some bad shit. Silently, in the back of his mind, he was glad him grandma had passed away a fear before this. If she had been killed by this, he didn't know what he would have done. At least she didn't have to live through this. For that he was glad.
"Right," Said Rory, now recovering after the long sprint they had all had. "What now?"
"What do you mean?" Said Joplin. Jim noticed that was the first time he had heard Joplin talk.
"Well how do we get out of here and to that chopper?" Said Rory. Jim noticed that David and Yoko both stood over by the far wall, both saying nothing. They were both watching the large window that covered most of the adjacent wall. A window that the elephant was behind. A window that Jim was dangerously close to.
He quickly moved over to join them.
"We need to find a way out of this building." Said Kelly. "Maybe try some of the doors and find another door somewhere. Hopefully without…that spotting us."
There was a door behind her, as well as a few others down the far end of the room. Past the window. He wouldn't be trying that door any time soon.
"Hold on." Said Patrick. "What about the other animals?"
"Come again?" Said Riq.
"We're in a fucking zoo you prick!" Said Patrick. "There's going to be animals all over the place. What if they're all as fucked up as that thing out there?!"
"We don't really have much of a choice unless we want to stay in here and hope it goes away!" Said Kelly, frustration showing in her voice. Jim didn't blame her, if this was what her boss was like under stress; he dreaded to see what he was like when calm.
The others continued to argue as Jim looked over at David and Yoko. Both were still silent and watching the window, occasionally looking over at the others. Maybe they were regretting coming along with them. David had been unusually quiet since, well, even more quiet than usual. He was probably sticking to what he had said earlier, about not wanting to have any responsibility for anyone.
The sound of the elephant roaring outside drowned out the arguing of the others. And then the room started to shake, more than before. Almost like…the elephant was charging…
With a crash that Jim was sure he would remember until the day he died, whenever that would be, the elephant thrust its head through the window, roaring as it did and swinging the trunk up in the air.
Jim instinctively ducked as it swung overhead. Someone screamed, from the sounds of it Patrick. Then everyone was yelling, and there was movement. Panicked movement and screaming that was soon drowned out by the sound of the elephant roaring again. Jim knew if he didn't move now, he would die. He looked up.
David and Yoko were running towards the door at the far end of the room with Kelly. Patrick was already opening the nearest door and practically leaping out of it with Joplin. Above all the commotion he could hear Kelly's voice shouting out to everyone.
"Make for south entrance of the zoo!" She yelled. "By the tram lines!"
With that she was gone, running out into the hallway with David and Yoko. The only other person he could see in the room was Riq, and he was already reaching out to help him up standing next to the door Patrick, Joplin and Rory had gone through.
Jim gladly received the open hand as Riq hauled him to his feet and practically dragged him through the door. There was another crash behind him accompanied by a gust of wind as the elephant's trunk swung out again in aggression. If he had been a split second later…
He and Riq both ran down the corridor. He couldn't see the others. He just ran, turning almost every corner as they went, trying to find a way from the elephant and a way out.
XXX
Kevin slammed in another clip as he staggered back from the shambling masses in front of him. There seemed to be no end to them. They had already taken down at least twenty between all three of them, but for every one that died, it seemed four took its place. Just like some fucked up piece of mythology.
"Last mag!" Kevin yelled above the sound of gunfire. Seven round; not nearly enough.
"Nearly empty!" Yelled Dorian as he fired at more of the creatures. There were just too many. Even if every shot was on target, they were getting closer, and they wouldn't be able to hold them off much longer.
Something flew through the air. He didn't dare take his eyes off the approaching corpses as it did for fear of missing a shot. The object landed hard on one of the zombies, knocking it to the ground. A rock. Another one flew through the air, followed by more.
Another zombie fell over as the rock clipped it on the forehead. He could assume it was the survivors behind them throwing them, but they weren't killing them. The most it would buy with was a few seconds. Still, a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
More zombies staggered out of the Apple Inn, all in various states of mutilation. One man had half of his neck ripped out so that his head was basically hanging at an off angle to the other side. Another staggered out seemingly oblivious to the fact that its intestines were trailing out of its stomach with it.
He saw another with only one leg crawling along the ground towards them. There was another one not far behind it, except this one was basically just a torso with a head and arms. She had been ripped apart in the mid section and was now crawling forward with nothing beneath her stomach. The image was horrifying.
He saw someone step up beside him. Glancing over he saw one of the civilians brandishing a long metal pipe.
"What are you doing?!" Kevin yelled as he targeted another zombie and fired. Four shots left.
The civilian didn't reply, instead he leapt at the nearest zombie with the pipe, smashing it over the head with it. The zombie fell to the ground as he swung at another. He was swinging wildly, clearly more of a brawler than a fighter. Still, they needed everything they could get.
He swung at another zombie, crushing its skull with the blow. His actions were beginning to attract others started after his determinedly. He brought the pipe down hard on another creature, killing it, and moved to the side. He was trying to keep his distance, but instead he was beginning to get surrounded.
One of them came around at his side and lunged forward to deliver a fatal bite. Kevin fired at it as it did. The shot took it in the shoulder, knocking it back and buying his enough time to deliver a final blow with pipe to it.
Three shots left.
"I'm out!" Dorian yelled and took a step back.
"Get back!" Kevin yelled and started falling back. He saw Mark do the same. He looked over and saw the man with the pipe, and then felt his heart drop as he three of them leaping at him at once.
The man swung the pipe in panic, leaping back as he did. The pipe connected with one of the zombies, knocking it to the side but not killing it. More zombies moved in behind him and moved in, surrounding him. It was almost strategic. More advanced and he disappeared behind them.
Kevin saw one stagger back from a blow and fall over moaning as it went. He saw another fall back as well, but also saw one lunge forward, followed by the rest. They moved as one, all forcing themselves forwards mouth first. They fell as one too, already devouring as they hit the ground.
Kevin heard the man's screams and felt his heart drop lower knowing he could do nothing as the zombies tore him apart. He fired another shot and took down another zombie that was advancing. Now he was down to two, and then they were screwed.
"There!"
Kevin turned at Dorian's cry and felt his hope rise. Down the road he could see the headlights of one of the R.P.D vans. The type they used for transporting criminals.
"Move!" He yelled, pointing as he did.
The civilians started to run towards it. He saw the truck slow down and start to turn, presenting the doors to them. He fired at another zombie, moving back with Mark as he did. Another one lunged at him and fired again.
One of the civilians to his right started to run, and then was yanked to the ground. Kevin turned to her, and saw the zombie with only one leg bite deep into her ankle.
He fired.
Click.
He was out. Another shot came from behind him and hit the zombie in the head.
"Help her!" Mark said behind him as he fired another shot.
"Come on!" Kevin said to the woman as he grabbed her hand and helped her up. She cried out in pain as she stood and Kevin slung her arm over his shoulder to support her. "Come on we can make it!" Together they stumbled towards the van doors which were now open. He heard more shots behind him as Mark followed them.
The survivors piled into the van, practically scrambling for safety. Kevin and the woman limped up and she climbed into the van, helped by some of the others. Once he saw she was fully on the van he turned to look for Mark.
He was right behind him, firing a shot at the zombies.
"Get in!" Kevin said and grabbed the older man by the shoulders, hauling him into the van. He reached over and started to close the doors. Suddenly one of the zombies grabbed onto the door started to pull back, trying to gain access to the van.
Kevin pulled his foot back and kicked the creature hard in the face, sending it flying back. He saw several of its teeth hit the ground along with it. He grabbed onto the doors and slammed them shut.
"Go!" He yelled up to the driver. Immediately the van speeded off down the street, leaving their undead pursuers behind.
XXX
The door opened leading back out into the chilling air of the night. Jim looked around for any signs of the elephant or, for that matter, anything else. Their flight through the building had been relatively undisturbed, unless he counted the zombie he saw briefly in one of the rooms as they ran past. They hadn't run into any of the others. Either they had found another way out, or they hadn't made it.
They had emerged into the employee car park, which by this time was mostly empty. He saw only one car parked, which he assumed belonged to the undead occupant they had passed in the building. He didn't know how many zombies there might be in the zoo, and right now he wasn't really worried about them either.
"Right." Said Riq, stepping forward and looking around. "We need to find out where we are. The helicopter is at the south side tram lines, so we need to find a way over there."
"Okay." Said Jim, realising that in a zoo full of potentially zombified or mutated animals it was probably easier said than done.
Riq walked forward, looking around as he went. There was a gate in the corner that presumably led into the zoo. The car park was lit by only one light that just had to flicker. The dancing light cast shadows over the rest of the parking lot, creating perfect hiding places for anything to just jump out.
Jim literally turned in circles as they moved over to the door. He knew there was probably nothing in the lot with them, but that didn't make it any easier. Riq reached the gate first and placed his hand on it. Very slowly, he creaked it open.
Glancing over Riq's shoulder Jim saw an empty pathway that was probably part of the main route through the zoo. Nothing moved that he could see. It looked safe. Riq moved the gate open the rest of the way, fully exposing themselves to anything that wanted to jump out from around the corner and take a bite out of them. Still there was nothing.
They moved out onto the pathway and took hold of their surroundings. On either side of the path was a wire mesh fence about seven feet high circling an enclosure that stretched off beyond Jim's line of sight. The path twisted and led into other directions. On the wall beside them was a map.
They both walked up to it. Riq raised his hand to it and pointed with his finger. "We're here," he said pointing to the arrow on the map that showed where were. The arrow You Are Here pointed to Hyena Heaven. "And the tramlines are here." He said pointing to them on the map. "So if we go this way," he said, following a path with his finger, "we should arrive right at it."
Conveniently the path was a relatively straight line that led through a few more enclosures but led in the end to the tram area. The other enclosures on the area were a giraffe one and some sort of bio-dome that housed lots of plants. Assuming they made it through the hyenas and giraffes okay, they would make it easy.
"Come on let's go." Riq said and started heading down the path. Jim followed. They both failed to notice a section of the wire fence that had been chewed out. Blood stained it.
"So have you got any idea what this whole thing is?" Jim said as he caught up to him.
"No idea man." Said Riq as they continued. "But this whole thing was building up all day. Car crashes, riots, I'm amazed we never saw it coming."
Behind them something moved in the darkness. Something small, no bigger than a dog. A second joined it, then a third. Slowly they made their way through the darkness towards their oblivious prey.
"Do you think this is happening everywhere?" Jim asked worriedly. The thought of the world coming to an end wasn't a comforting one. Especially if it meant you would be ripped apart in the end.
"I don't know. Sucks if it is." Riq said. "It wouldn't surprise me though. I mean, whatever this thing is, there's no way it's only happening here. And if it is ground zero, I doubt they'll be able to stop it."
Various thoughts ran through Jim's head at once. Most of them were what ifs. What would happen to the world if this was happening everywhere? Would the governments fall? Would bombs be dropped on countries to ensure another's survival? He was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn't even hear the growling that started behind him.
But Riq did.
With one hand he reached out and caused Jim to stop. He motioned with it to be quiet and stood perfectly still, listening. Fear overtook Jim. The sudden realisation that anything could be with them in the darkness of the enclosure, and worse still, it was behind him, so he couldn't see it. That was the worst fear, the fear that something you couldn't see could get you.
A long deep, animalistic growl drifted through the air behind them.
"Run!" Riq yelled and took off. Jim moved about a tenth of a second later, feeling a surge of adrenaline inside of him taking over.
Wind flew by them both as they ran down the pathway, sheer terror gripping tight. Behind them their pursuers gave chase. The sound of paws and claws grating against the ground came up behind them. Louder and louder. Closer and closer. Until they pounced.
Jim was sure he felt a huge weight come crashing down and knock him over. But he realised he was still running. He looked to his side, but Riq wasn't there. He glanced back and found himself stopping dead.
Through the darkness he could see three silhouettes of animals that looked like dogs, biting and tearing at something on the ground. Something that screamed. Riq!
The three hyenas bit and clawed at him as he squirmed on the ground, screaming in agony as they ripped and chewed holes out of him. Jim thought hyenas were supposed to be scavengers that only preyed on small animals on the Serengeti. But what he saw in front of him showed something different entirely. Perhaps they were starving and were forced to hunt larger prey, or maybe they were infected too, like the elephant.
Riq's screams started to die down and were replaced by gurgles as Jim looked on in desperation. Suddenly one of the hyenas looked up at Jim and snarled. A paralysing fear came over Jim. Until it charged at him.
Suddenly snapped out by fear he turned and sprinted as fast as he could away from the creature. Riq was dead; there was nothing he could do. He had to escape and find the others. The hyena charged after him. He could hear it panting as did, getting closer with each one.
Up ahead he saw the door that led out of the enclosure. Usually open during the day, but it was closed at night. He prayed it wasn't locked. If it was he was screwed. The hyena got closer and prepared to jump. He wasn't going to reach the door in time.
The creature jumped and Jim let himself drop to the ground. He felt the air brush over him as the hyena flew forward, not expecting to miss its prey. It landed roughly a few feet from the door stunned. Jim took the opportunity and leapt to his feet.
He jerked the door open, relieved that it wasn't locked and moved through, turning to close the door behind him as he did. As he did he saw the hyena was already on its feet. Once again it leapt. Jim pulled on the door.
The hyena and door connected, the creature getting its head caught between the door and arch. It snarled and lunged at Jim with its mouth, but was unable to reach him. Jim pushed harder on the door, starting to crush the creature's neck. With a yelp it pulled its head back through and the door shut.
Jim slid the latch into place to secure the door. He turned to face his new surroundings. Several large wooden buildings lay empty. More than likely they were used to house the giraffes. None were around. A pool of blood had gathered in the middle of the house, along with smears along the walls and ground.
The door behind him rocked as the hyena leapt against it from the other side. It probably wouldn't hold for very long. Jim set off into the Giraffe house, hoping to god he didn't find any.
XXX
Rory was not having a good night.
First of all there had been the zombies, which by the way, were not supposed to be real but more crap b-movie material. Then there was the giant elephant that was somehow zombified in itself, and now, he was stuck wondering around a fucking zoo, with one of the worst people on the planet imaginable.
"Do you know where we're going?" Rory asked as they walked along the pathway.
"For the last fucking time yes!" Said Patrick annoyed, and sighed with evident frustration. Rory clenched fists in his own frustration. The man was an asshole; he didn't care about anyone or anything. He probably only cared about how big his pay cheque was. Still, they were stuck with him.
"We just have to keep following this path," said Joplin, "A few turns and corners then we'll reach it."
"How do you know that?" Asked Rory.
"Cause I did a story here a few months ago." He said, "Got to learn the layout of the place pretty well."
Rory nodded. He still didn't believe what was happening. He was only out for a few drinks with his friends, and they had only dragged him out to cheer him up about Cheryl dumping him. She was probably dead now, dead and walking around. What a way to go.
They would have been moving in together tonight if she hadn't had called it off. They had been together three months, but Rory felt like it had been three years. He felt like he had known her all his life and he had realised at that time that he didn't to be with anyone else. He was in love.
He had asked her to move in after just over a week ago. She had been stunned at first and had seemed hesitant, but had then said yes. It had made his heart leap when she said it. Then this morning when he had gone round to help her move her things she had told she couldn't do it.
She had said things were moving way too fast for her and she couldn't think straight. In his desperation he had told her just to stay where she was, as long as they were still together. But she said she couldn't do it. She said it just wouldn't feel the same. In a way she was right, but it didn't stop the pain nonetheless.
After about five hours of moping around a now empty apartment his friend Steve had came round and told him to let it go. All with the love of another good woman, that of lady liquor. Rory had been against it at first, not wanting to go back out and face the world, but Steve said he didn't have a say in the matter.
He had been the first to go when the zombies showed up, bitten in the neck as they were attempting to run out of the door. He wondered if he not been persuaded to go out drinking with them, would he still be alive? He hadn't seen any of the others either, they had all fled in different directions the second the shit hit the fan. They were all good guys when everything went right, but when it went bad, they weren't to be seen.
And now here he was, walking down a pathway in a zoo full of creatures that were probably a hundred times dangerous than zombies, ready to tear them limb from limb at a seconds glance. And he was stuck with this prick.
"We better fucking get there before them." Patrick said as he continued walking, "I'm not going to wait for them once we get there. They probably won't make it anyway."
Rory didn't say anything, but he had absolutely no intention of leaving the others behind. Not David, Yoko, Jim or the others Patrick was with. He wouldn't run away from someone if they needed help. It wasn't his style.
They rounded a bend in the pathway. Foliage rose up above them on either side as they continued. Ahead Rory saw a wooden door that led to an area further beyond. A second path to their left led to another door. Joplin motioned them forward towards the first door.
Suddenly in front of them a lioness emerged from the foliage and looked up at them, blocking their access. The creature looked at them with black eyes that showed nothing of the wounds on its body. Several pieces of skin were missing showing the exposed muscle and bone underneath. The creature was definitely infected like the elephant.
"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me." Said Patrick, hardly believing what he was seeing.
The creature growled at them and started to advance. All three of them stepped back, each slowly heading back to the door on the left. Rory kept his eyes on the lion's eyes, looking for any sign that it was going to charge. The eyes moved up and met his, causing him to freeze. Then the creature charged.
Without a sound it moved towards them with extreme agility and speed. All three of them turned and sprinted down towards the door, showing an ability less graceful than that of the attacking creature.
Oh Jesus Christ don't let me die like this! Rory thought as they sprinted at the door. Please God not like this!
Joplin was the first to reach the door and he flung it open. Rory somehow managed to overtake Patrick, who was running like a rabbit on crack, and ran through the door. As soon as Patrick was through Joplin slammed the door shut on the lion. Somehow they managed to find the latch and shut it, for all the good it would do.
The creature slammed against the door, forcing it forward a bit. It would hold for all of thirty seconds. They had to keep moving. Rory turned around and caught his breath in his throat.
"Oh fuck..." He said, barely noticing as he did.
Ahead of them was a swamp that stretched the full length of the enclosure. Smoke rose up at several areas dissipating into the wind. A bridge that was meant to span the whole swamp had been destroyed, only a partial bit remained. But that wasn't what caught Rory's breath.
The swamp was full of Alligators!
They swam all over it, snapping at each other and any solid object they could find. A bloody boot floated in the water amongst them, probably belonging to a feeder who had quite literally done the feeding this time. Observation rooms overlooked the whole area above them giving the whole place the feel of a coliseum.
"Oh no fucking way!" Said Patrick. "Fuck this!"
"We don't have a choice!" Said Joplin, fright clear in his voice.
Behind them the gate budged again as the lion pressed against it. Wood started to splinter.
"There is no fucking way we can make it across that!" Patrick screamed at Joplin. He was right, the alligators would tear them to shreds the second they set foot in the water. But they stayed put, the lion would rip them to shreds where they stood. They were trapped.
"Here." Joplin said and reached up above him, grabbing one of the branches of the trees that overlooked the swamp. "We can make it across on these." Climbing up the branch sagged down under the strain but held. He reached out and grabbed the next one. Patrick went right behind him.
Rory looked back at the gate as the lion clawed at the wood, tearing a whole in it large enough for it to look through. It saw him and snarled. Rory reached out and grabbed the branch after Patrick left it. He hauled himself onto it as behind him the lion ripped the door apart.
It ran through leapt up at the branch he was on, clawing at him. Rory raised his legs just in time to avoid a mauling. The lion leapt again, digging its claws into the branch and causing it to strain even further.
Rory reached out and climbed over to the next branch as the other one snapped. The lion fell back onto the ground and roared at him as he continued on. He was now directly over the water.
The creature growled at them, and then turned back. It headed back through the door. Somehow he got the feeling even it knew not to go near the water.
Below him an alligator snarled as it swam underneath him. He looked ahead and saw that Joplin was nearing the other side of the swamp where the other door was. Patrick was a few branches ahead of him, seemingly trying his best not to look down.
Rory climbed along to the next branch, keeping his stomach pressed to it and wrapping his arms around it. His stomach churned at the thought of falling into the water. He reached forward to grab the next branch just behind Patrick.
Crrrraaackk.
Suddenly his branch jerked downward, broken at the base. Panic flashed through Rory. He looked back and the last two strands crack. And then he fell.
Cold swamp water rushed up to meet him as he landed head first into the water. Sheer panic whirling through him he raised his head above it. He heard splashing not far away, causing him to panic more. He looked up and saw Patrick looking down at him.
"Help me!" Rory screamed as he pushed himself further above the water and reached out with his hand. Patrick could reach him if he leaned down. A large dark shape swam towards him from the left. Suddenly it descended under the murky water.
"Patrick please help me!" He pleaded, stretching his hand out even further. Patrick looked down at him terrified and jerked away, abandoning him. "No!" Rory screamed.
Suddenly several teeth plunged into his leg as the alligator grabbed him. "No!" He yelled as it pulled his down. It was the worst pain he ever felt, like five razor sharp knives had been plunged into his leg and were holding him in place. He struggled against it, breaking the surface once more and seeing Patrick's horrible, fear ridden face.
The last thing he saw was a flash of teeth as another alligator lunged at his face.
XXX
The van bounced along the back street as they went along it. Kevin looked around the van. George was bent over the woman with the bitten ankle along with Cindy, who was helping him to apply the bandage. He guessed she had some form of medical training. She seemed to know what she was doing.
Dorian sat opposite him, fishing out some magazines that Josh, the driver, had passed back to them. He handed Kevin over three .45 magazines. They held less ammunition but they packed a bigger punch. He took several nine mil clips for himself.
"He's gonna drop us at Douglas street." He said, "And then he's going to take these people back to the station. We'll have to make our way to Main Street from there." Kevin nodded and Dorian turned to George. "He says he'll drop you at the hospital with the woman along the way."
"No." Said George suddenly, looking up from the woman. "I can't."
"Why not?" Kevin said looking over at him.
"I have to find my wife." George said. "She's at her sister's nearby. Let me off with you two on Douglas Street." Kevin sat back in his street, not saying anything. There was nothing he could say, the man was looking for his wife. He couldn't exactly stop him.
Kevin wondered what was going on at the hospitals within the city. They had been taking admissions all day on account of the riots. Maybe they had turned, just like Will. If this thing was transferred through bites, a hospital would not be the best place to be.
He wondered if Charlie had come back, or Fred.
The van began to slow as they entered Douglas Street. "This is it." Said Dorian standing. Kevin nodded and stood up with him. Mark did as well. Kevin didn't object, if there was as many as they said, they needed all the help they could get.
The van stopped and Kevin placed his hand on the door. He looked at Dorian, who nodded. Nodding back Kevin opened the door. Nothing moved in the street as they both jumped down onto the tarmac. The street was more a back road between two tenement buildings.
Mark stepped out with them, checking around the side of the van with his gun. George leapt down behind them. He looked around the street nervous, but with a determined look on his face.
"Good luck." Kevin said turning to him. "I hope you find her."
"I will." Said George and he set off down the street and disappeared into an alley. Kevin turned around and saw Cindy watching after the alley he had just disappeared into. She looked worried and held her own hands together nervously. Kevin reached around and hit the side of the van.
"Okay." He shouted. Suddenly Alyssa jumped out of the van in front of them. "What the hell are you doing?" Kevin said surprised and a little angry. Why was she coming with them, she could be of no help.
"You guys need all the help you can get." She said turning to him.
"You sure you're not just looking for a story?" Kevin said looking away from her.
"Hey fuck you!" Alyssa spat venomously at him.
"You don't have a weapon." Dorian said in a soft voice. Alyssa raised her arm and waved a gun in front of him.
"Where did you get that?!" Kevin asked, shocked.
"In there." Alyssa simply said.
Kevin just looked at her unbelievably. He looked over to Dorian who just shrugged his shoulders. "She's right Kev," He said, "We need all the help we can get."
"Okay." Kevin said reluctantly and tapped the van again. He and Dorian pushed the doors closed and it moved off down the street.
Kevin looked over at Alyssa who looked right back at him. He wondered if this was some kind of game to her, but he knew it wasn't. This wouldn't be the time for games. The moans of zombies filtered through over the buildings from the street on the opposite side. Main Street.
"Come on." Dorian said heading over to the steps in between one of the tenements that would lead to a bridge overlooking the street. Kevin, Alyssa and Mark followed.
"Don't screw up." Kevin said to Alyssa as they walked towards the steps.
"Same to you." She said to him and walked ahead of him and began mounting the steps. Kevin sighed and walked beside Mark as they headed up as well. Mark didn't say anything, and Kevin was glad. He didn't really want to talk about Alyssa, truth was, he thought the whole thing was slightly immature.
The sounds of zombies got louder as they proceeded up the steps. Dorian and Alyssa reached the top and started to head over to the bridge. They reached the centre and looked out as Mark and Kevin reached the top of the steps. Dorian's jaw dropped.
"What?" Said Kevin and he jogged over to them. Mark following. Alyssa stared straight ahead, eyes wide at what lay down on the street. Kevin looked down and felt all the air rush out of his lungs. "Oh…god."
On the street was an army of zombies. Several hundred filled the street, standing wall to wall. They stretched all the way back to where the street began. In front of them was a barricade made of mounted fences attached to a concrete base. And three cops stood in front of them.
Three!? Jesus Christ! Elliot and Eric stood in front of the zombies. Elliot was firing at the zombies as they pushed against the gate. Eric was on his knees frantically wiring something. No doubt the explosive charge. Behind them, shaking like a leaf, stood Harry. He raised his frantically and fired at the zombies. There was no accuracy in his shots, just hysteria.
"We need to get down there." Alyssa said as she looked out over the scene.
"Yeah." Kevin said. He was already turning and started to across the bridge. He heard the others start to do the same. Suddenly there was a whining screech of metal collapsing and clanking on tarmac, followed by gunfire. "Oh god!"
Kevin turned back to look at the street and saw that the zombies had knocked over the barricade and had swarmed over Eric. He saw Elliot backing away while firing with one hand, and holding the detonator with the other. He lowered the gun to pull the fuse.
Without warning one of the zombies in front of him lunged forward and grabbed him around the shoulders, snarling as it leaned forward to deliver the fatal bite. Elliot struggled against it as it pushed him back, unable to defend himself against the horde that stumbled over to him. Raising his hand, he held the detonator above himself.
"Harry!" He yelled and threw the detonator through the air towards him. "Do it! Blow the street!" Those were the last words he managed to get out before the group washed over him and dragged him down.
The detonator landed on the ground in front of Harry, who stumbled back as the zombies began their approach. There was no way in hell he would summon up the courage to blow it. They had to do it.
Kevin started to run to the stairs on the other side of the bridge. If he was fast enough they could reach the detonator before the zombies reached the steps. He bounded down them two at a time, hearing the others behind him.
The zombies had moved through the street faster than he had imagined. It was as if the sight of a feast made them more eager for some moved forward on rigid legs faster than before. One lashed out at him as he reached the bottom of the steps. He dodged the blow and brought his hand up, lashing out with his own fist and knocking the zombie back.
Harry stumbled back and fell, abandoning the detonator, which lay dormant on the road as zombies moved around it. Kevin moved forward, firing at the one nearest to Harry and taking it down. He kept his body low as he dodged two of them who reached out for him. The stench of blood was ever present.
There were other shots echoing out now from the others, firing at the zombies that swarmed over the street. He saw the detonator less than five feet away. He moved for it.
Suddenly something grabbed him from behind. He felt a tight grip on his uniform from one of the undead citizens. He struggled forward but to no avail. He heard the creature behind him start to move forward for a bite. He dived for the detonator.
The creature's grip was yanked off of his uniform as he flew forward, landing right next to the detonator, with zombies all around him. He grabbed it even as they became aware of his presence and started to close in. He hoped the blast wouldn't kill him.
He turned the lever.
At first nothing happened. There were no explosions and the zombies began to bend down to begin their meal. Then the sky lit up. The ground shook, sending all the zombies stumbling away. Seizing his opportunity Kevin rolled away from the group and scrambled to his feet. He began running even as the second explosion caused him to stumble forward. The ground shook again, causing him to fall forward.
He hit the ground hard and started to crawl forward. If the explosion was travelling across the street he had a few precious seconds to make it to safety. Gaining his feet again he sprinted ahead of the zombies, spotting the other ahead already running for safety.
He glanced back and saw an explosion hurl thirty zombies into the air, many smashing into the building on either side of the street. Some were obliterated on the spot. He continued running as the next explosion tore up the ground where he had turned the lever, sending his previous attackers flying into several pieces.
He leapt forward as the final explosion occurred, the momentum pushing him further. He landed with arms shielding his ribs, preventing any cracks. Rubble and debris fell around him even as the heat wave dissipated.
He looked up and saw that the others were okay, even Harry. Although they were now severely dirty with black streaks all over their clothes. He climbed to his feet and turned around to assess the scene.
All of Main Street was gone, several long craters in its place. Tarmac was torn upwards creating accidental walls over certain areas. Two zombies staggered around, those who had escaped the blast radius, but they were quickly put down by two shots. The smell of burning flesh sizzled in the air as the smoke rose higher and began to clear. Burnt body parts lay strewn about the street.
Breathing a sigh of relief Kevin turned and walked towards the others. He held out his hand to Harry, who looked at him confused.
"Radio." Kevin said simply. Harry fumbled for it on his belt and handed it forward with shaky hands.
"RP.D. this is Ryman." Kevin said into the radio. "Main Street destroyed, awaiting instruction." He looked at the others with solemn eyes as he said it. He never thought he would be saying something like that.
"Copy that Ryman." Said a voice on the other end. "We're on our way."
Kevin put down the radio and clipped it to his own belt. Harry said nothing. The survivors stood in silence as the sound of police sirens gradually got louder in the distance.
XXX
The large building in front of them was obviously the holding area for the elephant when it wasn't on display. Joplin looked around confused, he was now totally lost. They had been on the right track until they had run into that Lion. After the alligator swamp they had made their way along another dark path, with both of them convinced something was going to jump out at them. But nothing had.
And now they were standing in a holding area for the elephant that was running around the zoo trying to destroy everything.
"Shit." Said Joplin. "I really don't know where to go." He had gotten a pretty good look at the zoo the last time he was here, but it was mostly from behind the lens of the camera. As the groups camera man he spent most of his time on stories looking through a lens.
But not anymore. The camera was currently lying back on the street where the zombie's had attacked them and killed Dave. The camera had recorded everything, like some horrific home video.
"Over there." He heard Patrick say. He looked over and saw another door over the other side of the stadium. Next to it was a sign that read To Tram Lines.
Kicking himself for not noticing it earlier he headed towards it. Patrick walked next to him silent. Joplin was happy for the silence actually, he had seen what had happened back at the swamp. How Patrick had just let the alligators rip Rory to pieces rather than help him. Joplin had been trying to climb back to help him himself when they had attacked.
It had been horrible. He didn't know if Patrick had done it out of fear, or if he was living up to that cold bastard persona he always gave off. The train of thought was wiped entirely from his mind by the huge roar that echoed throughout the compound.
As they both turned the elephant broke its way through the wall behind them and ran towards them. Both of them sprinted forward towards the holding area. Joplin knew they couldn't outrun it to the door on time, plus it would probably just come through after them.
They headed for the control room that he could see ahead. The elephant roared behind them as it entered the pen after them. As they approached it they noticed the door to the control room was open.
Joplin dived in first and saw Patrick lie next to him. He kicked the door shut with his foot as the elephant came at them. But that didn't stop it.
The giant creature crashed into the building with such a force that shook the whole enclosure. It roared again and smashed its tusks into the wall. Dust started to fall from the ceiling as cracks began to appear in the wall.
"What do we do?!" Yelled Joplin.
"I don't know!" He heard Patrick call back.
Suddenly the wall gave away and crumbled revealing the elephant in all its unholy glory. It reared up on its hind legs and bellowed into the night. Patrick seized the opportunity and ran. Joplin thought he was running right at it, but he turned to the side and ran around it. It didn't even see him.
Scrambling to his feet Joplin ran to the other side of the elephant even as it descended back onto all four legs. He heard it growl in surprise as it spotted him and he sprinted even faster. He saw Patrick ahead of him, already on course to reach the gate.
Behind him the ground shook as the elephant turned its body towards him. Oh God no! He thought. Come on! Run faster!
Air whistled behind him, and suddenly he was flying through the air, sent flying by the trunk. The air rushed out of him as he landed hard on his ribs, cracking them. He struggled to breathe and realised that one had punctured his lung. He tried to crawl forward.
"Patrick!" He half screamed, half wheezed out. But Patrick was already opening the door. Not looking back, not caring, just running to save himself. He didn't deserve this. He shouldn't be here. He should be at home, watching TV with a nice cold beer.
"Patrick!" He rasped again and rolled onto his back. He was unable to scream as he saw the elephant rear up onto its hind legs above him, and he realised this was the end.
He managed to scream as the feet descended.
XXX
David scanned the warehouse with his gun in front of him, ready to fire at anything that moved. The warehouse they ran into seemed to be storage for most of the cages for the animals that weren't in use. Hay was still on the ground, as was the smell of must in the air. Must and shit.
Yoko and Kelly were behind him, keeping close in case anything attacked them. They weren't going to take any chances after that elephant.
Something moved in the darkness. He saw it only briefly, but there was definitely something there. He felt the two women behind him tense as moved cautiously to the corner to see what it was. He turned the corner and found his assailant.
"Yo!" Jim said in panic as he came face to face with David's gun. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! It's me!" David lowered the gun as Jim walked over to them.
"Are you okay?" Asked Kelly.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Said Jim, still evidently panicked. "All the animals in this zoo are fucked up man! The hyenas, they got him."
"Got who?" Said David.
"Riq." Jim said. David saw Kelly's head dip behind them.
"Have you found any of the others?" Asked David, already knowing it was a stupid question.
"No," said Jim shaking his head. "I haven't seen them since the building."
Suddenly there was a clatter from deeper in the warehouse, followed by a deep growl. David tensed and raised the gun.
"Kelly," He whispered, "Where's the exit?"
"Over there." She whispered back, pointing to a door twenty feet ahead of them. "It'll lead straight to the tram lines." He hoped the helicopter was still there and that that greasy bastard Patrick hadn't gotten to it before them. They started to move down the wall very slowly. Yoko crouched down onto the floor and picked up one of the bars from a cage that fallen on the floor. It wouldn't make much of a weapon, but it might help her a bit.
Something leapt onto the cage in front of them, snarling as it did. A lioness. Several patches of skin were missing from its body and blood dripped from its mouth. Whether the blood was its own or a kills he didn't know.
"Move!" He said and fired at it. The shot took it high in the shoulder and it leapt down from the cage onto the floor. The others were already running to the door. David backed away from the lion keeping the gun pointed at it as he went.
The creature advanced forward, but didn't charge. Almost as if it knew that the gun was a weapon that could harm it. Kelly opened the door and ran out, followed by Jim. Yoko stood in the doorway.
"Come on David!" She called to him. He started to move faster, but kept the gun trained on the lion. He moved closer to the door, his every step matched by the lion as it growled its way towards him. When he was within five feet of the door he ran.
He creature chased after him but he was through it quick enough for Yoko to slam the door shut behind him. Even as she did she slid the metal pole through the door handles, locking it in place.
"Clever." David said.
"Thanks." She said back. They both turned around and David's heart leapt when he saw the tram lines, and the helicopter right next to them. He could even see the pilot moving around in the cockpit. And then he saw Patrick running towards it.
"Patrick!" Kelly said running towards him. "Patrick don't!" David, Yoko and Jim ran after her, not noticing the creature that watched them from the roof of the warehouse.
Up ahead Patrick turned and saw them, and started to run faster. He was going to get the pilot to take off without them. David raised his gun at him and yelled out.
"Patrick!" He yelled over at him. He didn't stop or turn around. "Patrick don't make me shoot you!" That got his attention. He turned around and looked at him.
"Then you're gonna have to shoot me in the back mate." He yelled back, "Because I'm leaving!"
"Patrick please!" Kelly called out to him. "Please don't do this Patrick! Please-" Suddenly she was knocked on her side as a large creature leapt on top of her, causing her to land three feet away.
It was a lion, a fully fledged male lion. It had grown to almost twice its normal size and the characteristic pieces of skin missing. It dug its claws into Kelly's arms and lowered its jaws to her.
XXX
Patrick the lion and turned for the chopper. No fucking way was he sticking around. Kelly screamed behind him as the lion mauled her, and a shot rang out. No doubt that fucking jumpsuit moron trying to save her. Only one person mattered in this situation, and that was number one.
That was the philosophy that Patrick lived by, and it had got him this far. Even in his career it had benefited him. While others were trying to work their way up Patrick had been both working and spreading shit about them. Believable shit. It was what got him his job in the first place.
The helicopter was now in front of him. He ran up to the door and slammed on the glass. He saw the pilot, Pete, look up in shock as he saw Patrick.
"Open the fucking door you prick!" Patrick yelled. Pete moved forward and grabbed the handle. He was getting out of here. He was actually going to get the fuck out of here. He had survived. He had done it.
Pete started the helicopter blades as he slid the door open. Patrick started to climb in. Then he was yanked back, falling out of the helicopter, and fell into the arms of the six zombies that had emerged from the next street.
"No! No!" Patrick said as they dragged him to the ground. He felt a searing pain in his arms as they bit into him. "No you fucking bastards! No! Fuck off!" He saw two more charge towards a panicked Pete, who started to raise the chopper off the ground as the zombies began to climb inside.
"NOO!" Patrick screamed even as the zombies began to rip chunks out of him. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He continued screaming even as the zombies began to rip out his intestines.
XXX
The lion turned away from what now remained of Kelly and looked over at David with menacing eyes. The bullet he fired had gone straight into its maine. Blood dripped down as it advanced on him.
David backed away and fired another shot, this one taking it in the upper front leg. The creature roared and leapt at him. He couldn't react in time and he fell to the ground, the gun flying out of his hand. The lion landed on top of him.
A wave of stink washed over him as the creature roared and lunged its head down t him. A shot ran out through the air and the lions head jerked to the side. It released its grip on him and fell with a moan to the side.
David rolled to the side as the creature died next to him, spasming as he did. Yoko ran up to him and handed him his gun back. Jim came up next to him.
"Thanks." David said and Yoko nodded. The sound of screams attracted their attention over to where Patrick was being torn apart by zombies, and to where the helicopter was taking off. Without them.
David felt his heart drop. He barely even felt anything as the elephant smashed through the wall of the zoo and charged out to meet them. Suddenly it turned its head to the side and looked up at the chopper.
The chopper was now spiralling out of control, and David noticed the zombie hanging out of the open door. It fell down through the sky – straight into the elephant. The creature roared as the helicopter crashed into it, metal and blades tearing through its flesh, and fell over. With a flash, the helicopter exploded.
David and the others hit the ground as the explosion rocked the ground around them and sent a fireball into the sky. Debris rained down around them. When he opened his eyes he saw the bloody carcass of the elephant together with the smoking remains of the chopper.
They were alone in the street, even as the ground began to shake again. Looking over to the side they saw more fireballs appear and more flames reach out into the sky, like there was an explosion going straight down a street.
Turning to the side he saw an electronics shop that was broadcasting the news. The owner was nowhere to be seen. On the TV David saw a burning street being recorded from a helicopter. Standing in front of it was the same cop he had seen back at the bar.
A/N: And so Wild Things and Outbreak are done. I wrote this one really quick because I'm going to Australia for three weeks in like five hours, so I really wanted to get this written quick, because this was a really fun chapter to write. Complete slaughter is so much fun *does evil Joker laugh*.
Anyway so sorry if it seemed a bit rushed near the end, I'm really running low on time here. And don't expect any more updates for at least 3 weeks, unless I write something in Oz. Which I might. But anyway, please review if you can and happy Christmas to all my readers. Have fun.