The Offering
Kowalski gazed out of the periscope directed at the sky, lately he had grown an interest in astrology; something about the mystery of the universe and stars intrigued him. Tonight he wanted to test out the new lens he had installed with twice as much magnification, hoping that he could view through the glass what no other scientist could before. He pulled back and blinked.
Well, that's unusual.
He pressed his eye against the glass again, the moon was full and red covering most of the night sky. He searched through the assorted books on his shelf and pulled one out, setting it down on the table he flipped through the pages stopping at one in particular. He quickly read through the passage; it stated that it was an omen signaling the end of the world. Well, that was nonsense, he didn't believe in such superstition. Skipper on the other hand was a different story, as soon as he laid eyes on the strange phenomenon his paranoia kicked into high gear, and instantly the four found themselves preparing for the apocalypse.
They rushed topside to warn the others, all around the zoo the various animals walked out of their habitats to witness the eclipse.
"What's going on?" Marlene wondered
Mason gazed up at the sky "I say" he managed to utter. Phil signed a message in agreement, mouth agape.
"What do you think it means?" Burt asked with amazement.
Before anyone could open their mouth to answer droplets of rain began to lightly stream down from the sky.
Skipper felt something wet on his head and looked up "it's just a little rain".
Marlene held her paw up and stared at the liquid on her palm "wrong, it's blood rain!".
"Someone has angered the Sky Spirits!" Julien shouted. The rain began to fall more heavily, accompanied by a strong wind. The Zoosters had to brace themselves and hold onto the railing of their habitat to prevent themselves from being blown off of their feet. Blood began to fill the paths and flood the low bearing areas, sweeping whatever animals were there away in the strong current.
Screams filled the air, everyone was beginning to panic, it seemed like Hell had come to New York. To make matters worse the dead had come back to life, and were bursting forth from the ground. Marlene squeezed her eyes shut feeling the sting of the rain against her face, she tightened her grip on the brick wall as it lurched her forward.
"Skipper, what do we do?!" she screamed over the raging weather.
"We must speak to the Sky Spirits" Julien called from his habitat "it is the only way to save those who are left".
"It'll never work" Skipper rejected, he pulled off a bar of the fence and smite one of the zombies advancing towards him with it, knocking it into the water below. "For one they don't exist".
"At least let him try" Private interjected "we have to stop the rapture before we all perish!". The four careened over the gate filling with the rising river of blood, and swam in the direction of the clock tower; the tallest building in the zoo, fighting off the ravenous hordes of the undead.
Marlene could hold on no longer and plummeted into the torrent with a scream, she fought against the strong current pulling her down and resurfaced, gasping and sputtering. All around them animals were being swept away to their doom, their anguished cries piercing the ears of the survivors.
Julien climbed to the summit of the large plastic volcano, Maurice and Mort trailing not far behind him. He had to stop this, he had to make things right and save those who could be saved. Reaching the top he pulled himself over and slowly found his footing, shielding his face from the blustery breeze.
Julien looked up at the large moon baring down on him and got down on his knees "oh great Sky Spirits, why are you spreading your hatred across my kingdom?".
A flash of lightning lit up the dark sky in response "what have we done wrong?. I have always followed your guidance, I've boogied till I could no more for you. What do I King Julien, have to do to lift this horrible plague?. Give me a sign!" he cried, arms hoisted above his head.
A spark shot down from the clouds striking a section from the volcano, he picked up the smouldering plastic piece and stared at it. The words 'kill the non believers' stared back at him.
Julien's amber eyes widened "yes, it is all clear to me now" he mused to himself "these non believers are responsible for all of this damage". His smooth paws curled into fists "they must pay".
"Your majesty, have you figured out how to stop this?" Maurice's gruff voice called from the bottom where he and Mort waited, unable to keep up with the perilous storm. The ring tailed lemur quietly slunk down the side of the volcano, and stood in front of his colleagues. Maurice raised an expectant eyebrow "well..."
Julien looked at his nails nonchalant "they said in order to stop the rapture those who do not believe in the Sky Spirits must die" he raised his head with a cruel smirk.
"What?".
Julien stepped towards him "in order to stop the rapture you must die" he repeated in an ominous tone.
Maurice backed away "Julien, you're starting to creep me out".
"I'm sorry Maurice, that's just the way things have to be" Julien continued, his smile widening. Before poor Maurice knew what was happening he lunged at the chubby aye-aye and tackled him to the ground. Maurice struggled to push him away, but surprisingly he was stronger.
"Get away from me!" he screamed, eyes wide. Julien grabbed his throat and bashed his head into the ground repeatedly. Maurice screamed and clawed at the lemur's arms and face. Julien growled and slammed him down harder, with each smack his attempts lessened until a sickening crack filled the air. Julien stared at the open eyed aye-aye and dropped his limp body to the ground, wiping his bloody paws in his fur.
Mort having witnessed the scene with mortification stood paralyzed on the spot, quivering. Once he was able to regain control of his tiny legs he ran, Julien spun around and rampaged after him.
"Mort, don't you want my feet?" he taunted.
The little mouse lemur willed himself to go faster, panting and wheezing from the adrenaline flowing through his small body. He tripped over the cord belonging to the bouncy house and faltered to the ground. He tried to wiggle out of the tangled cord wrapped around his foot with increasing panic. One quick glance ahead told him that was Julien advancing towards him. Mort released his hold on the green wire with a whimper, and scooted back as far as he could.
"Why are you doing this, King Julien?. I believe in the Sky Spirits"
Julien gazed into his large eyes filled with fear "because Mort, I never did like you". He grabbed the cord and wrapped it around his throat. Mort gripped onto the plastic outer layer with a soft hiss as it took away his air. Gagging and choking he tried to pull it away as Julien tightened his grip. After a couple of minutes his arms dropped to the sides and he collapsed to the ground, Julien tossed the cord to the side and stood up. He looked out at the zoo with a demented gleam in his eye.
"Two down, more to go".
Marlene tossed the towel she had used to dry herself aside, the storm was beginning to die down and she was able to get back to her cave. She didn't know what was happening or why, it seemed impossible. Her eyes fell on the Spanish guitar sitting in the corner, she positioned it on her hip and gently strummed the strings, hoping to soothe her nerves.
"Hello, Marlene" a voice greeted.
Marlene jumped and turned around, Julien stood behind her with an innocent look. She breathed a sigh of relief "oh, Julien, it's just you". She chuckled awkwardly "I didn't think you survived, where's Mort and Maurice?".
Julien pasted a sullen frown on his face and looked at the floor "they fell behind".
Marlene put a paw on his shoulder with a sympathetic expression "I'm sorry to hear that, would you like some tea?" she offered with a hopeful smile. "My mom always said there was nothing that a warm cup of tea couldn't solve".
He nodded, she set her guitar down and drifted to her kettle to brew a cup. Julien grabbed the guitar and crept up behind her, the instrument held over his shoulder.
Marlene felt his presence behind her and turned around "Julien, what are you?-" before she could finish he whacked it across the side of her head. She collapsed to the ground with a thud. He stared at the gash in her skull and back at the blood and fur on the guitar, he dropped it beside her motionless, bleeding form and walked away.
Julien's list of victims rapidly decreased as he hunted down each one. Bada and Bing: chocked to death on their own bananas shoved down their throats. The chameleons: tongues tied around their own throats. Barry: bludgeoned with a rock, Leonard: suffocated in his sleep, Joey: food poisoned. The chimps: forced to kill each other, Burt: chocked on a peanut- Julien didn't have to lift a finger.
Each non believer was brought down, leaving only four left. He casually strolled to the penguin habitat and let himself inside. Private greeted him at the ladder and pulled him to the side "Julien, you shouldn't be here. There's a murderer on the loose, you might be next" he cautioned, his blue eyes wide.
Julien shook his head, a sadistic smile sliding across his lips "I don't think so, silly bird".
Private raised an eyebrow "what do you mean?. You're royalty, you're bound to be next".
He shook his head again, his crooked grin growing "the only ones who died are the ones who do not believe".
Private was beyond puzzled "believe, believe in what?".
Julien leaned in close and whispered in his ear hole "the Sky Spirits" he kicked him in the side sending him to the floor, his head smacked off of the concrete bunk, and he was still. Rico awoke and hopped out of his bunk, he gasped upon seeing the blood spilling from Private's head. He looked up at Julien with a low growl, he regurgitated a chain saw and revved it, babbling furiously.
Julien smiled a wicked a smile, before Rico even knew what happened in one swift movement he grabbed the still running chainsaw and crammed it down the penguin's beak. Rico's muffled cries of anguish shook the room as he attempted to get the weapon out of his windpipe. Blood splattered across the walls from his torn up insides. Julien shielded himself from the showers of bodily fluid and organs, and entered through the door on the right wall.
Kowalski looked up from the bottles of chemicals he was experimenting with and eyed the lemur through narrowed eyes. "Julien, I'm working, I suggest you get out" he demanded irritably.
Julien ignored him and sauntered up to the scientist, he grabbed the beaker filled with a orange liquid and threw it on him. Kowalski screamed in pain and frantically rushed to the sink and turned the taps "you idiot, what have you done!" he roared.
The lemur shrugged "what I had to" he took the remaining chemicals and doused him with them. His twisted grin grew with each holler from Kowalski as the chemicals burned his insides, and melted his feathers off. His hold on the taps loosened, and he sunk to the floor with a bleating howl.
Julien left the bunker and climbed outside, he was met with the bright glow of the moon. There was only one left and he would have completed his task, a short stubby black and white bird entered his peripheral vision; Skipper.
"Ring Tail, what are you doing at my HQ?" he exasperated "you should be in hiding, it's not safe. There's a killer on the loose!". He sized up the tall lemur with a suspicious eye "wait a minute, it was you, wasn't it?. He took a step back in disgust "you're the murderer! What in the name of Jason Vorhees has gotten into you?!".
"I'm sorry Skipper, but I can not have non believers in my perfect kingdom" Julien said with malice, he attacked him with the knife he had stolen from the bunker. Skipper fought back as much as he could, but in the end he just couldn't beat the psychotic lemur. Julien thrust the sharp blade into his eye, Skipper screamed and grabbed his wrist. Julien forced it down and sunk it into the other, grinning as blood drizzled down from them. He scooped the remains out and hung the blind penguin on a tree.
Julien wiped the blood off of his fur and looked up at the clear sky, still clutching the knife in his paw he tipped his head back with a fiendish cackle "the deed is done".
