Danny was drifting on the floor. Blood leaking from his neck and shoulder. He found the strength to press a hand to the place where he felt the burning and felt a spongy mass beneath his fingers. He heard a terrified voice crying, shouting at a pen. Charlie! Some consciousness returned. God she was up against a lion. He had to find a way to help her. She wasn't going through what he went through. It was bad enough she had to feel the terror. To see and hear what happened to him, it actually happening to her? Never! He opened his eyes and had to wipe blood from his face to see properly. Everything was hazy, bright reds and yellows. He swallowed thickly, his neck burning more with the effort. The lion was stood, ramrod straight. The arrogance in it's form unmistakable. He was staring at her. Unmoving. Danny didn't know why the lion was acting this way. They didn't usually mess with their prey this way. Lions were usually very direct.
He glanced at Charlie, who was staring at the lion. Yanking at the door while trying to be as still as possible. He rolled. His shoulder and chest protested the movement and he bit back a groan. He scanned the floor and saw the discarded needle from earlier. It was full of anaesthetic. Enough to take down a lion? He had no idea his mind was fuzzy and his vets knowledge seemed far away. But it would buy Charlie some time. Time for Dupe to hear the screams and roars. Time for Charlie to somehow pull that pen closed. He was pretty much screwed when that happened but that's the choice you make when you have kids. Them or you? No contest! He used his good shoulder to raise himself up onto his knees. His right one completely useless. As he lifted blood which had pooled poured down his back. He felt dizziness overtake him and he fell flat on his face. He heard Charlie's frantic pleading with the pen and it spurred him on. It was becoming more and more hysterical as the seconds ticked by.
He slithered along the floor and reached with his left hand for the needle, he felt it close around the plastic. Danny looked in their direction and saw the lion beginning to crouch, for the final pounce. He only had seconds! He lunged and plunged the needle into the lions rump. Pressed the plunger inside quickly. The lion roared and turned it's head. It snarled in Danny's direction and pounced on him once again. Danny didn't feel the claws embedded into his skin or the teeth tearing into him. He was unconscious in seconds.
(X)
Charlie couldn't see through her tears. The lion was crouching and she was done for! She pulled and pulled but it was no use. She didn't have the strength. She glanced to where her dad had been lain and saw he had moved. Her mouth open she saw him with a needle in hand. He lunged forward and injected the lion. It stopped mid crouch and turned on Danny. The sound it made shook her to the core. Danny was lain on his stomach on the floor now. It dived on his back. Charlie made a run for it. The lion didn't hear her, too busy with Danny. She ran inside the office and grabbed a rifle. Saw the radio.
"Lion! Lion! Dupe!" she screamed. "Dad!"
"Charlie?" Dupe replied seriously.
"LION!" she repeated hysterical. Then dropped the radio. Left the office with her rifle in hand. The lion was over Danny. Not tearing into him but swaying drunkenly.
Charlotte looked at it with malevolence. Glanced at her dad and saw him still lain on his stomach. The back of his shirt all torn and bloody. Blood was everywhere actually. Smeared all over the floor, splattered up the walls. Her dad's face was dark red with it, his shoulder a mess. The lion was covered in blood too. It's fur a golden red colour. It seemed to be everywhere. She cocked the gun. And the lion looked at her. She took aim the only place she knew that would bring it down was the head. The lion began to come towards her, staggering. She had her finger on the trigger her brain telling her finger to move - but she couldn't. she didn't have it inside her to kill an animal. The lion which was approaching suddenly stopped ….and fell to it's side. She froze and looked at it.
Charlie approached the unconscious lion cautiously and nudged it with the tip of her gun. It made no reaction so she assumed it was knocked out. She dropped the gun and ran to Danny. She looked at him, having no idea what to do. Her hand shook as she gingerly touched his head.
"Dad, wake up." she pleaded. Tears falling down her face. She looked at her hands and saw blood on them. Her dad's. Physically and metaphorically, he got mauled saving her. Is she hadn't been here he would have been in the pens. She was the one who froze. Who fell. Who was stupid! Chances are if she hadn't asked him to do this stupid parents day then he'd have been out in the bush!
Dupe burst through the door with a gun followed by Olivia.
Dupes mouth fell open when he saw the amount of blood, it seemed to be everywhere. He immediately sprang to action.
"Dad!" Olivia screamed. Ran to his side. Used the sleeve of her jacket to clear his mouth and nose of blood. She opened his mouth and moved his tongue so he didn't choke on it, as she did he croaked and more blood leaked onto her fingers. Liv's breathing grew shallow.
Charlotte was sat by his side. Pale. Unmoving. Her face blank. Obviously in some sort of delayed shock.
"Du… Dupe…." Liv whispered. She didn't know what to do. She needed help.
Dupe meanwhile was radioing for a helicopter.
"DUPE!" she pleaded. Looking at him. He was already in motion, grabbed some gauze. Was beside them.
"Liv help me turn him." he told her.
Dupe grabbed his head and Liv grabbed his hips and rolled him.
Liv's eyes widened at the blood them was underneath him.
Her eyes filled. "No dad." squeaks erupted form her unwillingly.
"Liv." Dupe said.
She didn't hear him. Her eyes on Danny. Her breathing growing more shallow and erratic.
"LIV!" Dupe demanded. "You can't lose it now, I need you! Ok!"
She looked at him eyes wide. Nodded.
"Ok, I need you to radio Caroline. Get her down here to take Charlotte." he said slowly and calmly. "After that come back here and keep a gun trained on him." Dupe gestured to the lion. " Do you understand?"
She nodded quickly.
"Do it Liv." he coaxed. "Take Charlie in the office. She's in bad way and seeing him like this won't be helping."
"Ok." she breathed and inhaled deeply. Put her arm around Charlottes shoulders and helped her up. "C'mon." she soothed. Sounding calmer then she felt. Her dad….all that blood…she ignored it. Charlie needed her.
"Lion…..dad." Charlie muttered.
"It's ok." Liv told her gently.
"Lion…..dad." Charlie repeated.
Liv led her in the office. Sat her on a chair. She went into the drawer and removed a thick blue blanket. Wrapped it around her shoulders. Charlotte didn't even know it was there.
Liv picked up the radio from the floor. "Gran, gran come in!" Liv said in low urgent tones.
"Olivia what is it?"
She walked to the door and looked through the glass at Dupe bent over Danny, his hands moving rapidly. "Gran, Danny has been badly, severely mauled by a lion. I need you to come down here and get Charlie."
"Where was she… O don't tell me she was there! She saw it?" she asked in disbelief.
"She did gran and she's almost catatonic."
"How is Danny?"
Liv lowered her voice more. "He's bad gran. There's blood everywhere." her voiced cracked.
"I'll be right there!" Caroline told her.
Minutes later Caroline walked in the surgery and gasped. "Oh my god!" her hand over her mouth. "Anders?" she asked.
"I don't know Caroline." he admitted. "The medivac is on it's way." Dupe was looking at his hands smeared with the blood of the man he admired.
Liv opened the door had her arm around Charlotte. A gun slung over her free shoulder. She shielded Charlotte from the scene behind them as much as possible. Caroline took her. Wrapped her arms around her. "C'mon dear." she soothed.
"Lion...dad." Charlotte whispered. Arms hanging limply.
Liv leaned in close to Caroline's ear. "Lock the doors and grab a gun. We don't know if he is the only one!"
Caroline nodded.
"I'll cover you while you go the house." Liv whispered. The watched as Caroline and Charlotte made the trek to the house. When they were safely inside she turned on the lion. Had the gun trained on it's head. "Tell me Dupe why I shouldn't put a bullet in this lions head right now!" she hissed.
"Coz that isn't our way." he told her.
"That isn't good enough." she cocked the gun.
"It's not what Danny would do Liv. You know it!" Dupe told her. Then pressed more gauze onto his wounds. The gauze on was quickly soaked.
Liv frowned. Tears blurred her vision.
"When you first came here I would have agreed with you Liv. I didn't understand why Danny wanted to save every animal he came across. I still don't now, well I think I do, to a degree. He wouldn't want you to do that Liv."
She nodded and swallowed thickly. Wiped her eyes.
"How is he?"
"Breathing. I think we should be grateful for that."
Liv noticed a rifle lain beside the lion. Charlie must have tried to use this to protect herself. She bent down and picked it up. Checked the ammo. Empty. "God Dupe this would have been no use to her! It's empty!" How close had they came to losing Charlie too? Strike that they weren't losing Danny. He'd hang on! She knew it! "Dupe, how do you think Charlie came away unhurt?"
He shook his head. "I can only assume Danny did something to give her a chance."
She nodded. Stared at the lion. Her rifle steady. Aimed at the heart. If it so much as twitched she'd shoot it. She didn't need much of a reason. Being shot was less then it deserved. At least it would be quick! "Anything from him Dupe? Anything at all?"
"Nothing. And I can't stop this bleeding. If this medivac don't get here soon…." he trailed off.
That line almost made the hysterics return. She changed her train of thought. "Someone has to get in touch with Rosie and Evan." Liv squeaked. Trying to take her mind off the fact her dad was bleeding to death metres from her, it dodn't work. She heard the beating of a helicopter in the background. It landed minutes later and she motioned the technicians in the surgery.
They froze at the sight of the lion.
"Don't worry it is unconscious." she assured.
They glanced at her then went to Danny.
Dupe took her gun. "You will have to go with him. I have to deal with the lion."
She nodded and watched as Danny was given a few injections then put on a stretcher.
"Be careful!" Liv snapped as Danny was moved jerkily.
The medic looked taken aback. "Sorry miss."
Then they were in the chopper flying off. Liv holding Danny's hand in her own. "Don't worry dad. Everything is gonna be fine now." she whispered. Touched his blood streaked face gently.