The World's Last Breaths: Final Winter, Animal Kingdom, and The Peeling Page 9

  It wouldn’t keep him safe for long though. The crushing weight of the alligator was still immovable, and although he was strong enough to hold its jaws closed, eventually his stamina would give out and his arms would fail. He was doomed. His arms were already weakening, their strength ebbing away…

  The beast thrashed about on top of him, fighting back against the grip around its jaws. Slowly but surely, the jaws began to open and Joe’s arms began to part.

  No more strength left, Joe released his grip. Clenching his eyelids shut, he waited for a death grip around his throat.

  But none came.

  Joe opened his eyes to find Grace standing over him. She had driven her litter picker into the skull of the alligator and was twisting violently, penetrating deeper into the creature’s thick armour.

  Without thinking, and acting entirely on instinct, Joe reached out to his side and grabbed his own litter spike from where he had dropped it on the ground. He pulled the weapon toward him, angled it at the soft flesh of the alligator’s underside, then thrust with all his might.

  The litter spike went all the way through the creature’s head, poking out the top of its head like a horn. After several seconds of frantic convulsions, the creature flopped forward and went still.

  From beneath the animal’s bleeding corpse, Joe looked up at Grace. “You fancy making a handbag?”

  Grace laughed, but was pale and shaken. “Maybe I’ll make some shoes. Now stop messing around under there and get up, will you! We need to get this place secure.”

  12

  Things are looking up, thought Randall.

  They’d managed to find several full water coolers as well as a pack of cola cans in a mini fridge. Victor and Bill had found several heavy-duty office printers and dragged them downstairs to reinforce the barricade. Most of the windows on the upper floor were now blocked with upturned tables and filing cabinets. The remaining furniture had been piled up into the corridor at one end to stop anything getting through if the downstairs barricade was breached. All in all, Randall was quite pleased with the last hour’s work. They would all be safe and his organisational skills were to thank for it.

  These people owe me.

  “That’s it, Shirley,” he said. “Just put anything useful you’ve found into a pile over on that table.”

  “Things are quite secure now,” said Shirley, placing down a half-empty bottle of Evian amongst the other supplies. “I’m impressed that you’ve gotten things so well in hand.”

  “Thank you, Shirley. We can’t afford to lose our heads in situations like this now, can we?”

  “Not at all. It’s good to see that we have such a strong man leading us.”

  Leading? Randall liked the sound of that. Shirley was obviously an astute woman that recognised his superiority amongst the group. “Thank you,” he said again. “It’s just a shame that this all occurred on a Saturday morning – we could have done with extra bodies. Still, I will make absolutely sure that those who are here get through this safely and in one piece.”

  “I know you will, Mr Randall. I can see God’s strength guiding you and I have every faith that your determination will see us through.

  God’s strength? What are you talking about, you senile old bat? There’s no God here. You’re better off putting your faith in me.

  Randall grinned. “Well, I am glad to have the support of a fine woman such as yourself. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

  Shirley left him alone. He moved off into the corner of the room, and from inside his pocket he pulled out his Blackberry phone.

  There were no emails or messages.

  He cursed under his breath. If he didn’t get in touch with the outside world soon he was going to blow a fuse. He needed to know what was being done to rectify this situation, but there was nothing coming through, and his attempts to call out had failed. He’d also tried several of the computers in the various offices, but none of them had an active Internet connection any longer. Communications were well and truly down it seemed.

  But he still had to keep trying. The more he knew, the better he could take charge of the situation. Like they say, knowledge is power.

  Randall switched off his phone to save the battery then put it away. He turned around and approached Victor who was inventorying their supplies. “How are things looking?”

  Victor folded his arms and shrugged. “Not too bad. We’re good for water, but don’t have much food besides the odds-and-ends we found in the offices. All of the snack machines are downstairs.”

  “Perhaps Joe and Grace will find something in the warehouse. Didn’t Mason say there are cafeteria supplies there?”

  Victor nodded. “Mason just left for the warehouse to go and help them find their way around. They should all be back soon.”

  “Okay. If they manage to find any food, I want you in charge of it. We need to ration.”

  Victor grinned. “Would be my pleasure. Do you not think everyone will share?”

  “No I don’t. If it’s one thing I know about people, it’s that they are incapable of governing themselves.”

  “Fair enough. You can leave things safe with me.”

  Randall left the Scotsman alone with the inventory and approached the next person in the room, who happened to be Cosby – or Bill if he were to use the man’s actual name. The aging Black man was busy piling up makeshift weaponry on a table.

  Randall looked over the collected items. “Don’t happen to have a shotgun hidden there, do you?”

  “I wish. All I could find was stationary. There’re some metal metre-rulers which could break a few bones, but not against anything big. A blade from a paper guillotine was probably the most lethal thing I could find, although it’s a bit clumsy. There was this in one of the labs, though.” He held up a large container full of clear liquid. “Sulphuric acid. If I remember high school chemistry well enough then I think this stuff is pretty lethal.”

  “It certainly is. In fact, Black Remedy owns a manufacturer that produces chemicals just like this. I’ve seen what this stuff can do. I’m sure it will come in handy.”

  Bill went back to what he was doing and Randall exited the room, closing the door behind him. The corridor was empty, other than the large stack of office furniture piled up at one end.

  Two doors down was a room marked: TODD SPETCHLEY, HEAD OF PRIMATE CARE. Randall entered the room and stepped inside. The space was mostly empty, its furniture removed for the barricade. Some things still remained, however: a desk – too vast to remove – and a steel filing cabinet that was fastened to the rear wall by several bolts. Randall took a key from his pocket and unlocked the cabinet.

  He’d found the key earlier while everybody was busy, still in its lock, and he had looked inside the cabinet it belonged to. Inside he had discovered several bags of crisps and a chocolate bar, amongst the useless paperwork and files. He had cleared out the cabinet earlier and replaced the contents with supplies. It now contained several bottles of water and some additional snacks that he had found in various drawers and cupboards. There was also a scalpel from the laboratory – just in case he needed to defend himself. There were many other things inside, but not everything in the cupboard had an obvious use just yet. The way he saw it was that the more he had available, the more options he would have later.

  After switching off the battery, Randall placed his Blackberry inside the cupboard. It wouldn’t do to be caught with it on his person after he had declined to declare it. He would return to it later and try to gain contact with somebody outside of the zoo. Somebody had to be doing something, and if there was, he would be the hero to arrange for rescue.

  After locking the cabinet up again and pocketing the key, Randall re-entered the corridor and immediately bumped into Joe’s group. He hoped that they were not suspicious.

  “Hello everyone,” he said as inconspicuously as he could. “How did it go in the warehouse?”

  Mason was smiling. “Very well, as it happens. Fortunatel
y, a delivery for the cafeteria came in this very morning, right before things became…inconvenient. There is enough food to last us for a while.”

  The little boy, Danny, spoke up next. “We found weapons, too, and an alligator!”

  Randall raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” said the boy’s father. “We found the litter spikes and Mason found us some gardening equipment when he came down to help; shovels, pitchforks, and some other stuff. As for the alligator, it’s all dealt with. We managed to kill it. It got in through an open side-door in the warehouse, but we closed it up and blocked it.”

  “Excellent. I’m just glad you’re all okay. Perhaps when this is all done, you can get on one of those shows where they wrestle alligators for entertainment.” Randall laughed, pleased with his banter. “Victor and the rest of us managed to secure the floor quite well so it looks like we’re in good shape. It’s getting dark outside so it may be a good time to bed down soon. I’m sure the shock is liable to be getting to everyone by now.”

  “Do we have any blankets?” Grace asked.

  Randall shook his head. “There’re a few cushions and some lab coats to lie on, but other than that we’re in for an uncomfortable night in the cold.”

  Joe shrugged. “We’ll manage. Things could be worse.”

  The lights cut out.

  “You’re kidding me.”

  13

  The humans festered inside like rotting ants. He would rip them to pieces soon and they would scream his name in terror. Nero, they would scream. Nero. And then he would shed the name they placed upon him and become the king nature had always intended him to be. Creatures of all kinds were looking for him to lead them – and lead them he would.

  The entire group helped bring food up from the warehouse, leaving about a third behind in case something happened to the main supply. They had filled up the seminar room with goods and were now piling cushions onto the floor. It was almost full dark outside and no stars were shining. They didn’t have much time left until all visibility was extinguished.

  Joe threw the last cushion onto his pile and put Danny down on top of it. His son’s eyelids were already half-closed by the time his head hit the soft fabric. Today was too much for a child to have to deal with, and the large portion of found chocolate cake Danny had wolfed down earlier had only added to his sleepiness.

  “Sweet dreams, son,” said Joe, covering his son with a spare lab coat. “Tomorrow will be better.”

  Danny muttered, “Night, Dad,” then was fast asleep. Joe sat and watched him for a while. He was such a small boy, but so brave – full of energy and optimism. Joe hadn’t spent enough time with Danny since the divorce and it upset him to realise how little he knew about his son’s inner-strength.

  Grace came and sat down beside the two of them. “What do you think happened to the electricity?”

  Joe shrugged. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good. Things must be really bad for the grid to be down.”

  “I guess so. Mason told me the zoo has a backup generator, but it only runs to the indoor exhibits – the lizards and stuff. We’re going to be freezing tonight.”

  “Doesn’t look like we’ll get any breaks, does it?”

  “I don’t know about that. We were lucky with the cafeteria delivery. Least we won’t starve. You should have a sandwich; everyone else has.”

  Joe nodded. “Maybe later. I guess we can hole up here for a while. It’s not too cold at the moment either. Least we’re not having a load of snow like we did last year. I thought that was the final winter to end all winters. We’ll get through this.”

  Grace looked him in the eye and seemed serious all of a sudden. “We’re lucky to have you, Joe. You saved my life today. Bill’s too. We owe you our lives.”

  “You don’t owe me anything. I just did what anyone would have.”

  Grace frowned. “You think? I can’t see Shirley risking herself like you did.”

  “Okay, I did what most people would have done.”

  Grace moved closer and lay against him. Her skin felt warm. “You did what only brave people would have done. I’m really glad you’re here. Danny too.”

  Joe felt awkward for a moment. He hadn’t had a woman this close to him in years and it made him nervous, but at the same time very relaxed. “I’m glad you’re here too, Grace,” he finally admitted, wrapping an arm around her. “I don’t think I could have looked after Danny today without you.”

  Grace looked up at him. “He’s a great kid.”

  “You should thank his mother for that. I haven’t been around so much lately.”

  Joe expected Grace to investigate further, but she didn’t. “You’re making up for it now,” was all she said.

  “Thanks,” said Joe, disagreeing with the comment but grateful that she had said it. Whether or not she heard his gratitude, he did not know. Grace was already asleep.

  It wasn’t particularly late, but Joe guessed it had been a long day for everyone. The others in the group had also begun to settle down into their own little areas. Bill and Mason were close by, while Randall, Shirley, and Victor sat further back in the room. Victor had built his bed beneath one of the study-desks. For what reason, Joe did not know.

  It was now fully dark outside and Joe could see the night between the gaps in the barricade that Victor had assembled in front of the window. He wondered what the evening would bring. Would the animals sleep? Or would they become even more active? Did they even need to sleep? Whatever had affected the creatures seemed to have taken complete control of them.

  As if to answer his questions, creatures outside began to howl, using whatever particular vocal abilities they had. At the far end of the room Randall got up from his pillow-bed and went to the window.

  “What’s happening?” Bill asked him.

  “I don’t know,” Randall replied. “I can’t really see anything. They’re out there, though. I can hear them.”

  “They know we’re in here,” said Victor. “They want our blood.”

  “That may well be,” said Randall, “but we’re safe in here. There’s no reason to worry.”

  But as the volume of the catcalls increased, Joe couldn’t help but do just that. It was several hours before he got to sleep.

  14

  It was pitch black when Joe awoke. He had no idea what time it was, and for a few moments forgot where he was. The darkness extinguished his vision and made remembering hard, but when his ears tuned in to the animal noises outside, it all came rushing back.

  Everything’s gone to shit. The animals…

  That wasn’t what had woken him though. There was somebody walking about. Joe strained his eyes, trying to see through the darkness. He could make out nothing solid, but someone was definitely there, creeping around in the shadows.

  Should I shout out?

  No, I’ll keep quiet. I have no reason to think they’re up to anything.

  Joe felt around himself, checking for Danny and Grace. They were both close by, sleeping soundly and breathing rhythmically. He was also pretty sure he could make out Bill’s silhouette nearby too. The sneaking person would have to have been Mason, Randall, Victor, or Shirley. With the exception of Mason, Joe didn’t trust any of them. Again, he considered calling out, but still chose to remain quiet.

  Probably just someone going to the toilets down the hallway.

  After the mystery person left the room, Joe waited ten more minutes before he could take it no longer. Sleep would be impossible unless he knew where everyone was. He got up slowly, so that he wouldn’t wake the others, and crept to the door in the same way that the mystery person had; an almost impossible feat in the pitch black dark. He kept his arms out as feelers to keep from bumping into the walls.

  Outside in the corridor it was no easier to see, the dark was just as suffocating. The air was cooler, though, and tasted fresher than the recycled atmosphere of the seminar room. Joe took a deep breath and looked left and right whilst cocking his ear t
o one side. It wasn’t clear where the other person had gone but, as Joe listened, he thought he could detect sounds coming from further down the corridor.

  Moist, slapping sounds.

  Joe realised the animals inside the lab were no longer making noise – the first time since Mason had riled them up by chancing upon them. Joe felt a tightening in his chest. The smart thing to do would be to wake the others, but something urged him to go on alone. If he was going to alert everyone, he at least wanted sufficient reason. They had all been through enough.

  Taking one tentative step after the other, Joe approached the lab, listening intently and trying to identify the slapping sounds. The noises seemed louder as he stood outside the door to the lab. He reached for the handle.

  Someone grabbed him from behind.

  Joe spun around. His heart threatened to leap out of his throat. Whoever had grabbed him was invisible in the darkness, only the dim shape of them visible.

  “Whoa there, Joe! It’s Bill. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Joe couldn’t speak. He sucked in giant gulps of air. It was several moments before he managed to catch his breath enough to say anything. “Christ almighty. You sneak up and grab me in the dark and you didn’t mean to scare me?”

  “Guess you have a point there, sorry. You’re the one wandering around in the night, though. What are you up to?”

  Joe’s eyes adjusted to the dark sufficiently that he could make out Bill’s curious expression. “Actually, I’m not the one wandering around. There’s someone in the lab. I was about to find out who.”

  “Okay,” said Bill, a hint of concern in his voice. “Lead the way.”

  Joe nodded but was unsure if the other man could see it in the dark. He turned back around and wrapped his fingers around the door handle again.