The matriarch hyena vaulted out of the grass and landed next to the jeep, her colossal weight making the vehicle tremble. Jalani screamed and twisted her body away as the creature snapped at her and its teeth dug into the seat, tearing out a chunk as it pulled back.
The massive jaws lunged and bit into the metal frame of the jeep which groaned as her teeth bent the metal and tore a piece away.
Eric grabbed the rifle and shoved the barrel into the creature’s mouth as it came in for another bite. The hyena bit down on the barrel as he pulled the trigger inside its mouth and the hyena stumbled backward, the gun still in its teeth.
The tires dug into the earth as Eric floored the accelerator. The hyena bit through the gun, shattering it into pieces, and started after them.
Clouds of dirt were kicking up behind the jeep, making it difficult to see, but the outline of the massive creature was still visible. It was larger than anything Eric could’ve imagined. The size of an elephant with thick musculature and fangs the size of kitchen knives.
Eric glanced down and saw he only had an eighth of a tank of gas. There were no more jugs of fuel left. Thomas had told him about hyenas. Their hearts were twice the size of a lion’s. They couldn’t run fast, but they could run for miles and miles. The gas would eventually run out.
He pressed down on the accelerator as far as it would go, the jeep thrashing about on the uneven road. It got far enough away from the beast that he had some time. “When I stop the jeep you need to run.” “No,” Jalani said. “Just run when I tell you to!” He waited another minute, and then slammed on the brakes. “Run!” Jalani hesitated, and then jumped out. She ran to the jungle and waited for him. “Go! Don’t wait for me.” Jalani, unsure, ran.
Eric climbed out of the jeep and took off his shirt, tearing it into pieces. He went to the back of the jeep and unscrewed the gas cap. He rolled up the shirt and pushed it down as far as it would go. Pulling it back out he saw it had a little bit of gasoline on the tip.
The hyena was almost on him, only a few dozen feet away. It didn’t stop to consider its prey; it just charged.
Eric took out some matches and lit the shirt, the tip lighting immediately and beginning to work its way down the cloth. He shoved the shirt as far into the gas tank as it would go. He climbed up onto the hood, taking out his hunting knife.
The beast was enormous as its girth barreled down on him. It stood nearly as tall as a basketball rim and was thickly muscled, its jaws bulging underneath thin gray fur. It galloped like a horse but because of its size its gait was awkward and slow. Eric crouched low on the hood of the jeep, sweat rolling down his scalp and stinging his eyes.
The great beast leapt into the air and slammed into the jeep, knocking Eric onto his back and flattening two of the tires of the vehicle. It pressed its face down on Eric and he shoved the knife into its mouth vertically, keeping it from being able to close. The animal pulled away, the knife jabbing into its tongue and upper jaw, and bit down. The blade bent and the handle shattered.
Eric looked at the cloth; it was burned down past where he could see. The hyena lunged for him and he rolled off the jeep and onto the ground. He managed to get to his feet as the hyena bent low to spring.
The explosion threw Eric forward and his back screamed as the skin was charred. The animal howled in pain, its soft skin burning in flames and melting off its body. It fell off the jeep and roared, blinded from the blast, its eyes liquefied. It snapped wildly at the air, trying to bite down on anything, and then darted in one direction, smashing into a tree and knocking it to the ground. It went in another direction, dazed, and collapsed with a groan.
Eric crawled away and lay on the dirt, the pain in his back and legs nearly making him pass out. He watched as the creature’s immense body burned like an inferno in the dirt, black smoke rising into the air and whirling into the breeze. The creature was spasming and violently thrashing from side-to-side. It slowed as the fire burned. It moved one last time, a paw gently scratching in the ground, its savagery having been eaten away in the fire. Its breathing stopped as the flames suffocated it, and consumed what was left.
After a few minutes he heard a rustle behind him and turned to see Jalani.
As she helped him up, he felt the softness of her skin and could feel her heart beating against him. The sun had painted the sky a glowing crimson in its retreat, and lions were roaring somewhere. Beauty and death, like Thomas had said. But Eric realized that Thomas had been mistaken about something. He didn’t realize that the difference wasn’t in the plains; it was in us.
The plains were indifferent.
EPILOGUE
Six year old Marie Darrelle packed her small suitcase with the few clothes she had. The suitcase sat on her bed and she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach it. When she was finished, she looked at the room once more and walked outside into the hallway where Sister Adele waited for her. She took the Sister’s hand and they began walking down the hallway to the reception area.
The world outside of Saint Madeline’s held little comfort for Marie. She remembered vaguely her mother dropping her off into Sister Adele’s arms when she was young but little else of the things outside. Her life had been spent in here, within these narrow hallways and small crowded rooms. Her best memories were of Mousier Beau, the cook. Whenever the building filled with the smells of his meats and sauces, Marie would run down to the kitchen and Mousier Beau would let her stand on a chair and stir the food or cut lettuce for salads. Sometimes Sister Adele read to her at night, but other than that, she was alone. Too young to play with the older children and too old to play with the younger.
The reception area was a large room with wood paneling and glossy hardwood floors. There were two people standing in front of a painting of a boat on the water. One was a man. He looked young and handsome and smiled a lot. The other was a black woman with eyes that looked like they shined. She was very beautiful, Marie decided.
Sister Adele bent down and kissed Marie’s cheek. She stood up and walked away down the corridor, wiping at the tears in her eyes. Marie looked to the floor; she would miss Sister Adele. The man walked over and knelt down in front of her. “Hello Marie,” he said with a smile. “Bonjour Mousier,” she said shyly. “Sister Adele said you speak English as well as French. You’re a very smart girl to speak two languages already, Marie.” Marie looked up at him; he had very nice eyes and she wasn’t as scared anymore.
“My name is Eric, Marie,” he looked to the woman and then back to Marie, “I’m fulfilling a promise to a good friend of mine, Marie. And just like I promised him, I’m promising you that we will love you and take care of you for as long as you’ll have us. We’re your family now.”
The man held out his hand and waited patiently until Marie took it. The woman took the suitcase in one hand and Marie’s hand in the other. Marie looked to the man and smiled before they walked out of Saint Madeline’s and onto the ancient streets of downtown Paris. She would like this family, she decided.
