“It was an EMP,” said Joe.
“I’ve heard of those. Science fiction crap, and I don’t believe it for a minute.
“Believe it, lady. You’re witnessing the downfall of the United States. Someone wants what we have, and the best way to achieve that is to take down the electrical grid.
Hannah thought about what Joe had said. A memory came to her, but for the time being, she kept it to herself. Instead, she said, “To answer your question, it happened when they went to dinner and never came back.” Hannah gazed off into the distance, afraid to face the truth.
“No one came back for you?”
Hannah dipped her chin to her chest. “No one.”
“Typical,” Joe said. “Why are you still here? Don’t you have a house or a boyfriend to go home to?”
“No. My parents live out-of-state, and I broke up with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. The people I thought were my friends, obviously weren’t.”
“Then why didn’t you walk home? It would have taken a while, but you could’ve made it.”
“I’m from out-of-town, so I’m stuck here. If I tried to walk home, the animals would have starved in their cages! I couldn’t let that happen. Besides, I found enough food and water to last a while until all this blows over. I’m sure the electricity will come back on at some point.”
“Don’t count on it anytime soon,” Joe said. “Hannah, listen to me. You’re going to show me where the guns and antibiotics are kept, and once I have those I’ll escort you to the petting zoo area. After you feed the animals, we should probably part ways.”
“Where will you go?” Hannah asked.
“Back to NRG.”
Hannah didn’t reply.
“Alright,” Joe said. “We need to get going while there is some light left. Once it gets dark, we’ll be sitting ducks. Get what you need and let’s go.”
Chapter 21
“Keep behind me,” Joe whispered. “And if anything happens, save yourself.”
“Nothing will happen,” Hannah replied, confident they were safe.
Hannah’s nonchalance about their situation was bugging Joe. Really bugging him. Like, if she was a bug on his arm, he would have brushed her off and let her be on her own.
“The animals are my friends.” Hannah adjusted the fanny pack so it rested against her hip.
Joe rolled his eyes, keeping his editorializing to himself. He was regretting his decision to let her tag along, because if the shit hit the fan, it was every man or woman for themselves.
Joe and Hannah exited the van and traversed through the main entrance to the zoo without any issues. Other than the turnstiles squeaking a bit, they were silent in their approach.
In the distance, the report of a rifle rang out.
Someone screamed, then fell silent again.
Joe placed one foot in front of the other, extremely careful not to make any noise or to accidentally trip or kick a bottle.
It was quiet, too quiet. About as quiet as a dinner table when a prayer was said before a meal.
Joe searched the shadows growing long at the hour. He had been wrong in his estimation regarding how long it would take him to travel between NRG Stadium and the zoo. And hadn’t planned on getting knocked out.
By car, it was no more than a twenty-minute trip if traffic wasn’t too bad, but today Joe had to fight and scratch his way to the zoo. He cursed the form he had to fill out stating he would not carry any firearms in his truck while on NRG property, specifically the parking lot. He even had to sign a waiver submitting to a search. In hindsight, he should have parked offsite and taken light rail or even walked. On the bright side, at least he didn’t have a gun in his truck to get stolen.
Joe had the distinct feeling he and Hannah were being watched, a fact that sent shivers up Joe’s spine, to his shoulders, and scalp.
“Are you cold?” Hannah asked.
“No. Scared shitless.”
“We’ll be fine. I know these animals. I’ve studied them and their habits, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Lady, I’m more than worried and you should be too. Where’s the main office?”
“At the back of the aviary. When we come to the building ahead of us, take a left, and follow me.”
Hannah and Joe walked past the building housing the reptiles. The tall trees obscured the remaining light of the day, and shadows undulated in the quiet parts of the zoo. Joe had all sorts of crazy thoughts cross his mind, like a black panther would spring out of the dark at any moment, and make a meal out of him or Hannah. The call of the Hadeda Ibis bird, one of the most recognizable sounds from Africa, startled Joe. The loud and raucous call of the nocturnal bird, commonly used in movies to set the stage for a tense scene, made the hairs of Joe’s arm prickle. Whether a sixth sense, a foreboding, or whatever Joe was experiencing, he suddenly looked up.
An anaconda, its body double the size of Joe’s muscled biceps, dangled from a tree above him.
He roughly grabbed Hannah’s arm and jerked her away from the canopy.
“Why’dya do that?”
Joe leaned into Hannah and whispered in a low and annoyed tone, “You let the snakes out too.”
“Of course. They’d starve if I didn’t. Besides, there are plenty of rats for them to eat around here.”
“What were you thinking?” Joe’s jaw was clenched tight. “Don’t you know you’ve let out some of the most poisonous snakes in the world?”
“If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you,” Hannah snapped.
“Like the anaconda in the tree I just saved you from?”
“What anaconda?” Hannah looked around, wondering what Joe meant. “I didn’t see any anacondas.”
“My point exactly.”
“Your mind is playing
