“Don’t,” Hannah hissed. “The female has cubs.” She pointed to the hundred-year old oak near the perimeter of the pen.
From the shadows, two cubs hesitantly emerged, squeezing under the last rung of the fence. They eyed Hannah and Joe then joined their mother in the meal, settling next to her. The lioness licked her paws, making room for her two cubs.
“Let’s back out of here as slowly and as quietly as possible,” Joe said. “Then we’ll—”
A massive male lion broke through the flimsy wooden fence. Its size dwarfed Joe’s six foot frame, making him appear weak and insignificant. Its head was larger than Joe’s chest.
The cubs scurried for cover next to their mother who growled and showed her teeth. She had crouched low, submissive to the intimidating male.
The lion made a lightning fast move towards the female and her cubs then skidded to an abrupt stop. It swung its head around and locked eyes on Hannah and Joe.
In the amount of time it took for Joe to register what had happened, he brought up his rifle, sighted the lion, and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
The rifle had jammed! Without any time to unjam the rifle, Joe decided his only option was to use it as a club.
The male lion took one quick step towards Joe.
Joe prepared himself. “Run, Hannah! Ruuun!”
The lion leapt with its front legs stretched out, claws ready to slice and maim.
The blast from behind Joe stunned him for a second as he tried to comprehend its meaning. The shock value was enough to cause him to close his eyes and duck.
Another blast rang out.
In the next second it took Joe to come to his senses, the massive lion had crumpled to the ground and the female had hurried away, carrying the lamb carcass in her mouth, the cubs close on her heels.
He jerked around to where Hannah last stood.
Still as white as paper, she held a huge revolver in her trembling hand. The stainless steel Smith and Wesson .500 Magnum was as long as her forearm.
“My God,” he whispered, catching his breath. “You saved my life.” Joe’s gaze dropped to the revolver. “Where did you get that?”
Holding the revolver in a death grip, Hannah said, “It was in my fanny pack.”
“You never told me.”
“You never asked if I had a gun.”
Joe threw his hands up in exasperation. “You’re an animal activist, a don’t shoot Bambi kind of person who doesn’t believe in firearms.”
Hannah lowered the weapon. “I know my limits, and having you ripped apart by the lion was way above my threshold.”
“Is the gun yours?”
“It belonged to my no-good boyfriend. Before he left for dinner on the night all this happened, he lent it to me for protection.”
“Good thing he did.” By now, Joe had recovered from his adrenaline dump. “Let’s get outta here. First I’ll need to unjam the rifle.”
A few seconds later, Joe found the problem. He closely examined the dud round and found corrosion on the brass next to the primer. Further examination of the box it came from showed a clear water line where the corrosive primed ammunition had once been submerged in water. Joe kicked himself for not examining the ammunition when he checked the rifle.
“I feel like such an idiot.”
Hannah smirked. “You’re welcome.”
“What?” Joe asked.
She raised her brow.
“What?” Joe repeated, giving her a confused look. “Oh, right. Thanks, you saved my life. I owe you one.” Joe examined the other two ammo boxes, finding that one of them contained safari grade solids loaded in nickel-plated cases for absolute reliable function. No water damage at all. He reloaded the rifle and pocketed the balance of the box. He considered throwing away the other brass cased ammo, but reconsidered due to the difficulty in finding safari ammunition and the possibility that some of the rounds were still good.
“Hey, do you mind if I tag along with you?” Hannah said with all the sugar and spice she could muster.
“You’ve got to be kidding. You want to go back to the hellhole of what’s left of the stadium?”
“I have nothing to keep me here. The animals are no longer penned, and the baby animals in the petting zoo are all dead. I have nowhere to go.” Hannah glanced down and hiccupped. “I saved your life, the least you can do is let me tag along.”
Against his better judgement, Joe agreed. “Alright, but under one condition.”
“Go on.”
“No more feeding baby animals.”
“Deal.”
Chapter 23
Joe and Hannah began the arduous trek back to the stadium. Night came early on the February day, and without streetlamps, a full moon, or other light pollution, the night was darker than usual. The clouds had disappeared, giving way to the stars shining in the heavens. The brilliance of the billions of stars in the Milky Way glowed in the sky.
“It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?” Hannah said, facing skyward.
“What is? I don’t see anything,” Joe replied.
“Look up. It’s beautiful.”
Joe briefly glanced at the sky. “I suppose so.”
“Why don’t you take the time to enjoy this.”
“Lady, I don’t have time to lollygag. My friend’s life depends on me getting the medicine to her. Time’s a wastin’, so let’s pick up the pace.”
“What’s wrong with your friend?” Hannah asked.
“She’s got an infected abscessed tooth, plus a fever. If the infection isn’t stopped, it could get worse, lead to more infections and even go to her brain.”
“It makes sense why you needed the antibiotics, but the tooth will need to be extracted.”
Joe nodded. “I’ve wondered about that.”
“If she could get to a dentist, a root canal could be performed to save the tooth, otherwise the tooth will
