Zookeeper's Claim

Six

    I had the Uber drop me off a few blocks away from the entrance to The Menagerie’s parking lot. McKenna was pretty upset that I wouldn’t let her come but I knew she’d get over it.

    It was dark, really dark. About half of the streetlights were out, leaving black voids on the sidewalk. Unable to see, my imagination ran wild as I walked. As much as I had insisted that she stay away, the company would have been welcomed. Her drunk prattling would have been a great distraction from the imagined predators hiding in the bushes along my walk.

    Headlights behind me momentarily lit the path ahead. The turn was just a little further ahead. The car slowed. My heart rate quickened and I tried to turn my face away from the street. As the car passed me, its brake lights lit and it turned right at the intersection in front of me. Right into the entrance of The Menagerie.

    s**t. I thought they were closed.

    It was late - there was no way that the facilities were open for visitors now. I slowed my pace to allow for more distance between the car and me. I could not be seen.

    What was I even thinking? If I got caught, my internship would be over and my dreams of being a veterinarian would disappear right along with it. Still, this had to be the right thing to do. Niaz had definitely been hiding something. And why would someone call in a complaint that they didn’t believe to be true?

    A quick melody played from my pocket and I held in a yelp. The sudden noise from my cell phone broke my concentration.

    I pulled the phone from my pocket and checked the screen. It was McKenna.

    I answered.

    “Kenna, what?” I hissed.

    “I-can’t-believe-that-“ Her words were cut off by her sobs.

    “McKenna. Shhh. I’ll call you when I get back. Please?”

    “O-okay. Please-don’t-for-forget.”

    I put the phone on silent and put it back in my pocket. I couldn’t have the phone going off while I was inside.

    I figured that enough time had passed since that car drove by that I could walk normally again. There was no sign of the car that had pulled in. I walked in the grass next to the entrance and tried to stay in the shadows of the trees as I proceeded toward the parking lot and then the park itself.

    There were no longer any streetlights to illuminate my path. The full moon’s silvery light seemed brighter now that I didn’t have fluorescent bulbs to guide my steps. Other than the occasional chirp of a bat and the night insects’ buzz, my wall toward the entrance was quiet.

    As the parking lot came into view, I was surprised to see that several cars were parked close to the ticketing gate. The lights at the front of the park illuminated the cars from behind. I squinted to try and get a better look. I was still too far away to see anything clearly.

    I picked up my pace and moved walk in the shadow of the chain-link fence that enclosed the parking lot. The fence had privacy slats that interrupted the view on either side. I hoped that the fence’s shadow was enough to keep me out of view.

    As I got closer to the entrance, the pungent odor of animal became more apparent. I could hear the elephants trumpeting in the distance. Birds squawked their annoyance.

    There was something else.

    I couldn’t quite tell what. It almost sounded like cheers? They couldn’t be coming from The Menagerie, could they?

    Impossible.

    I figured that my brain was misinterpreting animal sounds. My imagination was getting the better of me.

    I’d neared the entrance. The bright lights illuminated every square inch of the grass. I peered into the parking lot to get a better view of the cars.

    There were at least ten cars. Maybe fifteen. The light sparkled and danced off their polished exteriors. They all looked like expensive luxury cars. What was going on here?

    A round of cheers and applause broke through the night noise. There was no mistaking it this time. Amid the cheers, I heard the squawking of birds.

    I looked around. I didn’t see any people. The gates to the park were propped wide open, an eerie invitation considering the circumstances.

    With the bright lights focusing on the gates, there was no way I could sneak inside without being seen. I’d need to find another way.

    I remembered that the area Niaz didn’t want me to see wasn’t far from the park entrance. I moved aside one of the privacy slats in the fence and looked through the darkness on the other side. It looked like a safe enough. All I could see were plants on the other side.

    The fence was pretty tall, maybe eight feet or so. I scaled it with no problems. Once I got to the top, though, it was like looking down into an abyss. I couldn’t see the ground below me in the dim light. I held my breath and let go.

    I landed softly in the earth on my ass with a soft, thud. I stood and wiped the dirt from the back of my jeans and tried to get my bearings. I thought that Niaz’s secret area was near but I couldn’t see well enough to pick a direction.

    The whooping cheers of what had to be several people and jeers of others gave me my answer. I headed on the direction of the noise, continually scanning my surroundings for people.

    I found the path that lead to the so-called trash area and followed it. The path curved around a corner and the vegetation on either side opened up into what looked to be a large paved area, like a parking lot. I could see the outlines of several smaller buildings scattered in the area.

    The center of this lot was clearly the main attraction. A dozen or so people had gathered around a tall fence. I couldn’t see past them into the fence but whatever was in there held their attention. One bright light shone into the ring, casting long shadows behind the gathered people. It looked like one of those lamps that construction workers use to work at night on the side of the road. Impossibly bright.

    A loud, inhuman screech pierced the air and several of the men cheered while others jeered and booed.

    “It appears we have a winner, folks!” someone shouted. The crowd parted to allow someone to pass through a gate. Once he stepped into the light, I could clearly see that it was Niaz.

    I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. I knew it. Niaz had been hiding something. I needed to find out what it was.