Zookeeper's Claim

Ten

    Niaz opened the door of the cabin and stepped inside. He motioned for me to follow.

    “Come in, it’s fine.”

    I stepped into a brightly lit room. Judging by the size of the space, this room must have taken up most of the small cabin’s interior. The walls were a cheery yellow and several lamps around the space gave off a warm glow.

    A plush couch and a TV sat in one corner, a kitchenette and a round dining table with two chairs were in another. Near the couch and TV was a neatly made bed.

    The man, who must have been Frank sat on top of the covers. He taped a gauze bandage to his leg and looked up. There were multiple gashes and bruises dotting his face and arms that had yet to be covered.

    I cringed. He must have been in a lot of pain.

    “Hello, Frank,” Niaz said.

    Frank gave a forced smile. There were a few gaps in in teeth. “Hey.”

    He looked in my direction and his eyebrows knit together. “Who is this? She new?”

    “I’m Beth.” I reached my hand out for a handshake. He didn’t offer his hand in return.

    “I’m—“

    “A friend,” Niaz interrupted. “Beth is a friend of mine and she wanted to meet some of the residents here at The Menagerie.”

    Frank narrowed his eyes. “Zoo opens in the morning. Come gawk at me then.”

    Niaz gave him a gentle smile. ”Beth here just learned the truth about the residents of The Menagerie. We aren't really here for a social call.”

    Niaz looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder.

    ”She’s concerned and wanted to ask some questions about your well-being.”

    Frank rolled his eyes. ”Alright. Fine.”

    Now that I was face to face with another shifter, I had no idea what to say.

    I looked closely at Frank. He couldn't have been any older than his early twenties, a little younger than me.

    ”Frank, are you really the peacock that lost the fight a little while ago?”

    ”Yup.”

    ”So, why do you fight? Are you forced into the ring?”

    Frank looked at Niaz before answering me.

    ”Not forced and my reason’s personal. No offense, lady, but I'm not really an open book, okay?”

    He crossed his arms over his bare chest.

    ”Alright. I'm sorry. I just want to make sure that you're not being forced to do something you don't want to do.” I paused.

    What could I ask that wasn’t personal? I had so many questions. Not just about the fighting but about the fact that shifters are real. I needed to hear it from someone other than Niaz.

    “Are you free to leave The Menagerie whenever you want?”

    “There’s not many places to go for people like me. But, I guess so.” He reached for a roll of gauze and began to wrap his arm.

    “I hope this isn’t too personal, Frank, but what’s in it for you? The fighting, I mean.”

    His ink black eyes met mine. “Money. Money is survival, isn’t it?” He jerked his head at Niaz. “Niaz has done well for himself. He’s rich. He’s free. I want to be free.”

    Frank stood from the bed and brushed past me. He opened the door.

    “I’d like to rest now. No more questions.”

    “Thank you,” I said as I turned toward the door.

    “Good night, Frank,” Niaz said.

    The door latched behind us. The dead bolt clicked into place.

    Niaz clapped his hands together once. “There. No slave labor. No forced fighting. Are you satisfied, Beth?”

    Was I? I still couldn’t wrap my mind around all that I’d learned tonight. Niaz’s story seemed to be true. The fighters weren’t being compelled to fight by him and they were being paid. As gruff as Frank had been toward my intrusion, I believed his answers.

    “I think I’m beginning to understand,” I said as we walked toward the

    “Good. So no police? No bad report back to the accreditation agency?”

    I shook my head.

    “Thank you for having an open mind.”

    I yawned. It was really late and the adrenaline from the dangerous excitement just a few hours ago must have worn off.

    “I’ve got to get back home. I’m going to call for a ride.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. The screen lit up. Cracks spiderwebbed along the screen from when I’d dropped it earlier.

    “Don’t be silly. I will take you home.”

    “No, you don’t have to do that. I’ve given you enough of a headache. I’ll just use the app and a ride will be here in a few minutes.”

    We’d returned back to the front of the zoo. The lights gave me a better view of Niaz as he looked down at my face. He smiled.

    “It’s no trouble. Please, I insist.”

    The ride from my house to The Menagerie had been on the expensive side and I wasn’t worried that Niaz would harm me any more. I don’t know why, but I felt like I could trust him.

    “Alright. Thank you,” I said.

    We exited the zoo through the front entrance and walked to his car.

    All the other cars were gone. He stopped at the only remaining car in the lot, a black BMW SUV parked under a light pole. The hazard lights flashed once as he unlocked the doors with his key fob.

    He grabbed the front passenger door and opened it.

    “After you,” he swept his arm toward the interior of the car. I got in and the door swung shut behind me.

    Never in my adult life has a man opened a car door for me. I smiled.

    The engine purred after Niaz pressed the ignition.

    “Where to?”

    I gave him my address and he entered it in car’s built-in GPS.

    We traveled in silence for a few minutes. I tried to process everything that had happened over the last few hours.

    “About those pictures I took. I’m going to delete them all, Niaz. You’re right. Getting anyone else involved in this would be bad.”

    He turned his head toward me and smiled.

    “Thank you. Thank you for understanding that discretion is needed to keep my community safe. Life is really hard for a lot of us.” I fumbled with the seatbelt so I could get my phone out of my pocket.

    “I’m—I’m sorry about the trouble I caused you tonight.”

    He patted my knee with his hand and returned it to the steering wheel.

    “You care, Beth. That’s more than I can say for most people. Your passion, you—.” He paused.

    He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, as if he was searching for the right words. I gave up on the search for my phone for now, wanting to hear what Niaz would say.

    “Beth, can I see you again?”

    “Really?” I felt flabbergasted. I trespassed onto his property and threatened to call the police on him. All that, and he wants to see me again?

    “Yes. I would like to get to know you under better circumstances. Not during an investigation of a complaint and not while catching you trespassing.” He winked at me.

    “What do you say?”

    I couldn’t help but smile.

    “It’s a date,” I said.