Free Ashton Memorial by Kody Boye, Robert R. Best, Laura Best, Deedee Davies Page A

Caleb had not been able to tell where he
called from.
    A brief meeting had been held then among the
Keepers. It was decided it was light now and the zoo appeared to be
clear. They would look for Gregory and Lori themselves. Once they
were all together, they could wait out the chaos outside. There was
food in vending machines and in Zoo Bites, the overpriced
restaurant set in the center of the zoo. There were water
fountains. They could last for weeks if need be.
    Ella looked at Gary the
tapir, then down at the concrete ditch keeping him in the exhibit.
Tom nodded at the ditch, then looked back at Caleb. “I don't see
how the animals could get past those. Isn't that the
point?”
    “Not this way,” said Caleb,
indicating the front of the exhibit. “That way.” He pointed to the
back, behind Gary and his habitat. Set in the back wall, in
concrete made to look like stone, was a door. The red light next to
the door indicated it was locked.
    Ella nodded, looking at the door. Behind it
and the concrete wall was a large cage, also locked with its own
red light. The cages were used when the weather was really bad. The
chances of both locks being accidentally opened were slim,
especially with the electronic system Gregory had installed.
    “Gary's still locked in,”
said Ella. “Red light says so.”
    “What happens if the power
goes out?” said Lee.
    “Everything defaults to
locked,” said Caleb. He jingled keys on his belt. “That's why we
still have old-fashioned keys.”
    Caleb adjusted the
tranquilizer rifle on his shoulder. “We ready?”
    Everyone nodded.
    “Then let's find
them.”
    They slowly made their way from building to
building, looking. All the animals they came across were still
safely in their exhibits. Ella gave them each a little wave as she
passed. She grew more and more nervous as hours went by with no
sign of Lori or Stepdad, but interacting with the animals made her
feel a little better.
    The group rounded a corner. Ella looked
around. To her left was the giraffe exhibit. A giraffe stuck out
his long tongue to grab at the dried leaves clinging to a nearby
tree.
    “Hey Lenny,” said Ella
quietly. “Sorry you're hungry. No one fed you
yesterday.”
    She turned and saw a small administration
building set behind a vending machine. Caleb walked toward it,
keycard in hand. He pressed the card up to a panel to the right of
the door. A light on the panel changed from red to green. Caleb
opened the door and went inside. A moment later, he came back out,
shaking his head.
    “Nope,” he said. “Not in
there.”
    “Hey!” a strange voice
yelled from one side. They all turned to see a balding man stomping
up the concrete path toward them. He wore jeans and an Ashton Tigers T-shirt
under a thin jacket. Behind him stood a woman and two teenage boys.
They all also wore Tigers T-shirts.
    Caleb blinked in surprise,
then stepped toward the man. “Can I help you sir?”
    “You can let us the
motherfuck out of here is what you can fucking do!”
    Tom stepped over, in front
of Caleb. “Okay, dude, time to settle down.”
    “You'll settle down on my
dick!” The man jabbed a finger at Tom, then walked past him to
confront Caleb.
    “What seems to be the
problem sir?” said Caleb. Ella knew what it was. She couldn't
believe they'd all forgotten last night. She knew what the man was
about to say.
    “The problem,” said the
man, “is you people locked the damn gates last night! You locked us
all in here, you stupid prick!” The man shoved Caleb. Caleb
staggered backward. The tranquilizer rifle slipped off his shoulder
and clattered to the concrete.
    “Caleb!” yelled Shelley,
running up behind him and putting her hand on his
shoulder.
    “You stay out of this
bitch!” yelled the man. “Now let us the fuck out! We're cold and
hungry and you trapped us in here!”
    Caleb held up his hands.
“Sir, please, it's dangerous outside.”
    “I don't give a fuck about
a few homeless-looking assholes outside. I'm