Free Terror at the Zoo by Peg Kehret Page A

it sound like a whole group was on their way to the Nocturnal House.
    Had the man believed Corey when he said there were other people on the camp-out? Probably. After all, it was unlikely that Corey would be here alone.
    The man probably thought there were others here. Ifhe did, her plan might work. The man might run away rather than taking a chance that he would be surrounded by a mob of angry relatives. And then she and Corey would run, too, and hide somewhere until morning, or until help arrived.
    Even if the man didn’t run, the security guard might hear her yell and come. He was probably looking for them anyway. It must be after midnight. If the guard checked the tent and found it empty, he would be alarmed. He would try to find them.
    By now, maybe Mom and Dad were home and had called the police or the president of the zoo or someone. Even if Mom and Dad weren’t home yet, Grandpa and Grandma would be back by now and would find the note. Help might be on the way already.
    Maybe I shouldn’t yell quite yet, Ellen thought. Maybe I should wait awhile. Stay right where I am and wait for someone to come. Except the security guard might NOT be looking for them. Mom and Dad might NOT be home. Help might NOT be on the way.
    She took a deep breath, planted her feet firmly on the path outside the Nocturnal House and yelled as loudly as she could, “This way, everybody. I think I’ve found him.” She waited a few seconds and when nothing happened, she yelled again. “He’s over here. In the Nocturnal House. Come on, everyone! This way!”
    The door of the Nocturnal House burst open. With the light behind them, the silhouettes of the tall man and the small boy were plainly visible.
    Ellen gasped. The man had one arm firmly around Corey’s neck. In his other hand, he held the long sharpknife. “If anybody takes one more step,” the man said, “this kid won’t live.”
    What have I done? Ellen thought. She stood still, staring in horror at her brother and the man with the knife.
    The man looked around. His eyes stopped briefly on Ellen and then, after waiting for a few more seconds, he looked at her again and said, “Come here.”
    He knows I was bluffing, Ellen thought. He knows I’m the only one out here. She whirled and started to run.
    Behind her, Corey cried out.
    Ellen stopped and looked back. The man held the knife in the air now, pointed toward Corey’s chest.
    She couldn’t run away. Slowly, she turned and walked toward the man. “Who are you?” she whispered. “What do you want with us?”

10

    I NSIDE the Nocturnal House, the man kicked at the wall. “Of all the rotten luck. Just when everything was rolling my way, I get saddled with a couple of brats.”
    “You don’t have to be saddled with us,” Corey said. “You could let us go.”
    “Sure. And have you go screaming to Mama and Papa.”
    “They aren’t . . .” Corey stopped.
    The man’s eyes narrowed. “They aren’t what? They aren’t here? That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it?”
    Corey didn’t answer.
    The man nodded his head slowly, as if the pieces of a puzzle had fallen into place. “You kids are here alone. That’s why nobody came when you yelled. And that’s why you’re going to do exactly as I say. Because there’s no one to rescue you.”
    “There’s a security guard,” Ellen said. “He’s on his way here right now.”
    “No, he isn’t.”
    “Why are you being so mean?” Corey said. “We didn’t do anything bad to you.”
    “No? Well, the rest of the world did. But not anymore. Old Tony’s in charge now and you kids are going to make me a bundle of cash. Twenty grand, to be exact.”
    “Why do you need money so badly?” Ellen asked. “Don’t you have a job?”
    “Job?” The man started to laugh. “Don’t you have a job?” he repeated, as if it were the funniest joke he’d ever heard.
    Ellen and Corey looked at each other. Corey shrugged his shoulders.
    “What’s so funny about having