The Surge Page 5

“Right.”

  “He dumped it after our school bus sank. He stuffed some things in those big pockets he has on his pants, but I don’t know what they were.”

  “How long has he been gone?”

  “I can’t say exactly. Maybe a half an hour. This is my first time on this farm. Chase said something about a shack and a shop? I don’t know how far they are from here.”

  “It can’t be far. You be careful, Rashawn. Let me talk to Mrs. Rossi.”

  “You be careful too, Mr. Masters. Nice talking to you.”

  06:23 AM

  A terrible scream rose above the clattering wind. Chase’s knees nearly buckled at the sound.

  “What—?”

  “Sulfur-crested cockatoo,” Nicole said. “Nothing to worry — watch out!” She tackled Chase. A charging ostrich missed them by inches, then hit the wall behind them with a loud bang.

  Nicole was up on her feet and running back to the door before Chase could piece together what had happened. He checked on Brutus, making sure the bear was still worrying the metal panel, before getting to his feet and following her.

  The two-hundred-pound ostrich was thrashing on the cement floor, trying to get up, which was not going to happen with two broken legs.

  “I hate this hurricane!” Nicole shouted bitterly as she dodged the bird’s flailing feet.

  With tears running down her face, she pointed the shotgun at the ostrich’s head and pulled the trigger. The bird continued to thrash for several seconds, then stopped. Nicole walked outside.

  Chase found her leaning against the wall, sobbing. The shotgun was on the ground at her feet. He picked it up and waited.

  Nicole wiped her tears on her sleeve. “You were right,” she said.

  “About what?”

  “About the animals. There’s nothing we can do to help them in the dark. We need to get the gas and go back to the circus barn. The only animal we can help at this point is Pet.”

  “Why don’t you go back to the barn?” Chase said. “I can get the gas on my own.”

  Nicole took the shotgun. She ejected the spent shell and jacked a fresh one into the breech. “Not with Simba and Hector running around, you can’t. And who knows what else has escaped. We have four other lions besides Simba, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Chase said. “You think they’re out too?”

  “They were in the same barn as Simba.”

  Just the mention of Simba’s name sent a chill down Chase’s back.

  “Gertrude — the giraffe — she was in that barn too,” Nicole continued. “At fourteen feet, the only way she could have gotten out is if the big door was open.”

  “Or if the building collapsed,” Chase added. He looked up at the sky. “Eventually the storm’s going to pass. I think the winds have already died down.”

  The diving board from the Rossis’ swimming pool tumbled through the open area before them and disappeared into the dark.

  Nicole grinned. “You were saying?”

  “I didn’t say the winds had stopped,” Chase said. “What do you usually do with escaped man-eaters?”

  “They aren’t man-eaters, but they are potentially dangerous. We’ve had a few escapes inside the barn, but they’ve never gotten outside the barn. The important thing now is containment.”

  “We’re way past containment.” Chase looked out at the Rossis’ land. “We’re in out-of-control.”

  06:24 AM

  John found Cindy and Mark sitting on a cot with towels around their necks, drinking coffee and eating donuts. Mark had the precious TV station camera in his lap.

  “How’s the truck?” Mark asked.

  “Beyond our ability to repair without new parts. We were lucky to have gotten this far.”

  “Did you try to reach Chase again?” Cindy asked.

  John nodded. “His phone’s working, but he didn’t answer. A girl picked up, Rashawn. She was on the bus with them. I spoke to Marco’s mother too, but only for a minute or two. The phone battery was going dead, but it sounds like there are some other problems on the farm.”

  John went on to explain what Rashawn and Mrs. Rossi had told him. Cindy and Mark stared at him in complete silence.

  Mark shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said slowly. “I don’t understand. You mean like an African leopard, spotted, with fangs and claws?”

  “It could be an Asian leopard,” Cindy said. “They have them too, although not as many as they have in Africa.”

  Mark looked at Cindy. “Thanks, Mother Nature.” He turned to John. “There’s a leopard running around this farm your son is on, and it’s carrying a dead monkey in its mouth?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And your son is running around looking for gas so that the elephant that lives on this so-called farm doesn’t have to give birth in the dark?”

  John nodded. “That about sums it up. Except Marco was out looking for the kids and didn’t make it back home. I promised his mother I’d try to find him.”

  “Does he know that he doesn’t have a home?” Cindy asked.

  “I doubt it. Mrs. Rossi said he left before the wind took it down. She barely made it out herself before it collapsed. I have to get back to the farm. Tomás is trying to find someone to lend us a vehicle.”

  “You really think someone is going to give you their wheels to drive around in a hurricane?” Mark asked.

  “We’ll pay them of course,” John said.

  “Pay for what?” Richard Krupp appeared as if out of nowhere. “Aren’t you that construction guy Cindy was interviewing on my news show?”

  John turned to the news anchor. He was shorter and thinner than he looked on television. “I’m that guy,” he said.

  “Did you drive Cindy and Mark here?”

  “My partner Tomás and I did.”

  “Why?”

  “We were headed in the same direction. How did you get here?”

  “A television van. We would have made it all the way to Palm Breeze if we hadn’t been turned back at the roadblock. I live in Palm Breeze. My wife’s the principal of Palm Breeze Middle School.”

  Cindy rolled her eyes. “What do you want now, Richard?”

  “The video you shot on the way here, for one.” Richard looked at Mark. “And the camera on your lap. I just got off the phone with your boss.”

  “He’s your boss too,” Mark said.

  “Whatever. He was surprised to hear you two had quit, but he wasn’t upset. He already has people in mind to take your places. I think his exact words were: ‘No big deal. There’s a dynamite reporter up in Tallahassee who wants to come south. And cameramen are a dime a dozen.’ “

  “Ouch,” Mark said.

  “He also told me to get the camera and video. And before you say no, I’ve talked with the police here at the shelter.” Richard tilted his head. Two uniformed police officers stood twenty feet behind him, staring at them. “They’d be happy to take the camera away from you if you want to play it that way.”

  “We haven’t officially resigned yet,” Cindy said.

  “Doesn’t matter. The station wants the camera and video until you work this out officially. Can’t blame them. The camera is worth a lot of money.”

  Cindy looked at her watch. “Technically we aren’t even late for work … yet.”

  “Technically you’ve violated policy by using station equipment without authorization. Listen, we can do it the easy way or the hard way. It’s up to you.”

  The officers took a step forward as if on cue.

  “Can we borrow your television van?” John asked.

  “What?” Richard said.

  “We need it,” John said. “Our vehicle is out of commission.”

  Richard smiled at Cindy and Mark. “Lucky you two made it this far safely. Your driver’s nuts.”

  John returned the smile. “Didn’t you say your wife is the principal at Palm Breeze Middle School?”

  “What does that have to do with your needing my news van?
”

  John glanced at the officers, then lowered his voice. “You might want to have your guys back off before I answer that question. And don’t worry, Mark isn’t going to run out into Hurricane Emily with your camera.”

  Richard thought about it for a second, then turned around and held up his hand to keep the officers at bay. “What’s this all about?” he asked quietly. “And make it quick. I have to do a stand-up for the morning news in a few minutes.”

  “When’s the last time you talked to your wife?” John asked.

  “Yesterday afternoon just before school got out. She was checking on Hurricane Emily. Why?”

  “Where did you tell her Emily was going to hit?”

  “Saint Pete. That’s where we thought it was going to land at the time. Then the power went out, and we lost cell service, and I was unable to reach her. What does this have to do with —”

  “She put the kids on the bus,” John interrupted.

  “Two buses,” Richard said. “Most of the kids at the school were picked up and driven home by their parents, or driven out of town ahead of the storm.”

  “Well, one bus didn’t make it,” John said. “It sank in a lake with three kids and the bus driver.”

  Richard turned pale. “I didn’t hear anything about this, and we’ve been monitoring police and emergency bands all night. How do you know?”

  “Because my son was one of the three kids on that bus when it sank. Your wife should have never put them on that bus, but she’s not the one I blame. Her husband, the number one news anchor in Saint Pete, told her the hurricane of the century was not going to hit Palm Breeze.”

  “Is your son okay?”

  “He didn’t drown, if that’s what you mean, but the driver did.”

  “The driver’s dead?”

  John nodded.

  Richard gave a cheery wave to the police officers. “We’re good here,” he said. “Everything is resolved. It was just a misunderstanding. Thanks.”

  The two officers shrugged and walked away. Richard sat down on the edge of the cot. “Are the kids here?”

  “No. Chase and the two girls made their way from the lake to the Rossi farm.”

  “The circus Rossis?”

  “You know them?”

  “Palm Breeze isn’t that big,” Richard said. “And the Rossis are kind of … well, unusual. Have you told Marco?”

  “No. I talked to one of the girls and Marco’s mother on my sat phone. Their house is gone.”

  Richard shook his head. “So, where are they now?”

  “Holed up in a barn with a pregnant elephant and a leopard on the loose,” Cindy said.

  “We did a report on that cat,” Richard said slowly. “Animal control wanted to euthanize it, but Marco stepped in and said he would take it. That’s one dangerous creature on the loose.”

  “I’m aware of that,” John said. “Listen, I know that you and your wife didn’t mean to cause any harm, but you both made a terrible mistake. A man’s dead. We need to get to the Rossis’ before anyone else gets killed or injured, and we need your van to do it.”

  “All right,” Richard said. “But my crew and I are going with you.”

  Cindy shook her head. “Sorry, Richard. No room. This is Mark’s and my story. After what we’ve gone through, we’re not about to give it to you. With John, Tomás, and the two of us that’s almost a full boat.”

  “There’s room in the van for one more, and it’s my van,” Richard said quietly. “I’m going with you.”

  John shrugged.

  “The roadblocks are still up,” Richard said. “They aren’t even letting FEMA through. Do you have any idea how you’re going to get to the Rossis’ farm?”

  “I know where not to go,” John said.

  “We should ask Marco,” Richard said. “The Rossis have been in this area for decades. At one time they owned a big chunk of the county.”

  “If we could get him on the phone, I would,” John said.

  Richard looked confused. “I guess you didn’t understand when I asked if you had told Marco. He’s here.”

  “At the shelter?”

  “I saw him twenty minutes ago on the far side of the gym carrying a bottle of water and a slice of pizza. I didn’t talk to him, but it was definitely Marco. The Rossis are the only little people around here. I assumed he was here with his whole family.”

  “I’ll find him,” John said, starting across the gym.

  “I guess I’d better tell my crew there’s been a change of plans,” Richard said, and walked off.

  “Was Richard actually acting like a human being for a second?” Mark asked.

  “Surprised me too,” Cindy said.

  “Does this mean we still have jobs?”

  “It might,” Cindy answered. “But I’m not feeling like much of a reporter at the moment. I can’t believe I didn’t put together the connection between Richard’s wife and Chase’s school bus.”

  “You got bested by a builder.”

  “I told you there was more to John Masters than meets the eye.”

  “I still think he’s a little crazy.”

  “You probably would be too if you’d been struck by lightning.”

  06:33 AM

  The sat phone rang. Rashawn rushed over to grab it from the windowsill and answered it before the second ring. Momma Rossi was curled up, asleep on two bales of hay Rashawn had dragged over from the stack.

  “Hello?” she said quietly.

  “John Masters. Rashawn?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Can I speak to Mrs. Rossi?”

  “She’s taking a nap, but I can wake her.”

  “Hang on…. Marco says to let her sleep.”

  “You found Mr. Rossi?”

  “He’s standing right next to me and he’s fine.”

  Rashawn smiled. “Nicole will be so relieved! I just hope my family is okay too. I haven’t heard from them since this whole thing started.”

  “What’s your last name? We’re at a shelter. We can check to see if they’re here.”

  “I think they’re home,” Rashawn said, recalling Momma Rossi’s vision. “But it would be good if you could check. Our last name is Stone.”

  John said something to someone, then got back on the line.

  “Are Chase and Nicole back?”

  Rashawn’s smile faded. “Not yet. And I’m worried.”

  “Moving around in this kind of weather is not like moving around in regular weather.”

  “I know. It took us nearly twelve hours to go five miles last night, but I’m still worried.”

  “Hang on a second,” John said. After a moment he got back on. “Your family’s not here. So you’re probably right. They’re at home riding the storm out.”

  “I hope so,” Rashawn said.

  “How’s the barn holding up?”

  “It’s in one piece, but there’s still water coming in on the one side I told you about.”

  “No structural damage?”

  “Nothing I can see.”

  “Remind Chase to check the barn out when he comes back. He’ll know what to look for.”

  “I’m sure he will. Before they left he went over the barn with a fine-tooth comb.”

  “We’re going to try to get to you. I’m not sure if we’ll succeed, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

  “That’s all anyone can do,” Rashawn said. “Don’t kill yourself trying to get here. That won’t do anyone any good.”

  John laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing really. It’s just something I’ve told Chase a hundred times. You’re no good to anybody if you’re dead … including yourself. I hope to meet you soon in person, Rashawn. Have Chase call me when he gets back. And again, don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I’ve got to go now.”

  Rashawn put the phone back on the windowsill and looked over at Momma Rossi. She was still curled up on the hay bales sound asleep. Pet was swaying back and forth looki
ng like a gray balloon ready to burst. The wind was still battering the barn but it didn’t seem nearly as noisy to Rashawn.

  “Maybe I’m getting used to the racket, or maybe I’m going deaf,” she said to the elephant.

  She walked past the light of Pet’s ring into the dark.

  I’ll just poke my head outside and see what I can see.

  Halfway to the door something bumped into her leg. She screamed. Pet trumpeted. Momma Rossi woke up.

  “What is it, dear?”

  Rashawn shined her flashlight at the ground. “It’s a little green monkey no bigger than a squirrel.”

  “Poco!”

  Momma Rossi ran over and gently scooped Poco up. The tiny monkey fit easily into the palms of her small hands.

  “He’s bleeding,” Rashawn said.

  “I see that. Let’s get him to the ring.”

  In the light, they discovered that Poco’s injuries were worse than they had first appeared. His right arm was broken and there was a gash on his back.

  “There’s a first aid kit hanging on the wall below the window,” Momma Rossi said.

  Rashawn ran over and got it.

  “We’re going to have to set his arm,” Momma Rossi said. “Then we’ll have to suture the wound and warm him up so he doesn’t go into shock.”

  “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

  “I don’t know. He’s had a terrible night.”

  06:38 AM

  Chase and Nicole stood outside the third barn, or what was left of it. Two of its walls had collapsed and the roof was completely gone. There was no sign of the other lions. They had either escaped or were stuck under one of the walls. Chase hoped it was the latter.

  “It’s possible they’re okay under there,” he said. “There’s a lot of hollow space. The side wall went down first, then the windward wall fell on top of it, forming a sort of a wind foil. See the angle?”

  Nicole nodded.

  “That might have protected them,” Chase said.

  Nicole pointed at the cage that had held Simba. The door was gone. “There’s no doubt about how Simba got out.”

  “I hope he found another place to crawl into to get out of the rain,” Chase said.

  “He doesn’t seem to be following us at the moment.”