Page 24
You and Stove exchange knowing glances. You’re both thinking, “fuck this guy, he’s old. We have a gryphon to catch.” You run back to the truck and floor it in the direction of the zoo. Stove proposes a strategy.
“Okay, the gryphon is still very young, so it’s possible that it’s trying to return to its mother. Problem is, I don’t know whether the mother is an eagle or a lion.”
“So why don’t we just split up? I’ll go for the lions, you go for the eagles.”
“That’s the problem. I can’t go in there with you,” Stove says somberly as you pull up to the entrance of the zoo. “I was banned for life from the zoo three years ago for throwing my son into the sea lion exhibit because I wanted to be on the news.” You look at him in disbelief.
“So I’m just supposed to go in there and make a completely random decision that’s going to affect the outcome of your family’s lives? That’s a lot of pressure for someone who wasn’t expecting any challenges bigger than a four-letter word for ‘move along on foot.’”
“The word you’re looking for is ‘dash.’ It has been all along. Now go; go before it’s too late.”
“And what am I supposed to do when I find it? If I kill it, your family gets the whole vat of acid thing.”
“I don’t have a family. I just wanted to make you feel sorry for me so you wouldn’t bail. I really enjoyed your company.”
You’re hurt that Stove would lie to you like that, but also flattered. Regardless, this is no time to let emotions get in the way of things. That gryphon has the taste of human blood on its tongue, and it won’t stop until it gets more. You cock the gun. Stove nods respectfully.
“Shoot to kill, my friend. Shoot to kill.”
You walk through the gates of the zoo without paying (because you have a season pass). You know from previous visits that the lions are in the “Big Cats, Big Fun” exhibit to the Southeast, and the eagles are in the “Beaks, Bills and Buffoonery” exhibit to the Northwest. Either way, you have to move fast because security just spotted you and you’re carrying a loaded firearm…
To head toward the lions, turn to page 25.
To head toward the eagles, turn to page 26.
2 years ago • Notes