Page 8 of Rush

He could hear them saying the big American was somewhere in the city. Turning the corner, he saw the sign for the zoo and headed in that direction. Hopefully, he wouldn’t run into any escaped bears, tigers, or lions. The last thing he wanted to do was shoot an animal.

The entire place looked deserted. Seeing the monkey enclosure, he knew that as long as you didn’t stare directly at them in the face or attempt to touch their young, they might leave him alone. Hopping the fence, he crawled into one of the cave enclosures and leaned back. Using his flashlight, he looked at his wound and cursed.

“Fuck me,” he muttered.

He attempted to wash it and redress it, but the pain was excruciating. Several times, he had to stop and catch his breath. Using the last of his bottled water, he washed away the blood and tried to redress the wound. He could hear the monkeys chattering and wondered if they were pissed he was in their home.

“I just need to rest,” he said quietly. “I promise I’ll leave you alone. Just let me rest.”

The last thought in his head was that he’d never get to tell Caroline how sorry he was. How he really felt.

Damn.

CHAPTER FOUR

Caroline felt like she had a pound of dirt in her mouth. Her hands and knees were killing her, raw and scratched from the debris. Crawling through rubble, trying to rescue animals that were so terrified they wanted to claw her eyes out, she was covered in dirt and dust.

The earthquake had shaken the entire area, crushing buildings, apartments, homes, and businesses. The zoo was not unscathed. Two Asian elephants had escaped and were finally caught before they destroyed anything.

“I think that’s everything except the lions and tigers,” said Caroline, staring at her supervisor, Dr. York.

“We still have the monkeys as well. We’re working on moving them into small enclosures and taking them by truck to Istanbul,” said Dr. York. A Welshman, he was the zoo’s temporary director until the current director could be found. Everyone was concerned that he’d been killed during the quake.

“Gather your things and put them in your vehicle,” said Dr. York. “Once we have everything ready to go, you’ll follow in your car. Just head to the hotel and take a few days to rest up. We’ll regroup at the Istanbul Zoo in a few days. You’ve done great work, Caroline. You’re going to be a wonderful veterinarian.”

“Yes, sir.”

Returning to the temporary shelter of the tent she shared with four other women, she gathered her things in her duffel and took them to her car. What she really wanted was a shower, but there was no time for that now. Once in Istanbul, she’d have a hotel room and hot water. Hallelujah!

“Hey, Caroline,” yelled one of the other vet students. “When we get to Istanbul, we’re all going out to celebrate. Wanna come with us?”

He was an Italian student from Rome. Nice-looking and smart but not the man she really wanted. Not the man that set her blood on fire.

“I don’t think so. I’m exhausted. I’ll probably just shower and sleep for a few days. Thank you, though. You guys have a good time.” He nodded at her, but she could tell he wasn’t happy about her response. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked her out in front of the others, always making her feel self-conscious. The other women knew how she felt and usually tried to cover for her.

She watched as the lions and tigers were carefully loaded onto the transports, the big roars making everyone jump then laugh nervously.

“Caroline? Would you mind getting the Mandrills into the pens? We need to get them fed before we load them to head to Istanbul.”

“Of course. Just give me a moment.”

Caroline cleaned the rolling cages and then opened the doors to the rock enclosures. The Mandrills, a type of monkey, would be happy in their new home away from the broken debris caused by the earthquake. Their enclosure hadn’t been damaged too terribly, but they weren’t safe staying in this location. They’d been able to stay in their habitat, cared for by the dedicated zookeepers and veterinarians, but everyone was leaving, and that meant so were they.

“Come, Chookie, let’s go, honey. You’re the last one,” she called.

The female Mandrill stared at her, then looked behind her for a moment. Slowly, she moved into her temporary home, grabbing the fruits and vegetables left for her.

The workers wheeled the last of the monkeys toward the waiting caravans, and Caroline went into the enclosure to be sure nothing was left behind. As she started to leave, she heard a moaning from inside the rock enclosure.

“Who’s in there? Babbi, are you playing hide-and-seek again? Come on, honey. You have to get to the other zoo.” Caroline stared at the trucks as they began to pull out and saw the small Mandrill that she thought she was speaking to. Backing up, she knelt down and peered inside the darkness.

“Hello? Listen, if you’re a thief, you’d better leave now, or I’m calling over the military guards,” she called. When no one answered, she stood. “Fine. Have it your way.”

“N-no,” whispered the voice.

Turning back to the entrance, she knelt once more, trying to see who had spoken to her. Even in a whisper, there was something about that voice. Something that sent shivers up her spine.

“Who are you?”

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