The Devil's Pets Page 26

  Mia, Brian, and Veronica nodded.

  Stony ran to the gate. It was locked, but he climbed over the fence easily. He waited for his teammates to join him while he looked for trouble. The zoo was very quiet. He was in a section with gardens and palm trees.

  He grinned. The fun begins.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Orcus pressed the refresh button for the thousandth time.

  He was sitting in a coffee shop which was open all night. He had a tablet in his lap and a cup of lukewarm coffee in his hand. He was checking news websites, searching for updates on Diana. He had followed her progress across the country. According to his estimates, she should've been in Houston by now.

  His eyes widened when he saw a new story on his screen. Houston police had found the "woman who had escaped from a military prison in Washington." She was in the city, just miles from his location. A picture of Diana in an ugly orange outfit accompanied the story. She was still wearing the collar.

  Orcus clicked on a link that took him to a live news feed. The coffee shop offered free, high-speed wireless service, so the video appeared almost immediately. It showed a news reporter standing on a dark street. He was a handsome young man, perhaps of Hispanic heritage, wearing a green sports jacket.

  "Houston police attempted to arrest the fugitive known as 'Diana,'" the reporter said, "but once again, she slipped away. All available units are now searching the university area, going from house to house. She was last seen near the University of Houston, headed west. She is regarded as extremely dangerous. Civilians are cautioned not to approach her under any circumstances."

  Orcus brought up a map of the city. He zoomed into the area around the University of Houston, Rice University, and the Texas Medical Center. His gaze immediately settled on one spot in particular.

  "Houston Zoo," he murmured.

  He and Diana had visited the zoo several times and knew it well. It offered many good places to hide, particularly at night. Her ability to control animals would allow her to get into cages safely. She could eat the animals' food. She could even command them to protect her. She would feel safe and secure, especially among the cats. It was such an obvious choice, Orcus felt dumb for not realizing it earlier.

  He stood up and left the coffee shop. He was in downtown Houston near the famous Galleria Mall, but at this time of night, the city was dead quiet. Dawn was still hours away. He had plenty of time to find Diana and now knew exactly where to look.

  He ran off towards where he had parked his car.

  * * *

  Diana's heart pounded as she raced her motorcycle through city streets. Police sirens wailed in the distance. She caught an occasional glimpse of flashing red and blue lights in her mirrors. The cops weren't on her tail, but they had a general idea of her location, and they were closing in.

  No traffic got in her way. She shot down the center of the road at highway speeds. When she finally saw a sign for the zoo, she exhaled with relief. The police would never find her in there. Only Orcus could.

  When Diana got close to the zoo, she dropped her motorcycle in the front yard of an apartment complex. Hopefully, the police would think she was in the complex and not even come to the zoo.

  She tossed her helmet aside and proceeded on foot. She kept her backpack though because it might still be useful. She wanted to run even faster, so she kicked off her shoes and transformed her arms and legs. She sprinted on all fours like a cat, achieving speeds impossible for a human.

  Cats weren't long-distance runners though, and she was soon gasping for air. She pushed herself to keep going despite a burning sensation in her lungs. She reached a fence screened by bushes and trees. She bunched her hind legs and made a mighty leap over the fence.

  She landed in a large, dirt enclosure. She had definitely arrived in the zoo. She stood up straight, became fully human, and looked around.

  A herd of elephants was standing in the enclosure. A few of them noticed her presence and watched her warily.

  Diana calmly walked over to the largest elephant. The beast could've crushed her with a single stomp, but she showed no fear. She made a magical sign with her hands to calm the elephant. She reached up and gently placed her hand against its enormous head.

  I'm a calf in your herd, she sent.

  The elephant snorted and caressed her with its trunk. She smiled.

  Diana walked deeper into the zoo. She wanted to hang out with her favorite tiger.

  * * *

  Stony was lying on the roof of a building watching the big cats' exhibits from above. The zoo had a jaguar, an African lion, a Malayan tiger, and a cougar. Night vision goggles allowed him to see the animals in their enclosures despite the darkness. They glowed with body heat in the infrared spectrum, but they weren't moving. He didn't know if they were sleeping or just lazy.

  "Diana should be here by now," Stony whispered.

  "Give the girl a break," Mia whispered. "She needed to get the attention of the police, evade arrest, flee across the city, sneak into the zoo, and come here. That takes a little time."

  He clenched his jaw.

  His goggles showed a second source of heat in the tiger exhibit. The white silhouette had the shape of a woman creeping forward.

  "Hey!" he whispered. "That must be her!"

  The tiger was a giant animal, capable of killing a human with one swipe of its paw. He was afraid for Diana even though she knew what she was doing.

  She moved towards the tiger at a steady pace. The animal was watching her with its tail twitching. She reached out, and for some reason, it didn't bite her hand off. She touched the tiger's forehead.

  The tail stopped twitching immediately. The tiger licked her face like it was cleaning a cub. She kissed its nose playfully.

  "Amazing," Mia whispered.

  The sound of footsteps made Stony look to his right. Somebody was walking up the lighted path in front of the exhibits. Stony flipped up his goggles and saw it was a security guard in a green uniform. The guard was swinging a flashlight back and forth.

  "Shit," Stony whispered. He pressed himself flat against the roof he was lying on.

  The guard pointed his flashlight into the tiger enclosure. Stony braced himself for trouble. If the guard spotted Diana, Stony would have to deal with the problem quickly.

  The guard just moved on though, and Stony exhaled. Apparently, Diana had managed to hide.

  Brian's voice came through a tiny speaker in Stony's ear. "That was close."

  "Too close," Stony replied through a microphone.

  He didn't know where Brian and Veronica were hiding, but they were somewhere in the area. Everybody had their eyes on Diana.

  * * *

  Orcus was strolling through the Houston Zoo. The many green trees and bushes reminded him of a forest. Wide, curving paths were familiar enough that he hardly needed to look at a map. He liked the zoo much better at night than during the day. He didn't have to deal with mobs of ugly, smelly humans. He could share the peace and quiet with the animals instead.

  He had several guns under his clothes even though he preferred to use his claws. If his enemies attacked, he was ready. He also held a bag of things Diana would need when he found her.

  Orcus expected she was with the cats, but he didn't go straight there. Her miraculous escape from prison could've been a ruse designed to trap him. He needed to prepare a safe place for their reunion and then draw her to it. If it turned out somebody was following her, he would kill her and run.

  A moving light ahead caught Orcus's attention. He stepped off the path and hid behind a tree.

  A security guard in a green uniform was approaching. Orcus decided he couldn't afford to have a guard causing trouble when the situation was already so delicate. Orcus stepped out silently, wrapped his arm around the man's neck, and squeezed the life out of him. Orcus dragged the body into the trees.

  He ran off. His first stop would be the bear exhibit followed by the chimps and then the wolves.

 
; * * *

  Diana gave "Berani" the tiger a playful push. The huge cat smacked her shoulder with its paw in response, knocking her over. She knew it meant no harm.

  She was having fun with her new friend. After a long, stressful journey, she deserved a little play time. She might never get another chance to wrestle with a real tiger.

  A wolf howl made her look up. The sound had come from the path that ran along the big cats' exhibits, not a place where wild animals were usually found. There was only one possible reason for a wolf to be there.

  "Goodbye, Berani," Diana whispered.

  She kissed the tiger on the forehead, and it purred.

  She had already discarded her backpack and had emptied her pockets. She had left the tracking device in a garbage can. Rathanael's mark was the only way her friends could locate her. She was carrying nothing that Orcus might find suspicious.

  She sprinted across the enclosure, leapt over a moat, and grabbed the edge of a wall. She pulled herself up and over, landing on the lighted, concrete path above the tiger pit.

  One of the maned wolves was walking past. The animal had red-brown hair, long legs, and oversized ears. It stood a yard tall at the shoulder.

  The wolf heard Diana, ran over, and growled at her. She whispered a word in an ancient language spoken by demons and made a gesture with her hands. The wolf calmed down.

  She put her hand on its warm, furry head. Recent memories surfaced, and she discovered that Orcus had sent the animal as a guide. She commanded it to take her to him. The wolf trotted off, and she followed tentatively.

  * * *

  "She's moving!" Stony whispered into his radio. "Follow her, but don't rush. We can afford to lose her for a while. Rathanael can always find her again. Remember, Orcus is out there, and he's smart enough to suspect a trap."

  Stony and Mia slid off the roof of the building where they had been hiding. They landed silently on the concrete path below. He scanned the area with his night vision goggles.

  Two figures climbed down from a tree.

  "Brian," Stony said, "is that you?"

  "Yes," Brian replied through the radio.

  "What is our marching order?" Veronica said.

  Stony considered for a moment. "Brian first. He has the sharpest eyes. I'll go second. Then Veronica. Mia at the rear. Keep it tight."

  The four of them proceeded through the zoo in formation. They stayed off the path as much as possible and made good use of the trees and bushes. Stony caught glimpses of Diana and her wolf guide ahead.

  The team walked past the exhibits for the lions and bears. The "African painted dog" came next. Eerie silence made Stony nervous.

  His night vision goggles detected a heat source high in a tree ahead. It was too big to be a bird but too small for a person. The heat source was moving around with great agility.

  He pointed and whispered, "What's that?"

  Brian stopped and looked. "I think it's a monkey."

  "Out of its cage?"

  "No. It's a sentry. Back up. Everybody, back the hell up before it sees us!"

  Stony looked closely and saw other monkeys hiding in the branches. An animal on the ground was possibly another wolf. Orcus had friends watching out for him. Sneaking past the animals would be difficult at best and not worth the risk.

  The team crept back until they reached the cover provided by some garbage cans.

  "We're done for now," Stony said. "We'll give Orcus and Diana enough time to escape before moving to the next phase. We can't attack until we've located the children."

  He sighed anxiously. He wished he could help Diana, but the next part was entirely up to her. Be brave, my friend.

  * * *

  Diana followed her wolf guide to a refreshment area known as the "Trading Post." The store was closed, but she remembered that it served ice cream, cookies, brownies, and floats. Rustic decorations made the building look like an African trading post.

  Instead of people, animals waited among the tables and chairs. The largest was a brown bear, not Orcus but still intimidating. Three wolves and five chimps completed the strange menagerie.

  The animals just watched Diana silently. She assumed that if she made a hostile move, they would attack. Even with her powers, she couldn't handle all of them at once, and she would certainly be killed.

  There was no sign of Orcus. She guessed he was making sure she hadn't been followed. She waited quietly and listened to the night. A slight breeze made the leaves flutter. She settled into a docile mental state appropriate for a slave.

  After about fifteen minutes, a deep, familiar voice said, "You shaved off your beautiful hair."

  Diana didn't look at Orcus. She just knelt on the concrete and lowered her head submissively. "It was necessary for my disguise, master. It is wonderful to be with you again."

  "I'm glad to see you're still wearing my collar."

  "They tried to take it off, but I fought them."

  "Good," Orcus said. "Take off all your clothes. I must check you for bugs."

  She immediately stood and stripped off everything, including her underwear. Fortunately, it was a warm night.

  She snuck a quick peek at Orcus. He had shaved off his magnificent beard and had trimmed his hair. He looked very civilized in a dark blue suit and black tie.

  Seeing him again brought back an avalanche of bad memories. She fought to maintain her composure. She was naked and relatively helpless. If he had any reason to doubt her loyalty, he would kill her immediately.

  He meticulously inspected her from head to toe. He probed her mouth and throat with his fingers until she gagged. He felt her breasts.

  When he looked at her back, he said, "What's this strange wound?"

  "They branded me, master," Diana said. "It happened during my interrogation."

  "It's some kind of symbol."

  "I don't know about that, master."

  "The shape is interesting...," Orcus said.

  "I wish it were gone. They tortured me for many hours."

  "You didn't tell them anything, right?"

  "Of course not, master," Diana said. "I didn't speak a word even when they beat me."

  "Well done. Bend over. Grab your ankles and hold still."

  She bent over all the way, keeping her legs straight. He checked her vagina and anus, and he wasn't gentle. She forced herself to not clench even when his thick fingers were deep inside. Her collar helped her endure the humiliation. A peaceful, transcendent feeling flowed from the iron, allowing her to relax.

  "You seem to be clean," he said. "Put these on."

  Orcus handed her a bag. Then he picked up her old clothes and stuffed them into a garbage can.

  Diana found a stretchy black dress, thong underwear, high heels, and a blonde wig in the bag. There was no bra. She forced herself to smile as she put on the clothes, as if she enjoyed dressing like a slut for his pleasure.

  "Let's go," Orcus said. "I'll hear your story once we're safely on the road."

  He led her towards the Cambridge Street entrance. The bear, chimps, and wolves accompanied them like military guards, making no noise. The strange group passed the cheetah exhibit, the giraffe barn, and a carousel. As they approached the gate, Diana saw flashlights moving around. Orcus raised his hand, and everybody stopped.

  "Check it out," he told Diana.

  "Yes, master," she said.

  She took off her high heels and held them as she crept forward silently. She reached the gate and peered around the edge of a wall. Two police cars were parked outside the zoo, and two officers were standing there. She hurried back to Orcus.

  "Two cops," she said.

  He frowned. "They're in our way. Kill them."

  Diana winced. She had to think fast. "Master, may I make a small suggestion."

  "What?" Orcus narrowed his eyes.

  "Two dead cops will attract a lot of additional attention. The police already know I'm in the area. Let's not encourage them to focus their search and bring in more resour
ces. I wish to suggest that we sneak around this obstacle."

  "Are you contradicting me?"

  "No, master!" She lowered her head and stared at the ground. "I am merely trying to help us get away in an expedient manner."

  He was silent for a moment. "Perhaps you have a good point, but I don't appreciate your attitude."

  "I look forward to being punished, master."

  "Later. We'll go another way."

  Orcus took Diana and the animals to the petting zoo. There was no entrance there, but the fence was climbable.

  One by one, he touched the foreheads of the animals. They turned and walked away, leaving the humans alone.

  "Go first," Orcus said.

  Diana held her shoes in her mouth. She transformed her arms and legs, bunched her muscles, and bounded over the high fence. She landed in the grass on the other side. When she saw that she was alone, she turned back into a human and put her shoes back on.

  "It's safe, master," she called softly.

  Orcus simply climbed over the fence in human form.

  He took her to a parking garage across the street. It was attached to the medical center and was open all night. A surprisingly large number of cars were parked there.

  Orcus and Diana climbed the stairs to the second floor. They went to a large, black Mercedes with golden hubcaps.

  "Beautiful car, master," she said.

  He nodded. "I killed a drug dealer for it. You drive." He tossed her a set of keys.

  She sat in the driver's seat, and he sat in the back. She ran her hand across supple, leather upholstery.

  "Where am I driving, master?"

  "Thorn's house," Orcus said. "Pomona is there along with some kidnapped children."

  Diana grimaced. "I remember Thorn. He's a cannibal."

  "He's something even worse now, and I don't want him eating any of my kids. I need them as sacrifices. Drive west on Interstate 20. Go!"

  She started the car and drove off.

  She remembered Houston well enough to find the highway. They were soon cruising through the night on a wide-open road.