Читать книгу Curse of the Komodo - M.C. Berkhousen - Страница 8

Chapter Two— DART

Out in the parking lot, the teachers were calling for their classes to board the buses. I could hear them as clearly as if they were next to me. One of the teachers asked if anyone had seen Megan Gifford. Someone said she might be with her uncle.

“We’re missing Austin Brockway, too,” said the teacher. “Has anyone seen him?”

“Luke Brockway isn’t on the bus either,” said one of the girls. “Maybe Austin is with him.”

“We’ve got to get these kids back to the school.” It was the bus driver’s voice. “They’re cold, wet and scared. Their parents will be waiting.”

“What about the missing kids?” asked the teacher. “We can’t just leave them here.”

I shivered, listening hard. Were they going to leave without us?

“Call zoo security,” said the bus driver. “They’ll find the lost kids. I’ll come back and pick them up after I take this group to the school.”

“Where’s Roy Gifford?” someone asked. “He’s the teacher for bus three.”

“Probably looking for his niece, Megan,” said the bus driver. “Add his name to the list of those missing and give it to the security guard. We need to get these kids home.”

I wanted to get on one of those buses and go home, but I couldn’t leave the zoo without Austin. Besides, I was pretty sure the bus driver wasn’t going to let a Komodo dragon crawl onto his bus. A bus full of kids was like a box of candy for a Komodo. So I settled down on the cold concrete floor and tried to think. I had to make a plan. How was I going to find my brother? How were we going to get out of here? Most important, how could I change back into a boy?

My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I was really hungry. Poor Austin. He hadn’t even had breakfast. That was my fault. I hit him and gave him a bloody nose. I made him cry. He was so upset, he couldn’t eat.

Tears filled my eyes and fell on the cold concrete floor. More than anything, I wanted to find Austin and tell him I was sorry. I wanted to give him his lunch and maybe money for ice cream. I’d lost both our lunch bags during the storm, but I still had money with me. I could buy Austin a hamburger and a shake. Reaching down, I tried to find my pocket. There wasn’t one. I didn’t even have pants. All I had was a long, scaly body. It was the huge, heavy body of the world’s most dangerous lizard.

There must be a way to undo this. First, I had to get out of this glass pen. Then I had to get out of the Reptile House without being seen. Once I was out, I had to find my brother and get him some food. Then I had to find a way to get us both out of here.

Crawling to the corner of the enclosure, I settled down in the pile of hay to think. Komodo dragons could do a lot of things. They could stand on their hind legs. They could run up to twelve miles an hour, maybe faster. They could whip a lot of animals in a fight. They could detect odors a couple of miles away. Maybe I could use Komodo traits to find Austin.

I could run fast around the zoo, as long as no one saw me. I could eat anyone who got in my way, but then they’d have to shoot me. Besides, I might look like a Komodo dragon, but inside I was still human. I didn’t want to kill anyone. I didn’t even want to kill an animal. There had to be another way.

As soon as it was dark, I started to crawl toward the back door of the Komodo enclosure. It was hard to move. I kept trying, pushing up on my four short legs until my body rose above the concrete floor. Snakes bobbed up and down and peered at me from their aquariums. Snakes are nocturnal, active at night. Several pairs of beady snake eyes watched as I shoved myself along. I pushed the dead rabbit out of my way and kept moving. The back door of my enclosure was just ahead. Rising on my hind legs, I crawled up the wall until I was standing. I reached for the latch. It was hard to slide the bolt back with my claws, but I kept trying. Finally the door opened. I was in the back room of the Reptile House, where no visitors were allowed.

I crawled toward the door leading to the outside. It took a long time because my Komodo dragon body was ten feet long, and I wasn’t used to having a tail. It smacked against boxes and crates. Above my head was a counter that held the zookeeper’s books and papers. Aquariums were back here, too. Turtles, snakes and frogs peered out at me as I waddled past them. Bags of food stood against one wall, but it wasn’t food I wanted. The labels read, “Small reptile pellets.” I wasn’t a small reptile. I was a big, hungry reptile. My brother would be hungry too. I had to find food for both of us. Then I had to find a way to get us home.

Next to the food bags was a big white freezer. At home our freezer was filled with frozen chicken strips, vegetables and ice cream treats. Maybe there was something delicious in this freezer. I lifted the lid and peered in. Bags of frozen rabbits were stacked on one side, bags of frozen rats stacked on the other. In the middle were bags of little gray mice. Frozen mice. Micycles. Yuk.

I pushed myself up to the counter and glanced around. No sandwiches or lunch bags on the counter. I didn’t see apples or bananas or anything that looked good to eat. Where could I find people food?

Then I remembered seeing a restaurant at the zoo. There were ice cream carts and hot dog stands, too. I didn’t have money now. Even if I did, I couldn’t slither into the restaurant and ask for a hamburger. Everyone would scream and run. Getting people food was going to be a problem.

I let myself out the back door and hid behind a long green hedge. Two men were coming down the path. One of them was the zookeeper for the Reptile House. I’d seen him before; his name was Tim. I didn’t know the other man, but he wore a zookeeper’s uniform, too.

“I’ve got a sick gecko in the back room,” said Tim. “I’ll check on him and then meet you in the cafeteria.” The other man went down the path away from me. No one else was in sight. It was time to find my brother.

The last time I saw Austin, he was holding onto the rail in front of the grizzly cage. I’d start there. I had to stay out of sight. If anyone saw a Komodo dragon running around loose, they’d call for the DART team. DART stood for Dangerous Animal Response Team. The zoo was filled with dangerous animals. Lions, tigers and bears. Rhinos, crocodiles and venomous snakes. If any of those animals escaped, the DART team would act fast. First they’d try to catch the animal. If they couldn’t catch it, they’d shoot it with a powerful drug to make it sleepy. Then they’d put it back where it belonged.

I was a dangerous animal, a Komodo dragon. I couldn’t let the DART team capture me. If they found me, they’d shoot me with a tranquilizer gun. Then I’d be asleep, and I couldn’t look for Austin.

A delicious aroma wafted through the air. The lady who sold hot dogs was cleaning her stand. Hot dogs and hot dog buns lay scattered everywhere. A string of hot dogs hung from a nearby tree. Hot dogs were under bushes and on the ground next to her cart. They smelled so good my stomach started to growl. When the lady turned her back, I crawled over and gobbled up a few. Then I scurried back to the bushes.

In front of the bear enclosure, zoo workers were raking up trash that had been tossed about by the wind. I waited until they finished. Peeking around the side of the bushes, I checked to be sure no people were there. Then I waddled across the clearing to the grizzly enclosure.

“Austin,” I whispered. “Are you here?”

“Luke? Where are you?” The voice came from behind the bars at the front of the enclosure. “I can’t see you.”

“I’m here. Right next to the bear cage. Where are you?”

“I’m inside the bear cage.” His voice sounded sad.

I clambered up the side of the bear cage and looked in. The biggest bear was sitting near the edge, his large furry head resting on the bars. When he heard my voice, the bear’s head came up.

“Luke?” He stared down at me. “Is that you?”

I flicked my forked tongue. Standing on my hind legs, I pressed my snout against the metal bars. “Yes, it’s me.”

The bear stood on his hind legs. “You’re a Komodo dragon!”

“You’re a grizzly bear.”

Austin surveyed his mammoth paws. “That’s what I was afraid of. I hoped it was a bad dream.”

“It’s not a dream. It’s a nightmare. Somehow we’ve become animals. I don’t know how it happened.”

“Gramps will look for us,” said Austin. “Maybe he’ll know what happened.”

“I hope he knows how to change us back. Meanwhile, we’ve got to get out of here.” I scanned the space behind him. “Where’s the door to this cage?”

“I’m afraid to find out. There are two bears back there.”

“You’re a bear too, dummy. Go look.”

Austin lumbered towards the back of the enclosure, staying as far away from the other bears as he could. He nosed around for a few minutes, then stood on his hind legs and patted at the wall. Nothing opened.

“There’s no door.” His voice was sad. “There’s no way out.”

I stretched my neck to see better. “There has to be. You got in, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure how.” Tears welled in his eyes. He looked like a big bad grizzly bear, but inside he was really only a scared little boy. I looked like a Komodo dragon, but I was just a scared kid, too.

The Austin bear sat down with his lower legs stretched out in front of him. He leaned his head against the bars. He hadn’t had any breakfast or lunch. He was probably really hungry. Before we tried to escape, I had to find food. I didn’t want him weak and fainting. I couldn’t carry a seven-hundred pound bear out of here.

“This could take time, Austin. Have you had anything to eat?”

He shook his furry head. “All they gave us was raw fish. I couldn’t eat it. You know I hate fish.”

This was awful. I had to feed my poor brother, fast.

“I’ll find you something to eat, Austin. Wait here.”

“Like I’m going anywhere,” mumbled Austin.

I crawled away and hid behind the hippo statue. Nearby was an ice-cream cart. No one was manning it. I hurried over and smacked the cart with my tail. The cart fell over on its side. The top came open. All the ice cream goodies fell out onto the pavement. Popsicles, nutty cones and ice cream bars rolled out. Orange pushups tumbled out of their boxes. I swallowed a bunch of ice cream, paper and all. I found a paper bag and pushed cones and pushups into it. Carrying the bag with my teeth, I hurried back to Austin.

Behind me, someone started to scream. “The Komodo is loose! The Komodo is loose!”

Austin clambered up onto his back paws. With a shake of my head, I hurled the ice cream at the bars. Some of the goodies flew into the cage, and some landed on the ledge. Austin stuck out a furry paw and pulled the ice cream towards him.

“Get out of here,” he yelled. “Don’t let them catch you!”

Zoo employees ran at me from all directions. Two held catch-poles with nooses. A uniformed guard drove up in a golf cart. He was holding a gun, too; one that probably fired real bullets. They wouldn’t take any chances. They didn’t know I was only an eighth-grade boy. They thought I was a Komodo dragon. If they thought I was going to hurt someone, they’d shoot me. The Komodo would be dead, and so would I. I took off, running as fast as my scaly legs would carry me.

They were fast, but I was faster. Komodos can run twelve miles an hour, and that’s more than most humans. I scurried down the main walkway and darted into the African compound. The zoo train waited in the station. The man who drove the train was cleaning the cars. I slid into the driver’s seat and pushed the key with my claw. The engine purred. The train rolled forward. The engineer shrieked and dropped his bag of trash. He bellowed, waving his fist in the air.

By the time the DART team arrived on the platform, the train was halfway around the track. I leaped off the train and landed in the field. Zebras, giraffes and kudus scattered. They ran straight into the path of the DART team. I followed the train track through the tunnel and out on the other side. Soon I was back on the main zoo walkway. The DART team was far behind.

Something smelled delicious. Another food stand was closing down. The man who ran it was cleaning the grill. Hamburgers and buns were piled on the counter; boxes of popcorn and bags of cotton candy, too. I hurried to the counter, pulled myself up and gobbled up hamburgers. The man screamed and fled. I shoved several burgers into a bag and clenched it between my teeth. If I hurried, maybe I could throw the bag to Austin before the DART team caught me.

It was too late. Several people in zoo uniforms were running toward me. I turned the corner and headed toward the parking lot. It was a big space with lots of room. I’d let them chase me for a while. Pretty soon they’d get tired. Then I could double back and give my brother some burgers.

“Don’t scare him. Let me try to lure him back with food.” It was Tim, the zookeeper for the Reptile House.

“Too late! He’s heading for the exit,” yelled somebody else. “Get the noose over his head. Put him out, now!”

A golf cart pulled up next to me. A rope fell over my head. Something soft was wrapped around my snout so I couldn’t open my mouth. I was lifted onto a wagon. I rolled past the grizzlies. A very large bear stood near the edge of the enclosure. I tried to throw him a bag of hamburgers, but it didn’t go far. My eyes grew heavier and heavier. Soon I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was back in the Reptile House. I looked at my reflection in the glass. I was still a Komodo dragon. Austin was still a grizzly bear. He was still hungry, and that was the saddest thing of all.