Open Season
#9 of The Zoo
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's the next chapter of my little story. I hope you all enjoy and think it's really good! (I'm not sure how good it is, so I'll let all of my readers be the judge). A very Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers and their loved ones (I'm thankful for every one of you who reads this) and to and Jewish people reading this, a very Happy Hanukkah. As always, Comments, Rates, Faves, and Shouts are all appreciated. Lots of love! -AK
Matthew Tennant sat at the kitchen table sipping a cup of tea. As the raindrops crashed on the windows outside, the good doctor couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.
"Will you relax?" Jayson said. "Nothing is going to happen. We've received threats before, and how many have materialized?"
"Yes, that's just it." Dr. Tennant said. "We've had threats. But this time we haven't even received that. It makes me think that something bad is coming. Besides, I've been doing some reading. Apparently our 'friend' from the bar is pretty high ranking in CATTL."
"So what? You think CATTL is going to break in and try to kill us?"
"Not that I think that it will happen. It's just that..."
"You're afraid it will."
"Well...yes."
Jayson sat next to Matthew and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"The only thing we can do is make sure everyone is ready if it happens."
"I know. I've already sent notices to everyone to make sure they are fully stocked with Full Moon just to be safe. And I've made sure everyone knows about the shelter and that we all need to look out for each other. I just hope this passes soon."
"That's just the thing, Matt." Jayson said with a sigh. It's not going to pass anytime soon. At least not completely. There are always going to be people who hate us. But we can't let them scare us from living life."
Matthew rested his head on Jayson's shoulder.
"As long as I have you, I can handle them. I love you."
"I love you too."
***
"Now remember, my love," Josef said to Stephanie as they sat on the couch together, "if anything happens..."
"I go straight to the basement." Stephanie said.
"That's right."
It was only Dr. Tennant's notices that spurred this conversation. Normally, Josef wouldn't pay any mind to threats or the like. But still, he felt that it was important to at least be prepared if the worst happened. Sitting on the other side of the couch, Cameron was practically curled into a ball. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell her about what had happened in the bar. Once the notices came, Cameron begged Josef to remind Stephanie about what she should do in an emergency. At any rate it was as good a time as any to remind his daughter what she should do if the unthinkable.
"Do I need those needles you carry with the green stuff?" Stephanie asked.
"No." Cameron said. "That's only if they...if they hurt me or your father."
"But what if they hit you and you can't get to the medicine and..."
"Shh." Josef said gently, wrapping Stephanie in his arms. "Do not worry my love. Everything will be okay."
Stephanie buried her head into Josef's chest. Josef smiled at his daughter then looked up at his wife. Her brown and white fur still had the same luster it did when they had met. She was still beautiful in her human form and in her lycanthrope form. From his chest, Josef heard muffled tears.
"What's wrong, baby?" Cameron asked her daughter.
"Why?" Stephanie asked in between sobs. "Why do they hate us? We didn't do anything."
Josef kissed the top of Stephanie's head.
"They are afraid of us." Josef whispered. "They are afraid we want to hurt them. Of course we don't but they don't believe that. All we can do is hope they will learn one day that we all can live together."
Cameron threw her arms around her husband and her daughter.
"Until then," Cameron said softly, "we have each other."
As the three sat there together, in one giant embrace, for the first time since the DYFS agent had appeared, Josef was afraid of losing his family. He said a silent prayer to God for their protection.
"I love you." Josef said. "Both of you. And I promise nothing is going to happen to either of you."
***
Dulion wasn't really paying any attention to the movie that flashed before the TV screen. His attention was directed more to the beautiful girl who was now sleeping on his shoulder. He still didn't have any idea what Danielle saw in him.
"You missed the best part." Danielle said with her eyes still closed.
"Not too sure I did." Dulion whispered back.
Danielle removed herself from Dulion's shoulder and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry I stole your shoulder." She said.
"I hardly mind." Dulion answered. "Were you comfortable?"
"Very. Your shoulder makes a good pillow."
Dulion smiled. He opened his mouth to say something, but a knock on his apartment door drew his attention. He looked at Danielle and shrugged his shoulders. Dulion grabbed his cane and headed to his door as the pounding resumed.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." He said.
Dulion opened the door. Immediately, he was greeted with a piece of obnoxiously yellow paper thrust in his face from a sandy-furred arm.
"What the hell is this about?" rang out a familiar voice.
"It's nice to see you too, Ibuki." Dulion said.
Ibuki walked into his apartment, one of her tails nearly hitting Dulion in the face. She started reading from the paper.
"It is advised at this time, that all tenants make sure they are fully stocked on Full Moon and review all protective measures. If you are not fully stocked or aware of procedures, please contact me at once. Again we stress these are simply precautions. What the hell does that mea...?"
Ibuki lowered the paper from her face and stared for a second at Dulion's bed, finally seeing the guest in his apartment.
"Oh!" she said. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize..."
"It's alright." Danielle said. "I'm not sure if we met. I'm James' Girlf..."
"We've met before. Hang on for a second."
Ibuki's fur, tails, and ears, all began to recede into her body. In a flash, Ibuki looked like a normal young woman. It took Danielle a moment, but before long she was able to place the face.
"Oh from the mall. Yes I remember you. I didn't realize you were a lycanthrope."
"Yeah. I'm sorry for interrupting um...whatever it was you two were doing."
"We were just watching a movie." Dulion said.
"Is that what they call it these days? Ibuki said.
"No I'm serious we..."
"She was joking, Duley." Danielle said with a smile.
Dulion wasn't as sure as Danielle was about that, but didn't say anything.
"So what's wrong with the letter Ibuki?" He asked.
"Why is it being sent? Did something happen?"
"Nothing to worry about. Dr. Tennant just wants to make sure..."
"Bullshit." Ibuki said. "I've been here long enough to know that Tennant doesn't just send things like this out. What's going on?"
Dulion sighed. He really would have rather not done this. Especially considering that Danielle was here.
"When the four of us went to the bar, we had a little...encounter... with a member of CATTL. And the Doctor is on edge."
"What do you mean an encounter?" Danielle asked with concern in your voice."
"Well, a member of CATTL recognized Dr. Tennant and he well...might have threatened us."
"Us? As in you too?" asked Ibuki. "Didn't you tell him...?"
"That I was a human? He...uh...he..."
"He already knew." Danielle said, downcast. "You ran into my dad, didn't you?"
"...yeah." Dulion said. "He pulled out his Wolfsbane gun and threatened us."
"Wolfsbane gun? You mean one of those needle shooting deathtraps? You can carry them in public." Ibuki asked.
Dulion nodded.
"The legislature tried to get it changed but it didn't work."
"Duley, I am so so sorry." Danielle said.
Dulion pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry about it. It's not like you can control it. But the notice is because Dr. Tennant is afraid that, because we've received no threats or anything like that, CATTL is planning something big."
"Anyway you know anything?" Ibuki said. "I mean, I know you're not in CATTL but..."
"I understand." Danielle said, though Dulion sensed some bitterness in the response. "I have no idea either way, unfortunately. For the record, I hate the fact that my family has anything to do with CATTL."
"It's alright." Ibuki said. "It's like Duley said, you can't control it."
Dulion cringed a bit at Ibuki using the nickname. He noticed a small glare coming is way from Danielle. He'd have to explain that one later. Though he had to admit, it was...kind of nice to have his Girlfriend a bit jealous. Not that he'd cause that intentionally.
"For now," Dulion said, "all we can do is just hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Though personally, I don't think anything is going to happen."
"I hope you're right." Ibuki said. "For all of our sake."
***
A week had passed since the notices were given to all the tenants in the Zoo. Since then, nothing was heard from CATTL. Although outside a fierce storm raged, inside the common room, everyone was in good spirits. Dr. Tennant enjoyed the peace has he helped himself to a spoonful of rice that Ibuki had made for the weekly "pot-luck" dinner. Next to him, Jayson and Josef were talking politics; a subject Dr. Tennant avoided at all opportunities. Across from them, Dulion and Cameron were talking about some musical they had both enjoyed. Dr. Tenant didn't think Dulion was the type to enjoy Broadway, but he had been wrong before.
"So where's Stephanie?" Dr. Tennant asked Cameron once she and Dulion had finished talking.
"Under the weather." Cameron said. "I gave her some medicine and put her to bed."
"I think there's something going around." Dulion added. "I've been feeling a bit under the weather too."
"If you get me sick, I swear to God..." Jayson said.
"Don't worry, I should be..."
Dulion's words were cut short by a sudden flickering of the lights in the common room. Everyone looked up at the lights just in time for them to cut out entirely. The bright lights overhead were soon replaced by the flashing of cell phones.
"Everyone, please remain calm." Dr. Tennant. "I'm sure the power will come back any moment."
Aside from a few murmurs, everyone was relatively quiet. At his own table, Dr. Tennant saw Dulion looking down at his cell phone intently. He had a troubled look on his face.
"Everything alright?" Dr. Tennant whispered to him.
Dulion shook his head.
"It's Danielle. She's outside, says we need to talk now."
Dr. Tennant nodded.
"Alright, go. Be careful in the dark."
"No you don't understand." Dulion said. "She said 'we.' As in the two of us and her."
Dr. Tennant nodded, but couldn't help being confused. He got up from the table and followed Dulion to the front door of the Zoo. Outside, the Doctor saw Danielle bundled up for the storm. More striking to him was the red around her eyes; she had been crying.
"You need to get everyone out of here." She said, still slightly crying.
"Why what's going on?" Dr. Tennant asked.
"It's...it's my dad. He's on his way with some CATTL members. They're going to raid the place."
"We have to get everyone to the basement." Dr. Tennant said.
"Uh...how will that..." Danielle began to ask.
"It used to be a fallout shelter until the Doctor revamped it when he bought the place." Dulion said. "Now it's a panic room for everyone."
"Ok here's what we'll do: I'll take Josef and Jayson and go upstairs to make sure everyone is out of their apartments."
"Danielle and I can help, too." Dulion said.
"But your leg..."
"Handicapped; not crippled." Dulion remind the Doctor.
"Ok, fine. Start clearing out the first floor, I'll take care of the rest. Let's hurry."
The three of them went into back into the apartment building. As Dulion and Danielle began an evacuation, the Doctor went back to his table, using his own cell phone's light and quickly told everyone what was going on. He made sure to say everything quietly as possible.
"What the hell are we waiting for, let's move." Jayson said.
The Doctor agreed. He cleared his throat loudly so everyone in the common room could hear him.
"Everyone, your attention if I may. I believe it would be best if all of us went down to the basement in an orderly fashion, just for precautionary purposes. I am sure there is no cause for alarm but..."
The sound of glass shattering ended any of the calm the Doctor tried to provide.
"EVERYONE FOLLOW CAMERON MAKAROV TO THE BASEMENT! HURRY, NOW!" the Doctor screamed over the now startled squeals of all the people in the common room.
Cameron used her cell phone as a beacon to signal everyone where she was. Everyone in the common room rushed to her location as the sound of more panes of glass being broken were heard in the background. From outside, angry snarls and growls came from a small crowd of what the Doctor believed were CATTL militants. He, Jayson, and Josef all rushed to the stair case. As they passed the front door, the glass of which now littered the floor, Dr. Tennant saw in the darkness a glint of metal.
"DUCK!"
The three men dived out away just in time for the sound of a projectile to whiz over their heads.
"And they call us the animals." Jayson said.
Quickly the Doctor, Jayson, and Josef ran up the stairs to their respective floors to warn anyone who had not joined the others for dinner. The Doctor quickly went to the first door and knocked, praying quietly that everyone would make it out of this unharmed. There sadly, he would soon discover, he would be wrong.