All the people had gone. After the alarms went off, everyone had mobbed toward the exits- a stampede of colors and noise leaving the zoo quiet and mysterious.

Paul exited the bathroom wiping his hands on his pants. Randall, his best friend, glowered at him. Paul never used soap in the bathroom, just used water to make it look like he’d washed. Gross.

“What was all that about?”

“Dunno, but everyone’s gone.”

“That means we have the entire zoo to ourselves! C’mon!”

They tried to enjoy the zoo’s sights but soon gave up in disgust. Apparently the alarms had driven all the animals into hiding.

Paul ducked into a crouch behind a low concrete wall and gestured for Randall to join him.

“Get down. There’s something you have to see.”

Together, they peeked around the corner, a pair of disembodied heads.

“What is that hippo eating?”

“Are those people? Look at all that blood. Hippos aren’t supposed to eat people!”

Sensing new prey, the hippopotamus looked at them with dead eyes.

“I think it can see us. Run!”