[30 minutes later]
You held Jessica’s hand firmly as you looked at the large decorative exit sign which warmly thanked you for your visit to the Zoo and beckoned you to come back soon. You could feel that she was shaking a bit as her nerves started to get to her. You were so close to freedom but one wrong move could still doom you both.
The two of you had both been on high alert ever since you had left the sinister Lost Property Building in the forest and rejoined the mass of visitors moving around the Zoo. Thankfully, you hadn’t noticed anyone following you, suggesting that your borrowed outfits were suitably inconspicuous. However, you knew you couldn’t afford to let your guard down as you spotted a couple of security personnel carefully scanning those guests who were lucky enough to be leaving the Zoo on two legs.
“What do we do now?” Jessica asked nervously, “there’s no way we’ll get past without being spotted.”
Don’t worry,” you said reassuringly, “we’ll wait for a group of people to leave and then we’ll blend in with them. Just act natural and try to look like you enjoyed yourself.”
Saying this briefly made you pause as you once again reflected on the nightmare you and Jessica had been through over the past week. You were impressed with how well Jessica seemed to be coping with her ordeal at the Stables, though you could tell that it had definitely had an effect on her. As for you, you just wanted to forget all about Vicky, horses, and this whole damn place.
Thankfully, you were soon distracted from your thoughts when you noticed a sudden wave of people heading for the exit. You gave Jessica a nudge to prompt her into action as you both fell in at the back of the crowd.
As you moved past the two security guards you made sure to look happy as you put on a fake smile and loudly told Jessica just how awesome your visit to the Zoo had been. She did her best to mimic you as well as she smiled and looked up at you in pretend agreement. Of course, deep inside you knew that you were both equally nervous as you felt Jessica trembling even more than before.
Mercifully though, your tactic seemed to work like a charm as you slowly passed the guards and made your way into the enormous car park beyond it. Now your heart was really beginning to race as you started urgently scanning for your car and your means of escape.
Worryingly though, after ten minutes of searching and going through every single vehicle, you were dismayed to find that neither your car nor Jessica’s was anywhere to be seen. You definitely remembered parking here so what the hell was going on?
Sadly, you thought you soon answered your own question when you looked down at the car keys in your hand. The Zoo must have taken both of your cars, you finally realised. Thinking about it, the car park wouldn’t be operable if those vehicles belonging to the Zoo’s transformed victims weren’t removed frequently.
This revelation made you feel even more desperate as you thought about your next move. That was when you noticed Jessica on the phone to someone as she paced up and down nearby. Of course, how had you overlooked the fact that you had both recovered your phones? It was moments like this that made you feel particularly glad to have Jessica around.
“That was my friend Kev,” Jessica said as she wound up her conversation and noticed you approaching, “he doesn’t live far so he’s going to pick us up in ten minutes. It’s weird, I tried my parents and my home phone but nobody answered. I sure hope nothing bad has happened to them.”
“Come here,” you immediately said as you moved forward to comfort your shaking girlfriend, “your parents are both fine. They have probably gone out and can’t answer right now. Don’t worry, the Zoo knows nothing about them.”
Saying this last point made you feel incredibly guilty inside, given the fact that it was a flat-out lie. Unbeknown to Jessica, you knew from your visit to the sinister Lost Property Building that the Zoo kept all sorts of information in their records, including details about any friends and family who might think to come looking for their missing loved ones. For a moment you considered explaining this to her, but you quickly decided against it knowing that it would only make her worry even more.
With this in mind, you decided to be positive as you tried to calm Jessica down whilst you both waited for Kev to arrive. Eventually, Jessica suddenly jumped up with excitement when she saw her friend’s car coming into view. The two of you immediately rushed over before practically diving inside the vehicle, much to Kev’s apparent surprise.
“Drive!” you urgently ordered, “we’ll explain everything later.”
Kev was clearly startled by this, but he quickly did as you said as he turned around and drove back out of the car park, before speeding off quickly down the road.
“Now then,” Kev said after about a minute of rushing towards your destination, “is anyone going to explain what the hell is going on…”