[30 minutes later]
“Well, here we are,” Kev said as he pulled into the modest Manor Farm complex, “five minutes to six. Now I guess we just wait here for this mysterious individual to appear?”
“That’s what you and Jessica are going to do,” you said in a commanding voice, “I meanwhile am going to go on alone. If I’m not back in half an hour then just get out of here.”
“Baby no!” Jessica said as she tugged pleadingly on your arm, “it’s too dangerous to go alone. This could just be one big trap.”
“Which is why it’s best that you stay with the car,” you insisted, “that way you will have a better chance of escaping if anything should go wrong. After all, losing my family is already bad enough. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.”
Hearing this clearly made Jessica a bit emotional, however she did eventually do as instructed as she released your arm. Despite this though, she still managed to slip in a quick kiss for good luck, after which she did finally settle back down in her seat while you got out of the car.
Following this, you slowly made your way towards the main farmyard as you looked around for the mysterious person who had left the note for you back at Jessica’s house. With this in mind you scanned over the various animal enclosures, always wondering in the back of your mind whether any of them had once been human.
The farm only looked like it was home to between 50 and 100 animals, all of which were typical livestock such as cows, horses, pigs and goats. For the most part, the animals generally seemed to ignore you as they ate and milled around innocently. Worryingly though, when you looked closer you could definitely sense a sad intelligence about some of the more expressive animals. It was a look that you recognised from the Zoo: that of a former human who knew they were doomed to live as an animal for the rest of their life…
‘Shit, I need to get back to the car,’ you thought as you made to turn and leave this sinister place. However, your heart suddenly skipped a beat when you felt a hand grip your shoulder from behind and a female voice whispering in your ear…
“Hello dear,” the voice said in a purring tone, “or would you still prefer to be called ‘Princess!?’
Hearing this made your body jump into action as you turned to break free from Vicky’s grip and then make a run for the car. However, when you turned to face your assailant, you were shocked to find that it wasn’t Vicky at all. Instead, the woman standing before you was slightly older, but no less attractive than the psychotic Stable attendant. The smart dress she was wearing seemed to suggest that she meant business, and yet you got the sense that there was a cheeky streak to this mysterious woman’s personality.
“Oops! Sorry dear,” the woman said with a gentle smile as you stared at her dumbfounded, “didn’t mean to frighten you. My name’s Natalie Hall, though ‘Nat’ ought to suffice.”
“W-What the…” you said as you struggled to get your words out, “w-who are you? Why did you want to meet us here? What happened to Jessica’s parents… and my family…”
“Ok hold your horses dear,” Nat said with a slight smile, “why don’t you take a walk with me and I’ll try to answer all of your questions. Oh, and if you’re concerned about darling Jessica, she looks like she’s safe in the car with your friend. Don’t worry,” she said upon noting your startled reaction, “if I wanted to hurt either of you I would have done it by now. Now then, let me try to explain what’s going on…”
“Hmmm… where to begin?” Nat said as she motioned for you to start walking with her, “well, firstly I ought to make it clear that I work for the Zoo, or rather; AT the Zoo…”
Hearing this immediately put you on edge as you backed away from the mysterious woman. She was one of them. She was going to turn you into an animal again and trap you forever! You had to do something…
“Please dear, must we really keep going through this,” Nat said as she rolled her eyes at you, “like I said, if I wanted to hurt you I would have already. Now then, where was I? Ah yes… as I was trying to explain, I do indeed work at the Zoo, but there is a group of us that want to stop the evil that is at work there. There are a number of us who are trying to dismantle the whole organisation from the inside.”
“Well this is all well and good,” you said in disgust, “but you’ve still helped turn hundreds of innocent people into animals. Why are you any better than the rest of them?”
“Because we are doing our best to reverse the evil that the Zoo’s curse has wrought. By working our way up the chain of command a few of us are now in a position to start making a real difference. For example, we never transform innocents unless absolutely forced to do so. Instead,” she said as she suddenly took a slight detour towards a small cattle barn, “we have focused our efforts on weeding out the bad eggs. You see, some people who work at that Zoo really have a sadistic streak about them. It seems to attract individuals who enjoy tearing families apart and who revel in causing misery and humiliation. That is why, where possible, my colleagues and I help to protect society from these wicked people; by giving them a proper purpose and a healthier new outlook on life…”
As Nat said this you both strolled over to a line of dairy cows as they stood greedily eating their feed. However, as you approached you noticed a number of cows perk their heads up when they heard Nat’s voice. Some looked at you and Nat with large, pleading eyes, while others looked outright terrified as they struggled to back away from her in the confined space.
“There, there dearie,” Nat said soothingly as she reached out to stroke the muzzle of a rather horrified-looking brown cow, “there is nothing to be afraid of. Isn’t that what you used to like telling your victims? Well, now that you are safely locked away with your sisters, you too have nothing to be afraid of. Although” Nat said with a sly grin, “having seen the size of that bull out in the field, I would recommend that you don’t get on his angry side when it comes to mating season. Don’t worry… I’m sure you’ll do a fabulous job!”
Hearing this made the cow moo out in dismay. However, this only seemed to fuel Nat’s satisfaction as she moved on to sooth one of the more pleading-looking animals. “Awww Bessie,” Nat said as she looked into the eyes of the large white cow facing her, “every time I see you you always look so sad. Why don’t you follow the same advice you used to give your guests: ‘just give in to your new instincts and you will soon learn to enjoy your new life.’ “Let’s see, you now have a young, healthy, FERTILE body. Surely having that big fat udder swaying beneath you and that cute little pussy tucked beneath your tail must be giving you some very powerful feminine urges? Hmmm… I imagine you’re secretly longing for the next time you feel the milking machine on those sensitive nipples of yours, or maybe you are already thinking about how you will introduce yourself to your next mate. Deep down I think you have all the makings of a wonderful heifer, you just need to give up any of your old human, MALE thoughts, so that you can just enjoy your simple new life as Bessie the dairy cow. Don’t worry,” Nat said with a pat on the cow’s cheek, “I’m sure you’ll get there in the end!”
Hearing all of this and watching Bessie’s reaction to Nat’s cruel words made you feel sick inside as you were reminded of your own time as an animal. Nat spoke and acted in an eerily similar manner to Vicky as she stopped to tease a few more of her transformed colleagues. Sure, it was good to hear that some within the Zoo’s ranks were resisting, but, from what you could tell, Nat seemed to be no less sadistic than any of the transformed humans she was currently mocking. This mysterious woman was clearly dangerous, which is why you made a mental note to keep your eyes on her.
“Sorry about that dear,” Nat said a few minutes later after blowing a kiss to the last cow in the line, “I guess I got a little sidetracked. However, if you also knew what they had done, just how many they had doomed, you would soon agree that living as an animal is a better fate than any of them deserve. Anyway, enough of that, I think you had a few more questions?”
“Yes,” you said after a slight pause to gather your thoughts, “what happened to Jessica’s parents, and how did you manage to leave that note for us to find? And are you sure my family has been taken as well? Please…” you said with a slightly cracking voice, “can you really help us?”
“Yes I can,” Nat said in a much softer tone of voice, “my colleagues and I have been working tirelessly to lay the foundations of a rebellion to bring the Zoo crashing down. We have also enlisted specialist help to study the curse itself. You see, we hope that we may be able to alter the curse and undo the damage that has been done.”
“However,” Nat said after a slight pause, “in answer to your other questions; I’m afraid that your own parents and sister, along with Jessica’s parents, have all been taken to begin their own week-long training programmes back at the Zoo; as recompense for your little break-out from the Stables. And so, when I heard that your families had been targeted, I later returned to leave a message for both of you. And now that we’re here, we can finally start putting our plans into motion.”
“But why?” you abruptly asked, “why are we so important? How can Jessica and I possibly help you?”
“Oh my dear, you have already helped us far more than you realise. Your little escape from the Stables led to a bit of a reshuffle in the Zoo’s hierarchy, allowing those of us on the inside to climb higher up the chain of command. And as an added bonus, it gave us the perfect excuse to dish out a few more well-deserved punishments. In fact, if you’ll just follow me, I have something to show you that I think you’ll like...”