That Thing At the Zoo - 01 Read Online Free PDF Page A

head. Jimmy stayed right behind me, nearly stepping on my heels as I walked. My supernatural Spidey sense began to buzz, rattling the inside of my skull. I threw my hand up to stop him. The raw rubber stench of urine slapped me in the nose. Water filled my eyes and I had to fight down dinner. Different from the ammonia and cat litter smell from the Lion Habitat, this was a cloying, yellow smell, thick as fog.
    Jimmy gagged behind me. His fingers flew to pinch his nose shut. “What the hell is that?”
    Pulling out my maglight, my finger flicked on the ultraviolet bulb with a click. The white-blue circle swept across my boots as I moved it back and forth, looking for a sign. The ground was clean, just dirt and rocks and grass. Sweeping the UV light up, it hit the wall and flared across a splash of white. I traveled the light up the wall, following the illuminated trail. It looked like someone had dumped a five-gallon bucket of paint down the entire wall. It ran in a foot-wide path of splatter and splashes, tapering off as it disappeared behind the low green shrubs at the wall’s base.
    A hollow buzzing filled my head, like a rattle in the hands of a dead baby. Our creature had marked its territory with some supernatural mojo that was tripping my Spidey sense.
    “Is that pee?”
    I nodded at the question, answering Jimmy from the side of my mouth. “Yep. Our friend has been marking his territory.” At least we were on the right track now. I handed the flashlight to Jimmy. “Hold this; aim it at the mark.”
    He took it from me. Slinging the shotgun over my shoulder, I reached for a pouch on my belt. It had plastic vials, like test tubes, full of holy water. Bars use them for shots. Holy water is a good thing to keep on hand in my business, and since Father Mulcahy tends bar at Polecats I always had a ready supply.
    Jimmy’s voice was low and whispered, “What the hell are you doin’, man?”
    “Getting its attention by spoiling its scent mark.” I kept working, breaking the wax seal with my thumb and popping the rubber cap out. “Now turn your head—I’m shy on a first date.”
    A flick of my wrist slung holy water up the wall and across the scent mark. It made a sizzling sound and the buzzing in my head spiked into a hornet’s nest before being drained away. I hoped whatever it was we were hunting would feel it down the line. It was crude, but should be effective at getting us noticed.
    I also hoped that whatever it was had holed up in the zoo somewhere. I was betting it had. It had taken three animals that were over five-hundred pounds each in four nights. That’s a lot of need to match and the zoo is one of the few places it could do that in some form of seclusion. I didn’t see this thing straying from such an easy food source.
    I moved away from the wall. My legs made long strides across the grass, the smell of piss fading as I walked. Jimmy the zookeeper hustled to catch up with me. He was breathing hard by the time he did, doing a jog-step to keep pace.
    “What the hell are you doin’ now?”
    “We need some bait. This thing likes to swoop down and grab its victim.”
    “But you had me lock up all the animals so they would be safe from it.”
    Listening to the night air, not looking at him, I drew out the bowie knife. “I know.”
    “So what are you gonna use for bait?”
    “Us.” The silver edge gleamed in the full moonlight as I laid it against the skin of my forearm. I keep my knives sharp so there was only a thin flash of burn as I drew it across my arm. The tattooed skin parted, blood welling up behind the slice of the blade. I didn’t cut deep, but it bled freely, running red rivulets down my arm, filling my palm, and dripping off my fingers.
    A flick of my hand sent droplets of my blood arcing out onto the grass around us. I try to keep my blood. Too many things out there can use your blood to harm you, but once it hits the earth its magickal properties are grounded out unless it is being