Read Online Cage The Dead by Gary F. Vanucci - Free Book Online

don’t know. Their behavior is…different.”
    “So they differentiated between us and the zombies?!”
    “I have no idea why they just did that,” Nick admitted, adjusting the rifle again on his shoulder and staring at the gate on the opposite side. “All I know is that we need to get moving if we wanna torch these fuckers.”
    “Sounds good to me, Gaia said, adjusting her grip on the shaft of the shovel, holding it firmly in two hands. She followed Nick to the opposite gate, walking briskly and matching his pace. The other zombies gathered outside the pen hadn’t seemed to notice them yet. They made it quickly to the gate, unlocked it, and made it outside.
    The next destination was the lion pen. Once they were through it, they should make it to the backside of the barn without incident.
    Nick hunted through the key ring and found the proper key, set in in the lock, and then turned it. Gaia watched as the lions in the distance were gathered near the front of the enclosure, swiping and biting at zombie hands that dared breach the safety of the bars. It looked so ludicrous to Gaia—so surrealistic, as if she were dreaming the whole thing.
    She took in the sight of four zombies reaching inside the pen, trying to get at the lions, and watched the big cats swatting at and biting the zombie flesh. There were several females and a male there at the front of the enclosure. Nick stopped and stared at the exchange, looking from Gaia back to the fight again.
    “What’s up?” Gaia asked. “And can you answer it when we get out of here?”
    “Sure,” Nick said, shaking his head dismissively, as if he had just remembered what they were doing. The pair ran to the gate on the opposite side and they were both relieved to witness nothing but green pastures at the backside of the barn. But then Nick stopped suddenly, holding Gaia back with an outstretched arm, stopping her in her tracks.
    Another male lion, its glorious mane surrounding its majestic face, had suddenly begun to pursue them.
    “Move, but go slow,” Nick advised, doing exactly as he said, the lion stopping its pursuit altogether. Gaia mimicked his actions and followed him to the gate. Suddenly the lion padded over to them and sniffed the air, making a growling noise.
    “Shhh, it’s okay,” Nick cooed, placing the key inside the lock and turning the tumbler. It clicked and then he slowly turned the handle and the door clicked open. The lion made no further moves toward them and let them leave unmolested.
    “What was it?” Gaia asked, dropping the head of the shovel to the earth and wiping copious amounts of perspiration for her forehead. She felt the moisture beneath her blonde hair and ran her hand through it in a futile attempt to rid herself of the moisture. She thanked her lucky stars she’d decided to get it cut short recently for a wedding, and silently hoped to live long enough to see it grow out again.
    “The lions don’t normally hunt or react like that,” Nick explained. “I’ve never seen them do that kind of thing, biting at exposed arms and such. Least not since I’ve been here. Though this is far from what I’d call normal.” Nick laughed out loud at that very evident summation.
    “Well, the world has never been more turned on its side,” Gaia agreed, putting her hands on her hips, the shovel standing upright in the ground.
    “True, we have no idea if whatever made us—well, them —zombies, did anything at all to the animals.”
    “At least they’re not undead, too,” Gaia joked, retrieving the shovel.
    “Fuckin A, right!” Nick said excitedly.
    “So, how do we go about this?”
    “Well, much as I hate it, we need to attract them undead fuckers this way after we set the trap, get as many of ‘em as we can inside and torch the barn.”
    “Sounds like a nightmare. I really hate to burn anything that has so much history,” Gaia said sympathetically.
    “Yeah, not something I am proud of, either. But, if we want to get inside