Mike looked at her, astonished. “That was pretty hardcore,” he said.
“No point being a vet if I can’t even fix myself. Now, let’s get the doors to Ripley Hall closed so we can finally catch our breaths and sort this whole thing out. Here’s your wallet.”
Mike took it from her and nodded. His stare was slightly dazed, no doubt due to the horrors he had witnessed. Annaliese knew that the more time passed, the more Mike and the others would start to struggle with the emotional trauma of what had happened to them. She just hoped she could keep herself together long enough to help some of them.
Mike started to unbutton his bloodstained shirt, exposing a gleaming white vest beneath.
She put a hand out to stop him. “You sure that’s the best thing? Going out there in just a vest? What if one of those things bite you? Not to mention the fact that you’ll probably freeze your tits off.”
Mike started fastening the shirt back up again. “Good point. I’m just starting to freak out at the feeling of all this blood on me, you know?”
“Whose is it?” Annaliese asked. She could see it wasn’t his, but from the pained expression that flashed across his face, she was sorry for asking the question so bluntly. “Sorry,” she added.
He waved his hand. “No, it’s okay. It wasn’t anyone I was close to, just a co-worker, James Craddock. But he had two sons and a wife, you know? He was a happy guy. Deserved better than to be ripped apart like...” His words trailed off and he seemed to lose himself for a moment, staring off into space.
Annaliese placed a hand on his shoulder and was surprised by how tense his muscles were. The guy was on edge, even if he hid it well with courage and an amiable personality. “Hey, we’re going to get to bottom of this, okay? You’re doing really great. You’re my hero, in fact.”
He smiled at her and straightened up. He could have been dashing if not for the circumstances, and the fact that he was covered in blood. “Thanks,” he said, and then let out a deep sigh. He cleared his throat, ran a hand through his messy black hair, and seemed to ready himself for whatever came next. After a few moments, he smiled at Annaliese. “Let’s do this,” he said.
Chapter Eighteen
Annaliese didn’t get going right away. She and Mike took Shawcross up on his offer of finding them weapons first. The man was at the rear of the building, rooting around the staff access that ran behind the exhibits.
“Here, take this,” he said, handing Annaliese a long metal pole with a kink at the end. It was a pole used for dealing with the exhibit’s many snakes. Mike found himself a shovel and weighted it up in his hands.
“So what’s your plan?” Shawcross asked. “You know, eventually your luck is going to run out, taking all these risks?”
She glared at him. He seemed perfectly happy to let her take all those risks when they benefited him. “If nobody does anything, then we’re up shit creek with only half a paddle. I don’t want to go out there, but somebody has to. If you’re worried about me so much, why don’t you go out and close the doors?”
Shawcross gave her a thin-lipped smile. “I’m needed here. Guest welfare is still my responsibility.”
“I don’t think so,” said Mike. “I think you’re officially off-duty, mate.”
“I’m never off-duty. Ripley Hall is my building and these are my guests.”
Annaliese looked at the gathering of shell-shocked survivors. There was less than a dozen of them in total, an even mix of men and women. Their faces were starkly pale in the dim light of the reptile house.
“Fine,” she said. “Then you carry on playing host while we go and risk our necks.” She turned to Mike. “You ready?”
He nodded. The two of them headed back over to the building’s exit.