~ Luke ~

"Wake up sleepyhead!"

The voice woke me from a deep sleep. The sun shone through the crack in the curtains and lay directly over my eyes, blinding me.

"Goooooood morning Lukeypoo!"

I turned my head to see my sister standing beside my bed.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" I yawned.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You forgot already? We're all going to the zoo today, remember?"

I rolled over and pushed my face into the pillow.

"Though we live in a zoo and you're the animal with the cluttered pen." She said looking around at the clothes overflowing onto the floor from the hamper, the comic books spread out on my nightstand and the varied pieces of trash scattered from the computer desk pop tart wrapper to my third of the way full 2 liter Citrus Thunder pop bottle at my bedside.

I smiled and playfully punched her arm. "And you're the animal that's judgmental of every other animal in the zoo."

We both laughed as I threw my covers over her head and jumped out of bed.

She hurried over to the door. "Don't be too long! Ma is starting breakfast." She closed the door behind her as she went out.

I took off my shirt and walked to the body mirror. My hand traced my chest and pecs and I smiled, "Working out for two years really paid off."

I stopped at the jagged scar that lay diagonal on my ribs and shook my head to clear the flashbacks. "Today is supposed to be a good day. Good day, good thoughts."

After taking a quick shower I walked downstairs, continuously drying my hair with a towel. The smell of breakfast triggered my mouth to water and stomach to grumble. I pranced into the kitchen with the damp towel slung over my shoulder. "Smells good grandma! Omelets and homemade hash browns?"

My grandpa looked up from his newspaper and over his reading glasses. "Your nose never ceases to amaze me Lucas. Next thing you know you'll be growing big ears, a tail and working on the K-9 unit as the K-9." His laughter triggered a coughing fit.

I groaned. "Pa, you know everyone else calls me Luke. Why do you continue calling me by my full name? And who knows, maybe that's my night time job when you're all asleep." The evil laugh I attempted was a failure. I sounded like a choking gerbil.

Lucy walked in holding two plates and set one down in front of Pa. "Thank you sweetheart." He smiled and went back to reading the paper.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate. I leaned in and kissed my grandma's cheek who was at the stove finishing up another omelet.

"You smell good honey," her hand shook and the omelet ripped, she sighed. "I'm sorry honey. Do you want a new one?" She acted like it was just an omelet, but I could tell it troubled her.

I hugged her tightly, "Of course not! I was going to scramble it anyway. Scrambled eggs are the only eggs you can put ketchup on."

Ma smiled and gently tapped my hands. "You've got your mother's sense of humor and your father's big heart... Rest their souls..."

There was a hint of sadness in her voice followed by a frown, but then it lifted back up as she cleared her throat.

"Anyway, you ready to see the other half of your room and your relatives?"

I stepped back and huffed. "That's the second time I've heard that today, the third time I've been familiarized with an animal and I've only been awake for an hour."

Ma slid the omelet and scooped some hash browns onto my plate. "Tells you something, doesn't it?" She laughed, cupped my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. "You look just like your father. Growing into such a handsome young man."

She smiled and walked to the refrigerator and poured a glass of orange juice. I took a seat at the table and Ma placed the glass next to my plate.

"Eat up you three. We have a big day ahead of us!"

★★★★★

The road blurred by while I rested my head on the window. The sun warmed the glass and casted a shadow that looked nothing like my head and hair. Music played into my ears from my headphones while Lucy was reading her weird teenage romance book, the third in the series indicated by the big "3" on the spine.

The sound of sirens overpowered the music.

An ambulance sped by as Pa slowed to the side of the road. "Well gosh. Someone's in trouble."

Pa looked in the rearview mirror before making his way back onto the road. I shrugged off the uneasy feeling that settled into my stomach.

"There's nothing abnormal about a speeding ambulance."

When the zoo came into view, Lucy marked her book and I wrapped my ear buds and put them into my pocket next to my phone.

"It's packed today, holy smokes." Ma says as she adjusts her big bulky sunglasses.

Pa manages to find an open parking spot and takes it.

Ma turns around and looks at us, "Sunscreen?" She waved the orange bottle in the air.

"Already put some on at home, Ma." I lied.

Ma raised an eyebrow, "Well don't come to me when you're as red as a tomato."

Lucy reached for the bottle. "I'd rather hold my glorious tan color like this."

I mocked her by pretending to fluff my long, luscious, imaginary girl hair.

"That's a good look for you Lukeypoo. You do it well like you practiced!" Lucy teased.

"Roasted by my own sister..."

I rolled my eyes. Everyone exited the car and walked towards the front gates.

Lucy ran up and purposely bumped into me. "So excited!" She exclaimed as she ran off ahead.

Pa made his way up to me and slowed to match my pace. "She and you are so similar in appearance it's scary. Your black hair, she has your mom's blue eyes and you have the funky hazel-like color your great granddad had, the same skin complexion. If it wasn't for the eyes, you could be the same." Pa put his hand on his chin.

"We are nothing alike, but we both like Ma's cooking so that's a good similarity." I tried to sound serious, but couldn't hold off a smirk.

Pa looked at me, "All three of us are similar then. I've loved her cooking for 46 strong years."

The thought about how much patience it would take to be married that long astounded me. "I don't know how you guys managed it."

Pa laughed, "It was all her doing. It was my stubborn ass that she had to deal with." We both laughed and walked along.

"What are you two laughing about back there?" Lucy and Ma had curious expressions on their faces as they looked back.

"Oh nothing," Pa nudged me with a wink, "nothing at all."

★★★★★

We saw every animal at least twice and it never got old.

"Did you see the lions eat? That was so cool!" Lucy said as she held a starfish.

I walked behind her and poked her sides and spoke loud to scare her, "Watch out! It bites!"

She dropped the starfish when she jumped. "Lucas! That wasn't funny!" She stormed off to find Pa and Ma.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and followed in her direction. There was a commotion to the right as people gathered around the lion enclosure. The crowd caught my interest so I walked over trying to look around people's shoulders. Several people started talking at once.

"Did you see that?! He just walked right on in!"

"Is he a zoo employee?"

"Nah, look how he was dressed! He was just a normal guy."

"Did he get lost and end up in the worst possible alternative to the bathroom?"

I tapped the nearest guy's shoulder who then turned around. "What happened?"

The guy had a blank expression. "A guy walked into the lion den.. and attacked the lion. The other lions joined in, but the zoo security moved us from the glass. The guy is most certainly dead."

I swallowed hard and tried to process this. "Oh, okay thank you."

The man turned back around and I slowly stepped back and walked away from the crowd as fast as I could.

"There's no way that actually happened, right?"

I rounded the corner of the lion enclosure. A door opened and two guys in white hazmat suits pushed a stretcher with a mangled body on it. An arm fell off and landed without a bounce. Instead, thudding with a slosh sound.

I had to cover my mouth to try not to hurl breakfast all over the zoo walkway.

One of the men turned around and picked it up. As he straightened, I knew he was looking at me. I wanted to turn and act like I didn't see anything, but my damned feet wouldn't move. The hazmat suit squeaked as the figure got closer.

"This is it. I'm in trouble! I'll just tell him I didn't see anything... yeah, yeah maybe that'll work."

A soft sound of static came from the hazmat suit. The person stopped and waited. Turned his head toward the doorway the other guy went through, back to me, then turned and hurried off through the door, leaving a trail of blood droplets on the ground from the dead man's arm.

I took a shaky deep breath and my legs shook a bit. I sat on the ground. I jumped a little when a hand placed itself on my shoulder. Pa was extending his hand. I took it and got up and hugged him. I could feel Pa's heart thumping.

Lub dub--lub dub--lub dub--lub dub

"You okay, Lucas?" I was silent for a while before nodding into his chest.

Pa wrapped an arm around me and led us away from there. We met back with Ma and Lucy.

"We need to go, now." Pa exclaimed as he hurried them to the gate.

"What? Why? What's going on?" Ma asked as she adjusted her sunglasses.

"I'll explain in the car. Right now, let's go and beat the traffic."

Lucy looked back towards the zoo. "But I wanted to see the penguins one more time..."

Pa sighed as he put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit, "We'll see them soon, honey. I promise." He smiled at her and she nodded.

I was silent, and I guess that worried Ma.
"Dear, are you okay?"

I was lost in my thoughts, "Huh? Oh yeah, sure Ma."

"What was that? Who were they and what did they want...? Was that the man everyone was talking about on the stretcher?"

Everyone piled in the car and Pa started the engine.

"There's no way of telling exactly what happened, but there was people in hazmat suits swarming the lion exhibit, I'm guessing they're from the CDC. One of them scared Luke." Pa pulled out and headed to the highway.

Ma asked Pa a dozen questions and he answered them. He explained what we both saw in a hushed voice, but the whole conversation was heard because the backseat remained quiet the whole ride home.

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