The Next World Read online

  15

  “What’s that expression? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Dr. Tomie sat behind the wheel of the open-air safari Jeep. It was only a few minutes before nine in the morning and it was already sultry.

  “I believe that’s right,” Frank said, sitting in the front passenger seat. He looked over his shoulder. “You guys comfortable enough?”

  Dr. Tomie hit a rut and the big Jeep took a hard bounce.

  Wanda grabbed the railing on the back of the bench seat in front of her where Dillon and Ally were strapped in. Dillon was wearing a green baseball cap with the wildlife reserve’s logo.

  “Sorry about that,” the doctor apologized. “As you can see, I’m not much of a driver. But I promise not to kill anyone.”

  Wanda grimaced but didn’t say anything.

  For the next fifteen minutes, Dr. Tomie drove over the savanna, stirring up herds of wildebeest and antelope. The animals wisely bolted out of her way as she drove through their masses.

  “They don’t like my driving either,” the doctor laughed.

  She slowed the safari Jeep and stopped so everyone could watch a group of giraffes standing under a mushroom-shaped tree. The longneck twenty-foot tall animals extended their purple tongues to strip leaves off of the thorny branches.

  “Survival is key out here,” Dr. Tomie said. “Even the plants have learned to adapt. See the tree those giraffes are feeding on? That’s an acacia. The tree actually produces chemicals that make the leaves taste bad.”

  “So why do these giraffes keep eating them?” Ally asked.

  “Giraffes don’t eat their food right away. They generally swallow and store it in their stomachs in the event they have to run off to escape a predator. Later they regurgitate, much like a cow, and chew their cud.”

  “Hard to believe a tree can develop a defense system,” Ally said.

  “They can also lure stinging ants with a nectar as another deterrent against grazers.”

  “Symbiotic behavior,” Ally said.

  “Exactly,” Dr. Tomie said. “Or in this case, mutualism. A good example would be the oxpecker. It’s a small bird that can be seen perched on buffalos. The bovines tolerate the fowl as the oxpecker rids the buffalo of pests like ticks and mites.”

  “Uh-oh,” Dillon said when one of the giraffes walked out from under the tree and started to approach the Jeep.

  The giraffe strode over on its long legs and stopped just short of the vehicle.

  Everyone gazed up at the towering animal.

  It looked down and lowered its knobbed head.

  The tip of its purple, twenty-inch long tongue wrapped around the bill of Dillon’s cap and snatched it off the boy’s head.

  “Hey! Give that back,” Dillon yelled.

  Everyone broke out laughing as the giraffe turned and ambled back to the tree.

  Dr. Tomie gunned the Jeep and they raced across the plain.

  16

  Dr. Tomie parked on a summit that provided an encompassing view of the grassy plains below. She pointed to a cheetah two hundred feet away, which was hiding in the taller sedge, watching a small herd of Thompson gazelles graze.

  “Everyone please keep your voices down,” the doctor whispered. “And we just might see this cheetah in action.”

  “How fast can they run?” Ryan asked.

  “They can get to seventy miles an hour in four seconds.

  “That’s faster than my Trans Am.”

  “But they can only keep up that speed for a few hundred yards and then they’re exhausted.”

  “Guess they burn up a lot of calories,” Wanda said.

  “I imagine they do,” Dr. Tomie said. “But they also get overheated and can’t eat their prey right away as they have to rest. Which means other predators can steal their kill.”

  “But won’t the cheetah fight back?” Ally asked.

  “Even though they are swift hunters, cheetahs are also timid. They generally shy away from bigger predators.”

  “What about their babies?” Dillon asked. “Don’t they protect them?”

  “That’s a good question,” Frank said.

  “Yes, it is,” the doctor agreed. “The cheetah is a good mother and will protect her cub or cubs to the death, if necessary. They are also great teachers. I’ve witnessed a mother teaching her cub to chase down a small impala. Each time the cub failed to bring the prey down, the mother would run after it and bring it back so the cub could give it another try.”

  “I think it’s beginning,” Frank said, pointing down the incline.

  The cheetah stayed low and crept through the grass. As the big spotted cat approached, the antelopes must have sensed they were being stalked because they suddenly bolted off.

  Bounding after the herd, the cheetah’s unbelievably long stride enabled it to quickly catch up to the fleeing animals. One of the gazelles darted away from the herd and the sleek cat was right on its tail. The two-pronged gazelle ran zigzag, but the cheetah shadowed its every movement and grabbed a hind leg with its sharp claws, pulling the animal down.

  Wanda turned to shield Dillon’s eyes just as the cheetah sunk its sharp teeth into the gazelle’s throat.

  “Mom!” Dillon protested. “They show this stuff all the time.”

  Wanda looked over at Frank.

  He shrugged. “Not my fault he likes the Discovery Channel.”

  “And who got him hooked on that?” Wanda wanted to know.

  Luckily, Dr. Tomie intervened by saying, “Life can seem harsh out here but it’s nature’s way.”

  “I guess humans aren’t that different,” Wanda said. “Seems like everyone’s always wanting to get at the top of the food chain.”

  “Aren’t you the profound one,” Frank quipped.

  “Preservation is a key element in these animals’ survival. Some species purposely go out of their way to kill a predator’s young so the infant won’t someday be hunting them.”

  “But how would they know?” Wanda asked.

  “I believe it’s coded in their DNA.”

  “Hey, look!” Ryan said, directing everyone’s attention to the two male lions wandering over to where the cheetah lay with the slain gazelle.

  “Are those two from Sasha’s pride?” Ally asked.

  “I do believe they are,” Dr. Tomie confirmed.

  “Oh boy,” Dillon said. “A fight!”

  Dr. Tomie glanced over her shoulder and saw the concerned look on Wanda’s face. “Perhaps we should get back to the clinic. I have an ostrich that is in very need of an enucleation.”

  “What’s that?” Dillon asked.

  “You don’t want to know,” Ally said.

  “Sure I do,” Dillon insisted.

  “It means I’m going to have to remove an eye,” Dr. Tomie said.

  “What?” Dillon said.

  “The eye is badly infected, I’m afraid. If I don’t perform the surgery, the bird will die. Besides, she’s already blind in that eye, so it is of no use.”

  “That’s the one we saw out in the corral,” Ryan said.

  “That’s right. Perhaps when we get back, someone would like to assist while we get her ready for pre-op.”

  “Sure, I will,” Ally said. She looked over at her mom.

  “I can help as well,” Wanda said.

  “Great,” Dr. Tomie said. “Okay, everyone, hold on to your hats.” She started the engine, turned the Jeep around, and they raced down the opposite side of the declivity away from the cheetah and the bullying lions.

  17

  Dr. Tomie parked the Jeep behind the clinic and everyone got out. Frank decided he would take Ryan and Dillon over to the kitchen and throw together a late breakfast while Wanda and Ally helped the doctor prepare for surgery.

  “As you are familiar with firearms, Wanda, let me show you how to prepare a tranquilizer dart,” Dr. Tomie said as they entered the supply room.

  The doctor opened a cabinet door and took out a small bottle of clear liquid. She pull
ed open a drawer and grabbed the component parts for the dart, which she placed on a table next to the small bottle. She opened a booklet and fanned through the pages until she found the page that showed the proper dosage required to sedate the 300-pound ostrich.

  “First, we remove the cap on our barbiturate, then we insert the hypodermic needle in and draw the liquid into the syringe,” Dr. Tomie said as Wanda and Ally watched. Once the syringe was filled to the correct cubic centimeter, the doctor pulled out the needle and recapped the bottle. “Now, we insert the hypo into the dart housing and twist it shut.”

  She went over and unlocked a metal cabinet. Reaching inside, she took out a tranquilizer gun: a slighter version of a long-barreled rifle with a handgrip and ten-inch metal stock. It was also equipped with a mounted riflescope for precise aiming.

  After Dr. Tomie loaded the dart with the sedative syringe, she handed the rifle to Wanda.

  Dayo came into the room. “I’ve boiled and laid out your instruments.”

  “Good. Take Ally with you and give her a brief rundown so she will be prepared once we start surgery.”

  “Very well,” Dayo replied. She smiled at Ally and they both walked out into the hall. Dr. Tomie and Wanda went out through the back entrance.

  “I’ll have Gatura wrangle the ostrich while you prepare your shot,” Dr. Tomie instructed. She signaled to Gatura—who was shoveling dung out of Lucy’s enclosure—to come and join them. He walked over to where the doctor and Wanda were standing just outside the ostrich’s corral.

  The highest railing was just over six feet tall. The ostrich’s head was two feet above that.

  “Be careful and don’t get kicked,” the doctor warned Gatura.

  “I will. She is half-blind, so there is no worry.”

  “Then I’m going to run inside and see if Dayo has everything prepped. I’ll be back shortly,” Dr. Tomie said and went into the building.

  Gatura opened the gate slowly while Wanda went over and set the barrel of the tranquilizer rifle on a lower railing so that she could set up the shot.

  The ostrich was turned the other way, looking out at the savanna, no doubt wishing it were out there running free instead of cooped up in the corral. Gatura was five feet inside the enclosure when the large bird suddenly turned around. It took one look at Gatura, fluffed its large wings, and charged.

  “Look out!” Wanda yelled and fired the rifle. The projectile hit the ostrich in the side but the sedative didn’t immediately take effect. The ostrich ran up and knocked Gatura down and began kicking the man with its powerful legs, the two-toed feet pummeling the man where he lay.

  Wanda dropped the rifle and bolted into the corral. She waved her arms and yelled, “Get back,” thinking she could reason with the giant bird like she would with her English bull terrier, Winston, back home.

  She ran up to push the bird away. The ostrich turned and glared at her with its good eye, and before Wanda knew what was happening, the bird snapped its long neck forward and pecked her in the shoulder. It hurt like hell but it wasn’t enough to stop her from trying to get to Gatura. She crouched over Gatura to protect him.

  The ostrich blindsided Wanda and kicked her in the shoulder.

  This time, the pain was so intense, she passed out.

  18

  Rather than try to cook something up in the kitchen, Frank opted they should have a fast breakfast of cereal. He found a couple boxes with unfamiliar brand names on a shelf that contained frosted flakes and strawberry rice crunches. After grabbing three bowls and spoons, he divvied out portions and added goat’s milk. He ate his, Ryan only finished half his bowl, and Dillon put his spoon down after the first bite.

  “Doesn’t taste right,” Dillon griped.

  Frank half expected Dillon to spit out his first bite, but he hadn’t. He pushed a bowl of fruit across the table toward the boy. “Here, eat a banana.”

  Dillon made a face but took a banana anyway and began peeling back the skin.

  A few minutes later, after cleaning up after themselves, Ryan and Dillon wanted to go back to their cottage. Frank said sure and they went their separate ways.

  Frank strolled over to the clinic and went inside. He followed the main corridor to the rear of the building and stepped out into the animal compound.

  That’s when he saw the ostrich lying on its side in the dirt. He approached cautiously and saw a green tuft sticking out of the giant bird’s black-feathered side—a tranquilizer dart.

  Looking around, he spotted the open gate to one of the pens.

  “Oh my God,” he said, once he saw Wanda, then Gatura, both sprawled on the ground. He rushed over to his wife and knelt in the dirt. “Wanda, are you all right?”

  Slowly, she opened her eyes. “Be careful, there’s a...” but then she grimaced when she tried to move.

  “Did the ostrich do this?”

  She managed to nod her head.

  Frank heard a moan and glanced over at Gatura. The man was struggling to get up. As soon as he stood, he began to hobble on one leg.

  “Gatura, are you okay?” Frank asked.

  “I got kicked good,” Gatura said with a weak smile. He looked down and saw Wanda. “I’ll go get Dr. Tomie.” Even though Gatura had trouble walking, he still managed to limp quickly over to the rear door of the building.

  In less than a minute, Dr. Tomie was running out the door. Dayo and Ally were right behind, carrying a canvas stretcher.

  “Mom!” Ally shouted when she saw her mother lying on the ground.

  Dr. Tomie knelt next to Frank and looked down at Wanda. “Where are you hurt?”

  Wanda raised her right hand and pointed to her left shoulder.

  The doctor touched the spot gently and got an immediate response when Wanda gasped a deep breath.

  “She may have a broken clavicle. Let’s get her onto the stretcher and bring her inside.”

  Dayo looked over at the ostrich lying on its side. “What about it?”

  “Let’s fix Wanda up first, then it will be the bird’s turn,” Dr. Tomie said.

  ***

  “How serious is it?” Frank asked, standing next to Wanda sitting on the table.

  “It will be uncomfortable for awhile, so I’ve administered some painkillers,” Dr. Tomie said, as she finished with the figure-eight bandage that covered Wanda’s shoulder and under her armpit. “The collarbone should knit on its own.”

  Frank helped Wanda with her shirt. Raising her left arm gingerly, he guided her arm into the sling he had placed over her head.

  “How long do I have to wear this?” Wanda asked.

  “Depends—everyone heals differently,” Dr. Tomie said. “I would keep your arm immobile for a few weeks so as not to aggravate the break.”

  “We should cut this short and get you back home,” Frank said.

  “Nonsense,” Wanda replied. “I don’t want to be the one that botched up our vacation. And louse up Ally getting an opportunity to work with the doctor.”

  “On that note, I should go,” Dr. Tomie said. “I have a sick bird to attend to.”

  “Thanks again,” Wanda said as the veterinarian left the room.

  “So, what now?” Frank asked.

  “Looks like I’ll have plenty of time to sit around and do nothing.”

  “I think the word you’re looking for is relaxing.”

  Wanda winced as she got on her feet. “Sure. Be a dear and grab my meds.”

  19

  It was sweltering sitting in the bed of the truck under the baking sun. Isoba had refused to take his eyes off of Duna for one moment. Adanna had even offered to switch places and guard the poacher boss man and let her father drive, but Isoba had insisted she would be more comfortable inside the truck. Samson’s nose had left wet smudges on the glass of the cab’s rear window as the dog kept a vigilant watch on the two men riding in the back.

  “Why do you bother?” Duna taunted. “You know they will come for me.”

  “Not this time,” Isoba sai
d. “This time I will make sure you rot in jail—just like all those animals you killed.”

  Duna laughed. He was a burly man, bigger than Isoba, and had chestnut skin where Isoba’s was darker, almost a chocolate. They were of different ancestral heritages and were occupational opposites. Their hatred for each other boiled in their blood.

  “Weak words from a weak man,” Duna grinned.

  Isoba slammed the butt of his rifle stock across the man’s cheek and wiped the smile off of Duna’s face.

  “Do not do that again,” Duna warned, even though there wasn’t much he could do about it. His hands were tied behind his back and his ankles were bound with rope.

  “I am not afraid of you, Duna.”

  “No, but what about my men?”

  “I saw your men killed, by those...”

  “Demons?”

  “I don’t think that is what they were,” Isoba said.

  “Then what?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “My brother will come for me,” Duna said, managing a grin, despite the welt on his cheek.

  “Let him try.” Isoba hated Duna’s brother, Abrafo, even more than he loathed Duna.

  Adanna stuck her head out the driver’s window and yelled up, “There’s a vehicle up on that ridge.”

  A new-model Land Rover was parked up near a stand of trees. Isoba grabbed a pair of binoculars and gazed up, hoping the vehicle belonged to a park ranger and he could hand Duna over to the authorities. He scanned the side of the four-wheeler but didn’t see any emblems on the door. There were two occupants inside the off-road SUV: a black man in the driver’s seat, and a large white man with a gray beard sitting in the passenger seat.

  “Should I stop?” Adanna asked.

  “No, keep driving,” Isoba answered.

  He put the binoculars down and turned his attention back to Duna.

  For some strange reason Isoba couldn’t stop thinking about the big man up in the Land Rover. He had seen him somewhere before but couldn’t place the face.

  20