CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“We’ve got three days until New Year’s Eve,” said Gaspar.

“I know,” said Nine. “It comes on the same day every year.”

“It’s not that,” said Gaspar, staring at his old friend. “There’s something about all of this that feels as though it might be escalating. I’m not sure what makes me feel that way, but my gut is saying this guy wants to make a statement for the new year.”

“I hope to fuck you’re wrong,” said Ghost, walking into the room. “I was just in the comms room, and the boys were giving me the list of missing persons.”

“Persons? As in multiple people?” asked Ian.

“Yep. It’s a mixed bag. Seniors, men, women, couples, they even just got a report of a school bus filled with high school cheerleaders headed to a cheer competition that never showed up at the location for the event.”

“Fuck me,” growled Gaspar.

“Gaspar! Gaspar!” called Alexandra, running down the hall. He stood from the chair, racing into the hallway as she ran toward him.

“What? What the hell is wrong?” he asked. Alexandra never panicked. She was a cool, calm, collected woman who didn’t show emotion easily. This was not his wife.

“There’s something wrong with the animals on the island.”

“Something wrong? What do you mean?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Lucy and Sniff asked me to come and get all of you. Trak is out there now with the others, trying to calm them.”

The stomping feet of men and one tiny woman took off down the hallway and out the door to the ATVs and headed toward the docks. Once there, they boarded one of the boats and took off toward the island. As they got closer, they could see the animals pacing back and forth, the elephants trumpeting loudly.

“What the hell is going on?” asked Gaspar.

Trak was walking toward them with Wilson, Pork, and Kegger. They were donned in their wet suits, making their way to the west side of the island near the land bridge that brought visitors to the animals.

“What the fuck is happening?” asked Nine.

“Alvin says a bus went into the bayou early this morning,” said Trak. “He didn’t know until he arrived, and the other animals told him.”

“A bus. A bus,” whispered Ian. “Shit, no. Shit, fuck me, damn, no!” Trak stared at his friend.

“We got word that a busload of high school cheerleaders headed to a competition never made it. We didn’t think it would be anything related to what we’re doing.”

“Cameras,” said Trak, grabbing the rest of his gear. “Check the cameras and see what we can find. Someone drove that bus over the land bridge.”

Animals were still restless, pacing back and forth, watching as the men dove into the water. The murky bayou was cold but not terribly deep where they were. As the men disappeared beneath the water, sheriff’s deputies pulled up, having received a call from the comms team.

“Gaspar, how y’all doin’?” asked the sheriff.

“Obviously, not good,” he frowned. “We think a bus went over the bridge early this morning.”

“What makes you think that?” he asked.

“The alligator told us,” frowned Gaspar.

The sheriff just laughed, shaking his head. A few moments later, four men broke through the water, lifting their masks.

“What did you find?” asked Nine.

“A school bus,” said Wilson. “Let us know how you want to handle it. The driver and kids were duct taped to the seats. They were all stabbed from what we can see.”

“Shit. He just brought this shit to our front door,” said Nine.

“I don’t think he knew that,” said Gaspar. “But he’s about to realize what a fucking mistake he made.”

“I’ll call Grant and see if he’s got a couple of cranes to pull the bus out,” said Ian. He walked away from the group, running right into Semu. “It’s alright, Semu. We’re going to bring the bus up now.”

“Sad. Girls are sad,” she signed to Ian, and he felt the gorilla’s heart breaking in two. She was such a sweet thing.

“I know, sweet girl. I know.”

By the time Grant arrived, the news media was parked on the other side of the bridge, watching the animals pace back and forth. From time to time, they gave private tours on the island, allowing veterinary students to come and study the animals, work with them, and have experience with animals they might not see otherwise.

As the four men dove back into the water, connecting the straps and chains to the bus, more people gathered. Unfortunately, there were two dozen families waiting to see if it was their children inside that bus.

“You need to get those cameras back,” said Gaspar to the sheriff. “Those families don’t need this replayed over and over again on the nightly news.”

“I thought y’all would have blocked them,” said the sheriff. Gaspar stared at him and nodded.

“Sly? Block the signals of all cameras, cell phones, anything that can take a picture. Get the VG boys over here pronto to move these crowds back.”

“ They should be there any second. I’ve got thirty men that will push them off the property.”

Sure enough, Cam, Luke, Eric, Hex, and more than two dozen additional men moved everyone away from the land bridge and off the property. The only people allowed to stay were the families of the girls on that bus.

As the cranes groaned, lifting the school bus from the water, everyone stood back, watching. The sounds of rushing water from the windows and doors told them that the attacker made sure everything was open before he sent that bus to its doom.

Grant himself operated one of the cranes, directing his men to set it carefully on the bridge where the investigators and coroner could get to the young victims. When Nine opened the swinging door, he stared at the empty driver’s seat, then at the seat behind it. The bus driver had been stabbed and moved to that seat, secured, and unable to fight.

“Fuck me,” he whispered, staring at the carnage.

“They’re babies,” said Ian, walking on behind him. “They’re all nothing but fucking babies. Fourteen, fifteen, maybe sixteen years old.”

“What the hell is wrong with this demon?” said Ghost. Gaspar stared at the innocent faces. The last moments of their horrible death etched for all eternity.

“We’re going to find this son-of-a-bitch and end him.”