Chapter Four

Savage Sanctuary Island, Simon

T he storm blew over, and the weekend would be as busy as Jerry had promised. Simon moved all the lions, except for Carla and Tibby, into the public enclosure. According to State rules, new cats had to stay in quarantine for thirty days.

The enclosures built for the normals so they could get up close and personal with the cats were too small. It caused dangerous interactions. But the paying customers Simon called “normals” liked it when the cats fought. The bloodier the fight, the more money Savage Sanctuary made.

Simon worried about the lions the most and had moved them last.

“Hurry,” Jerry yelled, giving Simon a furious glare.

Going fast caused accidents, but Simon didn’t tell Jerry this. He did his job in the same slow and easy manner that never upset the animals.

He nodded his head at Jerry when the last lion was released into the habitat and the entry door locked. After changing his glare to a scowl, Jerry radioed that the people on the boat could disembark. Savage Sanctuary was on an island half a mile off the Alantic coast of Florida. The only way to it was by boat or helicopter. The important visitors who Simon hated, the ones Jerry called VIPs, came in by air. The normals took a charter boat that ran Thursday through Sunday strictly for the sanctuary. If the people had enough money, there were several rooms available on the island where they could stay. Their windows overlooked the habitats so they could live among the cats from the safety of their enclosed rooms. Thankfully, no one rented those rooms this weekend so the cats could go into their separate pens at night.

The new group arrived at the lion enclosure, and Jerry began his speech. "In the wild, these majestic creatures live a short lifespan due to hunger, disease, and larger predators. Here at Savage Sanctuary, we offer the animals a better chance at survival while also giving them a sense of the wild. These cats are maneaters, and sometimes, like they do in nature, they eat each other. It’s completely natural, and that’s what we want you to witness.” He carried a metal rod and ran it over the bars of the door, knowing the cats didn’t like the noise and became agitated. He looked at the people and purposely widened his grin until all you saw were perfect white teeth. “Who paid to throw out the first chicken?"

The chickens' feet were tied, but they were still alive when tossed into the enclosure. The people went crazy with their shouts, cheers, and squeals as the chickens squawked for their very short life. Jerry had told Simon that in other countries, the customers were able to buy animals such as calves, goats, and pigs to feed the carnivores while the animals were alive like the chickens. Jerry hated that he could only use poultry when normals would pay more for larger animals. They loved the gruesome terror and Simon hated them for it.

Jerry’s words had the right effect on his audience. The visitors went crazy. The men got that animalistic expression on their faces. Sometimes the women did too, but mostly they screamed and covered their eyes. Three people paid to feed the cats, and unfortunately, there were nine lions, and the three birds weren’t much of a meal. On visitor days, Jerry didn’t allow Simon to feed the cats. He wanted them hungry and on edge.

A fight broke out between two males, and Milo, the younger one, got a nasty gash on his flank that would most likely require stitches. That too would wait until the sanctuary closed. For now, Milo would suffer and possibly be attacked again and killed. Donations poured in like crazy when that happened.

“Animals are animals,” Jerry would tell him. “People don’t mind when they act like it.”

He was right, though Simon thought it very wrong.

When he was assured that Milo stayed in the corner of the enclosure and wasn’t wandering around with his injury, Simon went to check on Indra. He found him in the pool, which was what he expected. Indra, like most tigers, loved the water. The cat swam a few laps and then simply lay in the shallows, allowing the water to cover his fur.

There were four other tigers in the enclosure with him, all younger, and none domesticated like Indra. They were zoo tigers that were sent after the owner died and the family decided to sell off everything. From the corner of his eye, he saw Indra swat his massive paw in the water. How Simon wished he could play with him. The younger tigers wandered the enclosure, sniffing and growling, waiting for the visitors to feed them.

Simon hated it so much and had refused to tie the chickens up for feeding years ago. The argument with Jerry about feeding was one he wished he could forget. Simon had cried until snot hung from his nose, and Jerry couldn’t take it .

“One day, one of your pets will eat you. I hope there isn’t much left to clean up because it would be an inconvenience,” Jerry said, his tone disgusted.

Simon knew he could be eaten by simply making a mistake. He tried to be very careful. Maybe one day, Jerry would get eaten, and someone new would take over the sanctuary. He wouldn’t mind cleaning up what was left of Jerry’s body if that were the case.

He watched while the crowd moved to the tigers, and the same feeding display took place after Jerry’s bullshit overview. Indra never went after the live chickens. From the time he was a cub, he’d only been fed dead food. He preferred it and he would stay hungry until Simon fed him again. This was also the reason Jerry hated Indra. A cat who didn’t produce money was a waste to the sanctuary.

Simon told Mrs. Miller at the library that he was worried that Jerry would get rid of Indra. He didn’t tell her how because that was a secret no one could know. She came out and took pictures of Indra one day when the sanctuary was closed and Jerry in the city. She’d started Indra a social media account and he quickly gained a large following. Getting rid of him would cause an uproar. Simon had to repress his smile while thinking about it.

He decided to check on Milo, so he didn’t need to watch what was happening with the tigers. Jerry stopped talking for a moment and approached him before he left the area .

“The two female cats were purchased. It will happen next week.”

Anger boiled inside Simon. "Purchased" meant a hunter wanted them for a trophy. It also meant how the two lions came to the park was a lie. The cats who were hunted had no paper trail. Simon should have known something was up, but he had missed the clues.

Seeing Simon’s anger, Jerry stepped into his personal space. Simon was taller by more than a foot and a half, and Jerry’s head cranked back so he could look Simon in the eyes.

“Don’t give me your crybaby attitude, you moron. They’re animals. You do the job you’re paid for, or you’ll find a new job. There are people waiting in line for the honor of working here, and they would be half the trouble you are.”

“Yes, Mr. Jerry,” Simon said and looked down. He didn’t know if Jerry was telling the truth or not, but it scared him.

Jerry turned and walked over to the crowd. Simon headed to Milo. He couldn’t help the scene that played in his head of Indra eating Jerry. He couldn’t hide that smile.