Chapter Two— DART
Out in the parking lot, the teachers were calling for their classes to board the buses. I could hear them as clearly as if they were next to me. One of the teachers asked if anyone had seen Megan Gifford. Someone said she might be with her uncle.
“We’re missing Austin Brockway, too,” said the teacher. “Has anyone seen him?”
“Luke Brockway isn’t on the bus either,” said one of the girls. “Maybe Austin is with him.”
“We’ve got to get these kids back to the school.” It was the bus driver’s voice. “They’re cold, wet and scared. Their parents will be waiting.”
“What about the missing kids?” asked the teacher. “We can’t just leave them here.”
I shivered, listening hard. Were they going to leave without us?
“Call zoo security,” said the bus driver. “They’ll find the lost kids. I’ll come back and pick them up after I take this group to the school.”
“Where’s Roy Gifford?” someone asked. “He’s the teacher for bus three.”
“Probably looking for his niece, Megan,” said the bus driver. “Add his name to the list of those missing and give it to the security guard. We need to get these kids home.”
I wanted to get on one of those buses and go home, but I couldn’t leave the zoo without Austin. Besides, I was pretty sure the bus driver wasn’t going to let a Komodo dragon crawl onto his bus. A bus full of kids was like a box of candy for a Komodo. So I settled down on the cold concrete floor and tried to think. I had to make a plan. How was I going to find my brother? How were we going to get out of here? Most important, how could I change back into a boy?
My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I was really hungry. Poor Austin. He hadn’t even had breakfast. That was my fault. I hit him and gave him a bloody nose. I made him cry. He was so upset, he couldn’t eat.
Tears filled my eyes and fell on the cold concrete floor. More than anything, I wanted to find Austin and tell him I was sorry. I wanted to give him his lunch and maybe money for ice cream. I’d lost both our lunch bags during the storm, but I still had money with me. I could buy Austin a hamburger and a shake. Reaching down, I tried to find my pocket. There wasn’t one. I didn’t even have pants. All I had was a long, scaly body. It was the huge, heavy body of the world’s most dangerous lizard.
There must be a way to undo this. First, I had to get out of this glass pen. Then I had to get out of the Reptile House without being seen. Once I was out, I had to find my brother and get him some food. Then I had to find a way to get us both out of here.
Crawling to the corner of the enclosure, I settled down in the pile of hay to think. Komodo dragons could do a lot of things. They could stand on their hind legs. They could run up to twelve miles an hour, maybe faster. They could whip a lot of animals in a fight. They could detect odors a couple of miles away. Maybe I could use Komodo traits to find Austin.
I could run fast around the zoo, as long as no one saw me. I could eat anyone who got in my way, but then they’d have to shoot me. Besides, I might look like a Komodo dragon, but inside I was still human. I didn’t want to kill anyone. I didn’t even want to kill an animal. There had to be another way.
As soon as it was dark, I started to crawl toward the back door of the Komodo enclosure. It was hard to move. I kept trying, pushing up on my four short legs until my body rose above the concrete floor. Snakes bobbed up and down and peered at me from their aquariums. Snakes are nocturnal, active at night. Several pairs of beady snake eyes watched as I shoved myself along. I pushed the dead rabbit out of my way and kept moving. The back door of my enclosure was just ahead. Rising on my hind legs, I crawled up the wall until I was standing. I reached for the latch. It was hard to slide the bolt back with my claws, but I kept trying. Finally the door opened. I was in the back room of the Reptile House, where no visitors were allowed.
I crawled toward the door leading to the outside. It took a long time because my Komodo dragon body was ten feet long, and I wasn’t used to having a tail. It smacked against boxes and crates. Above my head was a counter that held the zookeeper’s books and papers. Aquariums were back here, too. Turtles, snakes and frogs peered out at me as I waddled past them. Bags of food stood against one wall, but it wasn’t food I wanted. The labels read, “Small reptile pellets.” I wasn’t a small reptile. I was a big, hungry reptile. My brother would be hungry too. I had to find food for both of us. Then I had to find a way to get us home.
Next to the food bags was a big white freezer. At home our freezer was filled with frozen chicken strips, vegetables and ice cream treats. Maybe there was something delicious in this freezer. I lifted the lid and peered in. Bags of frozen rabbits were stacked on one side, bags of frozen rats stacked on the other. In the middle were bags of little gray mice. Frozen mice. Micycles. Yuk.
I pushed myself up to the counter and glanced around. No sandwiches or lunch bags on the counter. I didn’t see apples or bananas or anything that looked good to eat. Where could I find people food?
Then I remembered seeing a restaurant at the zoo. There were ice cream carts and hot dog stands, too. I didn’t have money now. Even if I did, I couldn’t slither into the restaurant and ask for a hamburger. Everyone would scream and run. Getting people food was going to be a problem.
I let myself out the back door and hid behind a long green hedge. Two men were coming down the path. One of them was the zookeeper for the Reptile House. I’d seen him before; his name was Tim. I didn’t know the other man, but he wore a zookeeper’s uniform, too.
“I’ve got a sick gecko in the back room,” said Tim. “I’ll check on him and then meet you in the cafeteria.” The other man went down the path away from me. No one else was in sight. It was time to find my brother.
The last time I saw Austin, he was holding onto the rail in front of the grizzly cage. I’d start there. I had to stay out of sight. If anyone saw a Komodo dragon running around loose, they’d call for the DART team. DART stood for Dangerous Animal Response Team. The zoo was filled with dangerous animals. Lions, tigers and bears. Rhinos, crocodiles and venomous snakes. If any of those animals escaped, the DART team would act fast. First they’d try to catch the animal. If they couldn’t catch it, they’d shoot it with a powerful drug to make it sleepy. Then they’d put it back where it belonged.
I was a dangerous animal, a Komodo dragon. I couldn’t let the DART team capture me. If they found me, they’d shoot me with a tranquilizer gun. Then I’d be asleep, and I couldn’t look for Austin.
A delicious aroma wafted through the air. The lady who sold hot dogs was cleaning her stand. Hot dogs and hot dog buns lay scattered everywhere. A string of hot dogs hung from a nearby tree. Hot dogs were under bushes and on the ground next to her cart. They smelled so good my stomach started to growl. When the lady turned her back, I crawled over and gobbled up a few. Then I scurried back to the bushes.
In front of the bear enclosure, zoo workers were raking up trash that had been tossed about by the wind. I waited until they finished. Peeking around the side of the bushes, I checked to be sure no people were there. Then I waddled across the clearing to the grizzly enclosure.
“Austin,” I whispered. “Are you here?”
“Luke? Where are you?” The voice came from behind the bars at the front of the enclosure. “I can’t see you.”
“I’m here. Right next to the bear cage. Where are you?”
“I’m inside the bear cage.” His voice sounded sad.
I clambered up the side of the bear