several dimwitted followers, and she loved flashing Monk her list of 73 names.
“They gave me their signature and their hearts to the Lord,” she was fond of saying. “The town supports me but most of them are afraid to get involved! That’s the only reason they didn’t sign!”
Monk found it hard to believe that the very people that were supporting Jon’s zoo wanted it shut down. And if they did, tough shit. With Jon constantly raising the admission prices he was making good money; that zoo wasn’t going anywhere. And Monk was no fool. Those 73 names were misleading at best. What Helga was really waving around was fourteen idiots and a bunch of children.
He said, “Jon’s zoo is a part of Monk Town now, Mrs. Whitman. You might as well get used to it.”
But of course, she didn’t. This was her cause. She figured an animal would soon break free and there’d be pandemonium in the streets.
Didn’t happen though.
What happened was a fistfight at Bunter’s Saloon between Helga and Bill Watt, forcing Monk to crawl out of bed and deal with the uproar. And with that, the fate of God’s people was decided.
They were to be exterminated.
* * *
Jonathan Weakley stood at the edge of the pit like a proud father, looking at his latest monstrosity, the 750-pound wolf spider.
August Monk stood at his side. “You ready, Jon?”
“I’m ready.”
“You sure ‘bout this? It’s not too late to change your mind.”
“Oh I know, but I want to get rid of the rat and the bullfrog, and losing a few others won’t be the end of the world. I can re-stock the zoo. Besides, this is going to be fun.”
“Absolutely.” Monk said. He closed his eyes and raised his hand.
On the far side of the Pit, Bill Watt began spinning the handle on a crank-wheel. Down below, a large metal door lifted from a cage. Once the door was completely open, Bill spun a different handle. This caused the back wall inside the open cage to move forward. And as this happened, out came the perfect ten, God’s people, all seventy-three of them.
They were in the pit.
And they were terrified.
Six-hundred-and-fifty-seven pairs of eyes looked upon them. Mouths were hanging wide open. And for a moment, nobody said a word.
Then Helga walked away from the others and stood in the center of the dugout with her hands balled into fists. She didn’t look afraid; she looked like she was trying to lead her people.
She lifted her chin and said, “Friends and neighbors, look around you. Look at what you’re doing and what you have done! This is not the Lord’s way. This is Satan’s doing, the pathway to hell. The Dark Lord is leading you astray.”
Monk didn’t want to hear it. He said, “You sure Jon?”
Jon nodded and Monk raised his hand a second time.
Bill Watt took hold of a large handle that was attached to a complex pulley system. He spun the wheel.
Eleven cage doors began opening at once.
The wolf snarled. The gorilla began beating its chest. The rattlesnake hissed and the rat scampered in a circle. The spider got down low and tried to squeeze beneath the rising door. The scorpion stood tall and raised its tail. The bullfrog jumped, knocking its head against the cage roof. The wasp stung the ground beneath its feet twice and the grizzly bear growled.
The crowd released several collective gasps.
God’s People began stirring. Most stayed close to the cage but a few began to wander. Frail screams were released. Children buried terrified faces against their mother’s dresses. Fathers cursed Jonathan’s name.
“This is going to be good,” Jon whispered.
A string of saliva dangled between Monk’s thin lips, he looked terrified. And a moment later the spider squeezed its body under the cage door.
It was free. And it was Hungry.
* * *
Eight long, hairy legs scampered across the ground with incredible speed, creating a sound similar to a trotting horse. Each leg was the size of a tree trunk, orange on one side and brown on the other. It hard-shelled back was as thick as the bible.
It leapt.
Helga turned her lanky body towards the giant arachnid with her mouth gaped in fear and her tongue pulled so deep into her throat you’d think she was trying to swallow it. She stepped back, looking directly into three rows of eyes. From her perspective the eyes looked like a deformed face.
As the 750-pound spider knocked her down she couldn’t help noticing that the creature smelled like a barn.