attacked the spider. In retaliation, the spider released a web that shot through the air and pinned Father Maloney to the wall. And as that happened, the rattlesnake slithered into Bill’s field of vision and snatched up little Betty Whitman, swallowing the boy––shoes and all––in a quick, uncaring gulp.
Bill looked at the gorilla.
Its hands were two feet wide and three feet long. It’s teeth were the length of a man’s arm. The beast stepped from its cage with its head low, grabbed a woman and tore her in half.
Bill’s eyes drifted.
Suddenly, it seemed, there was too much going on.
He saw a pool of blood in the center of the Pit. He saw spider webs spraying across a wall. He saw a string of intestines falling from the wolf’s mouth. He saw a man with no legs crawling with his hands. He saw people running into animals, into each other, and into the cages. He saw a ten-year-old girl stumbling into the 850-pound lizard as blood poured from her mouth. He saw a six-year-old boy leaning against a torso with his guts lying in his lap. He saw a headless woman falling to the ground and man that must have been stung by the wasp; his chest was so swollen that he looked like a bursting water balloon. He saw a man climbing the wall and a girl with an eyeball hanging from her head.
And these were people he knew, every one of them. They were friends and neighbors, the people of Monk Town.
Bill looked across the Pit.
Jonathan was leaning over the rail.
Monk was sitting in his chair, wondering if he had gone too far.
And below the two men, people screamed and ran in circles, looking for safety, looking for help. But there wasn’t anywhere to hide. The Pit was just a big circle, a bunch of cages and pulleys and a gigantic locked door.
Nothing more.
* * *
Monk saw the 9,000-pound grizzly bear pounce on a boy’s chest, flattening him like a manhole cover. He saw the wolf chasing the children, biting one boy in the neck, and thrashing him about. He saw the wasp leap onto the lizard’s back and pierce the reptile with its stinger. He saw a man hitting another man with a severed arm.
Monk looked away. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He said, “Shit Jon, are you seeing this?”
“This is unbelievable,” Jon agreed, pointing. “Look at that.”
Monk looked. He saw the rat standing in front of its cage, eating Davis Poppy’s arm. He saw the wolf jump onto the rat’s back and bite its throat; the rat squealed and rolled over with its feet kicking and its nose twitching. He saw the grizzly take a swing at the scorpion, ripping the insect in half; white mushy puss emptied on a rope of webbing. He saw a five-year-old with no hand, screaming as blood poured from his wrist. He saw Ruth Huppert, dressed in her homemade sack, holding a child’s head. He saw two women hiding behind the turtle, which was still in its cage and appeared to be sleeping.
“I don’t know where you’re pointing.” Monk said.
“There, see! Look at the frog. See what it’s doing?”
He looked at the bullfrog, which was jumping up and down, crushing things. He watched as it landed on the wasp, squishing the insect’s white and green innards into paste. And when the frog leapt again it smashed the Pit’s caged ceiling so hard that the building shook and the cage broke open.
The gorilla––being the smartest animal––looked up, pounded its chest and ran for the opening. The frog bounced again and the beast swatted it across the room.
Without hesitation all 650 paying spectators screamed in terror and made for the door. Absonoff got there first, followed by Keller and Norton King––but there was a problem. The door swung in, not out, and when people tried to leave they got congested in the doorway and the door became jammed.
There was no escape.
The gorilla crawled up the wall and onto the main floor. And when it saw the people of Monk Town, it attacked.
* * *
In the end less than fifty survived.
One
Bill looked at the gorilla.
Its hands were two feet wide and three feet long. It’s teeth were the length of a man’s arm. The beast stepped from its cage with its head low, grabbed a woman and tore her in half.
Bill’s eyes drifted.
Suddenly, it seemed, there was too much going on.
He saw a pool of blood in the center of the Pit. He saw spider webs spraying across a wall. He saw a string of intestines falling from the wolf’s mouth. He saw a man with no legs crawling with his hands. He saw people running into animals, into each other, and into the cages. He saw a ten-year-old girl stumbling into the 850-pound lizard as blood poured from her mouth. He saw a six-year-old boy leaning against a torso with his guts lying in his lap. He saw a headless woman falling to the ground and man that must have been stung by the wasp; his chest was so swollen that he looked like a bursting water balloon. He saw a man climbing the wall and a girl with an eyeball hanging from her head.
And these were people he knew, every one of them. They were friends and neighbors, the people of Monk Town.
Bill looked across the Pit.
Jonathan was leaning over the rail.
Monk was sitting in his chair, wondering if he had gone too far.
And below the two men, people screamed and ran in circles, looking for safety, looking for help. But there wasn’t anywhere to hide. The Pit was just a big circle, a bunch of cages and pulleys and a gigantic locked door.
Nothing more.
* * *
Monk saw the 9,000-pound grizzly bear pounce on a boy’s chest, flattening him like a manhole cover. He saw the wolf chasing the children, biting one boy in the neck, and thrashing him about. He saw the wasp leap onto the lizard’s back and pierce the reptile with its stinger. He saw a man hitting another man with a severed arm.
Monk looked away. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He said, “Shit Jon, are you seeing this?”
“This is unbelievable,” Jon agreed, pointing. “Look at that.”
Monk looked. He saw the rat standing in front of its cage, eating Davis Poppy’s arm. He saw the wolf jump onto the rat’s back and bite its throat; the rat squealed and rolled over with its feet kicking and its nose twitching. He saw the grizzly take a swing at the scorpion, ripping the insect in half; white mushy puss emptied on a rope of webbing. He saw a five-year-old with no hand, screaming as blood poured from his wrist. He saw Ruth Huppert, dressed in her homemade sack, holding a child’s head. He saw two women hiding behind the turtle, which was still in its cage and appeared to be sleeping.
“I don’t know where you’re pointing.” Monk said.
“There, see! Look at the frog. See what it’s doing?”
He looked at the bullfrog, which was jumping up and down, crushing things. He watched as it landed on the wasp, squishing the insect’s white and green innards into paste. And when the frog leapt again it smashed the Pit’s caged ceiling so hard that the building shook and the cage broke open.
The gorilla––being the smartest animal––looked up, pounded its chest and ran for the opening. The frog bounced again and the beast swatted it across the room.
Without hesitation all 650 paying spectators screamed in terror and made for the door. Absonoff got there first, followed by Keller and Norton King––but there was a problem. The door swung in, not out, and when people tried to leave they got congested in the doorway and the door became jammed.
There was no escape.
The gorilla crawled up the wall and onto the main floor. And when it saw the people of Monk Town, it attacked.
* * *
In the end less than fifty survived.
One
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