Chapter 18 Wednesday, 0945 hours (9:45 AM)

"There's some real strange stuff going on in the zoo," said Evan.

Brian was lugging equipment boxes over to the polar bear den when he came upon Evan wandering the zoo and carrying field glasses.

"You have a talent for understatement, Evan."

"No, not that. I think the zoo's going wild."

"A real talent," said Brian.

"No, I mean returning to nature," said Evan, "I was nosing around with my binoculars and saw a pack of wild dogs or maybe wolves."

Brian stopped unloading the boxes, and thought. "That's impossible," he said, "We only let the big cats loose, and I don't think wolves are indigenous to the Bronx."

"They used to be, a couple of hundred years ago. Maybe they're still here, hiding out in parks and places like that and now that the zoo has been freed, they're coming back, and there's something else. I saw two guys with guns roaming about."

Brian chuckled. It seemed that Evan's night with the bats had made him talkative

"All the Calfer's are carrying guns now," said Brian.

"No. Not them. Old guys. As old as my dad."

While Brian wrinkled his nose in confusion at this news, Evan noticed the equipment boxes. Brian explained about the sacrifice of a hostage to the bears. Evan listened with growing horror.

"You're not serious?" he asked.

Brian as best he could, gave a replay of Joshua's 9AM speech to the membership. While he was talking, he tried hard to believe what he was saying.

"You can't still think Joshua's a great man?" said Evan.

"I don't know."

Brian realized he really didn't know. Sometimes he thought Joshua a great visionary, and wanted to follow him, while at other times he considered the man just a political demagogue. Mostly, Brian didn't want to think about it. He just wanted someone to follow.

"And you're going to go along with this?" asked Evan.

Brian hadn't considered that personal volition had anything to do with it. He clenched his fists and looked down at his feet. Finally, without looking up, he said, "I don't have any say in it. I've got my orders."

"Oh Brian, not you too."