Roger and Spencer walked through the gate into the zoo. It was dark and quiet, although the tropical birds chirped from their habitats. Still quiet after being closed.

From behind a popcorn cart, an old man wearing a khaki jacket and shorts rose. His face twitched with fear.

Roger approached the zookeeper. “What is the problem?”

“A monster!” the zookeeper shouted. “She broke in through the gate and attacked an elephant! The security tried to stop her, but she ate them all! I am the only one left here!”

“She?” Spencer asked.

“Yes! She is a woman with a snake body! I have seen her myself!”

Roger doubted that.

The poor zookeeper might be hallucinating in the darkness. Maybe it was a crazy woman, dressed up like a snake to scare the guards away.

“Can you tell us where she went?” Roger asked.

The zookeeper shook his finger at an enormous glass dome building. “In the aviary! She never got out!”

“We will take it from here, sir,” said Spencer. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“That is all the cooperation I will give you! Good luck!” The zookeeper dashed off to the exit.

“What the heck was up with him?” Spencer asked.

Roger glared at the aviary and pulled out his gun. “Whatever is in there, it sure did make him piss his pants.”

Spencer pulled out his gun and clicked it. “I will let you lead this time.”

Roger glared at his partner. “Are you trying to use me as your shield?”

“Noooooooooo…...”

“Why don’t you go in first? You make a better body shield than me.”

“I whether not get shot on duty. My wife and kids are still waiting for me at home.”

Roger grinned. “Don’t worry, you know I will take a bullet for you. I got nobody at my condo.”

“Must be tough being single with no one to cuddle with.”

Roger snickered as he ambled toward the glass dome structure. “If I had time, I would cruise through nightclubs, picking the hottest girl from Heaven.”

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“Lucky.” Spencer followed behind Roger. “All the women will be all over you in a second.”

Roger thought about that. Too bad his job kept him busy from finding his own girlfriend. He once tried asking out the policewomen, but none of them were interested. Being a cop kept everyone busy at the station.

When the cops approached the double doorway, they stood against the glass wall toward the door. Whether the intruder was an animal or a person, cops still needed to be cautious.

“Ready?” Spencer asked in a low tone.

Roger nodded. He was ready for anything.

Spencer slowly pushed the door open. His foot went through first while he kept his pistol aiming forward.

After his partner stepped through, Roger slipped through the door next.

Inside the aviary, the habitant was a jungle of kapok trees and tall bushes along the concrete walkway. With the branches shielding the glass walls, it was hard for the moonlight to engulf the entire habitat. Without light, finding the intruder would be a challenge.

Spencer took out a small flashlight from his pocket and switched it on. “Why couldn’t they leave the lights on in here?”

“To save power, I guess,” Roger replied.

“Or the birds needed to sleep.”

“I think some of them might be nocturnal.”

Spencer glanced at Roger. “You were here before?”

“Nope, but I heard the zoo collected many species for display. Even the endangered ones.”

“Oh.”

Roger stared at Spencer’s flashlight. “You should turn that thing off.”

Spencer pointed his light around. “But I can’t see in here.”

“If the intruder sees us, she might escape.”

Spencer sighed. “Okay.”

After his partner switched off his flashlight, Roger walked forward. Along the pathway, he spotted bromeliads, orchids, and lobster-claw flowers standing around football-sized mushrooms. He recognized them from a textbook he read in high school. Sure, science class was fun back then, but useless for his job.

Above, some birds chirped while their shadows flew over the leaves. Since their singing wasn’t loud, Roger would have no problem listening to his surroundings. If something moves nearby, he will immediately aim his gun at it.

Toward the center of the aviary was a tall giant tree, about three stories tall.

Wow! Roger had never seen a tree that big in his life. Only God knew how old it was.

Around the tree, the sidewalk was wide as a two-lane street, and wire-thin vines hung from the large thick branches, high above. It almost looked like the tree was touching the top of the dome.

Roger wondered if the landscapers had grown the tree inside the aviary for the birds to rest on. If so, they did one hell of a job growing it spontaneously.

Close to the tree, Roger stopped when he heard the leaves shook from above. He peeked up, and the leaves stopped.

Probably the birds moving in the tree, and not all of them enjoyed sleeping in the dark. Without cages, they could roam free where ever they went inside the dome. In fact, the entire aviary was their cage to roam in.

As Roger aimed his gun up, he spotted two toucan birds resting on a branch. They stared at him before flying away in a hurry.

Roger lowered his gun and sighed.

“Should we split up?” Spencer asked.

Before Roger opened his mouth, something hissed in the tree, and a long shadow slowly descended over Spencer.