A man with a well kept beard entered a dimly lit room. On the far side were monitors, showing multiple animal enclosures. A tired looking woman watched the screens with little interest. That is until she heard the electric open up. Immediately, she straightened her back and did her best to look professional. The man gently put a hand on her shoulder.

“Long night, Rosa?”

“Yeah, little Damien keep me up all night before arriving.”

The manager nodded with understanding. “How is your little one?”

Rosa involuntarily yawned. “Sorry Mr. Sprez! I…”

Raymond Sprez put a hand. “It’s Raymond to you. I may be your manager but I’m also your friend.”

Rose took a sigh of relief. “Damian is having trouble sleeping still. He’s having bad dreams again. I have him on medication, so please pray that they work. Thank you for asking Raymond.”

“You’re son will be in my prayer, Rosa. Now, what did you call me down for?”

The thought hit her like lightning. “Oh yea! You wanted me to let you of anything weird happens, right?”

He nodded so Rosa continued on. “Well, you know know the plastic flamingo from hippo containment?”

Raymond chuckled. “Of course, they love that thing.”

“For sure. Apparently the eagles love it less.”

“The Eagles?”

Rosa knew she should get to the point. “The flamingo is somehow in the Eagle exhibit.”

Raymond frown. “That’s peculiar. How did it end up there?”

Rosa sighed. “That’s the thing. I have no clue. The security from the last few hours shows no way it should be there.”

Raymond pulled up a seat next to her. “Show me the feed.”

Rosa activated the archives, pulling up footage from the last few hours. Rosa then isolated the feeds from the hippo and Eagles exhibits, giving those priority screen. She showed footage from 10:00 pm to 2:34 am. The Pink Flamingo stayed in its place.

Raymond notes this. “Seems everything is fine so far.”

“For now. Keep watching.”

She rolled the old footage, at 2:36 am something happened. The flamingo now rested in with the Eagles.

Raymond had a concerning look. “What the hell?”

Rosa we was thankful she wasn’t crazy. “You see my point. There’s no way it got over within two minutes. They’re on opposite sides of the park.”

“Yes, the better is who moved it.”

Rosa turned to face him. “Should I report this to corporate?”

Raymond stood defiantly. “I’ll handle it.”

Without another question Raymond strode out of the office. He walked down a dark, quiet hallway. Passing rows upon rows of portraits. Once he exited into the park itself, Raymond made sure he was completely alone. When he was confident he was, Raymond closed his eyes and focused.

His right arm became mangled and spikes perturbed from grey flesh. Veins of fire were visible amongst cracked skin. His fingers extend into long and sharp talons. Raymond groaned in pain.

“Now let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

He walked with purpose across the empty zoo. Hatred and curiosity filled his eyes. In little time he stood in front of the expansive eagle cage. The birds approached him until seeing his right arm. Hence they squawked and flew away.

Raymond used a key card to unlock the front door. The moment he entered the containment, Raymond felt off. As if something was watching him. In the dark branches, no Eagles watches.

With bravery Raymond walked better into the containment, in pitch darkness his eyes glowed orange. He walked in silence, the darkness around him yet oppressive. Eventually, he made it to the end of a straight path.

Before him the plastic flamingo rested on a clean cut stump, three candles were lit around the figurine. Casting a ominous glow around the area. Raymond snarled a beastly growl at the figurine.

“There you are. Now what trap is this?”

The flamingo remained still as Raymond approached it, with his claw at the ready. With efficiency, he stabbed into the flamingo, upon impact it flowed a light blue. A enteral scream escaped as Raymond slashed through it. The scream increased in volume, filling the space around them. Until, Raymond cut it in half, ending the screams.

He took a deep breath, slowly is skin transformed to normal and his eyes last their glow. He glanced worryingly at the lit candles.

“Now, what the hell was that? How lit those candles? Seems things are just getting started.”

Raymond walked away with new purpose.