The bear’s demeanor changed as it got closer to the cowering group.
“It’s going after the kids!” McClunis yelled. “Get back indoors!”
Without warning him, she sprinted directly at the bear. She scooped a loose piece of pavement off the ground and pulled something off her neck.
“Leslie, what are you doing?!” Mateo shouted.
He watched in horror as Leslie stopped about thirty feet away and threw the hunk of rock at the bear. As it faced her, she blew the thing in her hand—a rape whistle.
The sound was ear piercing and more than enough to startle the bear. It shifted its attention to the new threat. Leslie, having captured its focus, wheeled around and ran off in the other direction.
Basically, every freaking action the zoo director had told them NOT to do.
As expected, the bear’s hunting instincts were aroused, and it chased the small creature who dared harass it.
She darted between parked cars, leading the bear away from Mateo and the children. Hopefully, the bear had a large turning radius or this would solve Captain Cordova’s problems about their unwanted female firefighter.
Not sure what else to do, Mateo sidled up the opposite sidewalk and hustled the stunned children and teachers back inside.
They were certainly safer inside than out.
So was he, but he couldn’t let his teammate get eaten by a bear.
He spotted a set of baseballs and two aluminum Tee-ball bats by the door. “You lock this door. Barricade it or something. No matter what, don’t come out until the police tell you it’s safe. Understood?”
Despite it being the worst idea ever, he took two bats and two balls and went outside to pick a fight with a grizzly bear.
Chapter 5
ThegoodnewswasLeslie had not been eaten. The bad news was the bear was pretty pissed and greatly wanted to eat her.
She must have led it through the cars back toward the ambulance, relying on her nimble speed to keep out of its reach. Mateo wasn’t exactly sure how she’d climbed on top of a minivan, but it was a little late to ask. The bear, having treed its opponent, was shaking the van, trying to knock her down.
“Are the kids okay?” she shouted as the bear dented the door.
“The kids are fine. You are going to get killed,” he yelled back as the bear kept after the van.
The only thing keeping her from falling off the shaking van was her superior balance. Later, Mateo could be impressed, when she wasn’t inches from being sliced to ribbons.
He turned on his radio again. “Where the hell are the police? The bear is still on Oak Park and is assaulting a firefighter.”
His heart practically seized when the bear pushed the van and flipped it onto its side like a furry Incredible Hulk.
The sudden disappearance of its quarry briefly confused the bear. However, the situation wouldn’t last long unless Mateo kept it distracted.
“Hey, Smokey!” Using baseball skills honed over many Sundays as a kid in the park, he pegged the bear with his best fastball.
The bear turned around, startled by his sudden appearance.
“Yeah, you.” He was able to drill the bear in the face with his next throw. The bear wheeled around and headed toward him.
Could have used a better plan than this.
Mateo swung the first bat toward the bear, letting it go at the end of the arc. It flew almost fifty feet, hitting the bear. Sadly it didn’t phase it for a second.
He readied his remaining baseball bat as the bear charged him.
Forty feet.
