Option two it was. Cooper spread his fingers wide, palms flat against the mulch. He tensed all his muscles, not breaking eye contact with the croc. Took a steady inhale...and pushed up fast, tucking his feet up under him into a crouch and springing immediately up and at the boulder by his head. He heard a splash behind him, but Cooper was standing, hunched on top of the four-foot boulder, hands up and ready to punch anything that tried to follow him.

The crocodile was now half in and half out of the water, head in the general direction of where Cooper had been lying. It didn’t appear to be planning a counterstrike, though, and Cooper exhaled the breath he’d been holding. From on top of the rock, he reached for the keeper door, but found it locked. Not unexpected. He felt for his phone, but it was gone. That was...a bit more challenging.

Above him, wire netting covered huge, bright lights that were giving off enormous amounts of heat. This close to them, Cooper was already starting to sweat. Plus, now that he was in a safer position, the throbbing of his injuries was returning with a vengeance. Pulsing out a furious message.

We. Said. Some. Thing’s. Wrong. You. Stu. Pid. Fuck.

His wrist wasn’t so bad, but when he gingerly tried to explore the back of his head, he couldn’t even get close to the scalp. One brush of blood-soaked hair was all it took to give him a dizzy spell, and Cooper didn’t try again. Considering who was waiting below to catch him, this was not the time and place to risk fainting. Instead he just had to focus on getting help.

Cooper started banging on the walls. To his relief, the crocodile just slid backward into the water, returning to its cautious, submerged position.

“Hello!” Cooper shouted, and kept banging. “Help! I’m in here!”

Eventually, when his hand started hurting, he kicked the wall instead. When his throat got too sore, he stopped yelling. He wasn’t going to make lunch with Park, he thought randomly.

Silly, strange thought, but he could see it so clearly. Park standing by the zoo entrance. Waiting for him. Giving Cooper the time he needed to speak to Neil. Checking his watch. Wondering if he should come looking for Cooper. Deciding not to. Not wanting to look jealous, overprotective, untrusting. He’d been so excited to go to lunch too. That softly pleased smile of his when he felt really good but didn’t want to draw too much attention to it.

Cooper yelled in pure frustration and kicked rapidly at the wall.

Suddenly, he heard a thump and clatter from the other side. Someone throwing open one of the internal hallway doors, maybe, or going into another exhibit.