[ WP ] The zombie apocalypse is upon us but all humans are immune to the virus . All other mammals are susceptible .

The rhinoceros lowered its head. The bull elephant trumpeted a threat and stamped the dry ground, sending billows of dust into the air. Two cow elephants backed away from the threat display, keeping their bodies between the rhinoceros, the bull elephant, and the two calves they had been teaching how to forage. 
 
 “ What on Earth is it doing? ” Amanda gasped. They had been following the elephant herd all morning and documenting their behaviour. Their study pertained to learned behaviour in extended elephant family groups. 
 
 Timothy looked up from his notes and furrowed his brow. “ Is that rhino picking a fight with three fully grown elephants? ” 
 
 “ Hand me the binoculars, ” Amanda said. 
 
 She held her hand out toward Timothy expectantly, but could not let her sight leave the encounter before them. Timothy handed her the binoculars. The rhinoceros looked emaciated, with a terrible jagged wound on its hindquarters. The thick gray skin had been torn open, and the blood that flowed from within had dried black. 
 
 “ It ’ s hurt. No, wait, oh my God! ” Amanda ’ s hand slapped over her mouth as she saw the blood around the rhino ’ s mouth. It dripped, red and fresh, from its lips, and from the wicked tip of its curved horn. 
 
 Amanda dropped the binoculars as her breakfast threatened to repeat itself. 
 
 “ Whoa, are you okay? ” he asked. She thrust the binoculars back toward him as she shook her head. She tried to choke back the acrid taste of her relived breakfast. Coffee and beef jerky had been a bad choice. 
 
 “ Holy shit. What the hell is going on? ” he asked. 
 
 She blinked away the tears. “ Are we recording this? ” she asked. 
 
 “ No. Shit. One second, ” he said. 
 
 Timothy positioned the cameras to point toward the showdown. He started recording, then turned his attention back to the rhino. 
 
 “ It looks like it ’ s engaging in predatory behaviour, and this isn ’ t the first encounter this rhino has had today. See that blood on its horn? It ’ s fresh! ” Amanda said. 
 
 “ Not just the horns. Its mouth is covered in fresh blood. It ’ s been eating meat, ” Timothy said. 
 
 The rhino stamped its feet as the elephant trumpeted. The elephant took two steps forward, flaring its enormous gray ears out to the side in an effort to appear more menacing. The rhino lowered its head, then charged. 
 
 The elephant lowered its head in response. The two gigantic beasts clashed. Their titanic footsteps threw dust into the air, obscuring the fight. The two cows trumpeted a mixed chorus of threats and encouragement for the bull. 
 
 When the dust settled, there was no clear winner. Both the elephant and rhinoceros were laying on their sides. Both of the beasts were covered in bright, fresh blood. The bull struggled to get to its feet. The two cows approached cautiously, then trumpeted a warning as the rhinoceros struggled back to its feet. It was dauntless in the face of the three elephants before it. It had no fear at all. 
 
 Amanda felt her gorge rise once again as she saw the thick tube of intestines unravelling from underneath the rhino. The bull had torn the beast ’ s stomach wide open. The bull hefted itself to its feet, its cheek reduced to a flap hanging from the side of its bottom jaw, exposing its teeth. It swayed from side to side, then a shiver passed over it. It stood motionless for a moment, then slowly turned away from the rhinoceros. 
 
 “ Oh my God, ” Timothy breathed. 
 
 The bull elephant ran toward the two cows. It lashed out with its blood-soaked tusks with an intent to kill. The rhinoceros followed, with its guts trailing behind. The rhinoceros charged one of the cows, gouging out a chunk of gray and red flesh. The young elephants trumpeted in a panic as their mothers were overpowered. The bull locked tusks with one cow and twisted her to the ground. It thrust the tusks into her stomach, then with its trunk, spooned mouthfuls of gore into its waiting mouth. 
 
 “ We need to leave. Now, ” Amanda said. 
 
 “ Yeah, I think you ’ re right, ” Timothy replied. 
 
 “ Something ’ s infected that rhino. It passed from the rhino to the bull, and it ’ ll pass from the bull to the cows. If we ’ re not out of here in the next few minutes, we ’ re dead, ” Amanda said as she climbed between the seats and slid into the driver ’ s seat. 
 
 The cows were on their feet again in moments. The same peculiar shiver passed over them. The engine roared to life, and the eyes of the rhinoceros and three elephants locked onto the new sound. 
 
 “ Oh, oh shit! We got ta go! Now! ” Timothy shouted as the elephants and rhino began to charge. 
 
 “ On it! ” Amanda slipped the van into gear and they headed back toward the road. 
 
 The elephants and rhino followed. They grew larger in the rear view mirror as Amanda pushed the research van as fast as it would go. But it wasn ’ t fast enough. The rhinoceros caught up with the van effortlessly, despite being eviscerated by the bull ’ s tusks. 
 
 “ Can ’ t you go any faster? ” Timothy shouted as the elephants caught up with the van. Amanda never had the chance to respond, as the bull caught up with them. It lowered its grotesquely ruined face down, hooked its tusks under the van ’ s rear bumper, and then thrust upward. The tusks caught the back of the van and threw it into the air. 
 
 For a moment, the world was weightless. Then came the impact, blinding confusion and biting pain of broken glass. The elephants tore the van open. Timothy struggled feebly as he was crushed under a flurry of tusks and gray feet. His head exploded like a squashed grape as the bull smeared him across the wreckage. 
 
 Amanda crawled from the destroyed research van and struggled to her feet. She ran while the elephants were distracted by the van. By Timothy. She ran as fast as her body would carry her. She heard the thundering footsteps of the rhino behind her for a moment before the wicked horn burst through her chest.
