A father and son travel around killing animals to stem off a epizootic sweeping the area.

(from Zoetrope All-Story, Vol. 11, no. 2)

You can figure it out just by reading the story, but I looked it afterward just to be sure:
Epizootic: An epidemic outbreak of disease in an animal population, often with the implication that it may extend to humans. (from Medical Dictionary)
This story is gold wrapped in diamonds and dipped in brown sugar. So good. The son is one of the most intriguing unreliable narrators I’ve ever read, for one thing. And the sentences are tightly crafted, always seeming to save some information for the next one. Oh, I don’t know. It’s tough to talk about the really effective stories. How about: It’s awesome.