Apes Chapter 18

 

18.

Lances climbed by swinging and stepping onto whatever he could find to go up and soon found himself on the upper ground level. He stood upright on his feet and then heard the sneering above him. He looked up and saw the group of servants perched like those flying creatures on the beams looking down at him. He felt silly then for he had given those servants what a wimp he was on the climb down compared to their basic skills. He shrugged off the embarrassment and took to look down at the Gauntlet Drive. It looked like a battle zone with the discarded scraps then added with the bloodied bodies that were either tossed there or jumped on.

Or die without pain.

Just before he could move, Lances saw the charging chimpanzee on its four limbs with the teeth bared. It was headed towards Lances, and he had to defend himself. He went forth with his charge and at the last moment when the chimpanzee leaped Lances connected with the crook of his arm to snap at the face. The inside of his right elbow impacted on the face of the chimp. It would have snapped some human’s neck but not the chimp. It was dazed but Lances followed through with his left hand to grab the right side of the head with the other hand to snap the face down. The force of the impact snapped the chimpanzee snort for a nose and the jaws caved in. Lances were stopping then with a few more hits of the face onto the ground before he let got the head. He then stood up and looked around. The other chimpanzees were still around but none charged him. It was a good sign; they feared him then and my distance from him.

Lances ran along the upper ground and saw more of the abandoned cruisers that being ripped of its parts. He saw what may be the remains of the dead crews, and then saw the mangled pieces of the overalls. He ran to the dead bodies’ bones when he saw the belt without the sidearm but there was a baton.

It was not much but it may save his life.

Lances took on the slow run with each step he took was observed by the servants there be it a chimpanzee or ape. His last kill had given him some respect from them. He ignored the cries for mercy or the dropped of bodies below on the drive and focus his run far away. It was a long run without his boots. He saw then the Border Security cruisers. He waved at it.

Lances felt relieved that he was to be rescued.

“I disliked being stripped of my weapons.” Bernice glared at Juanico before she scanned the unit where they were held. It was a detention unit usually for the Outlanders which they arrested but then the ten by eight feet unit held only the three.

“They left you with your uniform. That’s generous of them.” Juanico remarked but the statement did not go down well with Bernice.

Bernice ignored her partner and reached into her left boot and withdrew the small pack. She took it out the three inches in length of the soft material with microchips on both ends. She folded the material and clamped the two chips together to activate the detonator switch. Once it was clamped the soft material became an explosive piece. She tucked it in between the bar and the latch there. The detonator set off the explosion and soon they were out of the detention unit.

The detention unit was one of the eight units in the basement with the only exit at the front. The duo went for the exit and stopped there. They heard the commotions on the ground level where they heard the panic calls and the issuance of orders.

“The Chief of the Independence called in. Mel was killed by the creatures. They are a riot there like the one they had at the City.” The voice belonged to Officer PJ.

“We got more issues. The Independences or whatever left of them are coming here. We got like a hundred of them with possible more survivals.” Another officer named Jason voiced out.

“How many? We can’t take them in. We are limited…. “Officer Jason looked to the silverback there glaring at him.  He was nervous then. “What is that servant doing there?”

The Outpost held some servants that were needed for the rotten and dirty works but their numbers were few like two dozen gorillas and another dozen chimpanzees. The servants turned on the officers but the officers were armed then with rifles and sidearm. They used it with no regret on whom they killed then. The servants were overcome then but so were six officers with fatal wounds.

During the fight, Bernice rushed out and went for the armory section. The other officers were out there in the yard fighting the creatures which were taking on three or more officers in a grappling fight. She grabbed the belt with the sidearm and the rifle with Juanico doing the same.

“We can get out and back to the city,” Juanico called out. She motioned to the two parked cruisers there.

The duo took to the cruiser but they were seen by the others.

“The Enforcers are escaping.” The alert went out.

Juanico had climbed into the cruiser and turned on the cannon. She turned the cannon towards the Border Security officers there.  The cannon shots tore into them like pieces of mortars blowing off a chunk off the structures. Bernice had then driven the cruiser out.

PJ took to drive the cruiser and wanted to give chase and then decided to take out Purgatory.

“We will move to Purgatory. Let us level the canyon. Bring the explosives.”