Birth of the Planet of the Apes

Rough Introductions

A lurch of the truck shook Alex from his light sleep. He was surprised he had actually been able find sleep in his unnaturally tight quarters of the weapons trunk, though it would still be a good while before he could stretch himself out. The pains of confinement ate at his lower side, nipping uncontrollably on his joints and muscles like biting ants.

The truck was moving smoothly now and Alex felt his body sag as it rose on a hill, probably the road that led to the Golden Gate. His guess was confirmed as the sound of water rose up to meet him through the thin metal of the trunk. From here, he knew it would take about four minutes for the truck to weave its way through the mass of abandoned cars and reach the other side. His dad had told him they were supposed to drop Riley off at Vista Point on the other side, so Alex knew he was close to having to test his stealth again. He was good at not being noticed in the groups of people in the colony, but staying unnoticed while so close to two people on high alert would be hard...real hard.

The truck hit a bump and threw him up in the air into the lid, shooting a blast of quick sunlight into his unadjusted eyes. Luckily the lid flew back down without any risk of exposure, but Alex cursed under his breath at the added discomfort. He really wanted to get out of this trunk, he needed to get out of this trunk, the air was too thick, he couldn't move, he couldn't...

The long, piercing screech of brakes stalled Alex's decisions of whether or not he was going insane. They had stopped.

There was a shift of the truck as one, if not both, passengers exited the vehicle. One person began talking. Alex couldn't tell what they were saying yet, but the voice grew louder as it came to the back of the truck.

"Which trunk is the rope in again?! I've got plenty of climbing rope, but it's not too good for your everyday things," the female voice must've belonged to Riley.

"Do I look like I packed this pile of shit?!" a male voice answered back. Alex started to panic. The male's voice sounded like it came from the driver's seat out the window, but without a visual there wasn't any way he could be sure. If that man found him, there would be no way Alex would make it out unscathed. He obviously couldn't fight the guy; that would end up with him in the dirt with a broken nose and in serious trouble with Fremont when he was dragged back.

There was a sink of the ground below him as someone climbed into the bed of the truck. Alex pulled his bags tight into his chest and sucked in a big breath.

"Ya know! This is why nobody likes you, Cody. You're such an a..." Alex was blasted with light again and met with wide brown eyes.

"Such a what?!" Cody yelled back.

The slam of the trunk lid and the clunk of a body on top of it jolted Alex hard, ears burning.

"Won...derful person!" Riley said with a slight stutter, "Hey, um, can you go look up at the trailhead to see if it's still clear? I'm almost done grabbing all the extra stuff I need."

"Why do I have to..."

"Because you look too comfortable and I need to pee!"

"And why do I have to walk away? Can't you, like, find a bush or something?"

"Shoo!"

Alex heard a mass of unpronounceable mumbling followed by another shift of the truck. There was a few seconds of silence before the rumble of movement came back and he was met with light again.