The four left, leaving the ape village and rode along the quiet empty streets. No one was around, aside from the wildlife a few squirrels skittering by the power lines. A doe and her fawn bolted in front of the group, running into the overgrown trees and vines between the buildings. Lily looked around, admiring the quiet. Rocket was tense and on guard as he eyes glance over so often the scenery. Ash was curious, along with Blue Eyes as they continued riding the streets. Blue Eyes turned to Lily and signed.
"What was it like before?" He told her.
"The streets and buildings were filled with people at one time. A city. Filled with many humans more than what you've seen at least thousands or a million." she told him. They continued to ride the sun starting to rise high in the sky. Blue Eyes noticed Rocket acting very strangely taking odd turns and stopping for long periods of time. In the ape's eyes they looked troubled, more nervous as they continued to wander around. It was strange seeing Rocket like this. He was usually more down to earth, not easily distracted by anything. Lily noticed as well as Ash by how the dark grey colored ape was reacting.
"Are you alright?" Lily signed to Rocket. Rocket turned to her and gave her a slight nod but didn't say anything. They came to a slightly more open wooded area in the hills. Rocket made his horse came to a full stopping front of a fence made of barbed wire. The shapes looked like honeycombs to Blue Eyes and Ash.
"Why are we stopping?" Blue Eyes tried to sign to Rocket but followed the apes gaze looking straight ahead in front of him. There was a building with a large dome on top that still had panes of white glass here and there. Blue Eyes saw the images of apes on the side of the building, chimpanzees: a male, a female, and a baby in the tree.
He dismounted from his horse and so did Ash as they stepped over to the fence. Lily hopped down and grabbed her crutch, walking over to the apes, joining them. Rocket staid far behind, still on his horse.
"San Bruno Primate Shelter." Lily read. Blue Eyes and Ash saw the letters standing on the edge of the roof. "Is this place familiar to you?" She signed to Rocket. The three saw Rocket give a small nod, not taking his eyes off of the building.
"Yes." Rocket spoke, his voice caught in his throat. "Rocket here. Caesar here. Maurice here. Cornelia." He made an odd sad sound. "Buck." Blue Eyes walked back over to Rocket, stunned and in disbelief and in shock.
"This is the place? Where father began the fight?" He signed.
"Yes. It's been so long. I almost forgot. Things are slowly coming back to me." Rocket said. He scratched his shoulder. "It was so long ago." Blue Eyes walked back over to the fence to Ash and Lily and pushed it open. This place was like the stories that Maurice had told him and Ash, now he was finally able to see it for himself with his own eyes. Where it all started. Rocket was the Alpha here when Caesar first arrived. He bullied his father until Caesar had conquered him first then the other apes and the humans that held them captive.
"Can we go in?" Blue Eyes asked.
"You can, if you want. I'm not." Rocket spoke and signed. "I'll will never go back in there." Blue Eyes was hesitant but he stepped inside, and Lily followed behind him heading towards the building. Ash turned to his father.
"Father, I'm going with Blue Eyes. Ash wants to see for himself."
"I won't stop you. You need to see the truth." Rocket told him. "Don't take too long. I will keep watch."
Ash ran into the building meeting up Blue Eye and Lily as they walked looking around. There were so much stories about this place. Every ape didn't have very fond memories about it. Blue Eyes remembered his mother calling it the under place or the maggot hole, he was surprised to see that it was above ground. He always imagined it as a cave. They finally reached the room with the dome from outside as the ceiling. Blue Eyes and Ash and Lily saw the artificial tree that Caesar had spoke of along with the other apes. Walls painted to resemble the outside. It was smaller than what Blue Eyes imagined. Lily frowned as she looked at the small room. "This place is like a prison. I don't like it. Small spaces."
Blue Eyes and Ash both agreed with her, starting to feel cramped and suffocated as well. Blue Eyes turned and saw many small rooms. "Cages." Lily signed. This is where his father, his mother apes had lived in.
"They're so small. Hard to believe that they were in there. Would make anyone go crazy." Ash signed. Blue Eyes walked over to one of the cages and tried to step in. He couldn't it was to suffocating and tight. He backed away. This is why Maurice never really liked talking about this place as well as the other apes. Blue Eyes and Ash were able to climb the trees and had much free space that went on towards the horizon. To be stuck in this cell, no place to run, to be free, to feel the wind and raindrops, or hear the forest surroundings. It was unacceptable. No one could live in here without going crazy. But Caesar was here, Rocket and Maurice were here longer. Before the change, before apes began to open their eyes, becoming smarter, apes were different.
Blue Eyes couldn't believe it. Apes were meant to be free, to be in the forest, not in a tiny place such as this. Ash made a small nervous hoot. Lily was feeling uncomfortable as well.
Maybe his father had gone crazy, the others as well. They tried to escape and finally did the impossible and were able to. Suddenly, there were gun fire by the entrance outside. Blue Eyes and Ash pulled out their rifles, Lily pulled out a small handgun. They ran towards the entrance, taking cover beside the walls. Bullets were flying everywhere and ricocheting all over the place. Lily and Ash fired, shooting at them. Blue Eyes peered to the side of the door to see Rocket taking cover behind a car, firing at the assailants as well.
"Up there!" Lily signed. "I'll go left and try to scare them off. You two stay here." Blue Eyes made a worried screech as he tried to reach to Lily to stop her. But she slipped through is grasp. Blue Eyes watched as he saw Lily scramble to cover from the hail of gunfire. For a broken leg, she sure was pretty agile. Then Blue Eyes saw something move in the trees. He felt the same fear as he stood in his spot, remembering when Koba had led the apes to fight. He felt Ash shaking him, breaking Blue Eyes out of his trance. He saw Rocket get shot as he clamped his hand on his shoulder. Blue Eyes made an angry roar and fired his gun. The noise made his ears ring and the weapon slammed against his shoulder, painfully as it recoiled.
Rocket and Lily both took cover by the cars as they shot, getting closer. After for what had seemed like hours, it had gone quiet. Lily and Rocket slowly and careful both came out from their cover. Rocket at waved Blue Eyes. Ash and him quickly ran over to the two.
"Whoever it is they're gone now." Rocket signed.
"We should get moving. They might come back." Lily signed. Blue Eyes frowned at her. "That was dangerous." He barked. Lily stared back at him. "I can handle myself." She assured him. "As you can see, I'm alright."
"How many do you think there were." Ash signed.
"I don't know. Maybe two or three." Rocket said.
"I don't think that they're locals around here." Lily signed.
"Humans." Blue Eyes replied.
"Yeah. This place was searched last year. No were no signs of anyone living here." Lily explained. "Probably humans that apes saw on bridge?"
"They've followed us this far." Blue Eyes replied.
"That's my guess." Lily shrugged.
"Why?" Blue Eyes asked.
"Me." Lily slowly signed. She began to play with her fingers, fidgeting them, nervously. She hated this. She was angry but also scared. She was putting them in danger. Ash and Rocket stared at her, unsure of what to say. Blue Eyes stepped closer to her, pulling her closer to him, cupping his hand on her cheek.
"I'm not going to let them take you." He signed, furiously.
The went on as the sun started to drift slowly falling down on the horizon. There were no signs of their pursuers as the group continued to ride along. There were smaller abandoned buildings, a lake, and beyond a mountain, covered in thick forest. "The coast is this way. East from here is city called San Jose. But there's nothing out there. A little further down in the mountains there were settlements. People who preferred to keep to themselves. Not violent. We should be a little safer there." Lily signed.
"Then we go there." Blue Eyes said.
"They're not going to be welcoming seeing you guys." Lily shook her head.
"Then where should we go?" Blue Eyes asked.
"We should move on to Los Angeles. The Central Valley has gone pretty wild on the north end. Make it harder for us to get spotted. But..." Lily told him before she paused.
"But?" Rocket asked.
"A lot of the valley is desert now. Traveling through it is going to be difficult." She told them. "Hot. Lots of sand. Easy to get lost." Blue eyes turned to Rocket, looking for a suggestion.
"You're leader now. This is your choice." He signed, brushing his hand over the gun shot graze.
Blue Eyes weighed his options. What would father do? What would be the least dangerous? The mountains sounded like a better idea. Less people. More trees to hide. "We head for the mountains."
The group rode into the dense woods, following the dirt trail. The further they went the darker it seemed to get. The skies were pitch black, as one by one stars began to shine brightly.
"Maybe we should rest for the night?" Ash suggested.
"Maybe we should. I don't think that we're still being followed." Lily signed.
"No." Blue Eyes shook his head.
"Blue Eyes, we need rest. You need rest." Lily frowned. Blue Eyes made a motion to his ear. "Listen." Lily blinked and looked around, listening. Ash did the same. Rocket narrowed his eyes as he looked around. It was silent. Not a cricket chirp. No wildlife nearby. Complete silence.
"Something's nearby." Lily replied.
"Yes. I don't want to find out what." Blue Eyes signed. "We need to keep going."
They rode on a little further, passing the trees, pushing away low branches that blocked their path. Suddenly, a loud holler echoed in the distance. The scream startled the three horses. Rocket, Ash and Blue Eyes tried to calm them down as they petted them.
"What was that?" Ash signed.
"That scream, it sounded human." Rocket said.
"But it sounded different. Can't be human. Nothing I've heard before." Lily signed.
"Let's go look." Blue Eyes said. They continued forward, slowly riding and staying quiet. They also looked around, staying on guard for any signs of any ambush. Then another scream rang out that sounded like the person was in pain. The three apes stopped their horses and hopped off of them. Blue Eyes turned to Lily to tell her to stay but she had already gone on ahead, following after Rocket and Ash. Blue Eyes quickly rushed over, placing his hand on Lily's chest, holding her back. The four looked ahead, peering through the bushes. There were two men, suited up in armor as they stood over someone who was lying on the ground.
"Up ahead. Human soldiers." Lily signed. They watched, trying to see who or what it was they were talking to. On the ground, was a strange ape that Blue Eyes, Rocket, and Ash had never seen before. He appeared to be old, had greying hair, Red and Blue skin on his face and posterior, struggling to get up. It's large canine teeth screeched painfully as one of the soldiers kicked him in the face, knocking him down. Lily peered closer and saw that his staff was knocked away from his hands, lying a few feet behind the soldiers.
"You stupid monkey, stop screeching. I know that you can talk." One of the soldiers shouted. The other laughed. The primate looked at the soldiers, as he tried to sit up. He held his hands up, defensively.
"H-Have p-pity." He said to the men. He looked behind them, glancing at his staff. His eyes widened a little, in surprise, seeing Blue Eyes, Rocket, Lily and Ash, hiding behind the soldiers. He was pleading to them for help.
"We need to do something!" Lily signed, urgently.
"It looks like there's only two and they're armed." Rocket signed. He turned to Blue Eyes. "Follow me and do exactly what I do." He quickly climbed out of the bushes, slowly walking on all fours, sneaking towards the two soldiers. Blue Eyes turned to Ash.
"Stay with Lily." He signed.
"Be careful." Lily signed to him.
Blue Eyes crawled out and followed behind Rocket and the two slowly approached the soldiers from behind. Blue Eyes looked over at Rocket to see his uncle make a punch at the human's head. Blue Eyes nodded and stood up and Rocket stood up as well. They threw their fists and slammed them hard against the soldiers' heads. The brute force caused the soldiers heads to slam into each other, knocking each other out. They fell on the ground. Lily and Ash quickly came out of the bush running over to the two apes.
"Nice one!' Lily signed. Ash began to lightly tap one soldier with his foot, checking. Lily bent down and picked up the staff and handed over to the strange primate as he struggled to stand. He hesitantly took it from her then smiled, as he leaned on it.
"Are you alright?" Blue Eyes signed to him. The monkey frowned in confusion, looking at Blue Eyes then at his hand as he was signing.
"He doesn't understand sign." Rocket told him. Blue Eyes looked back at the ape in front of him, surprised. An ape that doesn't know sign language, weird. He had never met one before.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked. The ape shook his head.
"Yes. Thank you." He smiled.
"What are you?" Ash asked.
"I may seem strange to you. I'm a mandrill. My name is Bumi. I was passing by when I ran into these humans. Surprising that you travel with one." The primate told them.
"She's my mate." Blue Eyes told him. Lily smiled, blushing a little. Bumi blinked in surprise, his eyes widened a little.
"Now, that is very interesting." He replied.
"We should leave before these guys wake up." Rocket signed.
"We need to keep moving. Not safe." Blue Eyes said. The mandrill nodded.
"I agree, and Crystal, you can put that gun down." He said. Blue Eyes, Ash, Rocket and Lily quickly turned their heads, looking behind them. There was a small primate, a marmoset, pointing the rifle, that Ash had set down beside the soldier as he was checking on him.
"Where did she come from? I didn't even hear her!" Rocket signed. The four kept their eyes on the small ape, slowly back away as she continued to point the gun at them. She narrowed her eyes at Lily before aiming at her, hissing angrily. Blue Eyes quickly moved standing in between them.
"Crystal, put down the gun." Bumi told the small primate. Crystal shook her head. Rocket pulled out his rifle aiming at her, growling.
"No. Don't trust humans!" She shouted.
"This human and apes helped us, Crystal. As you can see, I'm safe now. They seem to be trustworthy." Bumi told her. Blue Eyes, Lily, Ash and Rocket all kept their eyes on her, not moving. Crystal let out a sigh in frustration before she tossed the rifle back to Ash. She ran past them. The four quickly moved out of the way, seeing her run behind Bumi's leg, hiding behind him. She peered out, narrowing at all four of them, not taking her eyes off of them. Bumi patted her head, calming her down. "You'll have to excuse her. We've been through a lot."
"Can travel with us. Until we get to somewhere safer." Blue Eyes told him. Bumi nodded to him, agreeing.
"That sounds like a great idea. More apes stronger together."
The group's eyes widened a little in surprise at the mandrill's words.