Planet of the Apes fanfiction
Prologue
The rain plummeted down on the forest. The thick evergreen foliage soaked up the dense moisture until the branches of the trees become laden with too much water and they would finally give way. A great splash would sound as all the water hit the ground, spreading the liquid into the already sodden ground.
The mud underneath Sean's boot squelched loudly as he trod across the forest. The tall trees reached high up into the sky and he almost couldn't see the top of them without lying down. He grunted and pulled his boot from the mud with considerable effort, examining the deep print he'd left before moving on. The thick mud was sapping his energy, already his legs were starting to burn from having to free his feet from the surface. The rain slid off of his dark blue water-proof jack and trousers, his brown boots were now caked in mud and the rain sloshed down his face. Every now and then he would have to rub the rain out of his eyes with a hand clothed in a set of fingerless gloves.
The pack on his back seemed like it was making him sink down into the mud like an anchor at sea. He couldn't drop it though, it held his last few supplies. A couple of bottles of water, some dried fruit and bars, some nuts, duct tape, a sleeping bag and a few boxes of gun ammo, for both the Springfield forty five handgun at his waist and the bolt action rifle that was slung over his shoulder. He had to get away from the city, away from the people. They were too busy killing one another to notice him leaving, at least he hoped so. He'd heard the stories about the apes in these forests, but he hadn't seen any as of yet. For that, he was thankful.
Apparently a virus created by scientists had been tested on chimps but someone had been exposed and it had killed most of the population of the earth. The only ones left were the few who were genetically immune to it. He wasn't really sure whether this was a blessing or a curse. For those that had died their struggle was over, they had been spared from the ravages of this new world. Sean wanted to believe that there were in fact some good people out there, he just hadn't met any yet…well…..any that hadn't been about to die. Those that he'd found were either being killed for supplies, raped, or being shot for by the degenerates that now seemed to rule the cities. The world rule was probably strong, they roamed the streets simply killing people who opposed them, there could in fact be several gangs fighting for territory at any one time. That was why he had to go, he had taken all the supplies he could and left the city. There had been four of them that left the city, now it was just him.
Thunder rumbled over his head and Sean looked up with a start, it was close. He wasn't going to get very much farther in this weather. The hills around the Columbia gorge of Oregon were large and it would take a long time to get around them. He could afford to set up camp for now. Lighting flashed above him as he trudged to the roots of a large tree that he could lay down under and hopefully shelter from the rain a little. He unrolled his sleeping bag underneath it and put his backpack as a pillow at the head of the sleeping bag. He unzipped it and climbed into it, welcome of the heat and a little sleep. He'd been on the move for a while and his legs had been complaining for a long time so it was nice to finally get to lay down. His eyes were heavy, sleep finally washed over him without a moment's notice.
Something wet was running down his head making him wake with a start. He sat up without thinking and his head slammed into the solid root of the true that he was sleeping under, "ow!" he exclaimed bringing his head up and covering the sore spot on his head. He could already feel the blood rushing to the spot and knew it was going to swell out soon. Hopefully some of the cool air would help reduce it.
He looked around. The rain had stopped but dark grey clouds still hung in the sky, he was sure that it was day time, maybe early morning, that was good, it meant he hadn't wasted a whole day sleeping. He re-rolled his sleeping bag back up and stowed it in his bag before pulling out a bottle of water and some dried fruit. The sweetness of the fruit was as close as he would ever actually get to chocolate again. He missed chocolate. After quenching his thirst and feeding his appetite as much as he dared he stood up, picked up his rifle and kept walking. It wasn't raining anymore but the ground and the trees were still soaked through with the moisture.
A soft rustling noise ahead made him drop down to a crouch. Was it them? People? Or Apes? Every muscle in his body tensed up as he crept slowly forwards through the green bushes ahead. His grip tightened around the rifle and he shouldered it to better aim and fire it. Looking down the poor scope with a crack to the side he could see not a person, not an ape, but a large deer. It moved with grace as it dipped it's neck to pick at the green shrubbery on the ground nearest it.
He was ashamed to think it but Sean's first thought was to kill it for food. Before any of this he would never hunt and kill an animal for food, yes he would eat meat but he would never hunt. Then he contemplated just watching it, but his logical thought process started kicking his. This would be a big source of food, it could feed him for a while and he didn't know when or if he would get to refill his supplies anytime soon.
He chambered a round and aimed at the deer. He wasn't happy about the decision but it was one that he would have to make, or risk starvation. He took a deep breath to steady himself. Everything seemed to be moving very slowly. The deer raised it's head at the metallic click from the rifle, then Sean exhaled and fired. The rifle barked and the muzzle flare signaled that the bullet had taken flight. It punched a hole into the deer's side just at the shoulders. Missed! It let out a terrified noise and hopped back, startled and in pain. He tried to pull the bolt action back quickly to chamber a new round but the deer had already started to gallop away. When he was ready it was gone.
Sean let out an exasperated sigh and stepped from his cover, walking to the spot where the deer had been standing. Flecks of crimson liquid spattered the dirty ground and the tree behind it. The round must have gone straight through. He crouched down to looked at the blood. Now he was no tracker but he could follow the hoof marks in the muddy ground and blood from the shot. He was thankful that it wasn't raining because that would make it near impossible to follow.
The hoof marks in the muddy ground were easy to follow, they had carved great clods of dirt out of the ground and scattered them around the forest floor. The ground was a bit more of a solid surface today but Sean could still feel his boot sink a little into the ground. He was constantly wary of his footing, a broken ankle out here would cost him his life.
After following the tracks for what seemed like an hour he finally came across the carcass of the deer lying across the muddy earth. Sean knelt down next to it and put a hand on it's side. It let out a low noise of pain and tried to crawl away. He could feel a little bit of him die inside, he'd caused this animal so much pain, he hadn't even killed the poor creature in a clean shot. He couldn't handle seeing such a majestic creature in so much pain. He grimaced merely at the sight of it and ran his hand along it's side slowly, "sshhhh" he said soothingly to it, drawing the rifle in his free hand. He aimed at it's head taking a deep breath. This was him, ending it's life. It's whole existence.
He pulled the trigger. The shot echoed around the forest as he exhaled. He crouched back down next to it, trying not to step in the pooling blood and brain matter that was seeping out of the carcass. This is what the world was now, ugly and cruel, just like humanity. Maybe they didn't even deserve to live, maybe the apes should be the dominant species on the planet. As depressing as these thoughts were he had no intention of dying anytime soon.
Then a noise chilled his blood. It sounded like a roar, or a scream. It was a primal, fierce sound that cut through the forest. Right there and then, it terrified Sean far more than the sound of any gunshot ever could. He could see several forms swinging across tree branches, their silhouettes moved swiftly as more rustling sounded from around him.
The deer would have to wait, he turned and ran as fast as he could. He sprinted through the forest trying to keep his breathing steady, his boots thudded heavily across the ground as he pumped his legs to keep himself going as fast as he could. The burning in his legs was quick to return after the long march yesterday but he pushed himself on. The screams and rustling continued to sound behind him but that only made him push harder. Adrenaline pumped through his system, the blood was pounding in his ears.
He could now actually hear them sliding from branch to branch, or the thuds of the footfalls behind him. He jumped over a knocked over tree trunk and crouched by it, hiding. His heart was racing and he peered under the tree trunk. He could see silhouettes moving and could hear the heavy noises of a massive form. It thumped over the tree trunk and kept going, away from him. Overhead the silhouettes headed in the same direction.
Sean waited a moment. He didn't know if they were gone or not. A moment turned into a few minutes, he couldn't tell how long he'd been hiding by the tree trunk for. He was still tensed up. He let out an exhale of breath he didn't know he'd been holding and slowly stood up, using the tree trunk to steady himself with one hand. He stared in the direction that they had gone and had to exhale again.
A heavy thump sounded behind him and he froze before turning round. An ape, coated with black hair crouched on all fours on the tree trunk and stared at him. It's fangs were bared and it opened it's maw, letting out a terrifying scream.