Chapter Three: Snake Among Them
The heat was getting unbearable, the trio were in undeniable pain from the hot sand. Nova kept hopping on one foot as an attempt to give her other foot a much needed rest. Brent had the smart idea of tying two of his bloody bandages onto either foot, he's grateful for Zira in the long-run. He wouldn't have known what to do if not for those bandages.
"Taylor?" Brent questioned as he noticed that the man had stopped still, he looked almost lost.
He received no verbal reply, just a brief shake of the head. Before he could even think of a follow-up question, Taylor fainted. Nova fell down with him for she was not expecting it, Brent quickly pulled her up again.
"Help me pull him along Nova, we must take him to that small cave up there"
Brent pointed towards the cave, he didn't expect her to be able to do much of it however he gathered she could pull a little. He grabbed onto his arms, instructing her to go for his feet. Slighty less burden for her. Several minutes went by as they managed to place him down in the cave, Nova was quite restless herself as she laid down next to sleep besides Taylor. Brent slept on the opposite side of the cave.
...
Doctor Galen returned to the Human Research Complex where his assistant Dinah was. It's almost as if the whole Taylor escapade never happened. They were under strict instruction to not allow Dr Zira back.
"I still don't understand it all Galen, I don't see why she's not allowed back...it's not like she has the power to make them speak, that one did it all on it's own" Dinah stated.
Galen grunted to himself before picking up a scalpel, poking around in one of the female human's brain. He couldn't concentrate though so he placed the scalpel back down on the table, covering the body again with the cloak.
"She can't come back because we don't want her using another one of the humans for her perversion" Galen blurted out.
"What?" Dinah asked with a laugh.
"Yes, it's true; she as good as admitted it herself when she kissed the so-called bright eyes...right in front of her pet, Cornelius"
There were a few stares in his direction when he used the term 'pet'. It was a derogatory term used in impolite society for apes who acted like humans or those who walked on all fours.
"Don't be so cruel Galen...he deserves our sympathy, not to be mocked by us" Dinah insisted, feeling very sorry for him.
"You're quite right, Zira is the one who has done this; making herself and Cornelius look bad in the progress"
They then heard some laughing in the background, it was the three daughters of Honorius. Female orangutan's were the worse for gossip, before Doctor Galen could even bother to tell them to keep hush; they were gone. Their jumping skills were quite impressive however advantages were something Galen didn't care for right now
...
Nova woke from her sweet slumber to the sounds of a burning fire, she felt her side to find nothing but a hard surface. Though she smiled when she heard the birds singing, it was a sound her mother use to rock her to sleep to. Humans have become primitive but they still possessed basic human nature from their ancestors.
"Nova...breakfast" Taylor spoke with a smile when he noticed her awake.
He was cooking snake meat due to snakes being the only food source in this forsaken desert. The rattle snake to be exact. Taylor captured it in his jacket and then suffocated it, not a very wholesome morning.
"It tastes disgusting but it's the only thing we have" Brent piped up, reluctantly eating the rest of his share.
She sat besides Taylor, he passed her the snake meat; never before has he given a girl that. Yet he never saved a girl's life before either so he thinks they are equal. Unlike the women back home, she doesn't complain.
"Bon Appétit" Taylor uttered with a slight look of disgust on his face.
Nova was quite hungry so she decided to take a bite of this strange food. It didn't last very long until she threw it back up, Taylor quickly moving her hair away from her face. What a disaster.
"You're going to have to get use to snake meat Nova, poor girl" Brent informed her. For what else was there?
"It's her immune system"
She was only use to fruits and vegetables, not a lot of meat in her diet. Though that was a given.
"Well we haven't got time for anyone's immune system, so she's going to have to throw it up until her body accepts it isn't she?" Brent rhetorically asked.
"Do you suppose we will find anything else here? We might have to travel miles"
"Travel for miles is what we have to do then isn't it?"
Taylor then began to walk back to the river so he can soke up some more of it before they set of again, they have no idea what they may find.
...
TBC