Chapter Ten (The Storm)
Other monkeys patrol the upper decks, put on guard by the sudden loss of light. Two patrol near the bridge, marching back and forth like soldiers. As they march past each other, a boom of thunder sounds, much closer than before. The monkey nearest the bridge turns around at the sound of a scraping noise. His patrol partner is nowhere to be seen. A sudden blow to the back of the head knocks him out, and his unconscious form is dragged off into the shadows.
The last of topside monkeys patrol as a group of four, with only one wielding a flashlight. They walk quietly among the crates, shining at any noise they hear. The middle one carries the flashlight, with the other three flanking him. The one in front of him is wearing a bottle cap like a helmet.
Weaving their way through the maze of crates, they reach a dead end. "Let's go back the other way." says the one with the flashlight. As they turn around, they fail to notice a long string lying at their feet; the end is tied in a slip-knot. Walking forward, the last monkey steps into the open noose, his foot fitting perfectly into the open knot. Suddenly, it is yanked tight and the monkey is pulled skywards, screaming at the top of his lungs.
His companions quickly turn around, shining the flashlight at the top of the crate: they see nothing. His screams have already been silenced by some unseen entity. They continue walking, much more alert than before. Passing another crate, they walk near a large open knot in the wood. The monkey bringing up the rear peers into the whole, unseen by his comrades. His eyes widen, but before he can do anything, a scaly foot reaches out and clamps his mouth shut. Another quickly follows, grabbing him by the shoulder and hauling him into the crate. A piece of wood quickly covers the whole, and a dull thump is heard.
The last two marmosets look back, and see they are now completely alone. Suddenly, the flashlight begins to flicker: its beam becomes dimmer and dimmer, until it is a very faint glow. Lightning flashes through the sky, casting shadows everywhere. A distinct shadow stands out against the deck; they turn around to see nothing above them. They continue to walk in silence, searching every which way for the intruder.
Soft wingbeats flutter past, soon drowned out by the close rumble of thunder. The lightning flashes again and again, casting deep shadows on the deck and making everything seem like it was moving. Soft laughter follows the booms of thunder: it is maddening to the monkeys. "I gotta get out of here!" cries the one with the bottle cap. He runs off, and a quick flash of light spells his doom. In the ensuing blackness, his bottle cap rolls back to the last monkey, and comes to a stop at his feet.
The flashlight dies completely, casting the monkey into complete darkness. He drops the now useless tool and looks around. More lightning crackles overhead, casting long shadows upon the deck. One shadow seems to be coming from above and behind him, perched on a crate. Turning around and looking up, the monkey waits for another flash of lightning. It soon reveals a figure standing on the crate, watching him intently. The eyes seem to glow red in the darkness, a dull color not unlike blood exiting a wound. An immediate flash of lightning reveals spread wings; the next one shows the figure descending upon the marmoset, who is completely frozen by fear. The monkey does the only thing he can think of: scream.
It doesn't last very long.
Blu stood up, certain he had finished the last of the guards. Safely sealing them all in a crate, he made his way towards the bridge, the pathway to the final boss, the be-all and end-all. As he entered, and before he can do anything, floodlights flashed on, spreading blinding light throughout the area. Blu squinted, his eyes attempting to adjust to the light, and an ominous evil voice called out.
"Why hello there, birdie. I've been expecting you - I've got what you want." Nigel swooped down and landed in front of Blu, who was still recovering from the blinding light. Damn the sudden change from dark to light: his retinas felt fried. "I have to admit: I never thought you'd take out the guards so quickly," Nigel says, slowly advancing on Blu. "But then again I doubt you'd take me down, regardless of how well you think you fight or fly."
Ignoring his remark, Blu looked up at Nigel, topaz glinting in his eyes and a hostile snarl on his face. "Where's Jewel?" he demanded, glaring at Nigel. Nigel just shrugged, looking somewhat bored. "Oh, she's below deck, in a cage next to yours."
"I don't think so," said Blu. With a great leap, he shot skyward, headed for the boat's side. Before Nigel could reach him, he zooms in through an open window, landing near the birds, who gasp in horror on sight of him. Nico and Pedro's eyes bugged out of their head like they had just seen a ghost.
Jewel, especially, was one who had a jolt of panic pulse through her whole body, and her face drained of color. "Blu, you have to get out of here!" she yelled. Blu whirled around to her, his feathers moving as one cerulean cloak: an avenging hero.
"I'm not leaving without anyone. Especially you... Jewel," he said, panting for breath, staring straight into Jewel directly in the eyes. Slowly his topaz irises began to dissipate, revealing the inner, Blu-essence chocolate brown eyes. Their hearts began to accelerate, on the verge of bursting out of their chests and colliding into one another, uniting.
Before either can react, Nigel burst through the open window, spotting Blu. "Hereeeee comes Johnny!" he called, swooping at Blu, who without hesitation ducks and promptly flies out of the window, glancing once more at Jewel on his way out. As he reached up to higher altitude, his heart began to ache, as if he had left a part of himself on the way out, a part of himself in the form of his female counterpart.
"Oh no, you're not getting away again!" shouted the enraged Nigel, who flew out the window after Blu, picking up altitude again and chasing him up till the lower mesosphere, where the lower clouds were. A loud clap of thunder roared through the entire sky, and off in the distance, a wall of water began to rapidly advance upon them. With a roaring sound the curtain of rain befell upon them, covering everything within miles with heavy drops of precipitation – the storm had come.