The house was just as I remembered. Sitting curled in an armchair that I remembered, my bandaged hand cradled in my lap, I half expected Will to walk through the door at any second. Caesar was still asleep and I stared blankly across the slowly darkening room at his still form. The local anaesthetic was wearing off, and there was a dull throbbing growing in my hand. What was left of it.
You're alive, I told myself firmly. It could have been a lot worse. I stood up suddenly and swayed for a second. Blue Eyes watched me from his spot on the floor next to his father, the rings of colour for which he'd been named following me. I put the framed photo down on the table next to him before slipping out of the room.
Ellie, Malcolm, and Alexander were sitting in the kitchen. Ellie half came to her feet as I stumped in, but I waved her down, moving over to the sink and turning on the tap. Water trickled out. For a second, I just stared at the marvel. Carver had been the one to keep the water running. For all his antics and his attitude, he'd done that for all of us.
I had been planning to stick my head under the tap, but I remembered where I was and turned away, taking a mug from their place in the cupboard, and putting it under the tap.
"Do you know what happened to Kemp?" I asked as I turned back around.
They exchanged glances. "No," Malcolm said. "Or Foster."
"Foster's dead," I told them dully. "I guess you found Carver by the truck?"
Malcolm scowled as Alexander looked down at the table, but I didn't apologise. This once-beautiful world had turned ugly. No point pretending otherwise. I looked away from them, and my eyes fell on the glass container on the top of the cupboard, where Caesar always used to steal cookies. I smiled even as my eyes blurred. I stepped forwards, intending to reach up and take it down, but I stopped before I could move past the table. It was heavier than it looked. I'd always needed two hands to get it down.
"So what's next?" I asked brusquely, turning back to the kitchen.
"Caesar will need time to recover," Ellie said. "And we should all rest."
I nodded. "There are bedrooms upstairs. Help yourself."
"You should rest too," Ellie said.
I nodded. "I will," I said. "I'll stay down here." I looked away, through into Will's office rather than watch them exchange another glance.
"You tired, buddy?" Malcolm asked, and I heard Alexander murmur a response. I let them leave as I walked over to Will's office. It was just as much of a mess as it had been before I'd gone up to the woods. So much had happened. How many days had it been? Three? Four? Five? I'd lost track.
"Hey."
I jumped, looking around. Apparently, Ellie hadn't gone upstairs with the others.
"Are you okay? You're... off."
With an effort, I smiled. "Yeah. Just... tired. It's been a long few days." My stomach clenched, then rumbled.
"You should rest," Ellie urged me, touching my arm lightly. "There's some food in my bag."
"Thanks," I said, knowing I wouldn't touch it.
She seemed to know it too. "I'll get some out and leave it on the table," she said. "I expect it all to be gone by the morning."
My mouth twitched. "Yes, ma'am." I watched her out of the kitchen before turning back to the office. Corners of paper under staples and drawing pins. Stacks of biology books. I recognised some of them as the same texts I'd had, so very long ago.
I heard Ellie talking quietly, then the sound of her ascending the stairs. Very slowly, mug held in my good hand, I made my way back to the front room, placing the mug beside my chair before moving over to the window. The night was deepening outside, but the city was alive again. Lights were glowing in windows, waiting for shadows to pass in front of them, and my reflection watching them, trapped inside the glass.
"See... anything?" Blue Eyes asked from behind me.
Just memories. "No," I said. "It's quiet." I kept looking for another few seconds before turning back and curling into my chair. "I don't think Koba will come this far west for a while yet. We have some time."
He shifted slightly, and I saw that he'd picked up the photo of his father with Will. Holding it in one hand, he picked up some cereal bars from the table and threw them across at me.
"Ellie said... eat," he huffed. I shook my head at her determination and reached down to pick one up, taking a bite and chewing exaggeratedly.
"You want one?" I asked thickly, but he shook his head, watching his father again. My chewing slowed. They all had to eat. Where would that food be coming from? Filing the question away for later, I finished eating and felt my stomach relax in satisfaction. Kicking my legs over one of the arms of the chair, I leant my head sideways and watched the two chimps by the light of the solitary lamp.
.
.
I really didn't want to wake up. Turning my head a little, I burrowed back into the chair, waiting for the rough voice to lull me back to sleep. My eyes snapped open.
"... am to blame." Caesar was awake. It was his voice I'd heard.
Blue Eyes signed something back to him, but Caesar shook his head.
"I chose to trust him because he is ape. I always think ape better than human. I see now... how much like them we are."
My eyes went misty at his words and I swallowed.
"Where Koba now?" Caesar asked.
Blue Eyes signed again, his hands moving swiftly as I blinked my eyes clear, swinging my legs around so I was sat facing forwards. Neither of them seemed to notice.
"And those who do not follow?"
Blue Eyes signed some more, his movement becoming more jerky as I watched. Caesar shook his head.
"Not if I am weak. Ape always seek strongest branch. I must do something to stop him," Caesar huffed, trying to rise, but his face contorted in pain.
I leapt up, crossing the space in two strides.
"There's no point taking the stronger branch if it will lead you off a cliff," I said, as Blue Eyes and I pushed him back down. "They need you, your vision. And you don't have to do anything alone."
"Father..." Blue Eyes spoke up. "Let me help you."
The look Caesar gave his son was enough to make me blink back tears again.
"Let us help you," I amended him, giving the younger ape a half-smile.
"No," Caesar said, looking at me. "This isn't your fight."
"Yes, it is," I said. "I've been fighting it. I'm not stopping now."
His bright eyes travelled over me, taking in the blood on my torn shirt, and my bandaged hand.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I made trouble," I said. "I got into trouble."
He gave me a look that I returned with interest.
"I thought you'd died," I told him harshly, "and I didn't believe Carver had done it. I wasn't going to let Koba take over everything. And I'm still not going to. You're not weak. But you can't do this alone."
"Too dangerous... for human," Caesar said.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Koba—"
"Koba hates me," I cut across him, "and not just because I'm human. And I know it's dangerous. I'm fully aware of that." I didn't move my bandaged hand, but it seemed to become heavier. "I'm not going to stop," I said, lowering my voice seriously. "Whether we work together, or not."
He sighed, his mouth twitching as he shook his head slightly. Then he nodded.
.
.
We left before the sun had cleared the horizon, slipping out of the house without waking the others. Caesar could tell them where we'd gone. Standing at the passenger side of my truck, I forced myself to refill the clip of my pistol, fumbling slightly with only one hand, but gritting my teeth and pushing on. It took three times as long as it should have, but I refused to be beaten. Blue Eyes had reclaimed his rifle after a mild disagreement that I'd won; it would be suspicious if he didn't have it.
Moving again helped take my mind off the pain in my hand and we maintained a comfortable watchfulness around us as we moved back across the city, Blue Eyes knuckling alongside me. Our pace slowed after we crossed Route 101, and we moved onto the smaller roads, both listening hard as the distant sounds of life became audible. By silent agreement, we came to a halt and exchanged a glance. Creeping to the intersection, I peered around the corner, eyeing the buildings around the colony.
My eyes settled on a tall parking garage a few blocks away from the trickle of smoke that still rose from the tower, curling around its exposed steel beams. I waved Blue Eyes forwards and pointed the building out to him. He nodded once then hesitated.
I reached out and touched a hesitant hand to his shoulder. He gripped my wrist in return, meeting my gaze, then turned and knuckled out into the street, heading back towards the colony.
Watching him go, I sighed. I'd promised Caesar I would look out for him, in looks if not in words, but more than that, it was hard to watch my only ally go off into enemy territory. However, his part of the plan was separate from mine, so as he disappeared from view, I turned my eyes back to the buildings, picked the highest one I could see, and started towards it. Time to get to work.