Burke listened for the sound of horses approaching as he headed behind the
nearest building. He heard only silence. No one tried to stop him.
Evidently the witnesses - most of them human - had decided to let the
militia handle the situation. He risked a look back and saw a few
spectators gathering where the fallen gorilla lay.
Once behind the building, he crouched over a pile of garbage and threw up, eyes watering at the jarring upheavals. Finally he was able to stand again. He shuffled off, making an effort to straighten and appear normal. Normal, that's me, he thought. He risked crossing another street and rounded the back of a building there.
Ah, there they were. What he'd been waiting for. Hoofbeats. They seemed to boom down a long dark tunnel towards him.
Part of him understood the game was almost up, but stubbornness kept him to his feet. He kept wanting to laugh. Laugh at the possibility of normal old Pete shuffling away with his head in two pieces, surely, escaping the clutches of the gorillas because the shocked citizenry were too afraid to restrain him until the cavalry arrived. Hell, a toddler with a squirt-gun could have taken him out.
At the sight of three gorillas at the end of the alleyway, Burke pulled back clumsily along the side of the nearest building and ducked. He lost his balance and fell to his knees. Another bolt of pain lanced his head at the impact. The gorillas looked down the street briefly and moved on.
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man, he thought hazily. He kept moving, headed for the protesters' meeting place of this morning. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Hoofbeats came close by with some regularity. His head pulsed in great waves.
Burke took a deep breath and crossed a road that t-boned into the alleyway he emerged from. More and more pedestrians walked around him, most hurrying towards the area where he'd shot the gorilla.
Then someone grabbed his arm, and the world stopped. He turned to see who held him.
It was Pergis. With another chimpanzee. "Well, don't stand there. You're drawing attention to us," hissed the stranger.
Burke released his breath in a whoosh. He started walking again. "I'm going in front now. Try to follow closely - like a servant," Pergis said in a low voice.
The other chimpanzee added, "Don't stagger about. It's your life we're trying to save."
Burke's lips tightened. "Yes, sir," he muttered. "And just who the hell are you?"
"Shh," Pergis cautioned.
On the journey to the abandoned university building, his goal became simply to take another step. Another. Another. Twice, following the chimps closely and with his head down, he walked right by soldiers on horseback. He walked through random waves of dizziness. The biggest challenge was not to fall.
Once the strange chimpanzee grasped his arm, whispering something about the cause. Do it for the cause. Burke wanted to hit him. Easy there, he told himself. You've filled your quota. Again he resisted the urge to laugh. It would hurt like hell if he did.
He almost fell through the door when they arrived at their destination after what seemed hours, but was surely only minutes. Someone lowered him to the floor. He heard and felt no more until his dreams led him, over and over, to the vision of the ape's face exploding as he shot him point-blank. Sometimes it was Galen's face.
Once behind the building, he crouched over a pile of garbage and threw up, eyes watering at the jarring upheavals. Finally he was able to stand again. He shuffled off, making an effort to straighten and appear normal. Normal, that's me, he thought. He risked crossing another street and rounded the back of a building there.
Ah, there they were. What he'd been waiting for. Hoofbeats. They seemed to boom down a long dark tunnel towards him.
Part of him understood the game was almost up, but stubbornness kept him to his feet. He kept wanting to laugh. Laugh at the possibility of normal old Pete shuffling away with his head in two pieces, surely, escaping the clutches of the gorillas because the shocked citizenry were too afraid to restrain him until the cavalry arrived. Hell, a toddler with a squirt-gun could have taken him out.
At the sight of three gorillas at the end of the alleyway, Burke pulled back clumsily along the side of the nearest building and ducked. He lost his balance and fell to his knees. Another bolt of pain lanced his head at the impact. The gorillas looked down the street briefly and moved on.
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man, he thought hazily. He kept moving, headed for the protesters' meeting place of this morning. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Hoofbeats came close by with some regularity. His head pulsed in great waves.
Burke took a deep breath and crossed a road that t-boned into the alleyway he emerged from. More and more pedestrians walked around him, most hurrying towards the area where he'd shot the gorilla.
Then someone grabbed his arm, and the world stopped. He turned to see who held him.
It was Pergis. With another chimpanzee. "Well, don't stand there. You're drawing attention to us," hissed the stranger.
Burke released his breath in a whoosh. He started walking again. "I'm going in front now. Try to follow closely - like a servant," Pergis said in a low voice.
The other chimpanzee added, "Don't stagger about. It's your life we're trying to save."
Burke's lips tightened. "Yes, sir," he muttered. "And just who the hell are you?"
"Shh," Pergis cautioned.
On the journey to the abandoned university building, his goal became simply to take another step. Another. Another. Twice, following the chimps closely and with his head down, he walked right by soldiers on horseback. He walked through random waves of dizziness. The biggest challenge was not to fall.
Once the strange chimpanzee grasped his arm, whispering something about the cause. Do it for the cause. Burke wanted to hit him. Easy there, he told himself. You've filled your quota. Again he resisted the urge to laugh. It would hurt like hell if he did.
He almost fell through the door when they arrived at their destination after what seemed hours, but was surely only minutes. Someone lowered him to the floor. He heard and felt no more until his dreams led him, over and over, to the vision of the ape's face exploding as he shot him point-blank. Sometimes it was Galen's face.
