Chapter Eleven:
Escape under the Darkness
Shenzi woke up about four hours later and quickly stood up. It was very quiet in the room that all she heard was the usual sound of the air conditioning and the sounds of the sleeping animals. She felt around her cage, trying to find those bobby pins she tore out of the teenager's hair. It took her several minutes to find them since the room was dark but finally she found them near the corner of the cage. She clips two of them on her ear and carry the other one to the cage door.
(All I have to do is pick the lock then I'm out of here) she thought
She took a moment to smile and chuckle a bit as she imagines the look on her brother face when she returns. She can't wait for that day.
(Focus Shenzi, you only have a few hours left to get out here and get as far away from here before the sun comes up) her brain said
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know" she whispers to herself.
She looks at the bobby pin and hugs it close to her chest (Please, let it work) she prayed as she sat down close to the lock and had to bend her arm in an awkward position to get that bobby pin on the other side to the door. Ignoring the slight pain in her shoulder, she begins searching for the key hole.
(Now how did that human do it) She thought.
She felt the key hole then begin to jiggle the lock. Her heart was beginning to pound and sweat ran down her forehead.
(Come on, open, Open) she thought.
Her arm was now going numb but she continues to pick the lock. (Come on, you piece of shit, open!) she shouted in her head.
Her heart pounding so hard that it was hurting her chest "please, please, open" she whispers.
Suddenly she heard a loud click and she turn her head to see the lock opened. She stood up for a minute letting the feeling go back into her numb arm. She placed her paw through the bars and took off the lock and let the door open by itself. Shenzi wanted to cry but she was too tough to let tears run down her eyes.
(I did it) she thought (why didn't I think of this sooner) created
She jumps out of the cage and sigh in relief that she had two extra bobby pins since the one she use was now broken. She looked out the small window.
(What luck it a full moon) she thought
Some of her nervousness calm down knowing she doesn't have to run in the dark. She looked at the door and smile. It was slightly open. She races over to Banzai's cage, sleeping peacefully as usual. She grabbed the other bobby pin from her ear and began to unlock his cage. She open the door and walked over to Banzai.
"Banzai? Banzai wake up" she whisper tapping his head.
Banzai begin to growl in his sleep. "Dammit Ed, how many times did I tell you not to bother me when I'm sleeping" he shouted then tuck his head in his arms. Shenzi rolled her eyes, she didn't have time for this.
Banzai woke up by a painful slap across his head and he stood up quickly, growling, ready to charge toward Ed, who he thought was the one bothering him. "Stupid, dumbass" he shouted till Shenzi cover his mouth with her paw.
"Banzai, calm down" she whispers
Banzai's eyes grew wide "Shenzi?" he mutters through her paw.
"Shut up, do you want to wake up everyone" She whispered, removing her paw away from his mouth.
"How . . . How did you get in here" he asked a bit speechless
"Easy, remember when I attack that human girl with the red hair?"
"Oh yeah, that was funny" he chuckles from remembering the event
"Well, I manage to grab three of these bobby pins out of her hair and was able to unlock my cage and yours" Shenzi explains
"You mean we're finally getting out of here" he shouted in joy
"Hush, keep it down and yes, we are, I just got to do one last thing" Shenzi said
"What?"
"I got to get Ed out" she said exiting his cage
"WHAT! you can't be serious" He shouted chasing after her
"I told you to keep it down" She whispers
"Shenzi, please tell me you're joking right" He said
"No, I'm not joking, Banzai and beside Ed's the only one who knows the way out of this house"
"The last time we follow him, I found myself smelling like coffee for two days"
"Oh, stop bringing up that event and quit yelling in my ear" Shenzi said looking inside Ed's cage.
Ignoring Banzai's complaining, she started picking the lock and heard a clicking noise.
"You're going to regret opening that cage" Banzai said
"Banzai, before I open this cage can you promise me something" she asked
"What is it" he asked curiously
"Stay quiet till we get out of here and when we do you can yell at me as much as you want"
He sighs "he probably doesn't even want to go, Shenzi, he was raised here by humans" he tried to explain but realize she wasn't listening.
Banzai lower his ears and felt a little hurt from her not listening to him.
Shenzi walks over to Ed who was sleeping in his empty water bowl drooling and snoring. She taps his head, but he was a deep sleeper.
"ED! Wake up" She said still trying to keep her voice down.
Ed suddenly woke up and rubbed his head "I had a weird dream about Fruity Pebbles"
Shenzi looked at him with a strange face but ignored it "Come on Ed, we're leaving"
"Where are we going" he asked
"We're going to get out of here and return to the wild" she said
"What's the wild"
"I'll explain later, just follow me" She said
(What ever happens I want you listen to Shenzi and follow her wherever she goes. She smart so she knows what she doing and make sure you help her out when she needs it) Ed remembers what his mom told him and he will obey.
Ed got up and followed Shenzi out of the cage and went up to Banzai, who was waiting for them and said nothing.
"Ok Ed, no distractions this time and I mean it, ok" Shenzi said referring to the coffee incident and Ed nodded
"I need you to tell me how to get out of here, we need to escape before the humans wake up"
Ed looked confuse for a minute and just kept staring at her
Shenzi sighs angrily "Is there a window we can crawl out of"
"Alex's room has a window and it's always open" Ed said
"How did you know that, we've never been in Alex's room" Banzai asked.
"I didn't, my mom told me this yesterday before she went to that other place" Ed said smiling
(Wow, it seems that Baylou knew what I was planning) Shenzi thought "Ok, Ed, show us the way"
Ed nodded again and happily ran out the room with Shenzi and the sighing Banzai following him.
They enter the hallway and on the left side they saw a door with bright lights flashing from it.
"That's Alex's room" Ed said
Shenzi sneaks over to the ajar door and peak inside. Alex was sitting close to the T.V. playing video games.
"Dammit" Shenzi whispers
"What's that human doing still awake" Banzai whispers?
"I don't know" Shenzi said peaking inside again.
Behind the boy, who seems brain dead from the video games, was his bed and next the bed was the window that was open.
"But Ed was right, there is a window in his room that's open" she said "we got find something to distract him"
They sat there in the dark living room to think then Shenzi got an idea "one of us has to distract him"
"Explain, please" Banzai asked
"One of us distracts him while the other ones run over to the window and jump out then when they are safe and other one jump out as well"
"So who's going to be the distraction" Banzai asked
Shenzi gave him a smirk and so did Ed "oh no, I'm not doing it" Banzai said
"Come on, Banzai, you're the fastest, just get him out of the room for awhile till I get Ed out of here"
"No, you're just going to leave me behind"
"I'm not going to leave you, just trust me" She said
Banzai growl "fine, give me a minute"
Shenzi smiles as Banzai slightly open the door and crawl into the room. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but Shenzi somehow always taught him in to doing anything. Alex was too busy playing video games that he didn't seems to notice the door opening. Banzai hid behind a basketball and spotted the plug to the video game system. If he unplugs the thing, he knew the boy would go on a rampage like he did on the coffee day.
"Finally, the last level and this time no rotten hyenas to mess it up" Alex said
His eyes grew very wide as he was only one hit away from winning when his game system turned off. His jaw dropped and quickly turns on one of his lamp and looked down to see Banzai holding the plug in his mouth. Alex begins to shake from the anger growing inside of him.
"I don't know how you got out of your cage, but you're getting the beating of a lifetime, you disgusting THING!" Alex shouted.
Banzai race out of the room with Alex following him not noticing Shenzi or Ed. "Come back here you stupid animal!"
"Great, we better hurry with all the yelling the boy is doing he's going to wake up the others." Shenzi said.
She grabbed Ed by his paw and race into the room. They jump onto the bed and race over to the window. She put on a big smile and was ready to push Ed out the window when she stopped in her tracks and saw that the widow was cover by a screen door.
"Shenzi, are you out yet" Banzai shouted as he ran past the room with Alex still following him. Banzai stop at the end of the hallway and turn to see Alex with madness in his eyes. "You're trap now, Andrew, this will be the last time you interrupt my video games playing."
A door open and a sleepy Molly wakes out with her little teddy bear "what's going on"
Banzai saw his chance and ran between Alex's leg and back to his room.
"Hey, get back here" Alex shouted and ran after him with a curious Molly following. Banzai quickly jumped onto the bed and ran over to Shenzi and Ed.
"They're coming" he shouted
"We need to knock down this screen door and quick" Shenzi said
"Let's kick it down" Banzai said
At the same time the trio push onto the screen door with all their might till it fell to the ground on the out side. A cold breeze flew into their faces and all they could see is desert for miles. They turn around to see the human standing next to the door.
"Jump!" Shenzi said pushing Ed out the window then she jumps follow by Banzai. They heard a loud scream coming from Molly.
Molly races to the window to see her pets running off north "DADDY!" She hollers.
Shenzi and Banzai ran as fast as they can but Shenzi noticed that Ed was falling behind.
"Ed, hurry up, we got to get away from here as fast as we can" Shenzi said stopping and waiting for him to catch up.
"Shenzi, forget about him, if he wants to get caught, let him" Banzai shouted not even slowing down.
Ed came to a complete stop, sat down and looked back at the house.
"Ed, come on, we got to move"
"But Shenzi I can't go, this is my home" Ed begins to cry
"Ed, animals are not supposed to live with humans, you are meant to be free like me and Banzai"
Ed frowned, his mom did say she was smart and knows what she's doing but part of him wanted to stay.
"Please Ed, if you don't come with me, I'll regret leaving you behind"
"You will" he asked
"Yeah, you are my friend" Shenzi said
Ed smile and gave her a big hug which surprised Shenzi big time.
"Ed, quit hugging me and run, Now" She shouted
Ed turns around to see Molly's father coming out with a flashlight, a tranquilizer gun and a crying Molly. "Is that why"
"Yes, now move it" Shenzi shouted and push Ed to run.
Shenzi saw the human walking toward them and Banzai was now where insight. She growls believing that he left her just like that. Ed was getting tired and needed to rest. They hid behind a rock to catch their breath. Shenzi grew nervous because the human was getting closer and it was easy to get caught in a desert.
"It's no use, he's going to see us" Ed Said
Shenzi was about to give up hope when she felt someone covering her mouth and she was pulled underground. She found herself in a dark place then heard Ed trying to scream when he was pulled under as well. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a small hole under the rock she was hiding behind.
"Banzai?" She said when she saw him next to her, letting go of Ed's mouth, he made a gross face expression when his paw was now cover in drool.
"Banzai, I thought you left me" Shenzi said
"I wouldn't do that, I just found this hiding place for us"
"It's kinda small, don't you think" Shenzi said
They stayed quiet when they heard footsteps walking over to the rock.
"Have you found, daddy"Molly cried
"No sweetie, but I'll keep looking" her father sigh, he'll do anything to make her stop crying.
Shenzi begins to breathe again when the human walked a way from the rock. "I guess we'll be sleeping here tonight"
"I'm not planning on sleeping underground, it's too small" Banzai said
"I know your foot jammed right in my stomach, but Ed's already asleep"
Banzai turn to his right to see Ed already asleep "good, let's leave him here and head out"
"No, Banzai, I'm staying here till the humans put off their search and beside I think I'm stuck"
Banzai sigh "but what if he drools all over me"
"Ignore it and get some sleep, we have a lot of walking to do in the morning" she yawned
Banzai closed his eyes and lean against her, Shenzi smile knowing that she was finally free and fell asleep. Unaware, this was only half her journey home . . .