Chapter
Ten
With each bite of Kryptonite-laced fruit that was delivered in the morning, Beppo grew more stronger, more smarter, and hated Clovis, the Smelly One, even more. Not only did he seethe about The Blonde leaving with Tall One the day before, but now the chimpanzee thought, this...Smelly One was back with more fruits.
Clovis smiled at Beppo. He looked into the basket of mid-afternoon food, snorted with roll of his neck, and hocked a globby mess of snot onto the star-of-the-show's food.
"Chow down, freak," Clovis said and turned to leave. He made it to the door. The heathen had AGAIN expectorated onto Beppo's favorite sources of sustenance. And that mad the chimpanzee MAD.
Beppo's muscular legs shot him from where he sat watching the ending to Turner Classic Movies showing of "Bedtime For Bonzo" and the animal slammed into Clovis's back, bringing the man to his knees. Just when Clovis started to scream, Beppo slapped his hand tight on Clovis's jaw, shutting off the yelp. The chimpanzee reached over the man's chest, grabbed his opposite shoulder, pulled the jaw and head one way and yanked the shoulder the other way.
There are twelve cervical discs in the human neck. Vertebral arteries connected to the brainstem pass through the upper six cervical vertebrae. The brainstem contained the medulla oblongata, that regulated heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing and reflex actions. Because the medulla controlled vital life functions, an injury to the medulla was often fatal.
An oddly satisfying grinding sound made Beppo's pointy ears wiggle when he heard the first vertebra, the "atlas" which supported the head, ground down on the second vertebra, the "axis" which was a pivot, which in turn ground against the third, on the fourth, until all the discs were cracked. The beast twisted the head further, and the strong nuchal ligament that supported the head snapped. Then the brainstem was severed cleanly from the spinal cord. With his last thought, Clovis thought of the sad life he had led, and the happy life he didn't, and he knew his end was right for him. 'I ain't done a good goddmn thing mah whole life,' he thought. Then his world went black.
Beppo didn't bother to spin Clovis's head back into place and dropped him in a heap. He stared down at his tormentor. Clovis's eyes were open, but he didn't see the malevolent grin that stretched on creature's maw. Beppo felt powerful. There was a certain strength and satisfaction in ending a life. The monster liked the feeling.
Beppo's eye caught the the electronic clock on top of the television and knew that he must hide the Smelly Dead One, because the Nice One that stayed in the house with him would return soon. The chimpanzee opened the door, and saw busy carnies scrambling to get things ready for the opening of the carnival later that day. Quickly, Beppo grabbed the limp lifeless body of the Smelly Dead One, used his newly-gained speed to blur around the motor home, and jam the Smelly Dead One under the main frame of the trailer. The beast grabbed crates and placed them against the motor home's side, hiding the body further. He zipped back into the house, shutting the door behind him.
Beppo grabbed a banana, washed it in the sink, walked back to the couch and watched Turner Classic Movies' next program. "Tarzan the Ape Man", the 1932 black and white Johnny Weissmuller masterpiece, aired. He didn't follow the plot on the screen because his mind had a plot of its own, a less happier one than Tarzan meeting his Jane. He waited for nightfall, for the Tall One to come within his murderous grasp, waited to claim his prize, The Blonde, once and for all.