Haley never stopped running - from the moment she left Pacific Heights, she hadn't allowed herself to even stumble or pause. She couldn't bring herself to. Caesar's words kept repeating mercilessly in her head - over, over, over, and over again. "Was Koba." They made her subconscious bleed with a knowing, but she didn't want to believe it, so in her subconscious is where the reality was kept. She didn't stop to give herself the chance to think about it. She was fooling herself, a part of her knew, but it didn't matter. There was something in her, something painful that kept her from facing the truth of what Koba had done. Caesar, in all his might, had realize it was fear that was clouding her, but Haley still couldn't - or wouldn't - discern it for herself.
The farther Haley sped, the less she could recognize the streets and buildings. She's seen the area multiple times in her past, but what was left was nothing more than an empty and broken shell of the past. The buildings were falling apart, camouflaged behind withered graffiti, and stained in the smoke of whatever flame they had come in contact with. To Haley, it looked as if color had been drained from the inner parts of San Francisco and it had left any structure weak and lifeless as a result. But she wondered if it was really that much different from how it had been in the past, because every time she was driven to some new hospital, the effect was the same - the world got more shriveled and dry with each tick of the clock that she moved. Or maybe then and now are both an illusion, because, the farther she ran from Caesar and the others, the worse the discoloration became. It was haunting - it was cold and chilly, too.
But despite the signs of history's casualties on the walls that built the city, Haley did not spot any remains withering away in the streets or alleyways. She slowed into a stride, looking around cautiously. She knew millions died from the Simian Flu, but if that was the case, the matter of what happened to the dead was a mystery. Haley shivered suddenly under a non-existent breeze. She was quickly ambushed by her own imagination and saw the disgusting image of desperate and starving humans feeding on their own kind, and from what she had last seen of civilization, she honestly didn't put it pass any of those animals to resort to cannibalism. Shaking her head, Haley pushed on.
It took a while, but eventually, Haley saw those corpses that she so naively asked for - but these were different. Some still twitched and crawled weakly for survival while others stared wide-eyes into whatever the dead see when they meet their end. Her heart tugged violently at the fresh deaths all around her - apes and man. Luckily, none of the apes were suffering on their path to death. But something told Haley that this was deliberately the case, and she felt sickened by the idea of apes having to put their own kind out of misery. Somehow, the air got even colder. Is this what apes were charging after when they scattered to find revenge for their fallen king?
'No,' Haley answered herself immediately, 'this is not what any of them wanted.'
Gentle gibbering quickly interrupted Haley's track of mind and made her head whip up in alarm, but her horror only grew at the sight she found. Peeking out from behind the corner ahead and standing on the side of another abandoned street, Hayley spotted an unmoving and filthy bus, anchored down by its own dead weight. But it was different than any bus she knew. She tried reading the words printed on the back, to read what it was, but the giant machine was painted in mud, dust, and dirt. What she did see was that each window was bolted down with security bars. Whether they were meant for protecting the purposed humans inside or to simply keep something outside, Haley wasn't sure; right now, however, it was to keep something within its powerful, unbreakable, steel walls, and it made Haley gasp in horror. Peeking out between the metal bars, Haley could see hairy faces watching her closely, and though she hadn't closed any distance, she knew who they were: the council. For a moment, Haley paled. Had the humans won? She had assumed by the sight of the dead and dying that it had been the apes, but did the humans just not have the heart to shoot their own and rather shot apes to appease themselves?
Haley didn't give it much thought before she sprinted towards the bus to help her friends, reaching for her weapon, but she barely got halfway before she was stopped by the aim of a gun. It was nauseating, seeing an ape hold a gun. Not to mention, she recognized the ape, and that made it somewhat worse. Ray, a young orangutan, wasn't that well acquainted with Haley, but she remembers overhearing a conversation he had with his father once. Unlike Ray, Hector was a hunter with Haley and the others, so he knew more about what his son needed than his son did. Against Ray's pleas for a blade, Hector insisted he carry a spear - something made from nature - something that can be felt and carved - something that can be trusted as a part of your own body. Many other apes fastened glass and metal to their wood, but "blades break," Hector would say. As a result, seeing Ray with a gun wasn't right. And, judging by the way the thing gently trembled in his hands, Haley knew Ray would agree.
So the apes had won, Haley realized as well.
Carefully, she moved her hand away from her bow again, not wanting to startle Ray, especially not in his unstable state.
"Let me pass." Haley signed, but he didn't budge.
"Can't." He signed back. Haley wondered if he meant to be as straightforward as he was or if he just didn't know enough signs to elaborate on his reasons. She knew he never had the chance to learn as many words as most. But, at least he understood them.
"Why not?" She growled aloud, signing at the same time. She could still see Maurice, Luca, and Rocket watching her with cruel accuracy. Them looking more worried about her situation than theirs made the pain in her chest so much worse. She didn't want to see them caged like that - never. But again, Ray didn't move out of the way, even though he looked uncomfortable to such an extent that Haley knew he wanted to. Alas, with seeing him following commands that were not his own, it dawned on her - who was the one leading the apes now? It was Koba. He must have given the order, whatever the order might have been for Ray to keep her away from the others.
As a result, something else struck her about her predicament: without words, she was given a choice. She could chose to step away - in which case, Ray would let her walk and she will be perfectly safe. There'd be no risk at all. Or she could chose to simply walk pass Ray and go free her friends, because it was clear he didn't have the heart, or lack thereof, to hurt her. But if she chose that - if she chose to save the apes that make up her family - she will be a traitor. And Haley knew she wouldn't be locked away like the apes. It was likely that Koba only kept them alive to keep the other apes satisfied, and in return, under his power. So, as a "hairless creature," she will be shot. Yes, Koba was definitely giving her a choice. He was allowing her to choice him or them - or rather, him or death. It wasn't much of a choice, but it was one.
But why did he even have Caesar's council locked away? If he was avenging an ape he truly cared for, wouldn't he want to keep them close? Slowly, that reality in Haley's subconscious began to bubble.
Haley moved her attention back on the gun between her and Ray. Something about it ruffled her feathers - well, they would have been ruffled if she had any. She was alarmed by the sight of an ape holding a gun, yes, but there was something else that bothered her - something she couldn't pinpoint. All she knew was that things didn't add up. Haley had no doubt that all the other apes were holding their own clone of the weapon, too, but how had Koba known where to get them? Sure, the apes might have gone looking, but then the element of surprise would have been ruined and they wouldn't have won the battle. Raising her head, Haley's eyes met Maurice's again and, as if reading her very thoughts, he nodded in confirmation. Suddenly, a third choice opened to Haley and her face darkened.
"Where's Koba?" She asked Ray slowly, eyes never leaving the elders ahead.
This time, Ray had no reason to deny her and seemed more than happy to motion up at the skyscraper beside them. He looked ecstatic to be able to tell her something - or maybe it was the fact that it seemed as if she chose not to go against Koba.
"High." He signed, "Others with him and warriors."
"Others?"
"Females and children." He explained, not realizing exactly how horrific that fact was.
The skies echoed with a loud and startling "What!?" once Haley processed what he said and followed with loud flapping when dozens of wandering doves took to the skies in alarm. Why the hell are the females and children here, Haley screamed internally as she sped the way Ray had pointed. She already had a bad inkling about the weapons, which was confirmed by Maurice, and this made it so much worse. There was no reason why Koba would want them here, not this soon after battle, so why did he allow it?
A part of Haley wondered if Ray was confused and if he had misunderstood the situation, but when she reached the top of the building, all doubt faded. The top floor of the skyscraper, acting as a roof, was still thorned by thick cognac-colored construction beams, revealing the abandonment it suffered from the builders before it could be finished. No doubt, it was when the Simian Flu began to spread. But this was perfect for the building's current inhabitants. Wide in horror, Haley's eyes skimmed the sight of hundreds of apes hanging, sitting, and balancing on those very beams, some already taking note of her arrival. It didn't take long before Haley spotted Cornelia, still slightly weak, on one of the platforms with Cornelius against her chest and the other females encircling her. So they really were there.
Haley was able to stand in her spot for a while, taking the time to catch her breath after all the stairs, before apes finally parted ahead of her. It looked almost embarrassing - the apes didn't even stand that close to one another and yet they scurried out of the way when Koba walked towards Haley. He stopped. They watched each other for a while in silence - no real reason for it. Despite everything, though, Haley felt a wave of relief when she saw he was okay - maybe it was the resulting conflict inside of her that made her pause. Eventually, she surrendered and quickly rushed over and pressed her forehead against his.
"Thank God you are alright." She breathed, a bit scared by the honesty of the statement, and pulled away.
"Worried," He grunted softly, as if afraid the others would hear him, and then signed, "Been gone long."
"I found the humans." Haley explained, trying her best not to lie - her inkling could be wrong, after all, "Got preoccupied."
Only nodding, he showed that he understood, though he looked unsure. Haley wondered if he actually was worried about her or if he was just trying to keep face, because, if he was worried, he wasn't showing it. He looked more hesitant to credit her for being the 'winner of the hunt.' Even so, that was all the information she seemed to be pertinent to. Haley resisted the urge to stop Koba when he abruptly turned and begun to make his way back from where he came. Instructed by a single grunt and motion, Koba's second, Grey, stepped forward and moved over to Haley with a distasteful snarl. He then shoved a gun towards Haley, clearly not very happy with his orders. But then she remembered that calling to Koba was what she needed to do - asking a question is exactly why she was there. Her words hang heavy as she stared at the weapon for a while. She knew the risk of being right, as well as being wrong, and that this was not the best idea, and apparently, so did her voice. Finally though, she broke her attention from Grey's offer and moved it back to Koba.
"It's a good thing you found these guns, hah?"
Koba stopped and glared at her, looking puzzled from the sudden small-talk.
"The guns," Haley repeated, as if it was that which confused him, and motioned to Grey's and a few more in the crowd of spectators, "Good you found them. Would have been a pity if Carver was still the only one who had a weapon."
Koba nodded again, slowly. Clearly, he wasn't following, but he could tell this wasn't going in his favor.
"Strange, though," Haley dragged out, using every ounce of her self-control to keep composed, "When did you find these weapons? You didn't have time during the battle to go on a casual searching party, right? I mean, I'm just assuming here, since I was away to find Carver and the others." Soft hooting reached Haley's ears from all around her, but in front of her, Koba's face grew indifferent, almost deride at her questions. It angered her that Koba seemed to think her questions were the most ridiculous things ever, as if the answers should be obvious, but she supposed she should be grateful that he at least didn't explode yet. He probably still doesn't get it.
"Searched," He stated shortly, "Days ago."
That was it - he confirmed her suspicions without even realizing it. 'Hunting,' she could still hear his lie from when she caught him leaving their hut. It was then - it had to have been. Immediately, Haley's composure faltered, but unlike what she expected, her face fell in a look of disappointment, which confused her poor mate. She honestly didn't want her hunch to be correct - she honestly didn't want Caesar to be right. But, with Haley's fragile cage of trust being shattered, the truth finally escaped from the depth of her mind and crashed against her sliver of hope.
He tried to kill Caesar - her Caesar.
"You mean when you left to hunt?" She asked slowly, her lips pulling tight with a mixture of anger and sorrow. Seeing the faintest of light flash over Koba's unblinking eyes, Haley knew he understood what she was leaning towards. Her fists clenched. They had one agreement - only one. Haley knew that this one thing was what kept them together until now. After lying to her two years ago and minutes before they became mates, Koba promised to never lie to her again - they agreed to no secrets. Unlike other apes, Haley even knew Koba's past. In little snippets, Haley learned about his life in a strange facility, his life on a real television show (though, he didn't know that was the case until Haley told him), and the true hell he went through on that very show at the hands of his owner before he was sent to the lab, where the torture was even worse. At the time, Haley was horrified and felt immense pity for the half-blind bonobo, but that was not enough to keep Haley's rage from burning now. There was nothing that could blind her from what he's done - not anymore. Not even a cigar to her eyes could stop Haley from seeing the truth, which was what ruined one Koba's own.
There wasn't any real warning for either Haley or Koba before she felt her body pull forward. He didn't have time to process the sight of his mate leaping towards him and only noticed he was gazing up at the sky when the sound of hundreds of screaming apes made their way to his ears. Despite being, well, himself, Koba felt a jab of fear strike his body when he saw Haley's face sneering down at him with demented eyes and bared teeth. But he quickly adjusted.
Haley knew Koba didn't know the full justification for her attack, but it didn't seem to matter when she tackled him to the ground and clutched her hands together high above her head for a powerful blow against his face. She should've known she was making a mistake by opening herself up, but it only clicked when his fist collided with her cheek and compelled her back. Disoriented just enough, he then kicked against her abdomen and finally forced her off of him, but he didn't do anything else. Koba staggered back to his feet and glared down at Haley as she gasped her breath after the blow. For whatever reason, the stitches on her head stopped him from continuing and only left a strange, heavy feeling in his chest.
"You're a bastard - you know that?" Haley growled from her spot on the floor when she had the breath to do so, but Koba still didn't budge. Haley's lungs burned after having the wind knocked out of them, but the inside of her mouth stung more. She roughly wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of her lips. For whatever reason, the other apes didn't move to protect their new leader either. Maybe they knew this was a personal matter. "What now, huh?" She carried on when he didn't respond. Or maybe he did - she wasn't looking. "You going to kill me like you're planning to do with all the other humans?"
"No," Koba growled, just loud enough to steal her attention, before he signed angrily, "Haley not human." Koba had no idea how much he wasn't helping. Somehow, what he said only made Haley's fury inflate.
"Then what the hell am I!?" She snapped, sitting up, "You still haven't answered me! What am I, Koba!? You refuse to regard me as either human or ape, so what am I!? You can't just dismiss my existence as nothing! So what is it!?"
Honestly, Haley didn't know why she was expecting Koba's answer to be any different than it was before. Just like last time, he stared silently. Cornelia, too, stared at the two of them without so much as uttering a gibber, her tongue hanging heavy with anxiety. The building tension in the air set her hairs on end, though the situation also created a painful nostalgia - it was just a few days ago when she asked Caesar exactly what made ape ape. He never had the chance to answer, but it seems Haley had the same questions on her mind. For whatever reason, Cornelia felt Caesar should have seen this argument, but that just pulled at her already-aching heart - he was gone. She shook her head back to the matter at hand. Had Koba really been telling Haley these things? For a while, Haley thought that maybe Koba was just trying to structure his answer, but she was giving him too much credit. Again, he scoffed and looked away, jabbing a scythe through her very core without even having to say a word. "Funny," Haley forced a laugh, "That hurt more than I thought it would." Haley didn't care to note how the truth had openly startled her mate. At this point, it wouldn't change anything.
With a growl, Haley charged again, more determined than ever to kill the damn ape. This time, however, Koba wasn't surprised. Their hands locked as he was pushed back, keeping her from landing the blow she had planned. She thrashed against his hold, but he didn't dare to let go - she might be human, but she didn't have the strength of one and he knew even he could get seriously injured under it. Finally annoyed by the trouble she was causing, Koba hissed at her to stop and did not give her the chance to obey - he probably knew she wouldn't - before he tossed her light body to his side. But, only seconds after crashing to the ground with a yelp, she begun to get up again. Cornelia's alarmed screech didn't go pass Koba when he jumped Haley, but it was fuzzy to his focus and he pushed on, slamming his fist down at the bare-faced creature as quickly as he could, not wanting to give her time to fight back.
To everyone, it was like watching and feeling the two's very bond being crushed under his punches. All Haley could do was cross her arms above her face, hoping it would help for the endless blows. Her arms came down onto her nose, cheeks, and eyes with each slam, but it would have been worse. Eventually, though, even Koba couldn't keep it up. A single moment of waver was all Haley needed to uncross her arms and use her elbows against the ground to twist her body quickly, tossing the ape from her. Swiftly, she was back up and ran for the closest help she saw. Desperately, she reached for the iron bar, knowing her bow couldn't help her now, but before she had the chance, Koba's weight crashed into her back. She grasped at open air as she was thrown over her goal and tumbled against some metal platform. By the time she settled, her body throbbed, but as if some gift from chance, another bar was right next to her and Koba immediately ran for her when he realized this. But a single clatter stole Haley's mind from her gift anyway.
Haley's eyes widened in horror when she spotted a single white shape hopping and rolling towards the edge of the building - her sister's bone. "No!" She yelled instinctively and stumbled from a crawl into a run to save it, and in the nick of time, she crashed back down onto concrete and caught it. She barely had time to sigh in relief before a hand grasped at her ankle and jerker her back, forcing a scream from her as her exposed skin scraped against the slightly eroded surface. Koba reached for her in a blur, but she somehow manage to flip over and grab his hand with her free one. Returning the favor, she yanked him down and punched him in the face, her fingers tight in a fist around the bone. She watched him stumble back as she caught her breath and placed the bone back between her breasts, pushing it deeper than before. He, too, stopped and breathed, as if they had a wordless agreement to let each other rest.
Haley was the first to carry on, but unlike the charge Koba was expecting, she ran for it in another direction. Ducking to the side, Haley suddenly ran for the beams around them and it took him a second to process the change before he barked in anger and followed, making the other apes scamper out of the patch of construction as quickly as they could. None of them wanted to interfere. Haley knew that the only reason she was still moving around so easily was because of the padding from the coat, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to climb as quickly with it, so she reluctantly took it off in her run and tossed it aside - as she was putting her bow back onto her back, she got an idea.
And so, the climb began. Haley's heart thundered vigorously against her sternum, growing louder with each passing second that the sound of Koba climbing after her nipped at the heels of her bare feet. But she was lighter and less weak - she hadn't just fought a war - and she had the adrenalin to survive. And she was better made for walking upright, which she was counting on. She quickly zipped off of the beam and stepped onto another horizontal one, maneuvering her body around to witness Koba's instincts taking over for him to follow her path exactly. Seeing him walking close on the beam, she backed away in sync with each of his steps, like a pair of gymnasts walking a tightrope.
Through his glower, low posture, and bared canines, Haley could see Koba's usual fury begin to build from having been insulted to this extent. While, ironically, her anger began to wear out. Steadily, Haley felt the fire in her veins begin to cool, as if it was an old game she was getting bored of. She wasn't sure how that was even possible - maybe because she knew he didn't actually succeed in killing Caesar. But the loss of rage didn't stop Haley's desire to stop Koba and make him pay for what he had done. And Koba now had nowhere to go.
In an instant, Haley's bow was back in her hands and both Koba and she halted in the middle of the beam, hundreds of apes gazing up at them from at least fifteen feet below. They and Koba all waited for Haley to grab an arrow, and with everyone's focus drawn to Haley's actions, no one took care to notice that she had no arrows left. She, however, knew, even if she couldn't figure out when she had lost it. It must have been during their brawl, but she couldn't be sure. But she didn't need arrows anyway; she just needed something that can hurt her supposed mate. She was grateful to them all being distracted, though, as it gave her time to breathe, for her lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her again. She could see the silent wait was frustrating Koba to no end, but she took as long as fate would allow her. She wondered if he would attack even without knowing if he had the upper hand, but she decided he wasn't going to overestimate his balance when he's on two legs. He could go down on all fours, but that would give Haley too much time to fire her arrow. Inevitably, though, Haley saw Koba's face twitch and she knew he finally saw the problem, forcing her to act. Just as he was inching forward, Haley lunged with a scream, her bow raised high above her head. She only needed to knock him off his perch.
Just the sight of Koba not so much as trying to dodge her attack already made Haley's stomach sink with a horrible feeling, and so, when the wooden bow slapped against Koba's face hard enough to create a sizable gash, there was no hope behind it. Haley had no time to gaze down at Koba's feet holding onto the beam with a thumbed grasp before she was blinded by him once again knocking the wind from her chest. It felt like a whip came down on her back as she collided with a beam some distance behind her, and it felt like rocks pummeled her body when she fell onto another layer of beams below. She had no will to fight the feeling of her body slipping through a triangle in between the crossing metal and barely managed to grab on in time before she could fall. Her shoulder fought against the new strain it had to endure, but with a single hand, Haley held onto the beam for her life and dangled above certain death. At least, when looking down the terrifying height, Haley was sure she would die, and yet, her other hand still bothered with holding onto her treasured weapon with all its might.
Then, what little grasp she had was made to slip when Koba jumping onto the crossed beams where she hangs, but she held out. Koba ground his teeth harshly as he bowed down and reached for the human female, no more pity or remorse left in him, unlike a few moments ago. The high-pitched wail she released did nothing to stop him when he grabbed onto her blonde locks and pulled her up in front of him, neither did the feeling of her hands desperately pulling at his wrist to keep more of hair from being ripped out. At that moment, she didn't seem to care about the fact that her bow now lay, abandoned, between the other apes on the platform below. "Koba mate." He growled lowly, carefully walking over to the edge of the structure and making sure not to misstep. Despite Koba's apish strength, his arms trembled from Haley's weight as he dangled her over the side, "Koba's follower." He had no idea why he wasn't just tossing her, but something was stopping him. All he knew was that he wanted her to follow him, in the same extent to which she was loyal to Caesar. He wanted her to look at him with the same obedience. She will accept his authority. But that's not what he got. Instead, he was frozen in shock.
"Not a fucking chance!" Haley snapped viciously, spitting. With a sudden and unwarranted determination, Haley quickly bit down to tighten her scalp and let go of Koba's arm to grab onto the few hairs on his shoulders before she locked her legs around his middle. "I'd rather see you in hell!" She yelled, and with every ounce of strength she had, she tossed her body back, taking Koba with her in his moment of confusion. Screeches of terror filled the air below the two of them as they plummeted down to the makeshift rooftop, Cornelia and Tinker's pitches a tad bit higher than the others. But in Haley's ears, they were a mere blur. The feeling of Koba's hand holding onto her hair faded as an unexpected peace enveloped her body and forced her eyes to fall shut. She honestly wasn't scared. Or maybe he simply let go, because Haley could have sworn she felt an ape's arms wrap around her with the same care as a mother holding her child. The warmth of the ape was intoxicating as its body tilted underneath hers and towards the impact, or maybe it was all a moment of illusion before reality was stolen away.
I may not be able to upload for the next few weeks on account of studies and stuff, so here's a long one. I really am sorry!
Hope you enjoyed it, though. Good luck with exams, my gorgeous peeps!
