Cat Revolution
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Garfield, they are owned by Jim Davis. Calvin and Hobbes are owned by Bill Watterson. Dilger is my creation.
It was becoming far too much to stay in the house much longer fire was consuming everything in site from the kitchen. Huddled in a now crowded garage was our defenders. Hobbes and Calvin were unaccounted for when the tiger went in search of his friend. Meanwhile, Zoos tightened his iron ring around the house with more troops poised around neighboring homes, behind fences, and behind hasty barricades of cars. He didn't permit his troops to fire yet. Instead, he wanted the fire to do it's work and smoke his adversary out.
"How do you like your hot dogs, boys?" one officer joked.
"Dead," became an unanimous response. The hatred for dogs seemed to be spreading. Garfield made sure that propaganda fueled their desire, dogs were evil and it was their place that needed to be taken. Cats were dominate, smarter, cuter, and deserved the throne as the superior species. Contradictory to that, Dilger trained his soldiers that everyone was equal, but dogs were there to "serve man." To be their protector from all trouble which is why he believed their cause was just, to protect man from scum like this, any of those who wanted to challenge the take over man.
Having shot the megaphone, Hobbes returned downstairs to see the roaring fire as it began to spread into the living room.
"Whoa," he cried, startled as the yellow and red flames licked the walls and stretched to the ceiling.
"This is worse than the time we played with the plumbing," Calvin yelled.
"Now I wish we had all that water right now!" concurred Hobbes.
Picking up a blanket, Calvin charged in, defying the heat and began trampling the flames. Following his example, Hobbes followed soon after with a blanket of his own. Together, they began beating back the flames. Several of Dilger's soldiers, whom had come out to find them, also took up the fight and together, they put out the fire all together. With it quelled, everyone breathed a great sigh of relief. Most of the food was destroyed though, water mains were severed as well, leaving the defenders parched of thirst and starving. There wasn't much time left. Sitting in the Swiss cheese room called the garage, Dilger was going through his options. As leader of his company, he weighed the options. Surrender, throw himself and the lives of his comrades at the mercy of his foe or try and break out. No doubt now that the cats would try and storm the house, it was just a question of when. Believing that the dogs were killed or severely damaged, the cats were beginning to move in for the kill. Even though not really harmed, the soldiers were not up to par in stopping them.
The deluge dragged out. Smoke was still seeping out. Zoos withheld his attack, fearing that the house ran on propane and it could go up in a fire ball. As the sun began to set, his deadline was rapidly approaching and still, he was no close in capturing his objective. No more shots were being exchanged though, giving the scene and eerie presence. Continuing to throw propaganda at them in the hopes of a bloodless end, Zoos pleaded for them to end the needless suffering of wounded.
Listening to those words from outside, Arlene confided with Nermal inside the kitchen over what to do. "If they get in here, they will kill us."
Nermal agreed, "yes, but we can't just abandon everyone. They need us. We escaped from Garfield's prison, now you want to run again?"
Arlene began to grow angry, "Listen, we are cats, they are dogs. I know they are our friends, but we have to think about ourselves here. If they get inside and find us with them, they will shoot us as traitors." It took awhile for the kitten to under stand what the mature female was trying to explain. They couldn't stay here any longer. It would be better to flee for their lives, taking their chances outside. Between the two, they planned an escape attempt that very night. No one else was involved, not even Odie. Shifting his troops around, Dilger didn't sense what was happening inside the house. Calvin was back upstairs, jotting down enemy movements into a note pad as Hobbes sighted them with his hunter eyes. For a while, it was calm at least and soldiers on both sides began to drift off into an exhaustive sleep at their posts. Officers had to kick them to keep them awake.
Zoos stood in conference with several of his officers. "It is settled gentlemen," he said quietly to them, "storm the house, take no prisoners."
An artillery piece was moved up in stealth towards the front door. The plan was to blow down the front door and send in everyone to clear out the house. The commander was willing to use shear numbers to clear this obstacle, despite the risk of losing so many of his soldiers. It had to be done. No other choice. Lack of intelligence impaired his other advantages to come in from all sides. Moving along his cordon, Zoos looked at their faces. Tired, hungry, scared, some fully expected that this would be their last battle. He was willing to sacrifice a few for the worthiness of this cause. The clock ticked away, 9, 10, finally 11. Fires from distant camps and battles lowly dimly on the horizon. By this time, Garfield would have settled down for bed after indulged himself in a feast of captured honey hams. Most of his followers had never laid their eyes on their leader, he remained far to the rear, out of sight. Perhaps it was for the best. Zoos was in a quagmire and didn't want any more officers breathing down his neck to get going. Having not eaten for nearly a full day, he settled down to a can of sardines behind his barricade with others to share with. Stars and a last quarter moon illuminated much of the neighborhood, no fires were permitted, so only cold food would be served. Sardines were the only food given to the attackers. Most soldiers were strays, whom hunted for a living. Having to pry open tin cans to get to oil coated fish was a real treat for them. Inside, dogs had very little to chew on. Salvaging through the wreckage of the kitchen produced only some milk and a large container of egg plant casserole which caused Calvin to say, "That garbage can survive anything."
Dogs did not like it either. Despite hunger and thirst, they continued to remain at their posts, moving around furniture, further improving defenses on both floors, even a large chest was positioned at the top of the stairs as a barricade in case the 1st floor was lost. Filled with books, it was heavy and difficult to move, it would be a locked door to anyone that tried to get up to safety. Once dinner was eaten, the soldiers prepared themselves. In the fore front, gunners moved a howitzer to within 50 yards of the door, it's wheels muffled with slivers of cloth. Unseen, they primed their weapon and waited. Behind them, were 100 AK-47 totting cats, Zoo's shock troops. They were to storm into the breach and kill any survivors. Many wanted to go through the back as well at the same time, giving them an edge, yet Zoos was a simple cat and didn't like complex plans for fear they would fall apart. For this simple reason, he declined to do so, thus sealing many to a grizzly fate.
Watching from the street, Zoos looked at a captured gold pocket watch, then nodded to his aide, whom signaled for the great assault to begin. Jerking on the lanyard, the howitzer roared to life with an awful thunderclap.
In one single moment, a cannon ball collided with the door and exploded, sending splinters of wood and metal thrashing into the interior. Before the shock could wear off, cats came piling into the breach, yelling a high pitched yell, firing weapons wildly into stunned dogs. Caught in the kitchen, Dilger marched out to see what was happening. He saw the door collapse. Assuming this was it, he picked up his weapon and charged forth, emptying it into one opponent and swinging it wildly as a club afterward in an attempt to reach the door. Others nearby were trampled under foot by the numbers of cats coming in. Caught off guard, many dogs hid themselves into other rooms, yet a few, taken by Dilger's example, charged forth, firing their weapons and clubbing left and right. Their smoke quickly created a thick cloud that hung in the room, making the melee confusing with friends often shooting friends. Seeing from the kitchen that the battle was hopeless, all sense of staying left Arlene and Nermal, and sought to make a break for it in the confusion of battle and did so through via back yard without saying so much as bye. Their friend Odie was knocked to the ground closely, a cat lunged at him with an AK aimed at his chest. Pulling the trigger, nothing happened. It was empty. Quickly, Odie used his tongue, licking his foe in a shower of saliva. Stunned for only a moment, the cat let down his guard, allowing Odie to take this weapon away and break it over the cat's head. Another dog shot his musket at the entrance, the round went straight and true to it's target. Lieutenant Glex, a light gray tabby, remembers that sickening thud as the bullet struck it's target. "The soldier was hit, his whole body shuttered, his weapon dropped to the floor and he crumbled to his knees. Behind him, others shoved and stepped over and around his body trying to get in." Fire was being directed towards the gap, other cats outside began to fire as well through windows and doors with untold effect. So many bodies now clogged the door that it was impossible now to get in. Loading another shot, cannoneers fired a second time, scattering bodies and opening the gap once more.
When the cannon ball exploded downstairs, Calvin and Hobbes were trying their rest to relax. Hustling towards the stairs, they were greeted by a barrage of fire that sent them to the ground. The chest offered some safety for the moment. Glancing down below, they saw, through the haze, cats fighting dogs. Here and there, cats would pounce, dogs would claw their way from under piles, and clubs would be swung and thrown. It was madness. Two cats came in, firing their weapons wildly and mistakenly hit three of their own. It wasn't intentional, just evidence that cats lacked proper training.
With his shock troops already inside, Zoos committed over 300 additional soldiers into the house, to go in right for the breach. Already flinching from his vantage point, Zoos saw the carnage unfolding inside. It would be over quickly if he committed more troops and fast. Before they could even make head way though, sharpshooters fired at them from upstairs. Raw and green, they halted right in the middle of the front yard and began to return the sniper's fire.
"Get going you dawn fools!" Zoos cried out to them, "Don't stand there like statues!"
Pushed and prodded, the reinforcements got going again with a yell right through the breach. Seeing them as they did so, and seeing it was hopeless to continue fighting down here, Dilger tried to order those around them to flee up stairs, to save themselves. None heard his cry over the din of battle. Some thought they were the last survivors and vowed to continue on to the very last. The breach was very narrow, permitting only a few to get in a one time. Coupled with that were the strewn bodies of dead and wounded felines that were up to three deep.
Watching hopelessly, Calvin looked at his buddy, "We have to help them!" Hobbes agreed.
The two mustered up enough courage to make the journey down stairs and join the fray. Unsheathing his claws, Hobbes jumped right into it, pulling a cat off of a fallen dog and slit his throat. Behind him Calvin sought to find a weapon, a rifle, a club, anything he could use to compensate for his pint size. Pushing through the congestion, Hobbes literally picked up cats by the arm full and threw them back outside. To stop them, a cat charged with a rifle, bayonet attached. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Hobbes dodge this thrust just in time. Grabbing hold of this weapon with one hand, Hobbes back handed his attacker with the other, took possession of the rifle and shot the cat in the head, killing him instantly. Fights were up close and personal, using claws, teeth, kicking, and punching. Blood formed into puddles, soaking the carpet and making the tile kitchen slippery to tread on. Looking all around him, to his horror, Dilger found more of his around than his own soldiers. He could see the tiger near the front door, tossing out cats, then picked up a broom handle and barred the hole with it and his own body, preventing any more enemies from getting in. Despite the volume of fire directed at him, Hobbes wasn't hit. His bravery spurred a surge of energy for the dogs whom counter attacked. Even with automatic weapons, Zoo's shock troops were now the ones in trouble. Officers were the first ones inside, and thus the first to fall from counter fire. Their figures, usually taller, muscular looking, or pudgy, meaning well fed, made them easier to point out for snipers. In that case, when they fell, their soldiers began to grow unnerved. Behind them, sergeants threatened to shoot anyone that turned coward and ran away. Some decided to take their chances, threw down their weapons and began to make a break for it. Others attempted to surrender, only to be clubbed to death by dogs, ignoring their pleas, or even by outraged comrades. Vicious animals trampled wounded and shot them outright. Boxer came upon two cats, one was propped up against a wall, he was playing dead. Taking up a discarded rifle, Boxer placed it right against the animal's skull. In fright, the cat came to life.
"No, please!" it cried. Pulling the trigger ended this incident. A few feet away, another cat lay on it's back, wounded in the chest by a rifle round. Coughing up blood, it still wanted to fight and cursed dogs as they went about clearing up the mess. Not wanting to shed more blood, Boxer decided to take this one prisoner and had it removed to Calvin's parent's room. Once up there, though, he continued to spout profanity every which way, saying that Garfield will tear them limb from limb, that the revolution will soon be the new world order. Fed up, guards picked him up, vainly cried out, "Don't do it!" and threw the cat out a window.
As survivors streamed back to his line, Zoos ordered everyone to cease fire. Fear gripped him that his plan was a dismal failure and ordered his officers to get a head count and prepare to collect their bodies. In just twenty minutes, the battle sputtered out as survivors came running out through windows, leaving behind their weapons and blood. With adrenaline pumping, the dogs let loose a cry and began firing back in retribution. A blue flag was found buried underneath a mound of bodies inside. No one knew as to it's purpose, perhaps a signal flag, either way, it was cat and the dogs flaunted it out a window. But Dilger ordered them to stop. They had defeated this attack, but needed to save up their strength for another one. Gratified at his success, Dilger moved through the rooms to inspect the aftermath. Continuing to guard the door, Hobbes observed cats removing the howitzer and skulkers running away even after leaping over their barricades. Odie came through a hallway, his yellow skin tarnished with blood. He walked in a slump back and limp, being wounded in the ankle by a sliver of wood from the explosion and heard a knock coming from a closet. Opening it, Calvin came spilling out, yelling and flailing, sending out a string of childish profanity.
"Those brutes!" he cursed, "Threw me in their before I could really beat them! I would have torn them limb from limb"
Sighing, Odie let him be and met up with Dilger not far away to discuss another plan of action. Before the two could exchange words, a second explosion rocked the house and Dilger went down, bleeding profusely from his head. The cause wasn't determined, perhaps it was a grenade or an artillery shell, either case, only Dilger was wounded, severely, and the house felt it. Taking him to the kitchen, barked for Arlene to come. When she didn't, he tried to Nermal, no reply. It was there that everyone learned that both cats had flown the coup. Did they betray them? No, Odie thought, yes he thought. They weren't the kind, perhaps they found it to be a death trap and saved themselves. Either way, despite his short comings, the dog tried his best to nurse Dilger whom was still alive, even talking to his friends whom had gathered around to hear what might be his final words. The gig was up, he thought. Boxer reported that there were no dead on his side, but supplies were exhausted. Out of food, water, little ammunition, and trapped, Dilger had to come up with a plan to save his command. Surrender and throw themselves at the mercy of his attackers, whom would no doubt put them to the sword, or try and expedite an escape. As an officer, he looked for only the best for his soldiers, now he had decided. A sentry spotted a gap in Zoo's iron ring. It wasn't big, a hole large enough for a baby to crawl through in a far corner of the fence, so it was being over looked for the moment, perhaps that is where the two deserters went through. This presented the only chance for the dogs to possibly escape. Painfully sitting up, took a piece of paper and mapped out a predetermined point where he wanted his company to assemble later on, if possible. It was a park just three miles to the South west in a suburbs. It was quiet there, perhaps it would be overlooked by Garfield. Listening to their meeting from outside, Hobbes, ear pressed against a dilapidated wall, caught every word of it. Calvin came down, catching him.
"What's going on?" the boy asked.
"Looks like they are going to escape," Hobbes replied.
"Escape? Why?"
"Apparently they think it's hopeless," Hobbes added lowly.
Before Calvin could ask further, the meeting disbanded, and members came streaming out. Acting ignorant, Hobbes found Dilger and asked what to do next. Arlene and Nermal were gone, several of his soldiers were wounded yet able to continue on. Seems that their diligent training had paid off. when it comes to these dogs, they prefer quality over quantity. Even so, it was useless to stay around and wait for another attack.
"We have established a rally point not too far away. We will break out quietly and meet up there." Dilger said.
"Break out? With those cats out there?" Calvin hissed.
"It's our only chance." Dilger added. Looking around at his soldiers, he concluded it was time. "Save yourselves as best you can."
One immediately jumped and scurried away. He was safe. No shots were fired. As the night wore on, by ones and two, dogs began to slip out of the house, never alerting enemy sentries just yards away. There was no farewells, no good byes, just quiet departures all aimed for that one small gap in a fence. Squeezing through, Boxer saw an alley way before him and took it, believing it led to safety. As his numbers dwindled, Dilger sat patiently in the living room, a dirty bandage wrapped around to stanch the bleeding. Taking up the very blanket he used to stomp out the kitchen fire, Hobbes used it to plug the gap in the door way.
"There's a breeze coming through," he joked in doing so, but no one laughed.
Dilger sat just yards away, silent. He watched as his company began to disperse, one by one. Sitting on the damaged staircase, Calvin clutched an AK-47 taken from a dead cat. Nervously, his eyes darted around at the front windows, fully expecting another assault to come.
"You should go," Dilger said to him, once everyone had gone.
"No," responded Calvin, "this is my home, and I won't let them take it."
Nodding knowingly, Dilger rose up, and marched towards the back. Now was his turn to go. Calvin didn't see his flight, just heard him climb out a window. Coming down from above, Hobbes told him, "They are all gone, including the cats."
"Very well, now G.R.O.S.S owns the fort," Calvin said, rising up.
"What do we do now, Supreme Dictator?" Hobbes asked, shouldering a rifle of his own.
"I say we defend this house to the last," defiantly.
"Hear, Hear!"
It was just the two of them now. The bodies of the cats were thrown outside and an unofficial cease fire was agreed upon for the cats to claim them. No dogs were killed in the assault, just a few wounded, and they were gone now. Hobbes collected rifles by droves, stacking them against the walls next to windows in preparedness for another attack. "I'll take the 1st floor, you take the 2nd," suggested Hobbes.
"Agreed" said Calvin, spurring up the stairs.
When he was out of sight, Hobbes sank down and began to think to himself. Those were fellow felines out there. Despite his fondness of Calvin and his oath of loyalty, he felt that his instincts and bond were in conflict. What should he do? He couldn't betray his best friend. All those years of fun and adventure would be put to waste if he galvanized himself for the sake of his blood.
Before the tiger could come up with a definitive answer, the cats came charging again. It was dawn now, the sun just peaking above the horizon. A light mist clung to the ground as a body of felines came, this time from all four sides. Fire erupted, barrels came through windows and fired wildly, home made grenades exploded, smoke began to fill up again.
"Here they come! Let them have it!" Calvin cried down below, unleashing burst after burst of rifle fire. Calvin could hear Hobbes also fire as well, it was loud, coming in short bursts. All of a sudden, the fire from abruptly stops. Unleashing one last burst of fire, Calvin paused to reload his weapon, when he noticed this. Pulling away from his perch, he cautiously approached the stair way, all the while, calling out to his buddy. "Hobbes?" No answer. Descending, he called out yet again, no reply. At the bottom, he looked to his immediate right, into the remains of the living room, there, Hobbes sat on his knees, hands cuffed behind him, head lowered. Clustered around him were his captors, all of whom were alarmed when they saw Calvin standing nearby, eyes and mouth open to their fullest extent.
"Get him!" one cried and a shower of lead came flying towards the boy whom ran away down the hall. Cats followed. To his horror, Calvin found his way trapped. Before he could come up with a plan, a butt stroke knocked him to the ground, then commenced a brutal pummeling of weapons and fists as the cats took their vengeance on him. An officer soon broke up this tarried, "He lives. Get them both outside!" he ordered. Blindfolded and hustled outside, the two were immediately separated, Hobbes being taken to an undisclosed location as Calvin was herded onto a truck, operated by a human under guard. Already inside were several dogs and humans from various homes. He didn't recognize any voices until one came to his ear, it that of a young girl, sulking in the distance. It had to be Susie Derkins, a neighbor and school mate.
"Susie?" Calvin called out as he was being pushed onboard.
Recognizing the voice, the girl looked around. She too was blindfolded.
"Calvin, what in the world did you do now?" she asked in a high pitch scream.
"Whoa, easy, I didn't do anything," in his own defense. Sitting down, the truck began to rumble away, taking them to some prisoner camp, so they hoped. To cats, it was just a batch of prisoners that needed to be handled with. No time for most soldiers to deal with now. With the house cleared, Zoos went into a tirade. Where were all the bodies? He fully expected to see dead enemy bodies inside from all the carnage he had unleashed onto this house, and not one could be accounted for except two prisoners whom survivors confessed did not battle them, to their knowledge. They must have escape. That wouldn't be good news to send to Gold whom had pushed the rest of his brigades forward, well away from this contest. When asked by a subordinate what they write in an official report, Zoos calmly collected, "Inform Gold that we have seized the house and burned it to the ground."
Wielding torches, cats began to rummaging through rooms, taking anything of value, then setting it afire. As it began to burn, Hobbes had his blindfold removed by several officers.
"He's a cat," said one of them.
"Yes, I am," he muttered in response.
"Do you know where the dogs went?"
"Yes, I'll show you. Give me a map."
Reorganizing his brigade, Zoos now had to set about to get them moving again to catch up with the rest of Gold's division whom were pressing further into capital. Before departing, the house that caused so much trouble, was set ablaze by gasoline. Being led away, Calvin saw his house go up and broke down, weeping into his shackled hands.
Watching the fire consume the house, Zoos sighed. As his troops filed past, up the road, he looked them over. Most were still green, inexperienced, and some not worthy to be soldiers, and yet they were going by, heads held high as if the war had been won already.
"This war isn't over by a long shot," he said to himself. Testament to that were the ninety-five bodies of fellow felines that were left behind to be buried, the consequence of Zoo's rash attack. As a small token of retribution, Zoos also added that he recaptured the blue flag, which turned out to be a home made flag from a group of strays from Yorktown. Called the Yorktown Guards, totaling 40, they were involved in the confusing battle and lost all but six of their members.
It was a brief march up the roads to catch up with Gold, whom had established her head quarters in a lofty hotel just shy of down town. Outside, it was absolute chaos as humans tried to get away from the fighting. Dogs were everywhere as well, some fighting, others running. Again, cohesion was lost as cats, with their dander up, broke away to settle old scores. Here and there, battles would rage up in one house, then die down a moment, only to be kicked up again next door. On Rancher Street, a rather small, congested road that led to nowhere important to the South west, it was a side street boarded by high fences and apartment buildings. Deserted. No battle had reached this part of town yet. Running hard, Boxer and two others came through this sector, pausing briefly to catch their breath. They had managed to break out from the house the night before but were unsure if any others had. From the time they fled, they heard rifle shots being exchanged. Perhaps other teams were ambushed. Perhaps Dilger was dead. If that was the case, Boxer would be in command of the company. Sensing the worst, they vowed to find others to link up with to carry on the fight. As the three rested, a head popped up from one of the fences, startling the trio. A familiar voice soothed their feathers, "Boxer, is that you?"
It was Dilger. He made it out. With him were twelve others. In this alley way, the group settled down to consolidate on the next plan of action. Despite a headache, Dilger mapped out his next move. They were only a mile away from the park, perhaps they could reach it in less than half an hour. Only one problem faced them, the narrow, maze of alleyways provided no direct path to it, instead it led every which way. It would take valuable time, once more, there was a fear of snipers hiding up in buildings or a possible ambush. None of them had knowledge also that Hobbes had surrendered and Calvin captured. All they knew was, they had to find a way out of this maze of suburbs and find others. Pawing out a surface to write on in the road, Dilger kneeled down and sketched out what he believed the neighborhoods looked like. Concurring with others, he mapped out a path. It was a little confusing in their fatigued minds, yet, all of them were confident that they could reach a safe haven with Dilger leading them. As the sound of gun fire approached, Dilger wrapped up his plans and began to march. His comrades followed.
At that very moment, a car screamed up the alley way and stopped a short distance from them. Alarmed, the dogs readied their weapons and sought cover. Doors opened, and cats began piling out.
"They're cavalry!" one yelled frantically, emptying his rifle as cats began disembarking. Behind them came several more cars. Before they could even coast to a stop, cats began jumping out of windows and doors, firing as they did with automatic weapons. Not wanting to miss a moment of this battle, they, the cats, begin firing wildly as the dogs let loose a ragged volley from their remaining ammunition and beat a hasty retreat, again dispersing, under command, into yards and back alleys. Not wanting to slug it out but get to the rally point, they did so in a haste that the cats were force to pursue after only a moment to fire. What follows was a running fire fight in every direction as small groups of opponents met and ran. Testament to such carnage occurred to Boxer. Alone in unfamiliar territory, he rounded behind a shed of a back yard and collided with a cat.
"He was completely black," Boxer remembered, "except for a white star on his chest. He carried a carbine and tried to fire it at arms length, but it didn't. Quickly, I raised up my own rifle, muzzle right in the center of his chest, and fired. He died and I ran." Again, Dilger's company was scattered. It was every animal for himself.
Not far from this running fight, Gold sat in her head quarters along with her officers and a most questionable prisoner.
"So, Mr. Hobbes. My officers inform me that you pointed out a rally point to where those dogs fled to. I might say though, I find it rather odd that someone such as you would turn against his friends."
"They aren't my friends," he responds in a calm voice.
"You were found in a house that was occupied by dogs. How do we know you didn't help them?" she asked.
Thinking quickly, Hobbes produced his explanation, "I was being held prisoner there by those dogs. If it wasn't for you, they might have killed me."
Thinking to herself, Gold rose up from her chair, "Mr. Hobbes, you gave us information as to where that rally point would be and it is true that we caught several dogs nearby, engaged them, and killed them. Now, we are willing to over look your past if you are willing to join our cause as a scout and point out the way through town."
His words were enough to convince Gold that he was indeed a prisoner of the dogs. "Well, Mr. Hobbes, perhaps then you might be of some use to cause, if you wish to join us."
"Sure," he replied.
Hobbes was informed that his information in regard to the fleeing enemy was accurate and led to the destruction of "a large enemy force." If that was true, then Dilger and his bunch were dead. But what about Calvin? Holding his tongue about this human, the tiger was given a map to show where other dogs might be hiding. At the same time, miles away, snaking through the maze of roads was the prisoner convoy, consisting of one truck and one car, both with guards. Some time ago, they discovered that they were lost, and went about in circles trying to find a familiar road or landmark, to no avail. The truck lumbered and rolled, bouncing every which way as they hit pot holes. No one was permitted to talk, just the guards whom chatted on how well their revolution was going. Then, there was a low explosion and everything came to a sudden halt, throwing everyone in the trailer forward in a tangled mass. Pulling themselves free, the guards jumped out to see what was happening, only to be greeted by a shower of lead that sent them running, leaving their prisoners to fend for themselves. What was it though that routed them? Was is Dilger and is company, or perhaps another militia group. No one knew for certain because in a brief moment of battle, everything subsided, seems that both sides withdrew. Pulling himself from under the tangle of bodies, Calvin removed his blind hold. Finding others unharmed and doing the same, he scooted out towards the tail gate. Looking around, he found that there was no one around. Unhooking the tailgate, he jumped down, still shackled. Guards were gone, was it a trick or did they run away? Sensing it was safe, he informed others as well, whom were trying to break free of their bonds. Some had rope others had irons, so some were not able to, they needed keys and they were on the guards, and they were gone. Just as quickly as it began, the fight subsided, cats have fled, leaving their prisoners to fend for themselves. Everyone did so. Free of their guards, prisoners jumped out and made a break for it, running for the houses and yards beyond. Cursing to himself, Calvin looked around, the truck sat on the side of the road, in front of it was a white Cadillac, it too was abandoned. Susie was the last out, having undone her ropes. "It's eerily quiet," she confessed. Calvin agreed.
There was also no sign of Hobbes. Where was he? Was he in the car? Or did the cats take him away to some torture chamber that will conduct awful experiments to try and get him to confess and tell him the whereabouts of underground movements and secret hideouts. What if he tells them the G.R.O.S.S oath!
"Hey, noodle brain! Wake up! What should we do now?" yelled Susie.
Snapping back to reality, "I say we take the car for a spin," the boy smiled evilly.
"Oh no"