Chapter 15

Author's Note: I'm back! I had to change chapter 12 because there was an essential part of the story I neglected. So, I apologize to all my readers. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

"Leo." The smirking lion grabbed Nick's throat, held him up, and pressed a knife against his neck. "So you're involved in this, too?"

"Couldn't say no to daddy, could I?" Nick growled at Leo's triumphant look.

"You know what this is, don't you? It's mass murder! You have to listen to me - Ah!" Leo pressed the knife closer to the fox's slender neck, drawing droplets of blood.

"We chosen ones will repopulate," the lion growled, sounding brainwashed to the speechless fox. "And we chosen ones will rise from the ashes of the fallen. Too bad you and your tiny little wife won't live to see us thrive on their loss." He tightened his grip on Nick and turned to the stage, where Bellwether and Slayer were watching Judy dance.

xxx

Judy scanned her surroundings as she danced and the crowd cheered wildly. There was a highly raised podium with a weird control panel center stage. The podium sat beside the rows upon rows of laptops. The dance floor made up for most of the party area, aside from the banquet table and other tables and chairs.

Luckily, she found she was looking for: an exit. The door was opened, and it likely led to the darker, hidden portions of the cavern and Bellwether's plan. It was all too simple. Bogo told her Gazelle was currently hacking the system. If only Nick would stop her distracting and they could escape together...

Where is he? Judy danced slower so she could find her sly fox, but there was no clear sign of him. Suddenly, she tripped on an outstretched, furry foot. Unfortunately, she was not far enough from the banquet to avoid it. To regain her balance, she grabbed the white tablecloth, but that only served to knock over the humongous bowl of guacamole dip and get the green dip all over her. The ceramic bowl landed on her head, as she fell on her butt, drenched in guacamole.

Her cheerleaders became her bullies as they sniggered and laughed at her. Unbeknownst by the party animals, their leader was turning crimson as she saw the little bunny dizzily struggle to lift the bowl off her head and hang her head in shame.

"STOP!" The tiny sheep yelled monstrously, scaring even Slayer, who had tripped Judy. "ALL OF YOU!" Her burning stare found Slayer, who was shivering so much one would have thought he just took an unwanted bath. "And YOU! Targeting a poor little prey animal! Did you forget why we're here, Slayer?! HUH?! To save animals like her! Preys will rise above predators!" She rushed to Judy, glaring at the others.

xxx

"So this is your heroic plan," Nick noted sarcastically. "Keep me hidden until the party's over?"

"Whatever Kingzoo is planning, it won't work. You've only got thirty minutes until the savage slaughter begins."

"What?!"

Leo rolled his eyes and stood from his hiding place under a computer, dragging the reluctant fox with him.

"Ms. Bellwether -"

"Did you forget why we're here, Slayer?! HUH?!"

Nick gasped at the fallen figure. "Judy!"

xxx

"We prey animals have been defenseless and targeted because of PREDATOR ANIMALS LIKE SOME OF YOU!" Bellwether cackled manically. "Well that's all gonna change tonight. Just you wait! The fact that seventy-five percent of us are prey is no coincidence, ladies and gents. And if you have a problem with that, ANY OF YOU, you signed up. Not me."

A lone jaguar put down his drink and marched up to the diminutive sheep. "Now hold on, you hag! I didn't sign up for this hierarchy shit -"

BANG!

The jaguar laid dead in his own pool of blood. Bellwether lowered her gun. "Any more questions or... unnecessary protestations?" She asked threateningly. Everyone else shook his or her head. "Good."

Her expression turned from malevolent to motherly as she turned to Judy. "Are you -"

"Ms. Bellwether!" The sheep turned to the computer area, where Leo held Nick by his neck like a trophy. "We got ourselves a spy!"

"The fox?" Bellwether's countenance darkened again as she recognized him. "Kill that meddling fool then, Lionheart!"

"With pleasure." Leo raised his knife, but Nick kicked him hard in the stomach and grabbed the knife. Leo groaned and released Nick, allowing Nick to escape.

"GET HIM! GET HIM!" Bellwether hopped up and down. "Slayer, get the guards! Sound the alarm!" Slayer nodded and ran to the alarm. Soon, the alarm blared, and many rams in uniform assembled and headed straight for Nick.

Judy watched the chase worriedly. She had to help Nick, but Bellwether was still beside her. She could not run. If she drew attention to herself it would only worsen things... She assumed...

Before Judy could think strategically, Bellwether's arm was around her shoulders, and the sheep was kindly helping her stand.

"Are you hurt?" Judy shook her head. She could not speak because Bellwether might recognize her voice. "Damn brutes..." She smiled sweetly at Judy as if she did not just scream insanely earlier, as if she was not a mad sheep, an insane cult leader. "Us little guys gotta stick together, right? Say, have I seen you before? What's your name?" Judy shook her head and looked away. "Oh, come on, honey bunny! I don't bite!"

This is downright creepy. Why is she being nice?... I wish I could help Nick!

"I'm only trying to help," Bellwether whispered sadly as Judy crept away from her. Judy could hear Nick being strangled. Bellwether was coming closer. "Please just let me help -"

"NO!" Judy was screaming before she could register what she was saying. "Just stay away from me! NOW!"

"Wait a minute..." Bellwether stared at Judy as if she had seen a ghost. "You're the rabbit spy..."

Nick stopped struggling. The guards stopped fighting and strangling. All eyes were on them. Judy gulped and forced herself to look the hurt sheep in the eye. She had tried to be courteous. For a moment, she probably trusted Judy as her fellow member, maybe even as her friend. "Dawn, listen -"

"You vulpine bitch," Bellwether hissed coldly. "You and your fox disgust me. Despicable! You two deserve each other. You two deserve to die..."

Judy shivered and backed away as Bellwether advanced. "You made me care about your bushy tailed ass... I hope everyone you care about dies a slow, gruesome death, Judith Hopps Wilde."

Bellwether gave a savage cry and reached to wring Judy's neck, but the rabbit was fast and kicked the sheep in the face. Then, she headed for Nick, grabbed his paw, hopped upstairs, and reached the opened exit.

Bellwether turned red again as she watched them leave. "AFTER THEM! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"

Slayer knelt down and patted Bellwether's shoulders with his huge paws. "Do you want me to go after them?"

The sheep chuckled lowly. "No, my pet." Her eyes gleamed maliciously, still trained on the exit. "They won't last long. Not with their guns. No animal can resist their primal, savage instincts..."

xxx

Judy and Nick rounded a corner and hid in the crevices of a doorway in a long maze full of corridors full of steel doors. They heard footsteps as they panted.

"Nick, honey, someone's coming. What do we do?!"

"No idea!"

"Oh shrubs!" She tried to contact Bogo. "Bogo? Bogo! Are you there?"

"I hear you loud and clear, Wilde. You two should know Bellwether sent you company. You're surrounded on all sides."

"We can handle them. Just tell us how - Carrots!" Guards began shooting at them. Nick held Judy close and opened his special, bulletproof umbrella that he managed to grab from the aircraft.

"Carrots? Your turn." Judy nodded and fired at the guards with her pawgun. They fired at them, but Judy managed to take down more than half of the group.

However, they were soon surrounded by more guards on their other side. Nick put away the umbrella and fired with his own pawgun. But, they were greatly outnumbered and forced to flee farther down the maze of corridors and lean against another door.

"There's too many of them!" Judy panicked. Chief?"

"Gazelle and I have company ourselves, kids! We can't help you!"

"Then do this at least," Nick requested. "Tell my mom to lock Tommy in the bathroom and throw away the key. Okay?" There was a long pause. Then, Bogo spoke.

"I told Gazelle to do it... even though you sound freaking crazy."

"Thank you, Chief. And be careful." Nick turned to Judy. "Carrots, what is it?"

Judy rubbed her chin pensively, lost in thought. "How was she immune, Nick?"

"Who?"

"Gazelle. There must be a remedy. But there wasn't -" Her eyes goggled as she recalled the least significant detail.

"It's my legs, isn't it?" She looked down at them and sighed. "Oh, they're so ashy!"

Grateful for the distraction, Judy tossed her a bottle she had stored in her fanny pack. "You can borrow my carrot scented lotion, if you like." Gazelle smiled and thanked her.

"Carrots?" She did not move. She said no words. Nick began to panic. "Carrots!" He heard guards yelling and approaching. "Honey, talk to me -"

"NICK!" Judy cried happily and hugged Nick with all her might.

"Carrots?" Nick choked out. "Can't breathe..."

"Oh, Nick! I love you, you idiot! It's carrots! Carrot lotion! She wore it at the wolf pack's place! That saved Gazelle and -"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Judy released him, and Nick gently cupped her face. "Carrots, we can't gamble on that!"

"Look around you! We have no other option!"

"It's the freaks!" A guard yelled out to the others. "They're down this hall!"

"Nick, you have to trust me." The fox turned quiet this time. Judy shook his arm to get his attention. "Nick -"

"I trust you." He faced her and pulled out a bag of ordinary blueberries. "If you can trust me."

Judy cocked her head. "Where'd you get those, slick Nick?"

"I have my ways. Just follow my lead."