Here's chapter 5.
I hope that you like it! :)
Chapter 5: I Waddle Alone
Skipper felt someone pull his wing and he had to waddle away from the fight, from his friends. He obeyed immediately, there was no use to delay it. And from deep inside, he was glad that he didn't have to witness what would happen to his friend, because he exactly knew what would happen to him.
"Rico, NO!" Kowalski yelled when the crazy penguin flung himself upon the penguins, who were taking their friend away. Private stood beside him, watching the fight too. This wasn't right, this was getting out of hand. He saw other penguins arrive, ripping the fight apart. Getting Rico away from them.
He saw Skipper getting escorted away by one penguin. He was forced to move on, he didn't look back. As if he already didn't care about them anymore. Kowalski looked at the penguins in front of him, it was like watching them from behind glass. Everything sounded muffled, and although everything moved so fast, it seemed like it moved in slow-motion. He couldn't do anything else than watching the scene unfolding before his eyes.
Rico tried to free himself, but there were just too many penguins. He lost his mind, fighting with everything he could throw up, with everything in the reach of his flippers. He didn't feel anything anymore, as if a thick cloud had made its way into his head. He lost the control of his body while punching everything and everybody around him.
Private didn't know what to do. He just stood there. He watched how everything got of hand. He didn't think again about his leader who was waddling away from them. He couldn't take his eyes off the fight in front of him.
Rico felt a hard knock on his head and he fell down to the ground, fighting against the darkness which was overwhelming his mind. He lost the battle for consciousness.
After they linked his flippers together, they dragged Rico away. It went too fast for Kowalski to understand. Not so long ago, they had lived happy in their HQ. Now they had already lost half of the team. What could they do now? Nobody cared about them, they were left alone.
The HQ seemed empty without Skipper and Rico. Private looked around the cold and dark room which once filled with their team. Filled with happy laughter, filled with music. What were they supposed to do now? Kowalski sat beside him at the table, deep in his thoughts.
He couldn't bear to live here without Skipper or Rico. He couldn't be happy without them, not in this place. Kowalski wondered what had happened to Rico. Where was he now?
Private couldn't hold back his tears. He felt so miserable, lonely. Kowalski stroked his back, trying to comfort the little penguin. It was hard for him to see Private so sad. But how hard he tried to comfort the little penguin, how louder the sobs became.
"We have to move on." After Kowalski had said this, Private raised his head a little. "Move on?" His heart broke by the look on Private's face. "But, how can we move on?" Kowalski looked at his broken friend. "I don't know Private. I only know that I don't want to stay here."
He wasn't sure why he wanted to leave the zoo, he wasn't even sure why he wanted to move out in the first place. He only knew that staying here would drive him mad. He looked around the HQ. Everywhere were the traces and memories of Skipper and Rico. Skipper's violin, Rico's doll. Skipper's favorite coffee-mug, Rico's favorite grenade. He wondered if he would ever see them again, he wondered if they would ever even talk to each other again. He worried about Rico, it was obvious that the penguins of the head quarters thought that he was crazy. Kowalski shivered. Head quarters wasn't using the most gentle methods to 'cure' someone from being crazy. Some call it torture. Others could only say 'horrific' when someone mentioned it.
"I don't want to leave." Private looked at him with his large baby blue eyes. Kowalski petted him on the back. "I understand why Private, but they won't return." He stood up and waddled towards his bunk. He would move out tomorrow. "I am going to sleep. Good night."
Private nodded, he was unable to say even a word. Kowalski had just made it real. Private took his violin from the table. Maybe some playing would cheer him up. The fiddlestick touched the strings softly. But with the minute, he pushed his fiddlestick harder on the strings. His tears dried, he began to forget everything around him. The music took control over him.
Kowalski lay wide awake in his bunk. Normally he would have yelled angrily at the young bird to 'keep it down'. But this time, Kowalski knew that it was necessarily to let the penguin finish his play. And somehow, the music was relaxing. He slowly closed his eyes. The music was almost like a lullaby. He could hear the lyrics in his head. He didn't know where he had heard it before or even when Private should have heard it. Skipper was right, Private was a natural. He now felt how tired he was. He fell asleep.
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
When the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk
I walk alone
I walk alone
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me
'til then I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
The song mentioned above is 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, by Green Day'.
I hope you liked this chapter :)