First chapter is up! This will kind of be a crossover between Planet of the Apes (1968) with some characters from the Planet of the Apes T.V. Show (1974). Normally, I'm not a huge fan of crossover stories in general and don't tend to read them, but here, I'm willing to give it a shot and see how it goes. Since I don't usually like crossovers, I'm obviously not used to writing them. So, bear with me, it may not be the best since this is my first attempt at doing such a crossover.
This story will take place in the Planet of the Apes Movie 1968 Timeline. So, it will involve a mix of some main characters from the movie and some from the 1974 show. It is another Galen/OC centered fic. In this story, Cornelius and Zira will be present in it as well. For the story, I'm making Galen, Cornelius's brother. I've had a general story plot in mind for this type of setup for quite a while now and been wanting to get it out.
While it does follow the Planet of the Apes 1968 timeline, it discounts the sequels. So, no destruction of the planet like they did in Beneath P.O.T.A and no time traveling like they did in Escape or any of the storylines for Conquest or Battle. This will be a different take of the one original movie, with some characters from the 1974 show in it.
Enjoy :)
Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey
August 18, 2024
Julie stood there, trying to catch her breath.
She just finished up a twenty-five-minute jog on the treadmill. The air in the gym was not very well filtered in here, so she was sweating up a storm. She uncapped her water bottle and started to guzzle it.
The young woman almost contemplated pouring the bottle of water over her head.
Instead, she got off of the treadmill and started to head out. She said goodbye to the employees at the desk on the way to the front door. Once she stepped outside, the air was not much better. It was still hot and muggy. All it did, was make her even more eager to get home and take a cold shower to cool off.
'Should've drove here instead of walked.' Julie thought.
Sure, she only lived a few blocks from the gym, but she underestimated how bad the humidity and heat were today. Plus, the weather was also iffy. They were calling for rain. But as she kept checking the weather app on her phone, the weather patterns kept changing. So now, it was unclear whether or not if it was going to rain.
The sky was pretty overcast, but that didn't mean anything.
Julie began walking down the fairly busy street. After about a mile, she turned right onto another road. This one was much quieter, and some woods surrounded it on either side.
There were times she would cut through the small section of woods on the right to get to her home. Considering how the heat was getting to her a little, she may do just that.
She got halfway down the street when she decided to leave the road and take the shortcut through the small portion of woods. Which only stretched a little more than a quarter mile before leading onto another road. From there, it would be only another three blocks to where she lived.
Julie walked through the foliage, stepping over some rocks and branches as she went.
It was not even five minutes into her walk through the woods, it started raining. The rain started out fairly light at first, then it gradually got heavier as she went. In a way, she didn't mind it. The cool rain felt soothing on her hot skin. Because of this, she didn't pick up the pace and started running. She just continued walking.
'In a way, this is just as good as any cold shower.' She thought.
Julie tilted her head back while running her hands through her wet hair as she went.
She could only enjoy it for so long though. Before she heard the rumbling sound of thunder above her. She looked up and saw a brief flash, followed by another crack of thunder, splitting through the air.
Eventually, she did start to quicken her pace then. Because it really wasn't a great idea to be surrounded by trees while it was thundering.
Here she thought it was just going to be a subtle rainstorm, nothing more. But these summer storms are proving to be just as unpredictable as ever.
As the next couple minutes went by, the thunder and lightning were starting to become more frequent.
Suddenly, there was an earth-shattering bang and bright flash that startled Julie, making her scream and cover her ears. It was apparent that lightning just struck very close to her position. She quickly turned to see where it hit, only to see a tree several yards away, was split in half and there were some parts of some of the branches that were on fire.
Julie was really starting to become nervous now. The strike was really not all that far from her position.
She was almost too afraid to move any further. But she knew she must get out of here and try to make it home as fast as she can. With her heart pounding in her chest and the adrenaline kicking in, the young woman really started moving.
The whole time she was running, she was mentally kicking herself for not taking her car to the gym and back.
At some point, Julie stumbled over a rock and nearly fell. She ended up dropping her glass water bottle, while trying not to fall. It hit another rock next to the one she stumbled over, and it shattered.
Though she could care less. The only thing on her mind; was getting the hell out of there.
The young woman continued running, and she swore she saw the road several yards ahead through the deluge. So, she pushed herself to go faster.
As she took another step and was about to jump over a small log in her path, there was another bright flash that practically blinded her. This was followed by an intense amount of pain as she became enveloped in the bright white light of electricity that surrounded her. The pain was very brief though. Then what occurred next seemed very strange.
Julie kind of got this sensation of floating. As she peered through her partially lidded eyes, she noticed everything around her through the flash of light started to change and somewhat warp.
The only thought going through her mind is if this is something people see as they die.
Next thing she knew, she landed on the ground rather hard with a gasp. Julie squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw from the rough landing. She landed quite hard on her side. Her left arm and part of her shoulder was throbbing and her ribs a little tender.
She continued to lay there for several more seconds until she felt ok to move again.
Julie took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. When she did, what she saw confused her.
No more were the woods she was familiar with. Instead, it looked like she was in some kind of open field surrounded by tall grass. It was no longer raining. Instead, the sun was shining bright above her.
She slowly pushed herself up into sitting position and looked around more. Though the more she did look around, the more nervous she became. A part of her wondered if she were dead. Because how else would it suddenly explain her new surroundings?
But as she slowly went to stand, she hissed in pain and grasped her left arm.
'No, I can't be dead. If I were, I doubt I would be feeling any pain right now.' She thought.
Julie stumbled a little on her feet as she took a few steps. Then she stopped and peered around again. She could see the open field she was in, led into the woods both to her right, left and in front of her. When she looked behind her, she noted the field stretched on further with no woods in sight.
The sudden feeling of being alone out here quickly hit her, amping up her anxiety again.
"Hello!? Is anyone out here!?" She yelled.
Julie knew it may have been dumb to call out to someone. It was quite clear she was in the middle of fucking nowhere. But still, she was scared, and she was unsure of what to do.
She tried to calm her racing heart. The last thing she needed right now, was a fucking panic attack, while out in the middle of the woods.
A few tears started to leave her eyes. Julie just couldn't figure out what had just happened to her. She knew she was struck by lightning; she felt it and would've thought for sure it had killed her.
Instead, she finds herself in this place.
It took a few minutes before she was able to get herself to move. When she did, Julie started walking to the left. That was where the woods were closest to her. She is unsure if she should continue staying in the open field or go into the woods. A part of her felt no matter what she decided to do or where to go, she was screwed.
Yet, a small part of her is hoping she will possibly find a town or people somewhere.
Julie eventually reached the tree line. She paused at it for a few moments and was hesitant to enter. She closed her eyes briefly and kept reminding herself that she cannot stay here, that she needed to move.
She took a deep breath and started walking into the woods, leaving the open field behind.
The young woman looked around at the woods that surrounded her, wondering where she could possibly be. Was she still even in New Jersey? Or was she somewhere else entirely?
The air was quite warm. Albeit a few degrees cooler than where she was back home.
As she continued on, she could hear some birds chirping in the trees and occasionally heard cicadas. It did feel like a peaceful atmosphere. Had she known where she was, she probably would've taken the time out to enjoy it. Seeing as she was a big outdoors person and would spend as much time as she could outside during the warmer seasons, when she wasn't busy with her writing.
'This would be one hell of an experience to write about if I ever make it back home.' Julie thought as she continued looking around.
She wasn't walking for too much longer when she suddenly heard a noise up ahead on her right.
Julie stopped in her tracks and stared ahead. It was silent for a few moments, then she heard it again. It sounded like something or someone coming through the brush. But she couldn't see who it was because a few tall, thick bushes were in the way.
The sounds were becoming more frequent, and it sounded like it was coming closer. Not only that but whatever it was, it didn't sound like one being, but possibly several coming through and they sounded pretty big.
She started getting nervous again. The one thing going through her mind, is if it was possibly a mother bear with some cubs or maybe even a pack of wolves.
'Please be a group of deer.' Julie thought to herself.
Several seconds later, they finally pushed some bush branches away and came through and it was not what she expected but was happy to see.
It was people. By the looks of it, there were about ten of them. Seven men and three women.
Julie let out a sigh of relief and went to approach them, but paused when she noticed something was off about them.
'Why are they hardly wearing anything?' She wondered.
Still, they were people, and she was relieved that she was no longer alone.
"Excuse me? I need some help." Julie says to the nearest man.
As soon as she spoke, they all turned and looked briefly at her. But no one said anything.
"Hello? Please, I need help. I'm lost. Can anyone here point out the nearest road or town to me?" She tries again.
Still, no one answered. Perhaps, they didn't understand her. It could be possible they spoke another language.
Judging by the skimpy rags they were wearing; it could they are from some type of indigenous tribe of sorts. If that's the case, just how far fucking removed was she from home?
The people eventually turned their attention away from her, almost as if they lost interest. Then they all started moving on, passing her on the left as they crossed in front of her. None of them really acknowledged her in passing.
"Wait! Please! Don't go!" Julie called out.
They may be from some kind of primitive tribe who most likely didn't understand her, but they were still people, and she did not want to be left alone out here in the middle of the woods.
Against her better judgement she began to follow them.
'Fuck it. I don't care if they live like the fucking Flintstones. I refused to be left alone out here.' She thought.
The people didn't go too far. They ended up stopping after about three minutes of walking. They stopped by this tree and started looking up at it. Julie followed their gaze and saw something on the branches of the trees. They were round, orange, and the size of a softball.
'Are those oranges?' She wondered.
Julie didn't have much time to ponder on it. When she saw a couple of the men start scaling the tree. They were pretty damn good climbers too, getting up there within the branches in a short amount of time.
Afterwards, they started pulling some of the oranges off of the tree and then dropping them down to the other people down below. Who started picking them up and began peeling them.
Once they got the peel off of the fruit, they began eating it.
Julie stood there and watched the whole display. It was clear they were acting like a unit of sorts. Having some of their better climbers go up into the tree and start dropping the fruit down to the rest so they can all eat.
As she stood there observing the scene, one of the men turned his attention to her. He stared at her for a few moments, then he started walking over to her.
When this happened, she tensed up a little.
The man came to a stop in front of her. He tilted his head a couple times, to the right, then to the left. Almost kind of reminding her how a dog will sometimes cock its head from side to side when it is studying something.
Then he stuck his arm out in front of him, startling her a little.
Julie looked down at his outstretched arm and saw an orange in his hand. It was clear, that he means to give it to her. He held it there, until she slowly reached out and took the offered fruit.
"Thank you." She says.
The man didn't say anything back. He just stared at her a little longer, almost like he was trying to figure her out. Probably wondering what she was saying and why she apparently dressed different than the rest of them.
Before Julie could say anything else, she suddenly saw him tense up and start looking around. When he did this, she turned her attention t the other people and saw they were doing the same thing.
Judging by some of their body language, they appeared to be on high alert.
She didn't like that. If they are this rigid while looking around, then it could mean there is something dangerous lurking about. One could only imagine what it could be.
Then a few moments later, she heard this strange sound echoing through the air. Almost sounded like some strange kind of animal.
Whatever it was, it suddenly had them bolting. They all darted past her and kept running. Before she could think about what was going on, the man that gave her the orange, barely made it a few feet before he stopped and turned back around, facing her.
He then came back and quickly grabbed her arm and started pulling her along. It was clear he wanted her to run too. Because whatever was out there, it really must've been dangerous.
Julie ran with the man. The rest of his group were already a few yards ahead of them.
Despite the man being taller than her and having bigger strides, he still stayed by her side as they both ran. Though he no longer had ahold of her arm anymore.
They continued following behind the rest of his group. It didn't take Julie long to realize they were running the same way she had just came. They were running towards where the open field was.
Something that she didn't see as a very good idea. Especially, if they were running from danger. The field would leave them all out in the open and vulnerable.
"Wait! We need to turn around! The open field is that way!" Julie called out, addressing the man while trying to alert the others ahead of them.
How quickly she forgets that they can't understand her.
So, she tried something else. Instead of continuing on straight, she turned and started going right. Then she looked behind her and waved her left arm, beckoning him to follow.
Instead of listening to her though, he just gave her a wide-eyed look like she was nuts and kept running forward.
"Dammit! No! Not that way!" Julie yelled in frustration.
She was torn on whether or not if she should keep going or continue following them.
In the end, she chose the latter. A huge part of her didn't want to see anyone get hurt. If there is some chance, she can help them, then she will. So, she changed course and started heading the same direction they were again. Though by now, they were all way ahead of her now. Still, she kept going, despite the fact, she was really starting to get very tired.
Jogging at a slower, controlled pace on a treadmill was one thing. But full on running for a certain period of time was a bit harder for her to do.
At some point, she started slowing down, because her stamina was already pretty shot from all the jogging she just did before finding herself here. Julie didn't stop completely though, she still tried to continue to press on, reminding herself that these people may need help.
When she was about fifteen feet away from the open field and can make it out through the tree line, she started to hear a commotion coming from the field.
It took another couple minutes before she reached the tree line that separated the woods from the field. Once she got there, she grabbed the side of a tree trunk to stop and steady herself.
When she looked out ahead into the field, her eyes widened to epic proportions and her mouth dropped open with a loud gasp.
There, several yards out in front of her, Julie saw something that clearly denied the laws of logic. There were several horses out there and on top of each one was not a human, but an ape!
All of them were donned in strange attire, though it was clearly clothing. They were all galloping around the humans she was just with, almost like they were trying to herd them.
She couldn't move, she was frozen to the spot in shock and fear, gripping the tree trunk as she watched the whole scene play out in front of her. It was clear the humans were trying to get away, but they clearly couldn't outrun the horses.
At least one of the apes pulled out what looked like a club, then he rode by and hit one of the men over the head, sending him crashing to the ground. Then she watched how one ape pulled out a net and tossed one end to another ape next to him on horseback. They then ran ahead with the net and started netting a few of the people.
The ones that got caught up in the net, were then pulled along the ground behind the horses.
For a few of the remaining humans, Julie watched in barely concealed horror as two other apes drew what was clearly rifles off of their backs and took aim at some of the retreating humans that haven't been caught.
Before she could say or do anything, they open fired at the tiny remaining group of humans that were fleeing. A couple were hit and fell to the ground. While some others stumbled but kept going, trying to make it to the woods on the other side of the open field.
A few tears and a couple sobs left her as she watched the horrible scene. Julie was so shocked and devasted at what was happening before her, that she didn't realize one of the apes on horseback had in fact spotted her slightly behind one of the trees by the tree line.
"Look! There's another one! Get it!" He yelled, as he pointed in her direction.
Julie jumped, when she heard him call out and point at her. Then to her horror, he sent at least two other apes out after her.
She let out a small scream, turned around and started running back through the woods. Tears were still streaming from her eyes, and she huffed out a couple sobs as she ran.
It was like she was caught in the middle of some twisted nightmare that she couldn't wake up from no matter how hard she tried.
Now, all she can do, is run for her life. Where she could run to, she was unsure.
Until Next Time ;)