The next chapter is here! Enjoy :)
The small group filled the last few hours of the trip still mainly chatting among one another.
Barlow still continued to fill them in on just about everything he knew about this human settlement. Mainly so they know what to expect. So far, everything to them started sounding better and better.
The old chimp was following the side of a rock wall that was part of a cliff that sprung upwards from the ground. The did this for the next hours or so before they started to hear the roaring sound of water ahead.
"Sounds like there is a waterfall up ahead, Barlow." Galen says, as he cradles his daughter close to his front.
"There is. It's a very huge and beautiful waterfall. It is also where we will find the entrance to the hidden human settlement. For it is behind the waterfall." The older chimp stated.
The couple turn to him.
"Really? It is? But how do we get behind it? Especially with this huge cart?" Julie asks.
"It's a bit of a tight squeeze with this cart but well be fine. A small part of the side of the cart will get wet, but that's about it." Barlow says.
"So, this dirt path we're on right now, leads up to the entrance behind the waterfall then?" Galen surmised.
"Yes, it does. Though the only ones who know about the entrance is the inhabitants and me." The older chimp replied.
"You mean they never had anyone just stumble upon the entrance before?" She inquired.
"No, it's very well hidden. Even if someone were to come upon the opening behind the waterfall, they wouldn't know it's there or what to look for. You'll see what I mean, once we get there. And we should be there in the next few minutes or so. " Barlow said.
Galen was hesitant to ask his next question. But he felt like he needed to be sure. Even if he has already asked this question a while back.
"And... you're sure they won't turn us away?" He asks his friend, as he continues holding his daughter in his arms.
Barlow shifted his gaze from ahead to his younger friend sitting to his right and gave him a reassuring smile.
"I'm certain of it. They do trust me, after all. Enough to know I wouldn't bring anyone dangerous to their settlement." The older chimp assured him.
"That's good to know. Because otherwise, we're not sure where else we can go." Julie said.
"You need not worry about looking for an alternative place to go. They'll accept you here. Especially, when they see that you're like them, Julie." Barlow stated.
He knows for a fact they wouldn't turn away another intelligent human like themselves. Because they all knew well enough how dangerous it is out there for humans like themselves if the rest of the apes were to somehow find out about them.
"I don't really have any doubts that they will take Julie or even or daughter in. But my concerns lie in if they will readily accept me, seeing as I am an ape. While I know you say there are some apes living within this settlement, but it probably wasn't easy for them to get accepted in and many of the humans there were probably very distrustful of them at first." Galen deduced.
"That is true to an extent. But there is a huge difference between those apes they stumbled upon and you. Those apes were alone. You are with Julie, who is your wife, and you share a child together. Not exactly something that they have come upon before. At least showing up together already married, with a family." The old chimp stated.
The pair shared a look with each other, before shifting their gaze to Barlow.
"Barlow? What do you mean by 'already' married with a family? Are you...saying that some of the apes there took humans for spouses too?" She inquired.
The older chimp nodded.
"Yes, some of them indeed have taken human spouses and have had children with them. Just as you and Galen did." Barlow informed them.
The pair were pretty surprised to hear this. Seeing as this is actually the first time he mentioned it to them. While he told them there obviously were some apes that do live among the human settlement, he didn't mention they had families with any of the humans there.
It was almost as baffling as the time he told them that the apes are there because they chose to stay there. Apparently, if they wanted to leave, they could leave whenever they wish. No one was a prisoner there. But Barlow told them as far as he knew, none of the apes have left. He was told they all stayed. In fact, it was one of the apes that has told him this, during one of his visits.
"That's very surprising. When you think about it." Galen says.
Barlow arched an eye ridge and gave him a skeptical look.
"Is it really though? Like Julie, these humans hold intelligence very similar to our own. Some would even say they are probably even smarter than apes. Mainly because they have already established things like electricity, heating, air conditioning, and a few handfuls of other technological advancements that they have passed down from generation to generation over the better part of the last several centuries since the human race's initial downfall.
Those apes view their significant others just as you view Julie. As someone who is really no different than themselves. So, in the end, it was only natural that they would come to develop feelings for them. After all, our differences really do only lie in our appearance from one another. Otherwise, there really isn't much of a difference. Something you have both seen for yourselves within the time you have gotten to know each other." The old chimp pointed out.
"He does make a point there. These humans and apes do share a high level of intelligence and complex emotions. Because of this, it probably became difficult for these apes to keep on viewing these humans as nothing more than animals. Because animals are not capable of such high levels of intelligence and emotions. Not like humans of the past are or these present-day apes." Julie stated.
"Exactly. It's not like you or these other apes have married sheep or deer. But a being they can readily communicate and understand, also with anatomy very similar to our own. Because when it does all come down to it, there really aren't too many differences between apes and humans." Barlow says.
"Kind of brings me back to the time Julie and eventually Zira informed us how similar our genetic material is, with very few differences to it." Galen mentions.
"Yes, when it all comes down to it, both our species do share a common ancestor. And that could be some of the reasoning behind it. But anyways, we are just upon the entrance now. The waterfall is just around the corner and up ahead around this rock wall." The older chimp told them.
Both Galen and Julie looked ahead when he says this.
After a couple minutes they rounded the rock wall and beheld a very large waterfall. One that easily dwarfed the waterfall they would frequently visit on the property of their old home.
The dirt path they were on led right towards it to a decent size crevice between the water fall and rock wall.
Barlow wasn't kidding when he said it was a bit of a tight squeeze for his cart. Hopefully they don't get all that wet while going between this crevice to whatever lay behind it.
He kept going all the way until they reached the crevice. Then Barlow turned his attention to Julie sitting on his left.
"You may want to scooch in a little closer to me if you don't want to get wet." He tells her.
Julie scooched in until their thighs were touching.
Then Barlow continued on, and they found themselves going through the crevice beneath the waterfall. It was pretty neat. In a way, now one would probably notice the crevice between the waterfall and rock wall all that much.
As they went through, Julie found herself leading into Barlow quite a bit as he squeezed his cart through the entrance. Of course, a good portion of the left side of the cart did get wet as he went through. Something that always happened when he takes the cart through here.
Once they passed through completely, they now found themselves in a small cave behind the large waterfall.
It was a bit dark in there. The only light was the little light coming through the thick stream of water. But they can still make out the size of the cave. By the looks of it, the small cave had a circumference of twenty feet wide and stretched upward a good forty feet or so.
The couple looked around, but didn't see an entrance anywhere. It was just a cave.
Barlow brought the cart to a stop about five feet from what looked like a solid stone wall in front of them. Then he turned to Julie.
"You mind getting off for a moment, dear? I need to get off and open the door." He told her.
Julie gave him a somewhat confused look. She didn't know what he meant by a door. For all she and Galen saw was what looked like a solid rock wall in front of them. But either way, she complied with his request, and she scooted off the seat and stepped down onto the ground.
Barlow slid over and stepped down onto the ground himself. Then he stepped around Julie and approached the wall a little to the left of her.
Then they watched in amazement as Barlow touched a part of the rocky surface and it slid open to reveal some kind of high-tech pad behind it.
They then observed him press his hand to the pad and saw a small flash of light beneath his hand. After a few moments, there was a couple beeps. All of a sudden there was this slight rumbling sound and both Julie and Galen watched with wide eyes as the wall before start to slide open.
"It's a secret door." Julie whispered to herself as she continued watching with an amazed look on her face.
Galen had the same look of surprise and fascination on his face as he continued holding Serena to his front.
The rocky door slid open pretty quickly. When it finally came to a stop, the noted the entrance way was a good twelve feet wide and fifteen feet high. It also seems to lead down some kind of tunnel, and she saw these lights on the sides of the walls of the tunnel.
Afterwards, Barlow turned around and started walking back to the cart.
"We're going to get back on now and take this tunnel." He told her on the way onto the cart.
He got up first and slid to the middle of the driver's seat and grasped the reins. Then Julie got up after him and took her seat beside him on his left once more.
"I take it this door will automatically close behind us once we're completely through?" She implied.
"Yes, it has these things called sensors around the entry way and once the cart is all the way through, it will close behind us. Then it's a good fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk down this tunnel before it opens up into open land." The old chimp informed them.
He then flicked the reins and got the horses going.
They all made it through the entrance and pressed on. Once they were about ten feet away from the entrance, they heard that low rumbling tone again and looked behind them to see the rocky door closing behind them.
What caught Julie's interest was the door on the inside looked to be made up of some kind of metal. Not only that, but when she looked at the walls and the ceiling of the tunnel, they appeared to be metal as well. The lights were embedded within these metal walls and gave off plenty of light to see where they were going.
"This really is quite fascinating. What are those lights made of?" Galen asked as he looked at them.
"That my dear friend, is an example of what you call electricity." Barlow stated with a smile.
The younger chimp continued looking on in amazement.
They didn't flicker like firelight. They were all just solid bright, white lights. Set in a perfectly straight line all down the tunnel embedded in the middle of the wall. They all appeared to be exactly the same size and shape too. Perfectly shaped elongated rectangles about three feet in length with about five feet between them all along the length of the tunnel.
"It's like magic." Galen stated, barely above a whisper, as he continued looking at the series of lights as they went.
Julie couldn't help but smile in amusement at his response. Yet, at the same time, she understood his fascination. For this is not something apes have clearly not achieved yet. Everything was either by natural sunlight or candlelight at night for them.
"Trust me, Galen. You still haven't seen anything yet. Wait until you get to the settlement and see the things they have there." Barlow informed him with a knowing smirk.
This had the younger chimp slowly turning his attention from the bright lights to his friend sitting next to him on his left.
"Didn't you say that humans have something like this in their homes at the settlement?" Galen inquired.
"Yes, it is the same thing." Barlow confirmed.
Galen then turned his attention to his wife.
"So, is this like how things are lit in your time then, Love?" He asks her.
She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Yeah, it is. And it truly is a wonderful thing to have. Makes it so much easier to light a home when it is dark at night and also brighter than any candle." Julie says.
He smiled back, then his gaze shifted around a little again.
"I feel I could fill a whole notebook on this amazing phenomenon alone." He says.
"And then some." Barlow teasingly added.
Galen rolled his eyes, but the smile still has yet to leave his face.
Then he felt movement within his arms and his gaze shifted from the tunnel and lights to his baby girl. He saw that she was now awake and also looking around at the bright lights surrounding them.
His smile widened a little and he ran his hand softly over her head and through her thick hair.
He could see she too was fascinated by the bright lights that were almost like the sun. It was like someone capture the sun and deposited its bright rays within these elongated triangles.
"Looks like Serena is intrigued and fascinated by these lights too." Galen says.
Julie shifted her gaze to their daughter in Galen's arms and saw she was awake and looking around the brightly lit area as they traveled through it.
Even Barlow noticed the infant was awake and looking around at the unusual surroundings.
"As I said before, this is just but a taste of what they can do. This is something they knew how to do for centuries. And they managed to continue it, despite most of humanity crumbling all around them and apes rising up to take control of this world." The older chimp stated.
They continued on for about twenty minutes until they started to see natural lighting up ahead.
The tunnel slanted upwards a little as they headed for what looked to be the exit of the tunnel they were in.
Once they reached the end and exited it, it opened up into open land ahead of them. There was a dirt path before them, surrounded by trees on either side.
"It's about another ten minutes to the settlement from here." Barlow informed them as he kept the cart going.
That wasn't very far at all for them and the closer they got, the more excited they became.
As they traveled down the wide dirt path through the woods, both Galen and Julie noticed there appeared to be open land not far ahead and they though they saw dwellings and many people out and about.
They were about thirty feet from what was the entrance to this settlement when they all caught movement from the foliage on their thing they knew, they saw a couple of humans appear and step out ono the road.
Both Galen and Julie noted it was two human men. One appeared to be middle age with short blonde hair. While the other was younger with short dark brown hair. They turned their attention to the cart on the road a little behind them.
Barlow smiled when he saw who it was.
"Burke, Virdon, good to see you two again." The old chimp says, as he drew closer to them.
"Hey, Barlow. How have you been? And... who are your friends?" The dark-haired one known as Burke asked.
Galen was surprised to hear more humans talking. Even if Barlow told him many times it was to be expected because they were just like Julie. Still, it was no less surprising, seeing as he grew up knowing nothing but the wild mute humans that he studied for most of his life.
His train of thought was broken when Barlo started conversing with them.
"These are two very good friends of mine. And they need a home in a safe settlement. I figured here was better than anywhere else." The old chimp replied.
"Really?" The light-haired one known as Virdon inquires as he checks out the young human woman and young chimpanzee that appeared to be holding an infant.
"Hey, I'm Julie." Says the young woman.
The two men shared a look, before turning their attention back to the group.
"You...found another human out there, that is like us?" Virdon asked.
"Yes, like you, she is from the past. From an advanced civilization like yours was." Barlow informed them.
Julie and Galen quickly turned their attention to Barlow with a surprised look.
"Wait, what do you mean? You saying they're from my time?" She quickly asked.
"Yes, they are. But we'll explain more once we enter the settlement." The old chimp told her.
"Fair enough, follow us." Burke said.
Then they came out of the foliage completely and that is when the group noticed, each one was pulling what looked like a large metal wheelbarrow. Upon closer inspection, they saw at least three dead deer within it. Galen was the one to notice the two human men had rifles strapped to their back.
They led the way as Barlow continued driving his cart through the entrance of the settlement.
Once they were there, many of the people walking about the place stopped and stared. Many were quick to recognize Barlow. But they were more or less staring at the people with him. Most were humans, but they could clearly see some apes mixed in with the humans here.
Barlow stopped his cart, then he gestured for Julie and Galen to get off of the cart.
They both complied and stepped off of the cart and onto solid ground. Julie quickly rounded the other side to join her husband and infant daughter and stood with them.
Galen wrapped a free arm around her while he continued holding Serena in his other arm, close to his chest.
"Barlow? Who are your friends?" One of the other humans asked.
"They are a family that were being pursued by gorillas. They were chased from their home and need a new one. I figured here was the safest place for them.
"The woman is like us. She is not a wild human." Burke informed the others.
Everyone turned their attention to the family, or more specifically, Julie.
"Really now?" One of the other humans inquired as they stared at her.
"Yes, I'm from the past. From the year 2024 to be exact. I somehow found myself here in this time period." She confirmed, loud enough for many around them to hear.
That's when she heard the humans chattering amongst themselves.
"And the chimpanzee you travel with? Who is he?" One of the men asked.
"My name is Galen. I found Julie in the woods. She was injured and frightened. I took her to my home and treated her injuries. Afterwards, I granted her shelter and safety within my home. This was a little over a year ago. And since then, we grew close. Then eventually we married and had our daughter." Galen says, while lightly gesturing to the small infant in his grasp.
A few of the people shifted their gaze to Barlow.
"So, this is him then. The friend you always told us about whenever you visited here?" One of them implied.
The old chimp nodded, "Yes, Nick. It is. My oldest friend's youngest son. While he did find this young woman as he says and took care of her and had a child with her, things became risky for them when someone came to their home and saw Julie and their child. This is why they unfortunately had to leave in the first place.
Because that someone went back to Ape City and informed the gorilla troops. Afterwards, the leaders of the troops gathered up many of their men to hunt for them. There was no other option, I had to bring them here. And as you know, I would never do anything to jeopardize this settlement. As you can see, what I did was with good reason. So, will you please grant my request and provide them with shelter?"
The humans and few apes shifted their attention to the mall family. The young chimp had an arm around the young human woman's shoulders, holding her close. While he cradled their child close to his front with his other arm. The baby was still pretty wide awake and looking around the new surroundings.
"I say let them stay. It's clear she is like any intellectual human here and if they are together, where is the threat?" One voice said aloud.
They all shifted their attention to see it was one of the ape civilians of their settlement.
"And Barlow has been a friend of ours for many years. We know he would never do anything reckless like bring dangerous individuals here. They are clearly a family that needs a safe haven and that is what our settlement is, a haven." Another individual said, this one a human.
One of the main humans turned his attention to Burke and Virdon.
"Well, what do you think, Alan and Pete?" He inquired.
The two former astronauts turned their attention to Barlow and then the small family.
They kept their gaze on them for several seconds before turning their attention back to some of the residents here.
"Like Bayne and Sam said, they are obviously a family in need that has just lost their home and are being hunted by gorillas. Who are we to turn them away? Plus, the fact that they do have a young infant. It would be cruel to turn them away. Since we know any other human settlement like ours are quite far and few in between." Alan Virdon stated.
"And she is like us. From the past. Someone who was not born here like most of you and lost to begin with. Who are we to turn them away?" Pete Burke added.
The others took their opinions into consideration. Afterwards they all turned their attention back to Barlow and the small family with them.
"Alright, we have just recently built a few more cabins. They can have one of those cabins." Nick said.
Galen and Julie were relieved to hear that and happy.
"Alan, Pete, will you show the new family to one of these cabins, please?" Nick inquired.
"Sure." Pete replied.
Then the former astronauts turned their attention to the small group.
"This way." Alan told them.
He and Pete left the wheelbarrow with the dead deer behind. They knew someone will take them to the butcher to be harvested and used for food.
Then they led Barlow, Galen, and Julie, along with their young daughter through the large settlement.
Galen and Julie were blown away by just how large and vast it was. Many homes and other places littered the area. Alan and Pete were nice enough to point out everything they passed to them. Barlow helped out a little too.
Julie noted that the homes looked just like log cabins that you would find in the woods. Many of them were quite big too. There were also some buildings that looked like they were made of stucco there as well.
As they all walked through the very large settlement that could rival the size of any large town, Galen and Julie were made aware of where the large marketplace was, along with the hospital, police station, many farms, and library was. There was also a miliary building at the edge of town where many of their soldiers were located.
Along the way, Alan and Pete also explained to them about this interesting place called the Archives. Apparently, it was a place that held many digital pieces of information throughout the world's history. Going as far as displaying holographic images of places, things, and people of times' past. Though this "Archives Area was mainly located underground where many of the large original bunkers reside.
"You know, Barlow. Since you were last here, the technicians started producing smart screens and displaying a large variety of movies and shows that were made within the last several centuries. This including our own. They actually have very old movies and shows archived all the way back from the 1920s all the way up to the 2800s right before humanity fell. And since then, they have had at least one smart screen installed in each cabin." Pete explained.
"What are smart screens? Is that like a TV?" Julie inquires.
"Yes, they are. Only they are not big and boxy like the TVs we know. They are actually these very flat, light weight screens that you can either mount on the wall or sit on top of a small table. They kind of look like a flat, rectangular piece of glass. Then when you turn it on, you see this amazingly clear picture." Alan says.
"We kind of gave them the idea to utilize the Archives that way we have some form of entertainment like the humans from our time had. While there are no longer actors here filming new shows and movies, we can at least look on the past and watch past actors in movies and shows that were. Kind of like playing nothing but reruns of shows and movies from the last several centuries. It's all very neat really." Pete adds.
"That does sound cool. They have radios to that play music?" Julie asked.
"Not necessarily. But the smart screens do have channels that play nothing but music. The smart screens have many channels. Some just play movies and some just play shows. While some others play only music. Each channel goes by categories. Like Drama, Horror, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Westerns, and Indie Films and Shows. While some channels play an assortment of music from different time periods and decades. There is probably I want to say...a few thousand channels or so." Pete said.
"I've always been curious of these TVs that Julie has told me about. And if they are truly anything like that, then that is all very fascinating for sure." Galen said, as he walked beside his wife while still carrying their infant daughter.
"Well, I can tell you right now, they are quite similar. That's for sure." Alan tells the young, curious chimp.
Alan and Pete silently agreed he was quite the interesting and curious chimp. Something they kind of like about him.
It must've taken them about thirteen minutes before they finally came to a stop in front of a large log cabin. It was just another example of how huge this settlement truly was. They also passed many more humans and some apes on the way. Some would stare at them in curiosity. While some others barely noticed them.
"Well, this is it. Your new home. It also happens to be next to the cabins Pete and I occupy with our families. So, it looks like we're neighbors." Alan told them.
"It's quite large. Looks like it is around the size of our old home." Galen says, as he checks out the exterior as they stand before it.
"If I had to guess, it does look like a two-story cabin. So, you are right to assume that it is like your old home, Galen." Barlow said, as he too eyed the nice-looking log cabin.
"Well, if you're already, we can show you inside." Alan stated.
The small family were definitely eager to see the inside. They felt like they already knew that the inside must look amazing and couldn't wait to see it.
"We most certainly are. Lead the way." Julie says.
Then they all go to the front door, open it, and enter the fairly large home.
Galen and Julie noted it led into a very large living room, complete with a large and very comfortable looking couch and a couple comfy chairs. They faced a wall on the opposite side that held a nice size fireplace, with a mantle up top, and above it on the wall was this large, flat, rectangular looking piece of glass.
Something told Julie that was the smart screen or TV that Alan and Pete had just finished talking to them all about on the way here.
"Obviously, this is the living room. As you can see, it has some nice furnishings and it's very cozy. Then if you look down the end of it there two straight ahead, you'll see a doorway there. That leads into the kitchen and next to it is a dining room. Then if you look over here to the wall on the left not far from there, you'll see there is another door there. That is the bathroom.
Then if you look a few feet down from there, you can see a set of stairs that lead to the second floor of this cabin. We can actually head over to it and head up and we'll show you what's up there." Alan explains.
"Yeah, it is. We almost forgot to mention, that there is at least one phone set up in each home. There are landlines that lead down to the power centers which are located within some of the main underground bunkers. This way, we can call people in each home within the settlement. This is it right here on this back wall." Pete added, while gesturing to the strange object on the wall.
Julie could see it was some type of phone. But not any phone she has ever seen before.
This phone was flat and rectangular, almost like a smart phone but narrower in shape. It was sitting in a small rectangular looking charger that jutted out from the wall. But what was fascinating, was that it didn't sit within this small thin charger looking piece, but it in fact, hovered over it by a couple inches.
"That is so cool. Almost like it's floating. But...how do you make calls on it?" Julie asked.
"It's voice activated. You pick it up, hold it close to your ear, and say something like, 'Call, Sam Leverson'. Then it will automatically start calling his home and that's it. No number buttons or dialer. Just say into it who you want to talk to, just like that, and you'll get them on the other line." Pete explained.
It really was that simple too.
"If you all are ready, we can start heading upstairs and telling you what's up there." Alan suggested.
Of course, they were all eager to see more of the home. So, they told Alan and Pete they were ready to see the rest of the home.
The group then cross the pretty large living room and head for the stairs near the back of the home.
The two astronauts lead them upstairs to the second floor of the large cabin. As they look to their left, they see a long hallway with a few doors on either side of it.
"The bedrooms and another bathroom are located on this floor. Though we never really got a chance to come in here and really look through the place because it is quite new. So, we're not entirely sure which room is which. But judging by how many doors there are, it looks like at least three bedrooms and a bathroom.
That smaller, narrower door there might just be a linen closet of extra towels and blankets. If anything, all the knowledge we do have about this place we learned from a friend of ours who is one of the many architects that has built this home. So, we are a little limited. But as you go into each room, you'll see for yourself which room is which." Alan stated.
"Either way, it certainly looks like a lovely home." Barlow said, while looking around, clearly impressed.
"Yes, it truly does. It is perfect." Galen says.
A small smile appeared on Julie's face, and she couldn't help but agree.
It certainly seemed like they got very lucky. Not only did they find what appeared to be an amazing human settlement that was almost too good to be true, they found what had to be the most perfect home in the world for their small family.
"It really is. Thank you both so much for showing us it. Even more amazing that it is ours and we'll have stability and a roof over our heads. But most of all, a safe and happy place to raise our little girl. Which is something we wanted most of all." Julie says.
The two men gave the small family soft smiles.
"You're welcome. And we understand. Pete and I also have families. And the most important thing, is to have a place to call our own and raise our kids in a safe and stable environment. Which we can tell you after being here for so many years, it really is safe. I don't know how much Barlow told you both. But we are way beyond the borders of the forbidden zone and well hidden. So, other than the apes that reside here in this settlement, you won't see other apes around here." Alan assured them.
"That is great to know. Thank you." Galen said.
"Again, you're welcome. Now, I think we'll let you all settle in. Whatever you need, you'll find in our large marketplace that we passed on the way here like more food and clothes." Pete informed them.
"Thanks for letting us know. We'll definitely check out this marketplace once we settle in." Julie says.
Afterwards, they all headed back downstairs to the living room.
Before leaving, the two former astronauts turned to the small family.
"Oh, and welcome to New Haven. We're happy to have you here." Alan told them.
"Thank you. It certainly is a fascinating place, and we look forward to exploring more of it once we get the chance." Galen replied.
"Alright, we'll see you all later then. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. As we mentioned before, Alan and I are your neighbors, so, we're not far from you at all. You can either call us or pop over for a visit and talk with us." Pete stated.
"We will. Thanks again." Julie said.
Before the two men left, Barlow decided to accompany them.
The older chimp thought it was best to leave the young family alone to let them get settled and get used to their new home.
His two human friends didn't mind in the least that the old chimp joined them, and they all headed out after saying their final goodbyes to both Galen and Julie, closing the front door behind them.
The small family was left in momentary silence. They just couldn't believe their luck.
Julie shifted her attention from the front door to Galen and a joyous smile slowly appeared on her face. Something that he couldn't help but share with her.
"We made it. We...actually made it." She says, as her eyes became glassy.
Galen's smile widened a little more as he took a couple steps closer to her, closing the gap. Then he reached up with his free hand and lightly cupped her cheek, running his thumb over the soft skin there.
"Yes, we did. And now, we can finally look ahead to a brighter future for all of us. Especially, our little one here." He softly says.
Her gaze slowly drifts down to their baby girl.
Serena had fallen asleep on the walk here. But as the parents look down on their child, they felt nothing but a huge sense of happiness and relief. Because they were finally able to find a safe place to safely raise their daughter. A place where she can be happy and free.
That is what made the risky journey to this place worth it. They felt like they have just beaten their greatest obstacle and now, they could live in peace without worrying about being hunted and gunned down by gorilla troopers.
They both thought the same thing, as they carefully leaned into each other for a small hug with their infant daughter between them and that was; they were finally free.
Until Next Time ;)