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The Noble Ape let out a grunt and prodded him with a massive finger. Even he seemed to sense the urgency of the situation.
“I’m coming,” Bones said. “Just give me a second to see if I can slow them down. Cover your ears.”
He didn’t know if the Noble Ape understood him, or simply remembered how loud the pistol had been, but he covered his ears with his giant hands.
Five apes. Bones knew he couldn’t take many of them out, but if he could disable a couple of the leaders, that might buy him some time. They charged in running on all fours. The low profile gave little in the way of a vulnerable target—mostly thick skull and powerful shoulders and chest. He’d have to get it just right to do any real damage. He dropped to one knee, took careful aim, and squeezed off a pair of shots in quick succession.
The lead ape let out a banshee shriek and fell face-first to the ground. It tumbled head over heels and landed in a heap, clutching its groin.
“No freaking way,” Bones said. He’d been aiming for the gut but must have caught the ape in mid-leap.
The ape just behind the leader was taken by surprise and stumbled across his fallen companion. He only stayed down for a few seconds before scrambling back to his feet and rejoining the attack.
Bones fired two shots at each ape, then quickly changed magazines. No time to assess the damage. The apes were almost on top of them.
And then something yanked him up by the belt and he was slowly rising through the air. It took him a second to realize what was happening. The Noble Ape was carrying him up the cliff. Facing backward and staring down at the canyon floor, he felt like a baby in a carrier.
“Dude, you are strong. Do you work out?” Bones said. The ape grunted. “Man, I wish I spoke your language.”
The Blood Apes were huddled at the bottom of the wall. Every one of them appeared to be nursing an injury of some sort and were reluctant to continue the pursuit.
“I think they’re giving up,” Bones said.
But then more howls echoed through the canyon. An entire troop of Blood Apes burst into the clearing, shrieking with rage. They saw Bones and the others, and their shrieks grew more strident. The largest of them, a graying ape, held up a sharpened stick and let out a series of whoops. The others echoed him. And then they charged.
“Will I ever catch a break?” Bones muttered. “I’ll keep them off our backs,” he said loudly. The ape grunted again. Either he got the gist, or he wants me to shut up.
One of the Blood Apes flung his sharpened stick at Bones. Bones would have thought they were out of range, but the ape was so powerful that the primitive spear flew true. Bones gritted his teeth as he watched it fly toward him. At the last second, he swatted at it with the Glock and manage to bat it aside.
The near-miss inspired the other Blood Apes. Moments later, a hail of sticks and rocks flew through the air. Bones made himself as small a target as possible, covered his head, and hoped for the best. The first several projectiles fell short of their mark. Bones could hear them clattering off the face of the canyon below him.
But they didn’t all miss their target. They rained down all around. A rock bounced off his shoulder, and then pain like a hot poker burned in his thigh. He opened his eyes to see one of the sharpened sticks jutting from his leg.
“Son of a...” He gritted his teeth, grabbed hold of it, and gave it a yank. With no spearhead or barbed tip, the primitive weapon came free easily. “Missing something?” He reversed the spear and hurled it down into the midst of the Blood Apes.
Bones and his rescuer were now out of missile range. The apes scrambled to the cliff wall and several began to climb. One of them took the lead, howling and shrieking. Its eyes burned and spittle ran from the corners of its mouth. It quickly closed the gap between them. Bones had no choice.
“It’s about to get loud!” he shouted. Even as he took aim, he felt a wave of guilt at even attempting to take this rare creature’s life. But right now, it was kill or be killed, and there were a lot of things and people Bones had not yet done. He took aim, not an easy task, being carried like he was. The ape closed in. Bones squeezed the trigger.
The shot took the ape in the eye. Its cries were abruptly cut off. It froze in place for a second. Then, its body went limp. Like a tree being chopped down, it slowly tipped backward and fell. Which was unfortunate for two more Blood Apes who failed to get out of the way. The corpse struck them on the way down and sent them plummeting to the ground.
That caused the others to hesitate. The few extra seconds was enough. Bones felt himself hauled up over the edge of the cliff. He stood and immediately stumbled as pain shot down his leg.
“You’re hurt,” Mack said.
“It’ll be fine,” he said. He turned back toward the cliff face, intending to continue the fight. The Noble Ape, however, turned him around and gave him a shove along a faint path that sloped down into the jungle. Bones hesitated.
“Come on,” Mack said, taking him by the arm. “I think he’s got this.”
The huge gorilla had uprooted a small tree. He raised it high above his head, let out a roar, and hurled it downward. They heard the fading shriek of a falling Blood Ape.
“You’re right. He’s got this.” They headed off down the path. Pepsy took the lead. The man’s wide eyes, rapid breathing, and trembling hand said he was reaching his limit and couldn’t wait to be free of this place. He dashed forward, hacking wildly with his machete.
Lightning flashed so close by that the hair on Bones’ arms stood up. The shock of white light was followed by a boom of thunder like cannon fire. Bones felt the vibrations from his fillings to his feet. Rain began to fall. The storm was upon them.
“Where do you think the trail leads?” Mack panted as they stumbled along.
“Down to the river,” Bone said. He could hear the rush of the water somewhere down below. They were getting close. To his right, he heard something crashing through the jungle, headed their way. He immediately thought of several possibilities, none of them good.
“What is that?” Mack asked.
“Almost certainly bad news.”
Then a graying Blood Ape broke into the clear right in front of them. It was the one Bones had identified as the alpha—older, larger, and just a bit more insane than the rest. It stood on its hind legs, roared, and beat its chest. Bones didn’t hear any other apes chasing them. This one must have climbed up a different way and flanked them. Now it barred their way.
“Any bright ideas?” Mack said.
Bones shook his head. “Only reckless ones.”