Chapter 5%
I collapsed onto the floor, trembling violently.
There he was.
*
The chimpanzee.§]
Perched above my doorframe, picking at the molding, drooling as he stared at me.§
His saliva had dripped right through the lattice in the frame, onto me.>
But strangely, he didn’t immediately smash through the door and attack.”
Instead, he seemed amused. Like he was toying with its prey.}]
Had he not had enough fun yet?
Then I heard his voice.
“One skin isn’t enough. And now another has come right to me! Of course, the best ones are saved for last. Her skin, we’ll keep for now. She’s not going anywhere.”
Then he slipped through the window above the door and vanished.}
I froze.
“Another one“, was it talking about Sebastian?}
Oh no.
He had understood everything I said to him, of course he had.
He understood human language.}
He must be heading for the storeroom!}
Terrified, I grabbed my phone and called him.
But maybe the underground signal was bad, the call wouldn’t connect.
When it finally did, it was choppy and broken, he couldn’t hear me at all.
I kept calling. Kept messaging.}
Praying that just once, it would go through.
Finally he picked up. And the signal was clear.
was so relieved, I burst into tears.
“Sebastian! If you’re in the storeroom, lock the door right now! That chimp understands everything, it’s coming for you!”
“Hide Hide somewhere and don’t make a sound, it’s unbelievably smart…”
Before I could finish, his voice cut in. Groaning. Weak. Pained.
“Jessica… it’s too late. The chimp… it’s already got me…”
“It’s… peeling my skin… it hurts so much… hide. Don’t come out…“}
My heart shattered.
I dropped the phone, collapsed to the floor and dry–heaved.
Then Sophia called.
“Jessica, are you okay? We’re at the entrance to your building. The police and fire department are here too…”
I bolted downstairs like a lunatic.
I had to go to the storeroom.@
1 had to save him.
But all I found was a pool of blood.
The firefighters said the chimpanzee had been alert and quick, by the time they arrived, it had already fled, carrying Sebastian.
I dropped to my knees, sobbing.
“Please… you have to save him… that chimp is going to eat him…
The firefighters lifted me up gently.
“Don’t worry. The chimp is tagged with a tracker. We will find it.”
