The Extinct

CHAPTER

46





It had started pouring rain. It was rain unlike Eric had ever seen, as if the sky were bleeding water. It poured in thick, heavy sheets and stung the skin on his face when it spattered against him. Off in the distance he could see lightening brighten the sky and thunder would crackle a few seconds later. The ground turned to mud and eventually large puddles formed. They kept walking, stopping only when evening fell.

They approached a large ravine. There was a small stream running across the bottom and the sides were coated in long green weeds. They sat down under a large tree and William took his boots off. His socks were wet and he stripped them off, revealing white blistered feet.

“Damn it,” he said. “Who would’ve thought you’d have to worry about trench-foot in a hundred and ten degree weather.” He stripped off his socks and threw them over the edge of the ravine, slipping his boots back on over his feet. “Little tactic I picked up from a Vietnam vet,” William said. “You stop every hour and air your feet out . . . Eric? You okay?”

“Fine. Who’d you know that was in Vietnam?”

“One of the homeless men that came to the church for the free Sunday dinner. A lotta homeless were in that war.” He shook his head. “Damn fine waste of good men.”

“You don’t believe in stopping communism?”

“Communism was nothing. People jumped to conclusions but there was nothing behind it, no substance. They never could’ve taken over the world, never. They’re only justification for existing was our fear. Our fear gave them strength. Without it, they would’ve collapsed.” William scooted back underneath a large branch, trying to keep the downpour off his head. “So what was your father like, Eric? You never talk about him.”

“He was a good man. I don’t think he was ever happy but he always treated me good. What about yours?”

“I don’t remember my father. My mother said he was in World War II, but I don’t even know if that’s true. One of my uncles got drunk one night and told me she had a one night stand and never saw the guy again.” William looked off into the ravine. “Weird feeling, to hate your father though you’ve never met him.” He leaned forward, over the edge. “Hey, look at this.”

Eric leaned over the edge. Two small balls of fur were bouncing around on a ledge. They were a golden color with black spots; leopards. They couldn’t have been more than a few months old.

“Cute little bastards,” William said.

There was a barking coming from across the ravine and Eric’s heart jumped. He looked over, his eyes trying to focus while rain poured over him. A troop of baboons were making their way toward the ravine. The large males were in the front and back with the females and young in the center. A particularly large male stopped at the edge of the ravine and looked in.

“Duck low,” William said. “I don’t want to have to shoot them.”

But the baboon wasn’t looking at them. He was glancing down about twenty meters at the leopard cubs. The baboon began looking for a way down. He saw a small trail that led to the bottom of the ravine and started making his way; the troop staying behind.

The cubs’ instinct kicked in and they began looking for a place to hide. Their bellies stayed low to the ground, almost rubbing against it, and they found a small hole to climb into.

The baboon came directly to where the cubs were. He stopped a few feet from the hole and stood staring in. Finally, he came closer and began sticking his hand in to get the cubs.

Eric began to ask William to hand him the rifle—

But it was too late. The cubs made no noise as life was crushed out of them. The baboon began to make his way back up to the troop, two little limp bodies in its hands. The male kept one of the cubs for himself and gave the other one to the troop to share.

A roar thundered as the mother leopard sprinted for the troop. A cacophony of barks and howls rose up from the troop as the females and young retreated and the males held their ground.

Two young males circled around the leopard, barking and hollering loudly to draw its attention. The leopard roared and showed her teeth, spinning around every time a young male would nip at her or pull her tail. The large male baboon stood in front of her, staring into her eyes. Animals always stare in the eyes to fight.

The leopard lunged and the baboon darted to the side as the leopard’s teeth clamped down on its hind leg. The baboon let out a scream and the younger males jumped on the leopard, biting her legs and belly and coming away with bloody chunks of fur and tissue.

The leopard wouldn’t let go, even as the two younger males began tearing at her open belly. She shook her head violently and managed to snap off the older male’s leg. The two males tore open her belly further and her organs were exposed. She refused to die. She spun around and bit down onto one of the baboons’ arm. The other younger male, his two compatriots injured, decided to retreat and ran off through the grass.

The leopard did not let go of the baboon, even as the blood loss began to make life leave her. The baboon was still alive but wasn’t able to remove the vicious jaws from its arm. It lay screaming on the ground as the leopard died on top of it. The older baboon collapsed without a leg and stopped moving as the younger one screamed for help. The troop simply began to move on.

“My God,” William gasped. He looked to Eric who was staring unblinkingly at the sight of the leopard, frozen with death on top of the writhing ape. “Let’s get going,” William said.