Good for you. Hope you’re enjoying yourself.
For some reason, seeing an animal so wild and free lifted Nick’s spirits. It brought him back slightly from the deep melancholy which had encased his soul for so many days. When Annaliese finally arrived at the scene, he had not taken his eyes off the animal once in several minutes.
“Lily!” Annaliese put a hand on her mouth. “Wow!”
Nick stood up off the ground and patted the dirt from his woollen coat. “Lily? Is that the monkey’s name?”
“She’s not a monkey. She’s an ape.”
Nick nodded. “Okay. So, where did Lily come from?”
“This enclosure you’re standing right in front of. This was her habitat.”
“How did she get out?”
“I let her out,” said Annaliese. “Sort of.”
“Is she dangerous?”
Annaliese chewed at her lower lip for a second then said, “Could she be dangerous if she wanted to be? Sure. She could crush our skulls with a single swipe, but do I think we need to be worried? No. From what I know about her, she is very intelligent and sensitive. She’s lost her family just like the rest of us.”
Nick glanced at her. “What do you mean?”
“There was a mate in the pen with her, and an infant. You can see them, there, under the blankets. When the first infected people appeared, they flooded into the enclosure and attacked Lily and her family. She was the only one that made it.”
“So, the infected attack animals as well?” Nick asked, his eyebrows raised.
Annaliese shook her head. “They walked right past the other animals as if they weren’t even there. I’m guessing that a primate is enough like a human being to pass for a target. They must get confused.”
Mike walked up to the both of them and looked up at Lily in the trees, like they were. “Why is she hanging around here?”
“Only she knows that,” Annaliese said. “But I think it’s because she doesn’t want to be alone. The infected are as much a threat to her as they are to us. Maybe she’s been down the hill and realised that this is the safest place to be.”
“She doesn’t seem to mind people,” Mike commented.
“No, she doesn’t,” said Annaliese. She waved a hand in the air. Lily shocked everyone by waving right back. “She probably misses the safety of her enclosure. That’s why she’s stuck to being nearby.”
“Should we feed her?” Nick asked.
“I don’t think Shawcross would like that,” said Mike. “He and Dave are already kicking up a fuss about the daily rations being too high.”
“Screw them,” Annaliese said. “We feed her what we can. Lily’s a part of this group, too. A survivor. Anybody has a problem with that, they can talk to me.”
“Fine by me,” said Nick. “I think I’d like having her around, and feeding her is one way to ensure that.”
Annaliese smiled at him. “How’s your head. Along with your various other wounds.”
Nick felt the faint bump on his forehead. “It’s better. I still feel a bit sick when I first wake up, but the headaches have stopped. I’ve just been trying to rest as much as possible.”
“I think you probably had a mild concussion,” she said. “Just keep resting up and you’ll soon be on the mend.”
“I’m just lucky to have such a small brain. Otherwise I could really have been hurt.”
Annaliese frowned at him. “Don’t be so silly. You and Mike are the only people I can talk any sense to. You’re both just the right amount of insane.”