Clova *COMPLETE*

Chapter 39- Still Alive

It didn't take long before Malcolm and Clova entered the city and parked behind a few trees as camouflage. Slowly, they moved around the vehicle and made their way towards the building. They jumped to the side when they heard a sudden crash and a group of apes carry out more humans. Clova gently tugged on Malcolm's arm.

"We need to find my brother."

He looked at her sadly. "Clova, we don't even know where to look and we're not safe out in the open.", Clova looked down in disappointment. "And right now, our focus is saving your father." She didn't look at him.

"First my father...", she started, "my mother and Cornelius...and...and now Blue.", she muttered quietly.

Malcolm turned his head in all directions to make sure the coast is clear and turned back to Clova. He made direct eye contact with her. "Listen, I need to get the supplies and it's not safe,", he explained, "I need you to stay here, alright?"

Suddenly Clova's eyes widened and was about to protest. "I'll just be a few minutes and if anything happens, you go straight back to the car, okay?" she sighed and nodded.

"Good, now stay here and well hidden okay?", he said as he sat her down in a bush. "I'll be as fast as I can.", he reassured her, he then reached into his pocket and handed her a pistol. Clova took the weapon and eyed it uneasily. 

"You know how to use it?", Clova nodded and with that, he was off. Inside, Clova had no clue how to use a gun and just hoped that she didn't have to.

                     _____________________________________________________________

The building was a disastrous wreck; tables flipped and snapped, cupboards swung open and floors cracked. Malcolm had just stuffed his rucksack with the last remaining stack of medicine in the whole building when the roars and screeches of apes grew louder. There was no time to waste and he hurried out of the room he was in only to be stopped when a large wooden desk was thrown his way, blocking up the first exit. 

He darted back and took the emergency steps back down but was chased back up by more apes storming all over the building. Malcolm was trapped and ran into a spare room, the door clamped shut tight behind him, he backed himself up against a wall in exhaustion and dropped his bag, he was going to be here a while.

Though Malcolm thought he was alone, he saw something move at the corner of his eye, he stood still and cautiously turned his head to the side. In the shadows of the room stood a figure, even in the shade of the room Malcolm could tell one thing. It wasn't a human figure.

He stiffened against the wall as he watched the figure slowly approach him closer and closer as it held a long item in it's hands. The figure soon stepped into the shadows and his eyes widened.

'Blue Eyes?'

Malcolm felt somewhat relieved but still held his guard up as he could alert more apes at any moment. Fear struck Malcolm one more as he watched as Blue Eyes lowered the gun at him and held his aim. Malcolm shook his head in disbelief and pleaded underneath his breath and to his shock, Blue Eyes lowered his aim from him completely and looked down in disappointment at the fact he held a friend at gun point. He watched as Blue Eyes strapped the gun on his back and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Blue Eyes turned back around. "Your father, he...he's alive...", Blue Eyes walked closer, shock and relief flashed his baby blue pupils. 

"...Clova too."

                      ____________________________________________________________

Clova shuffled around in the bushes at the sound of rustling and on instinct brought out the pistol she was given by Malcolm. She aimed it at the sound that was approaching and clocked the gun as her finger trembled against the feeling of the trigger.

Before she could pull the trigger, a large hand grabbed her by the shoulder causing her to spin around and gasp. To her relief, it was just Malcolm and behind him...Blue Eyes.

"Blue!", she signed and jumped him with the biggest hug she had ever suffocated him with. 

Blue Eyes knelt down and hugged her just as tightly, oh how he missed his little sister and how it must've been tough for her to deal with all this. Blue Eyes suddenly felt sniffles and soft sobbing and removed Clova from his grip. Her cheeks were stained slightly and her eyes glistened with laces of tears.

"Father is weak and needs surgery and-and I don't even know where mother and Cornelius are.", explained in sign, she was to choked up to speak.

"It's alright, you know father is strong. He will get through this.", he said truthfully. 

Clova felt a bit better hearing her brother's reassuring words. Malcolm started up the car and called over Blue Eyes and Clova who got in the back seat on their way back to the house.