The next morning, Denise returned to the control room. She knew the other slaughterhouses would most likely be disconnected from their power source. They currently had no idea where these other slaughterhouses were. If they did not reach them soon, the Sapes inside them would die of dehydration.
Denise looked at the warning message. ‘If only I could trace this message and the other locations it was sent to,’ she said to herself.
She picked up her walkie-talkie to try to contact Downs Region, but she had no luck.
‘Looks like it’s all up to me,’ sighed Denise as she sat down to access the computer.
After tinkering around on the computer for half an hour, Scott entered the control room.
‘I’ve got great news!’ said Scott energetically. ‘Hamlet is up and about, and she is playing with the rescued Sapes.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ said Denise as she turned and smiled at Scott. ‘I hate to break it to you, but this is just one of many slaughterhouses. I fear they will all be without power. Time is rapidly running out for the Sapes inside them, and we don’t know where these slaughterhouses are.’
‘Oh no, friend!’ replied Scott, sounding alarmed.
‘I have a plan,’ said Denise confidently. ‘When I trace the origin of this message, I believe I will be able to locate the other slaughterhouses.’
‘Sounds complicated,’ said Scott with a blank expression on his face.
‘For some, sure,’ said Denise in a cocky tone as she turned her attention to the computer again.
Scott walked over to a drawer. He opened it. He began rummaging through some documents. His face lit up as he pulled out a map.
‘I think we should use this,’ said Scott. ‘It has the locations of all the slaughterhouses in the Central Agriculture Zone on it.’
‘Give it here!’ said Denise abruptly as she spun around to face Scott.
Scott handed her the map.
‘Right, yeah, we’ll use this,’ spluttered Denise in amazement.
Scott raised his eyebrows up and down triumphantly.
Twenty minutes later, all four of them were back in Big Blue.
‘Okay team, I have a plan,’ said Denise as she looked at Scott and then turned to look at Hamlet and Lily. ‘There are over a dozen of these slaughterhouses in the Central Agriculture Zone.’
Hamlet honked very loudly and angrily.
‘I know, it’s horrible,’ replied Denise. ‘However, we are going to every one of these, and we will rescue every Sape we can.’
‘Do we have enough fuel to do that?’ asked Scott, sounding concerned.
‘Yeah, we probably do,’ said Denise, nodding slightly as she placed her hand on Scott’s shoulder. ‘You don’t need to worry.’
Scott looked at Hamlet. Her nose glowed a brighter than usual pink. He then looked at Denise and nodded.
‘We’re going in the order I have marked on the map,’ said Denise confidently as she pointed at the map. ‘Number two is over here. I’m guessing if we head off now, we’ll get there in a day. I trust you to drive, and I’ll navigate.’
Scott slammed his foot on the accelerator, and they headed off.
The terrain slowed them down considerably. It took them almost three days to reach the next slaughterhouse. This also caused them to use considerably more fuel than they had hoped. Once they arrived at the slaughterhouse, they proceeded as they had done at the first slaughterhouse. Denise restored the power using the same password. Scott, Hamlet and Lily climbed on the conveyor belt to release as many Sapes as possible. Several more Sapes had died in this slaughterhouse. Hamlet had another meltdown but strongly regained her composure as they prepared to head off to the next location.
The four of them were back in Big Blue. Denise turned to face Scott. ‘I think we’ll do things a little differently this time,’ she said to him. ‘The direct route is not the fastest. I think we should make use of the tracks the slaughter trucks use.’
‘They’re going the wrong way, friend,’ said Scott. ‘They’ll take us to a region and not the next slaughterhouse.’
‘Well, yes, but there will be tracks from that region to the next slaughterhouse,’ said Denise. ‘We’ll be able to refuel in that region. I’m sure we’ll make better progress.’
Scott sighed and shook his head.
‘Trust me,’ said Denise as she tapped her head with her index finger.
They drove along the tracks for several hours, but instead of leading them to a region, the tracks became fainter and eventually disappeared.
‘I think we’re lost,’ said Scott as he stopped Big Blue.
‘No, we’re not,’ said Denise confidently. ‘Big Blue has our coordinates. We are right here,’ she added as she pointed at the map.
The coordinates shown on the dashboard changed, and then a few seconds later, they changed again.
‘Oh dear,’ said Denise, shaking her head. ‘Looks like our navigation system is down.’
Scott banged his head up and down on the steering wheel, and both Hamlet and Lily began to howl.
‘Stop it!’ said Denise firmly. ‘Get a grip! We’ll just retrace our steps. We’re not lost.’
Scott turned Big Blue around, and they began to head back in the direction they came from. Unfortunately, they could not find the tracks. Denise decided they should just drive in the general direction of the next slaughterhouse on the map. Several days had passed, but they still had not reached the next slaughterhouse. They were also down to their final two containers of fuel.
They stopped for the night in a clearing near a small stream. Denise wanted to talk to Scott, but he refused to talk to her. Hamlet was angry and acting antisocial. Therefore, Denise decided to sit next to Lily. She rubbed her hand through Lily’s thick fur.
‘You’re so fluffy,’ said Denise. ‘We should call you fluffy Lily. It also makes me feel more comfortable clearly distinguishing you from the other Lily.’
Scott glanced over at Denise. His arms were tightly folded. When Denise turned to look at him, he turned away.
The next day, after driving for a few hours, they saw a slaughterhouse up ahead.
Denise excitedly turned to Scott and said, ‘Looks like we’ve done it. I told you we weren’t lost.’
Scott smiled and nodded.
However, it did not take them long to realise they were back at the first slaughterhouse.
Scott stopped Big Blue, got out, and stormed off angrily. Denise leaned back in her seat with her hands over her face. Hamlet and fluffy Lily got out. They walked over to the freed Sapes and began to play with them.
Ten minutes later, Denise climbed out of Big Blue and walked over to the freed Sapes. She was surprised how well they were doing and how much their health had improved. Scott was among the Sapes. He headed over to Denise.
‘I made some mistakes,’ she said to him. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I’m sorry too, friend,’ said Scott. ‘I shouldn’t be angry with you. You made this possible.’
Scott rubbed one of the young Sapes on the head.
‘I still want to save more,’ said Denise. ‘Let’s search this place for fuel for our vehicle.’
Scott nodded.
Hamlet and fluffy Lily joined them as they entered the loading bay. They walked further into the loading bay. It was easier to do so now that it was fully lit up. At the end of the loading bay was another large metal door.
‘Hamlet, would you do the honours of smashing down this door?’ asked Denise as she pointed at it.
Hamlet charged at the door at full speed. On impact, the door was smashed off its rails. Scott wrung his hands together in a nervous glee.
Behind the door appeared to be some sort of heavy vehicle parking lot. At the far end was a red vehicle.
‘Well, this has potential,’ said Denise as she placed her hands on her hips.
The four of them walked over to the vehicle. It was quite large. It was bigger than Big Blue and had bigger wheels.
Denise grabbed the handle, and the door opened. She had a quick look inside before climbing back out again.
‘I don’t think we need fuel anymore,’ said Denise proudly. ‘This is an electric vehicle. We can fully charge it here and fully recharge it at the other slaughterhouses.’
‘What about Big Blue?’ asked Scott, sounding worried.
‘We’ll leave it here,’ said Denise. ‘Alex can come and pick it up another time.’
‘He won’t be happy,’ remarked Scott as he slowly shook his head.
Denise opened up a compartment on the side of the vehicle and pulled out a plug and cord. She inserted the plug into a socket in the charging station.
‘Looks like we won’t be able to travel until tomorrow,’ she said as she walked back towards the destroyed door.
Hamlet looked at the picture of a smiling Sape on the side of the vehicle. She snorted angrily at it. Then she followed fluffy Lily and Scott back outside.
The next morning, Denise drove the red vehicle outside. Scott pulled down a ramp at the back of the vehicle to let Hamlet and fluffy Lily in. Once they were in, they folded the ramp up and closed the door. He walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and gestured to Denise to move over. Denise smiled and moved over to the passenger seat. Scott climbed into the vehicle.
‘Do you know how to drive this vehicle?’ asked Denise casually as she watched Scott put his hands on the steering wheel.
Scott nodded his head, but he started to look confused as he looked at the control panel.
‘This vehicle has a driverless option,’ giggled Denise. ‘We just enter the coordinates of the location, and the vehicle will drive us there using the fastest route.’
Denise pressed a button on the control panel, and the vehicle started. Scott folded his arms and stared angrily out of the window.
As the vehicle was driverless, they did not need to stop for rest breaks. This allowed them to drive through the night.
Three days later, they arrived at the next slaughterhouse. They followed the same steps as they did with the other two slaughterhouses. This time, around a quarter of the Sapes had died. It was frustrating and painful, but at the same time, they knew they had saved tens of thousands more Sape lives. Once they had rescued the Sapes, they plugged their red vehicle in to charge.
The four of them travelled from slaughterhouse to slaughterhouse, rescuing as many Sapes as possible. Each slaughterhouse they encountered had more dead Sapes than the previous one. The four of them had agreed to focus only on the positive aspect of the number of Sapes lives there were saving.
When they reached the tenth slaughterhouse, only a few hundred large Sapes were still alive.
Denise and Scott sat down on a grassy patch outside the slaughterhouse. They watched the rescued Sapes as they waited for the red vehicle to charge.
‘Right now, my emotions are so mixed,’ said Denise as she turned to Scott. ‘I know what we’re doing is right, but I’m so filled with guilt.’
‘Yes, that’s because so many Sapes have died, friend,’ replied Scott.
‘It’s more than that,’ said Denise. ‘Our society needed to collapse for them to have a chance. If none of this had happened, they would have all been slaughtered.’
‘Downs is still around,’ said Scott sounding upbeat.
‘Well, that’s because Downs is the greatest region ever,’ chuckled Denise. ‘Even the Sentray know that.’
Scott energetically pumped his fist in the air.
Three days later, they arrived at the eleventh slaughterhouse. It was very different here. The Sentray had destroyed the slaughterhouse and had killed and eaten the Sapes inside. Hamlet and fluffy Lily were greatly distraught by what they saw. There was also nowhere for them to charge their vehicle.
‘Let’s go!’ said Denise to the others. ‘The next one is only a day away. We need to try and save more Sapes.’
Scott nodded as he thumped the steering wheel. Tears trickled down his face.
A day later, they arrived at the twelfth slaughterhouse. The Sentray had also attacked this slaughterhouse, but this was different. They had smashed down one of the walls. This time, they had not killed the Sapes. It seemed they had rescued them. Tens of thousands of Sapes were wandering around in the forest next to the slaughterhouse.
The four of them climbed out of the vehicle. They ran over to take a closer look at the Sapes. They looked well and healthy. Hamlet and fluffy Lily played headbutting with them for hours. Denise found a charging station that still worked. After she plugged in the vehicle, she joined the Sapes in the forest. They danced and celebrated the rest of the day.
The next day, the four of them headed off to the final and northernmost slaughterhouse in the Central Agriculture Zone. At this point, they did not know what to expect. Two days later, when they arrived. It was clear the Sentray had been there. Like with the previous slaughterhouse, they had freed the Sapes.
The four of them sat on the grass outside the slaughterhouse. They watched as the Sapes joyfully played by a small stream.
‘I don’t understand, friend,’ said Scott, sounding perplexed. ‘The Sentray are mean and vicious, and they like to eat Sapes. Why did they save these Sapes?’
‘I won’t pretend to understand the logic of an apex predator,’ replied Denise, shrugging her shoulders. ‘I still feel we need to learn more about them.’
‘Maybe we can be friends,’ said Scott as he sat up straight. ‘Making friends with all is the Downs way of doing things.’
‘That approach has served you well so far,’ said Denise with a slight grin.
Scott nodded his head energetically, Hamlet softly onked, and fluffy Lily calmly baaed.
‘Maybe we are part of something much bigger and more profound,’ said Denise as she leaned back. ‘Maybe there is a deeper truth to the scriptures from the House of Divine Knowledge.’
Scott frowned, and Hamlet and fluffy Lily turned to look at each other.
‘How about I put it this way?’ said Denise as she raised her hand slightly and pointed her index finger upwards. ‘Those who judged have been judged. Those who didn’t haven’t.’
Scott scratched his head, and then he smiled and said, ‘I’m hungry. Let’s eat.’
Scott, Hamlet, and fluffy Lily leapt to their feet and ran towards a pile of fruit they had collected earlier. Denise did not feel like eating. Instead, she continued to watch the Sapes play.
Before heading back to Downs, they spent several more days enjoying the company of the freed Sapes. On the way back, they stopped at the other slaughterhouses to recharge their vehicle. They were happy to see that the freed Sapes were thriving and enjoying the copious amount of fresh fruit growing in the Central Agriculture Zone.
They also passed another grain silo. It was very similar to the one they found earlier. To their joy, it was also full. A few days after that, they passed a complex of silos that contained rice. These were almost three quarters full. It appeared Downs would have enough grain and rice from these silos to last them a decade.
Denise continued her search for her father. On a few occasions, they spotted groups of Sapiods. Each time Denise would scan the groups with her binoculars, hoping to find her father, but she had no luck. She was beginning to lose hope, even if her father was still out there. Finding him in the vastness of Sapey was going to be very difficult. It was going to come down to luck.
The trip back gave Denise plenty of time to finish the document she was writing. She had become even more convinced that it was essential for her to pass on information about the events of the past year to future generations. Scott spent most of the journey back pretending to drive the vehicle. Luckily he had no control over the vehicle. His arm movements were very dramatic and would have caused them to crash. Hamlet and fluffy Lily slept most of the time. Scott had placed several hay bales they had found in a shed in the back with them. Hamlet had fun ripping them apart and then turning them into a giant bed. However, both Hamlet and fluffy Lily occasionally snacked on the hay. By the end of the journey, it was almost gone.
After two months of travelling around the Central Agriculture Zone rescuing Sapes, they had finally returned to Downs. As they approached the gates of Downs, they could see Eugene and Freddy waving checkered flags.
‘That’s amazing!’ exclaimed Denise as she grabbed Scott. ‘They somehow anticipated our arrival and now want to warmly welcome us back.’
‘Well, of course!’ replied Scott as he grabbed Denise in return. ‘This is Downs Region!’
The vehicle stopped in front of the gate, and Eugene approached the passenger side.
The window rolled down.
‘Sorry, friend,’ said Eugene in a casual tone. ‘This is a meat-free region. You should head elsewhere.’
‘I’m Denise!’ said Denise, sounding frustrated. ‘We’re back from rescuing Sapes.’
Eugene looked across at Scott, who was waving at him. ‘Oh yeah,’ said Eugene as he waved back at Scott. ‘You need to move along; my Co-Head Enforcer and her team are due to arrive back any minute now.’
Denise sighed and shook her head.
‘Feel free to help yourself to a cupcake when you get in,’ said Eugene as he stepped back from the vehicle.
They drove into Downs Region and parked opposite Alex’s fruit and vehicle business. Denise and Scott climbed out the vehicle. They went to the back of the vehicle and opened the back door to let out Hamlet and fluffy Lily.
The four of them looked across at Alex’s business. ‘Don’t worry about anything,’ said Denise to Scott. ‘I’ll go in and explain everything to Alex. I’ll put a real positive spin on things, and he’ll be happy.’
Denise entered Alex’s office. Alex was playing a console game.
‘Hey Alex, we’re back to return your vehicle,’ said Denise in a cheerful tone.
‘Oh great!’ said Alex as he leapt to his feet. ‘Big Blue is the pride of my fleet.’
‘Yeah, well, she’s better than ever,’ said Denise as she walked back towards the door she just came through.
Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound from outside the front of Alex’s business.
‘I’m sure that’s nothing,’ said Denise as she smiled awkwardly.
The two of them walked outside. The red vehicle had been flipped upside down, and Hamlet had half a tyre in her mouth.
Denise shrieked in shock.
‘Don’t worry, friend,’ said Alex in a relaxed tone. ‘That’s not one of mine.’
Eugene ran past both of them. He had his radio in his hand. ‘Daily, we need you down here immediately,’ he yelled into the radio. ‘Hamlet is crazy hungry. She needs a giant stack of pancakes served up hot and fresh, ASAP, friend.’
‘I guess she deserves them,’ said Denise as she watched Hamlet and fluffy Lily running after Eugene. ‘She saved the lives of over a hundred thousand Sapes.’
‘That’s amazing, friend,’ replied Alex in a joyous tone. ‘We’ll have to build a great statue of our new hero.’
‘Yes, friends!’ said Scott as he approached Alex and Denise. ‘We’ll build it in our new town square.’
‘Hmm, by the way, where did you say you parked Big Blue?’ asked Alex as he rubbed his chin.
‘Right here!’ said Scott as he pointed at the map he was holding.
Images were created with the help of Bing Image Creator
Sapien Loop Short Stories
Sapien Loop short stories explore the adventures of some of the characters from the Sapien Loop series. These stories are intended to reveal more about individual characters and the events that have helped shape them.
Currently, two books from the series have been published on Amazon; see links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.
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