Jude pushed the last few crumbs around his plate, half-heartedly nibbling on a piece of sweet bread. His eyes felt heavy, his body sinking deeper into the chair as exhaustion wrapped around him like a blanket. Every muscle hurt him.

All he wanted was a hot bath, a fresh shirt, and the feel of a soft bed pulling him into sleep. Despite everything, the dessert—soft buns drizzled with honey—was undeniably good.

He glanced up at Patrick, curiosity breaking through his fatigue. "What is this?"

Patrick leaned back in his chair, a playful grin spreading across his face. “Monkey bread,” he said, nodding toward the plate. “Just bits of dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar, baked together in a bundt pan. Simple enough to whip up."

He paused, wiping his hands on a napkin. “I can show you how to make it if you’re up for it. Won’t be around forever, you know. The last thing I want is people shouting up to my grave, ‘Hey, Patrick, how do you cook this? Hey Patrick, do you have nails? Hey Patrick...’” He chuckled as if the thought amused him more than he let on.

Lucy barely touched her plate. Her small frame slumped over the table, one arm acting as a pillow as her eyes fluttered between open and closed. Exhaustion clung to her, matching the fatigue that weighed down Jude and Lazaro. Who sat equally drained, and eyes glazed with the kind of tiredness that settled deep into his bones.

Jude, trying to push through the fatigue, offered a smirk. “It’s really good, Patrick. Thanks for dinner,” he said, then paused, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Funny that I’m eating... Monkey,” he added with an ironic chuckle.

His smile quickly faded, jaw slackening as his thoughts caught up with him, a realisation flashing across his face.

Lazaro’s eyes sharpened, his exhaustion briefly overridden by worry. “What’s wrong? You remember something you left behind in B4?” His voice held a trace of irritation with the prospect of Jude starting a new quest. He just wanted the night to end in peace.

Jude stood up from the table, napkin still in hand, wiping his mouth with hurried, jerky movements. His eyes darted to the store owner, “Patrick, do you have a van? Or something that could carry, I don’t know, eight extra people?”

Patrick blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. “A van? No, but I’ve got a trolley... Why? What’s going on?”

Jude barely paused to explain. “I’ll take it! Just tell me where it is.” He turned to Lazaro, his words tumbling out fast. “How far are we from the hospital?”

Lucy stirred at the table, her voice small and drowsy. “I’m fine. Just sleepy. I don’t need a doctor. I need a pillow.”

Jude barely glanced at her, already thinking a step ahead. “Go to bed, Lucy. Patrick, sorry—could you—”

Before he could finish, Patrick cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I got the kid. The trolley’s by the car wash.”

Patrick had barely even finished his sentence when Jude was already out the door, the sound of his footsteps disappearing into the night.

“What’s gotten into him?” Patrick muttered, shaking his head.

Lazaro sighed, pushing himself up from the table. “No idea. But I’d better go after him before he does something reckless.” He paused, rubbing his temples. “Or before I do. I never meet someone with so much energy.”

Less than five minutes later, Jude gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, as the jeep jerked along the dark, bumpy road with the trolley clattering behind. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes darted to the uneven path.

When they reached the ape camp, his heart sank. The place was deserted. No skulls, no rotting flesh, no signs of life—nothing but emptiness. The air felt eerily still.

Jude stepped out of the jeep, surveying the camp. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

Lazaro stepped out of the jeep, his boots crunching against the dirt as he joined Jude in surveying the scene. His eyes swept over the empty camp, taking in the barren ground where chaos had once reigned. “They ate the whole place,” he muttered, almost to himself.

Jude’s expression darkened. “They’re going to be sick. Fucking crazy apes. They actually did it. They ate everything. He did say they would.”

Lazaro nodded grimly. “Probably… and they won’t survive. They’ll—”

Jude cut him off, turning sharply. “I don’t want them ending up like Albert. It’ll be trial after trial… and then it’s back to the labs, back to being test rats. No, no... not on my watch.” He tried to search for any sign or clue, his frustration building with every second of silence. "Fuck."

Jude’s gaze shifted to the hill looming in the distance, a dark silhouette against the night sky. "What’s up there?" he asked.

Lazaro followed his line of sight, shrugging. “That's a hill. I’m not sure, but I think there is a sub-tunnel. We could check. Maybe they relocated.”

“They couldn’t have gone far, not if they’re sick,” Jude muttered, already running calculations in his head. Without pausing, he called out, "Barbara, how long does it take for an ape to get sick after eating rotten flesh?"

Silence. Jude frowned, waiting. "Barbara?"

Lazaro glanced at him, eyebrows knitting together in concern. “What’s wrong?”

Jude’s stomach sank as the realisation hit him. His AI wasn’t responding. He had forgotten for a moment that Lucy jailbreak Barbara. He clenched his jaw. “Abel?” he called.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

A pause and then a familiar voice crackled to life. "Oh, you still remember me? How charming. What do you want?" Abel’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

Jude exhaled, barely hiding his annoyance. "How long does it take for an ape to get sick after eating rotten flesh?"

Abel’s response came back short and dismissive. "Well, not long."

Jude’s frustration flared, his fingers flexing at his sides. "How many tokens do you have left?" he shot back, not in the mood for games.

Abel remained silent for a moment, clearly understanding the thinly veiled threat in Jude’s words. Then, without protest, the AI launched into an unrelenting stream of information.

“The effects of ingesting rotten flesh can vary widely among apes," Abel began, his voice flat and clinical. "Factors include the type of flesh, the amount consumed, and the individual ape's overall health and digestive system. But, generally speaking—”

Jude’s jaw clenched as the data poured out, not giving him a chance to interrupt.

“Gastrointestinal distress: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea within a few hours. Food poisoning symptoms, caused by bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli, can manifest anywhere from 6 to 48 hours after ingestion. Severe cases include abdominal pain, dehydration—"

Jude’s mind raced as Abel continued, but the unrelenting flow of words only fuelled his impatience.

"—and death," Abel concluded.

"They’d already be sick by now..." Jude muttered, eyes continuing to search the barren camp for anything—any clue he might’ve missed. But there was nothing. So, without hesitation, he turned back toward the jeep.

“Let’s check the hill,” Jude said, turning the ignition with a flick of his wrist, the engine growling to life. He gripped the wheel tightly, eyes focused ahead. “Why would they go to that hill?”

Lazaro followed, climbing into the passenger seat with a resigned sigh. He shrugged at Jude's question, his gaze drifting toward the distant slope.

“Maybe... Tunnels can be a place to hide. If they’re sick, they might be looking for somewhere safe to die. Or… well, at least that is what I would do.”

Abel chimed in, his usual tone strangely absent, replaced by something colder, more detached. “Blondie is right. Many species instinctively hide when they’re close to death. It’s ironic how it is a survival mechanism.”

Jude frowned at the AI’s odd shift.

"Let’s see, then," Jude muttered as he steered the jeep toward the hill. The tyres struggled against the uneven ground, slipping in patches of mud and bouncing over rocks. Every jolt made Jude grip the wheel tighter. Time was slipping away, and they weren’t moving fast enough.

After what felt like forever, they crested the hill and rolled into a clearing. A grove of trees cut deep into the hillside. Jude flipped the headlights to full beam, and the world ahead lit up.

His heart lurched, hammering in his chest as his eyes widened. No. This can’t be right. His pulse quickened, panic inching toward the surface.

Lazaro, sensing the shift, reached out and gripped Jude’s arm firmly.

"Jude, don’t. Don’t do anything." His voice was low. "It’s not what you think."

Jude’s ears were deaf to Lazaro’s warnings. His gaze locked on the shadowy figures moving through the clearing—black hounds, their scales shimmering with a dark, smoky fog. The creatures prowled impatiently, their growls rumbling through the air as if waiting for a signal or a command—four Eidolons.

Jude’s throat tightened. "Are they projections? Like the ones from the starting point?" he asked, but deep down, he already knew the answer.

Lazaro shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "No... they’re real. But—"

Jude’s muscles tensed, fear curling in his gut. "It’s four of them, and we’re only two."

Lazaro’s grip on reality stayed steady, trying to pull Jude back from the edge. "Maybe we should go. Now."

Jude’s jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the creatures. "I can’t."

"What? Why?"

Jude’s voice rose, thick with anger. "Who the hell leaves sick people behind? What, are they just gonna eat them?"

Lazaro’s grip tightened on Jude’s arm, his fingers digging in, trying to keep him grounded. "They’re apes. Calm down, for fuck’s sake."

But Jude couldn’t hear the reason, and his body was tense with the urge to act. He twisted under Lazaro’s hold, about to break free, when something caught his eye. His breath hitched as he watched an Eidolon emerge from the cave, an unconscious ape slung over its back. Another Eidolon disappeared into the cave’s entrance.

Jude froze. Are they… helping?

“Jude, let’s go. For fuck’s sake!”

Jude's eyes were locked on the creature before him—a real, living Eidolon. Not a projection. He almost forgot he was inside a simulation. It was so real.

The creature stood there, its presence unnerving, dark smoke curling off its scales.

Jude’s breath hitched. He had seen them in simulations and heard stories, but this was different. It was real, almost too real. For a moment, everything else faded. The growls, the smoke, the eerie stillness around it—it all gnawed at the edges of his mind.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away, the realisation sinking in deeper: This was the first time he’d seen an Eidolon in the flesh, but it wasn't. It was just ones and zeros. Why did it look so real?

Jude pressed himself against the windshield, eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the scene. One by one, the Eidolons descended into the cave. The entrance was narrow, only allowing one of the hulking creatures to squeeze through at a time.

Jude thought the cave must run deep, judging by how long it took for each to reappear, carrying an unconscious ape on its back.

Something clicked in his mind, and without thinking, he slammed his hand down on the horn, the sharp sound cutting through the eerie stillness. He hit it again. And again. The growling hounds turned their heads, their glowing eyes trained on him.

“What the fuck are you doing? Have you lost it, man?” Lazaro shouted, his voice rising with panic as he lunged across the seat, grabbing for Jude’s hand. The horn blared again, echoing through the stillness, each blast more frantic than the last.

“Snap out of it!” Lazaro barked, straining to yank Jude’s hand free from the horn. The sound finally stopped,

Jude leaned out of the window, waving frantically toward the trolley hitched to the back of the jeep. "Put them on the back!" he shouted. He gestured wildly at the trolley, hoping the creatures understood his intention.

The hound moved in closer, its dark, smoky form expanding until it nearly blotted out the view beyond the windshield. Its growl was frightening, vibrating through the jeep, each rumble more unnerving than the last. Jude’s pulse quickened, doubt creeping in. Did I just make a huge mistake?

Before he could process, another hound leapt onto the hood of the jeep, its weight causing the vehicle to dip slightly. The first hound recoiled, pushed back by the sudden arrival. Jude’s breath hitched as the second creature locked eyes with him—or tried to. All Jude saw in those dark, empty depths was his own reflection staring back—terrified, his face twisted with fear and sadness, like a mirror showing him everything he didn’t want to feel.

A dull thud echoed from behind, then another, and another—heavy bodies landing in the trolley. Jude barely blinked, listening as the sound repeated: two apes, then three, and more, each drop sending a shiver through the silence.

One of the hounds leapt from the hood of the jeep, landing with a soft grunt before bouncing twice in front of the vehicle, its eerie gaze fixed on them. The message was clear: it was time to go.

"Do you think they’re taking us to a hospital?" Jude’s voice was shaky.

Lazaro sat stiffly, his expression unreadable, though something in his posture felt off. "Just… follow them," he muttered, his voice flat. Jude couldn’t tell if it was exhaustion or something else entirely. But there was no turning back now.

image [https://i.imgur.com/TaYku04.png]