Shadows in the Sanctuary 🌌
The crackle of the radio felt like a physical blow. The peaceful moment we had shared on the cold concrete floor vanished, replaced instantly by a cold, sharp dread. Tambe felt it too. His massive body tensed up again, his muscles turning to solid iron beneath his dark fur. He lifted his heavy head from my shoulder, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the damp air rushing through the corridors.
“Sarah, we need to move right now,” Marcus whispered, his voice dropping to a harsh, urgent undertone. He lowered the tranquilizer rifle, realizing how utterly useless it would be against human intruders carrying military-grade weapons. “If they cut the south ridge fence, they know exactly what they are looking for. They’re here for the silverbacks.”
Poachers. The word didn’t need to be spoken aloud. In this part of the world, a silverback gorilla like Tambe was worth a fortune on the black market, and there were syndicates ruthless enough to storm a conservation sanctuary during a natural disaster to get what they wanted.
“We can’t leave them,” I said, my voice steadying despite the fear clawing at my throat. I looked down at Tambe. He was looking back at me, his deep, expressive eyes searching mine for cues. He trusted me completely. I had raised him since he was an orphaned infant, nursing him back to health after his family was wiped out by the very same kind of men who were currently cutting through our fences.
“The main bunker is secure,” Marcus said, checking the digital tablet on his wrist, which was running on backup battery power. “But the secondary enclosures are completely exposed due to the roof collapse. If we try to move Tambe through the open courtyard, we’ll be sitting ducks.”
“Then we don’t move him,” I replied, standing up slowly. Tambe immediately rose with me, staying so close that his shoulder brushed against my hip. “We hide him. The old veterinary basement under this wing is reinforced concrete. It doesn’t show up on the modern facility maps.”
“And what about the others?” Marcus asked, his eyes darting toward the end of the hallway where the rain was still pouring through the ceiling.
“You go check on the nursery enclosure. Make sure the juveniles are locked in the inner night-rooms,” I instructed. “I’ll take Tambe downstairs. Go, Marcus. Now…….!” 🏃♂️
