Into the Dark 🏚️
Marcus nodded grimly, turned on his heel, and sprinted back toward the main administrative block. I was left alone in the flashing red twilight with a four-hundred-pound silverback.
“Come on, boy,” I murmured, clicking my tongue in the familiar pattern we used during training sessions. “This way. Quietly now.” 🤫
Tambe didn’t hesitate. He dropped onto all fours, his massive knuckles making a soft thud-thud sound against the floor as he followed me down the narrow service corridor. We reached the heavy wooden door that led to the old basement. It hadn’t been used in years, and the hinges let out a terrible, rusty screech as I pulled it open.
“Shh, good boy, go inside,” I urged, guiding him down the steep concrete stairs. The basement was pitch black and smelled heavily of damp earth and old medical supplies. I clicked on my small pocket flashlight, casting a thin beam of white light across the room.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the floor directly above us. The sound of heavy boots walking on shattered glass followed immediately. They were already inside the eastern wing.
“Where is the big one?” a harsh voice shouted from above, the words muffled by the thick flooring but still terrifyingly clear. “The storm took out the cameras, but the tracker log says he’s in this sector!”
My heart skipped a beat. The tracker. I had completely forgotten about the GPS telemetry collar we had fitted on Tambe just last month for his upcoming release program. If the poachers had a handheld receiver, they didn’t need cameras. They could trace his signal straight to this room.
I looked at Tambe. He was sitting quietly in the corner of the basement, his large arms wrapped around his knees, watching me intently. He knew we were hiding. He could sense the predatory energy in the air.
“I have to take it off,” I whispered to myself.
I knelt beside him, the flashlight held between my teeth. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely find the release mechanism on the heavy nylon collar buried deep in his thick neck fur. Tambe remained perfectly still, holding his breath as if he understood that any movement could betray us.
Click.
The collar came loose in my hands. The small red LED light on the housing was blinking rhythmically, broadcasting our exact coordinates to the men upstairs.
“Hey! The signal is getting stronger! He’s right below us!” a voice shouted from the hallway…… 🗣️
