The Challenge:
In 3000 words or less, write a story about a baby that was stolen
from a hospital. Who took the baby? Who are the parents and what do they
do to get their child back?
The Result:
STOLEN MOMENTS
by Greg Smith
© Greg Smith 2013
The heavy veil of midnight stretched across the harbor,
lights from the city center played hide and go seek among the undulating waves
that lapped the shoreline. Overhead, the soft rumble of sporadic traffic washed
down from the bridge connecting the city with slumbering suburbia.
The zoo, a lingering reminder of
days long gone, occupied a section of foreshore that swept down from a
tree-lined ridge to the refurbished wharf that functioned as the lower entrance
for visitors arriving by harbor ferries. The wharf was utilized exclusively by
the state transport department and since, at this late hour, no maritime services
were operating, it was curious that a medium sized craft should be tied up at
the wharf. Even stranger were the black-garbed figures that alighted from the
vessel. Without pause the six figures moved straight to the heavy wire fence
and the padlocked gate.
City light glinted off metal as a
large bolt cutter appeared. The snap of the padlock went unheard as the
discordant sounds from the zoo’s tenants rumbled from the shadowed slopes
overlooking the harbor.
The gate swung back and the group
moved quickly to the pathway leading up to the zoo’s main building that housed
administration and medical facilities. Hundreds of eyes followed the dark
figures running quietly and purposefully along the path as it snaked its way
towards the top of the ridge where suburbia nestled against the edge of the zoo
property.
The night watchman was too
preoccupied with a late night TV program to notice the shadows flit across one
of the several security monitors then reappear on the screen that displayed the
entrance to the zoo hospital. The guard swiveled in his chair to retrieve his
coffee and shot a perfunctory glance at the monitor. The seemingly secure
hospital entrance belied the fact that it had just been breached.
Inside the medical center several
rooms led off the main arterial corridor that ran the length of the building. A
few of the rooms functioned as offices while the remainder were examination
rooms and operating theaters. The group of six sprinted the length of the
corridor, passing empty rooms and the occasional lighted desk lamp. At the end
of the corridor the group stopped. A small metal plate fixed at eye level to a
door read SECURE AREA – NO ADMITTANCE WITHOUT ATTENDING GUARD.
Without hesitation, one of the six
withdrew a key card and swiped it through the security lock. For the briefest
moment nothing happened, then a small green light atop the lock winked at the
group and they heard a soft metallic click. Silently they stepped into the
room. A hand reached out and suddenly the room was awash with light.
The doorway stood in one corner of
the large room. Wide workbenches, covered with medical equipment, lined the
entire length of the walls leading from the door and two over-sized examination
tables occupied the center of the room. The group moved slowly towards the
large islands, all focus directed at the far corner that was sealed off from
the rest of the room by thick steel bars that reached from floor to ceiling.
The cell filled a goodly portion of the clinic and appeared extremely secure
and for good reason judging by its current occupants.
Staring through the bars at the
uninvited guests dressed head to toe in black were two huge albino silverback
gorillas, one of which cradled a young albino baby gorilla. The only movement
from within the cell came from the male’s deep yellow eyes as they narrowed. He
regarded the strangers warily. He and his partner were quite used to the
attending zoo staff dressed in their white lab coats; this group, however, was
different and the smell emanating from it was that of fear, greed, and danger.
The gorilla’s mind recalled his first encounter with Man. His eyes narrowed
further, almost closed, and his gaze tracked from one black figure to the next.
“Get on with it,” a voice rasped.
Three of the group unslung rifles
from their backs and loaded them with large tranquillizer darts. Ready, the
three men stepped forward, raised their weapons and fired. Unfortunately for
the male silverback these were marksmen and the darts passed cleanly between
the steel bars and struck home. The gorilla was able to swat one of the
projectiles from his body but the sedative from the other two overpowered him quickly
and he slumped slowly onto his side with an angry grunt. Even as he felt his
eyes flutter close, he heard the strangers’ weapons cough again and sensed
rather than saw his partner slide to the floor.
A whimpering chatter came from the
baby gorilla as its mother’s arms released their comforting hold and the baby
found itself tumble to the cool hard floor. It brushed its knuckled hands over
the mother’s face trying to rouse her but to no avail. Then, even as the cage
door swung open, the baby scampered to its father but no amount of chatter or
pummeling could stir the drugged mountainous gorilla.
Then everything went black.
The baby silverback didn’t
struggle inside the heavy sack. Like most wild animals when they find
themselves suddenly enveloped in darkness, instead of fighting they submit to
the apparent safety and comfort of the strange nightfall. Even the slight
jostling didn’t bother it.
The intruders secured the cage and
quickly retraced their steps. Everything had gone according to plan, even
smoother than expected. The group was half way along the corridor when a loud
commotion stopped them in their tracks. All eyes turned. The racket was coming
from the far end of the building; from the room they had just left. A
tremendous howl pierced the air and office windows shook in their frames. Metal
screamed in protest as it was twisted and bent.
“HOLY SHI—!”
A door—no, a whole section of wall
exploded into the corridor and a cloud of dust billowed towards the transfixed
group. The bundle inside the sack went still. The ever-efficient ventilation
system sucked the dust from the corridor and there, in all his terrifying
glory, stood the male silverback gorilla.
The deep overhanging brows
furrowed but did nothing to hide the murderous glint in his yellow eyes. His
arms, like two monstrous pillars, rose from the floor to his powerful shoulders
that almost spanned the corridor. The gorilla’s mighty chest gleamed a steely
gray from the light spilling from the destroyed room and heaved slightly from
the strenuous task of ripping the steel cell asunder.
The men expected the silverback to
rise and pound its chest and possibly scream its defiance. They didn’t expect it
to begin moving slowly towards without a sound. If anything, it made the
approaching animal seem all the more terrifying. Hands began fumbling for
weapons, and darts clattered to the floor from jittery fingers. The silverback
kept advancing.
Finally a tranquillizer dart was
rammed home and a rifle coughed. The men stared in amazement as the dart
hurtled down the corridor only to be batted aside by the sweep of a brawny
hand. Another rifle fired but its projectile met the same fate as its
predecessor. And the silverback kept coming.
Panic and sheer terror seized the
group and they turned as one in a run for the only door providing escape. In
their mad rush the sack holding the baby gorilla was dropped and instantly
forgotten. Upon reaching the stirring bundle, the silverback paused long enough
to release his son from the tangle of cloth and, with a tap on his rump, sent
him scampering back to his mother.
Then, knowing his baby was safe,
the father gorilla returned to the task in hand.
The group had reached the door.
The key card was needed for exiting the building as well as entering. In the
frantic commotion to escape the card was dropped and trampled underfoot. A
woeful moan went up as men dropped to their knees and hands began scrabbling
around in the dark for the key.
A scream curdled the men’s blood
as the silverback weighed into their group.
The weekend was uneventful; crowds
of excited children and their smiling parents poured into the zoo, ogled and
clamored at the array of animals, consumed copious amounts of fast food and
pop, and departed almost as quickly as they had arrived, leaving overflowing
waste bins as silent testimony of their visit.
Zoo staff assigned to the medical
center arrived Monday morning to begin another week of studious work caring for
the zoo tenants. Administrative personnel looked up from their cluttered desks
as screams of shock and horror echoed across the zoo grounds.
From the horrific evidence that
filled the center’s corridor from the entrance to the far end of the building
and the destroyed examination room it was deduced that, sometime late the
previous Friday night, a band of men had broken into the building to steal the
baby albino silverback gorilla. To date it was the only one ever born in captivity
and therefore could demand a huge price on the black market for exotic animals.
Despite the use of tranquillizers, the group’s plan had gone awry when they
must have miscalculated the correct dosage of drug needed to safely sedate the
silverback gorillas.
Most surprising of all, as far as
the zoo staff was concerned, was the fact that all three silverbacks were
discovered sound asleep among the ruins of their cell. The animals, still
regarded as being very wild, had shown no interest in taking advantage of the
break in to make their escape from the zoo.
In an attempt to identify the
would-be thieves the authorities handling the case were still trying to put the
pieces of the puzzle together—so to speak.
For More On Greg Smith:
For More On Greg Smith:
No comments:
Post a Comment