Everything was repacked, and the men were clearly waiting for her. Steve Caesare stepped forward with a blue metal mug. “Coffee?”
Her eyes widened with excitement, and she reached appreciatively for the cup. “You know, Steve, sometimes you can really surprise me.”
Caesare laughed. “It’s just coffee, Dee.”
She winked playfully. “Still.”
From several feet away, Ronin peered at the two curiously before turning to Clay.
“Their relationship,” Clay replied, “is like a brother and sister who always thought the other was the favorite.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay. Just remember they don’t dislike each other as much as they sometimes pretend to.”
Ronin nodded and continued studying the two, while Caesare coaxed Dulce and Dexter out of the small tent, then rolled it up.
They continued west, in the direction of Borger’s coordinates. There was no existing path, forcing them to forge their way through the dense shrubbery and slowing their progress. Most of the forest consisted of tall, densely-leafed mahogany trees, rising high overhead and dotted with occasional oil palms — the red bunches of kernels stood out against the vast greenery like giant eyes.
After several slips in the moist soil, DeeAnn tred more carefully and began stepping within the impressions left behind by Caesare, now directly in front of her. Dexter rode on Caesare’s shoulder and Dulce scampered along next to her.
Ronin moved silently behind her, followed by Clay who traveled almost as quietly, holding his gun in both hands.
They had traveled almost a full mile before reaching another large clearing. Abruptly, Caesare halted.
He had stopped before, assessing their direction, but this time was different. The clearing was wide open, resembling a prairie covered in tall grass, its far side still glowing under the rays of the rising sun.
Rather than continuing, Caesare spoke in a low voice.
“Dee?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t respond. Instead he continued peering across the grass.
“What is it?”
Caesare motioned forward and DeeAnn stepped around him, following his gaze. Clay pressed in closer to look over his shoulder.
Something stirred on the far side of the clearing over a hundred yards away, beneath the trees. Over a hundred yards away where it resembled a dark shadow.
After a moment, it moved again.
Then the shadow ambled forward, out to the edge of the trees where its shape became clearer. It was the frame of a massive silverback gorilla, leaning forward onto two powerful arms that made Caesare’s look scrawny by comparison.
The gorilla stopped at the edge of the sunlight, staring across the small field at them. His face was black and unmoving.
“Shhh,” DeeAnn whispered to the others.
Then more movement appeared in the shadows on the other side, behind him. Moments later, another gorilla emerged, just as large as the first — also staring at them.
Then a third. And a fourth. The last of which was even larger. All males. The rest “black backs.”
Dee gasped, unable to hide her uneasiness. “Don’t… move,” she whispered. But her vest was not facing Dulce, and the small gorilla never heard her words of caution.
Instead Dulce walked forward and straight out in front of Caesare. She peered across the grass, fascinated. And that is when the male gorillas reacted.
Upon seeing Dulce, their eyes widened intensely and each immediately rose onto its legs. The one in the front began growling, followed by the others on either side.
“Oh my God,” DeeAnn whispered, louder. “Drop your guns! Both of you. Slowly!”
Next to her, Caesare nodded and slowly lowered his gun to the ground, where he let it fall with a thud onto the soft dirt.
Clay did the same and eased himself back up.
“Steven. Put Dexter on the ground. Gently.”
He nodded and lifted the small capuchin off his shoulder, lowering him down next to Dulce.
“Now,” DeeAnn said, “everyone very calmly turn sideways and step back from them.”
Across the grass, the group of massive gorillas moved forward, still growling. And spreading out.
“Further!” DeeAnn cried in a hushed tone. “Further back!”
They all took several more steps backward.
But it didn’t help. All at once, the four gorillas roared furiously and burst forward into a run, directly toward them.
DeeAnn screamed and extended her hands in a panic, watching the gorillas rapidly cover the ground between them.
“Don’t run!” she yelled. “DON’T RUN!”
“Then what the hell do we do?!”
DeeAnn froze only for a second, not wanting to answer. But she had no choice. “Get your guns! Pick them up!”
Both Clay and Caesare leapt forward and picked them back up. The gorillas were no less than fifty yards away and moving at top speed.
“Oh my God,” DeeAnn cried and put her hands over her mouth. “Stop! Please stop!”
They did not. The giant gorillas continued toward them.
“Shoot over their heads!”
Caesare instantly raised his Beretta M12 and released a burst of bullets over their heads.
But it did not stop them. The display only enraged the gorillas further, opening their mouths and baring their giant teeth. They howled and ran even harder.
Twenty yards.
DeeAnn shook her head in desperation. She couldn’t believe she was going to say the words. But there was no other way. “SHOOT!”
But before they could aim, little Dulce unexpectedly burst forward out into the open toward the advancing males. She stopped, and without hesitation, stood up onto her tiny legs, lifting her arms high into the air.
And she screamed. One word, as loud as she could. Over and over. Waving frantically.
FRIENDS! FRIENDS! FRIENDS!
The translation repeated through DeeAnn’s vest. And kept repeating in unison with Dulce’s screams.
Still in mid-run, the gorillas’ eyes locked onto the smaller animal in front of them, waving her arms.
FRIENDS! FRIENDS! FRIENDS!
The gorillas cocked their heads sideways at the words, and they dug their hands into the ground, rumbling to a stop only feet in front of her.
The males studied the petite female for several long moments before looking past her, at DeeAnn and the others. Dexter ran forward and stopped next to Dulce, hidden nearly completely in the grass with only his small dark head visible.
The silverback stared at the humans and let out a bone-chilling scream but did not move.
“Drop your guns!” DeeAnn whispered.
Once again, both men let their weapons fall to the ground.
“Now step back again!”
In front of Dulce, the giant gorillas remained still. Their powerful chests heaved steadily with bursts of hot breath visible in the morning air.
No hurt! Dulce said. No hurt.
All four towered endlessly over the two smaller creatures, continuing to heave and watching the humans.
No one moved. They remained frozen, waiting. Until something else moved. Not the four males, but behind them — over the stretch of grass and in the shadows.
Slowly, still more gorillas gradually emerged from beneath the trees. They were all females and infants.
103
“Okay,” Caesare said, “I don’t want to sound dramatic, but that was a little frightening.”
“SHHH!” DeeAnn snapped. “Quiet!”
In front of them, across the grass, a large group of females emerged, moving cautiously. The smallest infants clung to their mother’s backs and those who were older walked next to them.