Save the Sanctuary

by Samuel P. Fortsch

  CHAPTER 6

  A NEW HOPE

  Location: Somewhere in Washington, DC

  Date: 5JUL20

  Time: 0945 hours

  “You see that busted up vent in the bottom of the wall over there?” Chaps says to me.

  “The one with the bolts?” I ask.

  “Yes, but don’t worry about those bolts. That’s what they’re for,” Chaps says, pointing to the hedgehog and rabbit.

  I watch as the hedgehog and rabbit begin unscrewing the bolts on the vent.

  Chaps continues, “More importantly, we need Brick to ram through that vent. Even without the bolts, it’s practically sealed shut. And once it opens, you mustn’t stop running. I repeat, we cannot get through that vent without Brick.” Chaps and I watch as they continue to work on the vent. Then, Chaps asks them,“How’s it coming?”

  “I need another minute or two . . . ,” says the hedgehog.

  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see the door beginning to open.

  “Guys, we’ve got company. We may not have another minute,” I say to the group.

  The Snatcher is walking down the hallway, heading straight for our cell. I watch as he takes out his keys, turns the knob, and pushes the gate. It starts to swing open, when all of a sudden Penny charges forward. She slams the gate shut and knocks the Snatcher to the ground.

  But the Snatcher pops right back up onto his feet and pushes back hard on the gate as Penny digs her paws in.

  “I can’t hold it any longer!” Penny yelps.

  “You must!” the hedgehog cries out as she fumbles with the bolts.

  We’re running out of time. I realize that I have to do something and I have to act now. I can’t let Penny down. I need to keep her safe.

  “Follow me!” I say.

  I move as fast as I can, practically falling into the gate next to Penny. The rest of the pets rush in and help barricade it shut. More Snatchers arrive and push with all their weight, slowly moving us back inch by inch.

  “How are we looking?” I call out to the group.

  “Almost there, just a little longer!” says the hedgehog.

  “Hold your ground. Dig in!” Chaps calls out to me like he’s giving me military orders.

  I dig deep inside and hold my ground. I watch as the hedgehog rips the last bolt out.

  “All right, where’s that battering ram?” Chaps yells out.

  Penny pokes her head through the pile of pets. “Brick!” she calls out.

  I look over to Brick and he’s dead asleep.

  “WAKE UP!” I howl.

  Nothing.

  Penny pulls his eyelids back. “Oi! Wake up!”

  “Can’t you see I’m napping?” says Brick.

  “We need you to knock down that vent!”

  “Maybe later,” Brick says and shuts his eyes again, returning to sleep.

  I can feel the door shaking.

  “There is no later, Brick! Knock it down now or I’ll cut off your treats supply!”

  In a flash, Brick pops to his feet, builds up a head of steam, and barrels through the vent. I’ve never seen him move that fast before.

  “We’re in business, everyone. Move! Move! Move!” Chaps calls out to us like troops.

  I feel a new sense of urgency and purpose as we army crawl our way through the vent and begin making our escape to the outside world.

  CHAPTER 7

  TACTICAL WITHDRAWAL

  Location: Outside of Pound

  Date: 5JUL20

  Time: 1000 hours

  We’re in the back of the pound in the lot where the Snatchers park their trucks. There is a long chain-link fence that serves as a major obstacle for our escape. On top of the fence is barbed wire so we can’t just climb over. I watch as the hedgehog and the rabbit instinctively begin gnawing through the chain-link fence while the snake and ferret pull it apart to make a hole.

  “Over here. Help me move this. We can use it as a barricade to secure the door,” Chaps says to me, motioning to a dumpster with wheels.

  I push all my weight against it, but it’s hard with a missing front leg. Still, we’ve almost managed to position the dumpster to block the hole they just created in the chain-link fence so the Snatchers can’t reach us, when all of a sudden . . .

  The Snatchers budge the dumpster, but they’re too big to fit through the hole. They keep pushing and pushing, but Chaps and I dig in even harder to make sure we keep the other animals safe from their long poles.

  “You’re up!” Chaps says to Penny.

  “No, I’ll go last,” she says.

  I’m behind Chaps as he makes his way through the hole with ease. I’m up.

  I begin making my way through the hole in the fence. I can feel the exposed chain-link fence scratch the sides of my belly, but I keep pushing. My back paw gets snagged on the fence and I topple over, but Penny pushes me from behind, helping me make it through.

  Now Penny is up. I turn around to make sure she gets through safely but behind her all I see is a big, long pole with a net at the end.

  “Oi! Grab her, Rico!” Brick calls out to me.

  I reach my front paw out through the hole, but I can’t get a good grip on her with just one paw.

  “Help me, Rico!” she howls.

  “I’m trying! Just hold on,” I say.

  But I can feel my grip slipping. My heart is beating fast and all I can think about is Kris and the explosion.

  I watch as my paw slips away from Penny’s.

  Out of nowhere, Chaps sticks his wheel out and Penny bites down on it.

  “Pull us, y’all!” he calls out.

  Brick and the others drag us out of there and we flee down the back alley.

  “Follow me,” I say. “I know a secret hiding spot in the basement of this old abandoned warehouse.”

  I lead everyone through the dark alley filled with overflowing trash cans, old tires, and broken wooden pallets. But all I can think about is how I almost got Penny caught and how they would be better off without me. I worry that all I’m doing is slowing them down.

  * * *

  ★ ★ ★

  Location: Abandoned Warehouse

  Date: 5JUL20

  Time: 1030 hours

  There are cobwebs everywhere and rusty nails sticking out of the floorboards. There’s a hole in the ceiling letting a small sliver of light from the moon into the room. Chaps uses this beam of light as a makeshift rally point as we catch our breath.

  “Let me introduce y’all to my friends,” says Chaps.

  The hedgehog steps into the light and does a curtsy.

  “My name is Franny and this fabulous ferret here is my best friend and loyal steed, Sawyer.”

  “Pleasure,” says Sawyer as he joins Franny and Chaps.

  “And my snake friend over here is—”

  The snake enters the light with the bunny on his back.

  “I’ll introduce myssself, thank you very much. I’m Sssmithersss,” he says as he bows his head. “And the fuzz ball on top of me can ssspeak for herssself.”

  The bunny waves. “My name’s Morgan and it is very nice to meet you all.”

  Franny, the hedgehog, puts her arm around Chaps and says, “So, my dear old friend, do you care to share any bits of this mission you’ve volunteered us for?”

  “I don’t know the details. That’s where Rico comes in. So, Sergeant Rico, what’s the plan?”

  All eyes are on me. Penny, Brick, Franny, Morgan, Smithers, and Sawyer. They all want a plan, but I’ve got nothing.

  So I pull Chaps aside and whisper in his ear, “Listen, Chaps. I respect you and everything you’ve done and everything you’re trying to do for these animals, but I’m not who you think I am. I’m not a soldier anymore. And I definitely don’t have what it t
akes to lead a mission. I’m so slow I almost just got us caught. I’ll just stay behind with Truman and Stripes and protect the puppies.”

  Chaps takes a long, deep breath. “Rico, do you remember the values they taught us at boot camp? Loyalty, duty—” he says.

  “Chaps, I didn’t forget the seven Army values,” I cut him off. “L.D.R.S.H.I.P.: Loyalty. Duty. Respect. Selfless Service. Honor. Integrity. Personal Courage.”

  “Well, those values don’t just go away because you stop wearing the uniform or because you lost a leg. They’re forever a part of your character. Look at me: I’m missing a leg, too. I’ve been exactly where you are. I know you want to give up on yourself. You want to lie around and do nothing. I get it. It’s easy to do nothing. But you’re a soldier. And once a soldier, always a soldier. I promise you, it gets better. But soldiers don’t give up on themselves and they don’t give up on their fellow animals. I know right now it’s tough, but I need you to embrace the suck. You’re a warrior, Rico. You always have been and always will be. Now, can I count on you?”

  I stood up proud and tall on my three legs and looked around the room at all the animals’ faces.

  All I could say was “Hooah!”

  CHAPTER 8

  ZOOLOGICAL

  Location: Abandoned Warehouse

  Date: 5JUL20

  Time: 2000 hours

  We used the last several hours to rest up before the mission. I gather everyone around in a huddle just like we used to do in the Army. I was beginning to feel a new sense of purpose. A rush of adrenaline ran through me just like it used to before I would jump out of a plane.

  “First, we need to get into Mr. Mocoso’s mansion,” I begin.

  “Who is Mr. Mocoso?” Franny asks.

  “He’s the jerk who wants to close down the Sanctuary,” Penny says.

  “And what’sss that?” asks Smithers.

  “It’s our home and it means the world to Penny,” I say.

  “And we’re to sssave it how?” asks Smithers.

  “By telling the truth,” Penny says.

  I look around the room and can see everyone is confused.

  Penny continues: “Mr. Mocoso is lying. He doesn’t actually own the shelter.”

  This catches their attention, and Franny perks up. “Who is the rightful owner?”

  “Ms. Becca is,” Penny says. “Well . . . technically it’s this guy named Will. But it sounds like he’s best friends with Becca and he practically gave her the Sanctuary. And Mr. Mocoso was clearly upset with this arrangement so that’s why he is claiming he’s the rightful heir. I think he’s sending all of us to the pound so he can close it and sell it for money.”

  I watch as Chaps leans back. I can tell he is skeptical of all this.

  “Where is all this intel coming from?”

  “Intel?” Penny asks.

  “It’s Army-talk. In other words, ‘how do you know all of this’?” Chaps says.

  “A few weeks back, this guy I had never seen before came in to the Sanctuary. He was wearing a really nice suit. It was right after Mr. Mocoso’s mother died. The guy in the suit kept talking about ‘Will’ and how he holds the details about who owns the Sanctuary,” Penny tells Chaps.

  “Let me get this straight,” Chaps says. I can tell he doesn’t like the sound of all this. “So some guy came in, who you don’t know, but he was wearing a suit and said that Will knows who is in charge.”

  “That’s correct,” Penny says.

  “This doesn’t sound like solid intel. What do you think, Rico?”

  “I trust Penny,” I say.

  “That’s good enough for me,” Chaps says. “So where is this Will guy?”

  “Well, I’m not sure, exactly, but I know who might know his whereabouts. Does anyone know how to get to the zoo?” Penny asks.

  “I do,” I say. “I used to get medicine from there all the time. We can take a shortcut through the sewers.”

  “Negative,” says Chaps.

  “What’s wrong with the sewers?” I say.

  “Besides sludge and garbage, rats, bats . . . ,” says Penny.

  “Can we please take the long way?” Brick asks.

  “I’m not afraid of rats or bats. It’s the Beast I’m afraid of,” says Chaps.

  “That’s a fairy tale,” Franny says.

  “Sure isn’t. I’ve seen the Beast with my own two eyes and even had a few close calls with him. And there’s no way we are going through the sewers,” Chaps says. “No way, no how. We’d never make it out alive.”

  * * *

  ★ ★ ★

  Location: The Zoo

  Date: 5JUL20

  Time: 2045 hours

  I can smell the zoo from here. We’re less than a klick away. Our objective is simple: locate Mr. Mocoso’s exiled pet Simon and pump him for intel on Will’s location. Penny says he’ll help because he doesn’t like Mr. Mocoso. She reminds me that he’s the monkey who took a bite out of Mr. Mocoso’s neck.

  I motion to the group to signal “follow me” and lead them to my secret entrance to the zoo.

  We huddle up against the fence using the trees and bushes for cover.

  “I’m taking Penny with me. Chaps, you hold down the rear here,” I tell them.

  Chaps gives me a north south. That’s Army-talk for “nodding your head when you understand something.”

  “I could use the rest,” he says.

  “The primates are close. We’ll be back in five mikes,” I say. Mikes is Army-talk for “minutes.”

  Penny helps me wriggle through a hole in the fence and we move as fast as we can to the monkey and marmoset enclosure.

  It’s dark, but the moon casts a nice glow, and I can see the marmosets sleeping. Marmosets are funny-looking monkeys. They have silky hair with manes on either side of their faces. They aren’t much bigger than Franny.

  Penny starts quietly calling out “Simon?” but no one responds.

  I watch as she trips over one, waking him up. “You’re not Simon. Go back to bed. This is just a dream,” whispers Penny.

  All of a sudden, I hear rustling coming from the canopy of trees and see a monkey moving.

  He climbs down the tree, effortlessly swinging from limb to limb.

  In a flash, the little fella is on the ground and face to face with Penny.

  “Simon! Oh, it is so good to see you,” says Penny.

  Simon quickly brings Penny in for a hug.

  “I’ve missed you so much. How have you been, Simon?” asks Penny.

  But Simon doesn’t respond. He opens his mouth and speaks but in silence. Simon points to his throat and shrugs his shoulders.

  “Your voice is gone?” asks Penny.

  Simon nods “yes” and then points to me and tilts his head.

  “This is Rico. He’s helping us save the Sanctuary. Mr. Mocoso shut it down,” Penny says, and I watch as Simon’s eyes fill with fear.

  “That’s why we’re here,” I tell him. “We’re on a mission and we need intel on a guy named Will. Do you know his location?”

  Simon’s eyes relax and then he just laughs. He starts to use hand and arm signals to try and communicate with us.

  “I don’t know what you’re saying,” says Penny.

  “I do,” I tell Penny. I learned these hand and arm signals in the Army. Simon and I continue to communicate in silence and I start to get the answers we need.

  I give Simon a thumbs-up to thank him for all the intel. Penny gives him a big hug and says goodbye.

  But as we’re leaving, I realize Simon could be a tactical asset on this mission.

  “Come with us,” I say.

  Simon shakes his head “no.”

  “But you know the layout. You’ve done the recon,” I say.

  Simon points to so
me baby monkeys sleeping up in the canopy. “I can’t leave my babies,” he signals to me.

  “Understood. If you change your mind, you know where to find us,” I say as we leave the zoo and make our way to the National Mall to link up with the rest of the group.

  CHAPTER 9

  BEWARE! THE SNATCHERS

  Location: National Mall

  Date: 6JUL20

  Time: 2230 hours

  The moon is full and bright, but the clouds are working hard to make it gloomy. When we were on nighttime missions in the Army, the soldiers would wear NVGs—night vision goggles. Not me, though. My eyes work just great in the dark. They’re such a tactical asset.

  I debriefed everyone on the will. Penny still can’t believe a piece of paper determines who owns the Sanctuary. I could tell Chaps and obviously Brick were getting tired, so I offered up a shortcut, but Chaps insisted we stay aboveground. He swears the Beast is down there.

  The good thing about taking the long way is that it’s really nice around here. The National Mall has lots of memorials and statues. There’s even a huge pool, and I can see our reflections as we walk by. I take a moment to look at our group. Though we’re on a mission to find the will and stop Mr. Mocoso from closing the Sanctuary, we’ve got no uniforms, no formations, no military bearing, and no unit name. Every unit needs a name. It’s a rallying cry!

  I look over at Brick. He’s huffing and puffing and clearly out of breath.

  “Okay, I take it back. Can we please take the short way?” he asks.

  “Would you stop whining?” says Franny.

  “Don’t get all spiky with me, you little porcupine,” Brick quips back.

  Franny laughs. “I actually belong to the order Erinaceomorpha.”

  “English, please,” says Brick.

  “I assure you, that was English. I’m a hedgehog, not a porcupine.”

  Brick rolls his eyes. “Same difference.”

  Penny chimes in, “Would you two cut it out? We need to keep our wits about us and stick together. And since we’re a unit now, I want to let you all know I’ve got a name for us.”