Clova *COMPLETE*

Chapter 43- Time's Running Out

Everyone sat impatiently in the living room, aside from Caesar who remained upstairs in his former bedroom. Malcolm paced around the living room as Ellie and Alexander just stayed still, none of them uttered a word.

"This is taking too long.", Malcolm was the first to break the silence. "Blue Eyes should be back by now, its been two days and we still have no clue where Clova is!"

Ellie rubbed his shoulder in attempt to calm him down. "Don't worry, he will be back soon then we can all find Clova." 

"Yeah dad, just sit down.", suggested Alexander. Malcolm sat down and another hour passed which felt more like a year. 

Caesar was still upstairs and they all felt that it would be best not to bother him much to Ellie's concern when she tried to give him some food they had canned but he dismissed it. She occasionally glanced up at the stairs, feeling so sad for him; Clova disappeared, no news about Blue Eyes in the past two days and the rest of his family scattered in the woods. He has no clue whether they're safe especially in the hands of his psycho foe, Koba.

They suddenly heard Caesar hooting upstairs and all of them rushed into his room. At that second, they thought something was wrong.

"Caesar, what is it?"

 Ellie asked. Caesar didn't answer and gestured to the window, when they all gathered around the circular window, they faces lit up. "They're back!", Alexander said happily and was the first one to race downstairs. He was even more excited to see Maurice who gave the young teen a hug.

Blue Eyes walked over to his father and gave him a hug, Caesar however noticed his smile change into a worried frown. "We found Clova, father.", he signed. 

Caesar was confused when he signed that looking so sad."Where is she?"

Blue Eyes looked down, completely ashamed of himself. "We...we couldn't get to her."  He rubbed his son'd back in comfort knowing it wasn't his fault.

"Is she okay?", Caesar asked.

Blue Eyes gave Caesar a sad look. One that meant 'you-don't-want-to-know.' Rocket then walked forward up to his friend.

"We stayed with Clova for the past few days. We would hide and keep her company to see if she might know anything about Koba's plan.", Caesar furrowed his brow.

"What plan?", he asked, worry hinted in his gruff voice.

"Koba is planning to take all the apes to the tower so they can finish off the humans." Caesar widened his eyes, he never knew that Koba was such a maniac. "And that's not all, father.", Blue Eyes explained.

"They had Clova tied up in a shed outside the city, the last time we saw her was this morning when they dragged her off into the city.", Caesar now felt his blood boiling.

"He's sent for all the females and young...mother and Cornelius too."

Caesar's heard enough, he didn't care if his body was still sore, he was going to put an end to this today. He clenched his fists and turned to Malcolm. 

"Must go. Now!"

                 ___________________________________________________________________

Clova felt as if her head was spinning as she woke up with a banging headache. The last thing she remembers were two of Koba's henchmen enter the shed and drag her out screaming and kicking. That was all she remembered before she blacked out. Clova tried to move her body but quickly found out they were restrained with rope. Her legs were tied together same as her arms as she tried to squeeze them out of the binding knots.

She was suddenly yanked up from the cold ground and thrown in front of a group of apes. She looked at her surroundings and realised she wasn't in the shed anymore, instead the air was cold and bitter and she couldn't see the streets and buildings.

"Where am I?!", she demanded. 

One large gorilla took her by the rope attached to her back and leaned her over the edge of the structure they were on. She shrieked as she kicked and fussed against the ropes that binded her as she was held over the tower, staring down at the ground that was so low and fatal if she were to fall. The city tower was unfinished and creaked ever so slightly.

"AAHH! Put me down now!", she yelled. 

The gorilla instead shook her a little so she swung back and forth. Clova let out another blood curdling scream as tears streamed down her face. The gorilla and a couple of other apes laughed as Clova was dangled helplessly over the edge of the tower. When they felt their fun was over, they dragged Clova's body to the centre of the tower where she saw the whole tribe of apes in front of her.

Most of them pointed spears and guns at her as they snarled viciously. The gorilla that held her captive hung her to a post above all the other apes. Clova squirmed against the ropes trying to get free but it was no use. As she continued struggling, she saw in the crowd a large carved stick making it's way towards her, she widened her eyes at the stick a chill down her spine and Clova only struggled harder only gaining bruises and rashes from the tight knots.

The stick finally stopped in front of her and the crowd separated into two revealing the mentally  twisted ape of them all combined, Koba. He let out a breathy chuckle as he held the tip of the stick to her throat. Clova winced as it slowly pierced her flesh. 

"Clova...alone...", he spat. "...Clova no family...", Koba raised the spear to her head, "Clova human! Not ape!", he plunged the spear about to strike her head but was stopped abruptly when an ape hooted loudly.

Angered by the interruption, Koba spun his head around and glared at the ape. The ape pointed down continuing to hoot alertly as more apes gathered around the side of the tower. Koba grunted in annoyance and looked to the ape next to him.

"What is it?!"

"There is someone coming up the ladder.", he informed. 

Clova slowly lifted her head, feeling no impact she expected to feel and saw the apes assemble around a spot towards the back. She watched curiously as they began to back away to make room for those climbing up the ladder and she had an enormous smile on her face.

Emerging from the ladder was Rocket who hooted angrily at a few apes in his way, then from behind him, Luca and Maurice. Luca shoved a few apes roughly as he passed them then came Blue Eyes with a gun strapped round his back giving dirty looks and snarls with any ape who dared make eye contact with him. Finally, the ape king himself brushed passed his allies and stood in front, a few feet away from Koba.

"Father!", Clova cried both happiness and distress in her voice as she hung on the post. Koba snarled at Caesar's presence and gripped the gun he held in his scarred fingers and hissed. 

"Caesar!"