Scene III

He came to on the hard soil, curled up under a patch of scrub brush. His clothes were torn and caked with dried blood, and he was sore all over. What happened? As his eyes focused and took in his surroundings, Manhkee began to remember. After all, this wasn't the first time he had woken up in the chimpanzee enclosure at the city zoo. A night of battling over females, violent sex, and eating warm meat still pulsing with life always left him groggy the next morning. He rolled over on his back, the mottled sunlight breaking through the foliage and playing on his gruesome mug. He heard pained whimpering nearby and recognized the sound of his favorite girl.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, Daddy's too tired to give you what you deserve."

Manhkee slowly got to his knees and crawled out from under his cover, making sure to stick to the shadows at the back of the pen. A young male sat with his back against a tree, watching him with teeth bared. He had lost the fight and knew to stay seated but still showed his displeasure over the intrusion of this man-beast. Manhkee scoffed at the chimp and flipped him off before moving stealthily across the back wall to the maintenance door. Luckily the key was still in his pocket; there had been times when he had to search the terrain for an hour or more before finding it. He unlocked the door and quietly slipped out of the enclosure.

Making his way through the zoo, Manhkee was careful not to spook any of the animals. The place wasn't open yet but the staff might be there for cleaning and feeding. He was hurting a bit more than usual and didn't want to deal with any problems. I gotta see the scientist for some more of that go-go juice! He had come to crave the strange elixir the scientist brewed for him and the other Murderers. It was almost magical the way it took his pain away and brought his energy level back up in an instant. Of course, it was also highly addictive, and Manhkee hated to be so dependent on anyone or anything. This will be the last time...

Scaling the outer wall with ease, he paused at the top to make sure it was clear before he dropped to the ground. The zoo was bordered on three sides by sidewalks and busy streets, but the fourth side backed up to a small, heavily wooded park. Manhkee climbed the nearest tree and deftly swung from limb to limb, his long, powerful arms propelling him forward through the tree tops. Before long he came to a huge oak and stopped. Reaching into a hollow in the massive trunk, he pulled out a ragged nylon gym bag. Inside was a long coat and wide brimmed hat, both wrinkled and worn. Manhkee quickly put them on and stuffed the bag back into its hole. Raising his collar and pulling the hat down over his protruding brow, he lowered himself to the grass and continued his journey to the scientist's laboratory.