Apocalypse Baby

Chapter 74 Damn Monkey: Trauma

The forest canopy seemed to come alive as the creatures leaped from branch to branch, making chaotic noises that grated on Alex's nerves.

Their movements were erratic, their screeches relentless.

"Shut up," Alex muttered, clamping his hands over his ears as the screeching continued.

His body trembled, and his heart pounded like a drum, a relentless rhythm that he couldn't slow. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, stinging his eyes.

This wasn't fear of danger—he'd fought monsters far more threatening than a troop of monkeys. No, this was different. This was something deeper, something rooted in his past.

Alex exhaled heavily, trying to steady himself. The memory clawed its way to the surface, dragging him back to a time he'd rather forget.

It was a school trip, back in grade school. His class had visited the city zoo for the day. The trip had started like any other: loud chatter, laughter, and kids shoving each other in excitement as they explored the exhibits.

Alex had been just as enthusiastic as his classmates, eagerly pointing out the lions, parrots, kangaroos, and giraffes. But his favorite animal was none of these.

The honey badger.

He'd seen documentaries about them on TV, marveling at their relentless nature. Nothing stopped a honey badger—not bigger animals, not venom, not even fear. Alex admired that kind of tenacity.

The group eventually made its way to the monkey enclosure.

The guide began explaining fun facts about the primates when someone noticed something unusual.

"Wait, one of them is missing?" the guide asked, scanning the area.

One of the kids pointed excitedly.

"Up there! Look!"

Alex followed their gaze and saw it—a small monkey perched high on the railing that enclosed their habitat.

The creature had slipped out of the exhibit.

But something about its gaze was unsettling—sharp, almost hostile as if the creature saw them as invaders rather than spectators. Its expression was serious, unnervingly human-like.

The air grew tense.

Some kids stepped back, uneasy.

Others stood frozen, caught between fear and awe.

The teacher looked like they were on the verge of panic, trying to maintain control but failing miserably.

Alex, however, was just confused.

"What's its deal?" he mumbled, tilting his head.

Then the monkey snarled.

The guttural sound was enough to send the entire group into chaos.

Screams erupted as kids panicked and scattered in every direction, bumping into each other and knocking over backpacks.

The teacher shouted something, but their words were drowned out by the rising noise.

The sudden movement seemed to provoke the monkey further.

With an angry screech, it leaped from the railing, soaring through the air like a tiny missile.

And, of course, out of all the unlucky kids it could have chosen to land on, it picked Alex.

The moment the monkey hit him, Alex was knocked flat on his back.

"What the—?!" he barely managed to gasp before the creature pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

The monkey let out a furious shriek, slamming its tiny fists into Alex's chest and shoulders with surprising force.

"Get off me!" Alex yelled, trying to push it away, but the creature was relentless.

It lunged at him again, pounding its fists like Alex had personally stolen its lunch. Each hit made him flinch, his arms coming up instinctively to shield his face.

"Help! Somebody—!" Alex cried out, his voice cracking. But his pleas were drowned out by the chaotic noise around him.

Above, the rest of the monkeys in the enclosure were whipped into a frenzy. They screamed and howled, jumping against the iron fence and rattling it violently. Some hung from the bars, pulling and yanking as if they were trying to break through.

The combined sound of their screeches and the clanging metal added to Alex's growing terror. His heart pounded as he desperately tried to block the monkey's relentless attacks.

It was like the whole troop had turned on him, their shrieks echoing in his ears and making his head spin.

For Alex, lying on the ground under the furious little primate, it felt like the end of the world.

The wild shrieking of the monkey, the sting of its tiny fists pounding against him, the overwhelming noise of the other monkeys rattling the enclosure—all of it was too much for young Alex to process.

He had felt helpless, trapped under the fury of a creature he hadn't expected to fear.

His chest tightened, and terror gripped him so tightly he couldn't even scream anymore.

Just when it seemed like things were going to spiral further out of control, a sharp crack broke through the chaos.

The monkey stiffened, a look of shock flashing across its face before it collapsed onto Alex's chest.

The zookeepers had taken it down with a stun gun just in time.

Alex lay there, trembling, his ears ringing from the ordeal.

Though the monkey hadn't injured him much physically, the damage had been done.

That day scarred him in ways that no one could see.

Now, standing in the forest as an adult, Alex stared down a troop of monsters that looked far too much like the primates that haunted his nightmares.

The unsettling familiarity hit him like a punch to the gut.

Their beady eyes locked onto him, unblinking and full of malice. They weren't just watching him—they were taunting him. Their wide, toothy grins only added to the mockery.

Alex's vision flickered as his system analyzed the creatures.

[Monkeys - Rank C(G)]

[Monkeys - Rank C(G)]

[Monkeys - Rank C(Y)]

Though they all looked the same, their ranks varied, which only added to his unease.

Alex's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. His breathing grew uneven as his heart hammered in his chest.

His instincts screamed at him to run, to put as much distance as possible between himself and these creatures. But no matter how much he willed his legs to move, they refused to obey.

He couldn't believe it.

"Am I really that shaken?" he muttered under his breath, his voice trembling.

Alex took a deep breath, forcing his trembling hands to steady. His grip on the sword tightened as he stared at the troop of monkeys.

"You're stronger. There's no reason to run," Alex muttered to himself, trying to summon courage.

His mind, however, wasn't convinced.

The hooting and screeching of the monkeys echoed through the forest, crawling under his skin and making his body shudder despite his belief in his strength.

"Come on, Alex," he thought, beginning an internal dialogue to talk himself through it.

"I'm afraid."

"Yes, you are. But will you run?"

"I'm considering it."

"Should you run?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? Why?"

"They're just monkeys. I've faced worse."

"Exactly. Let's break it down—what's more intimidating: a cockatrice, a goblin, a tiger, a buffalo... or a monkey?"

"...A monkey."

His thoughts stuttered, but he pushed forward.

"Fine, so they're unnerving. But does that mean you should run?"

"No."

"Then fight. It's as simple as that."

Is it

Does it matter?

No..it doesn't.

Alex came to the conclusion.

Despite the fact he was afraid due to his trauma he was still going to fight because that was who he is. It was as simple as that.

Although his internal monologue didn't completely erase his fear, it eased the suffocating pressure that had gripped him.

The memories of his past no longer had a stranglehold on his mind.

Alex tightened his grip on his sword.

With a deep breath, he dashed into the forest, weaving through the dense underbrush.

The monkeys hooted in rage and immediately gave chase, leaping from branch to branch above him.

Suddenly, brown projectiles rained down, flying at him with the speed of bullets. Alex darted and rolled, narrowly avoiding the disgusting attacks. As he ducked behind a tree, he saw the force of one "poop bullet" splinter the bark, leaving a noticeable dent.

"What the—?!" Alex muttered, both shocked and slightly amused. "That's some serious power... from poop?"

The monkeys seemed to be enhancing the poop with some sort of energy.

But where were they getting the poop from?

He looked up and caught sight of one of the monkeys, and to his horror, he saw it poop on its arm.

Alex's stomach turned, and he immediately regretted being curious.

"Damn monkeys!"

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Alex yelled, trying to shake the image out of his mind.

Just then, one of the monkeys dropped lower, to get a clearer shot, but Alex in a flash of instinct, sprinted toward the tree, the monkey leap unto using his legs to propel himself up the trunk in one swift motion.

The monkey didn't see it coming. A look of shock on it's face.

And it tried to scramble away, but Alex was too fast.

With a single, brutal slash, he cut through the monkey's neck.

The other monkeys enraged aimed their poop cannons directly at him, their eyes narrowed in pure hatred.

But Alex was already gone, having leaped high into the branches of another tree.

He gripped a branch with one hand, sword hilt between his teeth.

He was calm now, poised, watching the monkeys circle around him from every angle. Their grunts filled the air, rough and menacing, as they positioned themselves on branches surrounding him.

They had him trapped.

He felt fear. His heart was pounding.

But despite the tense atmosphere, he grinned.

This was exciting.