** This is a sequel to "Rory The Flying Squirrel". It's not a necessary read, just know that it's essentially a sequel to the overall prompt of "You live in a world where you are assigned a pet animal since birth".**

We met Deacon and Sinclair under a bridge, just a few miles south of The Concrete Jungle. Deacon was casually sitting on a discarded milk crate, eating a can of beans. Sinclair sat at his heel, nibbling away at what Deacon allowed him to. Deacon had had his eyes on us from as far as I could see them, and when we finally got within talking distance he just stared, fishing beans out with two fingers, with no altercation to his facial expression. He wiped some of the bean juices from his five-o-clock shadow and sized us up.

"You ain't hostiles," Deacon muttered through a small but noticeable belch.

I nodded my head. "We don't aim to be. And I'm guessing you didn't take us for a threat since..." I trailed off as I pointed to his animal companion who gave us a docile stare, unable to pinpoint the name of the species.

"That'd be Sinclair. He's a ferret," Responded Deacon, he shoveled more beans into his mouth.

"I'm Elmo. This here is Rory...he's a Flying Squirrel."

"Elmo like the puppet on Sesame Street?" Deacon questioned with amusement. His eyes narrowed as he gave me a smirk.

I chuckled and nodded my head. "Like the puppet on Sesame Street."

"Your parents must've been rich to get you a Flying Squirrel. They didn't think to give you a better name?" Deacon said through a laugh.

I smiled. Deacon seemed like a decent enough guy. I'd developed a pretty good sense of character since the world went to shit. It's something you had to get good at when most of the remaining humans wanted to kill you, Deacon didn't give me a vibe of hostility. He was built like a brick shit-house, but there was a softness to his eyes and his smile seemed genuine. He got to his feet, his bones cracking from the cold morning sky. I couldn't decipher his age, he looked older than me but at the same time he didn't, he could have looked the way he did because of the weight of the world. I probably looked older for the same reason.

"Used to love that little guy as a kid," Deacon said through a smile. His smile highlighted his wrinkles and at that moment I knew he was a bit older than me.

"He was a fan favorite...I can't say the same for myself though," I said with a grin.

"I can't say I blame ya," Deacon replied. He gave a hearty laugh that startled Sinclair the Ferret. "What brings you two to this neck of the woods? It's dangerous and I'm guessing you know that."

Deacon pointed to the AK-47 slung over my shoulder, his eyes going from the weapon to the belt around my waist loaded with ammunition.

"We're aware. Rory and I are looking to get through The Concrete Jungle."

Deacon let out a sigh and ran the hand that was free of bean juice through his curly graying hair. "Guessing you two are looking to get to Unity?"

I nodded my head, unsure of what to say, and a bit worried about how he was going to reply. I still didn't think he was a threat, but something about his demeanor made me think otherwise.

"That's where we be going as well. Sinclair and I of course. We got a crew that's doing some scouting before we go," Deacon paused, his eyes narrowing at us. "I understand you folks are aware of how dangerous The Jungle is..."

Everyone knew the wild rumors of The Concrete Jungle. Roughly six city blocks of the most feral and hostile animals. Baboons that could fire guns with military-level accuracy, savage dogs that moved at the speed of light with a laser focus for the jugular, and flocks of birds that worked together to peck out your eyes. Any humans within The Jungle were under the control of the animals, mentally warped, and so savage that they were barely human. Many said that death was a better outcome than becoming a slave of the animal, and I couldn’t agree more. I could feel a pool of unease gurgle at the pit of my stomach. I became very aware that Rory and I were horrifically underprepared. I did my best to choke down my accelerating fear and gave the most confident nod that I could muster up.

Deacon must have seen the unease as it passed over my face because he replied with a shrug and a sigh. He clicked his tongue and nodded his head. "Y'all are more than welcome to join, but you best hold your weight you hear? You get tagged or one of them baboons come for you, we'll do our best to help...but you need to put forth that fighting effort for me and my team, understood?"

Deep down I knew that both Rory and I were good fighters. We'd made it this far with only minor injuries, but The Jungle was a different beast. I knew the fears, I was aware of the dangers, but we were also determined to get to Unity. I managed a more confident nod and opened my mouth to reply...

"Who the fuck is this Deacon?" Boomed a demanding voice from behind me.

I spun around, arms raised in surrender, my eyes falling to the double barrel shotgun aimed square at my chest. I could feel the piercing eyes of its possessor, gripping the shotgun so tightly that I could see the whites of her knuckles. She was ready to pull the trigger at the slightest movement, the glare and the scowl on her face told me more than I needed to know. A monkey sat on her left shoulder, aiming a small snub-nosed pistol at Rory. A young girl and a young guy stood to her left and right, both with pistols aimed in our direction. The girl had a full-grown boxer to her right, and the boy had a cat off to his left. The cat looked up and brandished its claws at me.

"Lower the gun Glass, you too Rose and Parker. This here is Elmo and Rory and they're going to be joining us for our mission to Unity," Deacon said. He had both arms out, hands straight as he made a gentle waving motion for everyone to lower their weapons.

Glass scoffed and scrunched her face in an almost inhuman way. It looked as though she'd just eaten something sour and then got punched in the face. "The fuck do you mean he's joining us? I'm not fighting for these two, how do you know he's even reliable?"

Deacon opened his mouth to speak but I interjected.

"We're not looking to be a burden mam. Far from it. Rory and I can go our separate ways if it's going to cause hostility..."

"That won't be necessary," Deacon said.

"We can fight. I'm very good with this AK, we've fought through numerous attacks and come out on top. I think we can be an asset on your journey to Unity," I raised my AK, for whatever reason, as if to show her that I could hold it properly. The monkey on Glass's shoulder went into a hissing fit, swinging the snub nose around like a crazy monkey.

Glass raised her hand and the monkey calmed down immediately. She glared at me and it made me wildly uncomfortable. "The fuck can your flying squirrel do?"

I gave a hesitant chuckle as Rory scampered up my side and sat on my shoulder. I couldn't see him but I could hear him, and I could see the scowl on his face, I could feel the heat radiating off it. Glass's demeanor softened a bit, a smirk unfolding across her face as she studied Rory's expression.

"That's a confident flying squirrel. I hope he can back up that glare of his."

I nodded my head. "I believe that he can."

Glass brought her full attention to me. "The Jungle is extremely dangerous, it's not to be taken lightly. We don't fuck with stragglers. Got it?"

I nodded my head. "Deacon said the same thing. We'll earn our keep."

Glass nodded her head. "Rose has some food, and Parker has some first aid. It's not a lot but take what you need. Fuel up. We leave at nightfall."

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They seemed like a halfway decent team...for the most part. Glass damn near scared the shit out of me with her double-barrel shotgun, but I got where she was coming from. It was clear that she and Deacon were the leaders of their little band of outcasts. Deacon playing "good cop" and Glass playing "bad cop". I learned that they were initially from a larger group and that they came up with the idea of traveling to Unity, bonding together to get through The Concrete Jungle.

My initial thoughts on Deacon were correct, he was just a big guy with a kind heart. It was weird but we bonded over Elmo, of all things. Turns out he didn't just love the puppet he idolized him as a kid. Just like myself, he'd been through a tremendous amount since the animal uprising, losing his wife and his two kids. He had an infectious laugh, and he was a big drinker who'd specialized in making his own booze. I have to admit, this was the attribute that told me we'd get along.

I couldn't say the same for Glass. She too looked like the weight of the world had crushed her under its thumb. But she looked as though the weight had crushed her well before the uprising. She had wild gray hair that shot out in every direction, and bags under her eyes that could carry a fortnight's amount of groceries. Her eyes were a fading gray and she never seemed to blink. I caught onto this fact after about an hour of talking to her, her eyes always remained open, and it was creepy. I understood being on high alert, but Glass was on a different level, damn near jumping six feet when a fly would cross us. Throughout the day, she seemed to warm up to me but I wasn't sure. I got the feeling that she was waiting for me to slip up, say the wrong thing, or even move in the wrong direction.

Rose and Parker were both in their early twenties, Rose was twenty-three and Parker was twenty-one. It was very clear that the two were an item, they didn't outright say it, and they didn't show signs of affection, but it was obvious. I could see it through their body language towards one another, the way he looked at her, the way she smiled back, and their tone of voice with each other. They were a very cute couple.

As I stated, they were a halfway decent bunch...and I sincerely hoped we'd make it to Unity as a whole.

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We moved at nightfall, just as Glass had insisted. We took to the alleyways at 7:30, just as the sun began to dip beneath the mountains. We were able to see the carnage of The Concrete Jungle a few blocks away at roughly 8:15. We stood in a dark alley concealed by the shadows of some dumpsters and piles of trash.

"Looks like hell," whispered Parker.

From where we were we could hear the whooping of the baboons that had claimed the jungle, we could hear the cawing of the birds as they flew through the sky, their small bodies jutting across the full moon. In the distance, we could hear the savage growl as the dogs tore into their dinner. In the distance, I could faintly hear the screams and cries of the unlucky humans.

Deacon took a deep breath. "You guy's ready for this? Now's the time to turn back." He scanned over his team, his gaze landing on me.

I gave a nod, careful to not let the glimmer of unease reveal itself. I did see the unease in both Rose and Parker, but they eventually gave a nod as well. Glass began to check her weapons, checking the mechanics on the double barrel and patting her body down, reassuring herself of her inventory. She cleared her throat.

"We use stealth. Stick to the shadows. If they spot us..."

BLAM!!!!!

And then the top of Glass's head was gone. Her eyes shot open, as blood and brain rained down her face. Her lower jaw continued to move but the words ceased to come out. Her eyes began to dart around sporadically, and then another shot cut through the sky. And this shot removed Glass's head entirely. Her head exploded like a crimson-filled water balloon.

"Take Cover!!!" Shouted Deacon.

I threw myself to the ground as more shots cut through the night. I could see the sparks from the bullets as they made contact with the pavement around us. I could hear the panicked screams from Rose as Parker used his body as a shield. In the distance, the whooping and screaming from the baboons got louder.

"Fall Back!!" Screamed Deacon.

I remained low and looked towards The Jungle in horror. I could see them closing in on us, the shadows of what looked like half a dozen baboons moving towards us. Some of them were on the dogs, screaming into the night and firing their weapons into the sky. From behind them, I could see the flock of birds as they flew towards us, nearly blocking out the moon.

Rose let out a scream of hysterics as her boxer darted out of the alley and into the incoming siege, Parker's cat following close behind. I looked at Rory who sat on my shoulder, it was the first time that I felt genuine fear for him. He gave me a few squeaks and nodded his head, and within seconds he was off. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him vanish into the sea of birds.

"Elmo! Get them out of here! I'll stall them!" Deacon shouted as he pulled the trigger on his M16.

I raised my AK and began firing at the incoming baboons. My rounds hitting one and sending it spiraling off its dog counterpart, I swept it to the right and took down a few more as Rose and Parker got behind me and fired their pistols. I remained low and continued firing, ejecting a clip and reloading as fast as I could.

"Elmo! Move!" Deacon screamed.

I nodded my head and pushed Parker and Rose in the opposite direction. I looked at Deacon and realized that this was it for him. I wasn't going to see him again, I was never going to try his homemade alcohol, and he wasn't going to make it to Unity. I watched as Deacon popped out from cover, firing his M16, and then I saw the hailstorm of bullets as they tore through him. I could see the moonlight slice through the holes in his body and then he collapsed to the floor.

That's when I realized that the flock of birds was directly above us. Parker and Rose began firing upwards, but their pistols were useless. I fired my AK into the sky which brought a few of them down but even that seemed ineffective. The flock of birds formed what looked like a tornado, bringing it down and around Parker. I darted forward and grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her to the left down another alley.

"PARKER!!!!" She screamed.

I looked over my shoulder to see the tornado of birds continued to whirl around Parker. I could hear his screams, and through the birds, I could see the carnage as they tore him to shreds.

"PARKER!!!" Rose screamed again. She began to fire her pistol weakly into the tornado of birds but it was too late.

We had to move, we couldn't afford to stop. The birds were busy with Parker and I could only imagine what the remaining baboons were doing with the bodies of Deacon and Glass. I didn't know if the baboons were aware that we'd gotten away, and at the moment I didn't care. So I ran straight with my hand around Rose's. Leaving the sounds of carnage that came from the inhabitants of The Concrete Jungle.

We continued to run for what felt like an eternity, deviating our path, going right for a bit then left, always sticking to the alleys. At some point, I found an exposed basement window for an abandoned factory. I checked our surroundings, ensured that it was clear, and helped Rose into the basement before pushing myself through. It reeked of mold and piss, but it would do for the night. I was able to push a bookshelf over the exposed window and that's where Rose and I resided. I told Rose to get some rest, but she was in hysterics over Parker. But regardless, at some point, we both fell asleep.

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I was awoken by something softly batting at my face. My initial thought was that the previous night was some horrific nightmare. I peeled my eyes open and I could see a sliver of sun as it shone through the window past the bookshelf. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes to see Rory sitting on my chest. I shot up, a burst of excitement and joy radiating through my body.

"Oh my God! Rory!!! You're alive!!!"

He had a few cuts on him, but aside from that, he looked fine. He gave me a little nod and scurried up to my shoulder. It took me a second to gather what was going on, a moment to digest the events from the previous night. I scanned the basement and saw both Parker's cat and Sinclair sitting on Rose's lap. Parker's cat looked like he’d gone through hell, with cut's throughout his entire body, and blood staining his fur. Rose patted him softly on the head and gave me a weak smile. Sinclair ran up to me and climbed onto my lab, fortunately, he didn't look too bad.

"They found us," Rose said softly.

"They did...I wonder how they..."

Rose shook her head. And that's when I heard the footsteps from the flight of stairs. I looked at the doorway and a woman emerged. She was wearing full body armor with an M16 slung over her shoulder.

"You have some good animals there. They were the ones that helped us find you guys." She paused and looked at both Rose and me, "You guys are lucky to be alive."

I cleared my throat, my brain trying to make sense of what was going on and who the woman was.

The woman gave me a gentle smile. "My name's Clem. And I'm here to take you guys to Unity."