As the night wore on John got fewer and fewer visitors. Rob, Cora and Jenny spent the most time with him, milking him for other guests. Most of the other guests seemed unnerved at the sight of him, even though they enjoyed the taste of his milk. Cora, Rob and Jenny were more than happy to milk him for anyone who asked. But after a few hours even they wandered off, having drunk more than their fill. Strangely they almost acted drugged after drinking his milk. He wondered if his milk had some kind of narcotic effect. More likely it was due to the alcohol they consumed in addition to his milk. Whatever the case, John was now alone and it was time to make his move.
It was easy to remove the feed bag from his face. It was nearly empty so it wasn't quite as tempting as before. But the leash proved more difficult. His thick three fingers didn't have the dexterity to untie the knot attaching him to the bar on the counter. But what his new body lacked in finesse it made up for in strength. He stood up and placed his hands on the counter. Using a combination of pushing with his strong arms and pulling with his powerful thighs he was able to pry the bar away from the counter. It came away from the cabinet with a wrenching squeal then fell to the floor with a clatter as it slid through the knot. The noise seemed deafeningly loud and John was sure that he would be discovered. But after waiting a few cautious minutes no on entered the kitchen. He slowly opened the kitchen door and crept into the living room.
The living room was a mess. Used plastic cups and trash was scattered everywhere. But most of the guests were gone, the game having ended long ago. He saw a few drunk guests passed out on the floor (Cora among them), but no one seemed awake or paid him any mind. He slowly crept to the door, each step of his cloven hooves seeming dangerously loud to his ears. But he made it to the door without detection. He quietly opened the door and left the apartment, entering the dark of the cool early morning.
As he started walking back towards his car he reflected on how easy it had been to escape. True, he did still have that stupid collar on, the leash swaying annoyingly back and forth across his chest. Try as he might his clumsy fingers couldn't remove them. But he was free, well on his way back to his car and with little difficulty. Then again, according to what Rob had said, the cow hybrids were apparently pretty dumb. He guessed that they must not have had the intelligence to formulate even a simple escape plan. Mercifully the old woman had left his intelligence intact. But what is it really mercy or just part of the curse? He might have actually been happier if he was just a dumb animal, unaware that he was actually a prisoner in a strange world.
It didn't matter. The only thing that really mattered was getting back to that car. Then he could find that old woman and beg her forgiveness. He had learned his lesson in spades. He was prepared to plead and beg on his hands and knees, offering her anything just to get back to his old life. She didn't seem too cruel so he had hope that she would be merciful. He just had to get back to their cars. With grim determination he focused on just taking one more step forward, gradually getting closer to his freedom with each step.
Luckily he did not see any cars. It was very early in the morning, the sun just beginning to peak over the horizon, and he guessed most people had slept in after watching the Big Game. But he didn't want to just trust his dumb luck. He kept his large ears alert and listening for the sound of any approaching cars. He was ready to jump into the bushes lining the country road at a moment's notice.
Despite his caution, it was his own body that once again betrayed him. Just a few hundred feet from his car he had the urgent need to evacuate his bowels. He realized that he hadn't done it all night. He idly wondered how they handled it at parties. Rob hadn't put any newspapers or cloth beneath him. Maybe the hybrids were trained not to defecate indoors, like a dog. The intense abdominal pain stopped any further conjecture. He wanted to make it the car first, but his irritated bowels demanded immediate attention. So he went to the side of the road and unloaded his waste.
The relief he felt as his bowels were evacuated was almost euphoric. The cramps immediately disappeared, yet he continued to defecate for an embarrassingly long time, pausing only occasionally to release a loud plume of pungent gas. He didn't know much about cows. Did they all have that much waste or was it because he was a hybrid? He didn't know, but maybe he was unique, even among the hybrids. He was almost proud of the amount of waste he produced, and he just had to turn around and get a good look at it.
And that was how he was discovered - standing on the side of the road admiring his pile of waste.