Thanks for Uncanny12 and Lorien Urbani for reviews.
Disclaimers: see chapter 1.
CHAPTER 3: THE LAW
When something suddenly pulls you from your leg under the water, you don't think it over rationally and calmly. You go to panic and all of your instincts kick in and try their best to tell you to get back to surface at once.
That's what happened to Ron Stoppable.
He didn't know what the thing that had pulled him to lagoon was and he didn't care either. All he knew was that it's strong and vicious. Ron could feel how the creature's claws sank into his shoulders as it pushed him deeper in the water. There was water in his mouth and throat, and his lungs were screaming for air.
Ron tried to push the creature back, his hands touching its scaled skin – was it a reptile or something? – but he couldn't make it back away, it was too strong. In the dark Ron couldn't make out anything but the two red eyes staring into him.
I survive days of drifting in the ocean only to be drowned in a pond, came up from his incoherent mind. Sorry, Kim.
Ron was just about to lose his strength completely when sudden splash from above announced the third presence in the lagoon. The creature suddenly let go of Ron and he felt something else pulling him to the above.
When Ron entered the surface he started coughing, desperate to get the water out of his lungs and some air in. Yori helped him off the water and to the land. He doubled over and coughed water out of himself. His shoulders were stinging and bleeding, with nasty claw marks on them. Yori pulled shaky Ron to his feet and together they left the lagoon and headed back to the enclosure.
"What happened?" demanded Drakken, when he saw Yori gently sitting Ron down on a chair back in the main house.
"I was pulled in the water…in the lagoon by something…I don't know…some animal…" Ron tried to explain.
"It attacked you?" Drakken asked.
"Yes, pulled me under water! Clawed my shoulders!" Ron practically shouted. "What the hell was it anyway? I've never heard of a jaguar that's under water, or alligator that claws".
"Let's see those wounds" Drakken said rather dismissingly and helped Ron to remove his shirt. "Only scratches. Nothing we can't clean and disinfect".
Ron sat back as Drakken worked on his scratches. He looked over Drakken's shoulder and saw Yori standing there with a worried look on her face. Miss Go was standing next to her. Despite that he was still getting over the shock, Ron couldn't help but feel bad for the young girl.
"Hey, Yori, no need for long face. I'm okay now, really" he said.
When hearing this, Drakken turned around to look at Yori. He seemed to suddenly find her worry incredibly fascinating and all but forgot Ron.
"Miss Go, please bandage our quest and take him to his room to rest" he said. "I still have much work to be done". With that the doctor left, giving still one curious glance at Yori.
Ron stared the retreating strange man in confusion, when Miss Go suddenly slapped bandages on his shoulders. Rather hard.
"Ouch!"
"Oh, grow up, kiddo. What doesn't kill you simply makes you stronger" Miss Go said. "Now get up, in your room. Doctor's orders".
"You're still taking care of me, then" Ron said as he stood up.
"We'll see".
The two walked the stares up and to the room Ron was occupying. Miss Go opened the door and moved to side to let Ron walk in.
"You didn't have to walk me all the way…" Ron said as he stepped in, but stepped when the door closed behind him and he heard the key turning.
Ron tried to open the door but it was locked.
"Miss Go?"
"Sorry, kid, but this is for your own good" he heard her voice say from other side of the door. "Try to catch some sleep".
"Miss Go? Miss Go?" he shouted but heard her retreating footsteps.
#####
Hours passed.
Getting the door open turned out to be a useless effort. He didn't have any hairpins or anything like that to try and unlock the door. He was too weak to try to break it through. He had quit shouting since they either didn't hear him or ignored him. There was window of course, but Ron decided to wait until that was a must choice. He preferred not to break his legs.
Miss Go had come to bring him a bowl of fruits. Ron had considered for a moment of attacking her to make a run of it, but changed his mind when he saw the monstrosity known as Edward standing behind her.
The sun was setting when the screaming started again. Ron really couldn't take it. He didn't know what Drakken was doing to those animals but he couldn't stand it. No wonder he was on this island, the green peace would not leave him alone if they knew of him.
Ron sat on the bed, quietly chewing a pear and contemplating his situation, as well as the craziness his life had been past two weeks, when he heard quiet noise coming behind his door. Ron quickly dismissed the idea that anyone could be there, since he had not heard any footsteps.
However, to his surprise, he started hearing the scratching coming from the door right before it blew wide open. Ron stared as a small pink hairless rodent jump off from the door's lock and run across the room to the fruit bawl. It looked like one of those naked mole rats he had once seen in a documentary. Except it wasn't as freaky looking and actually had its eyes open.
The rodent stared the fruit bowl and then turned to Ron.
"Cheese?" came a low whisper.
"Wow, it's a dream. How disappointing" Ron said to himself. It was better than freaking out again.
Dream or not, Ron decided not to waste a chance but head out of the room and down the stairs to the yard. The screaming continued louder than ever. Although Ron wanted nothing more that to get away and block his ears, something about the awful sound made him stop dead in his tracks. He stood there and listened, with his heart starting to beat faster and cold sweat now forming on his forehead.
The screams didn't sound like animal anymore. It sounded like human.
This is some seriously bad road, Ron thought to himself but he had to know. He started walking towards the wide building next to the garden. He was just about to open the door when a hand on his shoulder nearly made him jump to the roof. He turned around to see…
"Yori? You scared me there!"
"Mustn't go in. Not in there" she said, nodding her head towards the building.
"But Yori…"
The girl shook her head violently. "No! Not in there!"
Ron could tell she meant business. Whatever was in there terrified her. But when another scream was heard Ron made up his mind.
"Stay here" he told her and quietly opened the door.
The interior was nothing like what he expected. Outside the building looked like an old warehouse, but inside it was a sterile operation room. There were computers and equipments he couldn't even name. Bright lights came from the ceilings. He saw a cabinet filled with jars filled with…whatever. A table filled glasses and bottles that had bright colored chemicals in them. The whole thing was like from a b-horror movie.
And at the end of the huge space, Ron could see Drakken and Miss Go leaning over a table. And on the table lied, what he first thought, a man. But as he looked closer he saw the man's whole body was covered in fur, he had huge claws in his fingers and the most horrible face he had ever seen. A face that was similar to those strange people working here.
Ron took a step back as a horrible idea came to his head. He's experimenting on them. He is doing some illegal Joseph Mengele shit to these people!
As Ron stepped further back his back hit animal cages that had been lined on the other end of the house. It so happened he hit the monkey cage and had them going crazy.
Drakken and Miss Go instantly raised their heads. Ron sprinted out of the door just as he heard Drakken shouting "After him!"
Now Ron was in panic. He could no longer think clearly, his instincts had taken over and they were shouting to get as far from those people as he could. He did not know what was in the jungle, the creature in the lagoon might not be the only surprise there, but he'd rather take his chances there than end up on that table.
Ron saw Yori and grabbed her by the arm, because being the nice guy he is he felt he could not leave her with these people. Yori didn't resist but allowed Ron to drag her with him as they ran out of the enclosure and to the shadows of the jungle.
Ron ran towards where the dock was, hoping he could take the boat and get as far from the island as he could. But they had not been running for long when he heard sound of engine catching up on them.
The car! I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of taking it?
Yori pushed Ron to the bushes and jumped after him, where they laid silently as the car drove past them. When they were gone Ron stood up.
"There's no way I can get past them to the boat now. Where can we go?" he muttered out loud, not knowing what to do and where to turn to.
Yori took his hand. "Come with me. I know a place" she said.
Not knowing what else to do, Ron followed the young girl into the jungle. They walked good half an hour, before arriving to a huge pit. On the bottom of it, Ron saw dozen small huts, made out of woods, stones and metals. It looked like some primitive village made by homeless people.
Yori led Ron down to pit where at first he thought they were alone. Then, one by one, the people emerged from the huts.
When Ron saw them, all he could think of was Man, Zombie Mayhem has nothing on these.
The approximately 20-30 people that appeared did look like people to certain point. They all stood on two legs, they all wore old clothes and they all had arms and legs. Some of them were covered by thick fur, some of them had twisted legs, some of them had snout where the nose should have been, some of them had hoofs. Some of them looked like cats, some like boars, some like monkeys and some like dogs.
Before Ron knew it, he and Yori were surrounded by these… creatures. They approached him, sniffed him and tried carefully to touch him. Amongst them one creature approached, appearing as leader. He was dressed in old robes, and his legs looked like goat's hooves and his arms were covered by hair. His face looked surprisingly much like that of an old man, with a beard and silver hair. From his hair came two horns.
For a short moment Ron thought he was in the presence of Mr. Tumnus' grandfather.
The goatman brought his hand and touched Ron's face. Ron tried to back away in panic and disgust of the awful smell, but other creatures blocked his path.
The goatman smiled. "He is a man… he is a man like us. Like us!" it said to the others.
"No. He is a man like the Master!" Yori said. "Not made, but born".
The goatman and others now looked Ron with hesitation and interest. "Born?" goatman asked.
Yori didn't have time to answer when a sudden gunshot startled everyone. Ron jumped around to see Drakken and Miss Go standing on top of the pit. Neither made any move to come down.
"Senior!" Drakken called.
The old goatman took a step forward.
"What is the law?" Drakken asked.
"Not to walk on all fours. That is the law. Are we not men?" goatman, Senior, said.
"ARE WE NOT MEN?" other creatures chorused. Ron noticed that they had all get down to their knees and looked like they were worshiping Drakken.
"What is the law?" Drakken repeated.
"Not to hunt other men. That is the law. Are we not men?" Senior said.
"ARE WE NOT MEN?" others chorused.
"What is the law?"
"Not to spill blood. That is the law. Are we not men?"
"ARE WE NOT MEN?"
Senior took another step forward and raised his hand to point Drakken. "His is the hand the makes!"
"HIS IS THE HAND THAT MAKES!" others repeated.
"His is the hand that heals!"
"HIS IS THE HAND THAT HEALS!"
"His is the House of Pain!"
"HIS IS THE HOUSE OF PAIN!"
Ron looked at Drakken and saw an expression on his face he had not seen before. Earlier he had only seen Drakken either agitated or disinterested. Now there was a creepy smile on his face and his eyes were shinning.
Drakken waved his hand and all the creatures returned back in their huts. After they had left, leaving Ron and Yori only there, Drakken and Miss Go descended to the pit.
"I wouldn't have thought of you so foolish as to venture out here after what happened to you earlier" Drakken said to Ron.
Everything that had happened went way over Ron's head, but he suddenly found need to lash back. "Now I understand why this island reeks from one end of the sea to the other! What you have done to these people is… monstrous!"
"Miss Go, give our quest your gun" Drakken said. Miss Go looked hesitant first but then gave her handgun to Ron, who took it. "You are now armed and we're not. That should make it clear I wish no harm for you. Please come back to the enclosure. It's much nicer there than here".
To be continued…
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