AN- So sorry about the wait folks! I've always had a bit of writers block with this …how annoying…stabs it
I promise I will not rest until this story is told! Ahem...here we are then. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far, this is for you. I also should update the disclaimer by saying I don't own any of these characters, and thanks to everyone for waiting.

Enjoy

After at least half an hour, Edward Prendick had led Captain Nemo along with Dr Jekyll to the stone enclosure. The man stopped to stare at the walls and shuddered, causing the two league members who followed to feel a cold, creeping sensation crawling up along their spine. It was a light shiver. Prendick led them forward, Nemo had his sword at the ready should anything happen, and up towards the door. He tried it and found it to be open.

''Strange…they usually lock this one…'' He muttered to himself, slowly pushing it open. They entered the room and saw it was small and tidy. The square window let them see into the wide courtyard, where the league members were relieved to see…

''Alan and Mina!''

The vampire turned quickly to the source of the small sound- it had definitely sounded like her name, she was certain- but where did it come from? Suddenly she noticed the familiar faces at the window along with one unfamiliar face.

''Alan. Over here.''

The Hunter joined her at the door to the small room, but as she tried to open, she found it was locked. The three men inside the room waited as the two outside spoke about what to do next. Alan suggested that they break it open. What would it hurt? Obviously something was happening here that shouldn't be. The lady vampire obliged. With one strong, thought out kick of the door it flung open, the locking mechanism breaking and splintering the wood.

''What are you doing here?'' Alan asked, adjusting the rifle strapped to his shoulder. The Captain began to explain as Prendick wandered out into the courtyard nervously. He wringed his hands as he looked about, keeping an eye out for the slightest movement. The League members were now discussing what should be done about the missing Tom Sawyer and Rodney Skinner. They all focused on this conversation until the screaming began.

''Good god…what is that?'' Jekyll remarked, wincing at the sound. Alan listened carefully, unaffected by the sound. Its depth and volume testified to a certain type of animal that the Hunter was familiar with.

''It sounds like a large cat…possibly…a leopard..?'' He mused, continuing to listen. Eventually he too winced at the crying of the animal. To the group, it was as though all the pain in the world had found a voice.

Montgomery led them through the jungle confidently. Skinner was sick to the teeth of waiting to see what happened and following this weird man and his even weirder companion.

''What if one of those things jumps out and attacks us?'' The thief asked, stepping carefully over a particularly spiky plant and wishing he had shoes.

''We don't need to worry. They won't attack.''

''How'd you know, eh? What's gonna stop a ruddy animal like before coming after us?''

''Trust me, gentlemen.''

''How? I don't know you-''

Montgomery turned to face the floating hat, coat and glasses that followed him. He frowned a little and ran a hand through his straw like hair, raising the lamp.

''Let me put it this way, invisible man. What choice have you got?''

Skinner gulped slightly as Montgomery turned back to lead them on. The American by his side patted him on the back and beckoned for him to follow. Sighing inwardly he carried on, hoping against hope that he would hear the loud, angry voice of Hyde or see a magnificent cloud of bats somewhere in the distance…

Suddenly there was a loud rustling to their side. Montgomery continued to walk casually into the darkness- the only reason that Tom and Skinner didn't stop to see what made the noise was that they had to follow the orb of light that was the lamp in their guide's hand.

The rustling came again, from behind. Something was following them. Sawyer pretended that he couldn't hear anything and carried on, fingering his pistol absent mindedly.

''What happened to that friend of yours with the pointed ears?'' He asked finally, trying to change the topic in his mind. Montgomery shrugged at first, the tensed.

''Damn!'' He shouted, kicking something in front of him. ''Pointed ears?''

''Yeah…I noticed earlier…they're kind of furry too…''

''Hmm….''

Then they came to another clearing- it looked more like a forest glade than somewhere in the jungle of a volcanic island. Vines twined about the trees and the ground, competing for the open space with the flowers and ferns. The duo looked about them in disbelief, suddenly forgetting about any of the disturbing things they had seen in this place- it was quite beautiful. But still, reality caught up fast, and once again every shadow became something more than a shadow, and any rustle in the trees became a threat.

And even more distracting to Sawyer and Skinner were the grotesque figures that were kneeled together in a group. They were swathed around the middle with scarlet cloth and wore nothing else. Their skin was a strange sort of colour- drab and dullish pink, covered with bristly hair. Their foreheads retreated, and their faces were rather fat and heavy, making them appear chinless. Montgomery gestured to them and approached, while they simply stared up at him and at the two men lingering in the shadows. The three bestial looking creatures rose onto their lank, clumsy feet and waved began waving their arms in unison and stamping their feet upon the ground.
They started to circle, causing Montgomery to stop and sigh almost impatiently. He turned to look at Tom and Skinner, who remained silent. He gestured for them to stay were they were.

''I'll be just a minute, eh? Stay there.''

They seemed to be speaking complete gibberish to each other, but soon the men could hear it was some sort of recitation of an odd language. There was almost a tune to this chanting.

'Aloola…? Baloola…? Is that what they're saying…?' Tom Sawyer pondered, rooted to the spot as he watched the strange show in the distance. He noticed that they had lipless mouths, from which saliva was now running. Montgomery waved to them angrily and shouted for them to stop their foolishness and help him. Skinner shuddered finally and looked up to the sky. He could see every star in the inky black void above them, and began wishing he was a sea gull, so that he may jut fly over and witness this scene without having to stay and watch so close.

''I think we should make a run for it, kid.'' He said, nudging his American friend into reality. Tom shook his head slowly in reply.

''We can't…we know somethin' real bad is going on here. We can't leave now.''

''Yes we can,'' The thief hissed, becoming agitated at the boys persistence, ''If we find the League, THEN we can sort out the nasty mess on this Island. Because I for one, am not happy about following him,'' he gestured quickly to Montgomery, ''around all the time! Who knows where we are, Sawyer? We don't know what's going to happen next-''

The chanting of the three strange beings had ceased as Montgomery quizzed them about the man Prendick. They regarded him as one would expect a lion to regard another lion suddenly speaking Spanish to it. Then, they began to gibber at him all at the same time.

''Ssh! You,'' he pointed to the creature in front of him, ''Where is Prendick? He's missing. He's a man like me, or them. Have you seen him..?''

The thing spoke to him in a strange raspy voice, almost as though it was recovering from a sore throat. There were qualities of the beats about it, there was no doubt, but its rough human form confused the Spy and the Thief who watched quietly. Montgomery nodded as it spoke to him.

''He has seen us.''

''He has been to the sayer of the law! The law was spoken to him.''

''Good god…he's going to be even worse than the first time he went off alone…''

Montgomery returned to Sawyer and Skinner and told them to follow him past the three creatures.

''Perhaps you should meet some of our curiosities, eh?''

''Not just now, thanks.'' Skinner said, quickly passing by the three figures. They watched him pass and began to gibber in unison about the absence of his head and feet. The invisible man shuddered again as he quickly moved past the bestial people.

'Where the hell is everyone…?'