Chapter 13. Call of the Sirens
Shikha wandered out into broad daylight as she occasionally did to soak up the sun's rays. She didn't know why she needed to but she would start to feel sick otherwise. The light blinded and burned her from the lack of being outside during the day. Mog was down bellow catching his sleep, his snores were so loud she swore she could hear them all the way out here.
The little Eloi had no idea how far out she had wandered to collect fruits. Soon she came across the old shelters the Morlocks had kept their livestock in originally. She picked up the stray bowls and placed one in her bag that had less chips then the others. Suddenly a whirling noise came to her ears. It moved her deeply and she felt herself sway to the sound of it's beckoning call. Her eyes grew heavy and she smiled faintly. All thoughts of her Morlock friends fell away and only left her with empty blackness.
She steadily followed the sweet call through the forest until it soon grew quiet, leaving her standing there in an unknown place far from home. She looked around at the strange environment and began to call out for Mog.
"I'm probably so far from home he would never hear me." She sobbed, as she went on. The trees ended abruptly, revealing a small village. She figured it was another Eloi village telling by the figures walking around it. "Maybe there is another underground nearby."
Shikha sprinted down to the other Eloi's and started to find any detailed clues of a hunting trail. There was nothing, only the wandering dead heads around a few rebuilt ruins and a burnt Sphinx. She noticed another thing. Some of the Eloi here were well-aged, well beyond what a Morlock would allow. Children bounced around everywhere and the males chased after their woman. It was the same typical behavior she encountered at the last Eloi village she stayed at. She didn't even bother to speak to them, only wandered around in clueless circles around the buildings. Inside one of the buildings one Eloi attracted her attention. He stood much taller then the rest and his hair was a dark brown. His clothing was very strange as well. She approached him and tilted her head. Who was this strange creature? He was not an Eloi and not a Morlock.
The strange man stared down at her and smiled, speaking a few words she didn't understand. Another strange creature resembling him approached them.
"What a keen little Eloi." One of them said. "Just look at the way she stares at you. Just shows you how much curiosity they really do have."
Shikha perked up and began to utter her strange grunts and groans at them. Their once smiling faces twisted into confusion.
"My goodness what is wrong with her voice? Is she sick?" The creature gasped.
"Maybe she's just making up noises to make us laugh at her." The other one pointed out. "They do sound rather funny."
Shikha rolled her eyes. Even they couldn't understand her language. The creatures seemed rather harmless so she didn't run away. Perhaps they were some type of Eloi the Morlocks don't know about.
"What type of creatures are you?" She asked again in a slower tone. They only continued to stare at her. Perhaps they were just as stupid as the other Eloi. She snorted at them and continued to wander around the room. Around her laid books and papers. These ones were very fresh. She climbed up on the desk and started to shuffle through the papers. The creatures came close and one grabbed her by the arm. She reacted with a shrill squeal and backed up against the wall.
"Oh don't worry little one we aren't here to harm you." One of them coaxed her.
"Did you see that reaction? She was protecting herself, violently as well." One of them praised. "I would like to keep her around for studying. She might be a new link towards their evolution."
"Well lets not frighten her away. Let her feel comfortable here," One of the creatures offered her candy. "Here taste this little sweetie."
Shikha took the candy and sniffed at it. Slowly she licked at it with her tongue. It had a sour flavor like some of the berries had. She sat back down on the desk and kept an eye on them.
"She has the most foul stench attached to her." One of them commented, wrinkling his nose. "She smells like those ugly brutes down below."
"Perhaps she escaped from them. Probably heard the sirens and came to be liberated." The dark haired one said. "Poor thing was probably about to be eaten. Look at the bite marks on her shoulders. Poor little Eloi."
"I wanna go back home. Mog must be very worried about me." Shikha whined. "What if I never find my way back?"
"I wonder if she's pregnant," The dark haired once reached out to her. "She does have a peculiar roundness to her stomach. Maybe that's why she's so anxious."
Shikha went to go explore the other rooms. She came across bones of Morlocks and one that stood frozen in place on some wooden stand.
"Hello there! How can you stand in the sunlight? Is it some type of new trick?" She asked the still figure. It only stood there still as stone, locked in it's pose. Even it's gnarly expression didn't change nor did his eyes blink. She reached out to him and patted his arm. It was stiff as wood! She squeaked and fell backwards. This Morlock was dead! How did he manage to stay like this and not rot away? Perhaps the strange creatures did this to him.
"Oh yes dear isn't that a frightening creature? I bet it reminds you of many horrible things. Poor little Eloi, don't be scared. He's good as dead now." The creature smiled.
Shikha didn't understand what all his smiles were about. This was a dead Morlock! How could he just stand there and laugh on about it? Maybe he hated Morlocks.
"I cannot stay here." Shikha breathed. "If they do this to Morlocks then I am not safe and neither is my family."
She backed away slowly out the door. Outside the sun was fast setting, there is no way she would be able to make it back home blinded. Her eyes swelled with tears and her legs shook with fear. Now she would have to stay here in this horrible place over night.
"Mog! Where are you?!" She called out on the edge of the village. "Mog! Mog!"
There was no answering bellow. It was unlikely he could hear her voice. The other Eloi stood around her, gawking at her strange moaning.
"There she goes again with those strange sounds. I say we should keep her and check up on her health. Especially if she is pregnant." The tall creatures were back again. One of them reached out and grabbed her by the arms. She bared her teeth and tried to snap at them with her sharpish teeth.
"Let go of me! Mog! Mog! Can you hear me anywhere!?" She cried out again as they pulled her away.
"My God she shrieks worse then guinea fowl!" One of them said. "What is she calling out for? An Eloi mate?"
"It could be anything. I have never heard any Eloi make a call like that." The dark-haired one pat her head in reassurance. "Don't worry we won't harm you."
Shikha found herself locked away in a small room with fruits and toys. No matter how serene the place seemed, she still tried to claw her way out. Hopefully Mog will be able to track her back here. Unless it starts to rain and washes away all evidence of her existence.
"Fere! Do you know where Shikha went off too?" Mog came pounding into her home. "She is gone!"
Fere dropped her work and looked around. "No I haven't. Well I remember she said she went up during the daylight to fetch some fruit."
"She should have been back ages ago!" Mog cried. One thought crossed his mind and he stomped to Fown's place. He snarled in rage and bellowed. "Where is Shikha?!"
Fown jumped out from his slumber with bristled hair. "What? I didn't do anything to her! Haven't seen her at all today! Why?"
The old male couldn't be lying. There wasn't a trace of his mate's scent in this cave nor one on Fown. Mog backed out and ran out to the outside world. His breath was quick and so was his heart. He hoped to find her okay. Maybe she had fallen someplace and broke a leg?
In the tree lines he began to pick up a faint but familiar scent. His heart jumped when he recognized it as Shikha's. He kept his nose keen on her trail and followed it through the woods till he reached it ending in a vast field. Down below was a village on fire! Mog snorted and tilted his head. No it wasn't on fire but had flames lit around it. Perhaps it was to keep out the Morlocks. He shook his head and shielded his eyes.
"No I must go down and find Shikha. I will go in high light if that's what it takes to bring her back home." He groaned to himself. The lonely Morlock lowered his eyes to the ground and followed her trail towards the village. The flames burned brightly into his painful eyes. Instinctively he drew back and covered his face.
"Shikha! Where are you!?" He called out. "Please answer me!" His mate heard his deep voice. He was not too far now. She leapt up against the door and called back out to him. Any moment now he would burst through the door and take her back home.
Her scent grew stronger now and he urged himself forward. He had a sudden feeling of alarm as a loud snap and a noose tightened itself around a leg. His eyes bulged and he went over backwards. His body shot up a few feet into the air, leaving him dangling. What was this strange contraption?
He squealed loudly and kicked out. He was trapped! The flames spun around and teased his sensitive eyes as he beat the air with his claws.
"Morlock! We have a Morlock! Quick Jones get the dart!" One creature called out. "Quick hurry before he snaps the line."
Mog felt a sharp stab in his side and a deep sleep overtake him. His eyes rolled back and his mouth dropped open. The two creatures stood on either side of him and a few Eloi crowded around to stare.
"Look at the ugly brute we just caught!" Jones boasted. "Big heavy buck George!"
"He should be good enough for your experiments then do you say?" The dark haired one answered. "I say lets take a hose to him before dragging his carcass in. He'll just leave an ugly smell everywhere in the rooms."
Mog whined weakly in his throat. He tried to lift his head to view the world but only a piercing light clamped his eyes shut. The Morlock lifted his head and groaned in pain. His head was swimming and so was the ground he laid on.
"Cut the lights dim will you George? I want to keep him calm." One of his captives whispered. "I'll give him more sedatives to keep him docile."
"He still smells awful." George put his gloves on and poked at the Morlock's skin.
"I'm guessing they have some sort of a musk? Like goat bucks do." Jones grabbed the Morlock's face and rubbed his fingers across his lips. A sticky residue smears across his hand from the corner of his mouth. "Ah a scent gland." He waved his fingers close to his nose and winced. "Oi that's where it comes from."
"Such disgusting forms man has degraded into." George wrinkled his nose and sat back into a chair.
"I honestly wouldn't call it degrading. Just a different form." Jones answered. "I'm curious on how intelligent they are."
"Call it what you like." George didn't want to fuss with what they thought about the Morlocks. Nothing would change his mind that he would always think they were disgusting vermin.
Mog only stared down at his hairy legs. He didn't care about anything and wouldn't even think of moving. The voices he heard around him were only a blur. He leaned forward as the creature propped his arms in his lap.
"Evolution is such an interesting subject," Jones began. "I wonder why their fourth and fifth digits disappeared. I guess we have no use for them anymore." He studied Mog's hand. "Thick claws with dried blood on them."
"Probably from his Eloi snack." George growled. "Dirty beast. Haven't you already studied all this with Shadow?"
Jones shook his head. He had been invited over from a different period. He and George met when the Time Traveler went on one of his time adventures. Both had different views on the creatures around them. To him the Morlocks and Eloi's were just humanoid animals doing what they do. It was very intriguing how his own kind had split and now one feasted on the other. He was wanting to keep a journal written on his discoveries.
"Well I wanted to see if anything was similar with a wild one. I wouldn't mind catching a female too. I still haven't managed to come across one so I don't know how they look." Jones took samples of his subject's hand.
"Maybe they are asexual or just clone themselves. Or maybe the females are the same ugly looking brutes as the males." George added.
"Well definitely not asexual since Shadow has the parts. Remember when he hit puberty? Oh dear." Jones informed. "I think they do produce the same way their Eloi's do."
"That's a disgusting thought." George bit his lower lip. "I am guessing they keep their females down below? Who knows the Morlocks might run a male-dominated society and keep their females as breeding slaves."
Jones inspected his teeth, prying open his mouth to view his bottom molars. "Their teeth have almost fully evolved for just eating meat. Interesting front teeth they have. I am guessing they have many uses. Fighting, stabbing their prey, showing off for mates. Shadow likes to click his together to attract our attention."
"You should wear a mask. His breath might drive you sick." George clasped his hands.
"Speaking of prey we need to supply him with some sort of meals." Jones said concerned. "He can't have a herbivore's diet."
"Well we do have a supply of beef and mutton down below in the freezer. We also have the few livestock outside we keep." George waved his finger. "I don't know how much he eats though. Telling by how fat he is I bet a lot."
"Maybe. I am going to study his metabolism too. He has a fairly slow heart rate compared to ours." Jones wiped his gloves on the Morlock's clothing. Mog rolled backwards against the board he was lain on and dropped his arms out beside him. "He will be out of it for awhile."
Mog was transferred to a well-secured unit. At least here the place was dark enough to stand. It wasn't till a few hours later when Mog became more aware of his surroundings. He toppled and wobbled over himself. His mind whirled in circles, making him vomit on top of his straw bedding.
"Where am I? Shikha? I can smell you I think." Mog whimpered. "I feel so damn sick."
He rolled back over on his stomach, deciding to wait till this fogginess would dissipate from his mind. As his consciousness came back around so did his hunger pangs. The smell of Eloi drove his senses crazy. He clawed desperately at the iron bars that held him in and roared.
"Oh I see he's awake." Jones popped his head in. "Is somebody angry?"
Mog backed away from the bars and snorted. From the back of his mind he had a distant memory of these tall creatures. Nightmares of the Time Traveler. Mog raised his head and flashed his tusks in a threat. Every hair on his body stood on end.
"They seem to use their hair to make them appear larger then normal. Somewhat like a cat does." Jones said out loud. "I understand you are angry. Feeling sick and in a strange place. I would be too."
"I doubt he understands you." George leaned against the door. "Ferocious animal as you can see. You better watch out."
"Of course George. I used to study African predators as well. Well what was left of them in my time." Jones sighed.
A dainty Eloi female appeared from behind George. At first Mog thought it was his own mate.
"What is going on?" The female spoke in her sweet voice. The strange creature she stood by dropped an arm around her small shoulders.
"Nothings Weena my dear. Jones just caught one of them ugly Morlocks." George told her. "Don't worry he can't get to you."
Mog glared at the female and licked his lips. No she was not his mate. Jones smiled and stepped outside. "I should go fetch him something to eat."
"How are the kids?" George asked Weena as they walked out. "I hope today they didn't try and skip their studies."
Shikha hardly slept a wink since she was locked in the small room. She swore she had heard his voice earlier on. She rolled over on her belly and cried his name.
A few Eloi would peek in now and then. Shikha snarled at them all for being so delusional and uncaring. Soon those awful creatures showed up again, sending her into another fit of rage.
"I don't understand her at all. I bet you she is sick." Jones opened the door and offered her his hand.
Shikha flattened herself against the wall and hissed. "Come a step closer and I will sink my teeth into your veins."
She dove underneath his legs and shot out the door. Darting around the rooms and the Eloi she had almost fallen into the hands of the other evil creature. She screamed and hid inside the lab. A snarl from behind made her spin around. To her most utter joy it was somebody she recognized.
"Mog? Is that you?" She cried. "Oh Mog!"
The Morlock raised his head with widened eyes. "Shikha!" He reached through the bars as far as the narrow bars would allow. "I was looking everywhere for you! Why did you wander off so far?"
"I didn't mean to. I heard such a mesmerizing sound that I had to follow. I am so sorry! I want to leave this place!" It had just dawned to her that he was trapped in a cage as well. She jerked on the bars and started to sob again. "They have you too!"
"Go now Shikha. Go back to the others before they catch you." He stroked her face. "I don't want them to harm you."
"I am not leaving you here." Shikha shook her head. "You are my mate and I will stick by your side no matter the place or the danger."
"Don't be so stubborn." Mog frowned.
"I get it from you." She smiled and rubbed her nose against his. "You can't change my mind."
"There you are!" Jones entered the room. "Keep away from that monster!"