Chapter 17. The Leave
George stood on top of the stage with the microphone in one hand. The Eloi below him gathered on the grass before him and clapped their hands, eagerly waiting for the show to begin.
"How's my good folk down there?" He shouted out to them with a wave of his hand. "Tonight you will witness the liberation of your fella kind from the ruthless claws of the hideous Morlocks!"
The Eloi shuddered at the word of their dark enemies. Some gasped and leaned forward to see if any Morlock would pop out of nowhere.
As the show began George stood off the stage and watched as the show played out as planned. Katie appeared onto the stage, behind her the scenery drop back of a romantic field of flowers and trees seem to dance in her shadow. She sung her part in how she was a suppressed, innocent being about to be slain by her ugly captives. The fake scenery suddenly faded into an empty blue. A Morlock with a cracking whip suddenly leapt out onto the wooden floor in front of Katie and bellowed at the crowd before him. The crowd screamed and fell over backwards on top of each other. The show was going to plan.
"Don't-you-know-that-Eloi-tastes-better-soaked-in-blood-and-mud!?" His translating collar echoed out into the crowd. George and Jones turned their faces to him and looked questionable to each other.
"Shadow, Morlocks don't have lines!" Jones whispered out loud from beside the stage prop. Shadow ignored him and continued to goose march across the stage. The Eloi didn't take their eyes off of him.
"Oh no! It's the evil Morlock coming to take me away!" Katie cried out her lines and collapsed to her knees.
"Oh-yes-my-dear!" He threw his head back and chuckled. "Oh-did-I-mention-that-often-times-Morlocks-enjoy-dancing!? Hey-is-the-moon-out-tonight? Let's-see!"
Shadow did the biggest dare of his life by doing a crazy jig and turned his ass to the crowd and yanked down the back of his pants. Katie turned her face away to hide the exploding laughter from her father. The Eloi were totally confused but amused by the performance.
"Oh-my-delicious-Eloi-would-you-marry-me?" He slid across the stage on his knees and offered his hand in a marital pose.
"Oh what a quaint old fashion way to propose!" She gasped at the crowd with a giant grin. "Sure if you promise not to eat me on the first night!" She gave the crowd a pert smirk before being swept off her feet and ushered off the stage and out into the woods by Shadow. The grand exit was announced by him hollering like a cowboy and giving his leather whip a few loud cracks across the air in front of him. The Eloi clapped their hands and the entire crowd laughed along with each other. George and Jones though reacted quite the opposite and was intent on giving Shadow and Katie a smarting backside for that disgusting joke.
The pair took off into the woods hooping and howling out at the crisp night sky. Shadow hopped around on four legs and rolled around in the grass.
"Now-that-was-amazingly-funny!" He laughed. "Hey-at-least-the-Eloi-enjoyed-it!"
"Oh man dad was totally pissed!" She grabbed his hands and rolled on him. "You know dad is gonna hunt for us. Might as well confess."
"Yeah-I-suppose-so. We-had-our-fun."
They both retreated back to the house and found both men waiting on the porch, knowing sooner or later the two charges would show up. George stood rigid with his arms folded.
"That was not funny at all not for a moment!" He growled and stepped off the porch. "I should get out the whip and have you both over the bottoms!"
Shadow stared at his big feet with a big smile he couldn't remove. He didn't regret what he did for a second. George grabbed his chin and yanked his face up.
"So you think this is all still so funny? You have a lot of nerve."
"What-do-you-think-I-feel-having-to-be-the-disgusting-gross-enemy-that-has-to-downplay-his-own-kind? I-don't-think-you-would-enjoy-it." He answered with a serious tone this time.
"You agreed to do this long ago. You had a choice!" George turned to Katie and glared down at her. "I hope to see better of you next time as well. Don't forget what you are."
"It's only part of me. I can choose to be whoever I want to be." She remarked, tired of having the foot on her simply because of her Eloi blood.
Shadow snarled beneath his breath. "Just-leave-her-alone. Just-because-she's-Eloi-doesn't-mean-she-has-to-believe-her-own-friend-is-her-own-worst-fucking-enemy."
George reached around to Shadow and grabbed his face to give him a smack upside the head for such talkback. The usually submissive Morlock reacted in the worst fashion ever before in his life. Before he had always cowered down to the master's punishments if he ever needed them. Again he saw red flash before his eyes and his jaws snapped shut around George's hand. His shear-like incisors cut through his hand like a fork through a butter pad.
The Eloi shrieked and ran off in all directions as they hinted the sudden change in mood of the Morlock. George's eyes bulged out and he punched Shadow in the face repeatedly.
Shadow opened his mouth and yanked his face away from the blows. Fresh blood oozed down the corner of his mouth and speckled on his hair. His lips curled upward and the whites of his eyes flashed almost as bright as his reflective pupils. His lust for the blood was gone now and he only stared blankly at what he had done. Slowly he shrunk back and escaped to his hut to hide himself.
Jones and Katie went to the aid of her father. His hand was almost torn in half from the middle towards the ends of the fingers. Jones wrapped it up in a hanky and helped him back inside.
"Stay away from him Katie." Jones grabbed Katie roughly by the sleeve and jerked her inside.
"He's a savage!" George hollered out in pain. "I would have never thought!"
Katie hid behind a few of the other Eloi that lazed across the couch uncaring about the master's near death experience.
Outside the Eloi had gathered back into a large herd and snuggled with each other behind the safety of the house for the night. The air was so still one could one of the newborn Eloi's little sleep snores. Shadow stood shaking in the darkness of the backyard, his eyes on the Eloi. His lust to kill had disappeared, leaving him feeling void of any sort of feeling of the moment.
Now the master would never accept him inside the house or near Katie anymore. He crouched next to the open window to see how the family was doing inside. The two men spoke in a low tone, Katie had already gone off to her room for the night and so have the rest of the Eloi.
"I don't know what we should do with him. He's part of the family." Jones spoke quietly.
"He's usually so gentle in nature I admit. I can't trust him anymore Jones." George was still shivering from the attack. "I swear he was going to kill me. His eyes were just full of evil."
"Want me to sedate him permanently? He will always be a lumbering and disinterested hull then." Jones suggested bitterly.
"I don't know Jones. You decide what is best for him and our family." He leaned back and gently touched his bandaged hand. "I think I am soaking through."
"I wish you would help me in this George. I really need your advice." Jones pleaded.
"Let's get one thing straight Jones. I don't want to be rude because you are a great pal of mine and I know how much Shadow means to you. You found him and you decided to raise him. You taught him everything there is to know. I did not decide to take on his responsibility. I am very sorry that you may not like to hear that."
Jones stood up and beat his fist down on the table. "You are the one who killed his parents! You obliterated his colony and whatever trace was left! I came here to study the lively hoods of these two creatures," he made the motion to leave. "not to wipe out ecosystems just because I see something I don't like."
George glinted at him with dark eyes. "The Eloi are humans! Why should I just sit around and do nothing to help them?"
"They are not humans! Not the Eloi or the Morlocks! They are just creatures descended from us. The Morlocks are just as closely related to you as your childish wife. I suppose it's because of the way they look." Jones pointed an accusing finger at him. "You don't realize how much of a Morlock you really are."
"This discussion is over with Jones." George lowered his gaze and stepped out the room.
Shadow sunk down against the ground and sobbed. It was true! That wild Morlock was telling him the truth the whole time. He was living with his murderers. A disgusting feeling over swept him.
Just before midnight came around he tacked up Ugly the draft cross and threw a few bags over his backside. His eyes blinded by salty tears seeped into his mouth. He wiped his face and pulled the bridle over the draft's huge head.
"We must leave now my friend. I do not feel welcome here any longer." He bit his lower lip and sulked. After tacking up he hauled himself into the saddle and trotted up in front of the house. Here he stopped and climbed silently to the top floor's roof and pushed open Katie's window. Usually she left it locked for certain reasons. Her little body snug and warm in her sheets. He hovered over her and tucked a small letter beneath her pillow.
"I will miss you my love." He groaned in his own tongue as he bent over to give her a slight nuzzle with his nose.
Without looking back he galloped off into the night. To where he would go he would not know. For once thing he did know he wanted to be as far away as possible from the murderous men.
For daylight travel he packed clothing meant just for him to protect his skin from the sun's rays. Jones had given them to him for a birthday gift so he could play around with Katie in the daytime. Aside them were a pair of goggles to protect his sensitive eyes.
The land around them grew wild and untamed. Mother Nature was quick to take over after man was gone from the spotlight to shroud the earth in flowers and rainforests. The only fragments of his greedy ancestors were odd-shaped buildings that jutted from the ground. Most were from the last few moments in Man's ruling time over the world. Already the earth around them were reaching up over the buildings with their vines and slowly pulling them back down to the soil where all things go eventually.
Shadow peered out across the landmarks through his goggles expressionless. He didn't want to imagine his only friend's face when she would find out he had left. At the last moment he wished he had snuck her away with him but she would not survive around those he was hoping to search for, his own Morlock kind.
For several days and nights he traveled. Constantly he had to remind himself to give his steed breaks along the way. There would be several fruiting trees where he would pick fruit for Ugly to nibble on.
A day later he came across the scent of Morlock and halted Ugly to a full stop. The draft cross reared back his head and snorted slowly at the scent of so many carnivorous animals.
"This is the place I suppose." Shadow said to himself as he dismounted. He unpacked his bags and the horse's tack. He grabbed the horse's neck and gave him gentle caresses across his massive neck before pushing him off to let him go on freely. "Stay safe now Ugly. I might need you someday again. Stay away from this place."
With a deep, rattling breath he disappeared into the dark opening and hid his equipment in the corner for safekeeping. Slowly he descended deeper into the shaft. The smell of his own kind grew thick with the stuffy air. All sorts of scents hit him. The sweet and soft scent of females. The bold scent of males and the very assaulting, spicy scent of angry males jousting for a chance at gaining mates. His hair stood on end again as he breathed in deeply. Raising back his head he howled his arrival to the strangers. As he crawled deeper he found the wide caverns where they resided spectacular. The many beasts were crowded around each other chattering in grunts and groans. Females and males were mostly separated into their own groups. The sound of machinery hummed overhead. It was like a city all of itself down here.
The other Morlocks paid no mind to him. There were so many that a new one drifting in wasn't such a head-turner. Trembling with fear he slowly snaked himself around them and placed himself in a dark place by himself to watch them. Eventually he grew used to them and decided to investigate how deep and how far this place would go. He found that the males were very rude. They shoved him out of their way in many more ways they he could count. Some would snap their teeth at him if he didn't get out of the way quickly enough.
Poor Shadow had no idea how the pecking order went for his kind. Right now he was the lowest of the low, not know his ways around he was lost and an easy target to abuse. A few old males lay sprawled out against the walls of the broadest parts of the corridors in certain areas. There were also many individual caves carved out of the stone walls.
Being curious he decided to stick his head down one, it was a good few more feet to crawl into.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you fool." One of the Morlocks grunted at him. "Unless you are looking for a fight but your scent tells me otherwise."
"Oh I was just checking out what's inside." Shadow answered with stupid innocence.
"Are you stupid or something?" The old male asked, confused by this stranger's odd reactions. "You are just asking for a fight from whoever is in that cave."
"Why?" He questioned again.
"Do you know anything about living?" The male responded in frustration.
"I have never lived with other Morlocks before." Shadow sat down across from the male and smiled.
"That makes no sense but if you say so." The male shrugged. "By the name's Blunt."
"Mine's Shadow." The tame Morlock started his daily grooming of raking knots from his hair.
"So Shadow you seem very gentle for a male. What age are you?" He further asked.
"Hmm I'm about eighteen now. Is there something wrong with that?"
"No but I'm sure you are feeling the lust to fight and love pretty soon." Blunt folded his arms in front of him and laid his head down.
"I'm already having those feelings. Which is why I came here." Shadow licked his arm. "I hope to have a mate and some kids someday. Perhaps later on I can go talk to a female."
Blunt lifted his head and chuckled madly as if Shadow told a very bad joke.
"Are you kidding me? Son it will take much more then that to earn a mate. You must fight for one of those caves you see? Then once you secured yourself one of those usually a female will seek you out. You two will learn to love later."
"I can be mean if I have to." Shadow puffed out his chest.
"I can just tell by looking at you now that you will fail miserably. Perhaps you would even loose your own life in the battle to have a good repetition." Blunt frowned. "I failed at what makes a male. I was too weak to gain my own cave and to attract a female. I have been lonely ever since."
Shadow felt a wallowing pity for the male. "I don't think I could ever last. I want somebody to love."
"Well first you must learn your way around this place before you think of getting into anything serious. I suspect you know how to work and to hunt?"
"No I have never done anything like that. Well I've killed a few Eloi before and taken apart a few TV's." Shadow listed.
"A TV? Oh never mind." The male rolled his eyes. "You just learn your ways around this place. Learn how to adjust yourself to the pecking order. Right now we are the lowest of the low. Top males always seek to harm us and to make damn well sure we are not in their way."
"I have feelings that I will not take much liking to my own kind." Shadow swallowed in disgust.
"Not many Morlocks do in the first place! Sure after one gains a good household of his own he calms down and peace is restored among friends. Your true friend is your mate." Blunt licked his lips.
"I will cope. For now I just want to sleep." He yawned and rested beside the male. "Later on I need a good meal. What do they serve around here? Any cows or chickens?"
"What? We only have Eloi stupid." It rubbed Blunt the wrong way to feel so ignorant and confused by this stranger's weird ways with words.
Shadow ignored his remark and closed his eyes, hoping to catch an hour of sleep or so. He missed his soft pillows and sheets at home so much at that moment. The musty rocks suited his back to no good so he constantly shifted his mass around. Beside him the old male had rolled on his back and snored loudly. Not only did he face many obstacles ahead but falling asleep wasn't one he had hoped to be on that list.