Chapter 24. Rude Awakening

The taller creature's pale white hand reached for Yuliah again. She smacked it with such force that it threw the monster sideways. "MOTHER!" It let out an earsplitting shriek and toppled over. Yuliah tumbled backward hands clasped over her ears. The pointed edges of the cliff wall stab into her back but numbed by the cold chill down her spine she forgets the pain. The creature began to run in circles on the ground, "Mother," it wailed. Yuliah could only stare on frozen.

The flames from the fire flickered up and down allowing Yuliah to catch sight of them. They stood about two to three feet tall and slowly shuffled towards her. Their mouths hung open wide and broad, "Mother," they called again.

Good Gods! They were creepy. "Stay away from me!" Yuliah warned. "My Friend, he can hurt you," she threatened. Ryas? Yuliah glanced around for him but could only see the creatures. Where the hell did he go? She scanned the crowd one more time for him. It's not like him to disappear without telling her. They must have done something to him.

"We sent him away, the Strong Man," the creature replied. "He's gone now," it laughed mockingly.

Her heart dropped. Ryas. Her eyes burned. "What did you do to the Strong Man?" Yuliah demanded. Their builds were too small to fight him, she could tell. They must have tricked him.

"We tricked him. He wouldn't have let us have Mother," it answered. "He's with a new Mother now," it giggled.

"Think. Think. Think." She scanned her surroundings one last time. "The bedroll! Ryas had a knife. The one he kept tucked under the bedroll. I must fight them." Yuliah stood up, but before she could get to a full standing position, the tiny monsters jumped on her. "No!" She kicked at one creature who grabbed her leg, and it flew back. Then she swung at the two that tried to take her arms and knocked them over. "Don't touch me!" Yuliah kicked again at another creature who sprung forward to take the place of its fallen comrade. They came in droves never-ending, and she screamed, rolled, kicked, and swung at the monsters trying to make her way towards the bedroll, but there were too many. Yuliah laid panting on the ground covered in dirt and her hair drenched in sweat as they bounded her hands and feet with their long hair. Then they stuffed her mouth with a ball of cloth to stop her screaming.

"Bring it out," the same creature from before, the one who had touched her face called out. The tiny monsters from the back brought forth a gurney made of cloth and sticks. "It must be the leader of the group," Yuliah glared at the monster who stood over her. Crazy Eye that's what she called it. For in its left eye, a yellow iris swirled crazily around, but it didn't have one in its right eye. Yuliah shuddered at its deformity.

"Hurry put her onto it," Crazy Eye ordered, and they pulled her onto the gurney. With their tiny bodies, it took twenty of them to drag her away.

Yuliah huffed, "How can I escape and find Ryas? At least he wasn't dead."

Hours went by, while she laid in the gurney as they hauled her through the forest. In what direction? Yuliah didn't know only that the trees grew thicker together as daylight broke through the night sky. Crazy eye walked beside Yuliah and kept his gaze on her at all times. Whenever she looked up the yellow iris, it would swirl around sending shivers down her back.

After some time the creatures went into a frenzy and chattered among one another. One of the smaller monsters approached Crazy Eye. His face frantic and anxious, "We have to hurry. The sun will be out soon, and we'll burn if we don't..."

"Shhhh." Crazy Eye grabbed it by the arm and stomped away.

Their voices were faint, but Yuliah could still make out part of their conversation," We'll be at the cave soon," Crazy Eye told the other creature.

"Father said that the sun hurts us. It even kills us," the smaller creature told Crazy Eye.

"Were almost there. Don't worry," Crazy Eye assured him.

"The sun hurts them. Now was her chance to escape!" Yuliah rocked her body sideways, and with one big twist, she rolled from the gurney on to the ground. "The Sun was almost out. I have to keep going." Round and round she rolled forward until she grew dizzy and closed her eyes. Crazy Eye sent out another shrill behind her, but she kept going until her body crashed into a hard object. When she finally opened her eyes. "Great! She ran into a tree." Yuliah squirmed around the trunk of the tree ready to roll again, but Crazy Eye jumped on her, "Hurry I got her!" Crazy Eye and a few of the creatures propped her up against the tree. "You're a Bad Mother," Crazy Eye hissed at her.

Yuliah could see Crazy Eye's yellow iris swirling around at an even faster speed. Then Crazy Eye lifted his creepy little white hand and pushed aside the long black hair that covered his face. He touched his left eye, and the yellow iris began to whiz around in complete circles. It popped out, covered in tiny black spots, and wiggled around in the palm of his hand. A queasy feeling bubbled up from Yuliah's stomach and into the back of her throat, but she desperately fought it back. "I can't throw up right now not with this cloth stuffed in my throat," she took a deep breath.

Crazy Eye held the yellow iris as it glowed within his forefingers now and brought it closer towards Yuliah's forehead. Yuliah screamed, but only a muffled sound came through the cloth in her mouth. "He'll embed it into me!" She shook. "No!" Yuliah cried and jerked her body back and forth to try to break free.

"Hold her down," Crazy Eye's mouth broadened with eagerness.