I'm on a roll this weekend! Here's the next chp. for "Motherland". Enjoy! And cookies for the people who guess what the monster is!
"Motherland"
Chapter 1- Dreams and Nightmares
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abe was in his pen, sleeping like a baby. He had just worked a 20-hour shift and he was glad to be off his feet. He was a hard worker and he never complained, so the Glukks gave him the tough jobs, like feeding the slogs and the livestock that seemed to want to have him for dessert. Well, the day was over and he was enjoying the best it he could.
He heard the soft hum of machinery, but chose to ignore it. Rupture Farms made plenty of noises. It was the largest meat-processing factory on Oddworld. So, most of the buzz was from the meat saws and packing machines. These sounds where nothing new to him.
He grunted and rolled into a tight ball on the floor of his pen. He was cold, but he was always cold. The Glukks had all the moolah in the world, but were too cheap to spare him a blanket. He had nothing in the means of body fat to keep him warm ether. He was skinny for his size. He was often fed last, even though he was ‘Employee of the Year’. The title meant nothing, just the Glukks way of propaganda.
He heard the machine again, but this time it seemed to be closer. Much closer.
“Abe…” he heard in his ear.
His heart skipped a beat. He woke up to a T.V. screen staring him right in the face. He whimpered and backed up against the wall, wide-eyed in terror at the monster before him.
It wore the face of a mudokon, but it was far from one. It’s large, round, metal body was suspended from a long robotic arm that attached to it’s back. It’s voice. That was the thing that scared Abe the most. It had a voice the resembled a mud’s voice, but underneath it was a darker voice that copied whatever the first voice said.
“Just because life is doomed,” it said, closing in, “And everyone wants to eat you…”
It’s face turned into a movie of him. He was running from what looked to be a Scrab. Then, the Scrab leaped upon him, biting into his shoulder.
He felt it. He felt it’s beak digging into his back and shoulder blade. He cried out and clinched his shoulder in pain. He felt the cold ooze of blood drip down his back and onto the floor. He bit his lip, silencing himself into a faint murmur.
How…? How could he fell it? How could it happen? It was just a movie. Movies weren’t real! It couldn’t be real! It wasn’t real! But, the blood and the sting in he’s shoulder were telling him another stories.
“But,” the thing continued, “That doesn’t mean there’s no hope…”
The screen changed again, but this time, things were on Abe’s side. He stood in front of an army of Sligs. He would have turn and ran, but there was something inside him. Power. Power from the heavens. He roared and turned into a huge creature. In a single blow, all the sligs where knocked off their feet, dead as the ground their laid on.
He felt the power. Just like the pain before it. It was great. Now, he knew that getting free was possible. He noticed a flash of light and the pain returned, but this time it moved from his shoulder to his hands. He looked at them and watched as a blue spark dance across his the back of his hands, forming into scars. One for the Scrab and one for the Paramite, both where sacred to the mudokon race and both gave him the power he needed to be free.
“You need to look within...”
The machine stared back at him, changing the screen back to it’s face. With that, the influence he had was gone. The scars on his hands were gone. Abe felt helpless again. He wanted the power again. He wanted that chance to be someone. But how, he was a weak little floor-waxer, doomed to a life of pain and misery.
“If you want to be free!”
The machine got closer, extending it’s arms out, embracing him. Then he saw them, two little saws inching toward his neck. He cried out and went to scurry away, but he was fused to the floor, unable to move.
He braced himself. He felt a sting on his neck and cried, “HELP ME!”
Then it was dark. He stood in a room of black. He blinked and looked around. Everything was gone. The robot was gone. His pen was gone. The factory was gone. The noise was gone. Everything was gone!
Everything but the sound of someone crying. It was behind him, whatever it was. He spun around and blinked.
A small mud sat on the floor, holding a doll in her arms. She was as thin as his was. Her small body was draped in a black and white dress. She looked that she just escaped from prison. Her long ponytail fell over her shoulder and on the floor around her.
Judging from want he could tell, she hadn’t noticed him yet. He wanted to ask her where his was and what happened to her. She was clearly upset and he wanted to cheer her up. He was good at that. It was one of his charms. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He couldn’t get the words out.
“Why do they take them away from me…?” she sobbed.
He blinked. What was she talking about? Take whom anyway from what? There was nothing here. Nothing but her, her doll and him.
She looked over her shudder, staring at Abe with silvery eyes, “Why…?”
She stood up, turning to him. He shuddered. She was pregnant and she was so young. She looked younger then him and he was only 15. What happened to her?
She walked closer to him, the doll in her arms. He just looked back. He eyed the dolled and cringed. It was a mudokon, but it was in taters. It was falling apart at the seams. Did she do this? Did she hate mudokons? All where things that he wanted to ask, but couldn’t.
“I know that face,” She tilted her head and whispered, “I’m so sorry, baby. Please forgive me…”
He gasped. He knew those words. They always rang in his head. Those words were what his mother told him all those years ago. He shouldn’t even remember them. He was taking away from his mother when he was just a newborn, but somehow it echoed in the back of his mind.
But they’re was no way that this girl was his mother. But…
“Mother…?” he whispered back.
She smiled and hugged him, “Mommy’s here. I love you.”
He looked at her, not knowing what to do. He wanted to hug her back, but his arms don’t move.
She looked at him again with her silver eyes. She let go and backed off. Her face was a mix between anger and sadness. What do he do?
“But if you loved me, you would have freed me. You freed your brothers, but what about me. Do you care?”
He shuddered. That hurt. Of course he cared. He freed is unborn brothers! That had to mean something to her. He would have freed her too, but nobody knew where she was. All that he knew that that she was locked away somewhere and that was it.
“What about me?” she asked.
“Mom,” he said, “I’m can’t find you! I’m sorry…” He looked away, ashamed that he yelled at her.
She looked at him hard and held her doll close. She growled and yelled, “Then try harder!” She ran off, her long ponytail trailing behind her.
“Mom!” he yelled running after her, but it was too late. She was gone.
He stood in the abyss, enraged. Something got to him. He was trying his hardest to find her. He did save her babies after all and she didn’t even say ‘thank you’. He couldn’t believe it He couldn’t believe that she was so rude.
He heard her behind him. He growled.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?!” he yelled, “Can’t you see I’m trying?!?”
“Yes,” she said, “I want you to try again. You have only a month. If you can’t find me by then, you’d better have a good eulogy for me.”
He blinked. What?! He spun around and nothing was there. Where was she? What was going on?!
“Abe, please.” She whispered, “Hurry.”
He woke up, panting. It was a dream? But, it felt so real.
“Geez…” he groaned, holding his head.
“The clock is ticking, baby...” He heard whispered in his ear.
He looked up. It was her! He shot out of bed and out his tent. He looked around. She sounded like she was everywhere. He looked up to his moon. Somehow, it knew what was going on. It was shining as bight as ever.
Mia's Art and Fics
I like the first one, it's sweet! 
